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I know characters and builds vary, but what gear do you find very useful? Or very good for the cost? Please list by character class.
Wizard - Pearl of Power Lvl 1 (1000 GP), Headband of Intellect +2 (4000 GP)
Anyone -- Cloak of resistance
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Trail rations...never leave home without em.
Seriously, though:
Ring of protection
Cloak of resistance (the "token cloak" to my group)
Amulet of natural armor
Oh, and metamagic rods are a casters best friend, especially in eberron, where you could keep them all on a wand bracelet and swap as a free action. That got broken real quick when we hit 15 with three casters in the party.
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:) Waterskin and a sack for the loot! Everything else is optional.
Normal gear would be things like backpacks, rope, food/water, bedroll, torches plus any class specific items such as spellbook, holy symbol, etc.
Magic item wise potions/wands of healing, Bag of Holding/Haversack are on almost all characters.
Outside the box a Hat of Disguise is cheap and very useful in some situations.
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Feather tokens and some mode of flying.
Nothing says "f+&~ you" like dropping a Galley on someone from 100 feet up.
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A weapon. I always make every character I ever play have a weapon.
seriously though: Maybe this a psychological but I can't have a character that doesn't have a dagger. Even my monks have 'dagger' written on their character sheets. Even if it's never used...maybe i just need it for my mutton at the inn for dinner.
I don't think I've ever made it to 10th level without tossing a dagger at the back of a fleeing mook, so maybe that's why.
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Rope.
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I was in a game once where a character used a bar of soap to thwart a recurring villain on two separate occasions, so now it's a staple.
A second rope, in case you lose the first one, or you're using it for something else.
A second rope, in case you lose the first one, or you're using it for something else.
My set of three trusty NPC hirelings appropriately named Trapfinder, Bait, and Decoy. Never leave for an adventure without them.
Manacles.
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A gag for mages.
I don't know a single person that doesn't want Bracers of Armor +1 to +4 at first level.
A sack full of face-masks.
10-foot pole.
I don't know a single person that doesn't want Bracers of Armor +1 to +4 at first level.
I assume you are speaking of non-armor wearing characters since bracers of armor don't stack with even mundane armor.
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Here's my list, in no particular order, of what I consider to be the best low-level value for the money in the game:
Pearls of Power. These are especially good for rangers or other semi-spellcasters who get few spells and have to make them count.
Amulet of Natural Armor. This is so required that it's almost cheesy.
Same with +1 Ring of Protection...
Rod of lesser metamagic: extend. All of the metamagic rods are great, but for low level spellcasters this is the difference between a spell that lasts throughout combat and one that dies just when you need it most. Especially good for low level summoners.
Now some mundane things I never go without:
Rope of course.
Flour - works pretty dang good as a poor man's "dust of appearance".
Chalk - absolutely essential for dungeon crawls
Hammer and pitons - I am always amazed when I encounter a rogue who doesn't have these.
Caltrops - if you want to be nasty.
A small bell - a poor man's camp alarm system
String - In a pinch you can unravel a rope....
Candles - Many, many uses for candles...
Fishhook - Again, many, many uses..
Small mirror - Great signaling device
I'm leaving out the obvious things like backpack, bedroll, rations, etc...
Every starting character I have played carries a signal whistle, a mirror and flint and steel, in addition to the usual that have been listed above. And oil for burning things. Burning things solves so many problems.
magic speical material dagger (for punching through DR and for use as a tool)
a black winter weight furisode kimono with buttonfly pockets aligning the inside of the ankle length sleeves. (stores small objects, keeps you warm, and helps you sneak at night)
several spare changes of underwear and socks (for the road.)
a pair of boots (for walking)
a pocketed razorbladed scarf (it's really useful, stores small objects and makes an awesome backup weapon)
soap (for cleaning the body)
vinegar (for rinsing hair)
alchohol (To disinfect wounds)
a 50. caliber magazine fed pistol with blessed silver explosive mercury charged bullets made by melting a silver crucifix from the popes stash from within the vatican and personally blessed by the pope himself with holy text from the bible written on each round of said ammunition. Tis the only weapon that kills feindish vampiric were-trolls from the dark continent.
