6  Equipment

Money

Monetary values are usually expressed in gold pieces. In addition to gold coins, there are coins made of platinum, silver, electrum (an alloy of gold and silver), and copper. They are valued as follows:

1 platinum piece (pp)= 5 gold pieces (gp)

1 gold piece (gp)= 10 silver pieces (sp)

1 electrum piece (ep)= 5 silver pieces (sp)

1 silver piece (sp)= 10 copper pieces (cp)

For game purposes, assume that one gold piece weighs 1/10th of a pound, and that five coins will “fit” in a cubic inch of storage space (this isn’t literally accurate, but works well enough when applied to a box or chest).

First level characters generally begin the game with 3d6 x 10 gp (unless the GM decides otherwise).

Starting Gold:

Misc. Equipment

This list represents common adventuring equipment at average prices. Prices and availability may vary. Weights are expressed in pounds. Items marked * weigh very little; ten such items weigh one pound. Items marked ** have almost no weight and should not usually be counted.

Item Price Weight
Backpack 4 gp *
Belt Pouch 1 gp *
Bit and bridle 15 sp 3
Candles, 12 1 gp *
Chalk, small bag of pieces 2 gp *
Cloak 2 gp 1
Clothing, common outfit 4 gp 1
Glass bottle or vial 1 gp *
Grappling Hook 2 gp 4
Holy Symbol 25 gp *
Holy Water, per vial 10 gp *
Horseshoes & shoeing 1 gp 10
Ink, per jar 8 gp ½
Iron Spikes, 12 1 gp 1
Ladder, 10 ft. 1 gp 20
Lantern 5 gp 2
Lantern, Bullseye 14 gp 3
Lantern, Hooded 8 gp 2
Manacles (without padlock) 6 gp 4
Map or scroll case 1 gp ½
Mirror, small metal 7 gp *
Oil (per flask) 1 gp 1
Padlock (with 2 keys) 12 gp 1
Paper (per sheet) 1 gp **
Pole, 10’ wooden 1 gp 10
Quill 1 sp **
Quill Knife 1 gp *
Quiver or Bolt case 1 gp 1
Rations, Dry, one week 10 gp 14
Rope, Hemp (per 50 ft.) 1 gp 5
Rope, Silk (per 50 ft.) 10 gp 2
Sack, Large 1 gp *
Sack, Small 5 sp *
Saddle, Pack 5 gp 15
Saddle, Riding 10 gp 35
Saddlebags, pair 4 gp 7
Spellbook (128 pages) 25 gp 1
Tent, Large (ten men) 25 gp 20
Tent, Small (one man) 5 gp 10
Thieves’ picks and tools 25 gp 1
Tinderbox, flint and steel 3 gp 1
Torches, 6 1 gp 1
Whetstone 1 gp 1
Whistle 1 gp **
Wineskin/Waterskin 1 gp 2
Winter blanket 1 gp 3

Equipment Explanations

A Backpack will hold a maximum 40 pounds or 3 cubic feet of goods. Some items may be lashed to the outside, and thus count toward the weight limit but not the volume limit. A Halfling’s backpack holds at most 30 pounds and/or 1½ cubic feet, but costs the same as a full-sized item.

A Candle will shed light over a 5’ radius, with dim light extending 5’ further. A normal candle will burn about 3 turns per inch of height.

Chalk is useful for “blazing a trail” through a dungeon or ruin.

Holy Water is explained in the Encounter section.

Iron Spikes are useful for spiking doors closed (or spiking them open) and may be used as crude pitons in appropriate situations.

A Lantern will provide light covering a 30’ radius; dim light will extend about 20’ further. A lantern will consume a flask of oil in 18+1d6 turns. A Hooded Lantern allows the light to be hidden or revealed as the user pleases; in all other ways it performs as an ordinary lantern. A Bullseye Lantern projects a cone of light 30’ long and 30’ wide at the widest point, with dim light extending an additional 20’ beyond that point. This type of lantern is generally hooded.

A Map or Scroll Case is a tubular oiled leather case used to carry maps, scrolls, or other paper items. The case will have a water-resistant (but not waterproof) cap which slides over the end, and a loop to allow the case to be hung from a belt or bandolier. A standard scroll case can hold up to 10 sheets of paper, or a single scroll of up to seven spells.

A Mirror is useful in a dungeon environment for many reasons; for instance, it is the only way to look at a Medusa without being turned to stone. Mirrors are also useful for looking around corners, and can be used outdoors to send signals using reflected sunlight.

A Quiver is an open container used to hold arrows. A Bolt Case is a similar sort of container for crossbow bolts. In either case, the standard capacity is 20 missiles. The length of a quiver or bolt case must match the length of the ammunition for it to be useful; therefore, there are longbow and shortbow quivers and light and heavy crossbow bolt cases. The price is the same for all types.

Dry Rations may consist of dry bread, hard cheese, dried fruit, nuts, beans, jerky, or any other food which will not “go bad” in less than about a month (if not longer). Dry rations are generally sold in quantities sufficient for one character for a week, and are packaged in waxed or oiled cloth to protect them.

Hemp Rope is ½ inch in diameter and has a breaking strength of 1,600 pounds. Safe working load for a rope is normally one-quarter of the breaking strength. One or more knots in a rope cut the breaking strength in half. This does not affect the safe working load, because knots are figured into the listed one-quarter ratio.

