A voice from the Wilderness
- Thread starter Amalricus
- Start date
Map on hex paper or graph paper (I suggest Arr-Kelaan's Hexmapper or Dungeoncrafter if you need a mapping program), create icons for each hex or gridsquare's terrain type, and number some or all of them for locations.
You've now effectively got an outdoors dungeon to populate with lairs, ruins, landmarks, ambushes, strange or magical terrain features etc. and there's ample opportunity to include the usual array of monsters, traps and treasures. Rangers and druids become relevant to the game again, and the players get to explore your world, not just your dungeons and cities.
Following the dungeon model, I recommend making the challenges commensurate with their level, perhaps sealing off the next section of wilderness (designed for higher levels) with barriers such as water or difficult mountains, or simply warnings from NPCs. If you do have a high level challenge for reasons of verisimilitude (such as a dragon's lair on the hilltop), perhaps advertise it somehow so the PCs aren't caught off guard and TPK'd for no useful reason.
Gates are particularly useful features in the wilderness-as-dungeon, as they can get the PCs where you want them, and overcome the tyranny of distance when needed.
Last edited:
prep and form for reffing the wilds
Formally writing every encounter and location in a huge geographic feature is difficult. It would be a gargantuan task, one that would not repay the reff, as the players tend to cross wilderness rather than adventure there. In most cases a PC will learn of a location, and cross the wilds to attempt to run down a rumor, or search a region for a clue etc. I would advise against scipting everything, and instead document critical locations and pen a nice encounter chart.
Floating encounters or locations is indeed an excellent method. The players don't locate the Tomb of the Warlord? Fine, shelf it and lay it in their path for next adventure. The party choses not to enter the Dark Bog and kill the Witch? Cool, move the wicked witch to the Murky Swamp when the group enters it next week.
Use ENDURANCE as players march across the wilds. Crossing 4 miles of down timber is hard. Humping a full pack across muddy ground is exhausting. Climbing a fan of scree will force the air out of your lungs. Force the characters to make endurance rolls. This is an underused tool in the pouch of the GM. Break it out and use it often.
Survival can be used for pathfinding. Any character with the Track feat can make a survival roll to attempt to find the best path through the wilds. A good roll finds that gentle saddle between the peaks, or locates a game trail through a patch of briar. A bad roll leads the party into a bog, or worse, gets them lost. Let your rangers shine, and use pathfinding.
Weather is a major consideration in the wilds. A hard rain does more than make a party uncomfortable, it makes for a muddy, wet, march. Days of wet clamy condictions can lead to sickness or damaged gear. Snow and Ice, winter, is a killer. No one crosses the high peaks before the thaw, to do so is suicide.
I habitually wing it in wilderness adventures, making a few key locations, encounters, and discoveries, then letting the leaves fall. The main feature seems to be description and tone. Putting the players in character, and putting the characters deep in the shrouded forests beyond the black river...it makes for a fun night of thrills and adventure.
Amalric
Formally writing every encounter and location in a huge geographic feature is difficult. It would be a gargantuan task, one that would not repay the reff, as the players tend to cross wilderness rather than adventure there. In most cases a PC will learn of a location, and cross the wilds to attempt to run down a rumor, or search a region for a clue etc. I would advise against scipting everything, and instead document critical locations and pen a nice encounter chart.
Floating encounters or locations is indeed an excellent method. The players don't locate the Tomb of the Warlord? Fine, shelf it and lay it in their path for next adventure. The party choses not to enter the Dark Bog and kill the Witch? Cool, move the wicked witch to the Murky Swamp when the group enters it next week.
Use ENDURANCE as players march across the wilds. Crossing 4 miles of down timber is hard. Humping a full pack across muddy ground is exhausting. Climbing a fan of scree will force the air out of your lungs. Force the characters to make endurance rolls. This is an underused tool in the pouch of the GM. Break it out and use it often.
Survival can be used for pathfinding. Any character with the Track feat can make a survival roll to attempt to find the best path through the wilds. A good roll finds that gentle saddle between the peaks, or locates a game trail through a patch of briar. A bad roll leads the party into a bog, or worse, gets them lost. Let your rangers shine, and use pathfinding.
Weather is a major consideration in the wilds. A hard rain does more than make a party uncomfortable, it makes for a muddy, wet, march. Days of wet clamy condictions can lead to sickness or damaged gear. Snow and Ice, winter, is a killer. No one crosses the high peaks before the thaw, to do so is suicide.
I habitually wing it in wilderness adventures, making a few key locations, encounters, and discoveries, then letting the leaves fall. The main feature seems to be description and tone. Putting the players in character, and putting the characters deep in the shrouded forests beyond the black river...it makes for a fun night of thrills and adventure.
Amalric
I disagree - you could make it no more expansive in number of locations than a dungeon.
Sure, they'll do that if you make your wilderness irrelevant. If you stock it like you would a dungeon, and they become aware of that fact, you'll probably find they'll explore it and loot it like a dungeon. The observation that PCs tend to make sure that they've looted everything was made by Dave Arneson in the first dungeon run, apparently.
Alternatively, how about setting up the players to map an unexplored region, or search for a lost temple? Or clear an area of wandering monsters in return for a bounty? Or find a way through the mountains? The adventure potential in exploring wilderness is huge - in fact, that's often the real world definition of adventure. You're describing the wilderness as a "highway to a city/dungeon" anyway, a traditional D&D line of thinking of the purpose of the wilderness which I thought you were railing against.
