How do you figure starting wealth?

[Uruush]

It's probably best to simply follow the DMG character wealth table for players creating characters above level 1, but I think it would be cool for DMs to make exceptions for characters that are very narrow in focus and utility. That's something that's always bothered me about the wealth guidelines and the prices for some of the magic items as defined in the DMG.

Example: The DMG table for character wealth for a 6th level character specs 13000gp in wealth. However, a guy with the following magic kit:

+1 Mithral Shirt (2100)
+1 Longsword (2400)
Boots of Striding and Springing (5500)
Cloak of Resistance +1 (1000)
_______________________________
11000 total

has a lot more going on for them than the guy with the following kit:

Rod of Metal and Mineral Detection (10500)
Ring of Climbing, Improved (10000)
Bag of Holding, Type II (5000)
___________________________________
25500 total

The second guy might have a really cool character concept - gruff mountain dwarf prospector, while the first guy may or may not have any character concept other than 'I want to kick butt!'. The first guy is going to get a lot more utility out of his items than the second guy. Moreover, using a static, deterministic system of starting wealth, the second guy can't even kit himself out with his preferred gear until he's 8th level.

Just my thoughts as long as you were on the subject. What do most of you do?

 

[Crothian]

As a DM I always involve myself heaveyly in starting wealth. Most of the time it's not the players picking their items, but them telling about their characters and then I assign equipment based on race, geography, and other campaign issues. I don't see starting wealth as a spending spree in the catolog part of the DMG.

 

[hong]

The deterministic system in the DMG assumes players are going to want to do the usual player things in D&D, namely get into adventures, kill monsters and take their stuff. If you have a player who wants to be difficult and wander off doing their own thing, then the assumptions underlying the deterministic system no longer hold, so feel free to make up your own numbers.

 

[Davek]

1st level as per standard.
Every other level, standard - 10%

This simulates the invariably inefficient bartering skills of my players.

 

[Cbas10]

The second guy might have a really cool character concept - gruff mountain dwarf prospector, while the first guy may or may not have any character concept other than 'I want to kick butt!'. The first guy is going to get a lot more utility out of his items than the second guy. Moreover, using a static, deterministic system of starting wealth, the second guy can't even kit himself out with his preferred gear until he's 8th level.

Just my thoughts as long as you were on the subject. What do most of you do?

I can see where you are coming from; however, in a game that values other aspects at least as much as kicking-monster-butt, the dwarf prospector will become extremely successful in his field due to a little help from his items. I do run "typical" adventures, but we also get into a lot of character development and other roleplaying, spending several game sessions of non-combat between-adventure quality time between those "typical" adventures.

As for what I do, I started my last game at 4th level. They got 2700gp (half of normal) that could be spent on anything non-magical (mounts, masterwork stuff, etc; I also use a system loosely based upon Living Greyhawk's "standard of living"). After that, I rolled for a few random magical items (while the items might not be optimal, I do make sure to reroll until the character gets an item he is not unable to use; I won't make a wizard keep +1 armor, but a fighter would have to keep a ring of jumping). I do the random thing because my games don't have a "market" for magical items; the characters have not had any opportunity to buy, sell, or trade magical items. One exception applies; anyone who takes appropriate feats may spend the proper money and experience to make items themselves. The cleric with Brew Potion is among the most popular people in the northern Yeomanry.

 

[Nightfall]

When doing levels higher than first its easy for me to not worry that much about picking stuff. Why? When you have a world where you can set the market price for weapons and armor at x3, most everyone will probably spend more on wands, potions and scrolls than any thing else.

 

[diaglo]

Just my thoughts as long as you were on the subject. What do most of you do?

depends on the campaign and the players.

the first guy is more combat oriented. so in a heavy combat campaign he would be more effective. but i would think the 2nd guy would have a much easier time generating wealth without the risk of being killed.

do the players play to survive or to meet as many foes as possible?

 

[Dirigible]

A tangential thought: Should fighters & co be given less cash at 1st level than, say, wizards; in the same way spellcasters don't ge their best stuff straight away, perhaps combatants shouldn't

The deterministic system in the DMG assumes players are going to want to do the usual player things in D&D, namely get into adventures, kill monsters and take their stuff. If you have a player who wants to be difficult and wander off doing their own thing, then the assumptions underlying the deterministic system no longer hold, so feel free to make up your own numbers.

Wow... he said deterministic twice in one coheron... I gotta go have a lie down...

How do I handle starting wealth? In Midnight, it is traditional to start with nothing but the clothes on your back. If the GM is feeling generous. If not, you start chained up in a hole, fight your way free, commandere some goblin weapons, get beaten down and captured again, end up chained in a tiny wagon with a zombie, kill the zombie, chew your way free of the chains, tear the bars off the cage to use as crude clubs...

 

[Nightfall]

Dirig, might wanna fix that large print you got going on there. But nice to know Midnight people have less stuff than any one else.

 

[Uruush]

How do I handle starting wealth? In Midnight, it is traditional to start with nothing but the clothes on your back. If the GM is feeling generous. If not, you start chained up in a hole, fight your way free, commandere some goblin weapons, get beaten down and captured again, end up chained in a tiny wagon with a zombie, kill the zombie, chew your way free of the chains, tear the bars off the cage to use as crude clubs...

Heh. I'm going to be starting a Midnight campaign so I don't have to worry as much about gold piece equivalents in wealth. "You want a bag of SALT!?!" Well, okay, but all you get! But you're going to have to hide it from the Oruk commander while you're chained up in that hole..."