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It just proved too useful in that old campaign, or it's just too much fun to use.
What that weird item you always buy, or tend to buy whenever you're starting a game at higher levels and find yourself with lots of spare cash?
Whenever I can I usually pick up a wire saw. Easy to conceal, and you never know when you're going to be thrown behind a locked door or get shackles slapped on your wrists.
Plaster powder
Snow/Smoked Goggles. They rarely come in handy, but when they do...woof. You're glad you have 'em.
As I found out to my detriment the ONE TIME I forgot to get them. -.-
Also on my unarmed characers I usually take the money I save and buy a Pellet Grenade (50 gp). Good 3d6 AoE to have in a pinch.
That reminds me, my new Brawler for Reign of Winter needs to take some ranks in Craft: Alchemy...
Chalk, great for marking your path, finding invisible creatures, or proving that your plan is just plain mathematically better.
I have a friend who ALWAYS picks up soap. Why? you ask... soap bubbles......goram soap bubbles
Chalk, great for marking your path, finding invisible creatures, or proving that your plan is just plain mathematically better.
A bit of water and some plaster powder, presto! Chalk stick.
something every PC buys, Rope, and Ammunition
my Quirky Item, Glamered Armor Enchantment or a Hat or Disguise. the ability to change my appearance at will has helped me in many situations with characters that can't normally disguise themselves at will. whether or not they are disguise specialists. it's rare i find a foe with true seeing, but the main use, is to make my already human looking planetouched females even more human looking versions of themselves. or to pass my barbarian or ranger off as a wizard or sorcerer to deceive people.
Recently all my characters have started buying bottles of expensive alcohol, usually absinthe, although none of them actually drink it. I've used it as bribes, gotten enemy commanders drunk, used it as a makeshift molotov cocktail--it's just handy to have around.
Smelling Salts:
These sharply scented gray crystals cause people inhaling them to regain consciousness. Smelling salts grant you a new saving throw to resist any spell or effect that has already rendered you unconscious or staggered. If exposed to smelling salts while dying, you immediately become conscious and staggered, but must still make stabilization checks each round; if you perform any standard action (or any other strenuous action) you take 1 point of damage after completing the act and fall unconscious again. A container of smelling salts has dozens of uses if stoppered after each use, but depletes in a matter of hours if left opened.
I have bought them for every character for years. I have yet to use them but one day they will pay off!
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Chalk & Paper
Chalk is pretty obvious, I'd say. Paper, not so much, apparently, since I've only seen a few players buy it.
Booze
You never know when you'll meet a drinking buddy or someone you want to get drunk. It also helps with Bluff and Diplomacy checks. ;)
Nets
Because getting people Entangled with a touch attack is awesome!
Silversheen weapons
Really, there is no reason not to. 450gp for a weapon that is completely immune to all rusting effects and is able to bypass one of the most common DRs in the game? Yes, please.
Travelers Any-tool.
Because why the hell not. I want my portable crowbars for when I need one.
Universal Solvent
It saved two of my characters already, and proved useful a few more times... Not something you'll use every day or even every campaign, but better safe than sorry! ;)
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Recently all my characters have started buying bottles of expensive alcohol, usually absinthe, although none of them actually drink it. I've used it as bribes, gotten enemy commanders drunk, used it as a makeshift molotov cocktail--it's just handy to have around.
Wait, absinthe is an expensive drink? I thought its original popularity with the bohemian movement came from the fact that it was dirt cheap and people were willing to attribute psychoactive properties on it rather than admit that their favorite artists and writers were alcoholics. *quick wiki-fu*...hmmm... Well, I guess this is before any mass production, and it would be the higher quality distilled method. Hmmm... interesting idea for a low level campaign seed where some shady alchemist is mass producing cheaply made booze and adding "something extra" to make it more addictive while hiding it under absinthe's reputation.
How about this: change. I've seen some people ignore things like that, but really-what tavern would have change for what is basically a $1000 bill? And it is not like you can carry your wealth in copper pieces, considering how much items end up costing as you level. Also, to beat a dead horse-this game has weird economics.
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I always carry around bottles of empty whiskey on my witch (usually at negligable cost, with maybe one bottle that actually contains the stuff). Why you ask?
