Abusing Starting Gear in AL

[PeteNutButter]

This is an abuse of the AL rules. I am merely speculating on the possible cheese available within the rules of AL. I enjoy pointing out flawed rules in league play, and thinking of ways to exploit them. This is not a guide on how to start all of your characters. Please do not post things talking about how horrible this is and how you would kill/ban players for doing it at your table. It is a discussion about maximizing gold at level 1. A simple fix to this flawed rule would be that starting items are worth no gold in sell back, like many ARPG video games.

Now that that's out of the way. Let's talk cheese. AL specifically says you can sell any item for half its cost, how do we get the most gold as a lvl 1 character?

You can start as a Guild Artisan with either alchemist supplies or tinker's tools. You get 15 gold. Sell tools for 25 gold. Sell traveler's clothing for 1 gold and buy common clothes for .5 gold. That's 40.5 gold from background.

Now let's talk class. A paladin can start with: 1) a martial weapon and a shield or two martial weapons. 2) five javelins and any simple melee weapon. 3) A priest's pack or an explorer's pack. 4) Chain mail and a holy symbol.

For starters you pick the two martial weapons and go 2 greatswords hand crossbows. That's 75 gold if you sell them both. Go with the simple melee weapon, mace or handaxe both sell for 2.5 gold. Priest pack sells for 9.5 gold. Since you don't have spells yet, might as well hawk that holy symbol too and get 2.5 gold. You could sell your chain mail for 37.5 gold. That's 127 gold from class. (Credit to RulesJD for pointing out Artisan is more than Noble, and hand crossbows over greatswords)

With the background this all adds up to 167.5, not enough to buy splint or anything but it gives you a good boost. I'd not sell the chain mail, buy a shield and a war pick since it's the cheapest d8 weapon. That puts you at 115 left over. You can buy a riding horse, and still have 40 gold left for rations and what not. Buy a saddle and a lance. This makes you a solid mounted knight, thus completing the cycle of Trading Places, riches to rags and back again.

Anyone see either a way to get more money or better ways to use it?

Note if you later change your starting class/background your starting gear changes as well, so I'm pretty sure you could end up with a decent debt at some point. It is a bit on clear on the player's guide how to handle "changing starting gear" if you no longer have it. I'd say most DMs would rule you lose the money gained from it.

[Douche]

Be a dwarf, gain proficiency in brewers supplies. Crafting rules allows you to make 5gp worth of crafting a day, allowing you to brew 250 gallons of beer a day.

Become a beer distributor. Screw the storyline.

[Belac93]

Well, notice anywhere in any of the books that says you have to buy clothing? Just wear your armor, or your bedroll, and nobody will notice!

On another note, bedrolls are useless. They literally are no better from a mechanical standpoint than sleeping on the ground.

Of course, in a home game I wouldn't do all this stuff, but its AL! Sometimes, DMs won't even care about the fluff at all.


Be a dwarf, gain proficiency in brewers supplies. Crafting rules allows you to make 5gp worth of crafting a day, allowing you to brew 250 gallons of beer a day.

Become a beer distributor. Screw the storyline.

Couldn't you do this in a home game as well?

[PeteNutButter]

Be a dwarf, gain proficiency in brewers supplies. Crafting rules allows you to make 5gp worth of crafting a day, allowing you to brew 250 gallons of beer a day.

Become a beer distributor. Screw the storyline.

According to AL, you'd have to earn your downtime days first via adventuring. Time is a fickle thing in AL. It won't pass until you kill things.

[RulesJD]

For your 2 martial weapons, just pick 2 Hand Crossbows instead. Gets you an extra 25gp.

As for background, don't go noble. Go Mulmaster Artisan. Gets you 42.5gp from selling the artisan tools (tinkers) + fine clothes.

New total with your Paladin: 127 from class + 42.5 from background = 169.5gp

[PeteNutButter]

For your 2 martial weapons, just pick 2 Hand Crossbows instead. Gets you an extra 25gp.

