Treasure suggestions needed

carborundum · Nov 29, 2008

My group has two characters who don't do treasure - a VoP druid and a Forsaker. I'm doing my best to show the down-side of their choice of character. I throw in locations where the party misses out on the awesome damage potential of the Forsaker since he can't fly, stay underwater or whatever. I throw in moral gray areas forcing the Exalted druid to convince the party to do things the hard way. That's going well, though I still have one problem.

The problem I have is with treasure. So far the other three characters (spellthief, wizard, fighter) can cherrypick the best stuff as long as the monetary value of the 'junk' covers the shares of the druid and the forsaker. I'd also like to drop treasure that only these characters can use, which they have to let go. (Is that bad? Evil? Nahhhh!)

For the Forsaker this is easy enough - he uses a big axe and wears adamantine armour. The other fighter uses a longsword and a spiked shield. I can leave nice flaming, freezing electric superaxes that let you fly and giggle at his consternation. The druid is trickier. If I throw in wands with nature spells or whatever the spellthief can Use Magic Device. Is there another mechanism to invent items that only the druid could usually use? Can anyone think of items that only a druid would or could use that could be found in a pile o' treasure? I don't want the other players to end up over-tricked out with items by paying off the two ascetic/ anti-magic types.

(Current party level = 8, if that's important)

Caliber · Nov 29, 2008

Of the top of my head, you could drop items that buff Wildshaping ability (like weapons/armor that Wildshape with you, or give you more uses per day, or better forms or ...)

Alternatively, you could give some summoning buffing items, assuming the other characters wouldn't want to make use of them. Druids are such a flexible class, its hard to say what one particular Druid will want.

carborundum · Nov 30, 2008

Thanks for the reply! I'll start digging in the Item books!

Loonook · Nov 30, 2008

carborundum said:
My group has two characters who don't do treasure - a VoP druid and a Forsaker. I'm doing my best to show the down-side of their choice of character. I throw in locations where the party misses out on the awesome damage potential of the Forsaker since he can't fly, stay underwater or whatever. I throw in moral gray areas forcing the Exalted druid to convince the party to do things the hard way. That's going well, though I still have one problem.

The problem I have is with treasure. So far the other three characters (spellthief, wizard, fighter) can cherrypick the best stuff as long as the monetary value of the 'junk' covers the shares of the druid and the forsaker. I'd also like to drop treasure that only these characters can use, which they have to let go. (Is that bad? Evil? Nahhhh!)

For the Forsaker this is easy enough - he uses a big axe and wears adamantine armour. The other fighter uses a longsword and a spiked shield. I can leave nice flaming, freezing electric superaxes that let you fly and giggle at his consternation. The druid is trickier. If I throw in wands with nature spells or whatever the spellthief can Use Magic Device. Is there another mechanism to invent items that only the druid could usually use? Can anyone think of items that only a druid would or could use that could be found in a pile o' treasure? I don't want the other players to end up over-tricked out with items by paying off the two ascetic/ anti-magic types.

(Current party level = 8, if that's important)

So you're trying to cause two characters to lapse in their character concepts? Isn't that a little ridiculous?

Start putting objects into play which will account for a large amount of treasure while being difficult to maneuver or against their creed to take? Perhaps players should not be given items to 'cherry-pick' or let items which would be advantageous be something the Druid would wish to donate or otherwise remove from the earth (a powerful robe which is made from the pelt of a desecrated animal of the deep wild for example). Make rewards which do not require monetary gain but which grant boon effects (a sacred spring which the druid purifies may grant the party some boon).

As for the Forsaker; grant him the ability to destroy great magics in a pool as suggested here. The Forsaker, who wishes to destroy magic items, would probably want to go for the big items then.

Don't make players go against their options just because it is inconvenient when there are ways to work around these things which don't necessarily grant GP rewards or could remove the problem of cherry-picking (and provide a Forsaker with a reason to not take the chaff items).

Slainte,

-Loonook.

carborundum · Nov 30, 2008

Good point about the concepts - I don't think that's what I meant. Hmmmm.

I have the feeling the other three characters are getting overpowered by the amount of items they seem to end up with, even though the group is abiding by the letter of the law for the amount of stuff given away/ destroyed. On the other hand, all those items and options divided over three instead of five characters means less options per round, so it shouldn't really be an issue.

The most obvious way I saw of keeping the other three 'normal' was to drop treasure they couldn't use themselves or wouldn't want. I figured that if the group was a normal druid and a barbarian, there'd usually be stuff lying around that they could use - I just wanted it to be uninteresting for the rest.

I'll go reanalyse my motives

Jondor_Battlehammer · Nov 30, 2008

Since VoP and the Forsaker PrC break certain rules, you should create some treasures that do the same. I can think of some feats that could give these PCs benefits equal to some of the things theyare giving up, but at a balancing cost.

Every 2 ranks of Spellcraft/Knowledge Nature and Heal a VoP druid has, He can add this to his effective Wis mod for bonus spells per day, (Conjuration spells only?). Even at high levels, this only adds roughly one spell per level, but is in keeping with the VoP flavor that the PC gains power from his faith, not his item.

A tome of craftsmanship, allowing someone with apropriate Craft ranks to craft mundane items with inherent bonuses instead of magical ones. You could use magic item crafting rules, but substitute the apropriate caster level with Craft ranks. I.e. a Forsaker with "Craft Masterwork Weapon" and nine ranks in Craft "Arms" could forge a +3 Masterwork axe. As with all other masterworks, this would not stack with magical bonuses, and while he would be able to craft slightly better weapons than a spellcaster, many special abilities don't translate over well. +x to hit, yes. Keen, sure. Flaming Burst, not so much.

You could also grant them Mettle as a feat. Its a PrC special ability that acts like Evasion, only for Fort and Will saves.

These options could replicate having both more static and disposable items for use by these two PCs, but the issue could also be one of perception. Does it really matter that the Wizard has the perfect scroll for your current dilemma, that he has had for the past five adventures, when it could easily have been the Spell Thief carrying it? Or that the Fighter chose to keep the magic carpet to give himself a magical movement option, but then ends up ferrying EVERYONE across the the Great Rift of Doom. Most items that do not fill a body slot are not very personal.