EQUIPMENT
To make your mark on the world, you’ll need to have the right equipment, including armor, weapons, and other gear. This chapter presents the various equipment that you can purchase during character creation. You can usually find these items for sale in most cities and other large settlements.
Your character starts out with 15 gold pieces (150 silver pieces) to spend on any common items from this chapter. Items with an uncommon rarity can be purchased only if you have special access from abilities you selected during character creation or your GM gives you permission to purchase them.
Once you’ve purchased your starting items, there are three main ways to gain new items and equipment: you can find them during an adventure, make them using the Crafting skill, or purchase them from a merchant.
COINS AND CURRENCY
Though you might be able to barter valuable items in some areas, currency is the most versatile way to make transactions when you head to market. The most common currency is coins. For most commoners and beginning adventurers, the standard unit is the silver piece (sp). Each silver piece is a standard weight of silver and is typically accepted by any merchant or kingdom no matter where it was minted. There are three other common types of coins, each likewise standardized in weight and value. The first is the copper piece (cp). Each copper piece is worth one‑tenth of a silver piece. The gold piece (gp) is often used for purchasing magic items and other expensive items, as 1 gold piece is worth 10 silver pieces or 100 copper pieces. The platinum piece (pp) is used by nobles to demonstrate their wealth, for the purchase of very expensive items, or simply as a way to easily transport large sums of currency. A platinum piece is worth 10 gold pieces, 100 silver pieces, or 1,000 copper pieces. See Table 6–1: Coin Values for the exchange rates of common types of coins.Table: Coin Values
Coins | CP | SP | GP | PP |
Copper piece (cp) | 1 | 1/10 | 1/100 | 1/1,000 |
Silver piece (sp) | 10 | 1 | 1/10 | 1/100 |
Gold Piece (gp | 100 | 10 | 1 | 1/10 |
Platinum piece (pp) | 1,000 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
Other Currency
Art objects, gems, and raw materials (such as those used for the Craft activity) can be used much like currency: you can sell them for the same Price you can buy them.
PRICE
Most items in the following tables have a Price, which is the amount of currency it typically takes to purchase that item. An item with a Price of “—” can’t be purchased. An item with a Price of 0 is normally free, but its value could be higher based on the materials used to create it. Most items can be sold for half their Price, but coins, gems, art objects, and raw materials (such as components for the Craft activity) can be exchanged for their full Price.
ITEM LEVEL
Each item has an item level, which represents the item’s complexity and any magic used in its construction. Simpler items with a lower level are easier to construct, and you can’t Craft items that have a higher level than your own (page 243). If an item’s level isn’t listed, its level is 0. While characters can use items of any level, GMs should keep in mind that allowing characters access to items far above their current level may have a negative impact on the game.
CARRYING AND USING ITEMS
A character typically has two hands, allowing them to hold an item in each hand or a single two-handed item using both hands. Drawing or changing how you’re carrying an item usually requires you to use an Interact action (though to drop an item, you use the Release action instead). Table 6–2: Changing Equipment on page 273 lists some ways that you might change the items you’re holding or carrying, and the number of hands you need to do so.
Many ways of using items require you to spend multiple actions. For example, drinking a potion stowed in your belt pouch requires using an Interact action to draw it and then using a second action to drink it as described in its Activate entry (page 532).
BULK
Carrying especially heavy or unwieldy items can make it more difficult for you to move, as can overloading yourself with too much gear. The Bulk value of an item reflects how difficult the item is to handle, representing its size, weight, and general awkwardness. If you have a high Strength score, you usually don’t need to worry about Bulk unless you’re carrying numerous substantial items.
Bulk Limits
You can carry an amount of Bulk equal to 5 plus your Strength modifier without penalty; if you carry more, you gain the encumbered condition. You can’t hold or carry more Bulk than 10 plus your Strength modifier.
Bulk Values
Items can have a number to indicate their Bulk value, or they can be light (indicated by an L) or negligible (indicated by a —) for the purpose of determining Bulk. For instance, full plate armor is 4 Bulk, a longsword is 1 Bulk, a dagger or scroll is light, and a piece of chalk is negligible. Ten light items count as 1 Bulk, and you round down fractions (so 9 light items count as 0 Bulk, and 11 light items count as 1 Bulk). Items of negligible Bulk don’t count toward Bulk unless you try to carry vast numbers of them, as determined by the GM.
Estimating an Item's Bulk
As a general rule, an item that weighs 5 to 10 pounds is 1 Bulk, an item weighing less than a few ounces is negligible, and anything in between is light. Particularly awkward or unwieldy items might have higher Bulk values. For example, a 10-foot pole isn’t heavy, but its length makes it difficult for you to move while you have one on your person, so its Bulk is 1. Items made for larger or smaller creatures have greater or lesser Bulk, as described in Items and Sizes.
