From the mighty warhorse to the humble pack mule, mounts can be an integral part of your battle plan or simply a way to carry your excess gear. This section concerns the cost, upkeep, and carrying utility of your mounts (details on mounted combat are in Chapter 8: Combat).

In order to be used as a mount, a creature must be at least one size category larger than you, and must have an Intelligence score of 4 or lower. You may be able to convince creatures with a higher Intelligence score to let you ride them, but they are considered independent creatures (not mounts).

Many trades and crafts require special tools or sets of tools needed to do things like pick a lock, paint a portrait, or brew a potion.

Any character can use a tool kit, but many characters also gain proficiency with specific tools. When you are proficient, you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks made with them.

The starting equipment gained from your class includes a collection of useful adventuring gear put together in a pack. If you are buying your starting equipment, you can purchase a pack for the price shown, which might be cheaper than buying the items individually.

Assassin's Pack (175 gp). Includes a chest, a vial of advanced poison, 3 vials of basic poison, a set of fine clothes, a bottle of ink, an ink pen, a lantern, 2 flasks of oil, 5 sheets of paper, a vial of perfume, a costume, and a flash bomb.

The many essentials that make adventuring into the unknown possible:

Acid. You can use an action to splash the contents of this vial onto a target within 5 feet of you, or throw the vial up to 20 feet where it shatters on impact. In either case, make a ranged weapon attack against the target, treating the acid as an improvised weapon. On a hit, the target takes 2d4 ongoing acid damage. This damage persists for 3 rounds. A creature ends all ongoing damage from mundane acid by using its action to wipe away the corrosive liquid.

Adventuring means surviving the elements, desperately searching for your next meal after rations have run out while traveling far from civilization, and overcoming other rigorous obstacles that are part of any epic journey. In games where the minutiae of travel is an integral part to the adventure, the Narrator may want players to keep track of where they are keeping all of their various equipment. Table: Containers has the most common types of containers, though it's typical for many adventurers to get by with just a backpack and a waterskin.

Table: Containers

A bulky item weighs 40 pounds or more (for example a bag with 2,000 or more gold coins) or is greater than 4 feet in any direction (like a large ornate rug). Any creature can carry one bulky item plus one additional bulky item for every point of its Strength modifier. When a creature is not carrying any Supply, it can carry one additional bulky item.

Adverse weather and gnawing hunger can claim just as many lives as monsters and traps. The following items are necessities when facing inhospitable environments and harsh journeys:

Bedroll. This essential commodity provides insulation and comfortable sleep on  rocky, wet, or uneven terrain.

Blanket. Provides warmth while resting in cold environments. 

While some poisons require exotic or expensive ingredients, many effective concoctions can be obtained or made with little effort. The following poisons may be commonly available from apothecaries and herbalists, at the Narrator’s discretion.

Many spellcasters rely on a magical focus, an item that allows them to channel their power. Using a spellcasting focus allows a spellcaster to forgo many material components for their spells. A wide variety of items can be turned into magical foci, which fall into three primary categories:

Not everyone has access to magical healing spells. The following herbal remedies and potions may be commonly available from apothecaries and herbalists, at the Narrator’s discretion.

Drinking or administering a potion or remedy takes an action.