Pathfinder 1e PC Gear

Gearing up your PC

The assumptions made for this list are that presumed in the Pathfinder Core Rule book for standard wealth and item availability.

This is a list of gear that every Pathfinder PC should own eventually. The listing is order of value which is somewhat in order of purchase (i.e. cheaper items are easier to get than expensive ones for low level PCs). If it's under 500gp likely every PC should buy one.

The list is made with the idea that magic is not a wildly rare thing. Much like a specialized sport or activity specialized equipment is created (dice for RPGs?). Tailored for that group of persons. This gear may not be available in every small village in the game world. However, in midsized towns and up most of the gear, especially the cheaper stuff, should be available. ASK YOUR GM before purchasing any of the gear. They may not want it in the game.

Printed modules and Core Rule Book assumption about the levels at which PCs have access to certain powers. As a PC of any race/class you need to be thinking about this as you purchase items to will cover these areas.

(If your GM is throwing these types of things at you without giving access to items/spells either because of lack of money or lack of access the player may need to bring it to their attention)

PC Wealth by Level Chart - The Core Rule book makes assumptions about how much gold a PC should be earning. If the PC isn't earning that amount it will make item acquisition more difficult and slower. There isn't anything wrong with this idea just that it needs to be accounted for when adjusting the adventure encounter challenge levels.

0-100gp

Club - free: Core Rulebook - A cheap, easy to get, everyone-can-use backup weapon. When you come across an ooze that eats your primary weapon, you'll want it. People with high strength should carry several.

Sling - free: Core Rulebook - A cheap, easy to get, everyone-can-use ranged weapon. Even a melee fighter should have a ranged weapon at this price. Take several they are light and free!

Weapon Cord - 1sp: If you are disarmed or drop your weapon, it never moves farther away from you than an adjacent square and you can recover it as a swift action. The caveat is you cannot wield another weapon with the same hand the cord is tied to, and removing the cord is either a full-round action (untying) or move action (cutting). Great for archers who never want to be separated from their bows.

Spring-Loaded Wrist Sheath - 5gp: Adventurer's Armory - Retrieve any dagger, dart, wand, or equivalent-sized object (forearm length or so) as a swift action. Let me provide a simple example of why this is awesome. Your friend is 20 feet away and dying. You move to her, get out your wand, are out of actions, and she dies at your feet. With this wrist sheath, you move to her, produce your wand of cure light wounds with a swift flourish, and save her life.

Vermin Repellent - 5gp: It attempts to keep individual vermin away and swarms of vermin must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to enter your square. Not bad for a 4-hour buff.

Smoked Goggles - 10gp: Core Rulebook - You can avert your eyes (50% chance to avoid the gaze, 20% miss chance that round), or close them (immune to the gaze, but then everything gains total concealment from you, which kind of sucks). The answer: These cheap-as-dirt goggles grant you a +8 circumstance bonus on your saving throws vs. gaze, and all you suffer is a 20% miss chance (and a -4 on Perception checks—I know, a real deal breaker there if you're using these for combat).

Acid Flask (1 flask) - 10gp: Core Rulebook - Good cheap AOE. Useful against swarms at any level. You can throw a flask of acid as a splash weapon with a range increment of 10 feet.A direct hit deals 1d6 points of acid damage. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the acid hits takes 1 point of acid damage from the splash.

Alchemist's Fire (1 flask) - 20gp: Core Rulebook - Good cheap AOE. Useful against swarms at any level. You can throw a flask of alchemist's fire as a splash weapon with a range increment of 10 feet. A direct hit deals 1d6 points of fire damage. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the flask hits takes 1 point of fire damage from the splash. On the round following a direct hit, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage. If desired, the target can use a full-round action to attempt to extinguish the flames before taking this additional damage. Extinguishing the flames requires a DC 15 Reflex save. Rolling on the ground provides the target a +2 bonus on the save. Leaping into a lake or magically extinguishing the flames automatically smothers the fire.

