Question about "unusual" armies

[rando1000]

When paying the BP cost to maintain an army, do things like magical weapons normally owned by the creatures need to be payed for as normal? For example would the cost of a Pixie army (assuming no other special abilities) be 2 + 5 (the cost of improved weapons) or just 2? Or something else?

I have a player who's demanding that basically the CR consumption cost takes into account all of the special things about a creature, so that's all you have to pay.

[JohnB]

Personally - I play the cost of improved gear as a one off cost when the army is first raised. After that I just use the basic CR costs.

However, if they disband the army and then rebuild it again a couple of months later - they have to pay the set up costs again (lets face it why would a pixie who now has his magic weapon, want to sign up again for no extra reward?)

However, I use a modified system of the costing rules - so I have no idea how it fits in with the RAW.

[Philip Knowsley]

I'd tell your player that the cost of those beings is higher for exactly that reason!
i.e. the stuff belongs to those creatures...they're definitely going to charge you for it's use!
If the player wants to outfit them, I'm sure they'd be amenable to being equipped at
his/her cost...
What kind of mercenary army would do otherwise...? Effectively the player is saying
I don't want to pay you for your stuff...that you'll use on my behalf...

& no, I don't believe that the cost 'includes' automatically those things.
In fact I'd go so far as to say that it probably wasn't even considered when the rules
were written.