# Character wealth by Level



## DMDanW (Mar 13, 2009)

I have searched and searched and have not been able to find a chart or table which states what a characters approximate wealth should be level by level.  In 3.5 I used that chart frequently in creating characters higher than 1st level, and now in 4E I have tried to create characters starting at higher levels and have no idea how much gear and magic items they should have.

Is there such a chart in the PHB / DMG that I am just missing?

If there is no chart, how can I properly equip characters starting at higher levels?

Thanks


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## Roger (Mar 13, 2009)

DMG, pg 143, list item #7.


Cheers,
Roger


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## AntiStateQuixote (Mar 13, 2009)

I don't recall the page number, but the rules follow:

Take one magic item of character level less one.
Take one magic item of character level.
Take one magic item of character level plus one.
Take gold equal to the value (not sell value) of a magic item equal to character level.  Use the gold as desired to buy other gear.
Take "unlimited" amount of "mundane" gear: backpack, rations, etc.


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## CapnZapp (Mar 13, 2009)

So, no there isn't a _chart_. There is a _rule_, but it applies to new characters only.

There isn't a table telling you your level M characters should each have N gold and O items of level P each.

If you're deep in your campaign and you'd want to make a quick check you haven't handed out too many or too few items compared to the "Awarding Treasure" guidelines on page 125, there really isn't an easy way to figure out the accumulated totals for each level.

For a five-man group that just completed third level it's relatively easy to see they should have been awarded 4x3=12 items in all; distributed over the following levels: 7th, 6th, 6th, 5th, 5th, 5th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd. Add gold or equivalent to the amount of 1355+1040+720=3115 gp. 

But the DMG never does these calculations for you. So finding out the corresponding details for a seven man level 24 group will take you a fair while.


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## Oompa (Mar 14, 2009)

Wouldn't it be easier to just look up the value of the items a new player of that level had to have?


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## eamon (Mar 15, 2009)

I prefer using a value rather than the straightjacket of exact item levels.  Given the fact that one level represents (on average) a 5^(1/5) price increase, and that you effectively get level-1, level,level,level+1 in items, new character wealth should be about 4.1 times the value of a level-equivalent item.  Existing characters should have significantly more than this to compensate for a less flexible item choice, and to prevent making character death too attractive.

So, just use the PHB table on p.223, multiply by 4.1, and that's a fine (and more flexible) version of starting gold.

It's what I'd use, if it came up.

Similar rules are also useful as a DM; if you're giving out loot, you can calculate the overall value, and then not keep precisely to the DMG item levels (making the annoying task of item choosing a little more flexible).  Some shortcuts:
Two items of level N are about equivalent to a level N+2 item.  An item of level N and one of N+3 is about one of N+4.

In general, subtle errors in estimates have virtually no impact; you need a full factor 5 increase in wealth for just a +1 bonus; so don't be afraid to diverge a little from the guidelines; just make sure existing chars have significantly more than 4 times an item of their level in wealth if you do.


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## WalterKovacs (Mar 15, 2009)

Also, characters in play will probably be using some of the wealth over time, primarily purchasing healing potions (or getting healing potions in their loot which counts as "cash"), in addition to rituals and selling/disenchanting magic items. Depending of the options, they may be using other consumable items.


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## CapnZapp (Mar 16, 2009)

@Eamon: problem as I see it is that gold is decidely the second most pressing issue.

The amount of ready cash is always the smaller pile of any character's gear gp total.

So even if you make a mistake and give out double the recommended amount, or even quadruple that amount, it doesn't change much in the way of available bonuses (the only place in the game where something can truly break).

After all, even a big pile of money disappears fast when you try to buy a magic item that you find really valuable, because it will probably be an item of above your level.

So what's needed is a neat table telling us what an existing character will have in the way of magic items.

I do agree a long list of a lot of obsolete items isn't really helpful here. So the idea to condense and simplify this list sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Now, I guess the DMG guidelines for newly generated high-level characters is an attempt at exactly this.

But, assuming they're off by a significant margin (having over-simplified) we still need a better table.


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## eamon (Mar 16, 2009)

CapnZapp said:


> So what's needed is a neat table telling us what an existing character will have in the way of magic items.
> 
> I do agree a long list of a lot of obsolete items isn't really helpful here. So the idea to condense and simplify this list sounds pretty reasonable to me.
> 
> ...




