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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Castellan" data-source="post: 2657706" data-attributes="member: 639">The Vow of Poverty feat is one of my favorites as a DM and as a Player. But that's partly due to its strong roleplaying requirements. I think that this feat requires some close collaboration with the DM both at the table and away from it.For instance, your character should still want his share of the treasure because he needs to perform acts of charity. Someone else here mentioned "buying that character out." However, if I was roleplaying someone with Vow of Poverty, I would demand my choice of the treasure just like anyone else. My church might be able to use that Ring of Protection +2.... Of course, if I can't see a use for magic, I might allow my position to be bought out.Then there's the issue of distribution of wealth. This is where the DM needs to include some roleplaying opportunities for your PC. What if he sees that the church is not distributing money in a way that he believes is best? Should he still give the money to the church, or should he distribute the money to the poor, himself?What happens if he hears about an oppressive baron who keeps his peasants perpetually cold and hungry, using promises of a meal or some firewood to get more work out of them. They're living in near slave-like conditions. What would he do if he thought he could help those poor people? And what kind of plot might arise when the baron realizes that there is some good-hearted soul who is wrecking his plans for slave-labor?I think anyone simply looking at the game-mechanics of the Vow is missing the strong roleplaying benefits/requirements that exist. Most of the people I game with would never take it because they're too equipment-hungry. But I think it's a great feat.Talk to your DM about adding some plot threads that revolve around the Vow of Poverty. One of the best might even be that your PC has discovered that the money given to the church was stolen... Perhaps the PC has a dream sent by his deity that informs him that if he does not recover the money within 10 days, he'll lose the benefits of his Vow of Poverty, never to reclaim them...Suggest to your DM that the Vow of Poverty should easily offer you as many challenges as it does benefits. There should definitely be times when having taken the Vow seems more like a curse than a blessing. It's supposed to be a sacrifice, and if the DM is willing to do some thinking about special side-plots or sub-plots, he can make that Vow seem both good and bad.Forcing a +4 Level Adjustment on you (which is waaaay too much) is the easy way out and misses the many opportunities for great gaming that can arise. To me, it's no different from rolling a Gather Information check rather than actually role-playing talking to people. Not fun.Good luck. I know that if you were in my game, you'd have a great time with that character, and I'd love the chance to throw some great challenges your way. I hope your DM will see that there's a lot of story potential there, too.</blockquote>

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