Arsenic + Whiskey Bottle + Beguiling Gift = Apparent suicide.
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Traveler's any tool and sleeves of many garments.
Both very cheap magic items that cover most any non consumable mundane items.
Prophylactics.
I,m fond of the wayfinder. Good source of light, and if you pick up an ioun stone you can boost it's power.
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All my characters have Boots of the Cat. All of them.
There may be "better" foot slot items, but many of my characters end up at the bottom of a pit or jumping over some kind of ledge. Taking minimum falling damage and landing foot-first makes lethal falls a joke, and there's no provoking to stand up.
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All my characters have Boots of the Cat. All of them.
There may be "better" foot slot items, but many of my characters end up at the bottom of a pit or jumping over some kind of ledge. Taking minimum falling damage and landing foot-first makes lethal falls a joke, and there's no provoking to stand up.
This. Absolutely this.
All of my characters have them just because the sight of somebody intentionally leaping to their "death" and only taking 20 damage in all while staying on their feet is timeless.
I often try to line up enemies walking around below for "Mario" moments.
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Earplugs, sleeves of many garments, and feather step slippers are my Big 3. I also have a fondness for the ioun torch.
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Pretty much every character I play buys a mirror. Way, way back in 1E D&D my DM was inexplicably fond of having things drop on us when we walked through doorways in dungeons. (Usually stirges.) They're also good for signalling, confronting basilisks, and making sure your faerie dragon hasn't turned your hair purple overnight.
As far as more modern equipment, a few feather tokens can really come in handy.
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Winter Blanket. I've used them to make stretchers to haul unconscious party members (or important NPC's) Wet one down and draped it over myself before dashing down a fiery corridor, used them to help reinforce a shelter when we got caught in a hurricane, plus I like the idea of staying warm when I sleep.
All my characters have Boots of the Cat. All of them.
There may be "better" foot slot items, but many of my characters end up at the bottom of a pit or jumping over some kind of ledge. Taking minimum falling damage and landing foot-first makes lethal falls a joke, and there's no provoking to stand up.
This. Absolutely this.
All of my characters have them just because the sight of somebody intentionally leaping to their "death" and only taking 20 damage in all while staying on their feet is timeless.
I often try to line up enemies walking around below for "Mario" moments.
I will definitely look into this item once my witch retires. My next character will probably be a swashbuckler depending on how the final version of the class works out, and this is an EXCELLENT item for him.
Design Manager
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10 foot pole. Everyone always laughs when you lug those things around, and then they save the day a few dozen times and suddenly people start seriously considering heading back to town when they realize that that last trap just incinerated the last one you brought along.
10 foot poles are almost entirely responsible for my character(s) surviving some of the most ridiculous dungeons we've run, including the Tomb of Horrors and Chris Perkins' Mines of Madness.
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Feather Tokens are always a must buy for me. There is nothing better than using an Oak token to make a tree appear beneath a particularly troublesome foe and taking them out of combat for a round or two, or pinning them to the roof of the dungeon.
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10 foot pole. Everyone always laughs when you lug those things around, and then they save the day a few dozen times and suddenly people start seriously considering heading back to town when they realize that that last trap just incinerated the last one you brought along.
10 foot poles are almost entirely responsible for my character(s) surviving some of the most ridiculous dungeons we've run, including the Tomb of Horrors and Chris Perkins' Mines of Madness.
even better, is the collapsable 22 foot pole from dungeonscape.
Ssalarn, hey, do me a favor. Take a ten foot ladder on your next hike and tell me how well that worked out for you. :)
EDIT: Strange, I was sure I head read that you carried a ten foot ladder. Oh well, never mind.
By the way, I used to have a six foot walking stick that I carried with me when I hiked. That was sometimes a pain to manage. A stick four feet longer than that would have been such a pain, I'm sure I would either have broken it in half or left it in a ditch somewhere...
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Ssalarn, hey, do me a favor. Take a ten foot ladder on your next hike and tell me how well that worked out for you. :)
I'd be glad to do so as well, as long as you bring your elf friend along too. =p
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Ssalarn, hey, do me a favor. Take a ten foot ladder on your next hike and tell me how well that worked out for you. :)
dungeonscape also has a collapsable 22 foot ladder
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Dust of Dryness. Not to get rid of liquids, but because sometimes it's really handy to be able to suddenly create 100 gallons of water.
