Top 10 items you should grab at the start of a campaign

(besides weapons and armor)

10

Pickax

This is an endlessly useful from helping to clear rubble from the cave collapse, breaking in doors, to digging holes, the pickax is your best friend in a lot of brute force tasks.

9

Bags/vials/flasks

collect a little bit of everything while you go, that black goo that is spreading throughout the land get a vial of it and bring it to a wizard, find a bunch of super fruits fill your bags with them. In D&D you come across a lot of things and taking a little sample of it sometimes pays off big, also it’s always nice to have a bag of sand on you to throw into someone’s eyes

8

Sealing wax

This is an odd one for most but I love sealing wax, the ability to make things air tight it’s like your own medieval Tupperware, vials and flasks are great but not completely sealed. Sealing wax is also great when you have to deal with items that require will saves when touched, just dip it in some wax and you shouldn't have to worry about it. Lastly it’s great for making those forged papers official.

7

Mirror

You’re walking through a dungeon and you hear a stomping sound around the corner, you pop your head out for just a second to see what it is and SMASH, a trolls club is the nutcracker and you’re the nut. A mirror could have let you look with some relative safety, especially when attached to a ten foot pole. Mirrors also help distract anther bard so he messes up his lines by shining light in his eyes or they can help identify is someone is breathing by holding it to their mouth and seeing if it fogs.

6

Daggers and lots of them

simply put daggers can be used in just about anything from prying a door open to cleaning your nails, and using them in all these different ways they will wear down so make sure to bring at least 5 with you and hide one in your boot, because that great sword may do a lot of damage but it won't help you when you have been swallowed by a hydra and need to cut your way out (in something’s throat you have to use a small weapon)

5

Bedroll and winter blanket

Inns are great and all but most of the time you are traveling the wilderness, not everyone can carry a big hulking tent but a bedroll and blanket are easy to carry and light. Trust me when your fit as a fiddle in the morning while your party is sore and exhausted (taking a -2 on everything) from sleeping on rocks all night you'll thank me.

4

Oil

having a lot of oil on you not only makes it so you an light your way, it also making lighting things on fire very easy, and fire solves most problems, Big wooden door blocking your way? BURN IT, Treant attacking you? BURN IT. King not giving you your reward BUR.. Well maybe just use a diplomacy check, but if they chase you after you burn their king you can light a line of fire to prevent them from passing and killing you.

3

Grappling hook and rope

Have you ever been at the bottom of a 20 foot pit and just can't climb the walls? I know I have, and you may have thought how am I ever going to get out of here, before I become something’s lunch. Well you should never have to worry about that as long as you bring a trusty grappling hook and rope with this you achieve feats that were always beyond your reach, for example getting out of said pit, getting into that maidens tower, or getting something off that top shelf, you can always really on your grappling hook(warning sometimes there is nothing to grab onto and your screwed good luck).

2

Chalk

this is something every adventurer needs chalk pounds and pounds of chalk, who needs bread crumbs when your retracing your steps and every 5th tree is marked with a big X. You can also grind it up into powder to help grip things better, or to see where those invisible creatures are. Chalk is a great navigation tool and it can help you out of a lot of situations, just be careful that in a labyrinth sometimes the walls move.

1

Food and water

this is the number one thing I see new adventurers forget food and water, its simple but you need to eat to live, don't rely on your survival skill of 2 to get you food just bring at least a weeks’ worth or else the halfing in your party may be getting some looks coming his way that will make him pretty nervous

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Here are an Item that didn't make the list

10 foot pole
Have you ever heard the phrase I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole?
Well that's because 10 foot poles are the safest way to touch dangerous things (in the phrase, the thing, being too dangerous to touch even with a 10 foot pole, like a bear). 10 foot poles can be used for a lot of things to poking a pressure plate to safely set off a trap, to using it to vault a small wall. A 10 foot pole can be use for a lot of things but here is why it didn't make the list, it is sometimes more of a hindrance then helpful, it can make getting into doors and tight spaces harder which is something to really can't have when you being chased, overall its a great item that I highly recommend but you have to be careful how you store it and have to be aware that it can catch on low hanging things.