The loadout problem when creating new PCs

[Michael Thayne]

I'm still trying to write a guide to creating DFRPG characters for new players. The big thing that I'm really, really struggling with is advising on loadouts—which, annoyingly, affect skills selection and occasionally selection of other traits. Further complicating things, I don't want to have to "count on" players trading quick points for more cash, because (1) some players are going to have writer's block around quick selection and (2) some players really hate the idea of trading long-term effectiveness for a short-term cash boost.

As an example, here's a sample Scout loadout I came up with:

$1,000, 55.48 lbs.

Arrows x20. $40, 2 lbs.
Canteen, Full. 1 quart water. $10, 3 lbs.
Coins. 1 silver, 13 copper. $33. 0.28 lbs.
Hip Quiver. $15, 1 lb.
Light Non-Metallic* Armor, Suit. DR 1. $150, 18 lbs.
Longbow. $200, 3 lbs.
Miniature Sundial. $40, 1 lbs.
Personal Basics $5, 1 lbs.
Pole, 6’. For toting sack. $5, 3 lbs.
Pouch. Holds coins. $10, 0.2 lb.
Rations x6. $12, 3 lbs.
Sack. Holds personal basics, rations. $30, 3 lbs.
Shield, Medium. $60, 15 lbs.
Shortsword. $400, 2 lbs.

* Player’s choice of cloth, fur, or leather

This loadout caters to players who don't want to trade quick points for cash, but is going to be pretty unsatisfying for many others. I started here because it's a relatively challenging case, since many scouts would ideally like a composite bow. But scouts arguably have it less bad than would-be rapier-wielding swashbucklers, since rapiers are so expensive. Thoughts?

[Kalzazz]

I like the one Delvers to Grow solution of just giving them appropriate gear, that way I don't need to really juggle exact costs

[corwyn]

The issue I have is that it seems that df characters have relatively little cash. Starting funds are the same as if I started out 100 pt characters at that TL. DF characters aren't walking off the farm to an inn asking for some job killing rats and kobolds for a few coppers - not with 16 to 20 skill they're not; they are roughly equivalent to level 6 or 7 D&D characters. If I started a D&D game at level 6 I wouldn't give them a paltry 50 or 100 gold to equip.

Now, I suppose that's what the quirk points for cash represents, but it still seems weird to me.

[Michael Thayne]

Yeah. It's weird. But I feel kind of stuck with it since I don't want to redo all the pregens if I'm starting a game that I want to be newbie-friendly.

[Christopher R. Rice]

I give points for cash to everyone for free using a ratio of 1 point per 50 starting points. It's always worked pretty well.

[Balor Patch]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Canteen, Full. 1 quart water. $10, 3 lbs.

A full canteen needs to include the 2 lbs for water. That's why smart PCs always buy a 1/4 full Wineskin ($10, 0.25+2 lbs.) instead.

[GnomesofZurich]

Originally Posted by Balor Patch

A full canteen needs to include the 2 lbs for water. That's why smart PCs always buy a 1/4 full Wineskin ($10, 0.25+2 lbs.) instead.

Although a wineskin is a lot more vulnerable to damage than a canteen.

[bocephus]

Unless its a "one shot" where the intention is to give is player the chance to find their own way with an identical restriction on starting gear, I always give a separate pool of cash for "starting gear".

I don't have a set rule like Christopher, but if I looked at it carefully it would probably fall into that same area.

For "DFRPG style fantasy" I have a premade starter loadout that each Status0 character just automatically gets. That gear is not worth the cash equivalent, it represents well used 'quality' gear that anyone with X amount of skills and abilities that PC would have acquired along the way.

If I remember right it represents about $1,000 in gear if you buy it straight from the list. Starts with a backpack with frame, and then stuffed with all the basic gear to get you from your village to the big city, or to survive a trek to the ruins. Extra set of basic clothing, food, some bags, etc... no magic or quality mods.

I don't usually get in the weeds about resource management unless the Players desire it, I treat the basic gear as sort of handwavy once its established that there is no real reason they wouldn't have it.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by bocephus

Unless its a "one shot" where the intention is to give is player the chance to find their own way with an identical restriction on starting gear, I always give a separate pool of cash for "starting gear".

I don't have a set rule like Christopher, but if I looked at it carefully it would probably fall into that same area.

For "DFRPG style fantasy" I have a premade starter loadout that each Status0 character just automatically gets. That gear is not worth the cash equivalent, it represents well used 'quality' gear that anyone with X amount of skills and abilities that PC would have acquired along the way.

If I remember right it represents about $1,000 in gear if you buy it straight from the list. Starts with a backpack with frame, and then stuffed with all the basic gear to get you from your village to the big city, or to survive a trek to the ruins. Extra set of basic clothing, food, some bags, etc... no magic or quality mods.

I don't usually get in the weeds about resource management unless the Players desire it, I treat the basic gear as sort of handwavy once its established that there is no real reason they wouldn't have it.

I plan on running I Smell A Rat, so getting characters kitted out for long hikes is not really my issue. What I really need to solve for is the issue of, say, the barbarian not needing a weapon fancier than an axe, while the swashbuckler really wants to start play with an edged rapier (especially because swashbucklers won't want to plan on switching weapons as soon as they earn their first five gold pieces, due to Weapon Bond).

[bocephus]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

I plan on running I Smell A Rat, so getting characters kitted out for long hikes is not really my issue. What I really need to solve for is the issue of, say, the barbarian not needing a weapon fancier than an axe, while the swashbuckler really wants to start play with an edged rapier (especially because swashbucklers won't want to plan on switching weapons as soon as they earn their first five gold pieces, due to Weapon Bond).

Unless you have a pressing reason to disallow it, it would seem illogical for some one with the skills of a swashbuckler to NOT have a sword appropriate to their particular idiom. Likewise a Barbarian or any other DFRPG point level of character.

You may have to play with encounter difficulty a bit if you feel like the PCs are too strong relative to the individual encounters, but that's not overly complicated.

**Edit to add
Relative to the barbarians basic axe vs the cost of an edged rapier... the Barb might well have a shield, 2 throwing axes, a spear, a shortsword and 2 large knives, and some coin in his purse
The swashbuckler might have an edged rapier, a dagger and little more than the clothes on his back.

Its not about equity of single weapon value, its more about the time it takes for someone to gain the skills of a swashbuckler probably means they should have at least a basic quality of weapon (even for a starting character). You can limit it a little to a light edged rapier which lowers the damage -1 and limits reach to just a 1, if you really feel that a 250pt character shouldn't start the game with an appropriate weapon.