Introduction
Equipment in the 2014 rules covers more ground than most players remember after character creation: armor, weapons, tools, adventuring gear, mounts, and vehicles, all in Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook. This hub is the map. Each spoke below covers one piece of that chapter in full, with the practical build guidance most players actually need on top of the raw tables.
What's In This Cluster
| Guide | Covers |
|---|---|
| D&D 5e 2014 Gear Guide | The full Armor and Weapons tables, weapon property glossary, armor and weapon choice by build, plus mounts, barding, saddles, drawn vehicles, waterborne vessels, and Lifestyle Expenses |
| D&D 5e 2014 Magic Items Guide | Rarity, buying and selling, attunement, activation, resilience, curses, sentient items, and curated item highlights by rarity tier |
| D&D 5e 2014 Tool Proficiencies Guide | How tool checks work, every tool category compared, which classes and backgrounds grant which tools, and how tool proficiency ties into Downtime Activities |
| D&D 5e 2014 Expansion Magic Items Guide | All 87 magic items from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, and Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, grouped by rarity, plus the Hoard Magic Items, Draconic Gifts, and Giant Bags subsystems |
This cluster doesn't cover Weapon Mastery (a D&D 2024-only mechanic with no 2014 equivalent). It also doesn't cover the three Wildspace-specific magic items from Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (the spelljamming helm, Fish Suit, and Wildspace Orrery) - those live in the Spelljammer guide alongside the setting-specific travel rules they support. It also doesn't cover the three Planescape-specific items (the Mimir, the Portal Compass, and the Sensory Stone) - those live in the Planescape guide alongside the setting's portal-key rules they support.
Build Your Dungeons & Dragons (5e, 2014) Character
The Dungeons & Dragons (5e, 2014) character builder is live - build a Beastkin, a Kobold, or whatever your table is missing, free, right now.
Start BuildingWhere to Start
Building a new character? Start with the Gear Guide. It covers the full AC math and weapon tables plus a build framework: which armor category fits your Strength and Dexterity split, and which weapon properties (Finesse, Versatile, Heavy) actually change how your character plays.
Weighing which tool proficiencies to pick up? The Tool Proficiencies guide covers every tool category and what each one actually lets you do at the table. Check your class guide and backgrounds guide first, since most characters already have two or three tool proficiencies covered before buying anything new.
Planning travel across a map? The Gear Guide covers everything from a single pack mule to a fully crewed Galley, including barding, saddles, and the Lifestyle Expenses that cover downtime between adventures.
Best Equipment by Class
| Class | Recommended Armor | Recommended Weapon Style | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | None (Unarmored Defense) | Heavy martial (greataxe, greatsword) | Unarmored Defense uses Con instead of armor; go all-in on weapon damage |
| Bard | Light | Finesse (rapier, shortsword) | Light armor preserves the Dex bonus most Bard builds already lean on |
| Cleric | Medium or heavy (domain-dependent) | Mace or warhammer | Most Domains grant heavy armor proficiency; check yours before buying |
| Druid | Light (nonmetal only) | Scimitar or spear | Druids won't wear or use metal armor or shields by class tradition |
| Fighter | Heavy | Any, build-dependent | Full armor and weapon proficiency; pick based on Fighting Style |
| Monk | None (Unarmored Defense) | Monk weapons (shortsword, simple) | Armor and shields disable Unarmored Defense entirely |
| Paladin | Heavy | Versatile (longsword, warhammer) | Full armor proficiency plus a shield for the best AC in the game |
| Ranger | Medium | Longbow or two-weapon light melee | Medium armor keeps Stealth clean on hide or chain shirt specifically |
| Rogue | Light | Finesse (rapier, shortsword) | Light armor and Finesse weapons both preserve Stealth and Sneak Attack |
| Sorcerer | None (no proficiency) | Dagger or light crossbow | No armor proficiency at all; a Mage Armor spell is the real AC source |
| Warlock | Light | Simple weapons (Eldritch Blast covers most builds) | Light armor is the class's ceiling; most damage comes from cantrips |
| Wizard | None (no proficiency) | Dagger or quarterstaff | No armor proficiency; Mage Armor and Shield spells fill the gap |
Bottom Line
Equipment decisions in the 2014 rules boil down to a small set of repeatable questions: what armor am I proficient with, what does my Strength and Dexterity split favor, and what weapon properties actually change how my character fights. Start with whichever spoke matches what your table needs this session, and come back to this hub whenever the next equipment question comes up.
