"If only we had..." (Gear the Party Forgets)


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion

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SorrySleeping wrote:
My group has a player that despite being in multiple campaigns, forgets to bring anything, and I mean anything, other than armor and weapons when starting.

You mean this player even forgets to bring a FIRST set of clothes?

Now I'm imagining this dream that will haunt players, of waking up in a dungeon having forgotten to put on any clothes . . . .


Kobold Cleaver wrote:
In the Reign of Winter game I'm running, the whole group had come to a treacherous rope bridge when they realized they had no actual rope.

I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE IN MY INVENTORY FOR IT! I thought at least someone else would just grab stuff off the kits. I was a fool!

Also, since I see you didn't mention the MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVENTURING GEAR, I'll mention it.

Collapsible Bathtub.

We have used it as:
1. A platform for KC's evolver to carry the party in while transformed as a gorilla-like monstrocity across a canopy of trees as we all lacked the means to traverse it.
2. As a time-out container for a babbling cultist to keep her from doing anything bad. We put a brick in it.
3. A bucket to haul water with to put out a ship fire. It was once again KC's job to handle the bathtub.
4. A makeshift trapspring. Who needs a rogue anyway?

Basically, a collapsible bathtub is incredible when you find uses for it.

Another thing I have forgotten on a character is: a fresh bottle of wine and more tabbaco (important), my armour, a grappling hook, a shovel and a pickaxe. Have come up. Have been super relevant.

Kobold Cleaver wrote:
Wesley forgot his grappling hook.

I also would like to mention that we recently lost our grappling hook, which had been one of THE most important pieces of equipment in our adventure. It..honestly makes me pretty sad that we lost it. It had a lot of sentimental value.


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Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
I didn't play in this particular game, but way back in the early days of 2e a game went horribly awry when the party was trapped and lost in the Underdark. They were starving, with no rations or water (the cleric had been killed). So they killed and ate the wizard.

see, you were saved because you didn't forget to bring your magic user.


Wizard liver squeezings and homid-haggis only get you so far. Did the survivors get out? :)


Turin the Mad wrote:
Wizard liver squeezings and homid-haggis only get you so far. Did the survivors get out? :)

snort...as I recall, they did. Very shortly afterwards. They could probably have made it w/out eating the wizard.

Liberty's Edge

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My players always forget to get any bags other than those in the starting kit. Makes carrying all those bandit ears for bounties really gross without a seprate sack to carry them in


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cdkc wrote:
My players always forget to get any bags other than those in the starting kit. Makes carrying all those bandit ears for bounties really gross without a seprate sack to carry them in

That's what necklaces are for.


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I wonder if the class kits have done much to help this. Those are my usual way of buying the additional starting gear. And they very rarely leave me lacking.


Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber
My Self wrote:
cdkc wrote:
My players always forget to get any bags other than those in the starting kit. Makes carrying all those bandit ears for bounties really gross without a seprate sack to carry them in
That's what necklaces are for.

I don't think that solves the really gross bit. should do thumbs instead, they dry up nice.


Melkiador wrote:
I wonder if the class kits have done much to help this. Those are my usual way of buying the additional starting gear. And they very rarely leave me lacking.

They have all the essentials for a given venture, so they are pretty handy. Not just the class kits either. The miscellaneous kits are great starters for a certain kind of adventure. I just throw those into any given characters pack for filling out their gear.


Bandw2 wrote:
My Self wrote:
cdkc wrote:
My players always forget to get any bags other than those in the starting kit. Makes carrying all those bandit ears for bounties really gross without a seprate sack to carry them in
That's what necklaces are for.
I don't think that solves the really gross bit. should do thumbs instead, they dry up nice.

But ears are more easily differentiable between left and right ears. You'd have to collect thumbs in pairs to avoid easy scams, although I suppose a bounty collector would get suspicious if a guy showed up with all right ears and another guy with all left ears. And it's much easier to find a lot of people missing hands/thumbs than people missing ears. I suppose the only truly reliable method is bringing back the head.