That's one way to do it. I don't see what's wrong with alternatives like the one I described - marking select hexes with a number and making notes for them like you would a dungeon room - though.
Last edited:
Who doesn't use wilderness adventuring? We do it all the time!
Is this a house rule?
Weather also adds to the sense of "being there". I had a snow, in town, in one campaign. The first PC up noticed the frost on the window pane, and went out to check on the horses... He hit the icy stairs, and almost went down them the hard way... nose first!
Sez WHO, podnuh? Cold Climate Clothing+Snowshoes (or skis, if you have a good Balance skill - something they still haven't given the Ranger!)
I wonder... Did Frost and Fur or Frostburn cover snowshoing, sking, crampons, etc? Anyone know?
Amalricus said:
Is this a house rule?
Amalricus said:
Weather also adds to the sense of "being there". I had a snow, in town, in one campaign. The first PC up noticed the frost on the window pane, and went out to check on the horses... He hit the icy stairs, and almost went down them the hard way... nose first!
Amalricus said:
Sez WHO, podnuh? Cold Climate Clothing+Snowshoes (or skis, if you have a good Balance skill - something they still haven't given the Ranger!)
I wonder... Did Frost and Fur or Frostburn cover snowshoing, sking, crampons, etc? Anyone know?
"The Ten Essentials of Survival (D&D Style)" repost:
I posted a bit of this, in the "What does your character wear?" thread, but here's a quick primer on wilderness survival, for the interested (skip it, if it bores you).
Ten Essentials of Survival (D&D Style)
(Copyright 2004-5 by Steve C. All rights reserved. Licensed for individual, non-commercial use.)
Where We're Going: This article will cover the common "ten essentials" (of survival) from a D&D perspective. It offers advice on building your own survival kit. When doing so, remember; a kit which doesn't cover ALL of the essentials isn't really a survival kit!
The Ten Essentials of Survival: In alphabetical order (not necessarily order of importance) these are: Clothing, Fire, First Aid, Food, Navigation, Shelter, Signalling, Tools, Water, and Weapons. Each of these will be examined, in depth, below, but adventurers should always make sure to pack at least these ten essentials, when adventuring away from help.
Clothing: PCs are given a lot of liberty, here, by the description of the standard "Adventurer's Outfit" in the PHB. They can freely specify that they have a cloak, jacket, scarf, hat or cap, gloves, socks, and (depending upon your GM) things like handkerchiefs or bandannas, a poncho, a liner for cloaks/jacket/poncho, etc. PCs should take some care in specifying what they have, with an eye towards survival.
Personally, I can't see taking anything but the Adventurer's Clothing, for normal use. The other outfits have their uses, but for general adventuring, this one is properly titled. I also prefer cloaks with hoods to jackets and hats, but your tastes may vary. In any case, add a warm woolen cap/hat that covers the ears and neck, perhaps a scarf, leather gloves, warm, thick socks, a button-in cloak liner for cold weather, and some underthings, as well as some bandannas.
For more on the cloak, see Shelter, below. Obviously, the cap, scarf, gloves, and liner will aid in making cooler weather more tolerable. The bandannas will serve other uses, as well. Straining impurities from water, acting as a sling for a broken arm, used as a signal flag on the end of a pole, as a tie off, tied around the mouth and nose in dusty conditions, etc. In fact, they are so useful that the Boy Scouts of America has made one a part of the scouting uniform!
Even such things as boot laces have their places in survival kits. In dire straits (where a lot of adventurers seem to spend their time), a shelter may mean the difference between life and death. Three saplings, tied together at the top with boot laces, and wrapped in cloaks tied with bandannas, or covered in large sheets of tree bark may someday save a PC. Other things can also be worked in... See Weapons, below!
In addition, don't forget to take an extra suit of clothes along. How many times have you seen a PC fireballed, and their gear burned, or had one fall into an acid trap, and lose their equipment? An extra suit of clothes in the saddlebags usually solves this difficulty, and it doesn't even weigh you down!
Also, when going into cold weather, knowingly, always take along a suit of Cold Weather Clothing. It adds to the save versus cold weather damage, and weighs even less than the usual adventurer's clothes! Note here that one suit of clothing is given to the PC, free, at first level, and doesn't count against their encumbrance, either. So there is no excuse for not having this essential!
It may also be worth noting that, when in cold weather without the proper gear, and your PCs are unable to stop for some reason (such as ardent pursuit!), that you can cut two arm- and leg-holes in your sleeping bag and wear it, to keep warm and dry! If you do this ahead of time, be sure to include storm flaps and buttons, so that it can be used for its original purpose, again, without cold, chilly drafts bothering you while you're trying to sleep! The exposed arms and legs can be covered with sheets of birch bark (if available), or wrapped in blankets, or other such materials.
Fire: It isn't just for staying warm in the cold, or cooking, you know... Besides the usual monsters that can get you, Giardia Lamblia, Crytosporidia, and fecal Choloform bacteria can also bring you down! How to stop it? Filter your water through a clean cloth, first, then boil it for at least ten minutes, to kill any germs. In order to do that, however, you need fire!
D&D 3.0 (and now, 3,5e) took a giant step backwards, when they went to flint and steel, instead of the tinderbox. What's the difference? Flint and steel is a rock and a piece of metal which can be struck together, producing sparks. A tinderbox is a small box with tinder in it, which also holds your flint and steel. Tinder is the soft little "fluffy" stuff, which is easily ignited. Things like long, thin strips of dry wood, perhaps coated in oil, to make them more weatherproof.