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A weapon. I always make every character I ever play have a weapon.
seriously though: Maybe this a psychological but I can't have a character that doesn't have a dagger. Even my monks have 'dagger' written on their character sheets. Even if it's never used...maybe i just need it for my mutton at the inn for dinner.
I don't think I've ever made it to 10th level without tossing a dagger at the back of a fleeing mook, so maybe that's why.
This. Also, you need a light slashing or piercing weapon if you get swallowed.
A robe of stars is really nice for sneaky characters, too.
Every starting character I have played carries a signal whistle, a mirror and flint and steel, in addition to the usual that have been listed above. And oil for burning things. Burning things solves so many problems.
yes yes it does ;)
Ropes of climbing are fantastic. Everyone should have one.
Immovable Rod, so many way that is useful
a Net, great when one of the party get confused
portable Hole
decanter of endless water
Bottle of Air
Vermin Repellent
Great generic lists of mundane items for any characters.
What about magical items, for certain classes? What should a Druid spend their first 5000 GP on? What about a Rogue?
Any class-specific magic item staples (other than plain +1 weapon and +1 armor)?
Great generic lists of mundane items for any characters.
What about magical items, for certain classes? What should a Druid spend their first 5000 GP on? What about a Rogue?
Any class-specific magic item staples (other than plain +1 weapon and +1 armor)?
Druid: 3,000g on a rod of lesser metamagic extend and two level 1 pearls of power.
Rogue: Wand or scrolls of mage armor, invisibility potions, flaming dagger (extra d6 per hit).
Why flaming? Fire is the most common resistence/immunity. Shocking is better.
Rogue: Wand or scrolls of mage armor, invisibility potions, flaming dagger (extra d6 per hit).
LOL, I almost said shocking because that's what I'd get. I figured "flaming" would be more recognizable.
A Wand of Wonder for characters about to die and with no other options.
Seriously all low level wizards need an amulet of Natural armor and a ring of the ram. Big bad guy in your face ruining your spell casting mojo? Hit him with the ring. Does some damage and gets him out of your face and hopefully into the pit you created behind him.
a pearl of power 2nd level never hurts (rope trick).
All fighters should have some weapon made of cold steel.
A bag of holding for the loot.
Decanter of endless water... This one got me out of more than a few situations...
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When you get to the point you can afford it, what character isn't going to have these two items? Seriously ever last high level character has a belt of this, and a headband of that.
Every last one.
Honestly you could add the cloak of resistance too though. But the stat items aren't even a debate. The headband gives you +3 to saves (assuming you are high end to afford +6) and 3 skills known. Obviously the belt gives you the stats there, etc. we all know the drill on this.
They are just too ubiquitous.
This is one of my problems with most role playing game systems. Once the game designers release a list of magic items and their costs, then everyone zeros in on the best items for their class and soon enough everyone is walking around with bags of wands and buckets of pearls of power. And it just gets worse at high levels.
This is one of the main reasons I restrict magic items and create my own custom items in my worlds. The idea that every wisdom based spellcaster runs out to the local "Magic Items a'Million!" to grab their headband just doesn't appeal to my sense of wonder and magic, which is what the game is supposed to be all about.
But of course, there I am a few posts back laying out the classic items every druid and rogue needs...
Of course once these magic items become commonly purchased, game designers have to factor them into their calculations for encounter power, which means if you DON'T have them, you can't really compete.
Not sure what to do about it. Magic items are integral to the concept of magical worlds. Making them arbitrarily scarce can just make players feel like they are getting gypped.
I suppose my approach is to treat some things as commodities while restricting access to others based on what seems reasonable to me. But that pretty much by definition means that my worlds won't match another DM's world and characters will have to have some sort of adjustment moving from one world to another.
A magnet. A dagger. A pound of lard.
