As part of my continued effort to make 5e’s starting equipment packs more interesting, today I present the Explorer’s Pack!

You can find the other packs in this series here.

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The Pack Itself

The explorer’s pack is a sturdy canvas backpack treated with wax to resist the elements. It carries a large number of external pockets fastened with heavy leather straps, and another pair of heavy straps over the main top flap to hold a bedroll in place. The top flap is made of a large piece of tarp that folds up to sit on top of the pack. When unfolded it opens to a large sheet 6 feet long and 4 feet wide, which can be tied off to a tree or overhang as a makeshift shelter, with the weight of the pack holding it down where the tarp joins it.

Inside The Pack

As well as the basics – a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, torches, rations, a waterskin, and 50 feet of hempen rope – the explorer’s pack contains the following items:

1. An assortment of short pieces of rope fashioned into loops to act as slings when climbing. Useful for tying off to rocks to run rope through, anchoring yourself, or for tying directly around lengths of rope to make ascent easier.
2. A rolled piece of thick canvas tied with narrow strips of leather. When unfurled it has a number of compartments sewn into it to hold cartographer’s supplies – calipers, a pair of compasses, slim vials of ink, a narrow quill, and a ruler. A wax-lined pocket sewn into the lining holds sheets of parchment.
3. A hollow wooden pole segmented into increasingly narrow sections so that they can be pushed down into each other. It is only a foot long when collapsed but extends up to ten feet. It comes with a set of different tips that can be screwed on or off – a sharp point, a small brass hook, a miniature saw blade, and a heavy brass ball.
4. A small belt pouch stained with ink made from bioluminescent plankton, so that it glows a dull greenish-yellow in low light. It contains essential items for exploring cave networks and other labyrinthine environments – lengths of different coloured string, a selection of coloured chalks, plus a lodestone and set of needles pushed through pieces of cork, used to make an impromptu compass.
5. A thick pocket-sized notebook filled with your notes and sketches. It is string-tied and bound in mulberry bark.
6. A strange insect encased in amber. It has a long armored thorax with multiple legs, and appears to have a head at both ends. The amber has been seated in a brass housing and hangs from a slim chain necklace.

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Image Credit: Explorers cutting up whales.. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

As part of my continued effort to make 5e’s starting equipment packs more interesting, today I present the Entertainer’s Pack!

The Diplomat’s Pack is an interesting one, because RAW it contains a chest – which you obviously aren’t going to be carrying with you. So for this one, I split it into two and wrote trinkets for the chest and for a smaller pack that you carry with you.

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The Pack Itself

The diplomat’s pack comprises a sturdy travelling chest sealed with a number of heavy locks, and a small leather briefcase. Both are of high quality materials and emblazoned with the coat of arms of the country or ruler you serve.

Inside The Chest

The chest contains the most valuable things you bring with you, and is generally left under lock and key in a safe place – an embassy, your rooms in a royal palace, etc. As well as the expected items – two cases for maps and scrolls, fine clothes, extra bottles of ink and sheets of paper, perfumes, a lamp and oil, etc. – it also contains the following items:

1. A portfolio case containing generic “boilerplate” documents to use as templates when agreeing new treaties and agreements. 
2. A heavy ledger sealed with a padlock. This contains minutes of meetings and conversations you have had with rulers and leaders during your travels. The information contained in it could be very damaging if it fell into the wrong hands.
3. A slim, flat case that is hidden inside a concealed compartment in the base of the chest. It contains documents with details of the information networks your employers have in place in the locations you are tasked to travel to – aliases and locations of informants, details of dead drops, and the like. It is written in a cipher you know how to decode.
4. A pair of sandalwood boxes, finely crafted and inlaid with ivory with a red felt lining inside. These are used to present small gifts to rulers who you are meeting with, though the gifts themselves are left up to you to source.
5. A thick, finely-crafted chain. One end has a strong manacle for your wrist, and the other can be fastened securely to your briefcase. 
6. A long velvet cape embroidered with the coat of arms of the ruler you serve. This is purely ceremonial, worn when you are representing your country at large events.

