Multiple Ascetic Characters and WBL managinc

[Dusk Eclipse]

I will be running RHoD next month and my players just got me their characters and by some weird coincidence, two out of four of them have Vow of poverty characters a Wizard*/Beguiler->Ultimate Magus and a Druid (I am not worried about them suffering in the power department); but well RHoD already has some trouble with managing wealth and with two gear-less characters I am not really sure what to do.

If it matters the rest of the party is a TWF Warblade and a Ranged Mystic Ranger.

*I am allowing him having his spellbook; but he pays XP instead of GP to scribe spells at a 1:1 ratio

[DownwardSpiral]

*I am allowing him having his spellbook; but he pays XP instead of GP to scribe spells at a 1:1 ratio

That's.....a lot of xp.

Have you considered doing it like 1:5? I think liquid pain from boVD has that ratio.....if that's a good source for that ratio.

There's other things with that too, it's just thats the only thing that comes to mind.

But I guess to answer your original question, I don't really see a problem. All you really do is to half what a normal group would usually get. Unless I'm missing something.

[Gavinfoxx]

You need to say, 'In light of the various characters I have received, normal vow of poverty bonuses aren't in play. Instead, I am using a homebrew variant version of Vow of Poverty'.

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=4030.0

There you go. Problem solved.

[Dusk Eclipse]

By RAW he shouldn't even be able to have a spellbook and that XP cost doesn't apply to his normal level up spells, only the ones he could get from a captured spellbook.

[TypoNinja]

That's.....a lot of xp.

Have you considered doing it like 1:5? I think liquid pain from boVD has that ratio.....if that's a good source for that ratio.

There's other things with that too, it's just thats the only thing that comes to mind.

But I guess to answer your original question, I don't really see a problem. All you really do is to half what a normal group would usually get. Unless I'm missing something.

VoP characters still get their share of loot as normal, they are simply required to give it away to a worthy cause.

Check out page 30 and 31 of the Book of Exalted Deeds, it covers what you do with a VoP characters share of the loot, as well as an option for casters spending XP instead of gold on material components (which arguable extends to spell books too.)

[DownwardSpiral]

VoP characters still get their share of loot as normal, they are simply required to give it away to a worthy cause.

Check out page 30 and 31 of the Book of Exalted Deeds, it covers what you do with a VoP characters share of the loot, as well as an option for casters spending XP instead of gold on material components (which arguable extends to spell books too.)


I knew I got that 1:5 ratio from somewhere important. Right from VoP itself.

And as much as I get thats the RAW of it, is it really necessary for them to get the treasure, and then donate their share? As I recall from RHoD, you dont really spend all that much time in towns. So you might as well skip the middle man, tell them "they got x amount of treasure that they have to give up anyway" and just halve what they get. And let them roleplay it when its convienient I guess.

[TypoNinja]

I knew I got that 1:5 ratio from somewhere important. Right from VoP itself.

And as much as I get thats the RAW of it, is it really necessary for them to get the treasure, and then donate their share? As I recall from RHoD, you dont really spend all that much time in towns. So you might as well skip the middle man, tell them "they got x amount of treasure that they have to give up anyway" and just halve what they get. And let them roleplay it when its convienient I guess.

WBL is a pretty integrated part of the game, messing with its distribution is done at your own risk. You could hand wave your VoP shares, but the important part is that the other members of the party don't get more loot than they would have without VoP characters.

Besides, you are depriving yourself of a lot valuable RP material and adventure hooks if you hand wave where the VoP's share of the wealth goes.

An adventurers budget is astronomical compared to anything except entire kingdoms, who you give the cash to, and how much can be very important. As little as a few hundred GP could provide operating funds for years if not decades, or could be invested to wondrous architecture (think an everfull pantry for a home for orphans).

Your VoP characters are in a position to reshape communities and nations as they level up and have thousands and tens of thousands of GP to give away.

Adventure hooks come easy as well since VoP characters will care about what happens to the people and groups they help, if you fund a school for poor children and then it's vandalized the party will want to intervene, that kind of thing.

Edit: There's also the hilarity value when you stop do the math and realize you just handed somebody poor 150lbs of gold coins.