Interesting uses for ordinary items

[Kaibis]

I have a character that has got his first paycheck. He likes to have useful things (You know, the kid who always has string in their pocket). He is at a trading post, and I would like to RP him making some small, exciting for him, purchases.

I was thinking a flask, and a few bits of chalk. Cheap, and useful.

Any other ideas?

[Blood of Gaea]

A few things I used on my old Thief Rogue:

Rope: Tie things up, or climb with it.
Marbles/Caltrops: Lay a simple trap or assist a retreat.
Flour: For use against the invisible, or just to throw in someone's eyes.
Paper and a writing tool: Leave messages, write down notes, draw a map, etc.
A hammer and nails: Fix something, or nail a door shut.
Oil: Lubricate an object, make the floor slippering, easily start a fire.
Digging tool: Hide an object in the ground, dig under a wall.

[Tiadoppler]

Buy a huge woodcutting axe. Carry it everywhere with you. If somebody's confused or complains, say "Do not axe questions."

Woodworking tools, a set of climbing gear, extra rope, and extra rope.
A crowbar is always good.
How about a trumpet or horn for signalling with?
Special types of clothing? A rain cloak?



Flour: For use against the invisible, or just to throw in someone's eyes.


Don't forget that you can (in an emergency) use the flour as food :D

[Potato_Priest]

I try to avoid adventuring without at least 100 feet of rope and a shovel.

[Blood of Gaea]

Buy a huge woodcutting axe. Carry it everywhere with you. If somebody's confused or complains, say "Do not axe questions."

Woodworking tools, a set of climbing gear, extra rope, and extra rope.
A crowbar is always good.
How about a trumpet or horn for signalling with?
Special types of clothing? A rain cloak?



Don't forget that you can (in an emergency) use the flour as food :D
How did I forget to mention a crowbar?! I suppose it depends on how much flour you keep on you, but it should make at least a decent bit of flatbread. Or even just mixed with some water and eaten, but ick.

[Kaibis]

How did I forget to mention a crowbar?! I suppose it depends on how much flour you keep on you, but it should make at least a decent bit of flatbread. Or even just mixed with some water and eaten, but ick.

That's a good idea. Flour and water, left for just a few days will create a nice yeast (they say weeks, but honestly, I make it, and just 3-4 days is enough to get started), add the yeast to more flour and water, and you have a good bread. It can be fried on a skillet, rather than baked, into English Muffins...and said Muffins will even last a few days and still taste great (especially if toasted again on a skillet).

Thanks for the ideas. I kind of like the idea of the character constantly picking up little insignificant items that he thinks will be useful.

[Armored Walrus]

Also caltrops and/or ball bearings, and a hunting trap if you've got a high STR or your DM handwaves encumbrance.

Another thing I've seen mentioned, but not had done or done in my games is a mirror for looking around corners.

Some things to keep on hand for RP purposes, or just in case your DM ever says "Hey wait, how are you guys...."

A whetstone
A tent
A bed roll
A mess kit
Tinderbox for sure

For those that said shovel - also canvas. The DM isn't the only one that can put pits on a map. Plus you can dig a defensive berm and ditch around your camp if you're dedicated.

[Blood of Gaea]

a hunting trap if you've got a high STR or your DM handwaves encumbrance.

You could probably make hunting traps with a survival check. :smallsmile:

[DarkKnightJin]

Also caltrops and/or ball bearings, and a hunting trap if you've got a high STR or your DM handwaves encumbrance.

Another thing I've seen mentioned, but not had done or done in my games is a mirror for looking around corners.

Some things to keep on hand for RP purposes, or just in case your DM ever says "Hey wait, how are you guys...."

A whetstone
A tent
A bed roll
A mess kit
Tinderbox for sure

For those that said shovel - also canvas. The DM isn't the only one that can put pits on a map. Plus you can dig a defensive berm and ditch around your camp if you're dedicated.

Heh. Bedroll, mess kit, and tinderbox are standard in an Explorer's Kit.
And both characters I'm playing currently both have a tent and some whetstones with them.

Funny that you mentioned those.

But, I agree that a crowbar is a pretty handy thing yo have around. As would be a 10 ft pole for prodding at things you think might be a trap. Or a Mimic, I suppose.

[Quoz]

Small trained animals. Hunting dogs, carrier pigeon, trained rat. With a bit of creativity you can pull off a lot of stunts. Just be sure they don't become a distraction.

[oxybe]

Chalk & slate, crowbar, flour, cheap wine, cheap spices, a good hatchet & hunting knife (and a whetstone for them), some spare lengths of rope, a mess kit, tinderbox, tent/bedroll, twine, a cheap mirror, a small iron pot, an iron skillet, pitons, an empty book & some writing tools (be it coal or ink-based), oil, spade, etc...

all are generally useful.

Chalk is generally useful, as in addition to be being used to write on the slate, can be used to put marking in a cave or passage, or crushed into a powder and spread on your hands to better grip stuff.

crowbars get you into stuff, either by smashing or prying.