When you're out in the cold, wet, rainy woods, getting a fire going can be a task. The woods are wet, and the wood you gather to make your fire is, too! Now what? With a tinderbox, you light some nice, dry tinder, use that to start the fire, and go from there. With flint and steel, you have to try and find some nice, dry tinder, first (see Tools).
Don't let anyone do this to you! Ask the GM how much a small wooden box costs, something you can wear around your neck on a piece of leather thong (or a sling)! Take your knife, and cut some long, thing slices of dry wood which is easily ignitable. Wax your small box, within and without, with a candle, to make it waterproof. Work the hot wax into any seams with your finger, then test it, before putting your firemaking gear in it. If it survives being dunked in the water barrel, it's probably good enough. Now keep your flint, steel, and tinder in it, and forget it until you need it. You might as well add the rest of that candle to the box, as well.
On wet, windy occassions, when it's hard to get a fire lit, it may be easier to light a torch, or that candle, instead. You can also make some simple, homemade "tindercubes" by wrapping some metallic foil around a six-sided die, then removing the die, sprinkling some sawdust into the foil cube, dribbling hot wax over it, and repeating this process until the whole cube is filled. Let cool, then remove the foil, and you have a highly water-resistant tindercube that can start several fires. Add a few of these to your tinderbox, as well.
First Aid: At first level, this may only be some simple cloth bandages (or those "free" handkerchiefs and/or bandannas), as the Healer's Kit is probably too expensive for you to get. At higher levels, the +2 on your Heal attempts is probably worth the price. Also, the Antitoxin (which gives a +5 Alchemical Bonus to Fortitude Saves vs. Poison) begins to look better, as well! Note here, it is best to take the Antitoxin BEFORE you get bitten or stung (the bonus lasts for two hours)!
At higher levels (and where available), Wands of Cure Light Wounds and Potions of Neutralize Poison will also fall into this category, and probably replace the cheaper items, where available. When fighting level-draining undead, Restoration also falls into this category, etc.
Food: Yes, a Barbarian, Druid, or Ranger can almost always find food in the wild, as can most PCs, at better than even odds, as long as they have an average or better Wisdom... assuming you don't mind travelling at half speed, and failing, once in a while! In general, however, if you know that you are going to a place three weeks away, through the wilderness, you ought to pack at least seven weeks' worth of food - three to get there, three to get back, and one for the time spent exploring!
"Food" in relation to a survival kit, however, also means methods of procuring it - just in case! Even if the pack mules are laden with preserved fruitcakes, they'll do you no good if the Tyrannosaurus eats them, and your cakes are lost! (For hunting, see Weapons.)
So, besides Trail Rations, some cord, wire, fishhooks, and a fishing net can be added to the survival kit of a well-prepared adventurer. While cord and wire aren't mentioned on the equipment list, then should be readily available; ask your GM. Many will let you have ten feet of cord for free, and maybe charge you a copper for the wire. These can then be used for making snares to catch small prey. For larger prey, you may want to invest in a professionally made bear trap, or the like (about $75, or four gold pieces, in real life).
Fishhooks are small and light enough that there is no reason not to pack a bunch of them. Add several, and some fishing line, to the bottom end of a staff, laying them flat against the side of the staff, and wrapping the cord around them. Or, you can add them to your tinderbox, as well. When you need them, you can pull them out.
Besides catching fish (and their uses in thievery), fishhooks can also be used to catch bats, among other things. Insectivorous bats can be caught at night by "fly-fishing" with a hook and sinker decorated with a bit of fuzz (pocket lint, etc.) to resemble an insect. Whirling the sinker-weighted hook about, as though it were a bug flying, will often catch small night-flying eaters of insects.
The fishing net can be tossed in the bottom of your saddlebags or backpack, and forgotten about, until you need it. Depending upon the strength of the materials from which it is made, it may also have other uses... Strong nets can be used as emergency hammocks, for those times when it isn't safe to sleep on the ground, and the trees seem better. An emergency litter is another example.
Also, such spells a Create Food and Water, Purify Food and Drink, etc., can be included in this category. Wands of these spells can also aid the adventuring party (if they can keep them)!
Navigation: Most of the navigational aids, in D&D, are not listed on the equipment lists. While the compass was in widespread use, throughout Europe, by the 1300s (and in the Orient, even earlier), and certainly fits in with the Pseudo-Medieval European technology of D&D, it does not appear on the equipment list! Personally, I have always wondered, at this.
Even if the compass doesn't exist, in your GM's campaign, the Druidic Determine Direction Orison does, so a magical version is certainly possible. Also, magnetic lodestones may exist, or the GM might allow you to use the old trick of magnetizing a needle by passing it through a piece of silk cloth, for example. In any case, knowing which direction you're heading is a simple Survival task, doable by anyone with five ranks in the skill.
More important than knowing which direction you're headed is knowing where you are! This involves Knowledge (Geography), or a map. While maps are usually pretty readily available, they can be lost, stolen, fireballed, or fall into the acid trap, too! It is much harder to have the knowledge taken away from you!
There are a few other navigational tools that might be useful, in some instances, such as Viking sun-compasses (which only work at a single latitude), or "sunstones", which allow you to locate the position of the sun on a cloudy day, but these are chiefly useful aboard ship.