Bulk of Coins
Coins are a popular means of exchange due to their portability, but they can still add up. A thousand coins of any denomination or combination of denominations count as 1 Bulk. It’s not usually necessary to determine the Bulk of coins in fractions of 1,000; simply round down fractions of 1,000. In other words, 100 coins don’t count as a light item, and 1,999 coins are 1 Bulk, not 2.
Bulk of Creatures
You might need to know the Bulk of a creature, especially if you need to carry someone off the battlefield. The table that follows lists the typical Bulk of a creature based on its size, but the GM might adjust this number.
Table: Creature BulkSize of Creature | Bulk |
Tiny | 1 |
Small | 3 |
Medium | 6 |
Large | 12 |
Huge | 24 |
Gargantuan | 36 |
Dragging
In some situations, you might drag an object or creature rather than carry it. If you’re dragging something, treat its Bulk as half. Typically, you can drag one thing at a time, you must use both hands to do so, and you drag slowly—roughly 50 feet per minute unless you have some means to speed it up. Use the total Bulk of what you’re dragging, so if you have a sack laden with goods, use the sum of all the Bulk it carries instead of an individual item within.
WIELDING ITEMS
Some abilities require you to wield an item, typically a weapon. You’re wielding an item any time you’re holding it in the number of hands needed to use it effectively. When wielding an item, you’re not just carrying it around—you’re ready to use it. Other abilities might require you to merely carry or have an item. These apply as long as you have the item on your person; you don’t have to wield it.
Table: Changing EquipmentsChange | Hands | Action |
Draw, stow, or pick up an item 1 | 1 or 2 | Interact |
Pass an item to or take an item from a willing creature 2 | 1 or 2 | Interact |
Drop an item to the ground | 1 or 2 | Release |
Detach a shield or item strapped to you | 1 | Interact |
Change your grip by removing a hand from an item | 2 | Release |
Change your grip by adding a hand to an item | 2 | Interact |
Retrieve an item from a backpack 3 or satchel | 2 | Interact |
1 If you retrieve a two-handed item with only one hand, you still need to change your grip before you can wield or use it.
2 A creature must have a hand free for someone to pass an item to them, and they might then need to change their grip if they receive an item requiring two hands to wield or use.
3 Retrieving an item stowed in your own backpack requires first taking off the backpack with a separate Interact action.
ITEM DAMAGE
An item can be broken or destroyed if it takes enough damage. Every item has a Hardness value. Each time an item takes damage, reduce any damage the item takes by its Hardness. The rest of the damage reduces the item’s Hit Points. Normally an item takes damage only when a creature is directly attacking it—commonly targeted items include doors and traps. A creature that attacks you doesn’t normally damage your armor or other gear, even if it hits you. However, the Shield Block reaction can cause your shield to take damage as you use it to prevent damage to yourself, and some monsters have exceptional abilities that can damage your items.
An item that takes damage can become broken and eventually destroyed. It becomes broken when its Hit Points are equal to or lower than its Broken Threshold (BT); once its Hit Points are reduced to 0, it is destroyed. A broken item has the broken condition until Repaired above its Broken Threshold. Anything that automatically makes an item broken immediately reduces its Hit Points to its Broken Threshold if the item had more Hit Points than that when the effect occurred. If an item has no Broken Threshold, then it has no relevant changes to its function due to being broken, but it’s still destroyed at 0 Hit Points. (See the broken condition definition on page 273 for more information.) A destroyed item can’t be Repaired.
An item’s Hardness, Hit Points, and Broken Threshold usually depend on the material the item is made of. This information appears on page 577.
OBJECT IMMUNITIES
Inanimate objects and hazards are immune to bleed, death effects, disease, healing, mental effects, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, and poison, as well as the doomed, drained, fatigued, paralyzed, sickened, and unconscious conditions. An item that has a mind is not immune to mental effects. Many objects are immune to other conditions, at the GM’s discretion. For instance, a sword has no Speed, so it can’t take a penalty to its Speed, but an effect that causes a Speed penalty might work on a moving blade trap.
SHODDY ITEMS
Improvised or of dubious make, shoddy items are never available for purchase except for in the most desperate of communities. When available, a shoddy item usually costs half the Price of a standard item, though you can never sell one in any case. Attacks and checks involving a shoddy item take a –2 item penalty. This penalty also applies to any DCs that a shoddy item applies to (such as AC, for shoddy armor). A shoddy suit of armor also worsens the armor’s check penalty by 2. A shoddy item’s Hit Points and Broken Threshold are each half that of a normal item of its type.
ARMOR
Armor increases your character’s defenses, but some medium or heavy armor can hamper movement. If you want to increase your character’s defense beyond the protection your armor provides, they can use a shield. Armor protects your character only while they’re wearing it.
ARMOR CLASS
Your Armor Class (AC) measures how well you can defend against attacks. When a creature attacks you, your Armor Class is the DC for that attack roll.
