D&D 5E Which are the most imperative Craft and Tools in DnD E5

[EzekielRaiden]

Sleeping and eating are inevitable parts of every adventurer's life, whether you are doing a mission or you are on downtime.

But there are some other essential needs to be taken care of, like mending your armor or healing wounds. The PHB E5 has provided some Tools and Kits to use on page 154, such as Artisan Tools, Herbalist Kits, Poisoner's Kit, etc.

Which of these Tools/Kits are imperative to have for staying alive during a journey?
Is it Cook's untensils to make food and beverages to survive? Or some Tools to mend your armor? Gaming Set to make money and gambling ?

What would you choose if you could pick one or more of these tools ?Please share some information regarding your party members and your class when you are giving an answer.

There are only three things that have overt mechanical utility for all characters: Thieves' Tools, Healer's Kits, and Herbalism Kits, in very rough order of utility. Ironically, from what I can tell, it's way easier to pick up Thieves' Tools proficiency than Healer's Kit or Herbalism Kit though.

100% of all other tools are either purely fluffy, to the point of being unlikely to prove useful even in a very minimal-combat game, or extremely sensitive to DM disposition on numerous subjects. For instance, the Alchemist's Tools could be allowed to let characters make potions for themselves...but there's 0 support for that in the rules, so it would be purely the DM powering up that option. Same goes for Cook's Utensils and basically all the rest of it.

Of the "tool" proficiencies that aren't obviously mechanically relevant, but which plausibly sound like they could be useful in a campaign, I'd say Carpenter, Mason, Alchemist, Calligrapher, and Cartographer could plausibly be made to be significant to the lives of adventurers--though, again, it would be the DM intentionally making those tools useful, rather than them being naturally useful in stuff the party would probably encounter regardless. Some, like Painter or Glassblower or Brewer, I just have a seriously tough time even imaging potential uses, let alone the tortured logic required to make them relevant to an adventurer.

The Gaming Set is in a bit of an odd position because I have seen "play cards, make money" stuff in games before, but DMs tend to discourage it IME. Further, because it's proficiency with a single thing, like Three Dragon Ante or Chess, rather than "card games" or "board games" or the like, I feel like there's going to be lots of places where you get nickle-and-dimed out of actually benefitting. "Oh, you have poker proficiency? Well these guys are playing blackjack, so you don't get squat, sorry."

 

[Inoeex]

I went Hebalism/Alchemy

Our DM has mixed Herbalism and Alchemy, with the new Mixure you can make both Healing Potions and Utility Potions such as Fire Oils, Freezing Potions or Shrinking Size Potions or even Elixirs that can temporarily increase your stats . But no offensive stuff, you need to learn Poison Mastery for that.
I think it will be aswesome and " A Must Have " one now they have mixed in our game.

 

[Eltab]

My AL Monk/Rogue (Outlander background) went with Cartographer's Tools. I already have a "map in my head", now I can draw it out and show everybody else.
And yes I did remember to buy a dozen sheets of paper plus a scroll case to put them in.

 

[Ryuutakeshi]

Thieves tools easily are the most useful and most active, but you can find ways to use most of the others if you get creative.

Had a player this last week who wanted to trade in a scavanged spellbook. A buyer came by and saw the PC had a deck of cards laying out. He challenged him to a game over the cost of the sale of the book. 10gp (I use silver standard) if the PC loses, 20 gp if he wins. 6 hands later, PC got to walk away with 20gp. We rolled three wis+prof vs three cha+prof twice (once per side) to determine results. But it's all in how the DM plays it.

My favorite character (a fighter) has cooks utensils because I decided that he became an accomplished cook while serving as a mercenary.

Also, on disguise kits, I actually go off intelligence for them like the phb says. Since you don't use deception for tools checks you're proficient in, it gives int a nice little power boost and makes it a little more appealing.