Bladeguard - 40gp: Advanced Player's Guide - This clear resin protects a weapon from harmful attacks from oozes, rust monsters, and similar effects that corrode or melt weapons, rendering the weapon immune for 24 hours. One pot can coat one two-handed weapon, two one-handed or light weapons, or 50 ammunition items. Applying it takes 1 full round. Immersing the weapon in water or similar liquid washes it off. That's pretty useful for its cost.

Potion of Feather Step - 50gp: Advanced Player's Guide - For 10 minutes, you can ignore difficult terrain, and even take 5-foot steps in such an area, oh HADES YES! Seriously, have you got one of those wizards in your party? You know the type: crazy guy throwing around stone call, sleet storm, and other such "control" spells thinking he's awesome, when all he's really doing is making it impossible for you to move? This bottle is your answer (you can even throw the empty remains at the wizard afterward as a free action!). Smart wizards of the above type also keep a couple of these on hand.

Potion of Touch of Sea - 50gp: A 30-foot swim speed, +8 competence bonus on Swim checks, the ability to take 10 on Swim checks even when distracted or endangered, and even use the run action while swimming.

Air Crystals - 50gp: Pathfinder Society Field Guide - Activate by chewing in your mouth get 1 minute of breathing underwater. (note that you can't talk while chewing on these crystals).

Antiplague - 50gp: Getting diseased can be really bad. Use this if you know you're moving into an area where such might be likely. For an hour, you receive a +5 alchemical bonus on Fort saves against disease. Even better, if you're already diseased, this will let you make two saves (no +5 bonus though) and use the better result. Good thing to have.

Potion of Negate Aroma - 50gp: For the sneaky types that are sick and tired of being given away by scent, one hit off this potion and you've got 1 hour of scentless scouting as long as you don't get doused in a new, smelly substance.

Weapon Blanch - 5gp-100gp: Advanced Players Guide - When poured on a weapon and placed over a hot flame for a full round, they melt and form a temporary coating on the weapon. The blanching gives the weapon the ability to bypass one kind of material-based damage reduction, such as adamantine, cold iron, or silver. The blanching remains effective until the weapon makes a successful attack. Each dose of blanching can coat one weapon or up to 10 pieces of ammunition. Only one kind of weapon blanch can be on a weapon at one time, though a weapon made of one special material (such as adamantine) can have a different material blanch (such as silver), and counts as both materials for the first successful hit.

Backpack, Masterwork - 50gp: Core Rulebook - This backpack has numerous pockets for storing various items that might be needed while adventuring. Hooks are included for attaching items such as canteens, pouches, or even a rolled-up blanket. It has padded bands that strap across the chest and the waist to distribute its weight more evenly. Like a common backpack, it can hold about 2 cubic feet of material in its main container. When wearing a masterwork backpack, treat your Strength score as +1 higher than normal when calculating your carrying capacity.

Any 1st level spell as a potion - 50gp: varied - Nearly any 1st level spell as a potion.

101-200gp

2nd Level Divine Scrolls - 150gp:

Scroll of Calm Emotions - 150gp: Super useful in many situations. When it looks like a TPK is coming lay one of these down grab your downed buddies and run for it!

Soul Soap – 200gp: Allows for another saving throw against any hostile mind-affecting effect.It takes a minute to wash someone, and if your fighter is dominated you’ll need to hold him still while you get him sudsy, but this is a great way to contend with a huge variety of ongoing nastiness. Many long-duration stat drains or paralysis effects are mind-affecting; 200 gp is a low cost to help with those. Try to buff their relevant saves before scrubbing them down to help it work.

Skill Elixirs – 250gp: 1 hour duration +10 competence bonuses to Stealth, Perception, Intimidate, Acrobatics, or Swim. Sometimes a mission just doesn’t care about your Armor Check penalty, your dumped stat, or how few skill ranks you get each level. You are told you need to sneak past these guards, swim across the river, cross the tiny beam, or scare the corrupt civil official. This makes anyone at least passably competent at these skills. Swim in particular can save lives.

Silversheen – 250gp; 1 hour duration alchemical silver weapon blanch. Unlike normal weapon blanches that wear off after a single hit, this stuff lasts a full hour. This is handy when you’re up against devils or werewolves, so pick some up if you know you’ll be seeing some. Keep in mind that non-bludgeoning weapons will get a -1 damage penalty while this is applied. Still, getting through that DR 10/silver is worth it.