Inside The Case

The briefcase contains your day-to-day items – a bottle of ink, an ink pen, a small vial of perfume, sealing wax and a seal, and fine soap – along with the following items:

1. A letter written on heavy parchment and treated with wax to protect it against wear. It serves as both a letter of introduction and proof of your position, and is signed with the official seal of the ruler you serve.
2. A slim scroll tube. The lid locks with an intricate twisting mechanism that only you know how to release. You use it to hold vital documents as you go about your daily business.
3. A letter-sized piece of slate mounted in a silver frame, with a piece of chalk mounted on a silver handle attached to it by a chain. This is magically twinned with an identical slate kept by the people you report to. Anything written on either slate appears instantly on its twin. 
4. A quill pen made from the tail feather of a bird native to your home lands. It is deep purple, streaked with mustard and iridescent silver.
5. A pocket-sized leatherbound book that contains facsimiles of various official seals of the lands you are tasked to travel to, annotated with information about how to detect forgeries.
6. A felt pouch containing 15gp worth of coin in various denominations and currencies. A small inner pocket contains a handful of coins that you find interesting or attractive and that you have kept aside so that you don’t spend them.

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If you would like more trinkets, check out my work on the DMs Guild.

Image Credit: Saint Wilfred (Wilfrid, Wilfrith) the Younger (of York): he petitions King Cædwalla of Wessex to grant him land, at Selsey, which is granted. Engraving by T. King, 1807. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The Pack Itself

The dungeoneer’s pack is a sturdy canvas backpack coated with wax on the outside and lined with thick fur on the inside. A series of hook-and-eye fasteners inside the pack can be undone to allow the whole bag to unfold and open up into a makeshift blanket. Thick leather loops attached to the outside of the pack make it easy to hang tools like hammers and crowbars from it, and also mean it can be hung from wall mountings to keep it out of reach of scavengers overnight.

Inside The Pack

In addition to the essentials for any delve into the deep places – a crowbar, a hammer and pitons, rope, torches, and the like – the dungeoneer’s kit contains the following:

1. A ten-foot-long wooden pole divided into ten sections that each fit inside one another, allowing it to be collapsed down to a foot in length with a simple twist. 
2. A leather pouch with a wide mouth that closes with a sturdy leather drawstring. It contains a block of chalk, useful for marking your route or for chalking up your hands for extra grip.
3. A leather strap that looks like a small belt, complete with sturdy brass buckle. A small mirror is mounted on it, with a spike to hold a short candle in front of it. The whole contraption can be mounted on your head to act as a quick and easy headlamp, leaving your hands free to explore.
4. Tapered wooden blocks used for jamming beneath doors, either to prevent them closing or to keep them open behind you..
5. A block of soap wrapped in waxed cloth. Not just for hygiene, this is lighter and easier to carry than oil and can be used as a lubricant in a pinch.
6. A small portfolio case treated with wax to protect it from moisture, used for safely storing maps, notes, fragments of parchment, and the like that may prove valuable in your explorations.

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Image Credit: Geology: two soldiers being shown the interior of Poca Roca Cave. Coloured aquatint, 1801.. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The Pack Itself

The scholar’s pack is a compact satchel made of sturdy green leather stitched with heavy gold thread. Brass buckles hold the main flap tight to the body, and a leather handle makes for easy carrying. A detachable shoulder strap can be stored in the pocket on the front of the main flap, while a larger external back pocket makes for easy access to sheets of parchment or a slim volume.

Inside The Pack

Alongside the more common scholar’s materials like bottles of ink, an ink pen or quill, sheets of parchment, a bag of sand, and the like, the scholar’s pack contains the following:

1. Sticks of sealing wax in a variety of colours, wrapped in a supple sheet of waxed cotton and kept in an inner pocket alongside a signet ring engraved in intaglio with the scholar’s seal or monogram.
2. A pocket-sized notebook tied shut with worn leather cord, filled with lists of books and manuscripts that you have sought out or intend to read. Those that you have found have been crossed out, but the uncrossed list is much, much longer than the completed entries.
3. A collection of feathers from different birds – mainly goose, swan, and turkey – wrapped in cloth alongside a small knife to sharpen the ends for writing.
4. A flyer torn from a notice board, advertising a display of rare manuscripts at a library in a city you passed through recently. The date of the exhibit is coming up soon.
5. A small brass whistle on a chain, used for alerting people to dangers when working in the deepest, oldest part of the stacks in the library where you trained.
6. A narrow scroll case made of lacquered wood and engraved with the name of the university you studied at. It contains your certificates of merit and letters of recommendation from your tutors.

