Simplifying equipment

[CCamfield]

Somewhere - either here or on rpg.net - I remember reading someone's house rules for simplifying equipment in D&D by just selecting "packs" of different sizes, which would include a lot of small items so you wouldn't have to worry about whether your character is carrying candles, vials, bits of string, whatever.

Have any of you used a system like this? I personally don't like micromanaging equipment, and I have some new players who I think would be overwhelmed at all the piddly little bits of equipment that you normally have to buy separately. They've got their weapons and armour but I told them to hold off on other things.

 

[Tonguez]

Yeah it was here that it was brought up (though can't remember by who) they suggested giving a DC to a pack which if successful would mean a certain item type was avaialable.

Whilst I haven't done the DC thing I do use standard 'bundles' - ready made Travelling kits with 1 weeks rations, rope, grappling, hook, bedroll, oil, lanterns etc.

The PCs can buy the bundle and then add extras (weapons, tanglefoot bags, thief kits etc) or they can buy from scratch

 

[CCamfield]

Thanks T. I did find some old bundles defined on the WotC site but I ended up taking a stab at my own DC-based system. Basically this is just to handle relatively unimportant supplies, as opposed to food, rope, and so forth.

Equipment points costs 3gp and weigh 2 pounds each. When you want to see if you have a particular small item, roll d20 and add your equipment points versus the appropriate DC.

EPs are generally limited to finding items weighing less than 5 pounds and costing less than 5gp.

Pulling something out of your equipment reduces your equipment points by 1. (You do keep the item produced.) If you’ve checked for an item, you may not check for the same item again before replenishing supplies.

DCs:
3 – Really trivial items. Examples: Candle, chalk. These are free in the sense that producing one does not reduce your EPs.
5 – Trivial items. Examples: Torch, refill of oil, mug
10 – Common items. Examples: bedroll, spare clothes, flint and steel, sack, 10’ length of rope.

Not included: lamp oil, food, water, 10-foot poles, tents, mining picks, 50’ of rope, etc.