When the FAQ made it clear that you use the crafting costs to get starting gear if and when you had access to item creation feats, it set the precedent that HOW you get said starting gear makes a difference in regards to starting funds.
So, munchkins, how might we best take advantage of this? What items and tricks are out there that a wizard might be able to start play with for practically nothing? (And don't say you can just steal things, else everything could literally be considered free, and that obviously isn't the intent of the rules.)
I'll start:
- 5-foot patches of lava (shrunk into cloth strips via shrink item) - great for traps and hazards
- clay jugs of green slime (carefully collected from caverns) - instant grenade-weapon
- flasks of brown mold (harvested from garden) - campfire ambush
- flasks of phosphorescent fungus (as torch, harvested from garden) - utility
- flasks of yellow mold (harvested from garden) - great grenade
- floatation device (an old log shrunk via shrink item) - utility
- large boulders (shrunk via shrink item) - great for stoppering hallways
- paper airplanes with explosive runes - thrown bombs
- sheets of paper with explosive runes - UEDs
- shrieking fungus (kept in a bag of holding when not in use, grown in garden) - camp parameter alarm system
What else can YOU come up with? What else might you collect, grow, or create for practically nothing?
Anyone?
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Umm... a club? I'm afraid I don't understand the question. How exactly do I have one of my 1st level PC's justify starting with a 5' patch of lava for 0GP?
Presumably, he'd have to be at least 5th-level, and capable of casting shrink item.
I'm looking for people to brainstorm unusual ideas on how to get useful items/tools/resources at little to no cost.
Umm....
Shrink Item is a third level spell. It takes a 5th level wizard to cast it. I don't seem to have the same definition of "starting equipment" as you. Mine consists of tricks like a handful of chalk dust, a 10 ft pole I cut in the woods, and a sack of dried leaves (burn to create a dark smoke signal or drop in the pit for a soft landing).
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He means 'starting equipment' as in wealth by level.
If you start a character at, say, 4th level then your starting wealth is 6000gp (IIRC). You may have craft skills, item creation feats, and may be able to cast spells with instant, permanent or long durations.
With these abilities, can you make that starting cash (6000gp in my example 4th level PC) go further. Half price magic items with item creation feats, free lava rugs with shrink item, etc.
If I've got the wrong end of the stick I'm sure Ravingdork will let me know.
Sticks are free.
Malachi has the right of it. Also, mcherm, the sack of dried leaves for use as a fire-starter/smoke signal is exactly the kind of creativity I'm looking for.
That's a lot cheaper and more practical than an alchemical flare or something similar.
I hesitate to say the same about your chalk dust and 10-foot pole since both of those items have listed costs (and thus are hardly free). However, we could use a 10-foot stick (rather than a pole) and instead of chalk, make use of ground limestone (or something else that is white, powdery, and easy to obtain for free).
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A bag of animated rats (undead) with continual flame. Good for general distractions and amusement.
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A bag of animated rats (undead) with continual flame. Good for general distractions and amusement.
Seems expensive, not cheap! each continual flame has a material component cost of a 50gp ruby!
If we're trying to throw money away, buy a 10-foot pole and break it in half! Since there is no such item on the tables as a 5-foot pole, 5-foot poles don't exist! You've managed to waste your money for nothing! If you're a 'glass-half-full' kinda guy, then you've managed to destroy matter much more cheaply than a disintegrate spell, just for the price of a 10-foot pole!
Er...sticks are free...
A bag of animated rats (undead) with continual flame. Good for general distractions and amusement.Seems expensive, not cheap! each continual flame has a material component cost of a 50gp ruby!
If we're trying to throw money away, buy a 10-foot pole and break it in half! Since there is no such item on the tables as a 5-foot pole, 5-foot poles don't exist! Hove managed to waste your money for nothing! If you're a 'glass-half-full' kinda guy, then you've managed to destroy matter much more cheaply than a disintegrate spell, just for the price of a 10-foot pole!
