AD&D Kits: Not 2e
To speed up the math of character creation, and in direct response to a suggestion from one of my viewers, I built two kits for first level characters. These are a little like the kits presented in B4: The Lost City. With the costs and encumbrance calculated beforehand, you can save yourself some time with a few simplifying assumptions. Naturally enough, these are some bare-bones collections, to which the player can add or substitute as he sees fit. These are meant to get you going quick, and invaluable when trying to kit out ten characters at once.
The Traveler Kit (costs 10gp and 303 coins of encumbrance) consists of the kinds of things you wouldn’t leave on a grand journey of adventure without, universal items that everyone can be expected to own at least one of:
- Clothing (including belt, cloak, and cap)
- Boots, low hard
- Backpack
- Water/wineskin
- One week of rations
Note that even these bare necessities put a hero most of the way towards the first step-down in speed. At thirty pounds of gear, he can only afford another five pounds of weapons and armor before dropping down to the 9″ speed.
The Delve Kit (costs 2 gp and weighs 250 coins) and includes the bare minimum of items you’ll need for access those dank holes filled with hungry critters and their ill-gotten gold:
- Large sack
- Tinderbox
- 6 torches
- Fifty-feet of rope
What I didn’t build is a kit for “fighters” or “clerics”. Fighters in particular are slaves to their starting gold. A good roll lets your boy roll out with chain, shield, and decent weapon. A bad roll puts him hiding in leather and lugging a club around. Combine that with a need to fill different roles in the combat game – bow, arrow, and quiver are about as expensive as a good sword and most likely combined with a cheap spear for that reason – and kits don’t really make sense.