Pro Trick: At later levels, buy 100 gallons of Holy Water (4700 gp), and use Dust of Dryness on it. Then, when the inevitable demon lord shows up, throw the dryness pebble at it and enjoy it's expression as it suddenly finds itself on the receiving end of 800d6 damage.
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Design Manager
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Ssalarn, hey, do me a favor. Take a ten foot ladder on your next hike and tell me how well that worked out for you. :)
EDIT: Strange, I was sure I head read that you carried a ten foot ladder. Oh well, never mind.
By the way, I used to have a six foot walking stick that I carried with me when I hiked. That was sometimes a pain to manage. A stick four feet longer than that would have been such a pain, I'm sure I would either have broken it in half or left it in a ditch somewhere...
I didn't say it was a simple feat, but it's that toughness and determination that separate the heroes from the common adventurers. Anyone can kill a dragon, but how many people can do it while carrying a bundle of ten foot poles on their back and deftly avoiding getting caught in every doorway or between every pair of trees that grow less than 10 feet apart?
Dust of Dryness. Not to get rid of liquids, but because sometimes it's really handy to be able to suddenly create 100 gallons of water.
Pro Trick: At later levels, buy 100 gallons of Holy Water (4700 gp), and use Dust of Dryness on it. Then, when the inevitable demon lord shows up, throw the dryness pebble at it and enjoy it's expression as it suddenly finds itself on the receiving end of 800d6 damage.
Just so you know, the maximum damage you can do with a standard liquid attack is immersion, and acidic immersion = 10d6 damage. I'm assuming holy water would be equal, of course.
But in no way are you going to get 800 d6. That said, if you keep him immersed, that's 35 damage every round, which plays merry hell with concentration checks to teleport out...
==Aelryinth
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Nobody has a Mr. Trapfinder? A heavy wooden ball your friendly Unseen Servant or mage hand pushes down a corridor to look for traps?
His friend Trapspringer is usually found hanging around outside in the form of a dead tree that fell over. Chop off a chunk for use as a battering ram and throwing down the hall or into the room in front of you.
My personal purchase is always the Ring of Sustenance and something to Endure Elements. Never needs food or shelter, Maslowe's lowest hierarchy taken care of.
==Aelryinth
I'm not going to check the rules on that. I'm sure you're correct. I'm also sure that it's stupid.
I find it extremely silly that 11 people throwing pints of holy water at a demon would do more damage than hitting it with 100 gallons of it.
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NetsBecause getting people Entangled with a touch attack is awesome!
Is it a tiny net?
DH,
Well, it wouldn't work that way, either. The max damage he can take is 10d6. Once he reaches that limit, he's basically covered in acid, and adding more to it isn't going to hurt him. Unless you're an alchemist tossing acid bombs, of course.
If you stick your hand in a torch/flaming weapon and hold it there, you take 1-6 damage, right?
If you get hit three times in one round with the torch, or a flaming weapon, you take 3 x 1d6 damage from the flames.
Doesn't make much sense, does it?
I always thought that it was funny that if you interpreted things, you'd take more damage running through a Wall of Fire (1d6+2d6 +2d6+level) then sitting in it for the entire round. Ditto, if you ran through a bonfire twice in one round, you'd take more damage then if you just stood in it.
==Aelryinth
If you stick your hand in a torch/flaming weapon and hold it there, you take 1-6 damage, right?If you get hit three times in one round with the torch, or a flaming weapon, you take 3 x 1d6 damage from the flames.
Doesn't make much sense, does it?
I always thought that it was funny that if you interpreted things, you'd take more damage running through a Wall of Fire (1d6+2d6 +2d6+level) then sitting in it for the entire round. Ditton, if you ran through a bonfire twice in one round, you'd take more damage then if you just stood in it.
That's my point. You sholdn't take more damage from running back and forth through a wall of fire than you would from standing in it.
Immersion should deal more damage than a bunch of sequential exposures. A lot more.
That's why I think ignoring the 10d6 limit is a good idea.
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"How do you know they are heroes?"
"Look at 'em! They're carrying ten foot ladders into dungeons!"
