Containers	Communication aids	Tools	Offensive devices	Defensive items
Miscellaneous items	-	-	-	Encumbrance
Dragon	-	Equipment	-	Dragon 69

Has an oil flask ever been broken when
a character was hit, a prisoner freed from
his bonds while another character wasn’t
looking, or a character injured because
his torch went out? Why didn’t these
characters have a metal or ceramic flask,
chains with manacles, or continual light
cubes? Many fantasy role-players allow
themselves to be confined to the list of
equipment given in the rules. If an item
isn’t there, players often don’t think
about the possibility of obtaining it.
Fortunately, at least in the AD&D™
game system, some important — per
haps vital — items as wolvesbane and
belladonna are on the price lists. How
ever, dozens of easily made and poten
tially useful items are not. Just a little
thought and ingenuity are required to
devise some of these items. Even if a
referee refuses the construction of me
chanical monstrosities like a 10-shot
crossbow, he’ll find it hard to refuse the
construction and purchase of the items
described below. Every well-equipped
adventurer should have these items on
hand, unless he’s so devil-may-care that

planning and sensible caution are beyond him.
The items presented here pertain
primarily to the AD&D system; for other
games, certain spells peculiar to those
games may enable player characters to
make additional useful items. The items
have been separated into categories to
aid presentation, but in some cases an
item could just as well be included in one
category as another; this is especially
true with respect to offensive/defensive
items.

Containers
If an adventurer finds a liquid or solid
item that he or she wishes to take along,
but doesn’t want to touch, a reliable,
easy-to-handle container is. necessary.
Small creatures may also be imprisoned
therein, but don’t forget they need to
breathe if you intend to keep them alive.
A screw-top jar of any reasonable size
is a handy thing to have. The jar should
be of metal-reinforced ceramic or glass
so it won’t break easily. An airtight box,
padded on the inside, is necessary to
hold the jar safely and securely. The jar
ought to fit snugly into the padded box
to avoid spilling the jar’s contents. When
transporting small creatures, holes must
be drilled in the jar lid and box top so the
animal can breathe. The box should be
able to be closed securely, perhaps with
a simple keylock. The idea isn’t to keep
anyone out, but to keep whatever is in
the box in it and undamaged.

Probably, a backpack will be relegated
to carrying everyday articles, some of
which may be in jar containers. For additional security, a hard surface, made of
wood or metal, can be used to line the
bottom of the backpack. With a hardsurface bottom, the pack will still remain
flexible. During transportation, this measure can prevent spillage of the entire
contents, if (for instance) a thief were to
cut out the bottom of the backpack.
Jewels, gems, and magic items should
be carried between robe and armor, or
even inside the armor if the object is
small enough that it won’t be irritating.
One could even include compartments
in the armor, such as a false paunch, to
conceal valuable items.

Consideration must be given to containers for holy water, oil, scrolls, potions, wands, or other magic items. The
notion that containers for such items
should be made of a single material,
such as glass, is ludicrous. Glass is simply too fragile to be dependable in an
adventuring setting. No material, including metal, is proof against all the dangers
of magical and monstrous combat. A
sensible adventurer would have containers of several materials. For example, a
metal container will fend off violent
blows, but may be endangered if a rust
monster is encountered. Certain potions
may deteriorate or decompose when in
contact with metal. A tin container tends
to be better than iron since it doesn’t
rust, yet iron is stronger. In many respects bronze is the ideal single material, but iron is usually more available. A
thin layer of iron, covered inside and out
with pottery or other ceramic material,
serves well as the basis of a container.
The ceramic will protect the contents
from lightning, one of the forces to
which hard metal is most vulnerable, as
well as protecting the contents from direct contact with, and possible contamination by, the metal. Ceramic material
also has a slightly better save vs. fireball.
And even if the first layer fails to save, the
second might succeed. (See the saving
throw table on page 78 of the Dungeon
Masters Guide.)

The drawback of this type of container
is that it won’t smash easily (releasing
the contents when you want them released) if thrown against a wall or a creature. However, if the container is cylindrical, the contents can be thrown or
sprayed with considerable accuracy. Of
course, adventurers can carry some containers of the “safety” type and some of
the “smash” type. Finally, some referees
may allow player characters to carry a
container with a pump to spray holy water or oil.

Communication aids
This category includes some rather
fundamental and straightforward items
and techniques. A piece of chalk or
charcoal, for example, can be used for
marking dungeon walls. Such primitive
markings might be most useful if there
are only illiterate or unintelligent enemies about;
an intelligent foe could easily duplicate the marks,
thus confusing the adventurers. Pen, ink, paper or
parchment (very durable, especially if
made of treated hide), paint, and a paint
brush are more useful than chalk and
charcoal. Since the right color of paint
and the proper type of brush would be
needed in order to make a mark similar
to that of the party’s, an enemy would
have a more difficult time trying to foil
the communication system devised by
the party.

