So what to do... halve it? Quarter it? What have you guys done? What about level adjusted characters?
Here's the normal chart for reference:
2---900 cp
3---2,700 cp
4---5,400 cp
5---9,000 cp
6---13,000 cp
7---19,000 cp
8---27,000 cp
9---36,000 cp
10--49,000 cp
11--66,000 cp
12--88,000 cp
13--110,000 cp
14--150,000 cp
15--200,000 cp
16--260,000 cp
17--340,000 cp
18--440,000 cp
19--580,000 cp
20--760,000 cp
Halved...
2---450 cp
3---1,350 cp
4---2,700 cp
5---4,500 cp
6---6,500 cp
7---9,500 cp
8---13,500 cp
9---18,000 cp
10--24,500 cp
11--33,000 cp
12--44,000 cp
13--55,000 cp
14--75,000 cp
15--100,000 cp
16--130,000 cp
17--170,000 cp
18--220,000 cp
19--290,000 cp
20--380,000 cp
quartered...
2---225 cp
3---675 cp
4---1,350 cp
5---2,250 cp
6---3,250 cp
7---4,750 cp
8---6,750 cp
9---9,000 cp
10--12,250 cp
11--16,500 cp
12--22,000 cp
13--27,500 cp
14--37,500 cp
15--50,000 cp
16--65,000 cp
17--85,000 cp
18--110,000 cp
19--145,000 cp
20--190,000 cp
One idea I have had... I am starting at 4th level (so all characters have one character level) but starting with the cp of a 2nd level character. Im not sure how or if this will/should effect a level adjusted race.
I'd say, start them with under a dozen cermics and make a snyde remark along the lines of 'Now don't spend it all in the same place ;)'
To put in in perspective, think beyond charts a bit. An average laborer earns 10 ceramics a week. A skilled craftsman earns two or three times that a week.
How many weeks worth of wages do you think is fair to give to a starting PC? Under the normal chart, that's 90 weeks worth of labor wages (almost 2 years worth), or 45 weeks of skilled craftsman wages (at 2nd lvl). That's no small amount of money.
Giving real world analogies is something I try to avoid, but I can't help it here. If (in the U.S.), a kid at a fast food joint can earn 11,000 a year, your giving the PCs about 18,000 in cash to spend.
Not that you couldn't change your PCs' wealth levels. You'll probably just want to do it ad hoc and balance combats according to what you expect your PCs can handle.
Originally posted by superpriest
Changing the numbers on the charts will screw with a lot, especially CRs. It isn't really worthwhile to make a new chart without considering a way to balance CRs.
Not that you couldn't change your PCs' wealth levels. You'll probably just want to do it ad hoc and balance combats according to what you expect your PCs can handle.
Part of what I intend to do with this is 1) give my characters a set amount of starting cp, and 900 is way too much for such a poor world. 2) I'm going to be using character trees, meaning that the players are going to have some backup characters, fully equipped, and ready to go should their character end up as lirr food. (or if they get bored of their current character, I'll allow them to switch between adventures)
Point is, I don't want the backup characters to have more equipment than the pc's. Obviously I have a lot of control of what I give the PC's in game, but as for the other characters, I want something along the lines of a chart for the secondary characters.
Less equipment means tougher encounters, but that's what athas is all about. =] At best the finished chart will be tentative.
Originally posted by Jon, Oracle of Athas
I usually give 3rd-level starting characters 1d4 cp, a backpack, a blanket, a 1-gallon waterskin and an inferior weapon. If I'm in a good mood I'll let combat oriented classes roll 1d4 to determine what light armor they get. Have a day!
A starting package is a nice idea. I am probably going to start my campaign with the Freedom module, so I don't really want my players to get too attatched to their starting equipment. =]
Not that you couldn't change your PCs' wealth levels. You'll probably just want to do it ad hoc and balance combats according to what you expect your PCs can handle.
Yup. Its called DM arbitration. It harkens back to the days of pre 3E when you had to simply guess what your PCs could handle and tailor the encounters to suit them. It was very simple really. Simple enough that I never stopped doing it.
Originally posted by Korvar
Vaguely related, are there guidelines for what spells a 3rd level Wizard should have?
as it describes in the class description: starting spells, plus 2 spells per level.
they may spend their starting money on scrolls, then before game play begins, attempt to transcribe the spells to their spell book (which also costs money)
Anyways, his suggestion was to roll the starting cp's of a 1st level character, then multiply by 3. Starting at 3rd level at the beginning of a campaign should warrant you more cash than starting at 1st level, but not as much as stated in the DMG. I want my PC's to be at least 5th level before they even touch a steel weapon, let alone a magic one.
