Pathfinder 1E "What were they thinking?!" For when the number's just don't add up.

[N'raac]

Most of these suggestions are geared around hitting the character despite his huge investment in AC enhancements. To me, the most likely result is a bigger arms race - you can still hit me reliably, so I need more AC enhancing abilities.

We're seeing only one character. Do the other PC's have equal wealth? Have they designed less optimized characters? IOW, does this character stand out as significantly more powerful than the rest of the PC's and, if so, why? Maybe the other PC's need a step up to match him (typically better received than taking something away to level the field). Maybe no adjustment is needed at all - are the players enjoying the game? If so, is there really a problem?

 

[Summer-Knight925]

I don't think the character is reasonable. A 7th-level PC starts with 23,500 gp, and should have 33,000 gp at 8th-level. I'm presuming they started at lower level and reached 7th-level; still, it seems the DM is giving out too much cash.

The ring and amulet each cost 8,000 gp, and together that's more than half the PC's wealth. Add on the celestial armor, 22,400 gp, and you're looking at over 30,000 gp. This PC spent nearly all their money just on AC, and either doesn't spend money on stat-boosting items, offensive magic items, a Cloak of Resistance and so forth, or has too much money and can keep up in those other areas.

Put 'em on a starvation diet. Cut treasure for a while, throw some spellcasters, and keep hinting at Cloaks of Resistance. And/or use monsters with DR, and suggest buying magic items. Magic shops will happily buy your "unwanted" gear and sell you stuff you actually need.

I've seen players run scared and try to crank defenses unreasonably. You may need to talk to this player about that.

He hoarded magic items that he claimed to be useful until we got back to a large enough city to where he could sell them. That's how he got enough gold for another party member to make it, however, with the raised point of "CL on the item not being what is needed to create it" it solves the problem right away.

Clearly, the other wizard in the party was not high enough level to make it.

 

[Wolf72]

Ranged touch spells work wonderfully too ... that +8 from armor is gone and so is the +2 from the amulet.

AC is now 20, not unreasonable for an enemy spell caster to zap him with scorching ray or an enemy with a BAB of +7 and good strength (with MW weapon, WF, etc)

 

[pickin_grinnin]

A 7th-level PC starts with 23,500 gp, and should have 33,000 gp at 8th-level. I'm presuming they started at lower level and reached 7th-level; still, it seems the DM is giving out too much cash.

In ANY game I run (Pathfinder or otherwise), a PC starts out with how much I agree to give him/her, and obtains no more wealth, equipment, magic items, etc. than I decide to make available in the game. I don't believe in pre-set levels of wealth that characters "should" have - I don't let minor charts in rulebooks micro-manage my campaign.

 

[Hussar]

In ANY game I run (Pathfinder or otherwise), a PC starts out with how much I agree to give him/her, and obtains no more wealth, equipment, magic items, etc. than I decide to make available in the game. I don't believe in pre-set levels of wealth that characters "should" have - I don't let minor charts in rulebooks micro-manage my campaign.

By the same token, you aren't complaining about how a player managed to jack his AC into the stratosphere, so, obviously, it's not a problem for you. It is a problem for the OP however, and an easy solution would be to keep in line with the WbL chart which would preclude the PC from doing exactly what he's doing.

I daresay that it's not terribly unusual in a 3e/Pathfinder game for PC's to be able to buy and sell magic items.

 

[Evenglare]

Is it weird that I read this topic title in the AVGN's voice?

 

[Wolf72]

In ANY game I run (Pathfinder or otherwise), a PC starts out with how much I agree to give him/her, and obtains no more wealth, equipment, magic items, etc. than I decide to make available in the game. I don't believe in pre-set levels of wealth that characters "should" have - I don't let minor charts in rulebooks micro-manage my campaign.

With DM approval rather than simply saying "as long as it's in the core books". Not that it was the current scenario, but along it seems that something like this happened.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

By the same token, you aren't complaining about how a player managed to jack his AC into the stratosphere, so, obviously, it's not a problem for you. It is a problem for the OP however, and an easy solution would be to keep in line with the WbL chart which would preclude the PC from doing exactly what he's doing.

Yes, that is one solution, and may be the best one for him. I was simply stating how I handle such things. The OP might want to reconsider his approach to such things in the future.

If I somehow ended up running a game that included a jacked-up character, I would simply adjust the game accordingly. I have run games where some players were 10th level or above and a few others are 1st level. Everybody had fun and everybody got to contribute. It's not that hard to do.

The problem with relying on every little chart and table is that it can be a trap. There will always be players who work hard to game the rules, and the more trivial rules there are, the more potential loopholes. I always tell my players that the DM/GM to be the ultimate authority, not the rulebooks. That helps to cut down on rules lawyering.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

In ANY game I run (Pathfinder or otherwise), a PC starts out with how much I agree to give him/her, and obtains no more wealth, equipment, magic items, etc. than I decide to make available in the game. I don't believe in pre-set levels of wealth that characters "should" have - I don't let minor charts in rulebooks micro-manage my campaign.

The wealth by level chart is a rule. So is BAB, saving throws, etc. The OP is complaining about an "overpowered" PC, and a good fix would have been to follow the rules.