Although that brings up the question of how adventurers collect on troll and hydra bounties.


In those cases, we load up the entire body on the wagon, or tie it to the back and drag it.


When I was a kid I ran a game for a group of friends. Their PCs were trekking across the wilderness and decided to investigate some ruins they spotted. Soon after they entered the kobolds guarding the entrance from a side room ran out and slammed the doors shut. That's when it became clear that none of the PCs had bothered to buy a light source, and with the massive doors closed the windowless room was completely dark.

With no way to see the PCs were easily defeated, stripped of their possessions, and taken in chains before the kobold leader, who had servants stoking a big bonfire. There was definitely an implication that the PCs might end up getting cooked on the bonfire, but I figured that it at least gave them light so they could see and try to stage an escape. One of my friends announced that his PC committed suicide though, bashing his brains out against the wall or whatever. I learned that maybe the thrill (to a 10 year old) of a clever, "Aha, you forgot torches and lanterns!" wasn't worth the acrimony of the resulting battle in darkness and its aftermath. At worst maybe I could have let a little light stream in and rule there was a 20% miss chance, but I didn't know about such rules at the time.

It has been many years since I was in a game which tracked rations. In the last one the party ended up knocking on farmhouse doors begging for food and my PC went off chasing a sheep with his falchion.


Kobold Cleaver wrote:

If adventurers are anything, it is insanely prepared—to an extent that borders on unhealthy paranoia sometimes. This only makes it more sadly hilarious when they forget the one thing they need.

Rope: My duergar wizard uses rope trick and she doesn't own any rope. It's become a running gag at this point—everyone has it but the person who needs it.

Update: She forgot to buy it again. But she did buy a wagon!


Damn, Devilkiller, that sounds like it would've been a fun encounter for a more mature party. Good improvisation, and all that. Especially for a kid.


A Bag of Holding or similar magical container. We usually notice when it comes to determine who is going to carry all the loot.


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Nice handy list of stuff and that fits in a Handy Haversack


Garbage-Tier Waifu wrote:
Melkiador wrote:
I wonder if the class kits have done much to help this. Those are my usual way of buying the additional starting gear. And they very rarely leave me lacking.
They have all the essentials for a given venture, so they are pretty handy. Not just the class kits either. The miscellaneous kits are great starters for a certain kind of adventure. I just throw those into any given characters pack for filling out their gear.

Actually the monk kit is missing a few obvious items. It doesn't include a mess kit or cooking pot, and has ten torches but no way to light them. For whatever reason it also doesn't have a bedroll, just a blanket. I noticed this when my monk set out on her Confirmation and the GM asked if we wanted to buy anything.

Sovereign Court

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Defoliant. In one campaign, I mentioned that we should pick up defoliant around 3rd level after having encountered several plant creatures. The other folks agreed ... and no one bought any. Fast forward 10 levels, numerous plant creature encounters, numerous mentions about buying defoliant, numerous failures to actually b any, and I finally bought several vials ... which remained unused through the rest of the campaign as we did not encounter any other plant critters.


Apraham Lincoln wrote:
Nice handy list of stuff and that fits in a Handy Haversack

That is indeed very convenient.


Good to see some free possible handy haversack listing stuff. ;)


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Had a party leave town without anyone having a backpack. They spent a whole night just making the characters and buying gear. They had all the Swiss army knife bought and paid for. But nobody had enough gold for a bag, they only checked encumbrance


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zylphryx wrote:
Defoliant. In one campaign, I mentioned that we should pick up defoliant around 3rd level after having encountered several plant creatures. The other folks agreed ... and no one bought any. Fast forward 10 levels, numerous plant creature encounters, numerous mentions about buying defoliant, numerous failures to actually b any, and I finally bought several vials ... which remained unused through the rest of the campaign as we did not encounter any other plant critters.

Truly, that was the most potent defoliant to have ever been made.

