Which tools do you use?

[Sandeman]

We have mostly used Thieves Tools for lockpicking.
And Herbalism Kit to make healing potions for half the price.

What tools have seen use in your campaigns?

[JellyPooga]

- Smiths tools see the most common downtime use (I don't know why adventurers like to smith, but I suspect the Dragonlance Chronicles are partly to blame for that). I've also seen leatherworking, jewellers and carpentry tools used similarly.
- Musical Instruments and Gaming Sets see a lot of use for flavour and profit.
- Poisonmaking is something I've used personally.
- I've seen Masons tools come up in an adventure a couple of times, both from a fellow player and whilst I was GMing.

[Amnestic]

Woodcarver tools let you make arrows - 5/SR, 20/LR, assuming you have enough wood on hand, which if you're an archer could help keep your ammunition stores up on long treks, or save you some gold from buying them.

Weirdly it doesn't let you craft bolts, just arrows. Not sure if deliberate or oversight. I'd let it extend to bolts but your table may vary.

Cook's Utensils give a very slight bonus to SR hit dice healing - +1HP/HD spent - for you and up to five others. Not a huge amount but every little can help if you're trying to conserve HD.

[nickl_2000]

I had a Paladin who was proficient with the Bagpipes, he used it a few times as a torture device/distraction. In his backstory, he also used it as a whoopie cushion to prank a priest. Never once did he actually traditionally perform with it though.

Also, he was a Smith, so he used Smithing tools a lot.

[UnintensifiedFa]

Almost every tool set can have use making magic items... Smiths for metal, woodcarvers for bows/arrows, herbalist and the like for various potions...

Tinkers tools don’t exactly have many defined uses, but generally I allow them to attempt to use various machinery.

Generally I rule that proficiency in certain tools allows you to identify items made with them more easily. I.E a person proficient in smiths tools would better be able to examine and identify armor.

Do not be afraid to get creative either, if you (or even a knot her player) believes that tools could be used in certain other situations, give it a try.

Xanathars guide has a nice section on various tool sets and their benefits if you need more inspiration.

[stoutstien]

It helps to have the list of the individual tools in each tool set available to really open up some new avenues of creative play.

[MrCharlie]

- Smiths tools see the most common downtime use (I don't know why adventurers like to smith, but I suspect the Dragonlance Chronicles are partly to blame for that). I've also seen leatherworking, jewellers and carpentry tools used similarly.
- Musical Instruments and Gaming Sets see a lot of use for flavour and profit.
- Poisonmaking is something I've used personally.
- I've seen Masons tools come up in an adventure a couple of times, both from a fellow player and whilst I was GMing.
Smiths are most used because weapons and armor are the most expensive items an adventurer is likely to use, require no creativity to use, and the halved cost is major when you're making super expensive items like plate armor.

Also, metal items is a broad category of stuff, while other types of tools might be much more limited. There are only a couple alchemical items in the PHB and dozens of metal ones. Wooden items are also common, but outside of boats and other vehicles they are cheap and easily bought. Weaved items barely exist. A lot of the other tools don't make items in the PHB at all-some of them, like cartographers tools, are of debatable use to begin with as a way to make adventuring equipment.

That leaves stuff like poison kits, alchemical kits, smiths tools, carpenters tools, etc. and smiths tools are easily the most versatile.

Anyway, I've seen people use all the ones I've mentioned, and even once calligraphers supplies-but it's rare. Most of the time it's smiths tools. Never seen masons tools personally.

[Verble]

I plan for an upcoming character to have Weaver's Tools. The idea being that he is a trained tailor used to catering to the rich and powerful. He is also a manipulative spy and eloquence Bard. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some lifting of it from Garak on DS9 but I find it such a clever and disarming job/cover for a spy.

[Falconcry]

I have a ranger in Rime right now that started as a shipwright. With the Tasha’s swapping of racial weapon proficiency for tools he is now a carpenter, woodworker, weaver, navigator, and animal handler. That can drive both land and water vehicles. He is the transportation captain until the wizard learns teleportation circle.

[TyGuy]

Cook's utensils. Every day. Don't y'all eat on adventures?

