How To Make Tool Sets Useful In DND

Summary

• Craft items using tool sets to sell or use in adventures for extra GP or valuable items.
• Use certain tools to identify substances, communicate secretly, deceive, and customize your appearance.
• Crafting weapons, poisons, and traps using tool sets can help inflict damage on enemies.

Tool sets are one of the more underrated pieces of equipment you can have in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Typically, at character creation, you’ll walk away with at least one tool set that grants you some kind of basic ability, or way to utilize it throughout your adventure. Sometimes, you can even craft items.

But, what are the best, most practical ways to make tool sets actually useful for your character? If you’re wondering where to get started, this list has you covered. Here are the best ways to make excellent use out of your tool sets in Dungeons & Dragons.

10

Craft And Sell

The best way to make use of your tools is to craft as many items as you can with them. The 2024 Player’s Handbook has an entirely new ruleset on offer for crafting items, and every single tool set can craft something of value.

So, if you have downtime in between grander adventures, you can craft items and sell them for extra GP using your tool sets. Or, you can keep these valuable items, like Antitoxins, Healing Potions, and more, for you and your party’s use the next time you go out questing.

9

Identify Substances

Certain tool sets can allow you to identify mysterious substances. This is especially helpful during dungeon crawls, when you’re likely to come across a whole host of mysterious liquids, potions, and more.

Before your party takes a stab at trying out any of these substances, see if you have any tool sets that might be able to identify unknown substances. This will help you be able to determine whether something is valuable to your party, or potentially dangerous.

8

Break Ins

Undertaking covert operations or breaking into locked areas are some of the best ways to get the most out of your tools. This isn’t just limited to Thieves’ Tools as well, so even players who aren’t playing rogues can get in on the action.

Both Carpenter’s Tools and Smith’s Tools can be used to try to pry open a door or container. Obviously, this is the less elegant solution, as opposed to using Thieves’ Tools, so save this as a last resort when things are getting desperate. Otherwise, you’ll likely be heard or spotted from all the commotion.

7

Communicate

Many different tool sets can be used to communicate, either explicitly or clandestinely, with your party or allies. Obviously, tools like Forgery Kits can be used to create private messages, and Calligrapher’s Tools can be used to make letters that can’t be forged or doctored.

However, you can also use non-conventional tool sets like Leatherworker’s or Cartographer’s Tools to inscribe messages in maps, leather, or other substances. Check the Utilize section of each tool set listed in the above table to see what kinds of visual iconography you can inscribe in materials to convey messages and more.

6

Lay Traps

Many tools allow you to craft items that can be used in the conception and laying of traps. For example, Tinker’s Tools can allow you to create locks, manacles, or signal whistles, which can all be used to alert your team to the presence of an enemy or subdue a thief.

Smith’s Tools can take it one step farther, allowing you to craft items like grappling hooks, chains, caltrops, ball bearings, and even iron spikes. Given enough time and material, all of these can be used to make devious traps that can trick an enemy into playing right into your hands.

5

Trick And Deceive

If you’re looking to become a master of deception, Forgery and Disguise Kits are the best option for you and your party. Disguise Kits allow you to create makeup for yourself, altering your appearance, and you can craft a costume, allowing you to blend in to whatever environment you’re in.

Similarly, Forgery Kits allow you to mimic another’s handwriting, meaning you can try to craft a letter in their penmanship, forge scrolls of pedigree, and more. You can also duplicate wax seals using this kit, which is perfect for urban-sprawl campaigns.

4

Heal

This next tip is relatively straightforward, but sometimes goes unnoticed when you have a party with a cleric or paladin playing main support. Herbalism Kits allow you to not only identify plants with a successful DC 10 check, but you can also craft Healer’s Kits and Potions of Healing using this kit.

Healer’s Kits can be used to stabilize an unconscious creature that has been reduced to zero hit points through the use of a Medicine check. And, of course, Potions of Healing can be used to bring unconscious heroes to life.

3

Harm

For those who aren’t so likely to want to heal others, you can also use many tool sets in creative ways to inflict damage on enemies. Many tool sets can craft weapons, traps, and more that can wreak havoc on enemy encampments.

Additionally, the Poisoner’s Kit can create basic poisons, which you can either use à la carte, or, you can dip weapon tips and ammunition in to create poisoned weapons. This is a great way to inflict a little bit of extra damage during tough rounds of combat, and can help even the odds.

2

Customize

For players who have an aesthetic sensibility, and like their character to have a lot of flare, there are plenty of tools you can use to help customize your appearance and style. Many of these tools can craft armor, add inscriptions and insignia into pre-existing clothes, armor, and weapons, and so much more.

Plus, you can also use these practically. For example, if you’re trying to blend in with a mercenary band, you can use certain tools to inscribe their insignia into your pre-existing armor, allowing you to go unnoticed.

1

Survive

Lastly, there are a decent number of tool sets that can actually help your party stay alive, especially in an unrelenting survival-based campaign. Beyond obvious usages like creating Potions of Healings or Antitoxins, some tool kits can help you navigate when you’re lost, or detect whether poison is present in a substance or food.

Additionally, tool sets like Cook’s Utensils can create rations for your party. This really only applies if your DM is running a harsh survival-based campaign, but, you never know, having a cook among you might just save your life out there.