The Exchange

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Knight who says Meh wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
I've always just given them the mundane equipment for free, including arrows or other ammunition. If they want something exotic or masterwork, they have to pay for it with the gold they start with (I also give them max starting gold, because I'm just that generous).
I did let him write down some mundane arrows as I'm fairly certain the archer character probably would have remembered arrows even if the player did not.

I just like your usename. I laughed so hard...

Good times, my friend, good times.


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A 10 ft pole. Yes, I said a 10 ft pole. This is an item that comes in handy wedging open doors, for acrobatics boosts, and as a test unit for devil's mouthes holding spheres of annihilation....


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So, in my current game, I'm "That Guy;" the one who blew his first significant haul of loot buying a wagon and supplies to fill said wagon. Multiple tents, bedrolls, mess kits (a cooking kit), a shovel, a pick, a crowbar, a hatchet, a saw...

Y'know, enough gear to outfit the whole group with those often-forgotten items, plus a buttload (an Imperial Buttload, mind you, none of these newfangled Metric Buttloads) of personal gear.

Now I'm waiting for us to leave town, so I can surprise everyone with how well-outfitted we all are...


VRMH wrote:
A second set of clothes.

That's what Living Garments are for. I have a Callistrian cleric who would otherwise haul a small wagon worth of different outfits around. And yes, she absolutely DOES have to have three different sets of shoes to go with that dress.

I've seen parties who's inventory consisted of nothing more than weapons, armor, and a belt pouch to carry money. Oh, the fun the DM has with them....


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Towel?


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Mudfoot wrote:
Towel?

not hoopy froods then

Dark Archive

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Some things I've seen groups forget to buy over the years:

torches: Many a time. In one 2nd edition campaign everyone had infra-vision. You know the ability to see heat. Everyone was a dwarf, elf, gnome, or half elf. My half-elf fighter mage had the Blind Fighting skill, and I bought a dozen torches (along with flint and tinder). Rest of the party mocked me for buying torches on the grounds of "we can all see in the dark." They also deliberately described breaking my torches into itty bitty pieces. Then we encountered skeletons in an underground network of caves. YOu know, a monster which has the same ambient temperature as the rocks and air.

Soap and a change of cloths: Okay, granted this doesn't come up often. At one point in a campaign I was running I had villages start to refuse the party entrance because... they stank. They never bathed, they wore the same outfits day after day. Even trolls thought they smelled bad. :)

Cloths (initial outfit): this isn't an issue in Pathfinder since you get a free zero weight outfit. But simple basic things like a belt, tunic, breaches, and boots were often overlooked when buying gear. Party would buy belt pouches, a pack, armor, weapons, but no cloths nor a belt. Saw someone in a 3rd edition game forget to buy an initial set of cloths for their monk as well.

Spell components: Especially in 2nd edition this was an issue. My wizard carries around butter, salt, scraps of leather, and what not so he or she can cast their spells. But many people I saw neglected to check what they need to cast their spells. "I cast mage armor!" "Do you have a scrap of leather?" "No, why?"

As for odd things I've seen always get brought.... I use to run a Ghostbusters RPG campaign. And one of the players would always bring a beach kit. Didn't matter if it was winter, the middle of a desert, or what. That one player would pick the beach kit as part of their gear instead of something useful. Weirdly enough, they ALWAYS found an off the wall but fun way to use that beach kit in the climatic encounter. Often it shouldn't have worked, but the rules did specify as a GM I should give such crazy plans a chance to succeed. And ore often then not, it did work.


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I once had a wizard in the party who neglected to buy a spellbook.

Thankfully I audited his sheet prior to our first play session so he wasn't totally useless.

The Exchange

Combat Monster wrote:

I once had a wizard in the party who neglected to buy a spellbook.

Thankfully I audited his sheet prior to our first play session so he wasn't totally useless.

ah...realizing that a wizard gets his first (starting book) for free...

"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice... "

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
nosig wrote:
Combat Monster wrote:

I once had a wizard in the party who neglected to buy a spellbook.

