Giving yourself treasure... Is there anything wrong with this?

[kamosa]

This is a slippery slope, seeding the game with items that only you can really use. When I co-GM'd a game like this before, I never took treasure when I was the GM. It meant that I had less than the other party member, but then I was a monk, so it didn't hurt that much.

Once you start handing out items essentially to yourself, you are inviting retaliation from the other CO-GM's. Either they will try to give themselves stuff, or they will attack the items that you've handed out.

Avoid the tempation and keep it on the up and up. You'll be much happier in the long run.

 

[S'mon]

UltimaGabe, I think your real problem is that you've become the group's "items bitch" - making stuff for them whenever they want, spending YOUR XP to make THEM happy. If I were you I'd start charging them a decent markup for whatever I made for them, and if I didn't want to spend the XP I wouldn't do it. IMC the party Wizard rarely makes anything for anyone else - he might, but they'd sure as hell pay through the nose for it!

I also think that the idea of a bottle of "item creation XP" is a good one, and can be used to benefit anyone - but indirectly benefits you.

 

[UltimaGabe]

the item construction rules allow multiple characters to assist in the
construction of an item, yes?

That is, you all agree that a cleric with craft wondrous item can have
a wizard supply the Shield spell to make a Brooch of Shielding, just like
in the rules, right?

Extend that concept. Any character willing to work with the crafter
8 hours a day for however many days may DONATE his own XP for the item.

I think you're missing the point. My point wasn't that I'm looking for some way to reduce the cost of making items, my point was that I put a possible item into a game that came to my character (since there was only one other PC on the adventure) and I'm wondering if it would be a huge problem if my character kept the item, considering I was the one that put the item into the adventure.

This is a slippery slope, seeding the game with items that only you can really use.

I'm not the only one who could use it, but I see your point.

UltimaGabe, I think your real problem is that you've become the group's "items bitch" - making stuff for them whenever they want, spending YOUR XP to make THEM happy. If I were you I'd start charging them a decent markup for whatever I made for them, and if I didn't want to spend the XP I wouldn't do it. IMC the party Wizard rarely makes anything for anyone else - he might, but they'd sure as hell pay through the nose for it!

Who said I don't make money from it?

Making magic items for them isn't the issue- I get more than enough money back from them. My character actually quite often has more money than I know what to do with- the problem is that although I'm getting tons of money, I'm expending a lot of XP in the process (which is nobody's fault but my own- I make a heck of a lot more items for myself and my cohort than I make for anybody else in the group). Even if I'm getting a ton of money back, the XP drain is always going to be there, and it's considerably more noticeable than the GP drain (in other words, it probably won't be too noticeable when your buddy's sword is one + higher than yours, but when you're at the same level for twice as long as everyone else, it's noticeable).

Once again, the issue isn't the magic items or the XP, the issue is I'm wondering whether it would be right for a DM's character to accept an item that he put into an adventure.

 

[diaglo]

i'm pretty much agreeing with others. you are on slippery slope. work towards taking the Forsaker PrC. sooner or later one of you is gonna need it.

 

[S'mon]

I think you're missing the point. My point wasn't that I'm looking for some way to reduce the cost of making items, my point was that I put a possible item into a game that came to my character (since there was only one other PC on the adventure) and I'm wondering if it would be a huge problem if my character kept the item, considering I was the one that put the item into the adventure.

I'm not the only one who could use it, but I see your point.
Who said I don't make money from it?

Making magic items for them isn't the issue- I get more than enough money back from them. My character actually quite often has more money than I know what to do with- the problem is that although I'm getting tons of money, I'm expending a lot of XP in the process (which is nobody's fault but my own- I make a heck of a lot more items for myself and my cohort than I make for anybody else in the group). Even if I'm getting a ton of money back, the XP drain is always going to be there, and it's considerably more noticeable than the GP drain (in other words, it probably won't be too noticeable when your buddy's sword is one + higher than yours, but when you're at the same level for twice as long as everyone else, it's noticeable).

Once again, the issue isn't the magic items or the XP, the issue is I'm wondering whether it would be right for a DM's character to accept an item that he put into an adventure.

If you have too much money & too few XP, maybe you could spend the money to BUY items, or commission a cash-poor XP-rich NPC to make them for you?

As for the 'issue' - if the other PCs offer you it, why not? But don't put in items aimed at giving your own PC a boost, which appears to have been what you were planning.

 

[BlackMoria]

Once again, the issue isn't the magic items or the XP, the issue is I'm wondering whether it would be right for a DM's character to accept an item that he put into an adventure.

I don't think you need our permission. If it is fine with your players, then 'no foul' and game on.

And if you are asking my opinion - I think it is okay for a DM's character to accept an item he put into the adventure. The background you have provided indicates that the DM's character accepting items is a rare thing and is not abused. So what's the harm if your players have no problem with it.

 

[Trainz]

I don't think you need our permission. If it is fine with your players, then 'no foul' and game on.

I agree. Your posts feel like you're asking us, trying to get a consensus that what you plan is OK. Hell, I'm also guilty of doing this a few times with ENworld. That said, you don't need our approval. The only repercussions, if there are any, would be on your gaming group. In that regard, I would carefully use the advice provided by your fellow ENworlders: although not apparent, in that your actions at first glance seem to be profiting the whole group, your other players may jump on the opportunity to boost their characters, thus eventually creating resentment in the gang.

When trying un-orthodox stuff, I always do it in a solo game (like the current solo game I'm DM'ing, with my friend playing a Spiked-Chain Minotaur. I would NEVER allow that in a regular group game ! ! ! ), and it is clear that those characters are intended for solo gaming only, never to be crossed-over in a regular game.

 

[ARandomGod]

Here's an idea:
give the PCs some liquid power, ie XP for crafting items in a bottle. They can give it to you if they want you to make them an item, or give it to the other item crafter.
it'd go to the other members, and they could use it, albeit it would still help you cuz you wouldn't be burning your xp -- you'd be burning their virtual XP.
there's mechanics for this in... umm, i think BoEM I.

I don't have any problem at all with placing items that would be ideal for your character in a campaign. As long as you aren't doing it a lot, as long as it makes sense... And hell, if you want to do it without getting party approval before hand, for story reasons, you can ask about it later and have the item lost or destroyed if they vote against it.

Now, speaking of liquid power.... (Eyes glint evilly)
I agree. Have some. And have a decive for GETTING this power. From other people.

Whether they're willing or unwilling is dependant solely on how evil or not the wizard is.

And I think that draining unwilling people of XP for your own fun and profit is pretty evil. On the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with draining willing people of XP to make items for them. HEll, I don't even see anything wrong with charging a 10% XP markup. It might even be mandatory, in that the item only distills XP in set amounts, so that there is naturally a little "profit" XP left around.

Could help your character catch up with the others XP wise. Now you can use the profit to make your own, and have them pay for theirs.

And, yes, I did once make just such an item. It stored the XP in itself, in gems, sort of like the "capture the soul" spells of yore, and it took the XP in batches of 100. 100 per second of use. We were fighting to kill off an evil artificer. He was really really hard to destroy. ... He used that item to suck XP from captured enemies and from allies that got to powerful. We never did get that item, or kill him, but we did get a prelliminary item he made during research that needed a willing subject to donate the XP. Vewry very useful. And no more having the mage be the parties bitch for making items.