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Toliudar
2010-12-17, 03:04 PM
There are a few bits of gear, magical or otherwise, that I almost always add to a character, unless the campaign or character background suggests otherwise. You know - the haversack, the flask of water, the coil of rope. What are your "default" bits of equipment, magical or mundane, that end up on all/nearly all of your characters?

Tyger
2010-12-17, 03:06 PM
The Haversack. Never leave home without it.

Shadowleaf
2010-12-17, 03:09 PM
Ink, quill and parchment. Because you don't know when you need to send a letter, draw up battle plans, or make suggestive drawings of the Elf and Half-Orc.

Hat of Disguise. Because Disguise Self is always fun.

Bag of Holding. For obvious reasion.


In general, I always have 'random' magic items. I almost never invest in a +1 armor/weapon right off the bat - I would rather have a dozen or so trinkets to have fun with first.

SurlySeraph
2010-12-17, 04:26 PM
Backpack, waterskin, a week's worth of rations, a crowbar, a climber's kit, a healer's kit, a wooden holy symbol, a handaxe, and a dagger.
That covers carrying things, not starving, opening things, climbing things, saving people, vampires and being a religious character, cutting things down, and always having a weapon.

A weapon with a bunch of +1d6 damage enchantments. Usually I'm going to hit things, and usually that's an easy way to do more damage without arguing over whether Valorous and suchlike are overpowered. If it's a sneak attacking character, he will use Deadly Precision and Assassination. Paladin? Holy and maybe Axiomatic. Ranger? Hunting, though that's not +1d6. Anything else? Corrosive, shocking, maybe frost.
Twilight Mithril Armor, if it's an arcane caster.
Mithril Mechanus Gear (preferably with the Nimbleness enhancement) if it's a martial character, usually.
+1 Nimbleness mithril chain shirt if it's a sneaky character.

Chrono22
2010-12-17, 04:27 PM
Potion of gaseous form.

TinselCat
2010-12-17, 05:00 PM
I always get several torches, and distribute them to my fellow party members frequently. They're cheap and expendable. Useful for creating light and lighting stuff on fire. Plus various spontaneous uses like throwing it to create a decoy noise and flush out enemies in the next room. I would feel ill-prepared without at least one torch.

Antonok
2010-12-17, 05:06 PM
Small Steel Mirror and 50ft of rope.

The mirror is the most useful dungeon tool ever invented imo because its lets u get an idea whats behind a door before u open it, lets you send coded messages, lotta different uses.

The rope just because my party members have a tendancy to walk into pits... and we've had atleast one case where the person who had the rope was the one to fall into a pit and get knoncked unconcious. (we usually don't have many magic users in the party)

Callista
2010-12-17, 05:09 PM
Hand of the Mage. Minor telekinesis at will has solved a ridiculous number of problems for me.

In campaigns where we meet a lot of traps, I often also carry a five-pound metal sphere (usually a special request from a local blacksmith, pretty easy to get), which can be rolled ahead of us to trip some of the more sensitive traps before we get to them. If there's a rogue in the party, I don't bother to use that trick unless the rogue finds a trap and doesn't want to try disarming it; but without a rogue, it's better than nothing and lasts much longer than a summoned something-or-other. Of course, many traps have sensors that won't be triggered that way.

Technically, of course, I could carry a much larger metal sphere because it takes much less force to roll something than it takes to lift it; but I do want to be able to lift it if I need to, so that I can drop it from the ceiling onto those pressure plates that need more oomph than just five pounds of force.

MrRigger
2010-12-17, 06:56 PM
Feather Tokens are always good, especially trees. Killed a Very Old Red Dragon with one.

Bottles of Air aren't absolutely essential, but always wanted.

Decks of Illusion are always fun, and great for a quick get away from the city guards.

Decanter of Endless Water has a thousand and one uses.

A Blessed Book if I'm playing a wizard (or archivist), and a Strand of Prayer Beads if I'm playing a cleric (specifically a Bead of Karma).

MrRigger

Fouredged Sword
2010-12-17, 07:46 PM
There is a bag or something, survival pouch or somesuch. It is a wonderful item. You can pull donkies out of it. If you can't think of a use for a donky in the lower leves of game play you aren't thinking enough.

Chased up stair, throw a donky in the stairwell. Have you ever tried to get around a paniced donkey on stairs? Not happening. Pull a wagon? No Probelm.

It also provides food, water, torches, and a tent.

Callista
2010-12-17, 09:53 PM
Chased up stair, throw a donky in the stairwell. Have you ever tried to get around a paniced donkey on stairs? Not happening.Minor drawback: The party druid now hates you.

Karsh
2010-12-17, 09:58 PM
Handy Haversack should win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in this poll because it is so cost effective and so damn useful that nothing else comes even close.

Hat of Disguise is also pretty high on the list.

Utility items have to be cheap and effective to be worth having, particularly if they're consumable.

