Redbadge
Explorer
Really? There was an official system for matching GP with inherent bonuses? I didn't remember it, so I just sat and thought up my own. The logic was, a PC who starts at level X gets three items, and money of value equal to an item of level (x-1). So I'll just give money of that value.
Does this mean that under the default method a player will get enough total salary and stipend to purchase a Level +1, Level, Level -1, and Level -1 items on average?
For example, somewhere between levels 1 and 2 a player will receive 1920 gp (680 + 520 + 360 + 360)? Then, between levels 2 and 3, he or she will receive an additional 640 gold salary/stipend (total 2560 for level 3 minus the 1920 already received)?
If so, I think this is a really cool system, especially with ample time to shop each level as noted above. Also, I really like that with the ability to trade in at 100%, a player can always adjust himself to Level +1, Level, Level -1, and Level -1 whenever needed, always staying within an expected power level, but still feeling like they're at peak performance.
However, is it expected that ritual casters/people who like consumables will have to take some of their stipend to spend on ritual components and other consumables? Without the ability to trade in expended consumables at 100%, won't these players see their wealth degrade over time compared to players who only purchase regular magic items? For example, at level 11 a wizard who uses rituals profusely might be able to afford a level 12, a level 11, and level 10 and maybe only have enough left over for a level 9 item (4200 gp) rather than a level 10 (5000 gp). In other words, it would only take a few castings of a level 8 ritual (such as Remove Affliction, 250 gp component cost) to degrade this much, irrespective of any other consumables used.