Forms of non-removable wealth?

[Cruiser1]

Items or wealth by level (WBL) are an important part of a character's power. However, most forms of wealth can be removed. For example, items can be stolen or sundered, and permanent duration buffs can be dispelled or disjoined. What ways can a character spend or allocate wealth that provide benefits that can't ever be taken away? Methods I can think of include:

Inherent bonuses: Manuals and Tomes are "consumed" after use and provide inherent stat bonuses, which are permanent and can't ever be removed.
Location feats: Legendary sites and magical locations provide bonuses such as feats. For example, "spend" 3000 gold for Otyugh Hole (CS) to get Iron Will as a permanent bonus feat.
Grafts: Grafts are a way to spend wealth to enhance your body. They can't be taken away, at least not without difficulty, such as amputating a new appendage (and then I assume regeneration repairs it).
Demiplanes: Buy a scroll of Genesis (or better yet a powerstone of Genesis which is cheaper - activate it with UMD checks if you're not a Psion) to create your own demiplane. Once created, it can't be destroyed. If an enemy knows of its location, they could invade and take it over, but in general a demiplane is less removable from your assets than a standard stronghold.
Retraining: Changing feats, skill points, spell choices, and so on with PHB2 retraining rules spends wealth, but permanently affects your character in a way that can't be dispelled or destroyed.

Having wealth in things like the above helps for the paranoid character in a challenging campaign. It can be used for a "beggar" theme character who wants zero possessions but still is close to equal in power to party members. It can also be used to abuse Vow of Poverty, which you take only after spending wealth on such non-items, although a DM may rule that taking VoP makes you lose the benefits of some or all of the above (or having such benefits makes you not quality for VoP).

[Flickerdart]

Grafts can be removed fairly easily, that is, with an axe.

[CthulhuEatYou]

Magic tattoos (or whatever they're called), give item bonuses but can't be removed if I remember correctly

[DigoDragon]

Well, I think a couple higher-end monsters can perminantly drain certain stats, but... :smallbiggrin:

To stay on topic, one thing that I consider non-removeable wealth are "Favors". Saved the king's daughter from an evil wizard? Protected that Silver Dragon's egg from kobold poachers? Many times a hero will get some easy cash for doing such heroic deeds, but at times a smart PC could instead use these deeds to call in favors later.

Favors could be worth quite a lot!

For example: Say you saved that Silver Dragon's egg from kobolds. Later on you find you have to race to the BBEG's abode on the other side of the country. Well, you could ride your horses ragged there or pay out the nose to a wizard for a teleport spell...

...but what if the DM lets you call a favor on that Silver Dragon to fly you over to the BBEG in style? :smallbiggrin:

[123456789blaaa]

Grafts can be removed fairly easily, that is, with an axe.

By RAW not in combat.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Gemstone of Fortification from the Draconomicon.

[Flickerdart]

By RAW not in combat.
That was not a prerequisite the OP specified.

[Tvtyrant]

By RAW not in combat.

Well there is a Beholder feat that lets it keep parts of you when it disintegrates you. So there is that. :smallsmile:

[TuggyNE]

Well, I think a couple higher-end monsters can perminantly drain certain stats, but... :smallbiggrin:

Not even higher-end necessarily :smalleek: Allip, CR 3, Wis drain; Wraith, CR 5, Con drain.

[Gavinfoxx]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z9NJIs751Af3i0IEIJwCkIp9H9YFiZYZ7u-wmYVaheI/edit

There ya go.... I wrote a handbook on some ideas for this!

[Ravens_cry]

Well there is a Beholder feat that lets it keep parts of you when it disintegrates you. So there is that. :smallsmile:
CSI: D&D
I would say the body was . . .:smallcool:
Disarmed.
*after capturing the beholder*
His biggest mistake was disintegrating his clone.
He got . . . :cool:
Two a-head of himself.

[123456789blaaa]

That was not a prerequisite the OP specified.

You are correct. However I assumed you were implying that grafts were just as easy to get rid of as normal gear. Apoligies if I misconstrued your post.

