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<blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 6090720" data-attributes="member: 6681948">18,000 is over half of the character's wealth at 8th level.&nbsp; If he had not started at L8, would he have held on to a bunch of gold waiting for the day he could craft (or buy) this one item?&nbsp; If so, he would have been much less effective at lower levels than a typical character, who has purchased lower level gear with his lower level wealth.So, no more than half on any one item, with the balanced approach suggesting no more than 25% on any one category of item.&nbsp; If we follow the guidance offered in the RAW, there's no +4 stat item at 8th level - 16k of 33k is well over the 25% guideline, and 8k (if he's crafting it himself) is still a stretch.&nbsp; [Even so, I think an easy PF fix would be to up the caster level for higher bonuses, but we're drifting from the topic.]&nbsp; I'd certainly compare his items to the other PC's who have built their equipment up over actual play - his wealth shouldn't be a lot more concentrated than theirs.What other rules are, or are not, in play?&nbsp; Wizards tend to sack STR, but they have those heavy spellbooks to cart around.&nbsp; How's our Wizard's encumbrance looking?&nbsp; Sacked CHA, did we?&nbsp; Let's ensure there are occasions where he needs CHA, and his substandard stat has a negative impact on him.&nbsp; He chose to be weak in some areas to enhance others - don't give him all the benefits of what he did take and let him ignore the costs of what he sacrificed.&nbsp; Sure, the Party Face can take care of some of that - but how does he negotiate for rare magic item components he doesn't understand?&nbsp; And sooner or later, the Wizard actually needs to talk himself, not hide behind the Bard or Paladin.Consider throwing the PC's up against wizards who have similar feat chains (no Intellect Headband - a Fox's Cunning spell or potion will do the trick).&nbsp; If they're calling out the &quot;unfairness&quot;, point out that they just attended the same training academy as the party wizard did - what's the big deal?&nbsp; It's funny how abuses get table ruled when they are used against, not just by, the players.Or, hey, maybe we could let a PC actually be cool and powerful.&nbsp; Optimization tends to be a problem only if there is a wide power gap between the PC's (sometimes not even then).&nbsp; It's about a fun game for the players - so what do the players enjoy?&nbsp; High save DC's mean the wizard's spells tend to work.&nbsp; How often do we think his main ability - spells - should fail miserably?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="N'raac, post: 6090720, member: 6681948"] 18,000 is over half of the character's wealth at 8th level. If he had not started at L8, would he have held on to a bunch of gold waiting for the day he could craft (or buy) this one item? If so, he would have been much less effective at lower levels than a typical character, who has purchased lower level gear with his lower level wealth. So, no more than half on any one item, with the balanced approach suggesting no more than 25% on any one category of item. If we follow the guidance offered in the RAW, there's no +4 stat item at 8th level - 16k of 33k is well over the 25% guideline, and 8k (if he's crafting it himself) is still a stretch. [Even so, I think an easy PF fix would be to up the caster level for higher bonuses, but we're drifting from the topic.] I'd certainly compare his items to the other PC's who have built their equipment up over actual play - his wealth shouldn't be a lot more concentrated than theirs. What other rules are, or are not, in play? Wizards tend to sack STR, but they have those heavy spellbooks to cart around. How's our Wizard's encumbrance looking? Sacked CHA, did we? Let's ensure there are occasions where he needs CHA, and his substandard stat has a negative impact on him. He chose to be weak in some areas to enhance others - don't give him all the benefits of what he did take and let him ignore the costs of what he sacrificed. Sure, the Party Face can take care of some of that - but how does he negotiate for rare magic item components he doesn't understand? And sooner or later, the Wizard actually needs to talk himself, not hide behind the Bard or Paladin. Consider throwing the PC's up against wizards who have similar feat chains (no Intellect Headband - a Fox's Cunning spell or potion will do the trick). If they're calling out the "unfairness", point out that they just attended the same training academy as the party wizard did - what's the big deal? It's funny how abuses get table ruled when they are used against, not just by, the players. Or, hey, maybe we could let a PC actually be cool and powerful. Optimization tends to be a problem only if there is a wide power gap between the PC's (sometimes not even then). It's about a fun game for the players - so what do the players enjoy? High save DC's mean the wizard's spells tend to work. How often do we think his main ability - spells - should fail miserably? [/QUOTE]

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