Equipment
The list of adventuring gear presented in Old-School Essentials covers the basic items that beginning adventuring parties will need. These additional tools and oddments are things that more experienced parties may seek out.
| Item | Cost (gp) |
|---|---|
| Arrows (quiver of 20) | 5 |
| Backpack | 5 |
| Barrel | 1 |
| Bedroll | 2 |
| Bell (miniature) | 1 |
| Belt pouch | 1 |
| Block and tackle | 5 |
| Blowgun dart (pouch of 5) | 1 |
| Box (iron, large) | 30 |
| Box (iron, small) | 10 |
| Bucket | 1 |
| Caltrops (bag of 20) | 1 |
| Candles (10) | 1 |
| Chain (10′) | 30 |
| Chalk (10 sticks) | 1 |
| Chest (wooden, large) | 5 |
| Chest (wooden, small) | 1 |
| Chisel | 2 |
| Cooking pots | 3 |
| Crossbow bolts (case of 30) | 10 |
| Crowbar | 10 |
| Firewood (bundle) | 1 |
| Fishing rod and tackle | 4 |
| Garlic | 5 |
| Grappling hook | 25 |
| Hammer (small) | 2 |
| Healer’s kit | 25 |
| Holy symbol | 25 |
| Holy symbol (gold) | 100 |
| Holy symbol (wooden) | 5 |
| Holy water (vial) | 25 |
| Ink (vial) | 1 |
| Iron spikes (12) | 1 |
| Ladder (wooden, 10′) | 5 |
| Lantern | 10 |
| Lantern, bullseye | 20 |
| Lock | 20 |
| Magnifying glass | 3 |
| Manacles | 15 |
| Marbles (bag of 20) | 1 |
| Mining pick | 3 |
| Mirror (hand-sized, steel) | 5 |
| Musical instrument (string) | 20 |
| Musical instrument (wind) | 5 |
| Oil (1 flask) | 2 |
| Paper/parchment (2 sheets) | 1 |
| Pole (10′ long, wooden) | 1 |
| Quill | 1 |
| Rations (iron, 7 days) | 15 |
| Rations (standard, 7 days) | 5 |
| Rope (50′) | 1 |
| Sack (large) | 2 |
| Sack (small) | 1 |
| Saw | 1 |
| Scroll case | 1 |
| Silver tipped arrow (1) | 5 |
| Sledgehammer | 5 |
| Sling stones | Free |
| Spade or shovel | 2 |
| Stakes (3) and mallet | 3 |
| Tent | 20 |
| Thieves’ tools | 25 |
| Tinder box (flint & steel) | 3 |
| Torches (6) | 1 |
| Twine (100′ ball) | 1 |
| Vial (glass) | 1 |
| Waterskin | 1 |
| Whistle | 1 |
| Wine (2 pints) | 1 |
| Wolfsbane (1 bunch) | 10 |
Holy symbols: Standard holy symbols (25 gp) are assumed to be made of silver.
Descriptions
- Backpack
- Has two straps and can be worn on the back, keeping the hands free. Holds up to 400 coins.
- Barrel
- A wooden barrel that holds 40 gallons (320 pints) of liquid.
- Bedroll
- A heavy woollen blanket with a small pillow.
- Bell
- A 1″ brass bell.
- Belt pouch
- A leather pouch that holds up to 50 coins.
- Block and tackle
- Used for hauling or lifting heavy objects. Reduces the effective weight by 75%. Requires 4 times as much rope.
- Box, iron
- A solid iron casket. A large box can hold up to 800 coins; a small box can hold up to 250 coins.
- Bucket
- Holds 5 gallons (40 pints).
- Caltrops
- Small metal spikes sufficient to cover a 5′ × 5′ area. Creatures moving through the area have a 2-in-6 chance of treading on a spike. Victims suffer a 50% reduction of movement rate for 24 hours (or until they receive magical healing).
- Candle
- Casts dim light in a 5′ radius and burns for 1 hour.
