Do items (acid, caltrops, arrows, etc.) come with a container?

[Greywander]

When you're buying certain supplies, do they come with a pouch or quiver or vial or flask to carry them, or do you have to buy them separately?

On the one hand, it would be useful to have the price and weight to simply refill a pouch. On the other hand, that means the container has to be purchased separately, and also counts separately against your carry weight.

For some reason, I tend to assume that acid, alchemist's fire, caltrops, and ball bearings each come with a container. Arrows and sling bullets I seem to assume they do not. Not sure why.

[Wizard_Lizard]

I would say yes. Because... like when you buy water at a supermarket.. you get the bottle too. And now I have the mental image of a shopkeeper carefully counting out one thousand ball bearings and handing each one to you seperately with no bag. Thanks.

[ftafp]

When you're buying certain supplies, do they come with a pouch or quiver or vial or flask to carry them, or do you have to buy them separately?

On the one hand, it would be useful to have the price and weight to simply refill a pouch. On the other hand, that means the container has to be purchased separately, and also counts separately against your carry weight.

For some reason, I tend to assume that acid, alchemist's fire, caltrops, and ball bearings each come with a container. Arrows and sling bullets I seem to assume they do not. Not sure why.

they do, but not the ones they're listed with. Acid comes in a burlap sack, arrows come in a vase

[Tanarii]

For some reason, I tend to assume that acid, alchemist's fire, caltrops, and ball bearings each come with a container. Arrows and sling bullets I seem to assume they do not. Not sure why.Probably because the text descriptions all reference the container.

[Brawnspear]

I think it depends on what you're buying! Looks like an acid, alchemists fire, ball bearings and caltrops all have a parenthetical, like (flask) or (bag of 20), and the actual price of these items is more than the container that they go in. Alchemists fire costs 50g, whereas the flask it would come in costs a whole 2c. Not much of loss on the supplier's part there.

However a set of sling bullets costs less than the pouch that fits 20 of them, and a quiver and a bundle of arrows costs the same amount. So I'd say for things like arrows, you buy bundles of them and then shove them into a quiver that you buy specifically for the purpose, instead of getting a bunch of quivers of arrows.

Looking at the items it seems that most of the purchases that include the container will have it in parentheses.

[Greywander]

I would say yes. Because... like when you buy water at a supermarket.. you get the bottle too. And now I have the mental image of a shopkeeper carefully counting out one thousand ball bearings and handing each one to you seperately with no bag. Thanks.
They would probably do it by weight. Fill a bag with a bunch of ball bearings and weigh it on the scale. Add or remove balls until it's the correct weight (or close enough).


they do, but not the ones they're listed with. Acid comes in a burlap sack, arrows come in a vase
Maybe a sack made from a black dragon's stomach? Also thanks for reminding me that bundles of arrows from 3D Zelda games look oddly like bouquets of flowers.


Probably because the text descriptions all reference the container.
Yeah, I think you and Brawnspear are probably right.

[Tanarii]

Side note, I can't imagine making ball bearing would be easy in pre industrial times. I know they used ball bearing towers but still, 1gp for a bag of 1000 seems cheap.

[Imbalance]

For items that specify that they come in a container, sure, but then in most cases you'll get that container refilled when you go to buy more. Otherwise, what's an Archer to do with a new quiver every time she buys another bundle of arrows? On the other hand, maybe the alchemist does want a new vial each time he purchases acid just to have a number of empty vials to collect substances along the way (better wash it out first).


Side note, I can't imagine making ball bearing would be easy in pre industrial times. I know they used ball bearing towers but still, 1gp for a bag of 1000 seems cheap.

I always figured that in the context of the setting these would be more like slag beads collected at the smithy than precision bearing balls.

[Desamir]

they do, but not the ones they're listed with. Acid comes in a burlap sack, arrows come in a vase

It's true. Ball bearings come in those blister packs for prescription drugs

[Lupine]

It's true. Ball bearings come in those blister packs for prescription drugs

The 2 pound ration comes in a one pound bag. No one can explain how they fit in there, and as a result, players cannot make their own rations.

[Pleh]

For items that specify that they come in a container, sure, but then in most cases you'll get that container refilled when you go to buy more. Otherwise, what's an Archer to do with a new quiver every time she buys another bundle of arrows? On the other hand, maybe the alchemist does want a new vial each time he purchases acid just to have a number of empty vials to collect substances along the way (better wash it out first).

This seems the most logical. Does the customer want a container? As we see with real world merchants, some will guarantee you get the container as a mark of their quality, allowing them to mark their product up. Others will not sell any containers if they don't have to, telling their customers they pass the savings along in the final price.

Probably the average merchant will have both options. They can sell arrows by the quiver (sometimes a new customer doesn't have one, or an adventurerer lost theirs in a dungeon) at a slight extra cost, but they can sell it for slightly cheaper if the customer is just refilling their own quiver. Seems the best way to keep the customers happy.

Then again, knowing this means you can use this detail to tell your characters about what kind of merchant they're dealing with. If they're used to merchants being accomodating and reasonable, it can be a shock when they meet an arrogant merchant who insists on selling components with their containers, even if the customer doesn't want or need an extra. Likewise if they meet a cheapskate who doesn't provide containers by default and upcharges to include one, trapping travelers who aren't familiar with his policies.

[Mr Adventurer]

I always figured that in the context of the setting these would be more like slag beads collected at the smithy than precision bearing balls.

I agree, I've said this before - I can't imagine that we're talking about the high quality steel bearings we use in engineering in the modern day. I can only imagine they're basically metal pearls or marbles of cheap iron or similar.

[Tanarii]

I always figured that in the context of the setting these would be more like slag beads collected at the smithy than precision bearing balls.


I agree, I've said this before - I can't imagine that we're talking about the high quality steel bearings we use in engineering in the modern day. I can only imagine they're basically metal pearls or marbles of cheap iron or similar.
Fact remains they're an Industrial Age item. Even shot towers for making led musket shot is a post D&D technology item. As such, they should be very expensive.



Probably the average merchant will have both options. They can sell arrows by the quiver (sometimes a new customer doesn't have one, or an adventurerer lost theirs in a dungeon) at a slight extra cost, but they can sell it for slightly cheaper if the customer is just refilling their own quiver. Seems the best way to keep the customers happy.
Does the average merchant sell arrow / bolts at all? Or weapons?

I mean, I'm like most people, town is a nebulous idea and I just assume the PCs wander into a fully stocked General Store that has a supply of everything in the PHB sufficient to restock reasonable requests. "Couple hundred arrows for your bag of holding? No problem sir, that's 200gp." :smallamused:

I mean, I actually half paid attention to what they bought and wrote down on their character sheets. Many DMs just leave it all in the players hands and don't even know until after the fact. "How many potions of healing do you have?" "100." "Remind that the town merchant took a sabbatical on that 5000gp."