When adventuring outdoors, visual
and audio techniques are important for
fast and effective communication. For
example, strips of white cloth could
prove to be useful. Stretched on the
ground, these pieces of cloth serve as
landmarks for returning aerial scouts or
for airborne reinforcements. A horn,
some mouthpipes, and other audio devices can be used for signalling to someone at a distance.
A clever and ambitious party may devise a musical code for its
members who play the pipes.

Tools
More than once, a party in a cul-de-sac
has elected to cut its way out through a
wall rather than face some menace. In
order to do this effectively, tools are necessary. Such items as a crowbar, candles, stone-mining tools, a small pack for
carrying bigger mining tools, and a small
shovel are usually helpful.

In addition, adventurers might consider taking a trick 10-foot pole,
a threepronged grappling hook, and some torch
adaptors. The trick pole consists of two
five-foot sections connected by a screw
joint, or by a collar joint with a pin to hold
the two sections together. When a long
pole is needed, the two pieces are assembled. In normal circumstances, the
five-foot pieces remain unattached so
they don’t get in the way. The grappling
hook, most useful for scaling, resembles
the ones often seen in war, prison-escape, and spy movies.
Torch adaptors are simple square pieces of metal with a hole/collar in the
middle. The adaptor is placed onto a
torch from the bottom, so that it lies just
under the flame. Though the adaptor
protects the hand holding the torch, it
also blocks some of the light from radiating downward. If the torch is dropped or
thrown, the adaptor may keep the flaming part from lying on the floor, since the
torch will be supported by its non-burning end and the adaptor. And it won’t roll
around, either. This means a better
chance of throwing a torch without extinguishing it.

Offensive devices
A wine sack can prove useful as an
attack device, especially if it is the type
that can be used as a kind of short-range
squirt gun. Perhaps the skin can be
made of, or reinforced with, a material
tougher than ordinary hide. A character
may want to squirt wine, water, light oil,
or some other liquid at an enemy or at an
object. Squirting offers a greater range
than pouring, and has almost as much
accuracy.

Adventurers should carry plenty of
holy water. If they can afford it, all their
weapons should be blessed by a cleric,
and perhaps bathed in holy water before’
an adventure. This may not help every
time, but it can’t hurt, and may thwart a
referee’s most subtle plans.

Colored dust or flour, contained in
paper packets and/or small spheres of
pottery, can be thrown at an enemy. At
worst, the opponent(s) will be slightly
worried; at most, they’ll flee from the
“dust of choking” they think was just
thrown. A little pepper or itching powder
in the flour may offer more benefit, but it
can hurt or hinder the party just as easily
as the opposition in certain situations.

Adventurers should not forget to take
oil and non-metallic weapons. When
feasible and possible, one should carry
an extra sword of bronze and a mace or
hammer made of flint or stone. Bronze
may be no match for iron in general, but
it may harm monsters which cannot be
hurt by iron weapons. A stone weapon is
useful against (for instance) rust monsters. A well-made flint dagger can be
just as sharp as a metal one, even though
it will be expensive.

Finally, characters ought to remember
to use silver coatings on weapons when
that might aid their cause.

A large net, as
well as a smaller butterfly-style net, are
potential weapons that should not be
overlooked as often as they are.

Defensive items
When an individual or a party is attempting to flee an area, mustard powder, oil of citronella, or other strong-smelling concoctions can be strewn
about to cover a party’s trail. “Cover,” in
this sense, means preventing the pursuer from using its sense of smell effectively, so that after it passes the affected
area, it still won’t be able to smell the
party (or anything else). The powder
should be put in a paper packet, the oil in
a small, smashable flask.

Caltrops are four-pointed metal objects shaped in such a fashion that one
point is always up and the other three act
as a base. This device will slow down
pursuit, and can also be used to create
an alarm perimeter around a camp. If the
tips are poisoned, caltrops can be a surprisingly powerful weapon, particuarly
in darkness.

In addition, wedge-shaped pieces of
wood or metal, with a rough, slightly flexible bottom “shoe” base, are excellent
doorstops. Laying down a doorstop and
kicking it into place takes much less time
than pounding in a spike to hold the door
open.

Another defensive item with many uses
is a dead rat (or other small animal).
These rats (if you carry one, you may as
well take at least two) can be wrapped
securely in oiled paper to conceal the
smell, or simply hidden until needed.
The creatures’ bodies can be used to test
liquids for acidic and similar effects, although a substance that rots animal matter might not affect wood or metal.
The rats should be recently killed; animals
with which one is trying to talk or bargain
may prefer fresh meat over iron rations.
Fresh meat tossed aside during flight
may also slow down pursuers.

