Fishhook

A fishhook is a small curved hook used with line and bait to catch fish. It is simple equipment, but in an adventuring kit it can also become a useful improvised tool whenever a character needs to snag, pull, retrieve or suspend something light.

Browse the wider Equipment collection for tools, supplies and other mundane adventuring gear.

Practical Uses

• Fishing from a riverbank, boat, quay or shoreline.
• Recovering a small object from a crack, drain or narrow opening.
• Hooking cord, cloth or a loop that is just out of reach.
• Improvising a tiny snagging tool as part of a trap, alarm or camp setup.

Using a Fishhook in Play

A fishhook is not normally a serious weapon. Its value is precision rather than force. A character may attach it to fishing line, thread or light cord and use it to reach places where fingers cannot. The Games Master should judge unusual uses by the weight being moved, the strength of the line and how securely the hook can catch.

A hook used for fishing normally needs bait, suitable water and time. Catching food is therefore more than simply owning the item: conditions, local fish, weather and the character’s method all matter.

Risks

Fishhooks are sharp and easily lost. Poor handling can puncture skin or damage clothing and containers. A hook left exposed in a pack is an inconvenience waiting to happen, so experienced travellers keep hooks wrapped, boxed or embedded in a small piece of cork or wood.

Adventure Use

Small mundane tools often become valuable in confined spaces. A fishhook can retrieve a key beyond a grate, catch a cord through a murder-hole, pull a dropped pouch from shallow water or help test whether something light can be moved without putting a hand into danger.

Source

This is a mundane adventuring-equipment reference. Use the price, weight and any specific checks from the rules edition being played.