Near the end of your adventures you and your compatriots have aquired some epic power and loot that no creature besides a god can hope to stand against. But even then you can make a great use out of the basics. Flip to the ‘Adventuring Gear’ page of the PHB and you can find some amazing roleplaying opportunities and combat strategies, if you know where to find them. Here are my 5 picks of underused common items you should use in your next D&D adventure:
Block and Tackle – 1gp – 5lb
“Although they were vastly outnumbered, the hidden party had lifted rocks a bit uphill, ready to drop when the imperial caravan comes by and cut off the Emperor’s carriage from the royal guards.”
Although it might not come up often, this pulley, cable and hook system allows you to hoist four times the weight you can normally lift. This might not seem all too useful until you get creative with it. You can remove obstacles and lift trees and rocks into position to let you recreate the Ewok traps from “Return of the Jedi”.
Caltrops (bag of 20) – 1gp – 2lb
“The horse race could go either way until the black knight cheated and threw a bag of caltrops in front of his adversary. The poor beast bit through the pain but couldn’t keep up and came in second.”
Ahh yes, the “f*ck you” version of ball bearings. You can spread these D4’s made out of nails over a 5-foot area and force everyone moving over that area to throw a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or stop in their tracks and take 1 point of piercing damage. Although this is basically nothing, until that hit-point is recovered their walking speed is reduced by 10. That leaves them in the dust and lets you make your getaway.
Forgery kit – 15gp – 5lb
“She finished just in time to put the fake in place and close the vault. The mayor might never find out that the property line of the village is now a few dozen meters closer, making the recently discovered gold vein property of the rivalling mining village”
A small box with all the tools and materials to let you create forgeries of physical documents.
Ram – 4gp – 35lb
“Having one chance to get out of the Queen’s sleeping chambers before the guards find her, the assassin rams through a bolted door to make a last second escape.”
Another harmless item that might not be used often, but comes in clutch when locked in or out of someplace with mere seconds to get through. This portable ram gives a whopping +4 to breaking down doors and a second user gives it advantage.
Thieves’ tools – 25gp – 1lb
“Although the Barbarian Half-Orc is able to tank a lot of damage, she would not have survived the onslaught of traps if it weren’t for the little Halfling Rogue and his thieves’ tools.”
Not very underused, but still undervalued are the Thieves’ tools. This set lets you disarm traps and open locks, but might come in handy in other situations. The file might help you make a copy of a key and the mirror lets you see around corners.
Looking for more equipment to get the most out of? Check out these other 5 normal items and enjoy!
Are you ready to play some D&D, and do you want to further explore fantasy worlds like that of Harry Potter, Pokémon, Hunger Games or Avatar? Try out these free one-shots!