Use your proficiency bonus for the category (light, medium, or heavy) or the specific type of armor you’re wearing. If you’re not wearing armor, use your proficiency in unarmored defense.
DONNING AND REMOVING ARMOR
Getting in and out of armor is time consuming—so make sure you’re wearing it when you need it! Donning and removing armor are both activities involving many Interact actions. It takes 1 minute to don light armor, 5 minutes to don medium or heavy armor, and 1 minute to remove any armor.
ARMOR STATISTICS
Table: Unarmored Defense provides the statistics for the various forms of protection without wearing armor. Table 6–4: Armor provides the statistics for suits of armor that can be purchased and worn, organized by category. The columns in both tables provide the following statistics.
Most suits of armor and weapons are made from ordinary, commonly available materials like iron, leather, steel, and wood. If you’re not sure what a suit of armor is made of, the GM determines the details.
Some armor, shields, and weapons are instead made of precious materials. These often have inherent supernatural properties. Cold iron, for example, which harms fey, and silver can damage werecreatures. These materials are detailed beginning on page 577.
Your armor’s statistics are based on the material it’s predominantly made from. It’s not likely your armor will take damage, as explained in Item Damage on page 272.
Damaging objectsMaterial | Hardness | HP | BT |
Cloth (explorer’s clothing, padded armor) | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Leather (hide, leather, studded leather) | 4 | 16 | 8 |
Metal (breastplate, chain mail, chain shirt, full plate, half plate, scale mail, splint mail) | 9 | 36 | 18 |
CATEGORY
The armor’s category—unarmored, light armor, medium armor, or heavy armor—indicates which proficiency bonus you use while wearing the armor.
AC BONUS
This number is the item bonus you add for the armor when determining Armor Class.
DEXTERITY MODIFIER CAP (DEX CAP)
This number is the maximum amount of your Dexterity modifier that can apply to your AC while you are wearing a given suit of armor. For example, if you have a Dexterity modifier of +4 and you are wearing a suit of half plate, you apply only a +1 bonus from your Dexterity modifier to your AC while wearing that armor.
CHECK PENALTY
While wearing your armor, you take this penalty to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait. If you meet the armor’s Strength threshold (see Strength below), you don’t take this penalty.
SPEED PENALTY
While wearing a suit of armor, you take the penalty listed in this entry to your Speed, as well as to any other movement types you have, such as a climb Speed or swim Speed, to a minimum Speed of 5 feet. If you meet the armor’s Strength threshold (see below), you reduce the penalty by 5 feet.
STRENGTH
This entry indicates the Strength score at which you are strong enough to overcome some of the armor’s penalties. If your Strength is equal to or greater than this value, you no longer take the armor’s check penalty, and you decrease the Speed penalty by 5 feet (to no penalty if the penalty was –5 feet, or to a –5-foot penalty if the penalty was –10 feet).
BULK
This entry gives the armor’s Bulk, assuming you’re wearing the armor and distributing its weight across your body. A suit of armor that’s carried or worn usually has 1 more Bulk than what’s listed here (or 1 Bulk total for armor of light Bulk). An armor’s Bulk is increased or decreased if it’s sized for creatures that aren’t Small or Medium in size, following the rules on page 295.
GROUP
Each type of medium and heavy armor belongs to an armor group, which classifies it with similar types of armor. Some abilities reference armor groups, typically to grant armor specialization effects, which are described on page 275.
ARMOR TRAITS
Armor can a number of traits, found under "Armor Traits" in the Traits sub-header.
ARMOR SPECIALIZATION EFFECTS
Certain class features can grant you additional benefits with certain armors. This is called an armor specialization effect. The exact effect depends on which armor group your armor belongs to, as listed below. Only medium and heavy armors have armor specialization effects. See here for details on each armor specialization effect.
SHIELDS
A shield can increase your character’s defense beyond the protection their armor provides. Your character must be wielding a shield in one hand to make use of it, and it grants its bonus to AC only if they use an action to Raise a Shield. This action grants the shield’s bonus to AC as a circumstance bonus until their next turn starts. A shield’s Speed penalty applies whenever your character is holding the shield, whether they have raised it or not.
Raise a Shield is the action most commonly used with shields. Most shields must be held in one hand, so you can’t hold anything with that hand and Raise a Shield. A buckler, however, doesn’t take up your hand, so you can Raise a Shield with a buckler if the hand is free (or, at the GM’s discretion, if it’s holding a simple, lightweight object that’s not a weapon). You lose the benefits of Raise a Shield if that hand is no longer free.
When you have a tower shield raised, you can use the Take Cover action (page 471) to increase the circumstance bonus to AC to +4. This lasts until the shield is no longer raised. If you would normally provide lesser cover against an attack, having your tower shield raised provides standard cover against it (and other creatures can Take Cover as normal using the cover from your shield).
