A character carries items in three ways: held, worn, and stowed. Held items are in your hands; a character typically has two hands, allowing them to hold an item in each hand or a single two-handed item using both hands. Worn items are tucked into pockets, belt pouches, bandoliers, weapon sheaths, and so forth, and they can be retrieved and returned relatively quickly. Stowed items are in a Backpack or a similar container, and they are more difficult to access.

Wielding Items

Some abilities require you to wield an item, typically a weapon. You’re wielding an item any time you’re holding it in the number of hands needed to use it effectively. When wielding an item, you’re not just carrying it around—you’re ready to use it. Other abilities might require you to be wearing the item, to be holding it, or simply to have it.

Drawing and Stowing Items

Drawing a worn item or changing how you’re carrying an item usually requires you to use an Interact action (or sometimes the Release action). Many ways of Using Items require you to spend multiple Actions. For example, drinking a Potion worn at your belt requires using an Interact action to draw it and then using a second action to drink it as described in its Activate entry.

The number of hands you need to Interact is usually clear, and if it changes during the action the action takes the maximum number of hands needed during it. The GM decides if it’s unclear. You can draw, pick up, or hold an item that needs two hands using only one hand, but you need to subsequently change your grip to hold it in two hands if you want to wield or use it.

Interact

You can use the Interact action to:

• Draw, put away, or swap an item. You must be holding the item to put it away or wearing it to draw it. Swapping allows you to put away one item and draw another in the same action (such as putting away a Dagger and drawing a mace). Abilities that specify what you do when you Interact only allow this if they say so; the Quick Draw feat lets a rogue Interact to draw a weapon, but doesn’t allow them to stow one as well. Swapping lets you swap only one item for another; if you were wielding two Weapons, you could put away one of them and draw a different item, but you would need to put away the second weapon separately.
• Pick up an item from the ground.
• Pass off or take a held item from a willing creature. The creature you’re passing to must have a hand free. You can also attempt to throw an item to someone. You typically need to succeed at a DC 15 ranged Attack with a 10-foot range increment to do so.
• Detach a Shield or other item from you using one hand.
• Change your grip by adding a hand to an item.
• Retrieve a stowed item from a Backpack, pouch, or similar container (or put one away). You’ll often need to Interact to open or close the Backpack or container.

Release

You can use the Release free action to:

• Drop an item to the ground.
• Change your grip by removing a hand from an item.