Thankfully I audited his sheet prior to our first play session so he wasn't totally useless.

ah...realizing that a wizard gets his first (starting book) for free...

"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice... "

They didn't say which edition/game they were playing. :)

The Exchange

Darrell Impey UK wrote:
nosig wrote:
Combat Monster wrote:

I once had a wizard in the party who neglected to buy a spellbook.

Thankfully I audited his sheet prior to our first play session so he wasn't totally useless.

ah...realizing that a wizard gets his first (starting book) for free...

"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice... "

They didn't say which edition/game they were playing. :)

This comment puzzles me even more. I've been playing a long time... my first "Wizard" (Magic User) was in the late 70's, and even in 1st Ed. a starting PC normally got her first spell book as a gift from her "Mentor" or from her "School" or ... whatever. - but whatever. Pretty much the same thing in the "Three Old Brown Books"... if my memory isn't failing me again.

I figured that this post was in reference to a Pathfinder game (or something related to it) - "...I audited his sheet prior to our first play session...". And I have encountered a GM who didn't realize that a Wizard normally starts with a spell book... and figured the poster was just un-informed. And I wanted to help prevent anyone who might be reading this from making the same mistake in the future.


Nosig, This is why I play martials, damnit!

D&D 3rd ed was the game. Wizard asked me to look over his stuff. I noted he was lacking a spellbook. He scratched one onto his list and soon we were kicking in doors and breaking down evil.

I guess he didn't need my help after all. Damned fighters are no use!

Ever!


There's been times where the whole party will forget cold weather gear, buy it, then forget they even bought it and have to buy it again in a later scenario.


This was this one time my low-level party needed to descend into a dark chamber with effectively unclimbable walls. Wizard shoots dancing lights down, and finds a body of water. Since the way we came is blocked, the Fighter (sans armor) decides to dive in and swim around and find a way out, and the Wizard decides to hop in after him. Earlier in our adventure, we spent a lot of our rope climbing down cliffs and holes, ensuring that we could get back up if need be. So up top, we've got our Rogue, Barbarian, and me, our low-level Cleric, sitting around with the Fighter's armor and all our party gear, waiting to see what our allies dredge up. The Wizard goes peeking around, splashes around a bit too much and manages to wake a heavily foreshadowed Aboleth. As the Wizard is writhing in the Aboleth's grip, the Fighter has seen enough and wants out, so we tie off our rope and toss it all down the 50-foot drop.

We only have 40 feet.


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Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber
My Self wrote:

This was this one time my low-level party needed to descend into a dark chamber with effectively unclimbable walls. Wizard shoots dancing lights down, and finds a body of water. Since the way we came is blocked, the Fighter (sans armor) decides to dive in and swim around and find a way out, and the Wizard decides to hop in after him. Earlier in our adventure, we spent a lot of our rope climbing down cliffs and holes, ensuring that we could get back up if need be. So up top, we've got our Rogue, Barbarian, and me, our low-level Cleric, sitting around with the Fighter's armor and all our party gear, waiting to see what our allies dredge up. The Wizard goes peeking around, splashes around a bit too much and manages to wake a heavily foreshadowed Aboleth. As the Wizard is writhing in the Aboleth's grip, the Fighter has seen enough and wants out, so we tie off our rope and toss it all down the 50-foot drop.

We only have 40 feet.

I'm guessing you all jumped in at that point right?

Dark Archive

nosig wrote:
Combat Monster wrote:

I once had a wizard in the party who neglected to buy a spellbook.

Thankfully I audited his sheet prior to our first play session so he wasn't totally useless.

ah...realizing that a wizard gets his first (starting book) for free...

"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice... "

Would have to double check, but in 2nd edition I don't think a spell book was an auto grant. And which type you bought made quite the difference considering spells took 1d4+spell level pages to scribe into your spell book.


I have a list somewhere of every item that we 'didn't' have at one point or another. Playing the pack mule Fighter, I can carry most of it in dropable bags. When 3.0 came around, I geared up to the gp and weight limits. After the first run, I checked off each item used, but the three items I thought we didn't use were actually loaned out to others who did use them.