If you have access to the Shield Block reaction (from your class or from a feat), you can use it while Raising your Shield to reduce the damage you take by an amount equal to the shield’s Hardness. Both you and the shield then take any remaining damage.
SHIELD STATISTICS
Shields have statistics that follow the same rules as armor: Price, Speed Penalty, and Bulk. See page 274 for the rules for those statistics. Their other statistics are described here.
AC Bonus
A shield grants a circumstance bonus to AC, but only when the shield is raised. This requires using the Raise a Shield action.
Hardness
Whenever a shield takes damage, the amount of damage it takes is reduced by this amount. This number is particularly relevant for shields because of the Shield Block feat. The rules for Hardness appear in Item Damage.
HP (BT)
This column lists the shield’s Hit Points (HP) and Broken Threshold (BT). These measure how much damage the shield can take before it’s destroyed (its total HP) and how much it can take before being broken and unusable (its BT). These matter primarily for the Shield Block reaction.
ATTACKING WITH A SHIELD
A shield can be used as a martial weapon for attacks, using the statistics listed for a shield bash on Table 6–7: Melee Weapons (page 280). The shield bash is an option only for shields that weren’t designed to be used as weapons. A shield can’t have runes added to it. You can also buy and attach a shield boss or shield spikes to a shield to make it a more practical weapon. These can be found on Table 6–7. These work like other weapons and can even be etched with runes.
WEAPONS
Most characters in Pathfinder carry weapons, ranging from mighty warhammers to graceful bows to even simple clubs. Full details on how you calculate the bonuses, modifiers, and penalties for attack rolls and damage rolls are given in Chapter 9 on page 446, but they’re summarized here, followed by the rules for weapons and dozens of weapon choices.
ATTACK ROLLS
When making an attack roll, determine the result by rolling 1d20 and adding your attack modifier for the weapon or unarmed attack you’re using. Modifiers for melee and ranged attacks are calculated differently.
Ranged attack modifier = Dexterity modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses + penalties
Bonuses, and penalties apply to these rolls just like with other types of checks. Weapons with potency runes add an item bonus to your attack rolls.
Melee Attack Penalty
If you use an action with the attack trait more than once on the same turn, your attacks after the first take a penalty called a multiple attack penalty. Your second attack takes a –5 penalty, and any subsequent attacks take a –10 penalty.
The multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to attacks you make when it isn’t your turn (such as attacks made as part of a reaction). You can use a weapon with the agile trait to reduce your multiple attack penalty.
DAMAGE ROLLS
When the result of your attack roll with a weapon or unarmed attack equals or exceeds your target’s AC, you hit your target! Roll the weapon or unarmed attack’s damage die and add the relevant modifiers, bonuses, and penalties to determine the amount of damage you deal. Calculate a damage roll as follows.
Ranged damage roll = damage die of weapon + Strength modifier for thrown weapons + bonuses + penalties
Ranged weapons don’t normally add an ability modifier to the damage roll, though weapons with the propulsive trait add half your Strength modifier (or your full modifier if it is a negative number), and thrown weapons add your full Strength modifier.
Magic weapons with striking, greater striking, or major striking runes add one or more weapon damage dice to your damage roll. These extra dice are the same die size as the weapon’s damage die. At higher levels, most characters also gain extra damage from weapon specialization.
CRITICAL HITS
When you make an attack and roll a natural 20 (the number on the die is 20), or if the result of your attack exceeds the target’s AC by 10, you achieve a critical success (also known as a critical hit).
If you critically succeed at a Strike, your attack deals double damage (page 451). Other attacks, such as spell attack rolls and some uses of the Athletics skill, describe the specific effects that occur when their outcomes are critical successes.
UNARMED ATTACKS
Almost all characters start out trained in unarmed attacks. You can Strike with your fist or another body part, calculating your attack and damage rolls in the same way you would with a weapon. Unarmed attacks can belong to a weapon group (page 280), and they might have weapon traits (page 282). However, unarmed attacks aren’t weapons, and effects and abilities that work with weapons never work with unarmed attacks unless they specifically say so.
Table 6–6: Unarmed Attacks lists the statistics for an unarmed attack with a fist, though you’ll usually use the same statistics for attacks made with any other parts of your body. Certain ancestry feats, class features, and spells give access to special, more powerful unarmed attacks. Details for those unarmed attacks are provided in the abilities that grant them.
IMPROVISED WEAPONS
If you attack with something that wasn’t built to be a weapon, such as a chair or a vase, you’re making an attack with an improvised weapon. You take a –2 item penalty to attack rolls with an improvised weapon. The GM determines the amount and type of damage the attack deals, if any, as well as any weapon traits the improvised weapon should have. Improvised weapons are simple weapons.
WEAPON STATISTICS
The tables on pages 280–282 list the statistics for various melee and ranged weapons that you can purchase, as well as the statistics for striking with a fist (or another basic unarmed attack). The tables present the following statistics. All weapons listed in this chapter have an item level of 0.