As for background, don't go noble. Go Mulmaster Artisan. Gets you 42.5gp from selling the artisan tools (tinkers) + fine clothes.

New total with your Paladin: 127 from class + 42.5 from background = 169.5gp

I thought of the crossbows, they are ranged though. For some reason I was thinking it specified melee. It does not! Nice.

The Guild artisan nets you a few more gold, but I don't see the Mulmaster Artisan available on the AL list of Mulmaster backgrounds. It's only a difference of clothing though.

I've edited the OP to reflect your input.

[krugaan]

Time is a fickle thing in AL. It won't pass until you kill things.

I had a really hard laugh at this. It's like some weird "theory of killa-tivity".

Adventurering murder-hobos are the only thing driving the universe forward in time. They're like the 5th fundamental nuclear force or something.

[PeteNutButter]

I had a really hard laugh at this. It's like some weird "theory of killa-tivity".

Adventurering murder-hobos are the only thing driving the universe forward in time. They're like the 5th fundamental nuclear force or something.

Brings a new perspective on the whole Atlas Shrugged concept. What if all the adventurers up and quit?! TIME WOULD STOP.

[Oramac]

Brings a new perspective on the whole Atlas Shrugged concept. What if all the adventurers up and quit?! TIME WOULD STOP.

I LOVE IT!! haha.

(I'm also a huge fan of that book)

======================

To the OP, I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would increase the gold gained, but I'm AFB at the moment.

[randomodo]

Be a dwarf, gain proficiency in brewers supplies. Crafting rules allows you to make 5gp worth of crafting a day, allowing you to brew 250 gallons of beer a day.

Become a beer distributor. Screw the storyline.

Now tempted to run an entire campaign around the beer brewing and distribution business.

- Secure access to ever-expanding source of hops, free of ankheg infestation
- Deal with the local thieves guild trying to run their protection racket on you
- Handle fundamentalist clerics of some anti-beer deity
-- Or handle extremist devotees of another brewery who believe wrongly that their chosen brew is both less filling and tastes greater than yours
- Protect your brewery and warehouses from wererat infestation
- Negotiate exclusive beer distribution contracts with the local nobility/guilds/etc
-- Assassinate rival brewers over the negotiation of said exclusive beer distribution contracts

[Joe the Rat]

Gives "Killing Time" a whole different meaning.

[JumboWheat01]

Be a dwarf, gain proficiency in brewers supplies. Crafting rules allows you to make 5gp worth of crafting a day, allowing you to brew 250 gallons of beer a day.

Become a beer distributor. Screw the storyline.

Why have I never thought of this? Throw in a Guild Merchant background and you suddenly have a very logical character. Traveling the world, looking for exotic ingredients, brewing ale, selling ale!

[RulesJD]

I thought of the crossbows, they are ranged though. For some reason I was thinking it specified melee. It does not! Nice.

The Guild artisan nets you a few more gold, but I don't see the Mulmaster Artisan available on the AL list of Mulmaster backgrounds. It's only a difference of clothing though.

I've edited the OP to reflect your input.

Sorry, abbreviated it wrong and confused it in my head.

It's the Mulmaster Aristocrat background from here: http://dndadventurersleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Mulmaster-Bonds-and-Backgrounds.pdf

[krugaan]

Brings a new perspective on the whole Atlas Shrugged concept. What if all the adventurers up and quit?! TIME WOULD STOP.

In a very meta way, yes, if adventurers (the players) stopped killing (playing) then the DnD universe (Wizards of the Coast) would stop in it's tracks.

C whut I did thar?

[Zaq]

Be a dwarf, gain proficiency in brewers supplies. Crafting rules allows you to make 5gp worth of crafting a day, allowing you to brew 250 gallons of beer a day.

Become a beer distributor. Screw the storyline.

Isn't it just 25 gallons a day? 5 gp a day = 50 sp a day, and one gallon of ale is 2 sp (PHB 158). 50/2 = 25. Where's the ×10 coming from?

