Please have starting equipment packs for easy character creation.

[Ninja in the Rye]

Half the character creation time was spent figuring out what mundane gear to buy or not and how the bulk all added up. It really bogs down character creation IMO.

Just give us a few set of options with thematically appropriate mundane items grouped together along with their bulk (both individually and as a total) and the price so people who want to just get started adventuring can have an easy option to copy quickly to their character sheet.

[Ediwir]

That'll be good. I've been using the Adventurer's Backpack for years for my own character (a custom thing I set up myself years ago and used as a template for general preparation), and converted it to 2e early on:

Adventurer’s Backpack (40sp, bulk 4):
Backpack, bedroll, flint and steel, 10-foot pole, rope (hemp, 50ft), 4x pitons, hammer, writing kit, 10x chalks, shovel, Expert crowbar, grappling hook, 10x torches, 4x rations.

Something like this, but perhaps in various forms to fit different classes, could be great help. And I'd finally get players who actually have a bedroll for the night.

[RazarTuk]

Copying over from the "One free kit" thread:

I can agree with making kits like 5e's equipment packs, because the minutiae of gear are always the most annoying part of making a character. As an example, a dungeoneer's pack includes a backpack, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, 10 torches, a tinderbox, 10 days of rations, a waterskin, and 50 feet of hemp rope.

That said, I'm also extremely skeptical of just doing class-based starting equipment, also because of 5e. Specifically, because of the bard's 3rd bullet point:

5e SRD wrote:

(a) a lute or (b) any other musical instrument

I don't care that there aren't any class features that actually require you to use a musical instrument. If you're forcing every bard to own an instrument and learn to play three of them, you aren't just eliminating the orator bards I love so much, but even dancing and singing bards.

My issues with 5e aside, though, that's still the danger of simplifying starting equipment. You run the risk of funnelling classes into a single playstyle, even more so than already only giving fighters legendary proficiency in heavy armor.

[Nettah]

I think various equipment packs is a nice thing to have. But I don't want it to be class specific. So have an explorers kit, adventures kit, scholars kit etc. but keep it in the equipment section.

If people want a quick PC rolled up from a template (as in 5e) they might as well use the iconics in my mind.
But for players that just want to save some time getting "basic" adventuring gear together different kits would make the process easier and reduce the amount of calculating small amounts of SP and CP and adding up some of the bulk.

[bro1017]

I like the idea of 5e's supply packs, like how you can pick up a explorer/dungeoneer/scholar pack in addition to your basic weaponry.

@RazarTuk Every class in 5e has the option to take gold instead of their provided equipment, people just tend to take the pregenned equipment due to ease of use.

So, are you against the signaling that Bards are musical? Like, are you concerned that seeing certain items on a starting equipment list will cause players to adhere to that thematic archetype?

[Themetricsystem]

I'll put it this way, much like Ediwir.

If they don't publish Equipment Kits for starting adventurers that include all the various "Staples" a given PC in a certain role needs to survive in "the wild" then I will create them on my own.

Hell, if they aren't in the CRB I might even look into publishing it myself 3PP style for some pittance. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many new PFS Players I've seen show up to a table who are missing:
Rope
1 Dagger
Rations
Waterskin w/Potable Water
Bedroll
Flint/Tinder
Change of Clothes & Boots
Oil (For encounters or a lantern)
Paper & Writing Tools
Hygiene Kit
Medical Kit/Simple Bandages

or even worse, Bards/Rogues/Druids/Wizards who are missing CRITICAL Toolkits/Instruments/Material Components/Spellbook they absolutely NEED to make their Class Abilities work.

[Deadmanwalking]

Yep, kits are needed. My version can be found here.

[graeme mcdougall]

This x1000.
Needs to be in the CRB. Saves so much time & hassle for so little space.

[Charlie Brooks]

I agree with this suggestion.