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Image Credit: A scholar-alchemist pores over a book, searching for. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The Pack Itself

The priest’s bag is a large backpack made of simple leather, uncoloured and relatively unadorned. The backpack has thick, cushioned shoulder straps and a padded belt that sits on the hips and fastens at the front of the waist to aid in weight distribution – a must-have for a travelling priest set on spreading the good word. Straps on the bottom of the backpack give external space to carry a rolled up tent and bedroll.

Inside The Pack

Alongside the day-to-day items of a travelling priest – a blanket, candles, a tinderbox, an alms box, incense, and vestements – the pack also contains the following:

1. A leatherbound Book of Common Prayer, containing prayers and rituals common to all of the major faiths in the region.
2. A small vial of water from a revered place of pilgrimage. It is not magical Holy Water, but still sacred to you.
3. A set of prayer beads carved from dark wood and painted in swirls of red, green, and purple. They are strung on a simple cotton thread with a silver clasp so that they can be worn as a necklace.
4. A small journal or diary containing your reflections on bits of scripture, the nature of your faith, and your quest for truth. This may be written in a code known only to you. Reading it would reveal facts about you that you may not wish known.
5. A plain wooden box that contains the contents of a simple shrine or altar – a silk sheet, small candles, a statue or idol, and herbs and incense for burning.
6. A glass jar containing a thick, clear substance with the consistency of wax or jelly. It smells faintly of incense and spiced oils and is used to anoint the skin during certain rituals and sacraments.

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Image Credit: A priest pronouncing a benediction on a dead child. Lithograph. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The Pouch Itself

The component pouch is a small bag made of worn, faded red leather, lined on the inside with blue felt. Supple leather drawstrings pull the mouth shut and are long enough to loop around a belt to ease carrying.

The inside of the pouch is divided into one large compartment and two smaller ones. There are three slim pockets in the lining of the larger compartment to hold longer items like sprigs of wood or sticks of graphite.

The pouch always has a vague smell of must and patchouli, along with the combined smells of whatever is currently being stored inside it.

Inside The Pouch

Alongside more common spell components like guano, chalk, iron filings, charcoal, and the like, the pouch contains the following:

1. Seven dead beetles, preserved and painted in a variety of shimmering colours – cerulean, umber, dragon’s blood, cadmium yellow, emerald, violet, ultramarine.
2. An ivory sculpture of a rotund humanoid with short, stubby limbs. The bloated stomach is painted with a single red eye.
3. A set of 23 brass buttons of various sizes, looped together with purple thread and wrapped in a silk pocket square.
4. A slender glass cylinder, 4 inches long and the width of a pinky fingernail, encasing a single strand of gold thread. It shimmers in light like oil on water.
5. A handful of smooth stone pebbles, each about the size of a silver piece, wrapped together in strong made from dried and wound seaweed. 
6. A stoppered wooden vial containing pink glass that has been ground into fine dust.

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Image Credit: Police raid a lodging house at night and arrest a convicted thief. Coloured etching by G. Cruikshank, 1848, after himself. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The Pack Itself

The burglar’s pack is a slim, low-profile backpack made of green canvas so dark that it is almost black, designed to sit tight against the wearer’s back. Several hooks and slim sleeves attached to the outside of the pack allow quick access to essential items, while multiple external pockets allow other necessary tools to be kept close to hand wiithout needing to access the deep main pocket.

Inside The Pack

As well as the staples – a bag of ball bearings, string, candles, a crowbar and hammer, pitons, a hooded lantern with oil, and the like – the burglar’s pack contains the following:

1. A set of common keys, along with picks and a rake.
2. A small hand mirror mounted on an extendable rod.
3. Cubes of cheese wrapped in cheesecloth, used for calming aggressive dogs.
4. A grappling hook that folds down to the size of a small baton that can easily be slipped into a side sleeve of the burglar’s pack.
5. A long roll of tape or ribbon with adhesive on one side that can be stuck to panes of glass, allowing you to break them without causing them to shatter.
6. A small wax-coated canvas pouch with a narrow mouth that attaches to a tiny bellows. This can be slipped under sash windows and inflated, forcing the window up enough for you to slip a hand beneath it.

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Image Credit: Police raid a lodging house at night and arrest a convicted thief. Coloured etching by G. Cruikshank, 1848, after himself. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)