D&D 4E 4e PC Upkeep Costs

[Leif]

No, I have some similar notes for my own use but I don't want to apply them mechanistically; eg I'm influenced by how a player describes their expenditure. Cooler stuff gets bigger bonuses.

So a gift of an alabaster ointment jar-full of course-to the foxy widow lady inkeeper will get you more rumors, tips, and advice than just a 10 gp tip?

 

[S'mon]

So a gift of an alabaster ointment jar-full of course-to the foxy widow lady inkeeper will get you more rumors, tips, and advice than just a 10 gp tip?

Certainly; and a lovingly described week of roistering gets bigger bonuses than "I spend 200gp"

 

[Kerranin]

No, I have some similar notes for my own use but I don't want to apply them mechanistically; eg I'm influenced by how a player describes their expenditure. Cooler stuff gets bigger bonuses.

Perhaps you could post the social tier upkeep costs without anything specific about bonuses?

 

[Leif]

But here's my problem -- say you have some nice juicy tidbits of information hanging over the party like overripe fruit, but all they will give is the '2 gp tip,' and nothing you say to encourage them produces more vibrant roleplay? And, conversely, what if they're RPing their grimy little PC butts off, but yo honestly have no juicy rumors/tidbits to give them?

Obviously, in the second situation, you just make something up on the fly and go with it, letting the chips fall where they may and the hindmost be d*mned an all that. But, in the first situation, how do you get them more involved without just spouting off the information, which, no doubt, will quickly lead to accusations of your 'railroading' the PCs?

 

[Hactarcomp]

But here's my problem -- say you have some nice juicy tidbits of information hanging over the party like overripe fruit, but all they will give is the '2 gp tip,' and nothing you say to encourage them produces more vibrant roleplay? And, conversely, what if they're RPing their grimy little PC butts off, but yo honestly have no juicy rumors/tidbits to give them?

Obviously, in the second situation, you just make something up on the fly and go with it, letting the chips fall where they may and the hindmost be d*mned an all that. But, in the first situation, how do you get them more involved without just spouting off the information, which, no doubt, will quickly lead to accusations of your 'railroading' the PCs?

This is getting off topic, but the Angry DM (I think it was him) had a rule of 3 when related to clues. Give the players three different ways to discover something. So they can talk to the bar people. They can try to shake down the local thugs for information. Or, depending on what you're aiming for, they can find physical clues (torn piece of clothing, dropped torn scrolls, etc.). The idea is to make it so that the players have multiple routes to the same goal.

If they refuse to follow any of your hints, hit them with some sort of short one-shot that at the end draws them into the adventure they planned. Stolen non-crucial magical items (stop thief!) could work, as could distressed relatives, recurring bad guys or evil organizations from before who are working for the primary evil of this adventure, etc. If their characters have triggers, use and abuse them. (One of the PCs in my adventure is from a halfling clan the followed dragons. He tries to negotiate with hostile dragons whenever he meets them. If I ever run into trouble getting the PCs moving, I plan to use a wounded and distressed young dragon as a way to pull his PC and the rest of the party in. I have other plans for him for later that are part of the overall campaign, but this feels like an ace up my sleeve that I can save.)

 

[Leif]

This is getting off topic, but the Angry DM (I think it was him) had a rule of 3 when related to clues. Give the players three different ways to discover something. So they can talk to the bar people. They can try to shake down the local thugs for information. Or, depending on what you're aiming for, they can find physical clues (torn piece of clothing, dropped torn scrolls, etc.). The idea is to make it so that the players have multiple routes to the same goal.

If they refuse to follow any of your hints, hit them with some sort of short one-shot that at the end draws them into the adventure they planned. Stolen non-crucial magical items (stop thief!) could work, as could distressed relatives, recurring bad guys or evil organizations from before who are working for the primary evil of this adventure, etc. If their characters have triggers, use and abuse them. (One of the PCs in my adventure is from a halfling clan the followed dragons. He tries to negotiate with hostile dragons whenever he meets them. If I ever run into trouble getting the PCs moving, I plan to use a wounded and distressed young dragon as a way to pull his PC and the rest of the party in. I have other plans for him for later that are part of the overall campaign, but this feels like an ace up my sleeve that I can save.)

Hmm, Rule of Three.... This has much potential indeed. Kudos to the Angry DM (or whoever it was, if not him). If they can't be clued in with three opportunities, guess they deserve to miss out.

 

[bbjore]

Re: The three clue rule.

The Alexandrian - Misc Creations

As for posts on topic, one system I use is that as the players level, I assume they have built up enough financial infrastructure to afford a lifestyle appropriate to their status which costs as much per month as a consumable of their level does. They also receive the same amount as cash on hand each adventure (the length of downtime is generally hand-waved in my campaign). This gives them just enough to buy 1 consumable per adventure, and is considered part of the treasure parcel.

For players that wanted to roleplay things like an extravagant lifestyle, or lavish gifts, I introduced new consumables, things like a fancy outfits, extravagant dinners, or opulent hotel rooms. These consumable represented various ways the players could essentially squander their hard earned wealth, and provided bonus to skills or nifty powers for the duration of the adventure.
Fancy clothing would provide bluff & diplomacy bonuses, the dinner gave a single automatic success on a social skill challenge, and the hotel room provided a bonus healing surge for the day. I essentially went with what the player was trying to get out of spending their money that way, gave them a mechanical benefit for doing so, and balanced it against similarly priced consumables of the same level.

It worked because player's that weren't into it just bought a healing potion, those that were ended up spending not only their monthly income, but a good portion of their adventuring gains on fancy clothes, fine perfume, extravagant rooms, ridiculous statues of themselves in the town square... It added a fun dimension to the downtime game.

 

[Leif]

That is also a most excellent idea, bbjore! Sounds great! But what do you substitute for a bonus Healing Surge in Pathfinder?

 

[bbjore]

I'm honestly not sure what to do for pathfinder, I've never played it, and it's been years since I've run a 3.5 game. I'd basically just look at what the player in question was trying to gain from their expenditure, and tailor the benefit to it. If they're trying to impress others, some sort of social bonus, if they want rest in luxurious comfort then I'd let them recover faster (spells, hp...) or gain a temporary bonus for the adventure (perhaps extra hp or something).

 

[Leif]

Or maybe a little bag full of temporary hit points? Say 8-12 maybe? Or just roll for the amount -- 1d8+8?