I have noticed a few questions here and there regarding starting equipment and if characters automatically gain the trappings listed on their character cards. Some believe they do because the items are integral to perfomring their job while others relate back to the wealth level purchase during character creation become a little pointless...

I was thinking of handling the issue somewhere in the middle by letting my characters gains a number of item picks from their trapping list based on their starting wealth. Perhaps one item per point spent in wealth?

-Ebon-

So the Roadwarden can pick up a Pistol, normally costing 5g, for a mere 1 career point, or a soldier can get a handgun (costing more than 5g) for a single career point? Nah, make them buy the suggested trappings if they want them. Not every Roadwarden will use a pistol, etc. Some careers have more expensive/valuable trappings than others, and it unfairly punishes those careers with low-value suggested trappings. To be fair, you'd need to go through each an every career and make a 'trappings list', equalizing equipment and money gained amongst each of the careers. Seems like a lot of extra work when just using the standard Wealth table works just fine.

Coming from playing previous edtions where you get the starting trappings of your career, I kind of like the idea of my characters having possessions from their career.

I agree that letting the character have all of their trappings renders the Wealth level a little obselete in some cases but what I am looking for is a balance between the two.

Okay so the Roadwarden decided on a poor wealth level and I give them one pick from their trappings, they decide on the pistol. Great. If I need to know why I merely ask the player why he chose that item? Perhaps it was his father's pistol who was also a Roadwarden and he treasures it for that reason (plot hook). Perhaps he is holding on to the item to sell it for cash later on...he is Poor and needs the funds. Pistols are still exceptionally costly in terms of ammunition and to maintain. He may have the pistol but without additional money it's virtually useless.

And this is Warhammer when was the life supposed to be fair

-ebon-

I figured it was more of a story telling mechanic. Maybe your Road Warden, who is poor, doesn't have a pistol because he hawked it to pay off his gambling debt. After all it does beg the question as to why an Imperial Road Warden is in such poor economic straits.

I think their is balance put into wealth at character creation. You can opt for higher characteristics, talents, skills at the cost of being dirt poor. Combat wise, you may not be better off since you will be lacking weapons and more importantly armor. Also a wealthy character could purchase a superior item giving them extra fortune die.

In regards to your alternate system. I think it can work and if you want to keep things down. Limit the value of the free trappings you can get to the level of coin +1 you get at that wealth level or some set amount imposed by you. So for the roadwarden example for him to get a pistol (5g cost) he would have to put 2 points into wealth (which give him two free items with a cost limit if 5g).

I'd have to agree. Starting wealth is an important balance in character creation, and what you propose could be unbalancing.

I have a player that wanted to spend it all on his character, starting broke and hoping to acquire decent weapons during the first session. It's going to be very rough for him, and most of the items they find initially will be pretty old and rusty!

How about working out how much the suggested trappings for each career cost and giving each career a minimum wealth level based on this ((or even other issues - dilettante can't be poor)? You could then insist that players buy them at the beginning.

That way you've got the fixed trappings from v1/2 and you've not mucked about with the balance of v3 character creation.

Ebonwarlock said:

Regarding the confusion about what the rules say... there is an answer written about this in the official Errata/FAQ (p 3):

"Equipment: Typical Trappings
Characters do not start out with equipment listed under that career’s typical trappings. They are merely guidelines and suggestions to help the player visualise how the character fulfils the career. To acquire those trappings, the player may wish to invest enough creation points into Wealth to ensure he can afford the items listed."

If you want to change this... just keep in mind that the game is probably balance around the fact that the careers dont get their trappings for free. Giving equipment dependent careers their trappings can make them alot more powerful from the start, and if the trappings are worth alot of money (5g or whatnot) it can seen as pretty unfair to those careers who don't have such expensive trappings. If a player really wants the edge it means to have expensive trappings from the start... he can still get them (except for the most expensive ones) by spending creation points on wealth.

And don't forget... getting money, striving to get better equipment etc. can be very powerful motivators for players. And what could be a better motivator than getting the equipment that relates to your career?

If i ever where to do a house rule where characters got their trappings from start, i'd probably give some extra coins to the careers who don't have any expensive trappings to balance things out...

dvang said:

Actually Roadwarden states specifically that the pistol (and horse) is property of their employer. Losing the pistol means you have to pay that back somehow.

I think the GM and the players should work together when they create a character. If the background story is great why shouldn´t I grant the player some bonus for making an effort? Starting equipment doesn´t have to be expensive pistols or such (Ironbreakers Gromril plate anyone!? :/ ) it can be poor quality: swords, shields or perhaps a lance for your "Knight Errant"

But in my gaming group there is lack of background stories... And in my opinion I would gladely reward a player some equipment for making an effort with his background.

In my house rules, characters start with a POOR QUALITY version of all items on their starting trappings (except as listed: dl.dropbox.com/u/167876/WFRP3%20Hafner%20House%20Rulebook%20v6.pdf

Characters then not only have something to upgrade (and they can at the start), but something to aspire to.

jh

I started out making characters purchase their trappings, but recently have just allowed them to start with the career trappings for free. I have had no problems; quite the contrary. It makes my players happy, and it enforces and mirrors reality; life is just plain not fair - some careers get better compensation than others.

Game balance is only slightly adversely altered by this. Player choice in actions can already create a much bigger imbalance between character effectiveness than starting with recommended trappings will. I even worked it out mathematically to make sure I was doing it right. Here's my equation:

Flavor > Balance

-Thorvid

I do like your math!