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View Full Version : DM Help How to handle equipment for characters starting at 5th level?



LockeTalks
2015-02-27, 02:40 PM
Hi!

For my next campaign, I want the players to start with ECL 5 characters. This seems straightforward in almost every regard, except I'm not exactly sure how to handle equipment. I'd like to give the players each a certain amount of gold based on their class(es), which they can then use to purchase equipment off a list of my own creation. (Players can purchase equipment not on the list, but they'll need to check with me first.) The DMG outlines Expected Wealth Gain and Treasure per Character on page 54, and if I'm reading that chart correctly, a character should have (net) assets of 9000 GP by 5th level -- assuming they've spent a portion of their (gross) income on ammunition, potions, and so forth. But that's just gp -- a player can expect to pick up a few useful (and valuable) items on top of this number on their way from 1st to 5th level.

If I just tell my players "here's 9000 gp, spend it on whatever you like," will I end up with an under-powered party? Should the number be larger overall, and should it be the same for everyone, or should it be tailored to account for the varying needs of different characters (the way 1st-level starting gold is)?

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

FocusWolf413
2015-02-27, 02:47 PM
Telling them to get enough gear for themself with 9kgp isn't going to cripple them. You might want to give them an extra thousand, but it should be okay.

Calimehter
2015-02-27, 02:49 PM
The 9000 gp will be just fine. That total encompasses all the useful gear the PCs have found up to this point in their career, not just the loose cash.

icefractal
2015-02-27, 02:49 PM
The starting wealth for various levels is supposed to be the total amount. So a 5th level character could have two items worth 4K each, and 1000gp left over in cash. It's less than what they'd get by leveling from 1st-5th, but that's compensated for by the fact that they get to pick exactly the items they want. So if you're restricting the list of what they can pick, you might want to increase the amount a bit.

LockeTalks
2015-02-27, 03:09 PM
Thanks, FocusWolf413, Calimehter, and icefractal! I think I'll give them each 10,000 gp to work with, then.