- Chain
- A 10′ length of heavy, iron chain.
- Chalk
- Useful for making markings on stone.
- Chest, wooden
- A large chest can hold up to 1,000 coins; a small chest can hold up to 300 coins.
- Chisel
- Used with a hammer for chipping away stone.
- Cooking pots
- Pots and pans for campfire cooking.
- Crowbar
- 2–3′ long and made of solid iron. Can be used for forcing doors and other objects open.
- Firewood
- A bundle of dry wood. Burns for 8 hours.
- Fishing rod and tackle
- A rod, line, hook, and bait box.
- Grappling hook
- Has 3 or 4 prongs. Can be used for anchoring a rope.
- Hammer
- Can be used for construction or as a mallet with iron or wooden spikes.
- Healer’s kit
- Immediately after a combat has ended, player character can rest for a turn (10 min) and bind wounds. A healer’s kit has 10 uses. Binding wounds recovers 1d4+1 hit points and reduces the uses of the kit by 1. This kind of binding can only happen once per combat and character.
- Holy symbol
- A divine spell caster is required to own a holy symbol of their deity, often worn as a necklace. Each religion has its own holy symbol.
- Holy symbol, gold
- Grants a +1 bonus to the 2d6 roll for the affected Hit Dice of undead monsters.
- Holy symbol, wooden
- Incurs a −1 penalty to the 2d6 roll which determines the success of the turning attempt.
- Holy water
- Water that has been blessed by a holy person. It is used in some religious rituals and inflicts damage on undead monsters (see Weapon Combat Stats). Holy water does not retain its power if stored in any other container than the special vials it is blessed in.
- Ink
- A vial of black ink. Coloured ink costs double. Sufficient for about 50 pages of writing.
- Iron spikes
- May be used for wedging doors open or shut (see Dungeon Adventuring, p222), as an anchor to attach a rope to, and many other purposes.
- Ladder
- Simple wooden construction. Very encumbering.
- Lantern
- Can be closed to hide the light. Burns one oil flask every four hours (24 turns). Casts light in a 30′ radius.
- Lantern, bullseye
- Casts light in a narrow beam, 60′ long and 20′ wide at the end. Can be closed to hide the light. Burns one oil flask every four hours (24 turns).
- Lock
- A basic iron lock with a key.
- Magnifying glass
- Used for studying fine details.
- Manacles
- Iron manacles with a chain. Used for binding hands or feet.
- Marbles
- A bag of colourful glass beads.
- Mining pick
- For breaking rock.
- Mirror
- Useful for looking around corners or for reflecting a gaze attack.
- Musical instrument
- A stringed instrument (e.g. a lute or mandolin) or a wind instrument (e.g. a flute or pipe). The listed price is for an instrument of basic quality. Higher quality instruments can cost up to 10 times as much.
- Oil flask
-
A flask of oil fuels a lantern for four hours (24 turns). In addition to fuelling lanterns, oil can be used as a weapon:
- Throwing: An oil flask may be lit on fire and thrown (see Weapon Combat Stats).
- Pools: Oil that is poured on the ground and lit covers a diameter of 3 feet and burns for 1 turn, inflicting damage on any character or monster moving through the pool.
- Immunity: Burning oil does not harm monsters that have a natural flame attack.
- Paper or parchment
- Approximately 1′-square sheets.
- Pole, 10′
- A 2″ thick wooden pole useful for poking and prodding suspicious items in a dungeon.
- Quill
- A large feather sharpened into a writing point.
- Rations, iron
- Dried and preserved food to be carried on long voyages when securing fresh food may be uncertain.
- Rations, standard
- Fresh, unpreserved food.
- Rope
- Can hold the weight of approximately three human-sized beings.
- Sack, large
- Can hold up to 600 coins.
- Sack, small
- Can hold up to 200 coins.
- Saw
- A hand saw for cutting wood.
