Gear for Skillmonkeys

[JaronK]

So, we're just starting up a new campaign, and it's full of skillmonkeys.  Specifically:

Factotum 5 (Librarian with Bibliophile flaw, Knowledge Devotion, archer)
Factotum 5 (Item crafter headed into Chameleon next level)
Factotum 5 (Illusionist/scouty striker)
Spellthief 5 (Caster, taking big advantage of the interaction between Spellthieves and people with spell like abilities)
Rogue 5 (Scout)
Warblade 4/Swordsage 1 (Tank with a few teleports)
Artificer 5 (Steampunk themed crafter)
Beguiler 5 (Scout/Illusionist, getting a Mindbender dip next level)

So, clearly it's a very big party.  However, some of the players (the librarian and the spellthief, specifically) are very new players, so I'm handling their gear.  Assuming a relatively liberal DM, does anyone have any particularly good ideas for gear?  Obviously, I've got some of the basic fun stuff (marbles, handy haversacks, etc) but I'd love some more ideas, especially since I'm having a hard time not just copying and pasting my own gear onto them.  Also, I figure it would be pretty handy to have a nice list of starting gear that skillmonkeys might like to have.  As a note, the Factotums can craft their own mundane gear, and thus get a lot more of it very cheaply.  So, expensive mundane things are very valuable.

So, my basic list of nice gear for skillmonkeys:

1)  Muffling Shadowsilk Leather Armor.  +4 Move Silently, +2 Hide, and you can craft it yourself.  Very nice for those who aren't worried much about AC.  Note that with Feycraft and Thistledown Padding there's no arcane spell failure, which is big for those of us headed into Chameleon.

2)  Marbles.  Forces a balance check, so the enemy is flat footed... which makes Factotums and Rogues VERY happy.  Also, cheap.

3)  Heward's Handy Haversack.  It's the cheapest such item around, and you'll need it.

4)  Desmoderu Hunting Bat.  Can fly anywhere, already domesticated, and stealthy, plus great detection abilities.  It's the smallest and cheapest pre domesticated (and thus easier to purchase) critter you can get that flies, as far as I know, but to get a price for it you need the Warbeast template.  Luckily, that's already in the same book.  A single HD advance makes it big enough for a human to ride, too.  Definitely a nice skillmonkey mount.

5)  Masterwork tools.  Just generally great, it's a +2 bonus to a skill for 50gp. 

6)  Smuggler's Boots.  Just in case, they're great for hiding stuff.  If you can get them combined with Silent Shoes into one item, then awesome.  My DM allowed Masterwork Silent Smuggler's Boots for 60gp (the cost of a masterwork move silently tool + the boots), and I love them. 

7)  Gnomish Quickrazors.  Great for the spellthief who wants to duel wield and still have hands free to cast, plus it's awesome for Factotums.

8)  Forgery Kit.  A must for any Factotum... no one will ever see through your forgeries.  Ever.

JaronK

[Lycanthromancer]

Don't forget a composite longbow and multiple types of arrows. Helps to overcome DR, and if you lose your quickrazor blade it's easy enough to stab with an arrow using Iaijutsu Focus.

A barrow or cart with a donkey, to carry large amounts of gear from Point A to Point B.

Rope. Lots and lots and lots of rope. And a grapple and pitons, just in case. Also, string.

Several empty flasks, made from various materials. Clear glass, steel, lead, etc. You never know when handling various liquids can come in handy.

Lots of blank sheets of paper or parchment, and a carrying case. From forged documents to scribbled notes passed across the dinner table to explosive runes traps, they're quite useful.

Plain-Jane daggers. Good for wedging doors shut, as weapons after you've gotten disarmed, as makeshift pitons or if you need to climb down a wall in a hurry when there's a tapestry or somesuch nearby (thanks, Errol Flynn!), or when hammered through a plank and concealed under leaves as quick-and-dirty trap for pursuers. Very useful stuff.

Chalk is great for leaving messages for companions when you're off scouting. Scribble an arrow on a wall or tree, or work up some kind of simple symbol-code for when you're being pursued but need your party to follow in your footsteps. If you're using D20 Modern/Future stuff, crush it to powder to help with laser-based traps.

A big lead sheet.

Food.

A block of pure sodium. Gotta love those violent (al)chemical reactions. ^_^

The standard 10-ft pole.

An adamantine bowling ball. Nothing says trapfinding like a spheroidal pin-pusher.

[BowenSilverclaw]

The standard 11-ft pole.

Fixed that for you

[Emy]

2)  Marbles.  Forces a balance check, so the enemy is flat footed... which makes Factotums and Rogues VERY happy.  Also, cheap.

Out of curiosity, are there rules for marbles printed somewhere? I wasn't able to find them last I checked.

[anomalousman]

A block of pure sodium. Gotta love those violent (al)chemical reactions. ^_^

And it leads to a new method for frustrated DMS:

"Rain falls.  Everyone dies."

[JaronK]

Out of curiosity, are there rules for marbles printed somewhere? I wasn't able to find them last I checked.

A&EG.  Forces a balance check.  Yay!

JaronK

[Lycanthromancer]

A fluffy white towel. Never leave home without your fluffy white towel.

Also, alchemist's fire, tanglefoot bags, and vials of acid.

A masterwork bandoleer for holding the aforesaid flasks.

Caltrops.

Bladed boots.

Two mirrors: a shiny one and a dull-but-still-reflective one.

Paint of various colors.

Sock puppets.

Quintessence.

Preserved raw meat. (See above.) Great for use as a decoy or bait.

Eating and grooming utensils.

A hammock. Useful when you need a safe place to sleep off of the ground, away from those nasty snakes, spiders, and scorpions that keep sneaking into your bedroll.

...Which reminds me: a bedroll.

Fire-making tools. Great if you have some highly flammable dwarven brandy, an oil-soaked rag, and a glass bottle (or some arrows).

A lifelike inflatable "decoy". :wink:

Large numbers of horseshoe-nails and a hammer.

Bolts of cloth strong enough to hold up under several pounds of leaves and dirt.

Wooden tent-stakes.

[edit] Also, livestock of various species. Protect them from getting roasted by fireballs, if you can.

[Smudgy]

I've found periscopes to be useful at low level, and besides that they're awesome.

30,000ft of twine, because you never know... But seriously, twine is useful stuff, plus it's cheap and weightless. Always a plus for equipment.

Both in A&EG

[Dumb-Age Master]

Immovable Rods if you can.

Locks. Locks of all kinds. They help.

Oil. Combine with fire spells for fun.

Ink. Lots of ink. Ink is 8gp each, but weightless. Get 100 vials of ink. I'm sure you'll find a use.

[wO-_-OdrOw]

I have 1 net with my Vow of Non-Violence Beguiler. I usually end up tossing it on something and it doesn't accomplish much, but hey, it's kind of funny.