Vow of Poverty PCs... stories please

[Rashak Mani]

I'm currently playing a high level Monk with Vow of Poverty (VoP)... which seems by far the best match for VoP. I was wondering how well it has worked with other classes and other levels.

So do please share some stories and comments on VoP with other classes. Especially Paladins.

How well did it go ? What level are you playing ? Any dos and don'ts ? Was it balanced and fair ?

Thanks

 

[KarinsDad]

Vow of Poverty works real well with being a Psion or Monk 1 / Psion X.

Monks do not need items. Psions do not need items.

My next PC will be either an Elan or Human Monk 1 / Psion X.

Psychic Warrior also works well with VoP since he can manifest claws.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

well here is my backstory for my vop druid i finished playing 5-11
http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=7761525&postcount=34

MAN he was so fun to play. People would offer him water in a desert and he would decline. Only once did i come close to loosing vop, and that was when i almost payed a seemstrice to fix is clothing. He was really powerfull in wildshape, and the new wildshape rules did apsolutly nothing to him.

I find that when playing vop, that I will want to grab all that eq and call dibs, but then I realize ... thats not for me. all you need is a the level to have my thirst quenched...

really. That vop charicter was the funest charicter i had ever played. He only died once when protecting the rest of the party from a creature that could have utterly distroyed them. he got that hellcat to almost nothing before it critted. Turns out the dm wanted that to happen and he had a choice. Die and maybe get rezzed, or becume a true fey (some splat book) with alot of alighnment restrictions and become outsider like, so he could never be rezed again if he died. I went with the true fey and man that was fun. Never died after that.

i think druids work better with vop becuse they get wildshape (add exalted wildshape and draconic wildshape) along with spells and they really have no hinderence and can adapt to almost any situation.

The sad part is that i know for a fact every charicter after this charicter WILL be weaker.

 

[TYPO5478]

I played a VoP monk a while ago. I only got her up to about level 7 before our campaign was abruptly put on indefinite hold. She was shaping up really well, and I had some pretty neat plans for her: Leadership to start her own monastery, Saint template, etc. I sure would like to play her again (hint hint, evilbob).

If you're not too far along (and can work it into your character's storyline), I recommend checking out the Saint template in the the back of the BoED. A +2 LA for some seriously good abilities (especially considering you won't get any items with a VoP).

Also, keep in mind that a VoP doesn't mean you don't get a share of the party's loot; it means you have to give up your share to help the poor. Whether that means donating it to a temple or church, handing it out to mendicants on the street, or opening your own soup kitchen is up to you and your DM to work out. What it doesn't mean is that the rest of your party gets extra spoils just because you can't own anything valuable.

Neither does a VoP mean that you can't possess something valuable; you just can't use it. You don't break your VoP by using an unarmed strike to disarm a foe of his magical sword (though you would break it if you then used the sword against him).

VoP allows for a great deal of RP. For example, trying to convince someone to give you something for free is a lot harder than just buying it outright. There are also plenty of Exalted feats that go along with the selfless nature of the VoP (e.g. Stigmata). Just keep in mind the tenets of your vow, what you may not do and what you must do. 'Cause once it's gone, it's gone forever.

 

[Particle_Man]

I once played a VoP monk that claimed as her share of the treasure a particularly evil weapon found on the bad guys.

After seeing their stunned looked, I said (in character) "I wish to take it to the temple of Pelor and have it consecrated."

Fun times.

I keep thinking of doing a VoP Warlock.

 

[Thanee]

I also played a low-level VoP druid for a while, but since the campaign was pretty much pure role-playing it didn't really make a difference, whether it was fair or not.

Bye
Thanee

 

[FrostedMini1337]

If you're not too far along (and can work it into your character's storyline), I recommend checking out the Saint template in the the back of the BoED. A +2 LA for some seriously good abilities (especially considering you won't get any items with a VoP).

Don't let your DM know you're going for sainthood. It's just a bad idea. It's supposed to be a reward for you being good and suffering for your cause. It's doesn't seem so saint-er-iffic when your DM finds out you're just doing it for a template.

 

[Question]

Most DMs will never hit upon the idea of giving you the saint template. First they have to know it exists, and have the book or at elast the details involved. Secondly im betting most will at best give you a really good reputation and such.

Im in a game now, the frontline fighter is a 15th level VOP monk, and he has like 24 wis as a human.......his strength and con are too low(he has like 12 str!). DM refused to allow improved nat attack for monks, partly because "monks already have feats for them" and "there is a reason the feat is in the MM and not the PHB.". His damage is a tad on the low side as a result. Im going to see how it works out.

 

[Malum]

Gestalt pc 1/2 celestial template was trimmed down by DM from LA +4 to +2 11 Favored Soul / 6 Paladin / 5 Monk / VOP + Saint Package +1/2 Celestial

The above seems way over the top but it started as an NPC that was made as BBGG opponent to our high power L-Evil campaign. He was such a badass that one of the players roled him up and took him as a pc in another campaign. The campaign was admittidley a high power good guy campaign of demon/devil hunters but they needed every bit of their "gestaldedness"

Malum

 

[FrostedMini1337]

My VoP monk never had terribly high damage, (top 3 stats were Con, Wis, and Dex, in that order) but it never mattered because I never got hit. Improved Combat Expertise, and attack at the lowest amount I could for non-lethal. Anyone not fatigued to death, got subdued. Unless they really did some damage to someone else.

Then the neck-breaking starts.