What to buy? Or, Making Rich Parents not suck so bad


Advice


So Rich Parents gets a pretty bad rap. But, I think I might have found some other ways of making it not suck as bad. Please add to this list if you know of any other ways.

1- Buy better gear. And no, I'm not talking about Arms/Armor. I mean actually good/cool adventuring gear. Like a Hippogriff Egg (200gp), or a Combat-Trained Dire Riding Bat (450gp).

2- Use it to buy a level 1 wand at Character Creation (Cure light Wounds, Magic Weapon, Color Spray, Grease all come to mind), or some other magical gear, like a buttload of scrolls you can inscribe into a spellbook.

3- Using the retraining rules, if you have a high intelligence score, you can spend 200-800 gp to learn an additional 1-4 languages right off the bat, without having to actually spend the time doing so. Of course, if Linguistics isn't your thing...

What other ways have you guys seen?


Strangely, the players in one of the groups I play with love rich parents. It's by far the most chosen trait.

But the GM for that group tends to throw heat even at level 1, and having the armor of your choice, a masterwork weapon or two, some weapons for various material DRs, healing items, a level 1 or whatever does buy a lot of survivability relative to any other trait.


I used it in a homebrew campaign. My alchemist started life with many more alchemical items, poisons, and potions than he ordinarily would have. That money does better than you think with downtime and crafting involved.


The key problem here is that none of that actually changes the problem with Rich Parents-- that it turns into a drop in the wealth bucket extremely quickly. Unless there's a demonstrable advantage to "own a hippogriff egg for an additional week" that makes it somewhat comparable with, say, +2 initiative... it's a weak choice no matter what you actually grab.


I like Rich Parents.
I use it to buy a carriage and couple light horses. Then fiddle with the downtime rules for a constant driving team. Also some nice non-essential adventuring gear. Pavilion tent, folding table & chairs, and maybe a couple of decent locks. Add in party, and I got a mobile base. Like the TMNT Turtle Van.

I basically use it for some luxury items that once a player actually starts playing, would rarely buy because they're always saving up for the next magic item.


Now, if you got an allowance from your rich parents and/or some social benefits from their connections . . .

Grand Lodge

I prefer traits that will have some kind of relevance, later on.

Even a small one.

There are traits that can provide extra wealth/items, but add some kind of bonus as well.


That's what the Noble Scion prestige class is for. Rich Parents is more like being a trust fund brat/baby.

Grand Lodge

It doesn't even give you a skill bonus, or a skill as a class skill.

Hell, Signature Moves gives you a 900gp item, and a skill bonus.

Chosen of Iomedae gives you a Masterwork Weapon, and a Spell-like ability.

Rich Parents is a straight sale of one's trait.

Liberty's Edge

Depending on the difficulty / economy of the campaign, Rich Parents can be worthwhile in that it will give the PC a leg up making survival until they accumulate more wealth a possibility. Sure its effectiveness disappears as you level up, but it may be what allows you to level in the first place.


blackbloodtroll wrote:
Hell, Signature Moves gives you a 900gp item, and a skill bonus.

To be fair, actually spending 900 gp on Signature Moves isn't easy, since it's only one item. You can do it with some special materials, but many of the best, like Mithril or Adamantine, are either low enough that you're leaving money on the table or high enough that you can't take them.

Which doesn't make Rich Parents really worthwhile, but it does at least offer some flexibility that the other money-traits don't.


You could purchase a mill, a shop, a smithy, a tannery, a tavern, or a trade shop and with a little more cash a pier or town hall.

You could also start an artisan's guild, a group of bounty hunters, a brute squad, a caravan crew, an entourage, a fight club, a hunting party, a ship's crew, or a thieves' guild.

Basically, invest your money and get out of the wild & dangerous career of adventuring for something more stable.


Why not call Rich Parents "The Church" if you are playing a Paladin, Cleric, Inquisitor, etc. That way you have an easy way of getting the needed gear for your character and it fits into your roll rather than saying you had rich parents.

On the other hand, the Oracle in our current game took that feat and she is playing a Noble. She plans on getting Leadership and a Cleric Underling. It is quite fun.


kestral287 wrote:
blackbloodtroll wrote:
Hell, Signature Moves gives you a 900gp item, and a skill bonus.

To be fair, actually spending 900 gp on Signature Moves isn't easy, since it's only one item. You can do it with some special materials, but many of the best, like Mithril or Adamantine, are either low enough that you're leaving money on the table or high enough that you can't take them.

Which doesn't make Rich Parents really worthwhile, but it does at least offer some flexibility that the other money-traits don't.

MW greenwood composite bow +4 to strength is pretty close.


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Traits lime Rich Parents and Heirloom Weapon ought to leave you with some enduring bonus after the heritage items/money are gone -- but for balance, have the enduring residual benefit not kick in right away.


kestral287 wrote:
blackbloodtroll wrote:
Hell, Signature Moves gives you a 900gp item, and a skill bonus.