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A second rope, in case you lose the first one, or you're using it for something else.
+1 I play in some PFS events and I cant tell you how may times I sat down at a table and nobody has any damn rope! One time a 12 year old kid started making "Boondock Saints" jokes about rope which, I admit was very funny, but come on folks standard adventuring gear here.
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Almost every character in my group and all I have played.
Spiked gauntlet (alchemical silver)-25gp
Spiked gauntlet (cold iron)-10gp
Can't be disarmed, can cast/use other weapons/climb/grapple/fire a bow ect while having them on.
You always have some form of overcoming two forms of DR.
You always threaten the squares next to you even if you are using a bow so that enemies can't run past without provoking attacks of opportunity. You provide a flanking bonus.
If you are swallowed whole you already have a light piercing weapon in hand to get yourself out.
Note in my kingmaker game I rolled up a werewolf as a wondering monster when the party was first level. It started as a social encounter between the trapper (werewolf in human form) and the party once he realized the whole group had silvered gauntlets on he quickly made an excuse and left them alone. They never realized he was a werewolf but without those gauntlets he would have asked to travel with them for safety and killed them that night once they set camp.
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At first level I always buy:
Backpack
Rope
Dagger
Waterskin
Flint & Steel
Signal Whistle
10 pc. Chalk
Sack
I almost always buy:
Soap
Steel Mirror
Trail Rations
A bedroll if I have the weight allowance, but at least a blanket
Explorer's Outfit
1 ranged weapon
1 melee weapon bludgeoning (dagger above handles slashing/piercing)
Oil (I agree - fire is a GREAT low level solution for many problems)
Higher level:
Cloak of Resistance
Stat increasing headbands and belts
boots of striding and springing
necklace of adaptation is my favourite item
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I sometimes make items available at a higher cost, but usually only in a big city. There aren't a lot of big cities in my campaign world, and in general that's not where PCs find themselves fighting monsters or fulfilling quests. Finding a Staff of the Magi at Joe's Mining Supply Emporium and Barbecue Grill isn't usually a good bet.
I have my own style as a DM. I run all my campaigns in a custom world I've been using since the early 80s. That world has its own dynamics, its own magic and its own geopolitical and economic systems. So far everyone I have run through it has expressed appreciation for its verisimilitude and immersiveness. I've been told by many players that they particularly love my campaigns.
But I pay very little attention to guides for how much treasure or magic a character should get, except when first rolling up characters. How much treasure you get in my campaign depends on what you do. For example, if you are attacked by bandits and kill them all and loot their bodies, then move on, you will only get the treasure they had on them. If you want all their treasure you will have to find their lair. Once you find their lair, and defeat the OTHER bandits, you have to find their hiding places.
Many monsters have no treasure at all. Sometimes the only reward you get is surviving.
Other times you might happen to stumble on a forgotten hoard or find a magic item stashed in with the remains of the victims of a particularly nast monster.
I will make sure my PCs have what they need to complete their mission. But I see myself as a story teller, not an accountant.
At least one party member who runs slower than you do.
+1 Never play the 20' guy if you don't have to. You don't have to outrun the dire bear, you just have to outrun the halfling.
I really like Tan Bag of Tricks. For any class, really.
Magnet
Rope
These two work great for some odd ball situatons.
Mule. If times are hard I cannot eat a bag of holding.
Dagger (please dont pick up your whole steak and eat it with your fingers)
Mirror
Weapon cords (Our GM likes to use a lot of humanoids so disarm is a real issue)
I prefer the cestus over the spiked gauntlet but it's more of a personal choice there.
Everburning torch with a slip over hood, or hinged cover and eye hook on the stem. Light when you need it and a cover when you dont, hang it from a belt loop or backpack strap.
Antitoxin. Just because you have silly fort save or are immune to poison dosen't mean the NPC you are protecting does.
Sling : no bullets. Cheap and useful for winging down birds, rabbits squirrels, etc for feeding yourself.
If space/weight is not an object
Battering ram and a ladder