Shelter: In D&D, the only type of shelter commonly available to you is the tent... Yep, that's it! The old equipment list is pretty bare... but I bet we can do it one better! Tents are fine, and all, but at 20 pounds, not something you want to carry with you, unless your armor already puts you into Medium Encumbrance! The bedroll/sleeping bag and blankets may also fall into this category. Adventurers should always have a bedroll (which includes the light blanket), as well as a heavier winter blanket... You can always use it to sleep on top of, on hard ground.
An easier way to carry your shelter around with you is the oilskin leather raincloak. This is the D&D version of the US (and German, and...) Military rain poncho. A leather cloak, with hood, which has been treated with oil to make it waterproof. Buttons down one side, and button-holes along the other, allow it to be closed up, tight, in bad weather. A drawstring in the hood, and another at the waist, help keep the storm winds out. An extended storm flap, with an additional row of buttons, also help. You might also like leg straps, on your version.
In addition, metal grommets along the outsides allow the cloak to be staked down, in high winds, and an additional row of buttons along the inside allow that extra liner to be buttoned in, to help keep you warmer with an extra layer of insulation. Best of all, whenever two of these cloaks are buttoned together, face-to-face, they form a makeshift tent!
Want to wear it while leaving your hands free? Two button-up, strom-flapped slits along the front can act as armholes, if you like. Just make sure that the armholes are covered by the storm flaps, so that the rain doesn't run down, into your cloak when it's buttoned up!
Since the Adventurer's Clothing allows you a lot of leeway on the type of gear it provides, see if your GM will let your party take these. Note here, however, that there's a major difference in size between the Small Gnome/Halfling version and the Medium Dwarf/Elf/Half-Orc/Human version!
Even if you prefer a coat or jacket to a cloak or poncho, oilskin leather is a pretty good solution. You won't be able to use it as a tent, however.
Signalling: There are any number of ways to signal allies for help, and/or pass messages. A signal whistle is light, can be carried on the same thong your tinderbox hangs from, and the sound can carry a long way, especially from a height, or across water. A signal mirror works well on a sunny day, or in conjunction with a light. Torches, lanterns, or candles work well at night. A blanket, etc., can be used to make smoke signals during the day. Semaphore (signal flags), and even body language (via the Spot skill) can also be used.
Of these, only the torches and lanterns add much weight (and you should already be carrying those, for light). Thus, signalling gear adds basically nothing to your weight.
Tools: "If the tool's not right, the guy's not too bright" may hold true in civilized lands, but once you get out into the kinds of places where survival skill is handy, you learn to do with what you have... and if you're smart, you have several multi-use items. First among these is a handaxe, preferably one which can be used as a hammer, as well. This can be used to chop firewood, make campcrafts, cut splints for broken limbs, build emergency shelters, hollow out a log to get dry tinder, or to cut through the pelvic bones of a large kill. The hammer head can be used to crush walnuts, hammer in tent stakes made with the sharp end, etc. Even if you can't use the handaxe or hammer as a weapon, it doesn't hurt to have one handy.
Next is a longknife. This is your typical survival knife, with a sharp point on the end (good for making holes), and enough belly on the blade to be useful for skinning. I prefer some serrations on mine, for cutting rope and skinning tougher beasts. Sometimes the handle is hollow, and contains a small space for some survival gear, such as fishhooks, line, sinkers, needles, etc. Sometimes the knife also has holes drilled in the hilt, through which a pair of piton-like rods can be screwed, turning it into an emergency grapnel. In any case, all classes should have and carry a knife. Even the spellslingers can use it as a weapon.
The grapnel, of course, is survival gear, if you're going anywhere where climbing is neccessary. Of course, since pit traps are common, and you never know where you'll find one, that's pretty much everywhere! Even if your GM lets you buy knives that serve as emergency grapnels, any good climber should have the real thing. (On a personal note, however, I find the PHB grapnels too big, bulky, and heavy to be believable. I have a folding grapnel, capable of supporting thousands of pounds, which weighs less than a pound, and fits in a canteen cover. It cost around $120, or 6 GP.)
Next is rope. Your grapnel is a sub-optimal club, without it. It can also be used to make shelter, hang a kill out of the reach of predators, make a snare for large creatures, be used as a weapon, and even as a bridge (expecially for someone with good Balance skill, but also for anyone else, if you can string one above another, so that they have something to hold on to)!
Finally, there's the Climber's Kit. It's heavy, but if you're going to be doing a lot of climbing, it may be worth it. Every climbing fool of a thief should have a climbing harness built right into his leather armor, and Rangers may want to do the same with their Masterwork Studded Leather, at least until they acquire Mithral Shirts.
As for tools not listed on the equipment list, a good quality folding saw (1 GP) would be a nice addition. For a lighter option, a ringsaw could be dropped into a pocket and forgotten, until needed. A good quality ringsaw is two metal rings, braided between which are several strands of steel wire. The rings can be pulled by hand, or attached to a limb to make a bow saw. This will run you three or four silver pieces. While cheaper versions are available, they also break more easily (and usually only use a single strand of notched wire).
Water: Not a lot to be said, here, as the PHB only lists waterskins, but there's always more you can do. When going into the desert, water barrels are the way to go... especially if you have a wagon. Don;t forget: Animal Companions, Familiars, Mounts, Pets, Steeds, etc., all need water, too! Also, that two-gallon pot is there for a reason... Use it for boiling water, to purify it. Also, you may want to add some simple clay mugs and coffee or tea to your equipment list, if you enjoy a hot cup, in the morning.
