Lesson 21

What Gear Do I Have, and How Do I Use It in the Game?

A Proper Dungeon-Crawler’s Guide to Equipment (For Adventurers Who Packed 50 Feet of Rope and Still Forgot a Torch)

Every D&D campaign eventually reaches that moment.

The party is deep inside a dungeon.
The hallway is dark.
A suspicious pit stretches across the corridor.
Something is growling in the distance.

And someone at the table suddenly asks:

“Wait… does anyone have rope?”

Then begins the frantic inventory search.

The wizard has 14 books, 3 mysterious rocks, and a dead spider.
The barbarian has an axe and vibes.
The rogue has exactly what’s needed but refuses to admit it.
And the cleric packed 40 candles for reasons no one understands.

Welcome to gear in Dungeons & Dragons, one of the most underrated tools in the entire game.

Because sometimes the difference between a heroic victory and falling into a spike pit is simply remembering you brought a crowbar.

Let’s break it down.

1. What Is Gear in D&D?

Gear (or equipment) is everything your character carries.

This includes:

  • Weapons

  • Armor

  • Adventuring tools

  • Survival items

  • Magical objects

  • Random nonsense your character refuses to throw away

Gear helps your character fight, survive, explore, and solve problems.

Think of it as your portable solution kit for terrible situations.

2. Your Starting Equipment

When you create a character, your class usually gives you starting gear.

For example:

A fighter might start with:

  • Chain mail

  • A shield

  • A martial weapon

  • A crossbow

  • An explorer’s pack

A wizard might begin with:

  • A spellbook

  • A component pouch

  • A dagger

  • A scholar’s pack

These items represent what your character already owns before the adventure begins.

Later in the campaign you’ll acquire more gear through:

  • Loot

  • Treasure

  • Shops

  • Quests

  • “Borrowing” things permanently

3. The Four Main Types of Gear

Most equipment falls into four categories.

1. Weapons

Weapons are how you deal damage.

Examples include:

  • Swords

  • Axes

  • Bows

  • Daggers

  • Spears

  • Hammers

Each weapon has stats like:

  • Damage dice

  • Range

  • Special properties

Example:

A longsword deals:

1d8 slashing damage

Or 1d10 if used with two hands.

Some weapons are simple, others require martial training.

And yes, the rogue absolutely will throw a dagger at something eventually.

2. Armor

Armor protects you from attacks.

It increases your Armor Class (AC), which determines how hard you are to hit.

Common armor types:

Type Example Who Uses It
Light Leather armor Rogues, rangers
Medium Scale mail Clerics, fighters
Heavy Plate armor Paladins, fighters

Higher AC means enemies must roll higher to hit you.

Which is why heavily armored paladins can sometimes walk through battles like holy refrigerators of justice.

3. Adventuring Gear

This is the stuff that saves your life outside combat.

Classic dungeon-crawling gear includes:

  • Rope

  • Torches

  • Rations

  • Bedrolls

  • Grappling hooks

  • Crowbars

  • Pitons

  • Waterskins

These items help with:

  • Climbing

  • Exploring

  • Surviving travel

  • Solving environmental problems

Veteran players know this truth:

The rope is often more useful than the sword.

4. Magic Items

Later in the campaign you’ll find magical gear.

These items might:

  • Increase your stats

  • Grant new abilities

  • Cast spells

  • Provide special powers

Examples include:

  • Bag of Holding – a bag with near-infinite storage

  • Cloak of Elvenkind – enhances stealth

  • Sword of Sharpness – cuts things extremely well

Magic items are often rare, powerful, and sometimes cursed.

Which is why touching random glowing artifacts in dungeons is both exciting and extremely irresponsible.

4. How You Actually Use Gear

Having gear is one thing.

Using it properly is another.

Here’s how equipment works in gameplay.

Using Weapons

To attack with a weapon:

  1. Roll a d20.

  2. Add your attack modifier.

  3. If the result meets or beats the enemy’s Armor Class, you hit.

  4. Roll damage.

Example:

Attack roll:
d20 + Strength modifier + proficiency.

Damage roll:
weapon damage dice + Strength modifier.

Simple.

Violent.

Effective.

Using Armor

Armor usually works passively.

Once you equip it, it increases your Armor Class.

Example:

Chain mail:

AC 16

With a shield:

AC 18

Meaning enemies must roll 18 or higher to hit.

That’s a big difference.

Using Tools and Items

Many tools allow special actions.

Examples:

Crowbar → advantage on forcing things open
Thieves’ tools → pick locks or disable traps
Rope → climb, tie, rescue, trap enemies

Creative players often turn basic gear into legendary solutions.

The rogue uses rope to cross a gap.
The wizard uses rope to tie a monster.
The barbarian uses rope to swing across the room yelling dramatically.

Same item.

Three very different vibes.

5. Carrying Gear (Encumbrance)

Technically, characters have a carrying limit.

The usual rule:

Strength score × 15 = carrying capacity (in pounds).

Example:

Strength 12 character:

12 × 15 = 180 pounds

However, many groups ignore strict weight rules unless things get ridiculous.

Like when someone tries to carry:

  • 11 swords

  • 200 gold bars

  • a statue

  • and a dragon egg

At that point the DM may intervene.

6. Packs: The Adventurer Starter Kits

Many characters begin with equipment packs.

These include useful items for travel and exploration.

Examples:

Explorer’s Pack:

  • Backpack

  • Bedroll

  • Mess kit

  • Tinderbox

  • Torches

  • Rations

  • Waterskin

  • Rope

Dungeoneer’s Pack:

  • Hammer

  • Pitons

  • Torches

  • Rations

  • Rope

Basically everything needed to survive terrible decisions.

7. The Secret Power of Gear: Creativity

The most experienced players know this:

Gear isn’t just about stats.

It’s about improvisation.

Players have used equipment to:

  • Jam doors shut

  • Build traps

  • Create distractions

  • Escape monsters

  • Solve puzzles

  • Rescue allies

  • Block tunnels

Sometimes the best solution isn’t a spell.

It’s a shovel and a questionable plan.

Final Wisdom from Veteran Adventurers

Every experienced dungeon crawler eventually learns three important truths:

  1. Always carry rope.

  2. Always carry torches.

  3. Always check your inventory before the dragon fight.

Because when things go wrong in a dungeon — and they always do — the hero who survives is usually the one who says:

“Wait… I think I have something for this.”

And then pulls exactly the right item out of their backpack.