How is starting wealth for 2+ lvl characters handled in your campaign.

[jasper]

They can buy anything reasonable in phb except no magic. And generally they have 3 clw potions. and 100 gp.
Any other magic will be assign as character is finished or placed in the adventure.

 

[Arnwyn]

It's pretty strict, but my rule of thumb that new characters (except 1st level characters) get starting gold + 1/2 the NPC wealth by level in the DMG. Cash only.

Tough, yes, but I've discovered that the characters are usually over-equipped when a PC dies (since they retain all the dead PC's items).

This works for us.

 

[sellars]

heh - my approach is overly simplistic, but it usually works.


I look up their level in then DMG's table regarding starting characters total wealth. I give the player that total in gold, hand 'em all my books and tell 'em to go on a shopping spree. After the first try with this, I implemented the followup rule: You can't spend more 1/3 of your total on a single item.

We do it the same. With a maximum cost per item.

 

[Pseudonym]

I give my players the standard DMG cash, and allow them to buy whatever they can afford. It hasn't been an problem in the past, so I'll likely keep doing that as I go.

 

[Neo]

I give my players the amounts for wealth beyond first according to the table in the DMG. I also allow them to spend it how they like, though reserve the right to disallow any item that I deem inappropriate or unlikely to be available.

However I have never started a campaign with characters being allowed to be higher than 3rd ever as its is the development of a character that I deem improtant not the bonuses so all my games start from low to high.. and when you consider at 2nd level you get 900gp its hardly a sum that can be misused in any noticable way...most folks tend to buy MW weapon and armour, couple of healing potions and some standard gear.

the only exception to this rule is when a character dies, I allow replacement characters to be 2 levels lower than the highest level member of the party that is alive. Again though I allow the starting gold above 1st but I am a little bit more dtringent about what they spend the money on then in order to deter any potential munchkin urges that may rear thier heads.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I tend to give the PC the NPC starting gold value, saying 1/2 on one item and no more than 1/4 on anything else. I then look to see how far this is actually behind the other players. I make up the difference with a signiture item, which I describe in vauge terms, so that players pick style over substance.
..... hmm, I forgot to do this with the last new PC his character was introduced last session, but without gear - so there is still time to fix it.

 

[I'm A Banana]

They got the gold, it's their choice where to spend it, not mine. Since I allow 'magic shops,' a lot of their items get traded in for powerful items anyway....of course, they often really regret it.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

We usually give the characters the money as noted in the DMG.
Usually, everbody buys wellrounded equipment, so there was never a need to limit the maximum amount spent per item. (Usually, you will get more bang for your bucks if you have multiple cheaper items than a single expensive on)

There is still a problem with replacement characters. If a character died, the new usually starts one level lower than the rest (or at least a few XP, so that sometimes, he will be behind, sometimes not), and the regular wealth per level, but if the died characters items are still within the group, this unbalances these.
Recently, a character in my Diamond Throne Campaign died, and one of the characters decided that the loot of the fallen comrade would go to his family (whereever it might be), which seems a quite reasonably way to handle it.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[CombatWombat51]

I like the table in the back of the DMG (1E).

 

[Wormwood]

I give my players the standard DMG cash, and allow them to buy whatever they can afford. It hasn't been an problem in the past, so I'll likely keep doing that as I go.

That's how I do it as well (except no item can be worth more than 1/2 starting gold).

Happy players, happy DM.