While we're on the subject of water, though, a few words of warning! Just because you boiled your water for ten minutes doesn't mean that it's safe! While boiling kills germs, it does not remove poisons. In fact, in some cases, it may even make matters worse, by evaporating some of the water, and leaving the arsenic (or whatever) in the water that remains! Survival skill in recognizing these dangers (DC:15) is necessary.
You might also check with your GM to see if metal "hard-sided" canteens, etc., have been "invented" yet, in his campaign. Getting a waterskin "holed" by an Orc's arrow is always a pain! Again, as with food, it is better to have more than you think you'll need, if you want to make good time. Steel canteens (with folding wire-handled canteen cups and nesting stove stands) are nice.
Including what is used in cooking, you need one gallon of water, per person, per day, in normal weather and at normal activity levels. If engaged in strenuous activity, double that, and in hot, dry weather, double it again. You can SURVIVE on one-quarter that amount, but if you're eating dried trail rations, expect to be plagued by thirst!
Weapons: I did not talk much about hunting, under Food, but it is certainly an option. In order to do so, however, you will need a good missile weapon. Being weaponless is never a good idea, not even for a Monk! There is also no good excuse for it!
The Hammer-backed handaxe and Longknife (mentioned under Tools, above) are both usable as weapons. Taken together, that's a piercing, slashing, and blunt light weapon, as well. In the wilds, also note that both the club and the staff are available for free (and take zero time to make), and that the morningstar and spear should be easy to improvise, with an appropriate piece of wood and some fire-hardening of the points.
These are no replacement for a good Masterwork Composite Longbow, however; Mighty, if you can pull it. The range is just too much of an advantage, in a survival situation. At first level, Masterwork arrows are cheaper, and just as good. At higher levels, go for the Mighty bow, instead.
Even if you can't afford or wield a bow, however, there is still no excuse for being without a missile weapon. Slings are also free, and therefore easy to make out of an old boot, or an Orc's hide, if need be! But why should you have to make one? They're free, so go ahead and take some. You can tie up your bedroll with a couple, lace up your boots with a pair, tie your rolled-up bedroll to your pack with a couple, tie your rope with another, etc. Braid one into long hair, maybe.
PCs should all have a Blunt, Piercing, Slashing, and Missile weapon that they are proficient with. Note that that's not neccessarily four weapons, though... Bows are Piercing Missile weapons, for example. At higher levels, cold iron, steel, and adamantite weapons will also need to be considered.
Little else needs to be said, about weapons. Most PCs have this area well covered. One thing that can be said is that sharpening stones, again, are way over weight. A party really only needs one or two of these (one if they can keep it, two if they lose one)!
Where We've Been: Above are the ten ESSENTIALS of survival. This does not mean that nothing else is useful, or even neccessary! You'll note that armor and carrying equipment (backpacks, etc.) haven't even been mentioned, save in passing! These are the items that will help your PCs survive to get to where they are going, and hopefully return, alive. There's always more, beyond the essentials, to make life easier!
Still, by carefully choosing your essential equipment, and being prepared for survival before you're thrown into a situation where it is required, you improve your chances, and probably your party's, too! Even if you're just the Wizard, you can be prepared for survival.
I posted a bit of this, in the "What does your character wear?" thread, but here's a quick primer on wilderness survival, for the interested (skip it, if it bores you).
Ten Essentials of Survival (D&D Style)
(Copyright 2004-5 by Steve C. All rights reserved. Licensed for individual, non-commercial use.)
Where We're Going: This article will cover the common "ten essentials" (of survival) from a D&D perspective. It offers advice on building your own survival kit. When doing so, remember; a kit which doesn't cover ALL of the essentials isn't really a survival kit!
The Ten Essentials of Survival: In alphabetical order (not necessarily order of importance) these are: Clothing, Fire, First Aid, Food, Navigation, Shelter, Signalling, Tools, Water, and Weapons. Each of these will be examined, in depth, below, but adventurers should always make sure to pack at least these ten essentials, when adventuring away from help.
Clothing: PCs are given a lot of liberty, here, by the description of the standard "Adventurer's Outfit" in the PHB. They can freely specify that they have a cloak, jacket, scarf, hat or cap, gloves, socks, and (depending upon your GM) things like handkerchiefs or bandannas, a poncho, a liner for cloaks/jacket/poncho, etc. PCs should take some care in specifying what they have, with an eye towards survival.
Personally, I can't see taking anything but the Adventurer's Clothing, for normal use. The other outfits have their uses, but for general adventuring, this one is properly titled. I also prefer cloaks with hoods to jackets and hats, but your tastes may vary. In any case, add a warm woolen cap/hat that covers the ears and neck, perhaps a scarf, leather gloves, warm, thick socks, a button-in cloak liner for cold weather, and some underthings, as well as some bandannas.
For more on the cloak, see Shelter, below. Obviously, the cap, scarf, gloves, and liner will aid in making cooler weather more tolerable. The bandannas will serve other uses, as well. Straining impurities from water, acting as a sling for a broken arm, used as a signal flag on the end of a pole, as a tie off, tied around the mouth and nose in dusty conditions, etc. In fact, they are so useful that the Boy Scouts of America has made one a part of the scouting uniform!