Flour, wine & spices will make you everyone's friend on a long journey. the second someone shoots down a wild bird or hare you will have your time to shine. a mess kit, pot & skillet will allow you to cook food that isn't just "X on a spit"

a good hatchet, hunting knife & spade are just stupid useful to have. Add in a tinderbox and some oil and you've got all the basic tools needed to make a good and safe fire.

rope, tent, bedroll & pitons plus the above means you're ready to rough it outside.

an empty book for notetaking isn't bad. spluge for a spellbook and you now have access to high-quality paper (which likely means it absorbs the ink faster for less mess) that's largely weather resistant. This is important to leave a lasting final will & testament because the owlbear cares not for your camping preparedness for you are squishy and delicious from all that food and wine you just ate.

another option would be bells or something that you can hang onto a twine or rope that makes noise and can be used to alarm you at night that a perimeter has been broken.

You know, to let you know the owlbear is coming.

[Kaibis]

Thank you, that was exactly the ideas I was hoping for.

[hymer]

A towel is just about the most massively useful thing any adventurer can carry. It has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold plains of the Grim North; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of the cyano-coloured South, listening to the heady sea sounds; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly in the deserts of the East; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Styx; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze attacks of the catoblepas (a mind-bogglingly ugly animal, it is assumed that if you can see it, you might die — daft as a brush, but very, very ugly); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course you can dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

[Cespenar]

The ordinary gold piece is pretty useful in city campaigns, where you can pay kids to tail people, pay beggars for info, bribe guards, buy a round of drinks to more easily gather info, etc.

[Ravens_cry]

A towel is just about the most massively useful thing any adventurer can carry. It has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold plains of the Grim North; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of the cyano-coloured South, listening to the heady sea sounds; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly in the deserts of the East; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Styx; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze attacks of the catoblepas (a mind-bogglingly ugly animal, it is assumed that if you can see it, you might die — daft as a brush, but very, very ugly); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course you can dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
Truly, you are a hoopy frood for mentioning this.:smallbiggrin:

[Justin Sane]

From a previous edition, but these (https://78462f86-a-abd8972e-s-sites.googlegroups.com/a/geekindustrialcomplex.com/www/downloads/files-page/handyhaversackpackv1.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7cp21NhSZ8 EWni1UmmjUZtoq6zFrttc1IW4x7rEAMEtg7oHHmobfkXgupmqN eEwHci8OAPVbrmRHNjwhlsvWEhlEDFUql-3meWncYoa1awktY3gLZR0yj78Sia8WRQY5ltStp5rg8t89CPU9 wMaCE5_eq1ZSapUY9bLYnL3H2je56CRLF-m-4WPoqhw5RC7IQgWgO0DLIXluqzOlSTZrlL6lw2u6T6vVfGeehk yM_kj7DQaQdrx9_F5FuEhQwkYQwCKmQnCv&attredirects=2) two (https://78462f86-a-abd8972e-s-sites.googlegroups.com/a/geekindustrialcomplex.com/www/downloads/files-page/handyhaversackpackv1.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7cqp6_6Cyg a7yTKlsSCRiFAV49rbUYwA2JEl_NKwO52XM_nrQX00-AOhM8DNmPhle9L_KFbklFk74Ztm15RqwgPan-P-mlry1Kf73PqrYz1aYncQem_AFVom5boBw6NSrnYzaHKeguqO93 qnXXPTeKrKYzWCHGdss_dmjnjfAA5x6Rk1kZJ_z_nbuSTB4ywU O2-cEoZWFUfcBjYK5hOZzhzIVkPkvXiBbG4nWU8wdT2Sqhs4GgqU6 z3i5QCk0HOPogdRmUor&attredirects=0) are good starting points.

[Nullstellensatz]

Pocket sand! Shi-shi-sha.

A pack animal or a wagon are good options when you don't want to carry hundreds of lbs of coins, gems, and artwork back to the nearest city.

Manacles and a length of rope are useful for captured enemies. If the players are up against an encounter related to the BBEG, there's always one guy they can knock out and question later. They never get the whole plan but they get info such as the group's leader, the leader's commander, number of groups reporting to that commander.

I've seen players use hourglasses to interesting effect, especially in interrogations.

Climber's kits tend to be forgotten by my groups until the moment they're needed.
If you play with some form of gear durability rules, PCS should at least share a whetstone, cobbler's tools etc.

Glass bottles and vials for collecting small amounts of unidentified substances for later examination. Maybe a container of some other material for substances that corrode glass.

Fine clothes, perfume, and jewelry for interactions with nobility and the upper classes.

Iron spikes, a hammer, and lumber for when you're stuck in a dungeon and need an undisturbed rest.

Maps of the local area. Walker's maps, maps of mines, search the libraries for older maps that may designate lost landmarks.

Money can always buy information on the local region.