I'm a REAL evil GM, though.
In my current campaign, they're about level 6 right now and they're just barely beginning to have enough money to not worry so much about food and water. A steel dagger is still quite a ways off, at this point.
Yea, I'm harsh, but so is Athas, so I think it's a good fit :P
Originally posted by Tembo-Pie
Anyways, his suggestion was to roll the starting cp's of a 1st level character, then multiply by 3. Starting at 3rd level at the beginning of a campaign should warrant you more cash than starting at 1st level, but not as much as stated in the DMG. I want my PC's to be at least 5th level before they even touch a steel weapon, let alone a magic one.
I like. Simple too... god knows my players like anything that involves rolling a die.
not that they aren't good rollplayers. they just have a love obsession with plastic polyhedrons.Solves my starting ceramics problem. As for character trees... hmm. Rolling starting cp every level is possible, but won't put them very close to what the pc's are getting I would think. I may have to supplement that a smidge... with what Mach said... dm arbitration. But im too darn lazy!
Originally posted by Dawnstealer
I actually base some portion of it on the skills they choose. If they choose a laborer skill of some sort, then they start with a little more money. I consider the start of the game the start of their adventuring career, so whatever they've done before that time is where their income comes from. I usually have them roll a 1d100 and then multiply it by their labor skill (0 is treated as 1 - I'm not that cruel). This is how many CPs they start with.
I might use this too... I have an even more insidious idea too... Any character not in a class that precludes it, that does not have ranks in a craft skill or a profession, is a slave.
Problem is, first adventure is Freedom, so everyone is going to end up a slave at some point.
Originally posted by strenoth
as it describes in the class description: starting spells, plus 2 spells per level.
they may spend their starting money on scrolls, then before game play begins, attempt to transcribe the spells to their spell book (which also costs money)
I had a thought.
Say I'm a wizard working for the Veiled Allience, selling potionfruit, scrolls, etc. Now a wizard approaches me wanting to add some spells to his spellbook. What sense does it make for me to sell him a scroll? Its a little wasteful, especially if the spell is identify or the like. Why not just let him look at my spellbook, or a copy of my notes?
If I am a businessman, I would probably charge for the privelege. Appropriate cost? How about the cost for a spell on the spellcasting and services table on page 129 in the phb.
The caster level would be the character's level as a default (or minimum possible caster level, if the dm is generous.)
A 7th level wizzy would be able to buy:
1st level---70 cp/spell
2nd level---140 cp/spell
3rd level---210 cp/spell
4th level---280 cp/spell
or if the dm went by minimum caster level;
1st level---10cp/spell
2nd level---50cp/spell
3rd level---150cp/spell
4th level---280cp/spell
and in my last game, we were all started with basics in clothing. And that was it.
We were sold to a slaver and entered into an arena, so we were given equipment on a table that everyone had to fight over to pick and choose what fit, or what they wanted., as a Gladiator, I was able to make do with any weapon at the time. but, As the Half Giant, I went through at least 10 levels at half HP or less with no armor because we could never find anything to fit. No cleric in the group, so our healing came from nature, and from the Psion when he finally joined (through his taking our wounds and healing himself power).
When we finally escaped the slave pits, we were still cashless, but on our trip through the desert and into a different city, we obtained a few minor riches to hold us over (bits of obsidian weapons, and minor scaprs of armor, which was then in piecemeal system)
I think that is why the DM finally had a heart after we Ousted Dregoth and let us fnid the magical Full Plate
Had armor, but still spent the next 8 levels or so hardly ever above Half HP. Where others would spend a little cash on Fruits of cure light or mod wounds, I had to spend lots more cash on Fruits of HEAL, cuz nothing else did the job.Originally posted by Mach2.5
Yup. Its called DM arbitration. It harkens back to the days of pre 3E when you had to simply guess what your PCs could handle and tailor the encounters to suit them. It was very simple really. Simple enough that I never stopped doing it.
Mach speaks wisdom. Those of us who are "seasoned" gamers go this route I think. It's one of the reasons I shy away from 3.5E or whatever, too much math for my poor wittle head. Wing it I say!