Er...sticks are free...
There are ways to get around the cost. False focus feat, for example.
There's a great website that one can search for such things.
www.d20pfsrd.com
Never heard of it!
Could you quote the False Focus feat?
Basically an initial investment for future cost reduction.
You could also summon a lantern archon which can use continual flame, for free, all day long.
It's pretty amazing.
Wow! Thanks, guys!
Let's use this feat as much as we can before it gets banned!
Seriously, with this feat every major town or city will have street lighting within the year!
I imagine the caster would still charge full price. ;-)
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I imagine the caster would still charge full price. ;-)Wow! Thanks, guys!
Let's use this feat as much as we can before it gets banned!
Seriously, with this feat every major town or city will have street lighting within the year!
This is what taxes are for!
A combination of a good aligned government and a church with a 'light' portfolio and you could see that village from space!
Or you could save yourself a feat and just cast Summon Monster III to get a lantern archon to light your city for you.
Also, that particular subject is becoming somewhat off topic.
Or you could save yourself a feat and just cast Summon Monster III to get a lantern archon to light your city for you.
Also, that particular subject is becoming somewhat off topic.
I thought summoned creatures couldn't use SLA's with costly material components. Though "costly" could be relative in this case.
I thought it was under the same rule as they can't use their summon abilities.
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False Focus + a Tattooed Holy Symbol = Lots of free* continual flame spells on those free* skeletal rats.
*Free* As the Tattoo Holy Symbol costs 100gp, it already fulfills the max value of False Focus. Get extra copies tattooed on as time and funds permit, just in case someone starts to catch on. So long as you can make the tattoo clearly visible, should be fine. Use symbols from differing faiths, and you just look like a tattoo fan with a pseudo-religious theme.
In fact, using that feat + tattoo combo lets you start off with as many castings of those spells as you want, provided the GMs head doesn't explode when you tell him that you have 100 symbols of mirroring on hand. Or that every single tool you own is masterwork, via the masterwork transformation spell.
*Edit*
Sorry to add to the derail. HERE is the thread RD started on that feat.
Or you could save yourself a feat and just cast Summon Monster III to get a lantern archon to light your city for you.
Also, that particular subject is becoming somewhat off topic.
I thought summoned creatures couldn't use SLA's with costly material components. Though "costly" could be relative in this case.
I thought it was under the same rule as they can't use their summon abilities.
Huh. I suppose you're right about that. You could call an archon, but I'm doubting that's free either.
Or you could save yourself a feat and just cast Summon Monster III to get a lantern archon to light your city for you.
Also, that particular subject is becoming somewhat off topic.
I thought summoned creatures couldn't use SLA's with costly material components. Though "costly" could be relative in this case.
I thought it was under the same rule as they can't use their summon abilities.
I thought "costly" was defined as "anything over 1000 gold"?
I remember reading that somewhere I think.
Huh. I suppose you're right about that. You could call an archon, but I'm doubting that's free either.Or you could save yourself a feat and just cast Summon Monster III to get a lantern archon to light your city for you.
Also, that particular subject is becoming somewhat off topic.
I thought summoned creatures couldn't use SLA's with costly material components. Though "costly" could be relative in this case.
I thought it was under the same rule as they can't use their summon abilities.
Your plan would work if you called them via planar spells, but then you'd have to bribe them which would probably cost you as much as just casting the spell.
Or you could save yourself a feat and just cast Summon Monster III to get a lantern archon to light your city for you.
Also, that particular subject is becoming somewhat off topic.
I thought summoned creatures couldn't use SLA's with costly material components. Though "costly" could be relative in this case.
I thought it was under the same rule as they can't use their summon abilities.I thought "costly" was defined as "anything over 1000 gold"?
I remember reading that somewhere I think.
I thought it was 1G, but It's not in writing anywhere that I am aware of.
With the false focus thing in mind you could have as many 1hd undead for "free." Those are useful.