Adventurer's Equipment (AEG)

The following section includes information about the general **equipment** used by adventurers. In addition to armor and weapons, a character also needs equipment to fight the elements and rugged terrain that he will encounter on his journeys.

## Backpacks

Adventurers' backpacks come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. The least expensive variety is a simple canvas sack equipped with shoulder straps. These may be purchased or constructed by the adventurer.

A backpack may also be a woven basket with a woven or wooden lid. This is carried on the back by means of shoulder straps. They are durable, but cumbersome due to their rigid form.

The preferred style of backpack is a leather bag equipped with multiple pockets and slung over the shoulders with padded shoulder-straps. Some types of leather may be waterproofed. Such a bag has a leather flap that is secured with one or more buckles. If

the bag is loaded properly and secured correctly, the contents will not spill even if the adventurer is suspended upside down.

Experienced tailors or leatherworkers may be commissioned to construct special backpacks. This may include special pockets to hold commonly used items or a special padded section of pockets to hold valuable breakables such as potions. Cost of such bags is generally double that of the deluxe backpack.

Cost:

* Sack 4 sp
* Basket 5 sp
* Deluxe Leather 2 gp

## Block & Tackle

A block and tackle is a set of ropes and pulleys that increases the ability to lift heavy objects. When a rope is passed through the multiple wheels of the blocks, it allows characters of any degree of strength to pull heavy objects (more than their normal strengths would allow).

A block and tackle has limited use and normally can be used only to lift objects vertically. In addition, the block and tackle must be able to be securely suspended above the object and have enough room for the adventurers to work.

A block and tackle may be considered to add a +4 bonus to any one character's Strength, for purposes of lifting, to a maximum of 19. If a number of persons work together, a bonus of +2 is added to the Strength score of each participant.

Block and tackles vary in weight depending on the load they can support. A block and tackle suitable for lifting objects of less than 200 pounds weighs 10 pounds; a set capable of lifting 1,000 pounds weighs 50 pounds; and a set suitable for lifting up to 5,000 pounds weighs 200 pounds.

A block and tackle comes equipped with a series of square wooden blocks with greased internal wheels, straps and harnesses to attach the blocks to a wall, tree limb, or other attachments, and 50 feet of rope appropriate to the set (depending on the weight of the block and tackle, the rope may be light, heavy, or chain).

Cost: 8 gp (light), 15 gp (Medium), 25 gp (Heavy)

## Crampons

Crampons are sold in pairs to be attached to hard boots by several leather straps.

Crampons are spiked and gnarled bands of steel that increase the traction of smooth-soled boots. They can be used to scale rocky cliffs or cross icy plains. When worn, crampons increase Climbing ability by +15% or Mountaineering proficiency by +1. Crampons can also be used as a weapon. If a victim is prone, stomping on the victim while wearing a pair of crampons inflicts 1d2 points of damage per 100 pounds of weight of the character. If the victim is in melee, a successful attack roll must be made. Success causes 1 point of damage (only one foot can thrust). If an attack roll indicates a miss, the wearer must make a successful Dexterity check to avoid falling. Using crampons in this way ruins them in a 1d10 rounds of active use.

Cost: 4 gp

## Clawed Gloves and Shoes

Similar to crampons, claws give climbers and mountaineers greater ability to cling to handholds and ledges. Both types are held on with leather straps and add a +5% to Climbing and a +1 to Mountaineering.

Cost: Gloves 3 gp, Shoes 5 gp

## Flint and Steel

More than the name suggests, flint and steel may include a number of items. The equipment is carried in a small leather pouch, often waterproofed, and includes a large piece of flint, several coarse steel bars, tinder, and scraps of charred cloth. With such tools, a character can start a small smoldering flame in 1d6 rounds (longer in windy conditions or if the kindling is wet).

Starting a fire with flint and steel requires practice, but is not difficult. A wad of tinder (frayed cedar bark, thistledown, or dried grass) is placed in a dirt depression. A scrap of charred cloth (a one-inch square is sufficient) is placed on the tinder. The flint is struck against the steel, knocking sparks off the metal. The carbon content of the charred fabric is highly ignitable and lights quickly when touched by a spark. This, in turn, lights the tinder and the fire may gradually be fed with larger bits of wood.

Cost: 5 sp

## Grappling Hook

A grappling hook is used to secure a rope for climbing. A grappling hook is normally made of two, three, or as many as four cast iron bent bars welded or fused together.

Deluxe grappling hooks are sometimes available with folding hooks; thus, they can be folded flat for easy carrying. Such a hook costs approximately twice the price of an ordinary hook.