Characters who focus on combat need to carefully consider their choice of weapons, evaluating whether they want to fight in melee or at range, the weapons’ damage potential, and the special features of various weapons. Characters who are primarily spellcasters usually just need to pick a backup weapon in the best category they’re trained or better in.
When selecting weapons, start by identifying the weapon types you’re trained or better in. You should then compare weapons within these types to determine which ones you will have the highest melee or ranged attack modifier with. It’s usually considered best practice to select both a melee and ranged weapon during character creation so you can contend with a broader variety of foes and situations.
Weapon Categories
Weapons fall into broad categories depending on how much damage they deal and what traits they have. Martial weapons generally deal more damage than simple weapons, and advanced weapons generally have more advantageous traits than martial weapons with the same damage. Generally, you’ll want to select weapons that deal more damage, but if you’re a highly skilled combatant, you might want to pick a weapon with interesting traits, even if it has a lower weapon damage die. You can also purchase multiple weapons within your budget, allowing you to switch between them for different situations.
Damage
This entry lists the weapon’s damage die and the type of damage it deals: B for bludgeoning, P for piercing, or S for slashing.
Damage Dice
Each weapon lists the damage die used for its damage roll. A standard weapon deals one die of damage, but a magical striking rune can increase the number of dice rolled, as can some special actions and spells. These additional dice use the same die size as the weapon or unarmed attack’s normal damage die.
Counting Damage Dice
Effects based on a weapon’s number of damage dice include only the weapon’s damage die plus any extra dice from a striking rune. They don’t count extra dice from abilities, critical specialization effects, property runes, weapon traits, or the like.
Increaing Die Size
When an effect calls on you to increase the size of your weapon damage dice, instead of using its normal weapon damage dice, use the next larger die, as listed below (so if you were using a d4, you’d use a d6, and so on). If you are already using a d12, the size is already at its maximum. You can’t increase your weapon damage die size more than once.
Range
Ranged and thrown weapons have a range increment. Attacks with these weapons work normally up to that distance. Attack rolls beyond a weapon’s range increment take a –2 penalty for each additional multiple of that increment between you and the target. Attacks beyond the sixth range increment are impossible.
For example, a shortbow takes no penalty against a target up to 60 feet away, a –2 penalty against a target beyond 60 feet but up to 120 feet away, and a –4 penalty against a target beyond 120 feet but up to 180 feet away, and so on, up to 360 feet.
Reload
While all weapons need some amount of time to get into position, many ranged weapons also need to be loaded and reloaded. This entry indicates how many Interact actions it takes to reload such weapons. This can be 0 if drawing ammunition and firing the weapon are part of the same action. If an item takes 2 or more actions to reload, the GM determines whether they must be performed together as an activity, or you can spend some of those actions during one turn and the rest during your next turn.
An item with an entry of “—” must be drawn to be thrown, which usually takes an Interact action just like drawing any other weapon. Reloading a ranged weapon and drawing a thrown weapon both require a free hand. Switching your grip to free a hand and then to place your hands in the grip necessary to wield the weapon are both included in the actions you spend to reload a weapon.
Bulk
This entry gives the weapon’s Bulk. A weapon’s Bulk is increased or decreased if it’s sized for creatures that aren’t Small or Medium size, following the rules on page 295.
Hands
Some weapons require one hand to wield, and others require two. A few items, such as a longbow, list 1+ for its Hands entry. You can hold a weapon with a 1+ entry in one hand, but the process of shooting it requires using a second to retrieve, nock, and loose an arrow. This means you can do things with your free hand while holding the bow without changing your grip, but the other hand must be free when you shoot. To properly wield a 1+ weapon, you must hold it in one hand and also have a hand free.
Weapons requiring two hands typically deal more damage. Some one-handed weapons have the two-hand trait, causing them to deal a different size of weapon damage die when used in two hands. In addition, some abilities require you to wield a weapon in two hands. You meet this requirement while holding the weapon in two hands, even if it doesn’t require two hands or have the two-hand trait.
Group
A weapon or unarmed attack’s group classifies it with similar weapons. Groups affect some abilities and what the weapon does on a critical hit if you have access to that weapon or unarmed attack’s critical specialization effects; for full details, see page 283.
Weapon Traits
The traits a weapon or unarmed attack has are listed in this entry. Any trait that refers to a “weapon” can also apply to an unarmed attack that has that trait.
Ammunition
Some entries in the ranged weapons tables are followed by an entry indicating the type of ammunition that weapon launches. The damage die is determined by the weapon, not the ammunition. Because that and other relevant statistics vary by weapon, ammunition entries list only the name, quantity, Price, and Bulk. Using ammunition destroys it.
WEAPON TRAITS
Weapons and unarmed attacks with the weapon trait can have a number of traits, found under "Weapon Traits" in the Traits sub-header.