300gp+

Escape Dust – 300gp: Pocket sand that gives a -1 penalty to Hit and Perception, and disallows immediate actions or AoOs from the target for 1 round. This stuff can be truly life-saving. There have been many times that I’ve been reduced to very little health by something I can’t run away from without provoking an AoO. With this I can deny them shenanigans for a round and GTFO while my teammates surround the baddie without caring about Combat Reflexes. You do need to succeed a touch attack, but that shouldn’t be too hard most of the time.

Origami Swarm – 300gp: Makes a “rat swarm” for five rounds. It won’t attack you, but your teammates should avoid it. Swarms are one of the most annoying enemy types there are, and occasionally your party won’t have any good way of contending with them. These can be used to ‘counter-swarm’, a five round distraction your party can use to get out of dodge.

Potion of Spider Climb - 300gp: The poor mans fly spell, but cheap and usually effective.

The subject can climb and travel on vertical surfaces or even traverse ceilings as well as a spider does. The affected creature must have its hands free to climb in this manner. The subject gains a climb speed of 20 feet and a +8 racial bonus on Climb skill checks; furthermore, it need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). A spider climbing creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.

Potion of Blur - 300gp: Gain a miss chance of 20%, but there are a couple nice bonuses during its 3-minute duration. First, since you gain concealment, most precision-based damage, such as from sneak attacks, won't work on you unless the user has some pretty special feats. Second, if you like to be stealthy, then here is your bottle of "hide in plain sight," since this grants you that necessary concealment you need to hide.

Oil of Align Weapon - 300gp: Your go-to spell when you need a weapon to bypass DR of the evil/good/lawful/chaotic types. Three minutes per use.

Any 2nd level spell as a potion - 300gp: varied - Nearly any 2nd level spell as a potion.

500gp+

Dweomer’s Essence – 500gp: Used as additional spell component to grant +5 to overcome SR. Sometimes you really, REALLY need a spell to hit someone. Sometimes, they have very high SR. Maybe you don’t have a Piercing Rod (you really should, though), maybe you didn’t have the feat slots for Spell Penetration. Whatever. This thing will dramatically increase your odds of putting that Round 1 debuff on a BBEG.

Wayfinder - 500gp+: Seeker of Secrets and additional materials - A slotless item! A small magical device patterned off ancient relics of a long lost civilization, a wayfinder is typically made from silver and bears gold accents. With a command word, you can use a wayfinder to shine (as the light spell). The wayfinder also acts as a nonmagical (magnetic) compass, granting you a +2 circumstance bonus on Survival checks to avoid becoming lost. All wayfinders include a small indentation designed to hold a single ioun stone. An ioun stone slotted in this manner grants you its normal benefits (as if it were orbiting your head), but frequently reveals entirely new powers due to the magic of the wayfinder itself. There are variant Wayfinders that will cast Detect Magic at-will instead of light allowing any PC with a rank in the Spellcraft skill to try and identify magic items!

750gp+

Book of Extended Summoning (Lesser) - 750gp: The user may apply the Extend Spell feat to these spells as they are cast. This does not change the spell slot of the altered spell. The book counts as a metamagic rod for the purpose of combining multiple metamagic effects on a spell. A lesser book can be used with spells of 3rd level or lower. Each book is keyed to a particular alignment (equal chances of chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) and only works when used to summon a creature with that alignment. Once the book is used, it crumbles into cold ash and is destroyed.

Snapleaf – 750gp: Activate as an immediate for 5 rounds of feather fall and 5 minutes of invisibility. This is another clutch life-saver. If you suddenly find yourself falling 200 feet, the leaf can be snapped as an immediate to prevent the whole…dying…thing. You also become invisible for five minutes, so that’s pretty great. In fact, potions of these two spells would be 350 gp total, except this bad boy is CL 5 and activates both spells as an immediate.

Potion of Fly - 750gp: Core Rulebook - Duh, you get to fly (per the spell).