I'm also a fan of the Ring of Sustenance for non-spellcaster characters.

Private-Prinny
2010-12-17, 10:00 PM
Masterwork tools. That extra +2 is always worth it.

balistafreak
2010-12-17, 10:12 PM
shapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshape sandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesands hapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapes andshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandsh apesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesa ndshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesandsha pesandshapesandshapesandshapesandshapesand

/fanboyism

It simply is EVERYTHING. Need a cloak? Got it. Need a saw? Got it. Need a (admittedly mundane) sword? Got it. Need some dice? Got it. Need to draw out a miniature model of something? Got it. Need a box? Got it. Need a bottle? Got it. Need a stopper for a bottle? Need a ten-foot pole? Got it. Need some climbing pitons? Got it. Need a crowbar? Got it. Need some rope? Got it. Need a hat? Got it. Need a snorkel? Got it. Need a sack? Got it.

The world is your oyster.

Shapesand should not vital in any situation with unfriendly entities in the vicinity, due to their ability to take over the shapesand and potentially screw you over (Turn the pitons that your rope was tied to into balls, dropping you off the cliff! Turn your shapesand boat into a brick, immersing you in the water!) but aside from those corner cases, shapesand solves almost every mundane problem out there.

One quart jug is 100 gold. One quart is sufficient volume to form a sledgehammer head, or a ten-foot pole. Get at least one. Two will let you solve even more daily problems.

Seriously. This stuff is awesome.

gbprime
2010-12-17, 10:17 PM
We have a fellow in the group who is nuts about the Spool of Endless Rope. He made one for everybody in the party. So we'd have enough. Didn't dawn on him that absolutely everyone having infinite rope was probably overkill, and nevermind the fact that nobody has Rope Use... but hey, it's his XP. :smallbiggrin:

gorfnab
2010-12-18, 01:42 AM
There is a bag or something, survival pouch or somesuch. It is a wonderful item. You can pull donkies out of it. If you can't think of a use for a donky in the lower leves of game play you aren't thinking enough.

Chased up stair, throw a donky in the stairwell. Have you ever tried to get around a paniced donkey on stairs? Not happening. Pull a wagon? No Probelm.

It also provides food, water, torches, and a tent.
Survival Pouch - Races of the Wild

Most of my characters end up carrying at least 2 or more daggers or throwing axes, at higher levels adamantine daggers or throwing axes.

Here is a nice thread detailing other nice utility items. [3.x] Shax's Indispensible Haversack (Equipment Handbook) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148101)

FelixG
2010-12-18, 01:45 AM
The mansion key- custom wondrous item

1/day Mages Magnificent mansion at CL 13

no need to post a guard, pack around trail rations, ect. Perfect place to rest and lasts for 26 hours so you only ever need a 1/day use of it

WarrenZig
2010-12-18, 01:51 AM
Immovable Rod, The ability to instantly barricade something is own, also you can use two to climb up pretty much anything.

hrmmmm......Thinking of a way to attach them to my feat and activate them remotely so i can walk up anything......

FelixG
2010-12-18, 05:19 AM
Immovable Rod, The ability to instantly barricade something is own, also you can use two to climb up pretty much anything.

hrmmmm......Thinking of a way to attach them to my feat and activate them remotely so i can walk up anything......

Stick them in the shoes so when you flex your big toe it hits the button to activate it or deactivate it :smallbiggrin:

WinWin
2010-12-18, 05:25 AM
chalk or charcoal. something basic to write, draw or mark a surface with.

string. so many uses.

paper or parchment. ink and writing utensils. Making maps and writing lists is fairly common. Helps my absentminded pc's keep track of the plot and provides an IC reason to look at my notes all of the time.

grimbold
2010-12-18, 05:30 AM
fire
and a portable battering ram
so many doors fall to a flaming portable battering ram its not funny

Earthwalker
2010-12-18, 06:32 AM
Duct Tape.
Comlink
Sun Glasses (with built in lowlight, smartgun link, Thermographic and untrasound)

With these items I can rule the world.

.... You ever get the impression you are playing a different game to everyone else ?

Lateral
2010-12-18, 10:04 AM
Freakin' Immovable Rods. Seriously, you can do anything with 'em.

Also, Handy Haversack.

Also, Horn of Fog. At-will obscuring mist for 2000 gp? A million and one ways to use that.

Chilingsworth
2010-12-18, 11:03 AM
Let's see...

Healer's Belt, Haversack, Necklace of Adaptation, Field Provisions Box, and a Magic Sleeping Bag.... Oh, and I ALWAYS have at least one dagger! No matter the class, (unless I can't have weapons at all, for some reason) I always find that a dagger can come in handy. Not only is it a good "last ditch" weapon, it's also a potentially useful tool.

Hanuman
2010-12-18, 11:05 AM
1 Haversack
2 Shapesand
3 Chaos Flask


Agreed, everyone?