Increasing Character Wealth in the Forest

[unimaginable]

In a rotating DM group. Last DM had us level up twice with no treasure at all, so we're pretty woefully behind the wealth curve. I now have the group in the infinite forest of the Beastlands... trying to think of ways to give wealth in the form of "natural" items/equipment.

Going to have the group hunted by some displacer beasts in tomorrow's session... their hides/eyes are a good start, I figure. Need more. Any ideas?

[BridgeCity]

I don't know about natural, but one standard way to increase their wealth would be to have them come across an intelligent monsters hideout hidden in the forest, and have the PCs defeat them and take the accumulated loot from their dasdardly crimes. Pretty much just like how Bilbo and company got magic items in The Hobbit from the trolls.

[Gnaeus]

Level suggestion might be good. Party composition and optimization is also important.

Maybe a magical wilderness location (a touchstone) that will give the party members a bonus after they defeat its guardians and then unlock its mysteries.

A trainable magical beast of generally friendly disposition which will befriend the party after they drive off the monsters who are attacking it and heal it enough for it to be useful again. Something like a griffon or pegasus.

Maybe just a straight bonus as a result of spending so much time in the beastlands. Something like "you all get the (homebrewed) Hardened template. It is LA +0, and gives a +1 competence bonus to initiative and fortitude saves, and the toughness feat for free". That would probably be worth a couple thousand gp effective WBL per character.

[Urpriest]

The Beastlands has its share of hunters. If the party is good-aligned, they could oppose such people and gain their gear.

A lot of treasure in dungeons is implied to be the former possessions of the last adventurers to try to kill the monster. This works just as well for a forest. Perhaps the displacer beasts' lair has a pile of gold from reckless planar travelers.

For that matter, the Beastlands is a very monster-friendly area. Intelligent monsters can have gear of their own. Some of the cool monster gear in Savage Species might be appropriate.

[Claudius Maximus]

You could just give them items in the form of (super)natural objects. Perhaps they can use the natural weapons of a great magical beast they've slain as magical weapons, and its hide as armor? You could have them find bizzare enchanted fruit that gives permanent bonuses to the one eating it.

[An Enemy Spy]

Why do you need a wealth curve? What they get, they get. There isn't some universal law stating that you have to have so much treasure simply because you're powerful.

[unimaginable]

Level suggestion might be good. Party composition and optimization is also important.lvl 5. Druid, Battle Sorcerer, Factotum, Warlock.

[Vaynor]

Why do you need a wealth curve? What they get, they get. There isn't some universal law stating that you have to have so much treasure simply because you're powerful.

Equipment is a pretty big factor in most games. If they don't have level-appropriate gear, it will be more difficult to face level-appropriate encounters.

[HunterOfJello]

If there are druids in the forest then there is likely magical items based on all the druid spells. Amulets of Natural Armor and the like.

Is there a list somewhere of the DMG and Magic Item Compendium items sorted into crafting lists based on class?

[Quietus]

I once had a bit of treasure I was giving, a "naturally growing plant" that a black dragon basically built its hoard around. The plant would attempt to attach itself to anyone touching it (the dragon's natural armor was too much for it to overcome), and if it gained a hold, it basically became a symbiotic creature that functioned as a weapon. In my case, it was a flail, but it could just as easily be a bamboo-shoot like plant that could be used as a piercing weapon, or something like that but bladed, or a large stiff leaf, that could be used as a blade.

Over time, this symbiotic plant-weapon was designed to grow closer to its host, and in doing so, the host itself would become more plantlike. The host could either resist this, by not allowing the weapon to (literally) put down roots, or they could accept the strange symbiotic relationship, eventually gaining the Plant type - which, with the immunities that grants, is a very powerful option, and could be given as WBL rather than as level adjustment.

[An Enemy Spy]

Equipment is a pretty big factor in most games. If they don't have level-appropriate gear, it will be more difficult to face level-appropriate encounters.

