D&D 5E (2024) Help me Houserule 5e Equipment & Items

[TaranTheWanderer]

OOOh, this is an exciting project. Maybe we can incorporate it into one of the pbps eventually!

-As far as gold/silver standard. Why does it matter if it's gold or silver? If Gold is the 1 unit, add an extra unit of coin to represent 100s. Or why not just rename the coin to something appropriate for your game?
Name it after dragons: Lizard, Drake Dragon, Wyrm, or whatever.

- I liked the 5e "masterwork" armour and weapons that gave a +1 to hit but not damage. Masterwork armour was a bit lighter than standard, which helps with carrying capacity - but maybe you could even lower the strength requirement by 1. You could do the same with weapons since some of them have strength requirements now.

- I think you may want to rethink how tools work for skills. Having them not be their own skill but needing them to do certain tasks would make them still useful. Not having them would make doing the task impossible or, at best, at disadvantage and, having a 'masterwork' version would provide advantage. (or even a +1)

Every setting should have its own equipment list.

I would add a "Protection Salt". It creates a Protection from Evil and Good barrier as long as as the salt line is enclosed continuously. This helps the martial characters deal with some of the magical stuff. And it helps the DM defend certain areas from prying player eyes. The Protection Salt is in the same category as Holy Water.

On this note, I think there should be more things that Mundane people can do to protect themselves from Monsters. Garlic over doors to keep vampires/vampire spawn out, iron filings to keep fey away (there's so many fey creatures now: goblins, hobgoblins etc...). sprinkling a line of it across the threshold of a door will keep them from coming in that kind of thing. Look into some of the old legends/myths.

I can probably think of more stuff but this is off the top of my head.

 

[Merlecory]

Some questions/thoughts:

• How interested are you in changing other systems to give more space to equipment? For example: Leomond's Tiny Hut says that the "atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside." This certainly makes it a nice spell for the wizard on the go, but does mean a nicer tent is a lot less valuable.
• Are you interested in including services in this thread? Do you want to think about how much it might cost to barter passage on a ship or join a traveling caravan?
• I think 5e is missing equipment (and lots more) because the designers seem to think mostly about combat, and forget the rest. Rope is given a weight, an HP, and a DC to break it if you are tied up. It doesn't say anything about how much weight a rope can carry before breaking. Here is my suggested add on rule: A rope can carry 300 lbs without breaking. When you exceed that load, roll a d6. On a 1, the rope breaks. For every 50 lbs above that limit, add a number that can break the rope (351 lbs breaks on a 1-2, 401 lbs breaks on a 1-3).

 

[Horwath]

1st to keep bounded accuracy, I would consider changing +X+X attack/damage on weapon to +Xd6 damage.
+X armor can be 2X damage reduction.

Saving throw bonus can be replaced by giving saving throw proficiency when you equip an item, it can be fixed or changed on Short rest.
IE:
Uncommon; 1 saving throw proficiency
rare: 2 saving throw proficiency
very rare: 3 saving throw proficiency
Legendary: 4 saving throw proficiency

Also, I agree, +X items are really not magical in feeling, just seems like better material and/or skill in crafting.
flaming weapon IS magical.

maybe just +1 weapon/armor/shield can be unique thing that breaks bounded accuracy, but only limited to +1. And attunement.

 

[Horwath]

Every setting should have its own equipment list.

I would add a "Protection Salt". It creates a Protection from Evil and Good barrier as long as as the salt line is enclosed continuously. This helps the martial characters deal with some of the magical stuff. And it helps the DM defend certain areas from prying player eyes. The Protection Salt is in the same category as Holy Water.

 

[aco175]

I made a bunch of camping gear that was was quasi magical but could be bought rather cheaply (for PCs spending coin). Things such as sleeping bags/blankets that allowed you to sleep in armor or kept bugs away. Inflating mattress pad that would levitate just off the ground to make it more comfortable, and an improved version that would heat itself to keep you warm. Coffee pots that would self brew in the morning and a metal stand that would heat itself to be a small stove.

Comfort things that could be useful more for the roleplay but might come in handy if thought of more. The levitating pad might be able to be used to drag someone who is dying but cannot just carry chests of gold to get around things. Adding time limits helps.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

I'm looking at both the Sane Magic Item Prices and the Discerning Merchant's Price Guide.

I would look into Level Up's magic item pricing and Tales of the Valiant's as well. Eventyr Games also do great item pricing.

I like Sane and Discerning as an early effort at pricing. However, they are too gounded in 3.x, imo, leading to some results open for abuse.

You could look into other games with a more fleshed out economy and import from there - or import everything as replacement.

I'm really looking forward to following this project!

 

[Merlecory]

I've been reading through the 3.x send and equipment guide, here are some things from/inspired by that

• Snow shoes/Skis - easier movement through snowy terrain
• Bug netting - keep mundane pests like mosquitoes away from where you are staying. A must in swamps!
• Collapsible ladders - a ladder, some assembly required
• Collapsible canoe - maybe a little final fantasy, but it beats swimming
• Bullets (sling ammo) - could contain acid, alchemist fire, un/holy water, glue. A bit of utility.
• Signal torches - treated with alchemical substance, these now can be color coded. Maybe the town guard speaks a word to change it's color to signal status
• Farflame oil - put in lanterns to make them burn brighter/further. This might help differentiate them from cantrips.
• Dwarfblind - a grenade like item. When it detonates, creatures with dark vision must make a save. On a fail, they lose dark vision for a time
• Defoliator powder - a powered that kills a large area of plants when used. Clear undergrowth, harm treants, or destroy your rivals garden.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

This is all good stuff!

To answer a few questions: I'm not against some minor changes to feats or spells, but other than having an eye toward how our final draft would interact with those things, I'd prefer to make it something that can be 'ported in as a package (replacing equipment and magic items) without doing too much to the game's other sub-systems, if that makes sense.

I should definitely have a look again at Level Up. I generally like how A5e does stuff, but I have never had the pleasure of actually playing it (I kickstarted it, and I read it back when it first came out, but I haven't looked at it lately).

 

[Merlecory]

Some other thoughts

• Lantern fuels could simulate spell effects. Fairy fire, burning hands, continual flame, etc.
• Tents/hammocks could let you compete rests more quickly. Think the elf ability to long rest in 4 hours.
• Magic beans or similar. Causes some sort of plant growth quickly. Grasping vine land mine?

 

[Piperken]

• A disguise kit has enough materials to piece together up two disguises (two uses) for a medium creature or smaller. After the second use, the kit needs to be resupplied-- repurchased, X cost.
• Thieves Tools: On a roll of a natural 1, your instruments jam, resulting in them getting stuck, or in the act of retrieving them, bending them such as they're unusable. You will need to acquire a new set of tools-- X cost.