Arming For Adventure, or: "Why Would I Want One of Those?" - Basic Equipment in D&D, Part 2

Encumbrance is probably the single most hated and ignored rule in all of Dungeons & Dragons history (although 'keeping track of literally every material spell component' gives Encumbrance a run for its money). I've never met a player who enjoyed all the bookkeeping necessary to ensure encumbrance compliance, although I have met my fair share of DMs who take obscene delight in hosing the party on weight restrictions at critical moments. Encumbrance is the gaming equivalent of diagramming sentences in your English class: it does little more than waste time which could be spent doing literally anything else for a greater reward.

That said, as a Dungeon Master myself, while I hate Encumbrance, I am a member of the, "You didn't buy it? Then you don't have it!" club. This isn't (solely) because I want to be a dick to my players, it's because I want to spur them on to greater heights of creativity than even they thought possible. See also: schadenfreude. Some of my most memorable times around the gaming table have involved my PCs using seemingly unrelated mundane items to MacGyver their way out of difficult situations. With a little planning and some creativity, you can turn nearly anything in the Player's Handbook into a way out of a potential problem, so let's take a look at the basic Adventuring Gear table from page 150 and suss out some not-so-obvious uses for some not-so-obvious equipment.

In Part 1, we went from Abacus to Bucket, so today we're starting with...

Caltrops

---

Caltrops are the D&D equivalent of the Lego pieces your kids leave all over the house. You know, the ones you always find with your bare foot at five in the morning? Caltrops are like those, only instead of plastic they're made out of razor-sharp steel barbs, and designed to fall so that they're always pointing upward. They're d4s gone wrong, built to puncture even heavy plated boots and the sensitive flesh encased within.

They come in bags of twenty, at a cost of 1 gold per bag, and as a single action you can spread them over a 5'x5' square area to create a zone of hideous pain and torment. From that point on, anyone blundering into a space infested with caltrops who isn't moving at half speed or slower has to pass a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 1 point of Piercing damage and stop moving (presumably to yank the stabby metal thing out of their now-throbbing foot). If that's all Caltrops did they'd be vile enough, but as a secondary effect, anyone who fails that saving throw also loses 10' of movement speed from their total until they regain at least 1 hit point.

Caltrops are one of those "heads I win, tails you lose" gambits. Spread behind you to cover your retreat, they buy you extra time pretty much no matter what: if your pursuers drop to half speed to navigate the playing field of Satanic Jacks you just left behind, you get an extra round worth of dashing to run away; on the other hand, if they just crash on through and fail that Dex save, now they're even less effective at giving chase until somebody fixes their gimpy feet.

This is pretty much the only thing Caltrops are designed for, but you can use them tactically to seed the battlefield with areas you'd prefer enemies not go, to create choke points, or to clog up choke points even worse. Combine them with the bag of Ball Bearings from earlier and enjoy the hilarity (I'd rule anyone who falls prone in a square strewn with Caltrops automatically takes 1-3 pokes, but that's up to your DM to adjudicate). I've also seen Caltrops used offensively by players in conjunction with spells like Gust, Catapult, and Thunderwave to blast a bunch of them at approaching enemies like shrapnel. Is that rules-legal? I don't care--it was awesome, and you better believe I allowed it. Even if you don't have any Caltrops, you could use a spell like Minor Illusion to make it look like a space is filled with them. Used in conjunction with real Caltrops, this is even nastier.

There's no rule specifically for cleaning up caltrops in 5E, but previous editions allowed the use of a full-round action by someone to clear a 5' space of them, and that seems fair to me. Also, 'eat a bag of Caltrops' is a personal favorite in-character insult of mine. :)

Candle

---

At 1 copper piece, a candle is one of the cheapest things on the equipment list, and for obvious reasons: you light it and you get 5' of bright light and a further 5' of dim light...and that's it. There are certainly better ways to light up a dark area (especially considering cantrips like Dancing Lights and Light are both free and offer superior illumination, and a Torch costs the same copper but provides four times the light and can be used as a makeshift weapon to deal fire damage), but candles are helpful for when you don't need a lot of light and would rather not announce your presence to everything in the area.

