Special Equipment (D&D equipment)

Unofficial rules compendium

A set of specialized tools designed to aid specific tasks. Many of these are really very simple in construction, but require a great deal of ingenuity to come up with. Depending on the campaign, they might be generally available or "ninja secrets" available only to certain organizations.

You have to be skilled to use this equipment. The bonuses stack with those for having very light equipment, and athletic Equipment does not negate that bonus - for the specific use they are designed for. For all other uses of athletic skills, this equipment does negate the Naked Agility bonus.

Balance Pole (4 gp., 1 lb.)

A light, six-foot flexible pole held in both hands to help balancing. Too soft to use as a weapon or jumping pole. Gives a +5 circumstance bonus on Balance as long as you do not walk at more than half speed and have sufficient space to use it. Any wind makes the benefit into a liability instead.

Canoe (30-150 gp., 20 lb.)

This is a small boat made of oiled skins, cloth or bark with ribs of wood or bone. It is surprisingly seaworthy if well handled. If water-filled, it can be cut open when on land allowing the water to pour out; this makes it practical for difficult landings in high waves. Such a hole is easily repaired.

A typical canoe boat is 10 feet long, 3 feet wide, and carries 2 people and up to two passengers or 500 lbs. of cargo at 1 mph. Two Paddles are included.

Also comes in a disassembling variety for ease of transportation. It takes 1 minute and a Craft (Carpentry) roll of 20 to assemble or disassemble a canoe. Cost 150 gp.

Canoe: Large vehicle; Seaworthiness -4; Shiphandling +4, Speed oars 10 ft. (good); Overall AC 4; Hull 15 hp (hardness 3); Ram -; Mounts: -; Space 10 ft. by 5 ft., Height 2 ft. (draft 1/2 ft); Complement 4; Watch 2; Cargo 500 lbs.

Climbing Pole (25 gp., 2 lb.)

The Shinobi-kumade (literally, "Ninja Rake") is a collapsible bamboo pole with a claw at one end. Collapsed, it is barely 18" long, but it can telescope out to 12 ft. and is cunningly reinforced to support the weight of a man. It may be used as a club or staff but breaks on an attack roll of one. Used to aid climbing, the Shinobi-kumade makes short climbs up to 15 ft. very easy (DC 10), and can aid long climbs by leapfrogging from foothold to foothold. This gives a +5 circumstance bonus on climb checks, but cannot be used with accelerated climbing.

Disappearing Powder (2 gp., 1 oz.)

This is a colored, glittering powder that can be thrown into the air. While onlookers are distracted by the pretty cloud, you quietly disappear. Variants use smoke or flash powders. Often used as a stage-magician prop, one danger is that onlookers might think you are a genuine magician.

Grants a +5 circumstance bonus on a Bluff roll to create a distraction to hide.

Fins (2-50 gp., 5 lb.)

Fins look like fans made of oiled cloth and wooden struts, attached to the user's feet. Works for any basically humanoid user. It takes a full-round action to do each fin, and a full-round action to remove both fins. Fins remove land speed, but grant a swim speed equal to half the character's land speed, as well as a +5 circumstance bonus on swim check (this replaces the normal +8 bonus on Swim checks for having a swim speed).

Fins are available in two versions; normal and folding. The normal fin keeps its form when not in use, which makes it cumbersome to carry around. The folding fin collapses into two straight rods, much like a folding fan. They are also available in two qualities; normal fins are not fully waterproof and last for one day only once immersed in water; masterwork fins are permanent if properly cared for and oiled. Cost 2 gp for the basic fin, 10 gp for a folding or masterwork fin, and 50 gp for a folding and masterwork fin.

Glider (150-750 gp., 40 lb.)

Used to absorb falls and to provide limited flight, gliders are huge fixed wings (looking somewhat like a great sail or kite) with a wingspan of about 20 ft. (for a medium character). A character who wears a glider and deliberately jumps off from a height takes no falling damage and will only descend at a rate of 5 ft. each round. Make a Balance roll each round with a DC depending on wind turbulence and maneuver room. On a failure by up to four points, the glider moves straight ahead. On a failure by five points or more, the glider overturns, dropping 2d6 x 5 ft. If this forces the character to land, there is normal falling damage and the glider is destroyed.

Condition	DC
Light wind	15
Moderate wind	20
Strong wind	25
Severe wind	30
Constricted space under 100 ft.	+5
Constricted space under 50 ft.	+10

As long as the glide roll succeeds the user can move horizontally a number of feet equal to twice the Balance roll (minimum 20 feet). Using a glider requires a full-round action each round.

Gliding is impossible in winds stronger than severe or spaces under 50 ft. wide. Strong and stronger winds also have their normal effect on fliers of the character's size. An anchored glider in windy conditions can stay afloat indefinitely, and thermals can be used to gain altitude, but this is generally beyond the scope of this device.

Gliders come in two varieties; disassembling and fixed. It takes 1 minute and a Craft (Carpentry) roll of 20 to assemble or disassemble a glider. The disassembling glider costs 750 gp.

