14500 gp to spend

[taliesin15]

My recommendations:

Melee: +2 Armor & +2 Melee Weapon (adds to 12k, use the rest on potions and scrolls)

Special Melee: Rod of the Python which acts as a +2 Staff (13k)

Melee/Defense: Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds (4500gp) & +2 Melee (8k)

Utility/Armor: Bag of Holding & +2 Armor

 

[Stormborn]

I agree with the previous posters on this thread.

That is, you can't go too far wrong in buyng a collection of cheap low level abilities.

My choice would be:

Periapt of Wisdom +2 (4000)
+1 armor (1150 +armor cost)
+1 shield (1150 +shield cost)
+1 weapon (2300 +weapon cost)
Vest of Resistance +1 (1000)
1 Pearl of Power Lvl 1 1000
Lesser metamagic rod extend 3000
Some non-offensive scrolls

Money for Wands of Cure X should come from a common pool, IMO. Not specifically from the poor cleric's streched budget.

This is pretty much exactly what I would do, with protection from evil being a prime scroll choice.

Although it involved smuggling illegal herbal goods to the Dwarven kingdom, My 5th level Cleric...

What? Is your god Jay or Silent Bob?

Now as to Green Slime's reaction to spending a lot of money on a single item: Thats only true if thats the way your group tends to play. I have never played in a game where a PC's item (or anyone's really, witht he exception of an evil staff held by a BBEG that the party could neither keep nor sell) has been rusted, stolen, lost, dispelled, sundered, or disintegrated. Made useless for one or more encounters and even entire sessions - yes absolutely. We just dont tend to go for the destruction of items. Not that there is anything wrong with that, we just don't tend to play that way. Therefore consider play style before sinking a lot of money into a single item.

 

[green slime]

Now as to Green Slime's reaction to spending a lot of money on a single item: Thats only true if thats the way your group tends to play. I have never played in a game where a PC's item (or anyone's really, witht he exception of an evil staff held by a BBEG that the party could neither keep nor sell) has been rusted, stolen, lost, dispelled, sundered, or disintegrated. Made useless for one or more encounters and even entire sessions - yes absolutely. We just dont tend to go for the destruction of items. Not that there is anything wrong with that, we just don't tend to play that way. Therefore consider play style before sinking a lot of money into a single item.

Well there is that, there is also the fact that you are basically putting all your eggs in one basket. There is a reason that in RL this is not a good idea. This spills over into the game as well. By limiting youself to what is basically a single "Item of Goodness" you are relying on that single item (+1 Axe of meat grinding, for instance).

Survivable character, ones that can handle many different situations, just squeak through sticky situations in better shape. Lots of minor items give you that advantage, which a single piece won't. Slightly improving saves, AC, to hit, damage, spells per day, spell DC, spell accessibility and other minor features is far more valuable (IMO, NSH), than a single large increase to weapon damage output, for instance (that Axe of Meat Grinding).

But of course, the game is to be played for fun, and if it is more fun for you to have that Axe of Meat Grinding, then go for it!

I'm just a bracers-and-belt kind of guy, with a single egg in each basket.