I mean, 25 gallons of ale a day is nothing to be ashamed of, but it's not quite the same thing as 250 gallons a day, unless I'm missing a multiplier somewhere.

It's also fun to make 500 torches a day. Or 2,500 sling bullets.

My phone tells me that 25 gallons of ale weighs about 212 pounds. 500 torches weigh 500 pounds. 2,500 sling bullets weigh 187.5 pounds. But in terms of "how many pounds can I craft in a day," I think the winner is 50 ladders, which weigh 1,250 pounds.

What were we talking about, again?

[JumboWheat01]

Isn't it just 25 gallons a day? 5 gp a day = 50 sp a day, and one gallon of ale is 2 sp (PHB 158). 50/2 = 25. Where's the ×10 coming from?

I mean, 25 gallons of ale a day is nothing to be ashamed of, but it's not quite the same thing as 250 gallons a day, unless I'm missing a multiplier somewhere.

It's also fun to make 500 torches a day. Or 2,500 sling bullets.

My phone tells me that 25 gallons of ale weighs about 212 pounds. 500 torches weigh 500 pounds. 2,500 sling bullets weigh 187.5 pounds. But in terms of "how many pounds can I craft in a day," I think the winner is 50 ladders, which weigh 1,250 pounds.

What were we talking about, again?

How to ruin the supply/demand chain 101.

[WarrentheHero]

I don't think you can do this in 5e, buy in 3.5 there was a gimmick involving spending all of tlyour starting gold on ladders, breaking then into 10-ft poles, and selling them back. Even sellib St half cost, you profited.

I wonder if there are any similar exploits in 5e? I'll root around and get back to you.

[WarrentheHero]

Alright: I'm not sure if this works RAW, as I'm AFB, book, but here it goes:
As I understand it, you can use a quarterstaff as a spellcasting focus, either an Arcane Focus- Staff or a Druidic Focus- Wooden Staff. So, you purchase a large amount of Quarterstaffs at 5 silver each. Then, you turn around and sell them as Wooden Staff Foci, for 2.5 gold each. That's a solid proft of 2 gold each.

Additionally, there's no reason to buy a Light Hammer for 2gp, when you can buy a Hammer for 1gp and use the Improvised Weapon rules to use it as a Light Hammer.

[Zaq]

Alright: I'm not sure if this works RAW, as I'm AFB, book, but here it goes:
As I understand it, you can use a quarterstaff as a spellcasting focus, either an Arcane Focus- Staff or a Druidic Focus- Wooden Staff. So, you purchase a large amount of Quarterstaffs at 5 silver each. Then, you turn around and sell them as Wooden Staff Foci, for 2.5 gold each. That's a solid proft of 2 gold each.

Additionally, there's no reason to buy a Light Hammer for 2gp, when you can buy a Hammer for 1gp and use the Improvised Weapon rules to use it as a Light Hammer.

Eh, I'm not sold on the focus argument. PHB pg. 151 specifies that focus items are "special" (an arcane staff focus is "specially constructed," a druidic focus might be "drawn whole out of a living tree," etc.), so I wouldn't even blink at a GM saying that a 5 sp quarterstaff is not the same thing as a 5 gp arcane staff focus. There's actual rules text saying that there's more to an arcane staff focus than it just being a length of wood. (Contrast with the old 3.5 ladder/10 ft pole trick, where there's nothing saying that a 10 ft pole is any different than the length of wood that makes up part of a ladder; yeah, it has to be reasonably sturdy, but so does a ladder, and there wasn't any text saying that a 10 ft pole was "specially constructed" or anything like that. A GM was still within their rights to shut down anything involving an infinite loop, but that was clearly the GM choosing to shut down shenanigans rather than a GM just upholding the RAW.)

[Oramac]

Alright: I'm not sure if this works RAW, as I'm AFB, book, but here it goes:
As I understand it, you can use a quarterstaff as a spellcasting focus, either an Arcane Focus- Staff or a Druidic Focus- Wooden Staff. So, you purchase a large amount of Quarterstaffs at 5 silver each. Then, you turn around and sell them as Wooden Staff Foci, for 2.5 gold each. That's a solid proft of 2 gold each.