Noseplugs and earplugs, mundane as
they may seem, have saved many lives;
however, a referee might penalize those
who try to wear them all the time. By
submerging all but the tip of a hollow
metal tube, a character can breathe inconspicuously underwater. Another tube
filled with fine charcoal (held in place by
a bit of fine netting glued to each end)
could serve as a primitive filter which
might reduce the ill effects of gas.
By sewing a sharp coin into the lining
of a robe, a character, when captured,
may be able to free the coin and then
sever his bonds. Characters should remember to carry a steel mirror and a
silver holy symbol, and to insulate weapons against a heat metal spell. Finally, an
alkaline solution carried in a flask can
help counteract any acids encountered.

Miscellaneous items
Numerous smaller items, such as those
mentioned below, can be of additional
service to adventurers. For example, wire
can sometimes be used where rope cannot. With appropriate wooden or metal
handles, a short wire becomes a garotte.
Piton rings for climbing can be used
when a thief is unwilling, unable, or unavailable. A pair of five-foot chains with
silver-coated manacles at the ends has
many uses. There is no need to rely on
rope when the silver should help prevent
a lycanthrope from changing into its
animal form, though this varies from
referee to referee. An adjustable leather
collar, reinforced with metal, with loops
for attaching rope or chain is a similarly
useful item.

Other useful (perhaps even essential)
items include flint and steel, which are
mandatory for fire-making; a blindfold
and a gag, to be used in conjunction with
the restraints mentioned above; an eyepatch, for a quick disguise, for medical
purposes, or even for (temporarily) blinding a prisoner in one eye for some reason. Though smelling salts will probably
never save anyone’s life, sometimes a
quick recovery from unconsciousness
can be vital.

Flashy trinkets, counterfeit coins, silver-coated slugs, gold-plated copper
pieces, and other deceptive valuables
can be carried either for dishonest trading or for throwing down while fleeing an
enemy. Some of the items — especially
large but flawed (and thus relatively
worthless) gems — can be placed in a
paper packet which can be easily torn,
so that the contents will scatter and attract a pursuer’s attention. Weak, rotten
cloth can be a substitute if paper is not
available in the adventure setting.

A character who can cast continual
light (which has no duration limit) should
place that spell on a variety of objects,
especially cubes, slabs, and spheres.
These can be stored in containers slightly larger than the objects themselves and
then revealed when the party wants to
“throw a light” somewhere. For example,
rather than walk down a long, dark flight
of stairs, a character rolls a “light ball”
down to get a good view. If a cube or slab
is made of flexible, shock-absorbent material, it won’t bounce far when light is
desired in a specific place. A sphere, on
the other hand, will go a long way in a
dungeon-like interior. If the referee
agrees, characters can even make “light
frisbees” from pie plates.

A particularly useful variation of continual light objects is the “light bomb.”
To make such an item, a light cube is
placed into a pottery ball. The ball can be
made of two hemispheres bound together with twine, or the light cube can be
baked inside a one-piece sphere. Then
when a character who is invisible or hiding in shadows wants to attack with surprise and have light to see by, he can
throw a light bomb. Suddenly, a light as
bright as daylight appears in the midst of
the enemy! The bomb might even frighten
off unintelligent monsters.
Another useful variation involves using a tube that contains a long cylinder
or stick with the continual light spell on
it. The cylinder can be pulled out or
pushed in to increase or decrease the
strength of the light.

For a “light helm,” a continual light
spell is cast on a projection at the top of a
helmet, which is covered by a visor-like
piece. Whenever the wearer wants light,
he raises the visor.

At times, a party may want to record
the passage of time with fair accuracy.
Since watches do not exist, an “hourcandle” can be constructed. This is a
candle of different-colored layers, each
layer representing a certain increment of
time.

Encumbrance

Where does one carry all of this? If the
referee allows the players to take along a
mule, or if they’re outdoors riding horses,
distributing the weight of extra items
such as these should not pose a problem. Using a charm monster or charm
mammal or animal friendship spell can
make animals more docile. Defensive
materials should be kept close at hand
so they can be used on short notice.
Containers, tools, most communication
aids, and many of the other items can be
stored in a place where a minute or two
will be needed to bring them into play,
since these aren’t necessarily emergency items.
Although a large number of items have
been mentioned, most of them are quite
small and light in weight. Moreover, in
many instances,’ only one or two of a
certain item is needed for an entire party.
This makes it easy to pass the objects
around, just in case a character is unable
to carry them all by himself or is without
a mule. If one has a beast, most of the
objects it carries should be spares of everyday items such as blankets and rope
— things which aren’t quite as interesting, perhaps, as the items and devices
mentioned here, but just as necessary
for the well-equipped adventuring party.