Even such things as boot laces have their places in survival kits. In dire straits (where a lot of adventurers seem to spend their time), a shelter may mean the difference between life and death. Three saplings, tied together at the top with boot laces, and wrapped in cloaks tied with bandannas, or covered in large sheets of tree bark may someday save a PC. Other things can also be worked in... See Weapons, below!
In addition, don't forget to take an extra suit of clothes along. How many times have you seen a PC fireballed, and their gear burned, or had one fall into an acid trap, and lose their equipment? An extra suit of clothes in the saddlebags usually solves this difficulty, and it doesn't even weigh you down!
Also, when going into cold weather, knowingly, always take along a suit of Cold Weather Clothing. It adds to the save versus cold weather damage, and weighs even less than the usual adventurer's clothes! Note here that one suit of clothing is given to the PC, free, at first level, and doesn't count against their encumbrance, either. So there is no excuse for not having this essential!
It may also be worth noting that, when in cold weather without the proper gear, and your PCs are unable to stop for some reason (such as ardent pursuit!), that you can cut two arm- and leg-holes in your sleeping bag and wear it, to keep warm and dry! If you do this ahead of time, be sure to include storm flaps and buttons, so that it can be used for its original purpose, again, without cold, chilly drafts bothering you while you're trying to sleep! The exposed arms and legs can be covered with sheets of birch bark (if available), or wrapped in blankets, or other such materials.
Fire: It isn't just for staying warm in the cold, or cooking, you know... Besides the usual monsters that can get you, Giardia Lamblia, Crytosporidia, and fecal Choloform bacteria can also bring you down! How to stop it? Filter your water through a clean cloth, first, then boil it for at least ten minutes, to kill any germs. In order to do that, however, you need fire!
D&D 3.0 (and now, 3,5e) took a giant step backwards, when they went to flint and steel, instead of the tinderbox. What's the difference? Flint and steel is a rock and a piece of metal which can be struck together, producing sparks. A tinderbox is a small box with tinder in it, which also holds your flint and steel. Tinder is the soft little "fluffy" stuff, which is easily ignited. Things like long, thin strips of dry wood, perhaps coated in oil, to make them more weatherproof.
When you're out in the cold, wet, rainy woods, getting a fire going can be a task. The woods are wet, and the wood you gather to make your fire is, too! Now what? With a tinderbox, you light some nice, dry tinder, use that to start the fire, and go from there. With flint and steel, you have to try and find some nice, dry tinder, first (see Tools).
Don't let anyone do this to you! Ask the GM how much a small wooden box costs, something you can wear around your neck on a piece of leather thong (or a sling)! Take your knife, and cut some long, thing slices of dry wood which is easily ignitable. Wax your small box, within and without, with a candle, to make it waterproof. Work the hot wax into any seams with your finger, then test it, before putting your firemaking gear in it. If it survives being dunked in the water barrel, it's probably good enough. Now keep your flint, steel, and tinder in it, and forget it until you need it. You might as well add the rest of that candle to the box, as well.
On wet, windy occassions, when it's hard to get a fire lit, it may be easier to light a torch, or that candle, instead. You can also make some simple, homemade "tindercubes" by wrapping some metallic foil around a six-sided die, then removing the die, sprinkling some sawdust into the foil cube, dribbling hot wax over it, and repeating this process until the whole cube is filled. Let cool, then remove the foil, and you have a highly water-resistant tindercube that can start several fires. Add a few of these to your tinderbox, as well.
First Aid: At first level, this may only be some simple cloth bandages (or those "free" handkerchiefs and/or bandannas), as the Healer's Kit is probably too expensive for you to get. At higher levels, the +2 on your Heal attempts is probably worth the price. Also, the Antitoxin (which gives a +5 Alchemical Bonus to Fortitude Saves vs. Poison) begins to look better, as well! Note here, it is best to take the Antitoxin BEFORE you get bitten or stung (the bonus lasts for two hours)!
At higher levels (and where available), Wands of Cure Light Wounds and Potions of Neutralize Poison will also fall into this category, and probably replace the cheaper items, where available. When fighting level-draining undead, Restoration also falls into this category, etc.
Food: Yes, a Barbarian, Druid, or Ranger can almost always find food in the wild, as can most PCs, at better than even odds, as long as they have an average or better Wisdom... assuming you don't mind travelling at half speed, and failing, once in a while! In general, however, if you know that you are going to a place three weeks away, through the wilderness, you ought to pack at least seven weeks' worth of food - three to get there, three to get back, and one for the time spent exploring!
"Food" in relation to a survival kit, however, also means methods of procuring it - just in case! Even if the pack mules are laden with preserved fruitcakes, they'll do you no good if the Tyrannosaurus eats them, and your cakes are lost! (For hunting, see Weapons.)
So, besides Trail Rations, some cord, wire, fishhooks, and a fishing net can be added to the survival kit of a well-prepared adventurer. While cord and wire aren't mentioned on the equipment list, then should be readily available; ask your GM. Many will let you have ten feet of cord for free, and maybe charge you a copper for the wire. These can then be used for making snares to catch small prey. For larger prey, you may want to invest in a professionally made bear trap, or the like (about $75, or four gold pieces, in real life).
Fishhooks are small and light enough that there is no reason not to pack a bunch of them. Add several, and some fishing line, to the bottom end of a staff, laying them flat against the side of the staff, and wrapping the cord around them. Or, you can add them to your tinderbox, as well. When you need them, you can pull them out.