A quarterstaff is only 2 sp in the PHB, so you're profit is actually a bit higher. I honestly see no reason why it wouldn't work. If you're making a druid/wizard/sorcerer you could even fluff it by saying that you yourself are taking the time to turn them into foci before selling them back .

[PeteNutButter]

Alright: I'm not sure if this works RAW, as I'm AFB, book, but here it goes:
As I understand it, you can use a quarterstaff as a spellcasting focus, either an Arcane Focus- Staff or a Druidic Focus- Wooden Staff. So, you purchase a large amount of Quarterstaffs at 5 silver each. Then, you turn around and sell them as Wooden Staff Foci, for 2.5 gold each. That's a solid proft of 2 gold each.
Additionally, there's no reason to buy a Light Hammer for 2gp, when you can buy a Hammer for 1gp and use the Improvised Weapon rules to use it as a Light Hammer.

The staff thing is not in the rules as is. Most DMs allow arcane focus staves to be used as quarterstaves, because... Gandalf. But RAW it doesn't say you can. Since it's a hand wave, doing the opposite transition is unlikely. Most DMs would probably say the arcane staff costs more because it's imbued with magic which takes a ritual costing 4.8 gold in materials to conduct. Why 4.8? Because that's how the crafting system in 5e is broken. Somehow it costs the same amount to craft something as it does to buy it.

The Hammer thing also requires a hand wave. DMs decide the damage of improvised weapons. As a DM I would rule that the hammer is either a) not properly weighted for swinging so not a light weapon and/or b) does less damage (d3 or d4-1) since it again is not a weapon for war.

[RickAllison]

The staff thing is not in the rules as is. Most DMs allow arcane focus staves to be used as quarterstaves, because... Gandalf. But RAW it doesn't say you can. Since it's a hand wave, doing the opposite transition is unlikely. Most DMs would probably say the arcane staff costs more because it's imbued with magic which takes a ritual costing 4.8 gold in materials to conduct. Why 4.8? Because that's how the crafting system in 5e is broken. Somehow it costs the same amount to craft something as it does to buy it.

The Hammer thing also requires a hand wave. DMs decide the damage of improvised weapons. As a DM I would rule that the hammer is either a) not properly weighted for swinging so not a light weapon and/or b) does less damage (d3 or d4-1) since it again is not a weapon for war.

I like to think of the price of crafting magic items in the book as that of a novice doing so. A master has found shortcuts and other methods of cutting corners to make a profit.

[PoeticDwarf]

You just sell your gear so you can buy...
Gear that isn't better, some gold and a mount. Losing some tools and stuff which are useful

Yeah, this is not abusing. This is questioning if you prefer tools and a priest's pack or some other stuff

[Daehron]

Anyone see either a way to get more money or better ways to use it?

Play in one adventure and get 75-125gp.

This has been a wonderful thought experiment. But given that you will gain more than enough gold in a few adventures to make equipment purchases trivial (with a few notable exceptions), it really is not all that useful beyond character creation, imho.

[Doug Lampert]

I don't think you can do this in 5e, buy in 3.5 there was a gimmick involving spending all of tlyour starting gold on ladders, breaking then into 10-ft poles, and selling them back. Even sellib St half cost, you profited.

I wonder if there are any similar exploits in 5e? I'll root around and get back to you.

You could do better than that. Just buy the components to make a ladder. Costs 1/3 of the 5 cp cost of a 10' ladder. Then sell the two side-supports as two 10' poles without ever bothering to assemble a ladder. The poles are 2 SP each, so you sell them for 1 SP each.

This avoids any claims that somehow having been made into a ladder somehow made the side pieces useless as poles; or that you needed to use the ladder as raw materials to make the pole, and crafting the poles required using a craft skill.