- Scroll case
- An oiled leather tube with a cap. Not completely watertight.
- Sledgehammer
- A big heavy hammer for breaking rock.
- Spade or shovel
- For excavating earth.
- Stakes and mallet
- A wooden mallet and three 18″ long stakes. Valuable when confronting vampires.
- Tent
- Large enough for 2 adult humans.
- Thieves’ tools
- This kit contains all of the tools needed to pick locks.
- Tinder box
- Used to light fires, including torches. Using a tinder box takes one round. There is a 2-in-6 chance of success per round.
- Torch
- A torch burns for 1 hour (6 turns), clearly illuminating a 30′ radius. Torches may also be used in combat (see Weapon Combat Stats).
- Twine
- A wound ball of thin cord or string. Can support up to 300 coins of weight.
- Vial
- A glass vial that can hold up to half a pint of liquid.
- Waterskin
- This container, made of hide, will hold 2 pints (1 quart) of fluid.
- Whistle
- Useful for signalling or faking bird calls.
- Wolfsbane
- This herb can be used to repel lycanthropes. The creature must be hit with the herb in melee combat.
Other Equipment
The items detailed in this section are those most commonly available for purchase. Should PCs wish to purchase items not on these lists, the referee may use the listed items as guidelines for determining the prices and characteristics of new items, including combat statistics (if appropriate).
Weapons
| Weapon | Cost (gp) | Weight (coins) | Damage | Qualities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastard sword | 15 | 80 | 1d6+1 | Melee, Versatile (1d8+1) |
| Battle axe | 7 | 50 | 1d8 | Melee, Slow, Two-handed |
| Blackjack | 1 | 10 | 1d2 | Blunt, Knock-out, Melee, Stealth |
| Blowgun | 3 | 5 | None | Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–20′ / 21′–30′) |
| Bolas | 5 | 40 | 1d2 | Blunt, Entangle, Missile (5′–20′ / 21′–40′ / 41′–60′) |
| Club | 3 | 50 | 1d4 | Blunt, Melee |
| Crossbow | 30 | 50 | 1d6 | Missile (5′–80′ / 81′–160′ / 161′–240′), Reload, Slow, Two-handed |
| Dagger | 3 | 10 | 1d4 | Melee, Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–20′ / 21′–30′) |
| Garotte | 1 | 5 | 1d4 | Melee, Stealth, Strangle, Two-handed |
| Hand axe | 4 | 30 | 1d6 | Melee, Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–20′ / 21′–30′) |
| Holy water vial | 25 | — | 1d8 | Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–30′ / 31′–50′), Splash weapon |
| Javelin | 1 | 20 | 1d4 | Missile (5′–30′ / 31′–60′ / 61′–90′) |
| Lance | 5 | 120 | 1d6 | Charge, Melee |
| Long bow | 40 | 30 | 1d6 | Missile (5′–70′ / 71′–140′ / 141′–210′), Two-handed |
| Mace | 5 | 30 | 1d6 | Blunt, Melee |
| Net | 5 | 100 | None | Blunt, Entangle, Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–20′ / 21′–30′) |
| Oil flask, burning | 2 | — | 1d8 | Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–30′ / 31′–50′), Splash weapon |
| Pole arm | 7 | 150 | 1d10 | Brace, Melee, Slow, Two-handed |
| Short bow | 25 | 30 | 1d6 | Missile (5′–50′ / 51′–100′ / 101′–150′), Two-handed |
| Short sword | 7 | 30 | 1d6 | Melee |
| Silver dagger | 30 | 10 | 1d4 | Melee, Missile (5′–10′ / 11′–20′ / 21′–30′) |
| Sling | 2 | 20 | 1d4 | Blunt, Missile (5′–40′ / 41′–80′ / 81′–160′) |
| Spear | 3 | 30 | 1d6 | Brace, Melee, Missile (5′–20′ / 21′–40′ / 41′–60′) |
| Staff | 2 | 40 | 1d4 | Blunt, Melee, Slow, Two-handed |
| Sword | 10 | 60 | 1d8 | Melee |
| Torch | 1 (6 torches) | — | 1d4 | Melee |
| Two-handed sword | 15 | 150 | 1d10 | Melee, Slow, Two-handed |
| War hammer | 5 | 30 | 1d6 | Blunt, Melee |
| Whip | 10 | 50 | 1d2 | Entangle, Melee |
— indicates a weight not listed in the source. The torch price is for a bundle of 6.