Wand of Cure Light Wounds - 750gp: Useable by Neutral and Good casters (or UMD). Has 50 charges of Cure Light Wounds at 1st level. Each charge heals 1d8+1hp. All melee types should have one of these. That way they don't drain the healers when they need healing.

Wand of Infernal Healing - 750gp: Useable by Neutral and Evil casters (or UMD). Has 50 charges of Infernal Healing at 1st level. Each charge gives fast healing 1. This ability cannot repair damage caused by silver weapons, good-aligned weapons, or spells or effects with the good descriptor. The target detects as an evil creature for the duration of the spell and can sense the evil of the magic, though this has no long-term effect on the target’s alignment. All melee types should have one of these. That way they don't drain the healers when they need healing.

Any 3rd level spell as a potion - 750gp: varied - Nearly any 3rd level spell as a potion.

900gp+

Bottled Scream – 900gp: Destroys silence effects, forces concentration checks, and ends bardic performances.Some may ready attacks against casters, or interrupt summons with these. I suppose ending a performance could on occasion be useful. Personally though, I’ve on occasion needed to cast but been silenced. This is a wonderful way to eliminate that concern.

Elixir of Forceful Exhalation – 900gp: +4 to jump or swim for an hour, or up to three 15 foot length gust of wind breath attacks. As mentioned previously, swarms can be annoying. One of their Achilles’ heels happens to be the gust of wind spell. Tiny and small creatures (which comprise swarms) are knocked prone and blasted back 1d4x10 feet. For every 10 feet so moved, they take 1d4 damage. This can be great battlefield control when dealing with creepy crawlies.

1,000gp+

Spell Lattice - 1,000gp: This spell is chosen when the item is created (the contained spell determines the school of the lattice’s aura). When wielded by a spontaneous spellcaster who has the spell contained within it on her class spell list, she can use her spell slots to cast that spell as if it were one of her spells known. When an arcanist holds a spell lattice, as long as she has the contained spell on her class spell list, she can use her spell slots to cast that spell as if it were one of her spells currently prepared. (See link for details)

Page of Spell Knowledge - 1000gp: Page contains the knowledge of a single arcane or divine spell (chosen by the creator when the item is crafted). If the bearer is a spontaneous spellcaster and has that spell on her class spell list, she may use her spell slots to cast that spell as if it were one of her spells known. (See link for details)

Elixir of Spirit Sight – 1000gp: 1 minute duration see invisibility and your weapons AND armor gain ghost touch. This is another situational life-saver to have on hand. Incorporeal enemies are uncommon in most campaigns (including Society play) but they do come up, and are really tough to deal with. Many have invisibility abilities, and all take half damage from any non ghost-touch weapons (no damage if mundane). They also hit to your touch AC without ghost-touch armor, so this item is as defensively as offensively useful.

Pathfinder's Pouch - 1,000gp: Seekers of Secrets - Functions as a small bag of holding, allowing one to store up to 10 pounds of items within its 2-cubic-feet limit. Why is it special? Because detect magic ain't got nothing on this pro—thus, a Pathfinder can keep important or dangerous items safe in its confines with little worry from guards, customs, and random searches. Even if the pouch is opened and turned upside down with a shake, as long as the proper command word remains unspoken, nothing in the extradimensional space will fall out.

Cloak of Resistance +1 - 1,000gp: Core Rulebook - magic protection in the form of a +1 resistance bonus on all saving throws (Fortitude, Reflex, and Will).

Pearl of Power 1st level - 1,000gp: Core Rulebook - Once per day on command, a pearl of power enables the possessor to recall any one spell that she had prepared and then cast that day.

Enchant Armor or Shield - 1,000gp+: Core Rulebook - Add 1,000gp and the cost of a masterwork armor or shield and now it's a +1 armor or shield.

1,500gp+

Ring of Spell Knowledge I - 1,500gp: Useful only to spontaneous arcane spellcasters.

Through study, the wearer can gain the knowledge of a single spell in addition to those allotted by her class and level. A ring of spell knowledge I can hold 1st-level spells only.

A ring of spell knowledge is only a storage space; the wearer must still encounter a written, active, or cast version of the spell and succeed at a DC 20 Spellcraft check to teach the spell to the ring. Thereafter, the arcane spellcaster may cast the spell as though she knew the spell and it appeared on her class’ spell list. Arcane spells that do not appear on the wearer’s class list are treated as one level higher for all purposes (storage and casting). (See link for details).

