Topic: Character wealth and character level

[Setorn]

I mean, even today I will only buy one of those tasty $9 six packs of beer on special occassions (and sometimes just to spoil myself ),...

lynn

Don't get me started on how much I spend on wine a week!

[Justin]

I completely understand your dilemma, OP. I wonder the same type of things, but I just let my gut tell me when the players get too much, and I keep the combat challenges down(for the time being.)

I am also struggling with finding an adjustment to magic item prices: In my world setting I want the beginning mage items, x2 PP mults and +1 spell adders, to be pretty common. The book cost of those items is like 250gp or something. No low-lvl char can afford that. So, I'm trying to figure out what a good multiplier might be for adjusting the cost of spell casting items.

[Thom @ ICE]

For issuing magic items, it is not always necessary to have them be acquired as treasure, profits of war, or purchases...

Characters can be given special items to assist them while they are carrying out tasks for others. This loaning of equipment will allow you to keep excess items out of the game, and makes the cost value a non-issue.

[Marc R]

The bennies method Thom suggests is a really good one. . .much like few people like paying for their own medical insurance. .

"You are a mage of the Scarlet Tower of Zanzibar, here is your staff of office" x2 multiplier.

If you tick off the guild and get tossed on your ear, they take it away from you.

[Setorn]

I am also struggling with finding an adjustment to magic item prices: In my world setting I want the beginning mage items, x2 PP mults and +1 spell adders, to be pretty common. The book cost of those items is like 250gp or something. No low-lvl char can afford that. So, I'm trying to figure out what a good multiplier might be for adjusting the cost of spell casting items.

Justin, determine how much a low level pc/npc in your game would need to purchase the adders/multipliers and then figure how much of a percentage difference that and reduce the cost by a similar percentage.

[Old Man]

My players spend a fair amount of time rooting about in towns hoping for that long forgotten or dusty magic item that just fits their character needs (especially, as expected, the Archmage). They have some amount of funds, for selling off of minor magicks of no use to them, but not enough to be overbalancing (mostly spent on Inns, the odd Navigator port, Warlock scrying guards and the like). This current campaign is working alot better than my early campaigns when I gave out too much cash (but they did keep the alchemist's guild busy).

Game-wise I also track when PCs sell items to various merchants/guilds as then those items, if unique, may still be floating about when the next group of PCs wander by.

Ciao,
Old Man

[Lord Garth]

I like to keep my players rather tight on money, and magic items. By Lvl 10 they should have (not more than) one Potent item apiece, and that one earned at lvl8 or lvl9. As for money, unless they show a real interest in making money by lvl 20 they will have made, max, 2000gp each, and 1500 of that between lvls 16-20.

Back to the original question, you could look up Heroes and Rogues and see how much wealth those NPCs have. Other than that ...