To be fair, actually spending 900 gp on Signature Moves isn't easy, since it's only one item. You can do it with some special materials, but many of the best, like Mithril or Adamantine, are either low enough that you're leaving money on the table or high enough that you can't take them.

Which doesn't make Rich Parents really worthwhile, but it does at least offer some flexibility that the other money-traits don't.

I find darkleaf leather Lamellar is a nice buy for a high dex player. A non-masterwork repeating hand crossbow is 800gp.

masterwork repeating heavy crossbow is 700gp. (slavers/crank too)
masterwork repeating light crossbow is 550gp. (slavers/crank too)
Belt of Tumbling 800gp.
Cap of Light 900gp.
Cap of Human Guise 800gp.
Mask of Stony Demeanor 500gp.
Hand of the Mage 900gp.
Cloak of Human Guise 900gp.
Armbands of the Brawler 500gp.
Sleeves of Many Garments 200gp.
21 ioun stones from 150-800gp.
Boulder Bullet (lesser) 800gp.
Ranged Piton 800gp.
Traveler's Any-Tool 250gp.
Kitsune Star Gem 750gp.
masterwork Living Steel chain shirt 7500gp
Silversheen Elven curve blade 830gp.


I fail to see how starting with a chain shirt, a bastard sword, a +3 composite shortbow with 20 arrows, a light wooden shield, a masterwork backpack, a bedroll, a bell net, a deluxe dungeoneering kit, a shield scone, a signet ring (now I'm just getting fancy), a waterskin, a whetstone, two potions of cure light wounds, two potions of protection from evil, a healer's kit, a surgeon's tools, flint & steel is possibly a bad thing (only had to "borrow" 1sp and 2cp to get the heal things for the druid) instead of just the sword, armor, shield, and the basic basics.

Regardless to what I'm going to get throughout the adventure, I'm of the opinion that its better to have a strong, encompassing start than a piddly bonus to a skill I'm going to use less than the bow I got.

This is holding back and buying basic stuff, too. This list could get way more devastating attack/defense/control-wise if there was a need to go that way instead.


It's because at the start all you need is the sword and basic basics. Then after your first quest/scenario you have enough to get most that stuff, then after the second you for sure have enough. And it's not like that extra 900 is going to keep you with a good advantage.


graystone wrote:
kestral287 wrote:
blackbloodtroll wrote:
Hell, Signature Moves gives you a 900gp item, and a skill bonus.

To be fair, actually spending 900 gp on Signature Moves isn't easy, since it's only one item. You can do it with some special materials, but many of the best, like Mithril or Adamantine, are either low enough that you're leaving money on the table or high enough that you can't take them.

Which doesn't make Rich Parents really worthwhile, but it does at least offer some flexibility that the other money-traits don't.

I find darkleaf leather Lamellar is a nice buy for a high dex player. A non-masterwork repeating hand crossbow is 800gp.

masterwork repeating heavy crossbow is 700gp. (slavers/crank too)
masterwork repeating light crossbow is 550gp. (slavers/crank too)
Belt of Tumbling 800gp.
Cap of Light 900gp.
Cap of Human Guise 800gp.
Mask of Stony Demeanor 500gp.
Hand of the Mage 900gp.
Cloak of Human Guise 900gp.
Armbands of the Brawler 500gp.
Sleeves of Many Garments 200gp.
21 ioun stones from 150-800gp.
Boulder Bullet (lesser) 800gp.
Ranged Piton 800gp.
Traveler's Any-Tool 250gp.
Kitsune Star Gem 750gp.
masterwork Living Steel chain shirt 7500gp
Silversheen Elven curve blade 830gp.

Assuming we're talking about Signature Moves, the item you buy has to be wielded in your hands to get the bonuses. So for any armor, belt, cloak, etc., Signature Moves is an inferior Rich Parents.

The trait also requires "a single masterwork item", which may or may not rule out magic items-- so far as I know, only weapons/armor/shields have the "must be masterwork to be enchanted" concern. That definitively rules out the two non-Masterwork weapons on your list.

Which seems like it leaves... Crossbows. Yeah.

chkflip wrote:

I fail to see how starting with a chain shirt, a bastard sword, a +3 composite shortbow with 20 arrows, a light wooden shield, a masterwork backpack, a bedroll, a bell net, a deluxe dungeoneering kit, a shield scone, a signet ring (now I'm just getting fancy), a waterskin, a whetstone, two potions of cure light wounds, two potions of protection from evil, a healer's kit, a surgeon's tools, flint & steel is possibly a bad thing (only had to "borrow" 1sp and 2cp to get the heal things for the druid) instead of just the sword, armor, shield, and the basic basics.

