Packing for the Under Dark what to take

[Thunderfoot]

Bag of Holding #1 - Contains three outfits and spare armor for the party
Bag of Holding #2 - Contains extra rations, vegetables, cheeses and spices that can normally go bad, but are protected by the extra dimensional space
Folding boat x 2
Portable Hole - Holds 30 10' poles, 3000' feet of rope, 2000' of twine, and 20 oars (for the boats, you know, just in case)
Candles - Easier to light than torches, give off less ambient light, can be used as a fire starter if you need an actual campfire
Retainers - Lantern bearer, shield maiden, squire, cook, whatever is needed so you can focus on killing things and taking their stuff.
A Dwarf - Darkvision comes in pretty handy at times like these.

 

[Roadkill101]

Chalk (various colors) and a hammer and chisel. To mark the trail in the event of a necessary expeditous retreat should any magical means be depleted or not available (and hopefully a lightsource or means of vision of some sort is still available to find said marks).

 

[ceratitis]

beer, lots of beer. when it gets dark and creepy nothing beats some good spirits.
mmm you might want some crackers with that.
Z

 

[sydbar]

A way of reducing your size, so you can sneak past guards, and slaughter those annoying little jermaline that annoy you to no end, and then loot their lairs, since you can't count on fireballs to do it anymore. Also bring ways to avoid breathing, cause those cave gasses are deadly, especially if you can't see or smell it, or if you have half-orc that likes beans, or a big human named Mongo that likes candy in your group.

 

[Darthjaye]

As a fellow player in Harmon's group (and this particlular quest) let me elaborate a little more on what he's asking. We're considering/ planning on taking troops with us. Actually more like some extra swords as we are looking to exact some revenge/ slash free some slaves from the Drow. That being said, he's asking what we need to further this plan, considering that we will (hopefully) be bringing along somewhere near 20+ "redshirts" (my recommendation is 24) to aid us in this endeavour. The trip seems to be about a week down to get to our destination beneath the Oerth. More than likely a large part of our force will be human and some elves. We're also hoping to recruit some dwarves (oh yeah, Harm, I forgot to mention we should definately do this as they will also be interested in some payback for past actions in Istivin perpetrated upon them by denizens from beneath) from the local temple to help.

Hmmm, I think that pretty much lays it out.

 

[Land Outcast]

Then that Great Mass VIgor (or similar spell) in complete Divine is a must. The unconscious need no stabilization.

Lets see...
The casters available, with Drow SR, that might well prove useless, on the other hand, a conjurer with augument summoning...

Scouts with Thunderstones, if they die, make it go BOOM! (R) so that you know they found something.

Arrows imbued with light, five or more per mercenary, with the elves' low-light vision, each fight should become as easy as at daylight.

 

[Wik]

Thunderstones are also a great way of taking out creatures that rely on blindsight, I should add.

If you're fighting drow, anti-toxin vials are a good call. I'd give one to every third "Redshirt", so they have a way of staying alive if they get poisoned (plus, it boosts their morale if they think you actually CARE about whether they live or die).

Forget about ranged weapons - you won't be using them too often. I'd suggest crossbows, so you can fire off one shot before entering melee. A longbow or two might help in a few cases, but I wouldn't expect archery to be something to worry about too often.

Holy Water always seems to come in handy, as well. I'm not so sure against Drow, but you never know what evil critter you'll come across down there. I rely on the stuff.

As a note, give each "redshirt" and PC chalk and maybe ink. The reasoning is simple - if you get lost in a cave system, you can use these to make markings, allowing you to tell where you've been already. You can create a special code, so you can leave coded messages to others in your group if you get seperated. Also, a signal whistle will help, too - sounds really carry underground, so giving a scout a whistle will make sure you know when he's been ambushed by the big nasties.

Gifts are a great idea, but make them light, and practical. Little kobolds and deep gnomes aren't going to care too much if you offer them bright beads and toys - they want something that will make their life easier. Medical herbs are probably your best bet - they're light, and since they grow due to light, they won't be commonly available in the 'dark.

Scrolls of Daylight are useful - pick up a lot, and use them as Standard Operating Procedure against the drow.

You'll want to make sure you have interpreters that can speak Illithid, Drow (don't just speak surface elven to the drow - it's a surefire way to get them angry!), Duergar, Derro.... and possibly Kua-Toa and Goblin, as well.

Bags of Holding are also a neccessity. But I'm sure you know that one, already.

Grease will help, too, surprisingly enough. First, it can be used to keep you warm when you have to get wet in cold water. Second, it can help you squeeze through tight spaces, and probably for a lot cheaper than if you just cast REDUCE on about thirty-odd people.

 

[Andor]

The redshirts are a great idea. 1st level humans make excellent tradegoods in the underdark. The leadership feat can also provide followers for this purpose.

 

[Harmon]

Haves and have nots, as follows-

We have-
Only one (to my knowledge) Bags of Holding- filled with food, SunRods, Water Skins (Cleric has Create Water), chalk (various colors), and hammer & chisel (to mark our route- note to self need Silence spell to not alert baddies that we are about). Everyone carries a Haver Sack, thoug most are full of personal belongings we can slip in a few more things I am sure. A Dwarf rogue- I mean Trapsmith, Travel Cloak, Driz’zt (though not Drow, sorry DJ you made the character ), 3 Wizards (Lore Master, Arcane Order & Drow Arcane Archer), Wizard with Dark Vision, Fly, Spider Climb, along with a few other spells in his books (yes, books).

Might need but more likes can’t afford or don’t have access to at all-
Portable Hole, Folding Boat, Goggles of the Night, Scroll of Mass Heal, Sunburst, enough teleportation per day to be able to get in and out easily.

Thank you for the assistance, please keep it coming, we only have ‘til Saturday to get our list complete.

 

[Land Outcast]

I must insist that the scroll of Mass Heal is compulsory.

then: vs the poison... that's a tricky one... but mainly depends on which version of Drow Knockout poison is your DM using... (Ours uses the DC 17 variety, in the city of the spider queen... at lvl 11 we still have some fear for those darts).

then... hum... dunno