The grappling hook can be thrown easily into a tree, roof ledge, or rocky crevice. In determining whether a grappling hook catches in the target object, a normal attack roll is made vs. AC 10. One round is required to throw the hook; another round is required to retrieve it.

In an emergency, the DM might allow clever adventurers to fashion a makeshift grappling hook from a rope and a wooden slat or metal rod. This may be used as a normal grappling hook.

Cost: 8 sp

## Healer's Bag

This bag may come in any shape or size, but is usually made of leather or heavy canvas. It is used primarily by characters who have the Healing Proficiency. A healer's bag allows such a character a +1 bonus to his chance to successfully heal a victim.

A healer's bag may be purchased new, complete with all supplies, or may be assembled by a healer. A complete bag includes 30 rolled bandages of varying size, 20 feet of rolled gauze, a tiny metal mixing bowl, a ceramic mortar and pestle, and ten jars of various herbs that can be crushed and mixed with water to form a paste to be applied to wounds.

The kit also includes three curved needles (often made of gold to prevent rust) and a spool of white or black silk thread (50 feet) to be used to stitch gaping wounds. Some kits may include several ceramic vials to be filled with clean water.

Cost: 6 gp

## Housebreaker Harness or Spider

This leather halter is essential for any thief. The harness, sometimes referred to as a spider, is an assortment of straps that are hooked around the thighs and over the shoulders. A broad leather strap is secured around the waist. Attached to the belts are small hooks, safety clips, and adjustable clamps. From these various clips, the thief can hang small tools or attach ropes or tether lines. Using this harness can prevent a thief from falling, secure him to a wall, or free his hands to use his picks.

One possible drawback to such a harness is the jangling noise it may make. If a thief spends two rounds securing all clips and removing any unused clips, he operates under his normal chance to move silently. If such precautions are not taken, the thief's chance to move silently is penalized 15%.

Cost: 8 gp

## Lantern

An adventurer's lantern is similar to a common lantern, but is usually made of more rugged material. Adventurer's lanterns rarely have a glass plume or tower. In general, lanterns come in three varieties, as described below.

**Beacon Lantern:** A beacon is more than a simple lantern. The light source weighs as much as 50 pounds and is normally found in a light house or mounted on a ship rather than with a group of adventurers. A beacon provides a focused beam of light reaching 240 feet, with an additional 120 feet of semi-darkness (a total of 360 feet of light). A beacon is fueled by lantern oil which lasts 2 hours per pint.

Cost: 150 gp

**Bullseye Lantern:** A bullseye lantern is an easily portable light source, similar in design to the beacon lantern. It has a metal housing with a panel of glass to keep wind away from the flame. The metal is usually polished on the inside to reflect light outward. A trap door or shutter can be set in place over the glass to block out the light. Even when the shutter is closed, some light still escapes from the lantern. Closing off every crack in the lantern's assembly would quickly extinguish the flame. Such lanterns are often equipped with adjustable vents to regulate airflow. Adventurers must remember that even if the shutter is closed, the lantern will shed enough light to give away their position in a dark dungeon.

This lantern projects light in a funnelled path. A bullseye lantern's light reaches 60 feet, with an additional 20 feet of semi-darkness. A bullseye lantern burns six hours per pint of oil.

Cost: 12 gp

**Hooded Lantern:** A hooded lantern projects light in 360 degrees and is capped overhead to limit the radiation of heat. This allows it to be carried with a handle located at the top of the lantern.

Hooded lanterns generally have a metal reservoir for the oil and a metal cap. Between the two is a cylinder of thick glass that allows light to escape. Some models have metal spines between panes of glass or a metal assembly with disks of thick glass set in. The latter type is the most durable.

Few hooded lanterns can be covered to restrict light, but the DM may allow such lanterns to restrict light to a few feet.

This lantern projects light 30 feet in all directions and burns six hours per pint of oil supplied.

Cost: 7 gp

## Locks

Locks are available for a variety of purposes. These range from simple padlocks suitable for securing a small chest to elaborate inset door locks for houses and mansions. Simple locks are usually made of iron, steel, or bronze and have a simple mechanism that opens with one key. Elaborate locks may be made of gold, silver, or other precious metals. They may have a hidden keyhole or multiple keys.

Inset locks are usually commissioned to fit a specific door. Padlocks may be available for ready sale from a locksmith or sometimes a blacksmith. Single key locks are most common; double key locks are available from perhaps 20% of locksmiths.

Cost: Good - 100 gp, Poor - 20 gp

## Provisions

Dry provisions generally consist of a few basic foodstuffs. In general, rations include a hard biscuit called hardtack, made of ground wheat and water, and beef or buffalo jerky or dried fish. Dried fruits such as apples, apricots, cherries, and raisins may also be included in dry rations.