2,000gp+

Handy Haversack - 2,000gp: Core Rulebook - It has two side pouches, each of which appears large enough to hold about a quart of material. In fact, each is like a bag of holding and can actually hold material of as much as 2 cubic feet in volume or 20 pounds in weight. The large central portion of the pack can contain up to 8 cubic feet or 80 pounds of material. Even when so filled, the backpack always weighs only 5 pounds.While such storage is useful enough, the pack has an even greater power. When the wearer reaches into it for a specific item, that item is always on top. Thus, no digging around and fumbling is ever necessary to find what a haversack contains. Retrieving any specific item from a haversack is a move action, but it does not provoke the attacks of opportunity that retrieving a stored item usually does.

Ring of Feather Falling - 2,200gp: Core Rulebook - It acts exactly like a feather fall spell, activated immediately if the wearer falls more than 5 feet.

Enchant a weapon - 2,000gp+: Core Rulebook - Add 2,000gp and the cost of a masterwork weapon and now it's a +1 weapon.

2,500gp+

Golembane Scarab - 2,500gp: Core Rulebook - A neck slot that detects golems (not ALL constructs) within 60 feet and ignores their DR with weapon, unarmed, or natural attacks.

3,000gp+

Swarmbane Clasp - 3,000gp: Core Rulebook - The wearer's weapons, unarmed attacks, and natural attacks deal full damage to swarms, regardless of the swarm's immunity to weapon damage (if any, although damage reduction applies as normal). If the wearer is damaged by a swarm, she automatically succeeds on her saving throw against the swarm's distraction ability.

4,000gp+

Ioun Stones - 4000gp+: Core Rulebook and additional material - Crystalline stones always float in the air and must be within 3 feet of their owner to be of any use. They have many and varied powers!

Belt of (STR or DEX or CON) +2 - 4,000gp: - Core Rulebook - The belt grants the wearer an enhancement bonus to stat of +2. Treat this as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the belt is worn.

Headband of (INT or WIS or CHR) +2 - 4,000gp: Core Rulebook - The headband grants the wearer an enhancement bonus to stat of +2. Treat this as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the headband is worn.

4,500gp+

Wand of Lesser Restoration - 4,500gp: Core Rulebook - 50 charges of Lesser Restoration.

5,500gp+

Boots of Striding and Springing - 5,500gp: Core Rulebook - These boots increase the wearer's base land speed by 10 feet. In addition to this striding ability (considered an enhancement bonus), these boots allow the wearer to make great leaps. She can jump with a +5 competence bonus on Acrobatics checks.

6,000gp+

Boots of Speed - 6,000gp - Core Rulebook - As a free action, the wearer can click her heels together, letting her act as though affected by a haste spell for up to 10 rounds each day. The hasteeffect's duration need not be consecutive rounds.

Pre-made packages of gear for PCs

Basic premise is the PC will purchase Pack A when they earn enough money and will upgrade as more money allows.

Starting gear - for new PCs the have the STR to carry the weight.

2 - Club - 0gp - 6 lbs.

1 - Sling - 0gp - 0 lbs.

Starting gear that the "strong PC" will need to carry. Not necessarily purchase!

1 - Silk Rope - 10gp - 5 lbs.

1 - Grappling Hook - 1gp - 2 lbs.

1 - Crowbar - 2gp - 5 lbs.

Pack A - Total Cost: 381gp - Total Weight: 2 lbs. - Level 1-2 PCs - For a PC hot off of their first adventure and wants to buy some "good equipment" not just swords and armor. For caster types drop the Weapon Cords and you are good to go.

10 - Weapon Cord - 1gp - 0 lbs.

2 - Spring-Loaded Wrist Sheath - 10gp - 2 lbs.

2 - Potion of Cure Light Wounds - 150gp - 0 lbs.

2 - Air Crystals - 100gp - 0 lbs.

4 - Acid Flask - 40gp - 0lbs.

2 - Bladeguard - 80gp - 0lbs.