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On character wealth an d game balance
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<blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 7097761" data-attributes="member: 6669384"><p>Hmmm. The utility of the Wealth by Level guideline is that it sets a standard for characters entering at higher levels.</p><p></p><p>What I'm hearing, though is a "Judge case by case" and an "I'll know it when I see it" sort of thing. Hard to ask players to build to a standard that can seem, well, arbitrary. </p><p></p><p>Now, to be fair, I've had players come in with characters that were on budget to the penny, and still needed to have their lists tinkered. When one of my players came in with his Paladin of Freedom, and I saw his goodies list I told him to spend an extra 5K. He was weak for his level.</p><p></p><p>Others have come in under budget, and still broken, in terms of gear. (Usually by delving into source books we weren't using, like the Magic Item Compendium.)</p><p></p><p>So hard numbers certainly aren't the final word, and they shouldn't be. But they do give a fair guideline, a target the player should aim at.</p><p></p><p>Our current DM, noting that my Wizard 9 had 83k of the 36 he should be allowed by on the Wealth by Level table, asked everyone to submit their characters for review, with items priced out, but also to mention an item or two that we might want our characters to have.</p><p></p><p>My character wasn't the farthest over budget, by the way. A character two levels lower than mine weighed in at 85k.</p><p></p><p>I sent in the list, with prices. With the DM's permission I also sent in an edited list that was in budget for the level. My character's AC ended up two points higher, had better Saves and was more capable as a spell caster.</p><p></p><p>Clue: Four Pearls of Power - Level 1 do much the same as a Ring of Wizardry level 1 for about 16k less, and they don't consume an item slot. You don't get quite the variety, but for low level utility spells they're great. You can afford ten of the level 2 Pearls for the same price as the level 2 Ring.</p><p></p><p>Adding Defender to a +1 weapon, even a simple dagger, costs a few grand and buys you a +1 AC. Not a good deal compared to a shield, but if your character can't use a shield it works. Also, if your character can cast Greater Magic Weapon then that bonus can increase for the day.</p><p></p><p>Fact is, ret-conning was a better deal than I/he could normally get. I dumped items at full market price instead of half, and managed to turn in some expensive stuff the character almost never used.</p><p></p><p>Back on topic, though (I do tend to ramble), as a semi-objective guideline for that rare player who can't actually read the DM's mind regarding what's acceptable, what would you suggest as an adjustment to or replacement for the Wealth by Level table,</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Greenfield, post: 7097761, member: 6669384"] Hmmm. The utility of the Wealth by Level guideline is that it sets a standard for characters entering at higher levels. What I'm hearing, though is a "Judge case by case" and an "I'll know it when I see it" sort of thing. Hard to ask players to build to a standard that can seem, well, arbitrary. Now, to be fair, I've had players come in with characters that were on budget to the penny, and still needed to have their lists tinkered. When one of my players came in with his Paladin of Freedom, and I saw his goodies list I told him to spend an extra 5K. He was weak for his level. Others have come in under budget, and still broken, in terms of gear. (Usually by delving into source books we weren't using, like the Magic Item Compendium.) So hard numbers certainly aren't the final word, and they shouldn't be. But they do give a fair guideline, a target the player should aim at. Our current DM, noting that my Wizard 9 had 83k of the 36 he should be allowed by on the Wealth by Level table, asked everyone to submit their characters for review, with items priced out, but also to mention an item or two that we might want our characters to have. My character wasn't the farthest over budget, by the way. A character two levels lower than mine weighed in at 85k. I sent in the list, with prices. With the DM's permission I also sent in an edited list that was in budget for the level. My character's AC ended up two points higher, had better Saves and was more capable as a spell caster. Clue: Four Pearls of Power - Level 1 do much the same as a Ring of Wizardry level 1 for about 16k less, and they don't consume an item slot. You don't get quite the variety, but for low level utility spells they're great. You can afford ten of the level 2 Pearls for the same price as the level 2 Ring. Adding Defender to a +1 weapon, even a simple dagger, costs a few grand and buys you a +1 AC. Not a good deal compared to a shield, but if your character can't use a shield it works. Also, if your character can cast Greater Magic Weapon then that bonus can increase for the day. Fact is, ret-conning was a better deal than I/he could normally get. I dumped items at full market price instead of half, and managed to turn in some expensive stuff the character almost never used. Back on topic, though (I do tend to ramble), as a semi-objective guideline for that rare player who can't actually read the DM's mind regarding what's acceptable, what would you suggest as an adjustment to or replacement for the Wealth by Level table, [/QUOTE]
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