CRITICAL SPECIALIZATON EFFECTS
Certain feats, class features, weapon runes, and other effects can grant you additional benefits when you make an attack with certain weapons and get a critical success. This is called a critical specialization effect. The exact effect depends on which weapon group your weapon belongs to, as listed below. You can always decide not to add the critical specialization effect of your weapon. See here for details on each critical specialization effect.
GEAR
Your character needs all sorts of items both while exploring and in downtime, ranging from rations to climbing gear to fancy clothing, depending on the situation.
GEAR STATISTICS
Tables 6–9 and 6–10 list Price and Bulk entries for a wide variety of gear. Any item with a number after it in parentheses indicates that the item’s Price is for the indicated quantity, though the Bulk entry for such an item is the value for only one such item. All items in this chapter are level 0 unless the item name is followed by a higher item level in parentheses.
HANDS
This lists how many hands it takes to use the item effectively. Most items that require two hands can be carried in only one hand, but you must spend an Interact action to change your grip in order to use the item. The GM may determine that an item is too big to carry in one hand (or even two hands, for particularly large items).
CLASS KITS
If you want to quickly decide how to spend your starting money on what your class needs, start with one of these kits. Note than an adventurer’s pack, which is included in each kit, contains a backpack, a bedroll, two belt pouches, 10 pieces of chalk, flint and steel, 50 feet of rope, 2 weeks’ rations, soap, 5 torches, and a waterskin.
Alchemist Kit
Price 7 gp, 6 sp; Bulk 3 Bulk, 6 light; Money Left Over 7 gp, 4 spArmor studded leather armor
Weapons 20 sling bullets, dagger, slingbr
Gear 2 sets of caltrops, adventurer's pack, alchemist's tools, bandolier, basic crafter's book, sheath
Options repair kit (2 gp)
Barbarian Kit
Price 3 gp, 2 sp; Bulk 3 Bulk, 5 light; Money Left Over 11 gp, 8 spArmor hide armor
Weapons 4 javelins
Gear 2 sheathes, adventurer's pack, grappling hook
Options greataxe (2 gp), greatclub (1 gp), greatsword (2 gp), or battle axe and steel shield (3 gp)
Bard Kit
Price 6 gp, 8 sp; Bulk 4 Bulk, 3 light; Money Left Over 8 gp, 2 spArmor studded leather armor
Weapons 20 sling bullets, dagger, rapier, sling
Gear adventurer's pack, bandolier, musical instrument (handheld), sheath
Champion Kit
Price 3 gp, 8 sp; Bulk 3 Bulk, 7 light; Money Left Over 11 gp, 2 spArmor hide armor
Weapons 4 javelins, dagger
Gear adventurer's pack, crowbar, grappling hook, sheath
Options your deity’s favored weapon (see the deity entries on pages 437–441; use the price listed in this chapter)
Cleric Kit
Price 1 gp, 5 sp; Bulk 1 Bulk, 3 light; Money Left Over 13 gpGear 2 sets of caltrops, adventurer's pack, bandolier, religious symbol (wooden)
Options your deity’s favored weapon (see the deity entries on pages 437–441; use the price listed in this chapter), hide armor (2 gp)
Druid Kit
Price 3 gp, 7 sp; Bulk 4 Bulk, 4 light; Money Left Over 11 gp, 3 spArmor leather armor
Weapons 4 javelins, longspear
Gear adventurer's pack, bandolier, holly and mistletoe
Options healer's tools (5 gp)
Fighter Kit
Price 3 gp; Bulk 3 Bulk, 2 light; Money Left Over 12 gpArmor hide armor
Weapons dagger
Gear adventurer's pack, grappling hook, sheath
Options greatsword (2 gp), longbow with 20 arrows (6 gp, 2 sp), or longsword and steel shield (3 gp)
Monk Kit
Price 4 gp, 9 sp; Bulk 4 Bulk, 2 light; Money Left Over 10 gp, 2 spWeapons longspear, staff
Gear adventurer's pack, bandolier, climbing kit, grappling hook, smokestick (lesser)
Ranger Kit
Price 9 gp, 1 sp; Bulk 3 Bulk, 3 light; Money Left Over 5 gp, 9 spArmor leather armor
Weapons 20 arrows, dagger, longbow
Gear adventurer's pack, sheath
Rogue Kit
Price 5 gp, 4 sp; Bulk 4 Bulk, 1 light; Money Left Over 9 gp, 6 spArmor leather armor
Weapons dagger, rapier
Gear adventurer's pack, climbing kit, sheath
Options thieves' tools (3 gp)
Sorcerer Kit
Price 1 gp, 6 sp; Bulk 1 Bulk, 6 light; Money Left Over 12 gp, 9 spWeapons 20 sling bullets, dagger, slingshot
Gear 2 sets of caltrops, adventurer's pack, bandolier, sheath
Wizard Kit
Price 1 gp, 2 sp; Bulk 2 Bulk, 2 light; Money Left Over 11 gp, 8 spWeapons staff
Gear adventurer's pack, material component pouch, writing set
Options crossbow with 20 bolts (3 gp, 2 sp)
ALCHEMICAL GEAR
The items listed on Table 6–11 are the most widely available alchemical items from Chapter 11, which a 1st-level character could likely access. The descriptions below are incomplete; each item’s full entry appears in Chapter 11 on the page listed in the table. Your GM might allow you to start with other alchemical items from Chapter 11 on a case-by-case basis.
