A Lot Or A Little Equipment?

[Diamond Cross]

For your characters, do you carry a lot of equipment or a little bit?

For example, my standard beginning equipment is:

Backpack, bedroll, main weapon, backup weapon, suit of armor (unless a sorcerer or a wizard), a bag of flour, one man tent, one weeks rations and water, staff, pitons, grappling hook, fifty feet of rope, a bag of flower, caltrops, a few torches. And for casting classes, I carry spell components and traveling spell book.

I try to travel as light as I possibly can, and when I carry money I do my best to carry it in gems instead of coins. Which does mean that I often leave coins behind and take a choice magic item from the pile.

So how do you do your equipment?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

You're missing a 10' pole.

 

[Alzrius]

My current character, a war master, is loaded down with the following gear:

Breastplate, lobster-tail open helm, heavy wooden shield, masterwork warhammer, longbow, 50 arrows, longsword, backpack, bedroll, winter blanket, 2 sets caltrops, grappling hook, 2 belt pouches, 13 days’ trail rations, 50 ft. hemp rope, shovel, soap, sunrod, tent, tindertwig, 2 waterskins, crowbar, 388 gp, 8 sp, 1cp.

(The lobster-tail open helm is from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming's Luven Lightfinger's Gear and Treasure Shop.)

This is over 150 lbs. of gear, and very close to his maximum encumbrance (which is 175 lbs. with his 14 Strength). However, I wasn't worried about his being weighed down since he's wearing medium armor already and looking to trade up to heavy armor (plus the shield and helm).

Likewise, I tried to spend as much of my character's 175 gp starting gold as I could. Simply put, I'd much rather have it and not need it than vice versa. Whether it's a way to see in the dark, stuff to make it easier to sleep outdoors, or caltrops to control the terrain in a fight, I want my character to be prepared, especially at the lower levels.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Totally depends on the character. INT is very important for determining this. A high INT character can get others to carry his crap.

Hey if you carry the browning I'll give you 50 bucks.
You got it on ya?

 

[Grymar]

It depends.

If it is an urban campaign, I'll go light. More books, ID papers, that sort of thing.

If I'm going in the wildeness or a dungeon delve, then I bring the whole darn equipment list. I had a rogue with a bag of holding filled with shovels, block and tackle, picks, pickaxes, axepicks, shovel-pickaxes, fryingpan-axes, 10' poles with shovel attachments, chalk, mirrors, hammers, pitons, nails, tacks, spikes, brads, and needles.

I will NEVER die from not having the right tool for the job. I may from having a thief with a 9 strength carrying 400lbs of equipment, but he'll have the right job squashed in that pack somewhere.

 

[Lanefan]

I always make sure to carry and list a basic batch of equipment, mostly because we have a long-standing rule that if something isn't listed on your sheet you do not have it.

I pay vague attention to encumbrance and cut right back if my Str. score isn't brilliant...which happens...but otherwise my characters sometimes end up as walking tool shops and general stores.

Even more so if I happened to bring a DonkeyHorse along.

As for my players, I get annoyed if they don't bother with equipment at all (so what *are* you wearing - you can't sleep in heavy armour!) other than weapons armour and shield. After that, they're on their own.

Lanefan

 

[Diamond Cross]

You're missing a 10' pole.

I do list staff.

 

[Stormonu]

I used to have my characters carry a ton of gear, but I've really started to appreciate "traveling light" and seeing how little I can get away with.

My current list is down to: 50' silk rope, bullseye lantern*, 2 flasks of oil*, flint & steel*, 7 days iron rations, backpack, belt pouch, dagger, melee weapon, ranged weapon (& ammo), armor (& shield). I don't carry a bedroll, tent or the like - preferring to "rough it" or make do with the materials around me.

* not needed if playing a dwarf or half-orc, which are my preferred races to play.

 

[Rechan]

As little as possible. I'll carry the standard Adventurer's Pack package which has all the typical stuff in it, but honestly, I really dislike accounting for every piece of lint in my pocket.

When I DM, I tell the players that they carry all the typical stuff, so they don't have to worry, unless they want to grab something unusual (like a hooded lantern or something). I assume their characters are competent enough to have all the usual necessities accounted for.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It depends upon the particular PC I'm playing.