Go for the cheaper components, spend 1 GP on ladder parts and you have 120 poles, sell them for 12 GP even at half cost. Now, what was that community spending limit again? (Because for some unknown reason a town is willing to spend the exact same amount on additional 10' poles at half price as on food or livestock at half price.)

(Note: To my mind this isn't a problem with 3.x, it's a problem with trying to build an economics engine into your RPG and doing a half-assed job of it. If the game focuses heavily on economics, like old Traveler could, then do it right, if not, then the 5th edition flat 2.5 GP/day and we don't tell you what it costs is fine. 3.x crafting is a horrific mess if you actually try to use it.)

[PeteNutButter]

You just sell your gear so you can buy...
Gear that isn't better, some gold and a mount. Losing some tools and stuff which are useful

Yeah, this is not abusing. This is questioning if you prefer tools and a priest's pack or some other stuff

Starting with two weapons you never plan to wield just to sell them for cheaper ones and collect profit seems a bit of an exploit, but I'm glad there are people who are cool with it. If you are cool with it, then start every character doing this tactic to the maximum for class background. Bards can sell pricier instruments for cheaper ones. Scholar packs are a nice chunk of cash for a warlock or wizard. Start with an arcane orb and sell it for a staff. Start with a wand as a druid and sell it for a totem etc.

IMO if its legal and its AL, its fair game.

[JackPhoenix]

I had a really hard laugh at this. It's like some weird "theory of killa-tivity".

Adventurering murder-hobos are the only thing driving the universe forward in time. They're like the 5th fundamental nuclear force or something.

"Every event is preceeded by the Prophecy Adventure Module. But without the hero PC, there's no Event."

[PeteNutButter]

Play in one adventure and get 75-125gp.

This has been a wonderful thought experiment. But given that you will gain more than enough gold in a few adventures to make equipment purchases trivial (with a few notable exceptions), it really is not all that useful beyond character creation, imho.

It's a minor advantage, but an advantage nonetheless. That first adventure you play with a new character is likely the deadliest one you will ever play, as in you have the greatest chance to die then, over any other. I'm sure there are better options then the mounted guy I pointed out, but even he is likely going to shine. Advantage to hit with the feat, dealing 1d12+3 damage, with a nice 18 AC, and lots of battlefield mobility.

Most players won't be able to afford splint after the first adventure, which is a solid +1 AC. With this the fighters/paladins can.

[JackPhoenix]

Starting with two weapons you never plan to wield just to sell them for cheaper ones and collect profit seems a bit of an exploit, but I'm glad there are people who are cool with it. If you are cool with it, then start every character doing this tactic to the maximum for class background. Bards can sell pricier instruments for cheaper ones. Scholar packs are a nice chunk of cash for a warlock or wizard. Start with an arcane orb and sell it for a staff. Start with a wand as a druid and sell it for a totem etc.

IMO if its legal and its AL, its fair game.

I'm not sure if you can sell and buy equipment before the game itself starts, though. And if there's no shop immediately available in the adventure, you may end up with a pile of stuff that's pricy, but useless for the character you're playing.

[PeteNutButter]

I'm not sure if you can sell and buy equipment before the game itself starts, though. And if there's no shop immediately available in the adventure, you may end up with a pile of stuff that's pricy, but useless for the character you're playing.

I had considered that. It is part of the risk. It helps if you have some idea of what you are going into, or perhaps make sure you take at least one optimal weapon. Maybe start greatsword + hand crossbow to be safe. You can always "rebuild" your character after the first adventure to retroactively have started with two hand crossbows which you sell after the first adventure.

[JumboWheat01]

I'm not sure if you can sell and buy equipment before the game itself starts, though. And if there's no shop immediately available in the adventure, you may end up with a pile of stuff that's pricy, but useless for the character you're playing.

I suppose it can be left up to DM decision. I know mine was kind enough to let me trade in the longbow fighters can start off with for a shortbow since I was playing a halfling, and it just made more sense for one to start with a weapon he could actually use.