Silk Rope is about 3/8 inch in diameter and has a breaking strength of 1,600 pounds, although it weighs considerably less than hemp rope. The notes regarding rope strength given for hemp rope, above, apply here also.

A Large Sack will hold at most 40 pounds or 4 cubic feet of goods.

A Small Sack will hold at most 20 pounds or 2 cubic feet of goods.

A pair of Saddlebags will hold at most 10 pounds or 1 cubic foot of goods (divided evenly between both bags).

Thieves’ Picks and Tools are required for the use of Thief abilities such as opening locks and removing traps. These abilities may not be usable without appropriate tools, or may be used at a penalty at the option of the Game Master.

A Tinderbox is generally purchased with a flint and steel; the flint, a piece of hard rock, is struck vigorously against a C-shaped piece of high-carbon steel. When done correctly, hot sparks will fly from the flint and steel into the tinder, hopefully starting a fire. The best tinder is a dried piece of prepared tinder fungus, carried in the tinderbox to keep it dry; char cloth, hemp rope, or even very dry grass can substitute if prepared tinder fungus is not available. The time required to start a fire should be determined by the GM according to the prevailing conditions; under ideal conditions, starting a fire with a flint, steel and tinder takes about a turn.

A Torch sheds light over a 30’ radius, with dim light extending about 20’ further, and burns for 1d4+4 turns. Of course, a torch is also useful for setting flammable materials (such as cobwebs or oil) alight.

A Whetstone is used to sharpen and maintain edged weapons such as swords, daggers, and axes.

Wineskin/Waterskin is a container for drinking water or wine; though generally water is taken into a dungeon or wilderness environment. The standard waterskin holds one quart of liquid, which is the minimum amount required by a normal character in a single day. If adventuring in the desert or other hot, dry areas, a character may need as much as ten times this amount. Note that the given 2 pound weight is for a full skin; an empty skin has negligible weight.

Weapons

Weapon Price Size Weight Dmg.
Axes
Hand Axe 4 gp S 5 1d6
Battle Axe 7 gp M 7 1d8
Great Axe 14 gp L 15 1d10
Bows
Shortbow 25 gp M 2
Shortbow Arrow 1 sp * 1d6
Silver† Shortbow Arrow 2 gp * 1d6
Longbow 60 gp L 3
Longbow Arrow 2 sp * 1d8
Silver† Longbow Arrow 4 gp * 1d8
Light Crossbow 30 gp M 7
Light Quarrel 2 sp * 1d6
Silver† Light Quarrel 5 gp * 1d6
Heavy Crossbow 50 gp L 14
Heavy Quarrel 4 sp * 1d8
Silver† Heavy Quarrel 10 gp * 1d8
Daggers
Dagger 2 gp S 1 1d4
Silver† Dagger 25 gp S 1 1d4
Swords
Shortsword 6 gp S 3 1d6
Longsword/Scimitar 10 gp M 4 1d8
Two-Handed Sword 18 gp L 10 1d10
Hammers and Maces
Warhammer 4 gp S 6 1d6
Mace 6 gp M 10 1d8
Maul 10 gp L 16 1d10
Other Weapons
Club/Cudgel/Walking Staff 2 sp M 1 1d4
Quarterstaff 2 gp L 4 1d6
Pole Arm 9 gp L 15 1d10
Sling 1 gp S *
Bullet 1 sp * 1d4
Stone n/a * 1d3
Spear 5 gp M 5
Thrown (one handed) 1d6
Melee (one handed) 1d6
Melee (two handed) 1d8

* These items weigh little individually. Ten of these items weigh one pound.

† Silver tip or blade, for use against lycanthropes

Weapon Size

Humans and Elves must wield Large weapons with both hands, but may use Small or Medium weapons in one hand. Halflings may not use Large weapons at all, and must use Medium weapons with both hands. Dwarves, due to their stocky, powerful builds, are able to use Medium weapons one-handed and some Large weapons in two hands, but Large weapons more than four feet in length are prohibited (specifically, two-handed swords, polearms, and longbows). Some weapons must be used with both hands by design (such as bows and crossbows) but the maximum size limits still apply.

The GM should apply similar limitations to weapon-armed monsters; for instance, kobolds and goblins are similar in size to Halflings, and thus should have similar weapon limits.

Missile Weapon Ranges

Weapon Short (+1) Medium (0) Long (-2)
Longbow 70 140 210
Shortbow 50 100 150
Heavy Crossbow 80 160 240
Light Crossbow 60 120 180
Dagger 10 20 30
Hand Axe 10 20 30
Oil or Holy Water 10 30 50
Sling 30 60 90
Spear 10 20 30
Warhammer 10 20 30

Missile weapon ranges are given in feet. In the wilderness, substitute yards for feet. If the target is as close as or closer than the Short range figure, the attacker receives a +1 attack bonus. If the target is further away than the Medium range figure, but not beyond the Long range figure, the attacker receives a -2 attack penalty.

Armor and Shields

Armor Type Price Weight AC
No Armor 0 gp 0 11
Leather Armor 20 gp 15 13
Chain Mail 60 gp 40 15
Plate Mail 300 gp 50 17
Shield 7 gp 5 +1

Beasts of Burden

Note: Statistics for the animals below are here.

Item Price
Horse, Draft 120 gp
Horse, War 200 gp
Horse, Riding 75 gp
Pony* 40 gp
Pony, War* 80 gp

*Due to their small stature, Dwarves and Halflings generally ride ponies rather than horses.