Would you roll the d4 if...

[FCWesel]

Wow, there's a lot of yellow-bellied rollplayers around here.

Hand me the d4, please.

 

[Ibram]

I'd roll it, though with that chart I'd not risk it as a wizard (starting without a spellbook is not the same as starting without a weapon).


I might have to use this in my next campaign... though with some changes to the charts.

 

[Choon-Ma]

OH, I would be all over that dice. Normally I have a backstory that's pretty complex anyway but no guts no interesting characters!

 

[Bagpuss]

I don't mind the idea of rolling but some of the random results are way too harsh.

Say you are planning on playing a wizard and rolled.

2: You start with all of your weapons and gold taken from you. You still have armor and gear, but your weapons and gold are gone (as well as spellbook or spell components if relevant). You cannot remember what happened, but are sure you had them with you yesterday...

A fighter type can pick up a stick and use it as a club, you effectively become dead weight in the party.

Not only that before you can be any good, you need to some how acquire

15gp for a new spell book.
Then write them into the book at 100gp a page.
replacing all the 0-level spells 19 (1900gp)
then you've lost probably 8 or 9 1st level spells as well (~800gp)

So you start 2815gp down, and until you have earned at least 115gp you can't memorise a single spell other than read magic. That's assuming she has someone kind enought to let her borrow a spellbook to copy the spell from, otherwise she will have to spend the money to by scrolls or pay someone to borrow their book at spell level x 50gp.

and knowing my luck that would be exactly what I rolled.

 

[snarfoogle]

What if the vow was the level 1 feat though?

They killed 'em as an apprentice level character! And what a fine way to start out your character's career!

 

[Technik4]

So you start 2815gp down, and until you have earned at least 115gp you can't memorise a single spell other than read magic. That's assuming she has someone kind enought to let her borrow a spellbook to copy the spell from, otherwise she will have to spend the money to by scrolls or pay someone to borrow their book at spell level x 50gp.

and knowing my luck that would be exactly what I rolled.

Its a hook. Its not like your spellbook which you painstakingly assigned spells to during creation doesn't exist anymore, it is simply not on your person. Especially since this was on the easiest table ('misfortune') people are reading wayyy to much into this. Maybe it was stolen, you misplaced it, or a friend 'borrowed' it. It is still in the freakin' universe! Be an adventurer, think about how you will find your spellbook, not how much gp you lost and will need to replace it. Sheesh

 

[Nifft]

Sure! I'd roll the d4. (Before picking my character concept.) I'd happily pick a role before rolling, but e.g. "no possessions" would mean I play a Sorcerer or Psion rather than a Wizard.

"Rogue" would work either way.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Felix]

Say you are planning on playing a wizard and rolled.

<snip>

15gp for a new spell book.
Then write them into the book at 100gp a page.
replacing all the 0-level spells 19 (1900gp)
then you've lost probably 8 or 9 1st level spells as well (~800gp)

So you start 2815gp down, and until you have earned at least 115gp you can't memorise a single spell other than read magic. That's assuming she has someone kind enought to let her borrow a spellbook to copy the spell from, otherwise she will have to spend the money to by scrolls or pay someone to borrow their book at spell level x 50gp.

and knowing my luck that would be exactly what I rolled.

Perhaps your mentor has it and the first adventure is getting it back?

Simply because you don't have it on you doesn't mean you can't get it back quickly. At least, that's how I'd DM it if the wizard who rolled had this luck.

 

[Seonaid]

Perhaps your mentor has it and the first adventure is getting it back?

Simply because you don't have it on you doesn't mean you can't get it back quickly. At least, that's how I'd DM it if the wizard who rolled had this luck.

And that's exactly what the OP was trying to say.

 

[Bagpuss]

Perhaps your mentor has it and the first adventure is getting it back?

Okay but then for the first adventure you are as much use as a level 2 commoner. That's still going to be great fun. You'd be more use to the party if you stayed in the pub while they fetched it back for you, at least that way they wouldn't need to babysitting you.