Candles are also useful for another purpose many players don't think about (and for which other light sources are woefully inadequate), and that's marking the passage of time. All it takes is a little bit of ink, dye, or some other substance which can be drawn on to the candle, and you can make a low-cost timer that should be reasonably accurate. Want someone in your group to wait 30 minutes before taking a specific action? Mark a ring around the candle at the halfway point, light the candle, and tell them to act when it burns down to that ring. You should be able to mark off the candle for fifteen or twenty minute increments (the 1/4 mark or 1/3rd mark) relatively simply. What's great about this is that even the least-intelligent or youngest PC or NPC can understand this, even if they can't otherwise use a sundial or other timekeeping device. "Wait two hours and if we're not back, then get help," isn't a useful instruction if the person on the receiving end doesn't understand how long an hour is. On the other hand, "When this candle burns down all the way and goes out, light the second one. If we're not back by the time the second one burns down all the way and goes out, go get help," can be understood by anybody.

Candle wax can also be rubbed into metallic things to serve as a lubricant, molded around a sharp surface to prevent cuts from casual handing, softened in light heat to produce a quick wax mold for a key or other small object, and the candle itself can serve as a long-burning fuse if you want to make sure you've got plenty of time to get away before the gun powder explodes.

Not bad for a single copper, eh?

Case (Map or Scroll)

---

The intended purpose for this leather case is to keep up to ten sheets of paper (or five sheets of parchment) rolled up and secured against casual damage from air or water, but you could really use it to keep any long, thin object (needles?) stored safely. In an emergency, you could cut or break off the other end and use it as a very conspicuous breathing tube, although this will forever keep it from being used normally. Securely transporting documents is an important part of adventuring, so having one of these at the ready can keep your maps from being ruined by a sudden dip in an underground lake.

Beyond that, these are basically just what you see on the tin. Like with the Antivenom from before, not everything has to have a creative use.

Chain (10 feet)

---

At five gold and ten pounds per ten feet, chain is expensive both in terms of cost and encumbrance, but when you absolutely need to secure something (and there are no Rust Monsters around), this is the best bang for your buck. The chain has 10 hit points, and can be broken with a successful DC 20 Strength check, so you don't want to use it to restrain a Giant, but a simple Chain + Lock combination can keep somebody pretty well tied up for as long as you need them to be. Combine a 10' chain with Animate Objects and Heat Metal, and you have a brutal way of dealing constant, unblockable fire damage to targets who might otherwise be immune because they're wearing light or no armor.

Chains can also be used defensively to secure doors, windows, or other areas you don't want people just being able to walk, crawl, climb, or fly into. Wrap chests, barrels, boxes, or other storage containers for an added layer of security. You can even break the chain into smaller lengths, or even individual links, and use Mending to assemble exactly the length you need on a case-by-case basis (badass wristbands for your Pact of the Chain Warlock, anybody?). Chain is also heavy, so you could leave it on pressure plates to keep them activated, add weight to a trap door to keep monsters from breaking up out of the basement, or weigh down a container you want to sink to the bottom of a body of water when there aren't any convenient rocks around.

Blacksmiths can custom-make chain for you as well, so if you wanted a fancier way to secure your coin pouch, or a loop attached to your weapon that circles your wrist to keep you from getting disarmed, talk to your DM.

Chalk

---

Like the Candle, a piece of chalk is another one of those 1 copper wonders no adventurer should be without. Chalk is useful for marking passageways in dungeons, leaving messages on hard surfaces, drawing graffiti on latrine walls, drawing runes or sigils on floors, or basically any time where leaving easily-erased markings on some surface is desired. Chalk can outline a secret door, point out a trap, mark the proper way across a puzzle floor, or do the opposite of any of the above to psyche out other would-be adventurers.

Beyond that, chalk has plenty of other non-obvious uses as well: ground up into dust, you can use it to reveal the tracks of hidden interlopers. Blow it into somebody's face to create a distraction, or fling a bunch of it into the air and voila, instant Faerie Fire effect on any invisible things within range! Default chalk color is assumed by almost everybody to be white, but I see no reason you couldn't find an alchemist or other artisan to rig up colored chalk and distribute that among your group to color-code your messages or symbols. Need to know which way the wind is blowing, or if there's even slight airflow in that tunnel? A few pinches of chalk dust in the air will answer that question.

If you find yourself bereft of chalk for some reason, soot and charcoal can serve much the same function for free. Grab some from the remains of your next campfire, or use the end of an extinguished torch, and look at that: a free writing utensil! Make your latrine wall dick stand out among all the other ones! :D

Chest

---

Chests are meant to transport a good size amount of gear (30 cubic feet or 300 pounds worth, according to the PHB) more easily than, say, barrels or baskets. At five gold pieces and 25 pounds when empty, they're impractical for everyday delving and exploring, but perfect for when you have to move gear or freight around.

