The DM should also make sure the party bring along trail rations and enforce starvation rules, mandate that the caster keep detailed lists of what spell components he has, ensure that the party fighter has a whetstone and oil or else his weapon will blunt and rust, and check character sheets to make sure the party has clothes otherwise they're running around town naked.
I know you're attempting to be facetious here, but I actually do all of that in my game.
Here's a starting equipment list for one of the PC's in my game...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
CAELIS
Arms
0.0 lb. -
Bracers. High Quality leather. These act as a "headband" for wrists by keeping sweat from getting on hands, keeping weapon grip slippery.
Torso
0.0 lb.
Loincloth. High Quality fabric. It is not unusual for a Cimmerian to just wear this when the temperature allows.
0.5 lb. -
Ladder Suspenders. High Quality leather. These suspenders hold up trews in place of a belt. There is a cross-piece of leather both on chest and at the back that keep the leather straps from slipping off shoulders when doing manual labor.
0.5 lb. -
Weapon Belt. High Quality leather. This is a wide leather belt used to hold weapons.
0.5 lb. -
Weapon Girdle. High Quality leather. This protects waist from being rubbed raw by the weapon belt. Finn had three of these made and gave them to each of the three brothers as we entered the second year of the graiis and began weapons training.
0.5 lb. -
Belt Pouch. This is a small leather, drawstring pouch used to carry small items. Sharpening stone carried in this one.
0.5 lb. -
Belt Pouch. Mirror carried in this one.
0.5 lb. -
Belt Pouch. Leather-wrapped animal fat carried in this one.
1.0 lb. -
Animal Fat. Carried in third pouch, this is a lump of hardened animal fat, wrapped in a leather cloth, used to oil weapons. I can also use it for cooking, if need-be.
2.0 lb. -
Sharpening Stone. This is a sharpening stone for my weapons. I carry it in a belt pouch, which leaves little room for anything else in it.
0.5 lb. -
Steel Mirror. My father gave this to me. It's very valuable. It's a small, palm-sized polished steel mirror. I keep it oiled, or it will rust. Animal fat will do. And I must wipe it clean of the oil when I use it. It fits into one of my belt pouches.
0.0 lb. -
Drinking Jack. Leather. This is my favorite ale mug. Cimmerians love beer and ale of all sorts. I'm no different. I carry this on my weapon belt at the small of my back.
0.0 lb. -
Leine. High Quality cloth. This is a billowy, baggy Cimmerian shirt. It hangs to my knees, but when I wear it, I tuck it into my kilt. Cimmerians often do not wear these when the temperature is warm. We go bare chested when we can to prevent wear-and-tear on the leine.
0.0 lb. -
Leather Costrel. This is a pitch-lined leather waterskin with a cork stopper. It also has a strap to throw across my chest.
2.0 lb. -
Hatchet. My father made one steel hatchet. The rest are all iron. I took it for myself. It hangs from a leather loop on my weapon belt at my hip. This hatchet has a mirror-like steel finish to it.
2.0 lb. -
Hatchet. This is an iron hatchet. One side is the blade, the other is a flat, heavy piece that circles the haft, making the hatchet also a hammer. This hatchet hangs from its own loop on my opposite hip.
Legs
1.0 lb.
Work Boots. High Quality leather. I don't wear socks.
0.5 lb.
Trews. High Quality heavy wool. These are tight fitting Cimmerian pants.
Total Weight: 12 lbs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Overboard? Maybe. We like it. We've got strong mental images of the characters in the game. Details like this go a long way towards providing immersion in the game world.
I have a rule: If it's not on the character sheet, the character doesn't have it.
As for bookkeeping, it's not really a chore at all. We make up a list first, and we're done. It doesn't usually change that much during the game. We just keep the sheet in the player's character folder. A player who invests the time to pick and describe all his equipment like this usually memorizes what he has pretty quickly.
I'm in agreement with Dandu. If you want a game that pays attention to every single little details, D&D probably ain't the game for you.
Been that way for me for decades. I remember keeping track of spell components back in the AD&D 1E days. We've had some pretty neat times with mages trying to find spell components when they ran out.
I remember one time the mage needed iron shavings and he ran out. One player had a light bulb go off. "Hey! We're in a dank, humid dungeon, right? There's hinges on the door? The hinges are made of....iron? They're rusted? I think we've found our iron shavings."
It was a blast.
I have no issue at all with the way Tumble is written or plays out in the game. As far as the Tolkien-esque thing goes...well, it may not have fit the books all that well, but there are plenty of characters that used "Tumble" in the movies.
Just out of curiosity, which scenes are you talking about. I'd like to get a better mental picture of tumbling besides Daryl Hannah doing flips in Blade Runner.
Point me to the good tumbling examples, please.
Tumble is a great skill, and of all the rules to be strict about, this is not one that should be on that list. I hardly think a character or two avoiding attacks of opportunity is game breaking.
What's gamebreaking for me is my suspension of disbelief. If a character is wearing stuff that will go flying off of him when he tumbles, like weapons in sheathes or through hoops on a weapon belt, then they need to be secured somehow from flying out.
And, if a dagger is tied to its sheath, then it's not going to come out of the sheath that quickly when the character needs to draw it.
- Like swim, apply a double armor check penalty.
- Use a -2 modifier if you feel that what the character is carrying miscellaneous equipment that is going to hinder them (or -4 if you think it severe enough)
And from Pathfinder:
Thanks for the advice. Good comments. I think, though, I'll just think it through logically and ask any tumblers how they're keeping their stuff from flying all over the place.