I know that, I'm just saying that their doesn't need to be some kind of quota you should be worrying about meeting. It might even make the players have to think outside the box if they don't already have everything they need for any given situation.

[Reynard]

Give them the more 'natural' magic items?

Stuff made from Ironwood, etc.

[Mastikator]

Unless they have some access to civilization (even indirectly, i.e other people) or have some way of harvesting the natural resources and turning it into wealth, they should not just go behind the curve but also run out of resources completely (eventually).

[The Dark Fiddler]

I'm a big fan of feather tokens, personally. I think they kinda fit.

Also, Complete Arcane has rules for alternate potions and such... maybe naturally growing fruits that are otherwise just like potions of cure moderate wounds or whatever. Refluffing other items could work too. Elixer of fire breath? A very spicy berry. Necklace of fireballs? Several naturally explosive nuts. Perhaps even small, permanent, innate bonuses from fruits, magical springs, etc.


I once had a bit of treasure I was giving, a "naturally growing plant" that a black dragon basically built its hoard around. The plant would attempt to attach itself to anyone touching it (the dragon's natural armor was too much for it to overcome), and if it gained a hold, it basically became a symbiotic creature that functioned as a weapon. In my case, it was a flail, but it could just as easily be a bamboo-shoot like plant that could be used as a piercing weapon, or something like that but bladed, or a large stiff leaf, that could be used as a blade.

Over time, this symbiotic plant-weapon was designed to grow closer to its host, and in doing so, the host itself would become more plantlike. The host could either resist this, by not allowing the weapon to (literally) put down roots, or they could accept the strange symbiotic relationship, eventually gaining the Plant type - which, with the immunities that grants, is a very powerful option, and could be given as WBL rather than as level adjustment.

I really like this idea, as a side note.

[Lev]

Why do you need a wealth curve? What they get, they get. There isn't some universal law stating that you have to have so much treasure simply because you're powerful.
Actually, that's the whole basis behind VoP balance.

Characters have needs for gear simply because the balance of the game assumes that at level 1 you will have a +0 sword or masterwork at best, level 3 assumes you will have a masterwork sword, level 5 assumes you will have a +1 enchanted sword, level 10 assumes you will have a +2 or +3 and so on.

CR 18 monsters do not assume players are still using masterwork swords INCAPABLE of hitting incorporeal creatures.


I once had a bit of treasure I was giving, a "naturally growing plant" that a black dragon basically built its hoard around. The plant would attempt to attach itself to anyone touching it (the dragon's natural armor was too much for it to overcome), and if it gained a hold, it basically became a symbiotic creature that functioned as a weapon. In my case, it was a flail, but it could just as easily be a bamboo-shoot like plant that could be used as a piercing weapon, or something like that but bladed, or a large stiff leaf, that could be used as a blade.

Over time, this symbiotic plant-weapon was designed to grow closer to its host, and in doing so, the host itself would become more plantlike. The host could either resist this, by not allowing the weapon to (literally) put down roots, or they could accept the strange symbiotic relationship, eventually gaining the Plant type - which, with the immunities that grants, is a very powerful option, and could be given as WBL rather than as level adjustment.
So, the spawn of Klick from goblins mixed with bondleaf armor type thing?

[boomwolf]

Well, depending on how loot-friendly your party is it can be easy, an overly-obsessed with looting party is likely to cut the monsters into tiny pieces after they kill them in hopes they ate something that the PC's can use, just rule that they did. (nothing quite like finding a new magic item in the belly of a beast, it also reminds you that things are quite dangerous around there.)


Also-enemy adventurers are a GREAT source of new wealth. just make them opposite alignment and make sure one of the parties can detect alignment (or just make them evil and hostile to everyone, works too.)

[Gnaeus]

lvl 5. Druid, Battle Sorcerer, Factotum, Warlock.

That is a very loot-independent party.

Consider plants or animal parts that act as single use spell components, giving a CL boost, a free metamagic effect (like empower or extend), or other boost when you cast using that component, but then it is used up.