River of Sticks's page

I understand where you're all coming from, but none of you have addressed my fundamental problem with the system:

The way this is laid out at higher levels I'm encountering many situations where an item relevant for my character is simply not available as an item I am being given. Besides a set of Master tools for Medicine there's no other 7th level Item that really appeals to my monk of that level. This means I have to choose an even lower level item than I should be getting there. This trend continues downwards when trying to pick out different things my character would actually want. This feels bad. It makes me feel that I am starting at a lower wealth than other classes that have better choices in these situations.

If they had cool meaningful choices for every class at every level of these choices I wouldn't be complaining.

To address the idea of option Paralysis:
You're still selecting a ton of items from a giant list. Now you're just deciding based on a different arbitrary number attached to the item (Level instead of price)

As for Doktor Weasel's complaint about spending all your money on one item:
My original proposal of limiting the price of any given object already solves this idea.

Faster doesn't mean better. If I cared only about speed I would play a video game that totals it all for me. Basic subtraction does not daunt me. And even if they align with those guides I would argue those guides are oddly limiting and weird too for the same reasons.

PREFACE EDIT: I have not yet played many of these parts, the concerns listed here are from a theoretical/gamefeel standpoint.

The starting equipment guides for parts 2-6 seem.. off. I think I get what they intended to do by making it based primarily off a handful of different level items, but considering some items of the same level vary wildly in price -and- some item levels just don't provide very meaningful item choices depending on your class... I'm looking at part 4 for a monk and I can't find any great 7th level item choices. Bracers of armor (What I would hope would be my second best item after my handwraps) Have a weird gap where they leap up in item level so I either have to make them my singular 8th level item or underutilize one of my 5th level item slots.
and most of the level 7 items seem to be unique armor or weapons
I think it would make alot more sense to just give a gold total and restrict the max amount we could spend on a single item.

Monks have a strangely low amount of signature skills and skills trained with only the arcane casters having less signature skills than them, and no one having less trained skills than them. (I know wizard/alchemist technically have less, but their primary stats are int so they never actually will unless someone is making a very poor monk.)

For what was once a class that gave above average skills/level and one that focuses on perfecting themselves it's an extremely odd choice to me.

Off-hand, the most glaring thing that I can't fathom is why they don't have Medicine as a signature skill. Eastern Medicine has always been used along with martial artists as a strong trope in movies and literature. Even in as realistic a setting as the original Karate kid, Mr. Miyagi used strange healing techniques to make his student battle ready again. It also plays into their desire for wisdom.

But, that's not the only skill they're missing. Much of their abilities play into the idea of being a ninja, so why wouldn't they have stealth? Their class description even notes how some monks will take up a craft and seek perfection within it, so why not craft as well?

As it stands, they've taken a martial class that previously had great defensive abilities, and could function as a light skill monkey and transformed it into a class with unfortunate low-level AC, and few skills.

As a monk I had the same problem!

I had a lower AC than our fighter and didn't even have a reactionary method to defend myself by raising a shield. I was one of only 2 characters to drop to zero, and was the person to drop to zero the most.

Responding to more or less give a thumbs up in agreement with the general sentiment of this post.