Starting Wealth

[noeuphoria]

I'm interested in how other DMs handle starting wealth for new characters in campaigns already underway. I personally am not inclined to give FULL starting wealth in magical items, as the items the characters have obtained through the campaign should cover their wealth. For instance, if you have 6 10th level characters that have been playing from 1st level, and one dies, elects not to get raised, and brings in a new character. If you give that character full starting magical items, you have effectively increased the wealth the group has. But if you give them no items, it's very hard for the character to be on par with other characters, since they have a full slew of items. Anyway, just seeing what other DMs do.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

I'm interested in how other DMs handle starting wealth for new characters in campaigns already underway. I personally am not inclined to give FULL starting wealth in magical items, as the items the characters have obtained through the campaign should cover their wealth. For instance, if you have 6 10th level characters that have been playing from 1st level, and one dies, elects not to get raised, and brings in a new character. If you give that character full starting magical items, you have effectively increased the wealth the group has. But if you give them no items, it's very hard for the character to be on par with other characters, since they have a full slew of items. Anyway, just seeing what other DMs do.

This is always a touchy thing. I usually handle it by giving the character somewhere around 1/2 the stated wealth in the DMG for characters of his level then I look at his character and randomly roll some magic items (if they fit his concept I keep them, if they do not fit the concept but are still usefull I keep them, saying he picked them up in his travels off dead bodies, but if they do not fit his concept nor are they useful to him then I reroll) to give him till he roughly looks like the rest of the party. Now if I thought he was creating a new character just in order to increase the party's magic items by adding his previous items and his new items to the equation that's a different story. We'd have a talk privately and I would try not to kill him irl

 

[Ibram]

I like to keep my players hungry, so I keep their gold count rather low...

For a chacter thats just coming into a game in progress I usualy say "you get one suit of armor, a shield if you want one, and a MW weapon of your choice"
then I roll some dice (4-8 d6) and give that much SP to have on hand.

In my games I generaly dont waste time with keeping track of every trail ration and inch of rope that my players have so they dont have much need for large sums of money.

 

[Herpes Cineplex]

We have the person coming into the game write up a magic item wish list, including the market price of each item. Then the GM looks at the list, looks at the stuff held by the rest of the party, and decides what to allow in.

In some games, it's all of the list. In others, it's anywhere from 25 to 75% of the list. A few times a GM has struck an item but suggested something else in its place. And at least twice, the whole group has negotiated it out-of-character, offering various items from the cache of stuff that no one has found a real use for yet or that the new character might make better use of, in exchange for something else, with the understanding that once we start playing no one's going to kick up a fuss about the new character being given these things.

--
it doesn't happen that often, so we're all comfortable handling it case-by-case
ryan

 

[Mark]

I allow maximum starting wealth, and even set up some "contact" that each PC can utilize to get special deals on mundane items that their class would most likely find comes in handy. Around third level I wean them off of those contacts in-game by some method.

 

[CalicoDave]

My group gives the PC wealth for higher levels as in the DMG. But, when I DM I'll sort of "short change" the party on magic for a little while in the future, nothing drastic, but just enough to eventually even out.

I think next time I DM I'll only let new characters have about 1/3 of the suggested starting wealth to spend as they please and then give them a shopping list of mostly random items they can buy off of with the other 2/3rds of the starting funds. I've seen in too many of the other DM's games where a new character has a perfectly tailored set of magic items while the older characters have to make do with what they've found.


D.

 

[TwilightWhisper]

I'll agree with all of you and say, "Yes!", however, I've had a problem with my players not waiting for me to say "Yes!". I understand the whole "tailor-made" concept that some of the characters are looking for. They're looking to improve upon their old character from what screwed them last time (in the case of PC death). When a new player comes into the game (someone who has never played before) I give then the wealth out of the DMG. From now on though, I think Kaleon solved a problem for me. Potions, scrolls and useless tidbits is what characters have the most of. I think rolling for treasure is the best idea of all. Thanx, K!

 

[TwilightWhisper]

Repeat Post, Accidental.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

I'll agree with all of you and say, "Yes!", however, I've had a problem with my players not waiting for me to say "Yes!". I understand the whole "tailor-made" concept that some of the characters are looking for. They're looking to improve upon their old character from what screwed them last time (in the case of PC death). When a new player comes into the game (someone who has never played before) I give then the wealth out of the DMG. From now on though, I think Kaleon solved a problem for me. Potions, scrolls and useless tidbits is what characters have the most of. I think rolling for treasure is the best idea of all. Thanx, K!

I would love tot ake all the credit, but I have to say my current DM is who sold me on the process, I had done it before, but he does it much better and everyone is usually happy. So Kuddos to Andres, cause I know he lurks on here some.

 

[S'mon]

These days I give higher-level PCs starting wealth as NPCs of their level according to the DMG table, with a free choice what to spend the money on - this lets them get a few items custom-tailored to their PC, and doesn't flood the group with additional wealth. I typically give non-spellcaster PCs a suitable freebie 'goody', also - special weapon, magic tattoos, and such, which help differentiate & add interest to the PC.