Regardless to what I'm going to get throughout the adventure, I'm of the opinion that its better to have a strong, encompassing start than a piddly bonus to a skill I'm going to use less than the bow I got.

This is holding back and buying basic stuff, too. This list could get way more devastating attack/defense/control-wise if there was a need to go that way instead.

It's a bad thing because at level two, everybody else has that stuff too, plus has one more trait than you.


Well, while it is true that it is a minor gain compared with your future wealth, the importance is WHEN you get it. This can put you significantly ahead of other players in ways of equipment. Or you could buy a rare item early. Personally, I'm not using it, but that's more a matter of my class then trait superiority. Sure, there are "Better" traits, but these are as much character flavour as they are optimization. This can assemble some interesting rp scenarios. Maybe one day the PC receives a message from his family, saying that his father is on his deathbed and that he must return home to inherit the family business or whatever.


kestral287 wrote:
graystone wrote:
kestral287 wrote:
blackbloodtroll wrote:
Hell, Signature Moves gives you a 900gp item, and a skill bonus.

To be fair, actually spending 900 gp on Signature Moves isn't easy, since it's only one item. You can do it with some special materials, but many of the best, like Mithril or Adamantine, are either low enough that you're leaving money on the table or high enough that you can't take them.

Which doesn't make Rich Parents really worthwhile, but it does at least offer some flexibility that the other money-traits don't.

I find darkleaf leather Lamellar is a nice buy for a high dex player. A non-masterwork repeating hand crossbow is 800gp.

masterwork repeating heavy crossbow is 700gp. (slavers/crank too)
masterwork repeating light crossbow is 550gp. (slavers/crank too)
Belt of Tumbling 800gp.
Cap of Light 900gp.
Cap of Human Guise 800gp.
Mask of Stony Demeanor 500gp.
Hand of the Mage 900gp.
Cloak of Human Guise 900gp.
Armbands of the Brawler 500gp.
Sleeves of Many Garments 200gp.
21 ioun stones from 150-800gp.
Boulder Bullet (lesser) 800gp.
Ranged Piton 800gp.
Traveler's Any-Tool 250gp.
Kitsune Star Gem 750gp.
masterwork Living Steel chain shirt 7500gp
Silversheen Elven curve blade 830gp.

Assuming we're talking about Signature Moves, the item you buy has to be wielded in your hands to get the bonuses. So for any armor, belt, cloak, etc., Signature Moves is an inferior Rich Parents.

The trait also requires "a single masterwork item", which may or may not rule out magic items-- so far as I know, only weapons/armor/shields have the "must be masterwork to be enchanted" concern. That definitively rules out the two non-Masterwork weapons on your list.

Which seems like it leaves... Crossbows. Yeah.

And composite bows with strength bonus, or special material weapons.


Special materials I already mentioned-- you're generally either leaving gold on the table or can't afford the good ones. Composite Bows generally hit a stonewall where even if you took the max bonus available, you're often either effectively leaving gold on the table because you can't max it anyway, or you're trying to prepare for the long game and so you're actually taking a negative with the bow for a good while.

I'm sure there's some nice, useful, obscure combination that allows Signature Moves to be well-used while actually getting the full bonus or close to it, but as a general point, it's kind of hard to justify as being even as good as Rich Parents.


Fair enough. Just to list some of the better options.

Examples:

True Crystal masterwork dagger, punching dagger, or short spear: 702 gp

True crystal pick: 804 gp

Fire-Forged or frost-forged weaponry: 600 gp

Living steel masterwork weapon: +800 gp to weapon price

Masterwork 1 Lb Mithral weapons: +800 gp to weapon price

Noqual masterwork weapon: +800 gp to weapon price

1 Lb masterwork Umbrite weapon: +600 gp to weapon price

2 Lb umbrite weapon: +600 gp to weapon price

Masterwork Whipwood weapon: +800 gp to weapon price


Mine wasn't an exclusive Signature Moves list but what 900gp can buy as items that don't work with Signature Moves still counts for what you can buy with Rich Parents.

kestral287 wrote:
It's a bad thing because at level two, everybody else has that stuff too, plus has one more trait than you.

This isn't always true though. Not all games allow you to buy whatever you want when you want it. If it might be several level before you can get to civilization, that masterwork item or magic item you started with gives you a leg up MUCH longer than level two.


+1 greystone.

Also, if I know I'm starting in a dungeon of some sort, or know I'm going to be dealing with locked things, or umpteen other scenarios, I want to be able to get a +2 tangibly instead of being stuck with +1 UMD with no magical items for it to apply to for X levels (again, the examples are endless).

I'm not saying its infinitesimally better as a trait. Its a case-by-case basis for sure. But if I have the option to take a negative trait for a third trait? Its Rich Parents or Signature Moves all day without a doubt.

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