[PeteNutButter]

I suppose it can be left up to DM decision. I know mine was kind enough to let me trade in the longbow fighters can start off with for a shortbow since I was playing a halfling, and it just made more sense for one to start with a weapon he could actually use.

Most DMs wouldn't have a problem with it, unless the adventure specified against it or they realized you were being a bit cheesy.

There is no reason you can't just choose to start with a shortbow though.

[Arial Black]

I've just done this for my CoS PC; not for profit per se, but because the AL rules force you to pick options from a restricted list instead of letting you go shopping with 100gp like they did in season one, and the equipment I want is not on that restricted list.

My character idea is a city watch investigator who will become a Ftr 1/War 5, starting as Ftr 1. What I want is to have the weapons I want, no armour at all (because I'll be getting the Armour of Shadows invocation), thieves' tools, a component pouch, and then buy whatever I can with the change.

But AL forces me to choose either chainmail or leather armour and longbow (I don't want armour or a longbow, why would a detective be walking around with a longbow?), weapon & shield or two weapons (I want just one martial), a light crossbow or two handaxes (I don't want either, I want loads of daggers), and a pack (I don't want either).

In order to equip the character in the way I envision, I've no choice but to sell the stuff I don't want and buy the stuff I do.

I think the decision to abandon the 100gp choice after season one leads directly to this.

You may feel that it is foolish to go adventuring without armour until level 3 when I get the invocation, but I envision a city detective, not an adventurer. I don't need a bow because I start with thrown daggers and the vicious mockery cantrip, and will get eldritch blast later.

I'm not min-maxing in either money or optimisation of combat ability; my motive to do this is for role-playing, but if I'm going to do this then I might as well choose the equipment that will fetch the best price when I sell it.

BTW, it would be absurd to claim that a PC doesn't have any time to sell stuff; they've been alive for 20 years, living in a big city! Plenty of time and opportunity to buy and sell. Our characters don't spring fully formed from the ether a nano-second before the mists descend!

[sigfile]

Since starting gear quickly becomes irrelevant, since AL forces characters to use the gear options provided by class and background, and since AL explicitly allows selling mundane equipment for half price so long as you didn't find it on a critter, this isn't really an abuse at all. To the point an AL admin posted a guide (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470528-Guide-Customizing-Starting-Gear-in-AL) to help make it easier for folks to actually start with the equipment they want.

[PeteNutButter]

Since starting gear quickly becomes irrelevant, since AL forces characters to use the gear options provided by class and background, and since AL explicitly allows selling mundane equipment for half price so long as you didn't find it on a critter, this isn't really an abuse at all. To the point an AL admin posted a guide (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470528-Guide-Customizing-Starting-Gear-in-AL) to help make it easier for folks to actually start with the equipment they want.

I agree, I just have to post that disclaimer at the beginning, so I don't get a dozen posts immediately saying how "I'd ban/kill players that did that at my table, rabble, rabble rabble."
...which is of course BS, since its AL, you play by the rules.

If you look at my post on abusing rebuild, you'll see why lol: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481513-Abusing-AL-Character-Rebuild-Thought-Experiment&highlight=rebuild

[coredump]

Few things:
While it is technically up to the DM whether you can sell items before the first adventure.... I have never even heard of a DM that would not allow it. (You can buy items just fine, and you can sell them after the first adventure.)
Mostly because this just isn't a big deal. Sure you can get a horse.....but a horse doesn't really do anything for you most of the time, and if often a hindrance. It does (usually) allow you to get the items you want for your concept (ala Ariel Black), which is not an exploit nor an abuse, its working as intended.
The rules were changed to make starting a character much more streamlined for when a person shows up and wants to play. No more "look over this long list", just "make these 4 choices" and you are done.
The buying/selling is what allows the experienced player to tweak the options to get just what they want to start with.
In any case, after the first adventure you will have enough gp that none of this matters. Its really a non-issue.

