5. Choose Equipment
Your background determines your character’s starting equipment, including weapons, armour and other adventuring gear. Record this equipment on your character sheet. All such items are detailed under Equipment.
Instead of taking the gear given to you by your background, you can purchase your starting equipment. You have a number of gold pieces (gp) to spend based on your background (see Starting Equipment). Extensive lists of equipment, with prices, also appear in Equipment. If you wish, you can also have one trinket at no cost (see Trinkets).
Your Strength score limits the amount of gear you can carry. Lifting and Carrying has more information on carrying capacity.
Armour
Armour grants Damage Reduction (DR), which represents how well protected your character is. However, not all characters wear armour.
Your character needs to be proficient with armour to wear and use it effectively. Your armour proficiencies are determined by your class. There are drawbacks to wearing armour if you lack the required proficiency, as explained here.
Weapons
For each weapon your character wields, calculate the modifier you use when you attack with the weapon and the damage you deal when you hit.
When you make an attack with a weapon, you roll a d20 and add your proficiency bonus (but only if you are proficient with the weapon) and the appropriate attribute modifier.
- For attacks with melee weapons, use your Strength modifier for attack and damage rolls. A weapon that has the finesse property, such as a rapier, can use your Dexterity modifier instead.
- For attacks with ranged weapons, use your Dexterity modifier for attack and damage rolls. A melee weapon that has the thrown property, such as a handaxe, can use your Strength modifier instead.
Starting Wealth
The table below lists the amount of treasure that each PC is expected to have at a specific character point value, in addition to their starting equipment from their background.
| Character Value | Wealth |
|---|---|
| 150 Character Points* | - |
| 160 Character Points | 60 gp |
| 175 Character Points | 120 gp |
| 190 Character Points | 239 gp |
| 210 Character Points | 393 gp |
| 230 Character Points | 542 gp |
| 255 Character Points | 691 gp |
| 280 Character Points | 1339 gp |
| 310 Character Points | 1987 gp |
| 340 Character Points | 2912 gp |
| 375 Character Points | 4022 gp |
| 410 Character Points | 4947 gp |
| 460 Character Points | 5872 gp |
| 510 Character Points | 6797 gp |
| 575 Character Points | 7629 gp |
| 640 Character Points | 12363 gp |
| 720 Character Points | 17097 gp |
| 800 Character Points | 21831 gp |
| 900 Character Points | 28458 gp |
| 1000 Character Points | 35085 gp |
*For starting PCs, see backgrounds and character starting equipment.
Note that this table assumes a standard fantasy game. Low-fantasy games might award only half this value, while high-fantasy games might double the value. It is assumed that some of this treasure is consumed in the course of an adventure (such as potions and scrolls) and that some of the less useful items are sold for half value so more useful gear can be purchased.