[Falconcry]

Cook's utensils. Every day. Don't y'all eat on adventures?

Goodberry doesn't really need a whole lotta prep.

[Kane0]

Masonry and carpentry are almost if not as great as smiths tools.

For the less tradie variety alchemy and tinkerers are right up there with thieves tools.

[ImproperJustice]

Mason’s tools frequently when making evaluations of dungeon construction, examining statues, etc...

Chef’s tools whenever we find a kitchen to evaluate the number of active personnel on site, and the cookware and food stores to guestimate the origin of a camp / dungeons occupants.

Cartography tools to read and evaluate maps. Was extremely useful on the Isle of Dread to help find certain landmarks, and to orient/ reduce travel times.
The PC also makes maps of everywhere the group went and sold them for a tidy sum as a side business.


Lastly, an Artificer w/ tool Expertise and vehicle proficiency or in or case, Spelljammer helm tool proficiency, is an excellent pilot.

[OldTrees1]

Thieves Tools, but I like to have my dungeoneer characters know either Masonry Tools or Tinker's Tools to show even greater expertise in that field.

Land Vehicles proficiency came up a lot in Curse Of Strahd because a PC specialized in it.

[MrCharlie]

Mason’s tools frequently when making evaluations of dungeon construction, examining statues, etc...

Chef’s tools whenever we find a kitchen to evaluate the number of active personnel on site, and the cookware and food stores to guestimate the origin of a camp / dungeons occupants.

Cartography tools to read and evaluate maps. Was extremely useful on the Isle of Dread to help find certain landmarks, and to orient/ reduce travel times.
The PC also makes maps of everywhere the group went and sold them for a tidy sum as a side business.


Lastly, an Artificer w/ tool Expertise and vehicle proficiency or in or case, Spelljammer helm tool proficiency, is an excellent pilot.
Here's the thing-I've never once heard of a DM making a character have cartography tools to read a map. In fact, that's absurd. Make a map? Sure. Read one? Are you serious? And even then, survival ought to replicate it.

Chef's tools to estimate the number of humanoids somewhere based on their refuse is a great idea though.

And that is a good thought on Mason's tools and makes me appreciate them more.

[LudicSavant]

I use Painter's Supplies.

[Incorrect]

I use jewlers tools to change a gold coin into a gold ring. With a good roll that is going to add a lot of value.
And I personally like the style of paying people in luxurious jewelry, rather than coins.

[J.C.]

I use Painter's Supplies.

I like the light hammers of Smith's, Mason's, Carpenter's tools.

[Waazraath]

We have mostly used Thieves Tools for lockpicking.
And Herbalism Kit to make healing potions for half the price.

What tools have seen use in your campaigns?

Thieves tools (obviously), vehicel (water) also known as boats, and occasionally instruments as part of an performance. Started playing an Artificer some time a go, so I hope to use a more diverse set in the near future.

[ImproperJustice]

Here's the thing-I've never once heard of a DM making a character have cartography tools to read a map. In fact, that's absurd. Make a map? Sure. Read one? Are you serious? And even then, survival ought to replicate it.

Chef's tools to estimate the number of humanoids somewhere based on their refuse is a great idea though.

And that is a good thought on Mason's tools and makes me appreciate them more.

It wasn’t necessarily that the PC had to have the tools to read the map. They just read it better?
We had a partially completed map to the island with several sections unfilled (hex crawl style), and several landmarks placed on it, and some mini adventure / ruin sites to explore. We were playing sandbox.

So the Cartography player had advantage on the survival checks needed to keep us from getting lost during overland travel and was able to fill out a few sections without us actually going there by figuring out the logical course for river flow and some other geographic features. Effectively increasing our “exploration radius”.

Very table specific, but we thought it was cool, and made sense.

Our GM frequently rewarded us with old treasure maps and explorer journals, especially when we play sandbox, but sometimes for dungeon crawls too.

[RedMage125]

Xanathars guide has a nice section on various tool sets and their benefits if you need more inspiration.

This.

