Anyone ever try this: Hey-hey, we're the Monk-ees...

[Altalazar]

With a thread name like that, I wonder who will read this...

Anyway - my idea is a group of PCs where they are ALL monks, with vows of poverty. That is, none of them has any equipment or money nor do they pursue it. Wouldn't that make for an interesting campaign? They certainly would have somewhat different motivations from other characters. I wonder if the wealth/power chart takes this into account? I suppose the only way it could would be if such characters at 20th level were equally as powerful naked as regular 20th level characters are with their X million gold pieces worth of magic items added in.

Anyone ever try this, or anything like this, where no one in the group has any possessions nor tries to get any? What was that like? How did that mesh with typical modules? If you haven't, feel free to speculate what it might be like.

I assume there would have to be some sort of different, overriding motivation at work. There are also issues of party balance if they are all monks - could this be done with other classes, too? I'm only vaguely familiar with the whole 'vow of poverty' thing.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

With a thread name like that, I wonder who will read this...

Just daydream believers and homecoming queens.

If you're going to do this, I'd toss in some kind of "healing trance" ability. If they're all monks they're going to get beat up pretty badly.

 

[Vaxalon]

Monks can already heal themselves.

What I would do, in lieu of magic items, is to put together a lot of prestige races that the PC's can buy with XP, things related to various disciplines they can study.

It'll also help differentiate the different party members.

 

[Impeesa]

I don't think there's anything in VoP against donating loot to a church or something in exchange for Permanent buffs.. that could help make up some of it.

--Impeesa--

 

[Darklone]

Kewl idea. Point buy or rolling? They need good stats.

Make sure to watch some 60s movies... cheap hong kong stuff. Preferably together. Then choose a schtick for every player (Big fat bull, slow thinker, dextrous throw-all dude, sword saint, exotic weapon pro,...)

Healing: Make sure they work for a temple or monastery with herb concoctions or other healing stuff available. And check around for stylish opponents. Will you use Feng Shui rules or standard d20 3.5 stuff? OA?

 

[SSquirrel]

Make sure to utilize the freely multiclassing version of Monks from OA if you're really worried about it so people could pick up cleric if they really felt the urge, etc.


Actually I expected to see a group of all bards from the title *grin*

Hagen

 

[CyberSpyder]

I don't think there's anything in VoP against donating loot to a church or something in exchange for Permanent buffs.. that could help make up some of it.

--Impeesa--

A donation in exchange for a service is better known as a sale, and is most definitely not within the spirit of the Vow of Poverty.

Whether it is possible by the letter of the rules is another question entirely, of course.

 

[SSquirrel]

A donation in exchange for a service is better known as a sale, and is most definitely not within the spirit of the Vow of Poverty.

Whether it is possible by the letter of the rules is another question entirely, of course.

If the sale is to their church not themselves it is within their vow. if they took said money and went wenching, that's anotehr story.

Hagen

 

[DGFan]

That's as bad an idea as an all-gnome group.

 

[WanderingMonster]

Make it an underwater campaign and you can have a sea-monkee game.

You really do have to work hard at coming up with other motivations for your players. Without gold or cool magic items, they may fail to see the point, cool premise or no. Part of the fun of D&D is the loot. It's the other half of "Kill the monsters and ____ _____ _____"