Alchemical Bombs
Alchemical bombs are consumable weapons that deal damage or produce special effects, and they sometimes deal splash damage.
For more on alchemical bombs click hereElixirs
Elixirs are alchemical items you drink to gain various unusual effects.
For more on elixirs click hereAlchemical Tools
Alchemical tools are a type of alchemical item you use, rather than drink or throw.
For more on alchemical tools click hereMAGICAL GEAR
The items on Table 6–12 are the magic items from Chapter 11 that a 1st-level character could most frequently access. The descriptions below are incomplete; the items’ full entries appear in Chapter 11 on the pages listed in the table. Your GM might allow you to start with other magic items from Chapter 11 on a case-by-case basis.
Consumable Magic Items
You can typically purchase holy and unholy water in a settlement. Particularly good settlements tend to ban unholy water and evil settlements tend to ban holy water.
For more on consumable items click herePotions
Potions are magic items you drink to gain a variety of benefits. For more on potions, see page 562.
For more on potions click hereScrolls
Scrolls are magical scriptures that hold the necessary magic to cast a particular spell without using your spell slots. The Price listed in the table is for a scroll with a common 1st-level spell. For more on scrolls, see page 564.
Talismans
A talisman is a special, single-use item you affix to your armor, a weapon, or elsewhere, allowing you to activate the talisman later for a special benefit. For more on talismans, see page 565.
For more on talismans click hereFORMULAS
Formulas are instructions for making items with the Craft activity. You can usually read a formula as long as you can read the language it’s written in, though you might lack the skill to Craft the item. Often, alchemists and crafting guilds use obscure languages or create codes to protect their formulas from rivals.
You can buy common formulas at the Price listed on Table 6–13, or you can hire an NPC to let you copy their formula for the same Price. A purchased formula is typically a schematic on rolled-up parchment of light Bulk. You can copy a formula into your formula book in 1 hour, either from a schematic or directly from someone else’s formula book. If you have a formula, you can Craft a copy of it using the Crafting skill. Formulas for uncommon items and rare items are usually significantly more valuable—if you can find them at all!
If you have an item, you can try to reverse-engineer its formula. This uses the Craft activity and takes the same amount of time as creating the item from a formula would. You must first disassemble the item. After the base downtime, you attempt a Crafting check against the same DC it would take to Craft the item. If you succeed, you Craft the formula at its full Price, and you can keep working to reduce the Price as normal. If you fail, you’re left with raw materials and no formula. If you critically fail, you also waste 10% of the raw materials you’d normally be able to salvage.
The item’s disassembled parts are worth half its Price in raw materials and can’t be reassembled unless you successfully reverse-engineer the formula or acquire the formula another way. Reassembling the item from the formula works just like Crafting it from scratch; you use the disassembled parts as the necessary raw materials.
Item Level | Formula Price |
0* | 5 sp |
1 | 1 gp |
2 | 2 gp |
3 | 3 gp |
4 | 5 gp |
5 | 8 gp |
6 | 13 gp |
7 | 18 gp |
8 | 25 gp |
9 | 35 gp |
10 | 50 gp |
11 | 70 gp |
12 | 100 gp |
13 | 150 gp |
14 | 225 gp |
15 | 325 gp |
16 | 500 gp |
17 | 750 gp |
18 | 1,200 gp |
19 | 2,000 gp |
20 | 3,500 gp |
*Formulas for all 0-level common items from this chapter can be purchased collectively in a basic crafter's book.
ITEMS WITH MULTIPLE TYPES
If an item has multiple types of different levels, each type has its own formula, and you need the formula for the specific type of item you want to Craft. For example, if you have a formula for a type I bag of holding but not for a type II bag of holding, you must acquire a separate formula to Craft a type II bag of holding.
SERVICES
The services listed on Table 6–14 describe expenditures for common services and consumables.
COST OF LIVING
Table 6–16 shows how much it costs to get by. This covers room and board, dues, taxes, and other fees.
Table: Cost of LivingStandard of Living | Week | Month | Year |
Subsistence* | 4 sp | 2 gp | 24 gp |
Comfortable | 1 gp | 4 gp | 52 gp |
Fine | 30 gp | 130 gp | 1,600 gp |
Extravagant | 100 gp | 430 gp | 5,200 gp |
*You can attempt to Subsist using Society or Survival for free.