But as for what I have used, personally? I have a level 11 Artillerist Artificer, who gets a lot of use out of his tinkerer's tools. My DM's campaign world uses flintlock pistols and rifles, so he makes and repairs them. In addition, they're his primary tools for making gadgets (how most of his spells are flavored). And his woodcarving, just because he's made a bunch of wands.

[thorr-kan]

The Guild Merchant background comes with a donkey and a cart. My tiefling paladin used the Hell outta that in Waterdeep Heist.

[CornfedCommando]

We make heavy use of the rules in Xanathar’s, which basically allow for proficiency with tools to augment your skill use or provide you with knowledge of things that might fall outside the scope of the skill proficiencies. Our Battlemaster Fighter has never actually forged any documents, but he has an expert eye when it comes to determining the veracity of questionable documents and knows a fair amount about what documents are needed for various bureaucratic functions. He knows about licensing and the requirements for such. So on and so forth.

The Horizon Walker Ranger uses his proficiency with cartographer’s tools to better understand the lay of the land and know a little something about various landmarks as well as ruins and whatnot. It makes him better able to find roads and locate bodies of water.

Even the Sorcerer, with her proficiency in thieves tools, gets in on the action as she is quite knowledgeable about the construction of locks and traps, which lends her additional knowledge about the workings of complex machinery.

Usually this just translates into advantage on a given skill check, but it also comes up quite frequently when roleplaying, as it helps define your character’s knowledge beyond just the core skills. It does seem to add some more depth to the game. As such, I’ve become a huge fan of tool proficiencies.

[BoxANT]

while thieves tools are king, forgery kit is also very useful. never underestimate the utility of a well made (fake) document.

[CornfedCommando]

To expand a bit more on my previous post, I think that tool proficiencies are a great way to enhance your character’s base knowledge. For example, let’s say that you are playing a character with the noble or courtier background and you really want to flesh out how in tune he is with high society. So you take History, to reflect his understanding of geopolitics and the background of his realm. You take Persuasion to reflect his social graces and Performance to show that he’s well trained in ballroom dance. But how do you best use those skills to reflect his refinement about the nicer things in life? Obviously I’m going to suggest tool proficiencies.

Take Painter’s Supplies to show his interest in the great artists of the age, giving advantage on History checks for the subject. Chef’s Tools for his knowledge of exotic cuisine or Brewer’s Supplies for his in-depth knowledge of wine. Maybe Calligrapher’s Tools to reflect his exacting schooling with regards to penmanship.

Our Horizon Walker makes excellent use of Cartographer’s Tools to supplement his skills. With Survival, he can navigate by sun and stars, track wild animals, know a thing or two about monsters, and generally predict when the weather will shift. With Cartographer’s Tools, he’s not just an outdoorsman moving along and surviving the wilderness; he’s actively charting it. He’s studied maps, he knows where the major trade routes and bodies of water are and the distance between towns and waystations.

With Arcana, he might know something about that wizard’s tower but with Cartographer’s Tools he knows when it first started appearing on maps, who charted it and why. He knows when that tower was a thriving magical edifice and when it started to fall into ruin. He knows when explorers started marking it as an active danger to travelers. He knows the best route to it and, specifically, if there are any old paths leading to it.

Tool proficiencies allow you to better define your character’s expertise beyond just skills. And while the ability to paint a picture might be totally useless in your game, Painter’s Tools can still find a use in your game whether for roleplaying purposes, learning an additional thing or two about the adventure your on, or appraising the value of that piece of artwork you liberated from a monster’s treasure stash.

[Geeknamese]

I love when my players find creative uses for their tool proficiencies and I encourage and support them with their ideas. I also try to push the creativity when I play. For instance, asking the DM if my proficiency in Mason’s Tools or Carpenter’s Tools can find weaknesses in structures to exploit. Maybe there’s dry rot in that wooden beam and enough damage there will bring the whole veranda/balcony down on the enemy. Maybe Intelligence (Land Vehicles) or Carpenter’s Tools to build secret compartments for smuggling into wagons. Charisma (Brewer’s Supplies or Cooking Utensils) to woo the target with your eloquent descriptions of wines or culinary delights.

[J.C.]

A Wizard can use Artificer Initiate to use a light hammer as a spell focus.