Many hard cheeses can survive several days or weeks on the trail. Cheese, however, is not part of standard rations and must be acquired in addition to the standard package.

Rations are not meant as a substitute for meals for any length of time. Foraged herbs, greens, berries, and vegetables are necessary to maintain good health. Without such supplements, various nutritional diseases may set in. The disease most likely to plague adventurers is scurvy. This can be avoided by the inclusion of fruits, especially citrus, and onions.

Both beef jerky and hardtack are relentlessly hard; the biscuits have very little taste. Considerable quantities of water (as much as double a normal ration of water) must be consumed when living on such rations to make such food digestible; lack of water can also result in dehydration.

If a party attempts to live on rations for more than three to four weeks at a time, the DM may rule that 1 point of Constitution is lost due to nutritional deficiency. This may be recovered by eating foods other than rations for one week.

Hardtack, jerky, and the like are generally carried by human adventurers. Other races

have their own variations on rations. Elves in particular carry a mixture of nuts, corn, seeds, dried fruit, and small candies. This is sometimes carried as a loose mix, and is sometimes carried in small patties held together by brown sugar, honey, molasses, or lard. Either variation requires the consumption of extra water as explained above.

Cost: 7-15 gp (per one-week supply)

## Rope

Rope is one of the most important items of equipment to an adventurer. A 50-foot length of rope will be used when climbing surfaces, pulling heavy loads, repelling down sheer cliffs, and traversing deep ravines. There are two basic types of ropes.

**Hemp Rope:** Hemp is a tough, fibrous plant used to make stout rope. A hemp rope is rugged and durable, but very bulky and heavy. The diameter of a hemp rope can range from 1/4-inch to three inches or more (found primarily on ships). A fifty-foot length of hemp rope weighs nearly 20 pounds and is capable of holding more than 500 pounds of weight.

Cost: 1 gp

**Silk Rope:** A silk rope is made of long threads of silk. The threads are braided together with other strands of silk to make thin cords, and these in turn are braided together into a pliable and stiff braid. A silk rope is less encumbering and easier to work with (its smooth texture is not as rough on the hands), but does not have the ability to hold as much weight as a hemp rope. Usually no more than 200 pounds can be held by the line at once. A silk rope weighs about eight pounds for a 50-foot length.

Cost: 10 gp

## Thieves' Picks and Tools

A thieves' toolkit comes in a flat, folding leather case or a rolled suede case and includes dozens of small tools. A set normally contains 20 wires, ranging in gauge from the thickness of string to that of a slender pencil. Each is approximately 12 to 18 inches long. These are used to poke into small holes or push triggers or buttons from a short distance. The toolkit also includes a set of 12 skeleton keys that fit many standard locks. Also in the set are several screwdrivers, a wire clipper, clamps, and pincers ranging in three sizes from minute, small, and average. Bundled with this package may be a small chisel, hacksaw, and hammer.

In some of the more deluxe toolkits, small vials of metal-eating acids may be found, along with magnifying glasses and slender pieces of high-tempered steel that are used as miniature crowbars. A thieves' toolkit will range in weight and size greatly, depending on the initial cost of the package.

Cost: Basic 30 gp

Deluxe 50 gp

## Waterskin/Wineskin

Water and wine skins come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. The most common type is the kidney-shaped goatskin bag with a metal cap on the narrow end. Other types may be encountered made of sheepskin, bearskin, or other hide. Barbaric races and humanoids (especially orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins) may adorn their waterskins with teeth, horns, or hooves of the animal that gave up its hide for the item.

A waterskin of normal size can hold two quarts of water. Players should remember that a normal human requires two quarts of water per day to maintain good health. More water will be required in hot conditions or in cases of high physical activity. Characters subsiding on dry rations also require more water. An active character may drink a gallon of water a day, and those trekking through deserts and open savannahs may find it necessary to drink as much as two gallons per day.

Cost: 8 sp

## Weaponblack

This oily substance comes in small vials or jars. Such vials could potentially be mistaken for potions (consumption causes 1d10 points of damage).

Weaponblack is used to smear the surfaces of weapons and metal armor to coat them with a pasty, matte black finish, rendering them nearly invisible in darkness. Thieves who coat their blades gain a +5% bonus to their chances to Hide in Shadows. After a typical melee, the weaponblack will be wiped from most of the blade from its heavy use. The weapon must be blackened again if desired. Armor will need its black coating touched up following a melee.

A jar of weaponblack contains enough material to coat one full set of plate armor, two sets of scale mail, or three sets of chain mail. The same size jar can coat a long sword 10- 12 times.

Cost: 1 gp