ANIMALS
The Prices for animals are listed both for renting and for purchasing them outright. You usually need to pay for animal rentals up front, and if the vendor believes the animal might be put in danger, they typically require a deposit equal to the purchase Price. Most animals panic in battle. When combat begins, they become frightened 4 and fleeing as long as they’re frightened. If you successfully Command your Animal using Nature (page 249), you can keep it from fleeing, though this doesn’t remove its frightened condition. If the animal is attacked or damaged, it returns to frightened 4 and fleeing, with the same exceptions.
Warhorses and warponies are combat trained. They don’t become frightened or fleeing during encounters in this way.
Statistics for the animals appear in the Pathfinder Bestiary.
Barding
You can purchase special armor for animals, called barding (shown on Table 6–18). All animals have a trained proficiency rank in light barding, and combat-trained animals are trained in heavy barding. Barding uses the same rules as armor except for the following. The Price and Bulk of barding depend on the animal’s size. Unlike for a suit of armor, barding’s Strength entry is listed as a modifier, not a score. Barding can’t be etched with magic runes, though special magical barding might be available.
Size | Barding | Price | AC Bonus | Dex Cap | Check Penalty | Speed Penalty | Bulk | Strength |
Light | Small or Medium | 10 gp | +1 | +5 | -1 | -5 ft. | 2 | +3 |
Large | 20 gp | +1 | +5 | -1 | -5 ft. | 4 | +3 | |
Heavy | Small or Medium | 25 gp | +3 | +3 | -3 | -10 ft. | 4 | +5 |
Large | 50 gp | +3 | +3 | -3 | -10 ft. | 8 | +5 |
ITEMS AND SIZES
The Bulk rules in this chapter are for Small and Medium creatures, as the items are made for creatures of those sizes. Large creatures can carry more, and smaller creatures can carry less, as noted on Table 6–19.
These rules for Bulk limits come up most often when a group tries to load up a mount or animal companion. The rules for items of different sizes tend to come into play when the characters defeat a big creature that has gear, since in most cases, the only creatures of other sizes are creatures under the GM’s control. In most cases, Small or Medium creatures can wield a Large weapon, though it’s unwieldy, giving them the clumsy 1 condition, and the larger size is canceled by the difficulty of swinging the weapon, so it grants no special benefit. Large armor is simply too large for Small and Medium creatures.
Bulk Conversions for Different Sizes
As shown in Table 6–19, Large or larger creatures are less encumbered by bulky items than Small or Medium creatures, while Tiny creatures become overburdened more quickly. A Large creature treats 10 items of 1 Bulk as 1 Bulk, a Huge creature treats 10 items of 2 Bulk as 1 Bulk, and so on. A Tiny creature treats 10 items of negligible Bulk as 1 Bulk. Negligible items work in a similar way—a Huge creature treats items of 1 Bulk as negligible, so it can carry any number of items of 1 Bulk. A Tiny creature doesn’t treat any items as having negligible Bulk.
Table: Bulk ConversionsCreature Size | Bulk Limit | Treats as Light | Treats as Negligible |
Tiny | Half | - | none |
Small or Med. | Standard | L | - |
Large | x2 | 1 Bulk | L |
Huge | x4 | 2 Bulk | 1 Bulk |
Gargantuan | x8 | 4 Bulk | 2 Bulk |
Items of Different Sizes
Creatures of sizes other than Small or Medium need items appropriate to their size. These items have different Bulk and possibly a different Price. Table 6–20 provides the Price and Bulk conversion for such items.
For example, a morningstar sized for a Medium creature has a Price of 1 gp and 1 Bulk, so one made for a Huge creature has a Price of 4 gp and 4 Bulk. One made for a Tiny creature still costs 1 gp (due to its intricacy) and has 1/2 Bulk, which rounds down to light Bulk.
Because the way that a creature treats Bulk and the Bulk of gear sized for it scale the same way, Tiny or Large (or larger) creatures can usually wear and carry about the same amount of appropriately sized gear as a Medium creature.
Higher-level magic items that cost significantly more than 8 times the cost of a mundane item can use their listed Price regardless of size. Precious materials, however, have a Price based on the Bulk of the item, so multiply the Bulk value as described on Table 6–20, then use the formula in the precious material’s entry to determine the item’s Price. See page 578 for more information.
Table: Differently Sized ObjectsCreature Size | Price | Bulk | Light Becomes | Negligible Becomes |
Tiny | Standard | Half* | none | - |
Small or Med. | Standard | Standard | L | - |
Large | x2 | x2 | 1 Bulk | L |
Huge | x4 | x4 | 2 Bulk | 1 Bulk |
Gargantuan | x8 | x8 | 4 Bulk | 2 Bulk |
* An item that would have its Bulk reduced below 1 has light Bulk.