EDIT:
CSI: D&D
I would say the body was . . .:cool:
Disarmed.
***
*after capturing the beholder*
His biggest mistake was disintegrating his clone.
He got . . . :cool:
Two a-head of himself.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

[Cruiser1]

A Gemstone of Fortification from the Draconomicon.
As written, the Gemstone is just a slotless magic item like any other, which can easily be taken from one's scales and stolen, or Disjuncted. However, the Transhuman Guide (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z9NJIs751Af3i0IEIJwCkIp9H9YFiZYZ7u-wmYVaheI/edit) suggests using such a gem as the focus of the spell Kissed by the Ages from Dragon, making it indestructible and within your body.

Well, I think a couple higher-end monsters can perminantly drain certain stats, but... :smallbiggrin:

Not even higher-end necessarily :smalleek: Allip, CR 3, Wis drain; Wraith, CR 5, Con drain.
Standard stat drain such as Allips do isn't really permanent, and is easily reversed through Restoration. However, certain epic monsters can truly permanently reduce abilities, by updating your character sheet as if your original stat rolls were lower. For example, Lavawights (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/lavawight.htm) can reduce max hp. However, they don't dispell or remove your inherent bonuses, but rather add an additional character "feature" that's also permanent but negative.

[Andreaz]

Favors could be worth quite a lot!These are fairly removable. Kill the guy that owes you, change his mind, make associating with you a dangerous thing.

[Gavinfoxx]

So is there anything beyond the Transhuman guide that you think you might need?

[Psyren]

- Quori shards (Kalashtar, Empty Vessels and Elans.)

- Warforged Components

[_flint_]

Acquired templates, pocket dimensions made by genesis, or anything granted via the despoiler of flesh?

[nedz]

Magic tattoos (or whatever they're called), give item bonuses but can't be removed if I remember correctly

I'm sure that there are a number of ways:


Disenchanters
Disjunction
Reincarnation

[ennuideblase]

Not even higher-end necessarily Allip, CR 3, Wis drain; Wraith, CR 5, Con drain.

Or, you know. Stirges CR 1/2 so you can toss a dozen at the lvl 3 party. :furious:

[ThiagoMartell]

IIRC, Iron Will from the otyugh hole just lasts a year. I could be wrong, though.

[AmberVael]

A lot of the locations do only have temporary effects, but Otyugh Hole is permanent (as are a lot of the locations from Complete Scoundrel).

[Rubik]

The necropolitan template. Or most any other template, really.

The Dark Chaos Feat Shuffle to turn worthless bonus feats into awesome bonus feats.

Polymorph followed by a metamagic'd Awaken spell.

Some way to emulate Ancestral Relic's or the kensai's ability to permanently enhance a natural weapon (such as your Unarmed Strike).

Warforged and certain other races can be targeted by item enhancements (see: slam attack and warforged body armor).

[Starshade]

The rights of nobility could not, in some periods, be removed. Even when the last Norwegian ones lost their right, I think they simply removed the right to inherit the title for their descendants, not the current living titles. Knighthood, noble titles, certain forms of fantasy magical orders, could also be ok.
And Eberron house membership is an example of a non removable relationship, you could not just "spend", but is there, and a player could, I assume, gain membership in such a house.

[Karoht]

Items or wealth by level (WBL) are an important part of a character's power. However, most forms of wealth can be removed.
Having wealth in things like the above helps for the paranoid character in a challenging campaign. It can be used for a "beggar" theme character who wants zero possessions but still is close to equal in power to party members. It can also be used to abuse Vow of Poverty, which you take only after spending wealth on such non-items, although a DM may rule that taking VoP makes you lose the benefits of some or all of the above (or having such benefits makes you not quality for VoP).

How about access VS ownership?

My VoP Druid spent his reward on land. And then hired a bunch of Rangers to patrol the land. And then invited some other Druids to establish a temple on the land. When they agreed to do so, he signed the land over to them, and informed the Rangers who their new bosses were. His only request? That he could visit the land at any time.
It was established as a nature preserve or protected park. Any time the Druid could not figure out a way to burn off his excess gold, he bought more land, hired more Rangers and invited in more Druids and donated it to the organization.
As for the temple, rather than dedicating it to a god, he asked that it be dedicated to no god but to nature itself.
The DM then pointed out to me that I had established a...
:smallcool:
Non-Prophet organization.

I don't have to own something to have access to it. In fact, if I don't have ownership of something, it is probably less likely to be targeted in a negative way. My access can be reasonably assured, though not guaranteed.
It was a surprisingly cheap way to assure that I would always have reasonably safe haven for myself and the party in just about any forest I could buy land in.