Just because a magic focus can look like a staff, does not mean that every staff is 'qualified' to be a magic focus. There is a reason the magic focus costs so much more than a simple quarterstaff.
While not quite the same, there is some precedence for the other direction. By default, magic staves can be used as a quarterstaff..... so that *could* apply to a magic focus staff.




I agree, I just have to post that disclaimer at the beginning, so I don't get a dozen posts immediately saying how "I'd ban/kill players that did that at my table, rabble, rabble rabble."
...which is of course BS, since its AL, you play by the rules.
I am honestly not sure if you just really don't get it, or if you are being intentionally disingenuous.

Yes you were 'following the rules'.....but so is the DM that has every monster attack you and only you until you are dead.

No one was advocating breaking any rules....not you, not me...no one. But you were advocating trying to abuse the rules by using an unintended exploit. And then you cried foul when someone suggested the DM can also abuse the rules. You can't have it both ways...... either its okay to abuse the rules, or its not okay to abuse the rules.



If you look at my post on abusing rebuild, you'll see why lol: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481513-Abusing-AL-Character-Rebuild-Thought-Experiment&highlight=rebuildYes, the thread that you finally edited to be less obnoxious because enough people told you that what you were doing was not cool.

[PeteNutButter]

Few things:
While it is technically up to the DM whether you can sell items before the first adventure.... I have never even heard of a DM that would not allow it. (You can buy items just fine, and you can sell them after the first adventure.)
Mostly because this just isn't a big deal. Sure you can get a horse.....but a horse doesn't really do anything for you most of the time, and if often a hindrance. It does (usually) allow you to get the items you want for your concept (ala Ariel Black), which is not an exploit nor an abuse, its working as intended.
The rules were changed to make starting a character much more streamlined for when a person shows up and wants to play. No more "look over this long list", just "make these 4 choices" and you are done.
The buying/selling is what allows the experienced player to tweak the options to get just what they want to start with.
In any case, after the first adventure you will have enough gp that none of this matters. Its really a non-issue.

Just because a magic focus can look like a staff, does not mean that every staff is 'qualified' to be a magic focus. There is a reason the magic focus costs so much more than a simple quarterstaff.
While not quite the same, there is some precedence for the other direction. By default, magic staves can be used as a quarterstaff..... so that *could* apply to a magic focus staff.




I am honestly not sure if you just really don't get it, or if you are being intentionally disingenuous.

Yes you were 'following the rules'.....but so is the DM that has every monster attack you and only you until you are dead.

No one was advocating breaking any rules....not you, not me...no one. But you were advocating trying to abuse the rules by using an unintended exploit. And then you cried foul when someone suggested the DM can also abuse the rules. You can't have it both ways...... either its okay to abuse the rules, or its not okay to abuse the rules.

Yes, the thread that you finally edited to be less obnoxious because enough people told you that what you were doing was not cool.

Thanks for bringing your opinion over here to prove my point. And if by editing to make it less obnoxious, you mean adding a tongue in cheek disclaimer... I guess it worked.

[Arial Black]

Since starting gear quickly becomes irrelevant, since AL forces characters to use the gear options provided by class and background, and since AL explicitly allows selling mundane equipment for half price so long as you didn't find it on a critter, this isn't really an abuse at all. To the point an AL admin posted a guide (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470528-Guide-Customizing-Starting-Gear-in-AL) to help make it easier for folks to actually start with the equipment they want.

Thanks for the link. I had never seen it before, but it turns out that I sold ALL of my starting fighter gear (but none of my background gear) after choosing the exact same items to sell as recommended for a fighter in that link.

I get that the starting gear in the class descriptions makes for a quicker start for new players, and the season one choice to let players choose this OR money to spend satisfied everyone. Taking the 'money' option away simply forced the 'choosing most expensive option, then sell it to buy the stuff you want' response. It would be more balanced to simply go back to a choice of starting money or starting gear.

BTW, we know that characters have time to do this even before their first adventure begins, because we know that you are allowed to spend the money from your background before play begins, so you must be allowed that shopping trip!