Ok so this one isn't equipment, but recently found out that the party paladin forgot about feats. This wasn't her first game or character, so I didn't think I needed to audit, but a friend who wasn't playing in this game was visiting and saw she wasn't doing well and offered to help.

Liberty's Edge

stormcrow27 wrote:
A 10 ft pole. Yes, I said a 10 ft pole. This is an item that comes in handy wedging open doors, for acrobatics boosts, and as a test unit for devil's mouthes holding spheres of annihilation....

how does one carry a 10 ft pole around exactly? cant we just use the fighter's pole arm?

Liberty's Edge

Kahel Stormbender wrote:
nosig wrote:
Combat Monster wrote:

I once had a wizard in the party who neglected to buy a spellbook.

Thankfully I audited his sheet prior to our first play session so he wasn't totally useless.

ah...realizing that a wizard gets his first (starting book) for free...

"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice... "

Would have to double check, but in 2nd edition I don't think a spell book was an auto grant. And which type you bought made quite the difference considering spells took 1d4+spell level pages to scribe into your spell book.

wizards in second edition often got the shaft. 1d4 hit points? might as well kill yourself in the tavern meeting

Dark Archive

Donno, I played a halfling wizard once in a 2nd edition campaign Strangely enough, I was the tallest character in the party (including the humans). I also had the highest hit points due to rolling REALLY well for con and rolling a 4 on my level 1 hit die. The fighter had 2 less hit points then me after his con bonus. And he was suppose to be the party's front liner.


cdkc wrote:
stormcrow27 wrote:
A 10 ft pole. Yes, I said a 10 ft pole. This is an item that comes in handy wedging open doors, for acrobatics boosts, and as a test unit for devil's mouthes holding spheres of annihilation....
how does one carry a 10 ft pole around exactly? cant we just use the fighter's pole arm?

You could carry 3 3 foot poles that attach to each other.

Grand Lodge

fortune cookies! How can you adventure without this little 1 cp value Item!?

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

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The kitsune never wears any shoes. She always goes barefoot even when the rest of the party of anthropomorphs at least wears sandals or wrappings around their feet.

I occasionally remind her why this is a bad idea. She once got tetanus from stepping on rusty nails. I take every opportunity describe how unpleasant each terrain is for her. The dungeon inside of the giant whale opened a whole new world of icky sensations for her paws.

At this point, she still goes barefoot just to spite me and made herself a wings of flying.

Dark Archive

Anyone remember how in 2nd edition weapons didn't by default come with a scabbard? I saw many a player who had to carry around their daggers, swords, axes, and their dozens of arrows in hand because they forgot to buy basic things like a scabbard for their melee weapons and a quiver to put the arrows in. Even better if they bought all kinds of miscellaneous stuff like food, flint & tinder, extra cloths (rare), and other stuff a good adventurer has on hand... but didn't buy a backpack to carry any of it in either. Speaking of which, flint & tinder have always been something few players seem to consider buying.


Antidotes for poison. Usually doesn't come up, but it just did for us and almost killed 3 of the party.


The group I game with on Wednesdays has a tendency to forget healers. As in, nobody in the party plays a class that has access to reliable healing magic. Or the one cleric in the party decides to stay behind in civilization with the brawler who's waiting for a set of armor to be finished, and the rest of the party decides that it's a brilliant idea to move on without making sure that the cleric's actually going with them.

The first one resulted in a lot of rough fights and a lot of potion-quaffing. And the death of one player who decided that his previous character didn't capture his "look at me I'm a special snowflake" essence well enough... so he built a dhampir fighter. In a party of people who are relying exclusively on cure X wounds potions.

The second one worked out in the end because the party was large and had a lot of heavy hitters that could slaughter enemies before they became an issue. And my brawler ended up getting rescued by the cleric and raised by the cleric's church instead of eaten by the basilisk that petrified her.

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