Hoop Skirt (4 lb.)

An artificially wide skirt usually worn by women of means. These skirts can be a part of any outfit costing 3 gold piece or more. The effect can be achieved with hoops, a farthingale, pocket hoops, a or bum roll and it is often worn with a corset or bustier. Few people would wear a hoop skirt into a dungeon, in fact they are worn to show that you are a woman of means who does not have to be agile or do manual labor. Though not historically worn by men in Europe, there is no reason similar fashions could exist for men in fantasy worlds.

A hoop skirt gives a -2 armor penalty on Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks and -4 on Swim checks, in a kind of reversed Naked Agility rule. Even more rigid skirts combined with uncomfortable shoes and hard corsets can reduce movement and reduce the run multiple, just like medium and heavy armor does. Unlike normal armor, everyone is considered proficient in hoop skirts, so they never give a penalty to other skills or attack rolls.

A hoop skirt can have pockets and hooks sewn into it, making it useful for carrying and hiding small items. Wearing a hoop skirt adds a +5 bonus to Sleight of Hand used to conceal items on your person and increases the difficulty of Sleight of Hand used to pick your pockets by +5. The hoop skirt gives you an additional Body Slot to carry magic enchantments. Hoop skirts can carry the same enchantments that robes do.

Hoop skirts add 4 lbs to the weight of the outfit, but like other outfits this does not count towards encumbrance when worn. The cost is a part of the outfit.

Jumping Pole (2 gp., 6 lb.)

A flexible pole made of bamboo or other semi-rigid material, about three times the length of the user. A character can use it to pole-vault, which grants a +5 circumstance bonus to jump checks where applicable. A jumping pole also halves the difficulty of a high jump up to the length of the pole.

Lanyard (2 gp, no weight)

A lanyard is a strong piece of string attached to a weapon and worn either around the wrist or neck. It does not prevent you from being disarmed, but it keeps a dropped weapon handy. Drawing a weapon hanging by a lanyard is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. However, having a string attacked to a weapon is something of a hindrance and imposes penalties depending on the size of the weapon whenever the weapon is hanging by the string. All penalties are cumulative; a one-handed weapon suffers both the penalties of a light and one-handed weapon, for example.

Weapon Size	Penalties
Light	Any opponent trying to trip you gets a +2 bonus on the opposed Strength roll.
One-handed	Prevents you from using your dexterity bonus to armor class.
Two-Handed	Move at half speed

Peephole Telescope (250 gp, 1 lb.)

A variant of the spyglass, the Peephole Telescope is used to extend your field of vision when looking out of a small opening, such as an arrow slit. The minimum size of the opening for a human-sized peephole telescope is 1 inch. It can extend out to two feet in length. Unlike a periscope, the peephole telescope allows you to quickly scan the area on the other side for obvious things - allowing use of the Spot skill, but with triple range penalties.

A regular spyglass can be used this way, but requires a hole three inches in diameter.

Music Box (500 gp, 20 lbs. to negligible)

A clockwork contraption that plays a set piece of music. Larger devices play at a higher volume, using more notes, and for a longer time, with the largest playing up to half an hour of music and the smallest only a few minutes. All music boxes cost the same. The device has a Perform skill equivalent to one-quarter of its weight in pounds and can play three minutes per pound of weight (minimum 3 minutes). Variant music boxes have no springs, which means they must be cranked by hand but can play indefinitely.

Pogo Stick (50 gp, 5 lb.)

A pogo stick is a spring-loaded device used to hop and is normally regarded as a child's toy. It consists of a pole with a T-bar handle at one end, and spring-loaded footpads on the other. You use the pogo stick with the run action, and it takes two hands to use. Make a Jump roll at the end of the run action and move a number of additional feet equal to the result, rounded down to the nearest 5 ft. interval. On a Jump result less than 5 you fall prone.

Reference Work (150 gp, 3 lbs)

A book containing standard information on a variety of subjects related to one field of study of the Knowledge skill. A reference work allows a reroll on a failed Knowledge check, but the reroll takes ten minutes of study, and only one reroll is allowed.

Skis (5 gp., 5 lb.)

Skis are thin long strips of wood, hardened leather or bark. They are highly useful for traveling on snow. Someone on skis can travel on snow at double rate, but loses their Dexterity bonus to armor class. Making a turn of more than 30 degrees in a round on skis is a move action. Skis can move very at unlimited speed downhill, but require a Balance roll (DC = speed/10 ft.) Failure indicates a fall after (Balance roll x10 ft.), causing 1d6 damage per 30 ft. traveled. Putting on each ski is a full-round action, as is safely removing both skis.

Stethoscope (10 gp, -)

A metal or horn tube with a wide disc at one end. Used by putting the disc against a door, window, or other surface and listening at the other end. It gives a +5 bonus on Listen in this situation, negating the normal +5 DC penalty for a normal door or window in the way and lessening the penalty for other obstacles. Using a stethoscope is a full-round action and can trigger some traps.

