Vow of Poverty

[slingbld]

What do you all think of "Exalted Deeds" Vow of Poverty?

I was leaning to it being a bit overpowered but I'm beginning to change my mind.

Now the only overbearing advantage I see is the fact that the character with PoV cannot loose any of his special abilities like a character can loose gear. (ie: teh Slavelord Series where for a short time the characters are stripped of thier gear)

Tell me what ya think!!!

 

[Unseelie]

I think that balances out with the fact that the VoP character effectively becomes a money sink for the party. Money goes in, but instead of being turned into magic items, it goes to charity instead.

I also think that that will be a major point of contention in many groups... they'll want to not give the VoP character their share as it's going to go away.

 

[Eldren]

In terms of actual power level, it seems like a lot to most people just because the person who's taken this Vow winds up getting tons of bonus feats (more than even a Fighter, I believe, although I don't have my Book of Exalted Deeds right in front of me), and they get a lot of stat boosts and immunities. It boils down to the fact that they're getting things that none of the other classes get. Combine this with a Monk, and you've got a pretty fearsome character.

The flip side of things is that the character owns nothing. They have the clothes on their back, and that's about it. Not even a backpack. Definitely no magical items.

The party getting upset about the character with this Vow giving up their share of treasure to charity is neither here nor there. A party should have no say in what a character does with their share of treasure once the treasure is portioned out. It'd be like the Rogue telling the Paladin, "Here's your share of the treasure. But you can not purchase a Holy Avenger with it!" I mean, c'mon. once the shares are doled out, those shares are the direct property of the shareholder. The rest of the party has zero input on what that character does with their funds.

While it isn't required by 3rd Edition rules, I know several Dungeon Masters who still enforce the old 1st Edition and 2nd Edition tithing rules for Paladins. They have to give up 10% of their earnings, both monetary and magical. So what does the party have to say about the fact that the Paladin, once he/she has their share of treasure, goes off and immediately gives 10% of it to an organization that the rest of the party may not be interested in subsidizing? It doesn't matter; that share of the treasure is the Paladin's, and the rest of the party can sod off if they don't like what the Paladin does with their own funds. Likewise, a Paladin doesn't expect to tell the Rogue that they can't purchase a magical set of thieves' tools, they can only say, "You'd better not let me see you doing anything illegal with those."

Don't worry about it; if your party is that concerned with what everyone is doing with their own funds, they need to stop being so nosy, and let the character be as long as they're positively contributing to the group's survival and viability. Someone who's taken the "Vow of Poverty" feat definitely does that.

 

[Bishop2113]

didn't see the book yet.....

I haven't gotten a chance to see the book yet, but I was wondering if after taking the "vow" does the character also give up all weapons?
It seems to me he could use "Worthless" armor that no-one wants, maybe rusty old weapons, or a thick stick as a crude club.
Maybe thats all in the book, I'll have to pick it up the next time I'm in town.
Thanx.

 

[slingbld]

I haven't gotten a chance to see the book yet, but I was wondering if after taking the "vow" does the character also give up all weapons?
It seems to me he could use "Worthless" armor that no-one wants, maybe rusty old weapons, or a thick stick as a crude club.
Maybe thats all in the book, I'll have to pick it up the next time I'm in town.
Thanx.

You can have basic clothing (I let my player know he has a pesant's atire. He can have a robe ala Catholic Monk style)
You can also have 1-2 weapons. Nothing Magical or masterwork.
That is the complete list of your posessions.

 

[James McMurray]

At earlier levels (before you get Sustenance) you can't even carry any food for a cross country journey.

 

[Tar-Edhel]

At earlier levels (before you get Sustenance) you can't even carry any food for a cross country journey.

Begging food to fellow party members or even monsters can be such a blast!

Another levelling factor is that you need to act exalted to keep your exalted feats. I'm only 2nd level and the dwarf is getting a bit weary of seeing me trying to discuss with goblins before attacking.

He almost had an attack when I started giving first aid to those little critters

Beins exalted is not easy and you cannot take exalted feats without reading closely what being exalted means.

With great powers come great great responsibilities. If you're not up to the task, you loose the cool abilities.

 

[demiurge1138]

I agree with all of the points being made (difficult rp, absolutely no items, etc) but think about absolutely no items. This, combined with the fact that there are only so many exalted feats, means that all VoP characters have about the same abilities. In addition to losing out on just cool gear, they also lack in the versatility department.

So, no, I don't think they're too unbalanced, considering what else is out there (frenzied berzerker, for one...)

Demiurge out.

 

[Unseelie]

The party getting upset about the character with this Vow giving up their share of treasure to charity is neither here nor there. A party should have no say in what a character does with their share of treasure once the treasure is portioned out. It'd be like the Rogue telling the Paladin, "Here's your share of the treasure. But you can not purchase a Holy Avenger with it!" I mean, c'mon. once the shares are doled out, those shares are the direct property of the shareholder. The rest of the party has zero input on what that character does with their funds.

Maybe I misspoke (I'm too lazy to scroll back and look) but I don't mean the party, I mean the players. Not their characters, them.

Sadly, I am quite certain that were I to take VoP with my Monk that one, perhaps two of the players would take exception. Yes, I realize that that may be a sign I should find a different group...

 

[Lu Wei Fong]

Well, funny thing is, I don't think it's over-balanced. 'Funny' because my monk went from being the weakest PC in both games I play in to being able to wipe the floor with any one (and sometimes two) of the other PCs without breaking a sweat after taking the Vow. However, I don't think it's over-powered because it takes a certain kind of person to be able to play a Vow character. It is not intended for just anyone. The Vow represents the kind of stout-hearted, unwavering dedication to an ideal or value in the character's life that they dedicate their entire being to that lofty aspiration. The character eats, drinks, sleeps, and breaths this determinated pursuit (metaphorically in this case, i.e.: Sustenance ). I'm not in any way saying that other characters are not dedicated or determined, but exalted by its very definition implies above and beyond. Because the character is so entirely dedicated to their cause, it would make sense to me that they reap extraordinary benefits for extraordinary efforts. *shrug*