Nobles, entertainers, and other sorts often use chests to carry different costumes or outfits, but you can haul just about anything in them. If padded with clothes, blankets, or other things, you can move more fragile goods without worry. Also, you can combine the chest with chains and/or a lock and make an inescapable prison (or smuggling compartment) for Tiny or Small creatures--just make sure they have a way to breathe, unless you're into smuggling corpses. But for my money, the best use of a chest is a trap for someone else.

PCs especially are a curious lot, but really, who can resist the allure of a chest just sitting there, waiting for someone to open it? Locked, it can present a distraction to creatures like kobolds or goblins who might focus on getting it open and stop paying attention to whatever they're supposed to be doing. Unlocked, it's a way to release a swarm of bees, a bunch of snakes, a small slime/jelly, Explosive Runes, or any number of other annoying or deadly things while you hide somewhere and observe the fun. A chest can also be customized with a false bottom, a hidden compartment in the lid, traps of one kind of another, or other features to aid with hiding things in plain sight, maiming would-be thieves, or smuggling contraband, although having one customized in this way will add to the cost of the chest. Talk it over with your DM.

Climber's Kit

---

This is another "does what it says on the tin" pieces of gear. It comes with pitons, boot tips, gloves, and other goodies that help you scale surfaces and anchor yourself in place so you can't fall too far. Useful for getting yourself into places where others don't want you, scrambling up a tree to gain a vantage point, or scaling that mountain instead of taking a trip down into Moria, that's really about all this is good for. At 25 gold, it's one of the more expensive mundane items on the list, but when you absolutely need to go vertical (or horizontal, like crossing a pit or chasm) and can't Levitate or Fly, it's worth every coin.

Clothes

---

Whether common, fancy, travelling, or a special costume, clothes send an instant visual message to anyone looking at you. Most adventurers should have at least one change of clothing for role-playing purposes (one for travel/adventure, and one that isn't full of holes and stained with blood for when you meet the Duke). Clothes can help you blend in better with the locals, or stand out from them as desired. Costumes can help you look like somebody else, which can be useful especially when combined with a Disguise Kit, the Disguise Self spell, or other Illusion magic.

When they aren't being worn, spare clothes can be used to wrap fragile things, ripped up for bandages, used as kindling to start a fire, fitted around a dummy to create a makeshift scarecrow or fake body (they propped up fake/dead bodies in the Gary Cooper film Beau Geste to make the fort look like it had more defenders than it actually did), or lent to prisoners (taken or rescued) to preserve their modesty. Slather them in blood (Prestidigitation!) to garner sympathy for fake injuries, wrap them around someone's face as a blindfold, stuff them in someone's mouth as a gag, or circle them around someone's neck as a makeshift garrote. Clothing is almost strictly a role-playing item, but you'd be amazed what clever players given a couple pairs of breeches, a loose skirt, and some cloth foot wraps can come up with.

Component Pouch

---

This is a compartmentalized pouch meant for storing the charcoal, little bits of dung, and severed Beholder eyestalks that serve as material components for spellcasters. At 25 gold apiece, this is a specialized item meant for one purpose only, much like the Climber's Kit, and doesn't really have any other purpose outside of that. You could conceivably store other things in it, but regular pouches, at five silver each, are much cheaper for that sort of thing. If you're a spellcaster (or pretending to be), this is a must-have that you'll want on you at all times. If you're not, then there's no point in forking over the cash.

Players, make sure you always check enemy mages for this piece of gear. It's a cheap way to get a replacement if you need one, and if you don't, it's expensive enough to be worth taking into town to sell.

Crowbar

---

It's big, it's heavy, it's metal, and it gives you Advantage on any Strength checks you make where the crowbar's added leverage could be of use: snapping chains; lifting gates; prying open locked doors, windows, and chests; and so forth. Useful for any type who isn't good at finessing their way into or out of a given area, but also helpful in a pinch.

Beyond that, the crowbar doesn't have a whole lot of applications. You could wedge it between handles to secure a double door, smash out a window, swing it as a makeshift weapon, or pretty much anything else you can do with a five pound metal rod, but it's best use is really its least-creative. When entering a paranoia-filled area, this is one of those items you probably want to keep wrapped in your bedroll or blanket, or at least secured in your backpack. There's no need to openly advertise your ability to rip open shutters and pry into locked chests, after all.

---

Well, I know we only managed to get through the C's today, but what can I say: there's a lot of equipment in the PHB, and I don't want your eyes to glaze over too hard. See you next time for some more creative uses for mundane equipment! For more awesome gaming content, make sure you check out @loreshapergames, @jacobtothe, the @archdruid community, and @methus. And if you need some great music to get you in a fantasy gaming mood, make sure @yidneth is on your playlist. :)