Besides catching fish (and their uses in thievery), fishhooks can also be used to catch bats, among other things. Insectivorous bats can be caught at night by "fly-fishing" with a hook and sinker decorated with a bit of fuzz (pocket lint, etc.) to resemble an insect. Whirling the sinker-weighted hook about, as though it were a bug flying, will often catch small night-flying eaters of insects.
The fishing net can be tossed in the bottom of your saddlebags or backpack, and forgotten about, until you need it. Depending upon the strength of the materials from which it is made, it may also have other uses... Strong nets can be used as emergency hammocks, for those times when it isn't safe to sleep on the ground, and the trees seem better. An emergency litter is another example.
Also, such spells a Create Food and Water, Purify Food and Drink, etc., can be included in this category. Wands of these spells can also aid the adventuring party (if they can keep them)!
Navigation: Most of the navigational aids, in D&D, are not listed on the equipment lists. While the compass was in widespread use, throughout Europe, by the 1300s (and in the Orient, even earlier), and certainly fits in with the Pseudo-Medieval European technology of D&D, it does not appear on the equipment list! Personally, I have always wondered, at this.
Even if the compass doesn't exist, in your GM's campaign, the Druidic Determine Direction Orison does, so a magical version is certainly possible. Also, magnetic lodestones may exist, or the GM might allow you to use the old trick of magnetizing a needle by passing it through a piece of silk cloth, for example. In any case, knowing which direction you're heading is a simple Survival task, doable by anyone with five ranks in the skill.
More important than knowing which direction you're headed is knowing where you are! This involves Knowledge (Geography), or a map. While maps are usually pretty readily available, they can be lost, stolen, fireballed, or fall into the acid trap, too! It is much harder to have the knowledge taken away from you!
There are a few other navigational tools that might be useful, in some instances, such as Viking sun-compasses (which only work at a single latitude), or "sunstones", which allow you to locate the position of the sun on a cloudy day, but these are chiefly useful aboard ship.
Shelter: In D&D, the only type of shelter commonly available to you is the tent... Yep, that's it! The old equipment list is pretty bare... but I bet we can do it one better! Tents are fine, and all, but at 20 pounds, not something you want to carry with you, unless your armor already puts you into Medium Encumbrance! The bedroll/sleeping bag and blankets may also fall into this category. Adventurers should always have a bedroll (which includes the light blanket), as well as a heavier winter blanket... You can always use it to sleep on top of, on hard ground.
An easier way to carry your shelter around with you is the oilskin leather raincloak. This is the D&D version of the US (and German, and...) Military rain poncho. A leather cloak, with hood, which has been treated with oil to make it waterproof. Buttons down one side, and button-holes along the other, allow it to be closed up, tight, in bad weather. A drawstring in the hood, and another at the waist, help keep the storm winds out. An extended storm flap, with an additional row of buttons, also help. You might also like leg straps, on your version.
In addition, metal grommets along the outsides allow the cloak to be staked down, in high winds, and an additional row of buttons along the inside allow that extra liner to be buttoned in, to help keep you warmer with an extra layer of insulation. Best of all, whenever two of these cloaks are buttoned together, face-to-face, they form a makeshift tent!
Want to wear it while leaving your hands free? Two button-up, strom-flapped slits along the front can act as armholes, if you like. Just make sure that the armholes are covered by the storm flaps, so that the rain doesn't run down, into your cloak when it's buttoned up!
Since the Adventurer's Clothing allows you a lot of leeway on the type of gear it provides, see if your GM will let your party take these. Note here, however, that there's a major difference in size between the Small Gnome/Halfling version and the Medium Dwarf/Elf/Half-Orc/Human version!
Even if you prefer a coat or jacket to a cloak or poncho, oilskin leather is a pretty good solution. You won't be able to use it as a tent, however.
Signalling: There are any number of ways to signal allies for help, and/or pass messages. A signal whistle is light, can be carried on the same thong your tinderbox hangs from, and the sound can carry a long way, especially from a height, or across water. A signal mirror works well on a sunny day, or in conjunction with a light. Torches, lanterns, or candles work well at night. A blanket, etc., can be used to make smoke signals during the day. Semaphore (signal flags), and even body language (via the Spot skill) can also be used.
Of these, only the torches and lanterns add much weight (and you should already be carrying those, for light). Thus, signalling gear adds basically nothing to your weight.
Tools: "If the tool's not right, the guy's not too bright" may hold true in civilized lands, but once you get out into the kinds of places where survival skill is handy, you learn to do with what you have... and if you're smart, you have several multi-use items. First among these is a handaxe, preferably one which can be used as a hammer, as well. This can be used to chop firewood, make campcrafts, cut splints for broken limbs, build emergency shelters, hollow out a log to get dry tinder, or to cut through the pelvic bones of a large kill. The hammer head can be used to crush walnuts, hammer in tent stakes made with the sharp end, etc. Even if you can't use the handaxe or hammer as a weapon, it doesn't hurt to have one handy.
Next is a longknife. This is your typical survival knife, with a sharp point on the end (good for making holes), and enough belly on the blade to be useful for skinning. I prefer some serrations on mine, for cutting rope and skinning tougher beasts. Sometimes the handle is hollow, and contains a small space for some survival gear, such as fishhooks, line, sinkers, needles, etc. Sometimes the knife also has holes drilled in the hilt, through which a pair of piton-like rods can be screwed, turning it into an emergency grapnel. In any case, all classes should have and carry a knife. Even the spellslingers can use it as a weapon.