Stilts (1 gp., 15 lb.)

Short stilts are common as toys. The stilts described here are ten ft. tall or more, which puts the wearer out of reach of most medium-sized creatures. These stilts are tied to the feet of the wearer, who cannot move normally with the stilts fitted. Putting on or removing each stilt is a full-round action. It takes no free hands to use stilts tied to the feet this way.

Walking on stilts require a DC 10 Balance check. Standing up from prone with stilts fitted requires a DC 25 Balance roll. A character on stilts can move at normal speed through difficult ground that does not entangle, as long as there is a hard flat ground beneath. Examples include crowds, caltrops, spikes, and hedgerows but not uneven ground, gravel, muck, or vines.

Fighting in stilts puts you out of normal 5 ft. reach and gives you a height advantage against any creature up to one size larger than you if you can reach down to attack, but you resist bull rush and trip attacks at -4. The stilts themselves have an AC of 8 (-2 Size) and benefit from your Dexterity, size, and deflection bonuses (in this case, size bonuses stack). They have hardness 5 and 10 hit points.

Snorkel (2 gp., 1 lb.)

A kit consisting of nose plugs and a snorkel. Allows a character swimming on the surface to look down into the water indefinitely, which makes searching shallow waters much easier.

Spell Component Robe (30 gp., 3 lb.)

This is a spell component pouch sewn into a fine wizard's robe. Numerous small pockets can be used to store sundry spell components and keep them easily accessible. Less obvious than a spell component pouch, it has the same utility; assume any small, free material component for a spell the caster knows is kept in this robe.

Suction Cups (150 gp., 1 lb.)

Made of elastic alchemical materials, suction cups adhere well to any perfectly smooth surface. It allows easy climbing (DC 15) on perfectly smooth surfaces such as a sheer ice, glass, or a wall of force, which are normally impossible to climb.

Timepiece (250-1000 gp, 10 or less lb.)

A device for telling the time. It is accurate to within a minute per day. Unlike other devices, a timepiece is actually cheaper if made larger. The cheapest timepiece is a clock using weights, costing 250 gp and weighting 10 lb. It must remain stationary to function. A normal watch uses a spring mechanism and can be hung on a wall or rest on a shelf. It costs 500 gp and weights 5 lb. A pocket watch is small enough to carry on your person and costs 1,000 gp., and has negligible weight. Besides the obvious uses in time keeping and spell duration timing, timepieces find great use in navigation, making it much easier to measure speed and time various astronomical calculations. This gives a +2 (unnamed) bonus on Knowledge (Geography) checks to navigate. If using the Recharge Magic option, they give a +2 circumstance bonus on Concentration checks to maintain spells.

Viscous Gel (50 gp, 1 lb)

This is a sticky grease used to reduce friction. A bottle can be thrown as a splash weapon, coating either one Large or smaller creature or a single 5 ft. square. It deals no splash damage. It can be carefully applied to up to four 5 ft. squares or four medium-size creatures as a full-round action for each creature or square. The amount of lotion required varies by size, count Huge creatures as 4, Large creatures as 2, Small creatures as 1/2, Tiny or smaller as 1/10 of a Medium creature.

Ground so treated becomes slippery, and moving there requires a DC 10 Balance check. Applied to a door, it reduces the difficulty to open a stuck door by five and reduces the Move Silently penalty to open a squeaky door by five. Creatures covered become slippery and gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks and on grapple checks made to resist or escape a grapple or to escape a pin. Viscous lotion rubs off in an hour of use and can be washed away with soap, sand, or alcohol; water does not remove it, and it can last for years if left undisturbed.

A similar effect can be gained with a caking of soft mud, but that requires a mud bath. Lamp oil can be used with lesser effect, a pint can be used to cover a single 5 ft. square or Medium-size creature as a full-round action and grants a +2 circumstance bonus on checks. Lamp oil cannot be used as a splash weapon of this kind.

Water Feet (5-125 gp., 2 lb.)

The Mizugumo (literally,"water spider") are outsize pontoons worn on the feet, permitting the Ninja to walk on water with a successful Balance roll. The DC depends on the choppiness of the water. Using water feet is impossible in a severe or stronger wind.

Condition	DC
Calm, no waves	15
Light wind, small waves or swell, splash by medium creature	20
Moderate wind, tidal waves, splash by large creature	25
Strong wind, surf, splash by huge or larger creature	30

Water Feet are available in two versions; normal and folding. The normal one keeps its form when not in use, which makes it cumbersome to carry around. It can be worn as a coolie hat. The folding fin collapses like an umbrella and can be camouflaged as such. They are also available in two qualities; normal water feet are not fully waterproof and last for only one day once immersed in water; masterwork ones are permanent if properly cared for and oiled.

Normal water feet cost 1 gp, folding or masterwork versions cost 5 gp, and folding, masterwork versions cost 25 gp.