Mar 20

Mar 20 Equipment Packs - The Spellcaster Pack

Instead of copying a large majority of the same items for the Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard, I decided to combine the three into one pack. The spellcaster pack has some items that that may only be relevant to one of the classes, but I’m sure you can find a use for the ink and parchment even though you are playing a Sorcerer.

The spellcaster pack base begins with the scholar’s pack and grows from there. The scholar’s pack is the smallest pack In terms of items you receive. With the advent of the component pouch, there is a great deal less for our spellcasters to carry around. The pouch did not always exist, and a cruel DM would make a wizard keep track of all their components, preventing them from casting a spell if they didn’t have that twig of mistletoe. These were the same DMs that kept track of how many arrows were used so that in the middle of battle they could tell you that just fired your last arrow. But I digress….

As with the last few packs, I’m going to keep the post short, and only discuss the specialty equipment. I won’t go into some of these items, but you can find their description, cost, and weight in both the GM Binder and PDF files found below. There are also new items that provide the user with minor bonuses when used. These items aren’t cheap, but the benefits will outweigh the upfront costs.

Spellcaster pack
Gm Binder

Spellcaster Pack
pdf format

For those that are tired and want to cut to get to the good stuff.
For best results in GM Binder, use a Chrome Browser.

Backpack (2 gp) When I started this series, I spoke about how few of the classes needed a backpack. Well, here we at the tail end and the last two class equipment packs both included a backpack! Books are bulky and heavy, so it’s nice to have something to carry them around in.
Bottles of Ink (20 gp) A specialized set of ink containing 4 bottles. The first is a simple black ink, but the remaining three all have a little something extra to them.
Quickling Blood Ink has a tiny bit of Quickling blood in it, which allows the writer to scribe a scroll much faster than normal. It now takes 1/2 the regular time to complete.
Will-o'-Wisp Essence is ink has been infused with the essence of a single Will-o'-Wisp. Writing in this ink is like using the invisible ink we all used as a kid. To see it, you need to give the ink some of your life force, so a drop or two of blood should do the trick.
Umber Hulk Tears Ink. Do umber hulks cry? For the sake of this, I am going to go ahead and say yes. When you write with this ink, the words on the paper look like the scribbling of a confused madman. It can be deciphered using the Comprehend Languages spell.
Fine Ink Quill (1 gp). Special ink needs a special quill. So here it is.
Journeybread (10 gp) A specially designed biscuit that fills the stomach and provides all necessary nutrients with only a few small bites, so you can carry food for a long journey without weighing yourself down. I stole the idea from the 4th edition, who stole it from LotR. You get two.
Magnifying Glass (25 gp) I argued about the ridiculous cost of a lens in the ranger pack post. Long story short, in the D&D universe, a lens is a technological miracle. I don’t subscribe to that idea, so the magnifying glass only cost 25 gp here versus the 100 gp listed in the PHB. It’s not a large item, but one that can fit in your hand easily, maybe 6 to 8 inches tops. Even at that size, it grants advantage on any ability check made to appraise or inspect an item that is small or highly detailed.
Scholarly Journal (20 gp) A small leather-bound book that provides you with knowledge on a topic the DM chooses. It’s a fun bit of color and could come in handy at some point in the campaign. A creative DM may even give you a journal that you need for the first quest you are on and without it, you’d meet your doom!

So there is the new Spellcaster Pack. A couple of nice little bonuses and some fun new items for our practitioners of the arcane arts to have fun with. Life can’t always be about casting spells, so this pack gives them the tools to write fancy letters, eat without having to carry rations around and burn ants when the sun is shining bright. As always, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Here are the links to each of the equipment pack articles by class. Once there you can find the pack information in both PDF format and on GM Binder.

Barbarian Pack v1.0 Bard Pack v1.0 Cleric Pack v1.0 Druid Pack v1.0 Fighter Pack v1.0 Monk Pack v1.0 Paladin Pack v1.0 Ranger Pack v1.0 Rogue Pack v1.0