Wealth in DF

[alaph]

Can you buy a pet as SG?

[Kromm]

A pet is reasonable SG if all you want is a trained animal that costs money. I'd buy a cool pet as an Ally, though . . . that's both cheaper and closer to what most gamers expect from animal companions.

[Harald387]

I once bought a mule as SG. It was a very good mule.

[blacksmith]

Originally Posted by Bruno

You can "successfully" parry a very heavy weapon only to have it smash through your weapon and squash you flat anyways. Generally only applies to ogres with trees, or people trying to parry a charging bull or car crash ;)

That is what I'd call a very failed parry.

Or barbarians with oversized polearms.

[blacksmith]

Originally Posted by Kromm

An oft-missed point -- I applaud your insight! Many things that "won't be worth the points" 50, 100, 150, or more points down the line are great right now, when the campaign starts. They ensure that you'll earn those 50+ points without dying first, or without acquiring a problem like One Hand. Those who think that spending 10 points on Signature Gear armor is wasteful are welcome not to do so; those who do, though, won't die or lose important body parts as easily. And dungeon fantasy is a subgenre where the GM is actually supposed to be trying to dismember, rob, and kill the PCs. It's his job, as he represents the Opposition, whom the PCs are themselves trying to kill and rob. Thus, SG is many times more likely to be a good investment in dungeon fantasy than in most genres.

And dieing is a good thing, as you get to bring in characters appropriately built to the current point total.

[blacksmith]

Hmm, you also need to spend the points to raise your level of signature gear if you get signature gear enchanted.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by blacksmith

Hmm, you also need to spend the points to raise your level of signature gear if you get signature gear enchanted.

I don't mind the player not spending the points - but then I feel 100% justified when it gets disenchanted again by a stray Evil Rune or something.

[Harald387]

And dieing is a good thing, as you get to bring in characters appropriately built to the current point total.

I specifically don't do this in cases where I think players are attempting to 'recycle' their characters. If a PC dies through no real fault of the player, I'm more inclined to be generous, but if the player simply drops the character or starts taking uncharacteristically stupid risks* in order to get killed, there's a good chance their next character has starting points, or some midpoint between party average and starting points.

Hmm, you also need to spend the points to raise your level of signature gear if you get signature gear enchanted.

Just as I wouldn't require a player to spend points on Wealth to reflect the fact that his PC has sold a lot of loot for cash, I wouldn't require a player with Signature Gear to spend extra points on it if he goes to the time and effort to get it enchanted in-game. Doing so may still be worthwhile, however, since increasing the value of the Signature Gear advantage would extend SG protection to the enchantments on the item as well as the item itself; without this, the enchantment could be dispelled or twisted to other unpleasantness.

*Not that I haven't had a number of Impulsive, Overconfident, or even On the Edge PCs in games... but those are characteristically stupid risks and I expect PCs with any of these traits to occasionally do dumb things.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by blacksmith

And dieing is a good thing, as you get to bring in characters appropriately built to the current point total.

Seez who? I know a number of GMs who require new PCs to start at the same point value as the original PCs started at, or at the current PC average less some number of points.

[PK]

Originally Posted by blacksmith

And dieing is a good thing, as you get to bring in characters appropriately built to the current point total.

Maybe in your games. I usually bring in new characters (whether for new players or old ones) into a game at a level determined by averaging everyone's points and the starting power level. So if Joe is 280 points, Mary is 295 points, Tim is 300 points, and the campaign began at 250 points, a new character comes in at (280+295+300+250)/4 points, or 281 points.