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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amazing Mumford" data-source="post: 4803266" data-attributes="member: 33976">I think comparing "gp" to "xp" is really apples and oranges. First of all, I DO NOT want to get into the whole "leveling" discussion-- some groups have mandatory training, some groups do it automatically, etc. etc.-- NOT the point on this thread. Having said that, "leveling" and "getting treasure" are totally different. When a PC has enough xp to gain a level, that PC automatically gets a bunch of stuff he/she is entitled to. The PC picks skills, feats, ability point allocation, etc.  Some gaming groups have restrictions on spells, I can kinda see this-- maybe your wizard that just reached 9th lvl can't choose to get halaster's fetch II because that's a very rare spell-- wizards make their own spells after all, and they aren't always "publicly" available. Also, maybe if you're a cleric "50 spells" don't automatically pop into your head-- it makes sense to me that divine spells would be "filtered" by the dieties portfolio's. If you worship Auril maybe flame strike, earth reaver, lava splash, meteoric strike, parboil, and stonefire won't be available to your cleric that just turned 9th-lvl. But other than that, leveling up gives the PC's things they are entitled to per the PH. Magic items, on the other hand, is a totally different thing altogether. It doesn't say anywhere in the PH that PC's are entitled to "go shopping" with whatever magic item list they find. Yes, the game assumes the PC's have gear, but if a PC group has all-tailored and customed gear than balance is thrown out of whack. Also, there is the issue that PC's DO NOT have a DMG or MIC to browse through, the PC's have no knowledge of all the magic items out there. Yes, certain things are definitely more common knowledge, but maybe that's what Knowledge: Arcana is for, or Gather Information. Plus, having unlimited access to whatever magic is out there ruins finding "cool" magic items in the adventure. PC's could care less if they find a ioun stone or figurine of wonderous power if those are available at any town that has a listed price range (or as I like to call it MSRP!) I think the game assumes a certain randomness of gear, it also makes the PC's better PC's for having to think "outside the box" sometimes. Your PC shouldn't be defined by his/her gear. Otherwise you're just playing a paper doll with equipment, and if the equipment gets lost/stolen/disjoined/broken than your character is "useless"? Definitely not so!  Raistlin is still Raistlin with or without the Staff of the Magius. Drizzt is still Drizzt no matter what scimitars he has, and if I recall he did fine for awhile even without his panther figurine. All that being said, as I have said before, I don't think the idea is to make it impossible for PC's to buy certain items, just don't hand them everything on a silver platter. If you have a dwarven Paladin of Moradin, make the "magic sword" at the end of the adventure a warhammer instead! Or if the Arcane Archer wants a new bow, it's fine to pick up a +1 or +2 bow in say Waterdeep or Calimport but throw a hint or rumor that a green dragon or evil druid might have a (insert special power here) bow as loot after destroying a powerful ranger's hunting lodge in the woods or something. That way they go on the adventure and they don't end up with useless gear! And it has always been my view that PC's can actually "use" a lot of the treasure they come across, they just get whiny because it doesn't happen to be the most beneficial or most highly optimized weapon/staff/spell. If you're a fighter and choose to specialize in a very exotic item, then you should not expect to find this item everywhere you go in the world! That's the drawback of picking the super-cool weapon with it's advantages over a more common weapon. God forbid the fighter PC with Weapon Focus: Mercurial Longsword might have to settle for a regular longsword for a little while because that's what treasure the monster had! I'm not saying make it impossible for that PC to eventually find a cool mercurial longsword, I'm just saying that not every blacksmith/weaponsmith will have one. And just where did the fighter get the idea anyway to ask for a +1 Holy Keen Mercurial Longsword of Quickness??  The fighter didn't, the PC did after he looked at all the options available in various books.  That's meta-gaming!  Hey, if it works for your group, then go for it.....</blockquote>

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