I have a question about the Character Wealth table in the DMG page 54.
I am suppose to roll up a 5th character for a game tomorrow and use the Wealth table to figure out what kind of magic items to buy.
5th level says Expected Wealth Gain 4,000 gp.
Does this mean I have 4,000 gp to spend or do I add this up with all the prior levels for a total of 13,000 gp (900+1,800+2,700+3,600+4,000)?
Further, you don't add it to anything. A character starting at (being brought into the game at) the level indicated on the chart gets that much (9,000gp in this case) to spend on all their equipment.
What they said!
You should be using the table on page 135, which is 9,000 gp for a 5th-level PC.
Oh, that Wealth Table. I don't get into the DMG very often.
Thanks!
I have an expansion to this question (I hardly ever have to use the table):
Is there a limit on how much a character can spend per item?
I have only skimmed the relevant section a couple of times... But I didn't see anything.
If there isn't, this lends a certain inflated-ness to the table, especially at the higher levels, in my opinion.
Sure, it is just a guideline... But characters tend to spend money. Through the course of their career, they buy one-shot items (and use them), trade in magic items - usually not at equal value, throw celebrations, donate to charity... Etc..
Of course, if the wealth table is supposed to be roughly maintained including all of these things... Then it will continue to be accurate.
But I always took the table to represent what the characters should be given, not what they have.
Am I just confused??
Is there a limit on how much a character can spend per item?
See pg. 199 in the DMG, Creating PCs Above 1st Level. Under Magic Items as Gear, "You're free to limit what magic items characters choose when they create characters of higher levels..." Two recommended methods are gp limits per item (25% of the total was used as an example) and item power category (minor, medium, or major).
Through the course of their career, they buy one-shot items (and use them), trade in magic items - usually not at equal value, throw celebrations, donate to charity... Etc..
Of course, if the wealth table is supposed to be roughly maintained including all of these things... Then it will continue to be accurate.
But I always took the table to represent what the characters should be given, not what they have.
The table on pg. 135 assumes a certain amount of "wastage" from the average treasure awards (use of one-shot/charged items, sale at 50% market price of unwanted/used items, etc.). The table is a guideline on how much equipment PCs should have "on hand" when they reach a given character level (after post-adventure book-keeping and logistics). Every couple levels, a DM should check to see if the PCs are gaining too little or too much wealth and adjust the awards for the next adventure session.
Right. Wealth by level is the same at every level, including 1st. Starting gold represents what a character has on him at the start of the campaign, in the opening scene, not everything he's ever owned or bought. Further, the character (usually) didn't decide to become an adventurer, make a shopping list, and go purchase everything with some monetary allotment that he had on hand. Starting gold represents the total value of things that the character has picked up from many, many different sources. His father's old armor, the spellbook his mentor gave him on his first day as an apprentice, the sword he lifted from the town guard, etc. Often, the character hasn't "paid" (in game) for most of the stuff on the character sheet when the campaign starts.
Higher level wealth-by-level assumes the same thing. It's a measure of the total value of stuff the character has when he hits, say, 10th level, after he's gotten out of the dungeon, sold the loot, bought some new stuff, and had a nice bath. Just as DP said, every couple of levels, the DM is supposed to take an inventory of the characters and find out everything they've got and see if it's in line with this ammount. It will certainly rise and fall within the course of any given interval of the campaign, but by keeping a longterm eye on it and a gentle guiding hand, the DM can make sure that his party has the basics they will need for the challenges of their level.
Anyway, rambling over, I've had some interesting experiences with characters blowing all their wealth on one item. Newer players (or players new to the mechanic) sometimes like to look at the biggest item they can get, and neglect everything else. I actually advocate letting them do this, as it's a good learning experience. I remember one low mid-level character who blew everything to get a magical adamantine scimitar. He quickly found out this was a bad idea, because he was overwhelmingly deficient in so many other areas (like AC and ability boosts). Aftewards, he understood exactly why diversifying one's equipment is a good idea, and did so from then on out. Nothing like first hand experience as a teaching tool!