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Message: <blockquote data-quote="garrowolf" data-source="post: 5064568" data-attributes="member: 31900">One of the things that has always bothered me about fantasy games set in early ages is that they don't even bother with any kind of reality. They say, "It's fantasy!" and have the most ridiculous settings. If that is what you want then don't bother with any kind of limits. However if you want to have a game at all based in some kind of ancient culture - even if it is a generic western medieval culture then you should have a difference between peasants and nobility.  That is one of the most important aspects of ancient cultures. Nobility would be the one with horses most of the time. They would have a LOT more money to start with. Merchant class would have some money and MAY have a horse. A bandit would have a horse because they stole it. A city thief wouldn't have one. Most people attached to a city wouldn't have a horse. Sure you have the basic tools to use your skills. Simple as that. A person who has developed a skill would have spend some time acquiring those tools. He may not have a workshop full but he would have the basics on him or in a pack. The trade off is that they already start with alot more to lug around. If they don't want to have it then don't worry about it. As for making it equitable? Why does ever one have to have the same amount of stuff? They don't have to drag around as much stuff all the time as the skill heavy character. Well if it makes sense for the character then talk it over with the GM. If you want a character with 5 knives hidden all over their body then go for it! That is role play. Sorry - peasants don't adventure. That's just silly. If you have a group of thieves then maybe but you seem to want to force some Modern American fairness and equity on a fantasy game about ancient cultures. They didn't think that way back then. A peasant wouldn't have the resources to go adventuring. Most of the time they were working to keep extended family alive. The clothes on their back even belong to the family. The only people that would "adventure" would be lower nobles and merchants and they would be second or third sons mostly that are not going to inherit anything.  If you want to make it connected with the system more then have a set of feats relating to social class. That could determine your starting money. It sounds like you are trying to make the game system do all the work for you. The GM should be the one deciding on the heirlooms and work it into the PCs back story. Don't tell them what they have. If you want to use the same gold cost behind the scenes for those heirlooms then go ahead. If the player has a great idea for an heirloom that doesn't imbalance things then go ahead. Every player I've had loved what I did with that and tended to hate the shopping stuff when they did it in other games. None of their stuff means anything to them if they don't have a reason to have it. It becomes a junk list that they can't even remember what they have on it. Talk out equipping your PCs. Have them explain what they want and why. Then grant them the things that make sense with their back story. They will enjoy it more then just being given a bunch of gold and told anything below this level in the list. Try it out.</blockquote>

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