D&D: Wait That Does *What*?! Five Useful Items Hiding in the Equipment List
Dungeons & Dragons is a game full of weapons, armor, and a surprising number of little items that can make a big difference.
D&D has a lot of items. Flip to the Equipment chapter, and you’ll find a whole laundry list of items. From mugs of ale, to flasks of flammable liquid, to more polearms than you might expect to find. But lurking among the list of things you can throw at other people to do weird damage, are some items that prove to be surprisingly useful.
So look past the Basic Poison (Vial) and Caltrops (Bag of 20), consider more than the Adventurer’s Pack or the Explorer’s Pack. Look at some of the more mundane, seemingly unremarkable items, like…
Crowbar
Never underestimate what the right man in the wrong place can do with a crowbar. One of these applied properly can make all the difference in the world.
For two gold pieces, a humble crowbar can be yours. Why would you want one? Well in addition to weighing five pounds, a crowbar gives you advantage to Strength checks whenever you’re able to apply the crowbar’s leverage.
So the next time you’re trying to get past that locked door, don’t despair. Give yourself advantage when you try and pry it open.
Portable Ram
Speaking of opening doors. A Portable Ram is a perfect tool for doing exactly that. When you have a Portable Ram and use it to try and break down a door or gate, you gain a +4 bonus on the Strength check to do so. And on top of that, one other character can help you with the ram, giving you advantage on the check.
Never be locked out again.
Crampons
Crampons are another item you might glaze over when trying to spend that starting gold. But, if you’re playing in cold climes, or hunting white dragons, they can be surprisingly useful. Crampons make you completely unable to fall prone while moving across slippery ice. So you can move your full speed and never worry about falling.
Whether it’s natural or magical ice, you’re golden.
Magnifying Glass
Alright, every now and then an adventurer needs something a little more all-purpose. And you’d be surprised to find that a magnifying glass does three different things. For one, it starts fires. Per the rules, a magnifying glass can focus “light as bright as sunlight” onto tinder, and in about five minutes, boom, fire.
It also grants advantage on any ability check made to appraise an item. As well as to checks made to inspect something that is small or highly detailed. This means magnifying glasses can help you solve crimes when fine details matter.
Climber’s Kit
Finally the humble climber’s kit. This piece of gear can be clutch from levels 1 through about three. After that, it starts to fall in usefulness. A climber’s kit works thusly: spend an action use the kit and anchor yourself. And when you do, you can’t fall more than 25 feet away from where you anchored yourself.
So with a climber’s kit, you can slowly but steadily ascend anything.
What are your favorite underrated pieces of gear?