Descriptions
- Bastard sword
- A long sword that can be wielded either one- or two-handed.
- Blackjack
- A small, leather pouch filled with sand or lead shot. Used to quietly knock victims out.
- Blowgun
- A 3′ tube through which tiny darts are blown. The darts inflict no damage but may administer a bloodstream poison (for example, those described in Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy).
- Bolas
- A cord and weighted balls, whirled around and thrown at a target.
- Garotte
- A 2′ length of thin cord or wire with a grip at each end. Used to quietly strangle victims.
- Net
- A 6′ square mesh of cord. Thrown to entangle a human-sized or smaller target.
- Whip
- A 10′ long strap of braided leather. On a successful attack, the attacker must decide to either inflict damage or entangle the target.
Armour
| Armour | AC | Cost (gp) | Weight (coins) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banded mail | 4 [15] | 50 | 450 |
| Chainmail | 5 [14] | 40 | 400 |
| Full plate | 2 [17] | 1,000 | 700 |
| Furs | 7 [12] | 10 | 250 |
| Leather | 7 [12] | 20 | 200 |
| Padded armour | 8 [11] | 5 | 100 |
| Plate mail | 3 [16] | 60 | 500 |
| Shield | +1 bonus | 10 | 100 |
| Studded leather | 6 [13] | 25 | 300 |
Descriptions
- Banded mail
- Horizontal bands of metal riveted to a padded leather backing, with sections of chain mail at the joints.
- Full plate
- Perfectly interlocking plates of metal over a backing of chain mail and padding. A suit of full plate armour must be crafted on request, and is tailored and balanced for a specific individual. Wearing another person’s full plate armour is awkward and only grants AC 3 [16].
- Furs
- Thickly layered furs and pelts of any kind. Commonly worn by those who lack the resources to create better armour.
- Padded armour
- Layers of cloth and quilted padding.
- Studded leather
- A suit of flexible leather studded with hundreds of metal rivets.
Weapon Qualities
- Blunt
- May be used by clerics.
- Brace
- Bracing against the ground doubles damage against charging monsters.
- Charge
- On horseback, moving at least 60′ in a round and attacking doubles any damage done with a successful hit.
- Entangle
- On a successful hit, the target must save versus paralysis or be unable to move or act. A new save is allowed each round to escape.
- Knock-out
- On a successful hit, the target must save vs paralysis or be knocked out for 1d6 turns.
- Melee
- Close quarters weapon (5′ or less).
- Missile
- Thrown or fired weapon (greater than 5′ distance). The distances for short (+1 to hit), medium, and long (−1 to hit) range are shown in parentheses.
- Reload (optional rule)
- Requires a round to reload between shots; can only be fired every second round.
- Slow
- The character acts last in each combat round (see Combat, p234).
- Splash weapon
- On a successful attack, the container smashes and douses the target with the liquid. The listed damage is inflicted for two rounds, as the liquid drips off.
- Stealth
- May only be used to attack an unaware person (i.e. human / demihuman of any level or humanoid monster of up to 4+1 HD) from behind. (Non-living creatures are immune.)
- Strangle
- Following a successful hit, inflicts automatic damage each round. The victim cannot move and suffers a −2 penalty to attack rolls. A successful hit on the attacker allows the victim to break free.
- Two-handed
- Requires both hands; the character cannot use a shield.
- Versatile
- May be used with one or two hands. When wielded two-handed, the damage listed in parentheses is used (the character cannot use a shield).