"Ah... I see now..."
I like the blanket idea above. I forgot, I usually buy a tent, as well. Not only are they good for sleeping in, but they have some amount of canvas and tent poles. (I once had to use a tent pole to stake a vampire in a dungeon, although admittedly a 10' pole would have worked, too.)
Speaking of 10' poles, you can carry around quite a few even in the cheapest bag of holding, depending on diameter and what they're made of. Assuming a 2" diameter pole, the volume of each would be around .23 cubic feet... depending on whether the wood was green or not and what kind it is, they'd probably weigh between 5-10 lbs. each.
edit:
Feather Tokens are always a must buy for me. There is nothing better than using an Oak token to make a tree appear beneath a particularly troublesome foe and taking them out of combat for a round or two, or pinning them to the roof of the dungeon.
im gonna have to get me an tree token for my game... i was considering a whip token
wouldn't a 60' tree suddenly springingup under someone launch them into the air? and how high?
Everyone of my characters has a cup or a tankard, because it looks cool.
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I always get a noble's outfit with the signet ring and eventually.
Codpiece of splendor... Also known as the codpiece of compensating.... Wait. What thread is this again?
Just kidding. For once I'm with Aelrynth... Ring of sustenance is job one.
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Eyes of the Eagle go on every character I play sooner or later. Rather sooner.
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Jingasa of the fortunate soldier. +1 luck bonus to ac and 1/day ignore a crit. I love it.
I'm not going to check the rules on that. I'm sure you're correct. I'm also sure that it's stupid.
I find it extremely silly that 11 people throwing pints of holy water at a demon would do more damage than hitting it with 100 gallons of it.
I find I have to question if the destroyed-water bead or portable hole is a properly blessed receptacle for Holy Water. It is almost as if the great powers elected that such waters were to be applied with faith and will, by men, and not by constructs resembling plumbing.
Still, I would think 100 gallons of even normal water has considerable impact, if you can break your bead against the ceiling above your target.
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My characters always have a decoy belt pouch full of marbles or copper pieces dangling from their belt. This gives pick pockets a choice target, so they don't go for my real valuables.
I find I have to question if the destroyed-water bead or portable hole is a properly blessed receptacle for Holy Water.
I think that Holy Water has to be made in a sacred vessel. After that, I'm pretty sure it can be carried in just about anything.
Bear trap.
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I find I have to question if the destroyed-water bead or portable hole is a properly blessed receptacle for Holy Water. It is almost as if the great powers elected that such waters were to be applied with faith and will, by men, and not by constructs resembling plumbing.
This is why people often think the Powers That Be should step out of it and leave the job to people who know what they're doing.
Cleric: "Okay, we're going to throw this hunk of dehydrated Holy water at the Demon, and he'll be dead."
God: "No no no no, you have to throw each vial on him individually, you have to show my water the proper respect!"
Cleric: "Look, man, I mean no disrespect but could you just let us do our job?"
God: "Whatever do you mean?"
Cleric: "Well you want the damn thing dead, right?"
God: "Well, yeah, but there's no shortcuts in-"
Cleric: "It's really hard to kill things when we're all DEAD, see..."
God: "I'm sure you'll be fine! Now get back to work!"
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I had thought the point of the thread was to pick items that are unusual, not the stuff that everybody automatically takes.
Of course I'm perverse anyway. I hate taking the same stuff everyone takes. I can't recall the last time one of my characters had a "ring of sustenance" for example. Every time I think about one of those "gotta have" items, I pretty much convince myself that it is up to me to demonstrate how you can get by just fine without one...
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Hey, I played 1 and 2E, where you didn't get to just buy Rings of Sustenance. You can indeed get by just fine without them.
You also get ambushed in the night and the DM snickers because now you've got more time delay before you can memorize spells.
Rings of Sustenance solve the problems of getting ambushed at night, adequate rest, and needing food and water. They buy peace of mind. They also force the DM to not rely on old tropes to challenge parties with access to 1250 gp and some common sense.
Once the party has Rings of Sustenance, getting attacked at night was suicide for that random encounter, and dumping us into the middle of the desert with no water was just a minor irritation, instead of a life threatening situation.
==Aelryinth