ZEITGEIST Inherent bonuses, rewards and Zeitgeist

[Ulrik]

I'm considering giving my PCs the option of using inherent bonuses in the campaing. It would be everybody or nobody of course.

However, does anybody have any tips on how to change the treasure distribution? I see that PCs recieve a "stipend" at the start of each level. Does this contain all treasure that the DMG lists as expected for that level, both in items and gold? I'm guessing that if we use inherent bonuses this needs to be slashed quite a bit, maybe DMG2 has the numbers.

 

[RangerWickett]

Y'know, I'm really not clear on how much material PCs are supposed to end up with when using inherent bonuses. You might be better off asking in the general 4e forum.

 

[gideonpepys]

Colmarr already worked this out for us all back in July:

Salary per PC in a 6-person party (for an inherent bonuses campaign) is:

Level 1: 487
Level 2: 620
Level 3: 860
Level 4: 1313
Level 5: 1767
Level 6: 2433
Level 7: 3100
Level 8: 4300
Level 9: 6567
Level 10: 8833

Calculated as {2*(Value of L+2 Item) + (Value of L+3 Item) + 2*(Value of L+0 Item)} divided by 6.

Strangely, that's more per PC than in a 5-person party, because of the odd way additional party members intersect with inherent bonuses, so you may want to just go with 5-person values anyway.

For normal treasure distribution:

Level 1: 740
Level 2: 1033
Level 3: 1433
Level 4: 2047
Level 5: 2767
Level 6: 3700
Level 7: 5167
Level 8: 7167
Level 9: 10233

 

[Ulrik]

Thanks for the link

 

[Ulrik]

I'm a bit confused about the treasure rules even as written. It seems to me that the idea is that the PCs get a set amount of gold each level - how does the items recovered during the adventure come into this? Is it assumed that the PCs will "buy" them from the RHC if they want to keep them, by deducting the price from their stipend? If so I guess an unscrupulous party could also hide them from the RHC, leaving it up to me to decide if they get caught or not and what consequences there would be?

Or are items detailed in the adventure in addition to the stipend?

 

[MatthewJHanson]

My understanding is that yous they do need to buy those items. And sooner or later they should get caught. Maybe not the first time they keep something, but if it becomes a pattern, somebody's going to notice.

 

[gideonpepys]

Indeed. In the same way the modern police get caught out when they do something dodgy.

"We have a report from our new Danoran allies that you appropriated an item from one of their mine foremen on Axis Island - one Nicholas Dupiers - shortly before the hand-over. Can't help but notice that this item - to whit: one magical golden amulet - was never mentioned in your report or returned to the Constabulary coffers...."

I'm allowing players to keep consumables, reagents (and probably ritual scrolls), which they could theoretically have used in the course of an investigation. (The ritual scroll rule is designed to encourage their use; if I was to rely on them spending their hard-earned cash that whole area of the game would lie fallow...)

 

[RangerWickett]

An audit will occur in adventure 3.

 

[gideonpepys]

An audit will occur in adventure 3.

Ha ha! I'm looking forward to that.