Balanced Wealth (3.5e Variant Rule)
Contents
Balanced Character Wealth by Level
 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
|
Rate this article Discuss this article | |||||||||
Explanation
As it stands, Character Wealth by level (CWBL, page 135 of the 3.5 DMG) is horribly skewed in favor of casters. Where attackers need all of the Big Six magical items (magic armor, a magic weapon, a ring of protection, an amulet of natural armor, a cloak of resistance, and an item that boosts an ability score), casters for the most part only need two (cloak of resistance and an item that boosts an ability score), especially if they stay out of melee.
This variant attempts to fix this problem, one which gives casters a boost beyond their class abilities and spells. Rather than characters buying whatever they want, instead the total amount of wealth they gain is lowered and in its place they gain access to free equipment depending on their level. At level 20, taking out the value of all the Big Six (come out to 236k gp) from the level 20 CWBL (which is 760k gp) we're left with 524k, around 70% of the previous CWBL. Thus, we reduce the CWBL of characters across the board by around 70%, give or take a few gp for whole numbers.
Another potential problem automatically fixed by this variant is when characters are below the CWBL they should be at, according to the DMG. With this variant, characters always have at least the minimum level-equivalent equipment that they need to get through a fight.
How it Works
Replace Table 5-1, page 135 of the 3.5 DMG with the following table. At the appropriate levels, characters are able to influence items to gain the bonuses as marked below by meditating for an hour upon their items. For example, if a character had a nonmagical ring, a chain shirt, and a shortsword, they may meditate for a single hour to influence the items to become magical. Only a single item can be attuned at a time for each bonus (see the exceptions below), and characters must relinquish their influence upon an item (a full-round action) before they may begin influencing a new one. The items only benefit the character who has influenced them, reverting to their usual state in the hands of anothe being.
The exception to the rule of one item attuned per enhancement refers to weapons and armor, which may be split to multiple items. For every additional item attuned, the bonus decreases by 1. Thus, a level 20 character with two shortswords can influence both, and they each become +4 shortswords. The same thing with a level 20 character who wants to influence a suit of armor and a shield, influencing both to become +4 items.
With their spare gold, characters may still buy any item they wish. Should they wish to enchant the items that they've influenced further, they must pay the difference between what the items would cost if they had bought them normally without influencing them, and their new enhancement cost. For example, if a character has influenced a weapon to +4 and wishes to add another +1 enhancement bonus as well as the Flaming, Frost, and Shocking qualities, they must pay the difference between a +4 weapon (32000 gp) and the cost of their newly enchanted weapon (+5 Flaming Frost Shocking weapon, effectively a +8 weapon, or 128000 gp), which comes out to 96000 gp.
Balanced CWBL Table
| Level | New Wealth (in GP) | Equipment Granted | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Enhancement | Weapon Enhancement | Deflection | Natural Armor Enhancement | Resistance | Ability Score Enhancement | ||
| 1 | 210 | — | — | — | — | +1 | — |
| 2 | 630 | +1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | 1900 | — | — | — | +1 | — | — |
| 4 | 3800 | — | +1 | +1 | — | — | — |
| 5 | 6300 | — | — | — | — | +2 | — |
| 6 | 9100 | +2 | — | — | — | — | +2 |
| 7 | 13000 | — | — | — | +2 | — | — |
| 8 | 19000 | — | +2 | +2 | — | — | — |
| 9 | 25000 | — | — | — | — | +3 | — |
| 10 | 34000 | +3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | 46000 | — | — | — | +3 | — | — |
| 12 | 62000 | — | +3 | +3 | — | — | +4 |
| 13 | 77000 | — | — | — | — | +4 | — |
| 14 | 105000 | +4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | 140000 | — | — | — | +4 | — | — |
| 16 | 182000 | — | +4 | +4 | — | — | — |
| 17 | 238000 | — | — | — | — | +5 | — |
| 18 | 308000 | +5 | — | — | — | — | +6 |
| 19 | 406000 | — | — | — | +5 | — | — |
| 20 | 532000 | — | +5 | +5 | — | — | — |
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Variant Rules