The grapnel, of course, is survival gear, if you're going anywhere where climbing is neccessary. Of course, since pit traps are common, and you never know where you'll find one, that's pretty much everywhere! Even if your GM lets you buy knives that serve as emergency grapnels, any good climber should have the real thing. (On a personal note, however, I find the PHB grapnels too big, bulky, and heavy to be believable. I have a folding grapnel, capable of supporting thousands of pounds, which weighs less than a pound, and fits in a canteen cover. It cost around $120, or 6 GP.)
Next is rope. Your grapnel is a sub-optimal club, without it. It can also be used to make shelter, hang a kill out of the reach of predators, make a snare for large creatures, be used as a weapon, and even as a bridge (expecially for someone with good Balance skill, but also for anyone else, if you can string one above another, so that they have something to hold on to)!
Finally, there's the Climber's Kit. It's heavy, but if you're going to be doing a lot of climbing, it may be worth it. Every climbing fool of a thief should have a climbing harness built right into his leather armor, and Rangers may want to do the same with their Masterwork Studded Leather, at least until they acquire Mithral Shirts.
As for tools not listed on the equipment list, a good quality folding saw (1 GP) would be a nice addition. For a lighter option, a ringsaw could be dropped into a pocket and forgotten, until needed. A good quality ringsaw is two metal rings, braided between which are several strands of steel wire. The rings can be pulled by hand, or attached to a limb to make a bow saw. This will run you three or four silver pieces. While cheaper versions are available, they also break more easily (and usually only use a single strand of notched wire).
Water: Not a lot to be said, here, as the PHB only lists waterskins, but there's always more you can do. When going into the desert, water barrels are the way to go... especially if you have a wagon. Don;t forget: Animal Companions, Familiars, Mounts, Pets, Steeds, etc., all need water, too! Also, that two-gallon pot is there for a reason... Use it for boiling water, to purify it. Also, you may want to add some simple clay mugs and coffee or tea to your equipment list, if you enjoy a hot cup, in the morning.
While we're on the subject of water, though, a few words of warning! Just because you boiled your water for ten minutes doesn't mean that it's safe! While boiling kills germs, it does not remove poisons. In fact, in some cases, it may even make matters worse, by evaporating some of the water, and leaving the arsenic (or whatever) in the water that remains! Survival skill in recognizing these dangers (DC:15) is necessary.
You might also check with your GM to see if metal "hard-sided" canteens, etc., have been "invented" yet, in his campaign. Getting a waterskin "holed" by an Orc's arrow is always a pain! Again, as with food, it is better to have more than you think you'll need, if you want to make good time. Steel canteens (with folding wire-handled canteen cups and nesting stove stands) are nice.
Including what is used in cooking, you need one gallon of water, per person, per day, in normal weather and at normal activity levels. If engaged in strenuous activity, double that, and in hot, dry weather, double it again. You can SURVIVE on one-quarter that amount, but if you're eating dried trail rations, expect to be plagued by thirst!
Weapons: I did not talk much about hunting, under Food, but it is certainly an option. In order to do so, however, you will need a good missile weapon. Being weaponless is never a good idea, not even for a Monk! There is also no good excuse for it!
The Hammer-backed handaxe and Longknife (mentioned under Tools, above) are both usable as weapons. Taken together, that's a piercing, slashing, and blunt light weapon, as well. In the wilds, also note that both the club and the staff are available for free (and take zero time to make), and that the morningstar and spear should be easy to improvise, with an appropriate piece of wood and some fire-hardening of the points.
These are no replacement for a good Masterwork Composite Longbow, however; Mighty, if you can pull it. The range is just too much of an advantage, in a survival situation. At first level, Masterwork arrows are cheaper, and just as good. At higher levels, go for the Mighty bow, instead.
Even if you can't afford or wield a bow, however, there is still no excuse for being without a missile weapon. Slings are also free, and therefore easy to make out of an old boot, or an Orc's hide, if need be! But why should you have to make one? They're free, so go ahead and take some. You can tie up your bedroll with a couple, lace up your boots with a pair, tie your rolled-up bedroll to your pack with a couple, tie your rope with another, etc. Braid one into long hair, maybe.
PCs should all have a Blunt, Piercing, Slashing, and Missile weapon that they are proficient with. Note that that's not neccessarily four weapons, though... Bows are Piercing Missile weapons, for example. At higher levels, cold iron, steel, and adamantite weapons will also need to be considered.
Little else needs to be said, about weapons. Most PCs have this area well covered. One thing that can be said is that sharpening stones, again, are way over weight. A party really only needs one or two of these (one if they can keep it, two if they lose one)!
Where We've Been: Above are the ten ESSENTIALS of survival. This does not mean that nothing else is useful, or even neccessary! You'll note that armor and carrying equipment (backpacks, etc.) haven't even been mentioned, save in passing! These are the items that will help your PCs survive to get to where they are going, and hopefully return, alive. There's always more, beyond the essentials, to make life easier!
Still, by carefully choosing your essential equipment, and being prepared for survival before you're thrown into a situation where it is required, you improve your chances, and probably your party's, too! Even if you're just the Wizard, you can be prepared for survival.
Last edited:
Similar Threads
