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Vow of Poverty for a mage


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[MENTION=52734]Stormonu[/MENTION], that and the fact that Wizards start the game with a spellbook, I believe, and the spells initially gained and gained per level are free. That's a nice work-around, though. i figure playing a Wizard with this option, you could choose Eschew Materials and/or Skincaster as bonus feats, since they're basically fluff.

I'm the kind of DM and player that's perfectly willing to let players have as much fluff as they need for their builds, provided they use simple enough mechanics. I'd rather have someone play a Barbarian and rule that when they rage they turn into a bear then have to convert bear warrior or make them a werebear. Besides, the character I'm designing this feat for doesn't age, because I say so. It's all just ways of getting past silly rules and straight to the fun.
 

Well, I'm not sure I would say "silly rules" so much as opening alternative options for a different take on a class.

Spells with an expensive component might still be an issue, in this case I'd be perfectly willing to treat this as a sort of specialist, like a necromancer who has to give up casting spells from the illusion school, the poverty mage gives up casting spells with expensive components.

If that doesn't work, perhaps increasing the casting time (1 full round per 100 gp or so) or requiring some "power component" (say, the eye of a baskilisk for stoneskin) might be appropiate - perhaps requiring a special feat even.

Lastly, there may be method around the loss of magic items. Perhaps via a ritual or spell, the wizard could draw out the magic from an item (destroying the item) to directly confer the bonus to himself for a limited time (like, say from a circlet of intelligence +2) or avail himself of the underlying spell used in the construction of the item. Perhaps a feat chain would be in order, that inreases the duration of these "stolen" magic, to replace the lost value of item creation feats.
 

[MENTION=52734]Stormonu[/MENTION], that and the fact that Wizards start the game with a spellbook, I believe, and the spells initially gained and gained per level are free. That's a nice work-around, though. i figure playing a Wizard with this option, you could choose Eschew Materials and/or Skincaster as bonus feats, since they're basically fluff.

BTW, replacing the 1st level scribe scroll ability/feat with eschew materials would probably be a good thing.
 

Replacing Scribe Scroll with Eschew Materials is perfect. Great idea!

I think that replacing expensive material components with extended casting time could pose something of a problem. If I was a Wizard, I'd choose taking a few minutes to cast Wish over the gold piece loss (plus, that allows for some epic narration as I'm doing it). Using specific components sounds nice, only the point of this character option is to LOWER the character's equipment list, not increase it. Plus, what's the market price on Basilisk eyes anyway?

I don't like the idea of consuming items in order to gain a temporary benefit. The whole point is that you give your wealth away, not that you break all of your toys.
 

Using specific components sounds nice, only the point of this character option is to LOWER the character's equipment list, not increase it. Plus, what's the market price on Basilisk eyes anyway?

That's part of the point - making it so it can't be bought, but must be quested for. You want a baskilisk eye that still has it's magical properties, you don't go down to the corner market and buy it. You have to harvest it yourself and either doesn't keep well (the magic fades as the item "rots"), it's only attuned to the person who harvests it (sympathetic magic), or it requires unusual harvesting conditions (taken only just as it transforms someone to stone).
 


Sorry, to hear that, may you be resurrected soon (?) Actually, if you have the "creeping gleep", I feel for you. I'm up at 3:44 AM because my son's got it as well.

Anyway, I thought we were talking about wizards not psions. Or is this a psion-gussied-up-with-wizard-garb sort of thing?
 

About wizards, i think you they really need a way of scribing new spells into their spellbook. The DMG states that writing a new spell costs 100gp x spell level, plus about 50gp x spell for the privilege of copying from another wizard spell book.

I'd waive the 100gp per page part (since you can't really decide to stop paying others because of your vow), so that a wizard can add some spell once in a while.
I just recently made a 9th level wizard, i spent about 6k gp just adding spells to my spellbook, and i didn't exagerate. If you can't add spells, you are a gimped sorcerer.
 

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