In a bit of late-night inspiration, I had an idea for simplifying the process of equipping characters, and that is with Kits and Kaboodles. Kits and Kaboodles are a collection of items intended for a specific task; such as adventuring, healing, cooking, wilderness survival, etc. Now instead of buying equipment piece-by-piece, you just buy a Kit or Kaboodle for whatever purpose you want and get on with the game.
Admittedly, this idea is nothing new; I've seen similar ideas in other games many times before. Even so, here is my take on the concept for 5th Edition D&D, Basic Fantasy, and Fantasy AGE. But, really, it can be applied to any game system with a bit of tweaking.
Kits and Kaboodles
Kits and Kaboodles represent a collection of items for a broadly-defined purpose, such as adventuring, healing, cooking, wilderness survival, etc. However, there is a key difference between them; Kits are re-useable items that modify a character's chance of success, whereas Kaboodles have a limited number of uses before being exhausted.
Examples
Here is a sample list of Kits and Kaboodles. Obviously, this isn't a complete listing, so use your imagination for other uses.
Kits: Adventuring, Blacksmithing, Climbing, Cold-weather, Grooming, Warm-weather, Leatherworking, Riding.
Kaboodles: Alchemy, Cooking, Fishing, Food/Water, Healing, Perfume, Traps/Snares.
Quality Control
Another aspect of a Kit and Kaboodle is its Quality. Quality determines the item cost and weight of the Kit/Kaboodle, a Kit's modifier, and a Kaboodle's number of uses.
ITEM COST* WEIGHT NOTES
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KITS
Poor 4 3 lb. -2/-1** penalty to any related ability tests
Common 8 6 lb.
Fine 12 12 lb. +2/+1** bonus to any related ability tests
KABOODLES
Poor 2 2 lb. 3 Uses
Common 4 4 lb. 6 Uses
Fine 8 8 lb. 12 Uses
* Costs are in gold pieces (gp) for 5th Edition and Basic Fantasy.
In silver pieces (sp) for Fantasy AGE.
** 5th Edition and Basic Fantasy modifiers are +/- 2.
Fantasy AGE modifiers are +/- 1.
The Kit AND the Kaboodle!
Now, it is possible to have a Kit and a Kaboodle both intended for the same purpose. However, in-game they are both still treated as separate items. For example, you can have a fine-quality Alchemy Kit (for a +1 bonus), but have poor-quality Alchemy Kaboodles (for 3 uses).
Lost or Damaged Items
When using Kits and Kaboodles, it is still possible to lose or ruin items.
For Kaboodles, a lost item is easy to deal with, you simply lose 1 use of the Kaboodle.
Kits are a bit more involved, however. First, make a note on what Kit item was lost. Now, anytime you attempt to perform an action that would require the lost Kit item, you cannot perform that action. But you are still able to use the Kit for any other actions unrelated to the lost item.
Weapons, Armor, and Specialty Items
Another concern is that certain items, especially weapons and armor, cannot be found in a Kit or a Kaboodle. These types of items must be purchased individually.
The Exception: Ammunition Kaboodles
Ammunition may be bought as a Kaboodle. But instead of tracking individual pieces of ammunition, the Kaboodle tracks the useage of ammunition in an abstract way. After each combat encounter in which you use a weapon with ammunition, you lose 1 "Use". In addition, you may lose addition "Uses" whenever you roll badly on attack rolls made with such weapons. How this is handled in-game depends on the system being used. When your ammunition Kaboodle reaches 0, you are out of ammunition.
5th Edition / Basic Fantasy: Whenever you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, you lose 1 "Use" of ammunition.
Fantasy AGE: Whenever you miss on an attack roll AND the Stunt Die rolled a 1, you lose 1 "Use" of ammunition.