There are two distinct aims here:  One is for keeping track of existing characters, and the second is for creating new characters.  If you aim is to keep track of existing characters; well, you should expect existing characters to have the "big 3" items roughly equal to their level, and they should be able to fill the rest as time and money allows (do you want an exact distribution? it's possible to improve that estimate, of course).  For sure, they should never fall behind a new character, so the big three should never be trailing more than a few levels.

If your aim is to create new characters, an item distribution isn't handy; it's too constricting, and you don't want a rough estimate "this is about what a char looks like", you want a set of rules within which a new character needs to be built.  For that purpose I'd use 4.1 times the cost of a level-equivalent item: flexible, but also clear-cut.

Due to the exponential nature of wealth accumulation, the new characters and the existing characters never diverge more than a fixed (and reasonably limited) percentage in total wealth - in short, the 4.1 factor works good enough here too.  If your players are below this on average, you should add treasure, if they're above around twice this, you've been handing out too much treasure and should tone back a little.


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## eamon (Mar 16, 2009)

Really simple guidelines:
New characters should get total wealth equal to 4 times a same-level item.

Existing characters should have (on average!) between 5 and 10 times the value of a same-level item.

In terms of item levels:
New characters should start with total wealth between the value of level+4 and level+5 items.

Existing characters should have (on average) wealth between the value of  level+5 and level+7 items.



How's that?


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## WalterKovacs (Mar 16, 2009)

CapnZapp said:


> Now, I guess the DMG guidelines for newly generated high-level characters is an attempt at exactly this.
> 
> But, assuming they're off by a significant margin (having over-simplified) we still need a better table.




Part of the problem is that the current system involves the _party's_ wealth being increased by a fixed ammount each level, but no two PCs will be getting stuff at the same rate.

One will have an item of level + 4, two will have an item of level + 3, three will have an item level + 2, four will have an item of level + 1. [Actually, there would be one less of each, as I'm counting your current level towards what loot you'd be getting]. After that, the party's wealth is basically four items of the current level, and each level below that until you hit level 5. There would be three level 4, two level 3, one level 2. Then there is cash for two items at each level up to the current one ... however cash will be spent on various things, up to the current level, plus rituals and such.

Knowing a _characters_ wealth involves assuming the party gave things out evenly. One "fair" way is that the character gets one item per level from level 5 to the current level, which they can sell for cash if they wish, plus they'd get 1 additional item above you level. Rolling a d6, you'd get level +1 on 1-3, level +2 on 4-5, level+3 on a 6 [based on the 6 items the party would own above their level assuming they've received all their parcels and haven't sold any of the higher level items]. 

In general, above level 5, each character should have one or two items above their level (one of which is probably only slightly above their level, as each time they level, it will go back to most having only 1 item above their level ... but this is assuming a mostly even spread of items in the party). When a party has just leveled, nearly every member in the party should have one item of that level and one item above that level, and the character that didn't get that item would be able to buy it (that level they will be getting cash equivalent to that level of item, although some of that cash may not be in the form of consumable items). Based on the numbers, there will be 4 items of level X, and 6 items above level X, so the party members should have 4 people with 1 item at X and one above it, and one person with 2 items above it. The person with 2 above level items will likely change each level, assuming a "fair" distribution (although party's may not care about relative item level as much as getting the best item for each party member.

A characters wealth would be 1.2 times an item from level 5 to one level below the current. So, giving the level + 1, level, level - 1 from the quick PC generation, the rest of the cash would be, for say a level 15 character:

(1000 + 1800 + 2600 + 3400 + 4200 + 5000 + 9000 + 13000 + 17000) * 0.24 [1.2 items, sold for cash at 20%] = 13680. Add .04(21000) [the .2 of the level 14 item, sold for cash at 20%] and you get 14520, which is still less than a level 13 item. Even adding in the value of lower level stuff (you'd get slightly less than .24 value of items level 1 through 4) you fall short of what is given to a new character. However, only some of that cash was necessarily spent on items, and you may not necessarily be selling every item you got as you leveled, etc. It seems (at least in this example) that the new character estimation isn't too far off the mark.


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## Mercule (Mar 16, 2009)

In theory, the only assumptions made by the system is that each character gets a weapon/implement, an armor, and a neck-slot item in relatively short order.  Those items should have an average of the character's level (give or take a level).  Everything else is gravy and can be bent to fit your campaign style, whether that's high magic or low magic.

As I said, though, that's only the theory.  Results may not be typical.


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