10 Mundane But Incredibly Useful Items In Dungeons And Dragons
You may have plate armour, sword and a selection of spells, but they're no match for your rope.
When players build their charters in Dungeons and Dragons, they often spend a lot of time worrying about various characteristics. What race would fit this character best? Is this class going to meld well with the group? What cantrips and spells am I going to pick? There are so many choices. What most players overlook when they create their character though, is the starting equipment.
All characters start with some sort of pack, a random assortment of items that reflects your background or class. Most players forget about these in the first session in the game, if they look at them at all.
Your character is not limited to what they started with either. They can walk into most general stores and come out with a multitude of useful items. Odds are that they’ll only visit here to follow up a quest or buy some special item.
The different books and additions to Dungeons and Dragons give players a multitude of seemingly mundane items to purchase. In the hands of the right player, these items can be turned from an assortment of junk, into keys that will solve the party’s latest problem. Here are ten everyday objects that can be very useful in Dungeons and Dragons.
10. Ball Bearings
Already part of the Burglar’s pack, the initial use of these should be obvious. You can use an action to spread these out over a 10-foot area, and any creature moving over this space must succeed on a DC (Difficulty Class) 10 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. You can avoid this by moving at half speed, but in the heat of battle, this isn’t likely.
You can buy a bag of these for the low price of just 1GP in most stores; for that you get 1000 of these little trip hazards. Whether you’re a rogue being pursued by the town guard, a Bard setting up a trap or a raging barbarian that has entered a 1 V 12 encounter, these little metal beauties can save your life.
Beyond the obvious tripping hazard though, there are a number of uses for ball bearings. They can be thrown in an attempt to distract that guard who is standing watch. Maybe you could even cast Light on one? Who isn’t going to investigate a mysterious glowing orb? If you really feel like leaning into being a rogue, perhaps that coin purse you hand over to the merchant isn’t all gold - just don’t let him search it before you leave.