| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Zzdtri |
Posted - 28 Oct 2004 : 11:18:03
Hi everyone!
One of the benefits of being a student in Silverymoon's Lady's College is being able to create an item without the necessary creation feat and at only 10% market price. The wizard still has to meet all other requirements for the item he's creating. One of my players created a character who is a student there. He forked over 1.5k gp - which is more than a half of what he has at 3rd level. Should I allow it? Should I allow it later on?
I am thinking of not allowing it. Why? Well that's because it makes all other wizards who are not already members, and who have any creation feat, look like idiots.
If I don't allow it, should I throw something in instead, or are the other benefits enough?
Any thoughts?
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| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 30 Oct 2004 : 14:53:37
Well, first, my character's concept was based on the fact that he's a university boy who was kicked out because of politics. The College is supposed to be a place of tolerance, but they had a bad apple or two, and one of them was a professor of his. Among other things, my character is a half-elf, and the professor was a full-blooded gold elf who, like another gold elf from Evereska, was a closet supremicist.
(Original, I know. Hey, it was my first character.)
Anyway, none of the game itself has happened in Silverymoon, so I can't give you roleplaying tips on dealing with a character who hasn't graduated. (I placed my character at about the level of a BA in real world terms; level five wizards would be MAs, and over seven, you've got your doctorate.  )
However, in the text, it says that once per quarter, you can add a spell to your spellbook for free, like you do at each level. To get this, you have to spend "4 hours per day for at least thirty days during the quarter attending classes and studying." There's something you can base off of right there. A quarter would be three months, and you can assume that (wizardry being what it is) there's a lot of independant work involved. After all, wizards still write in their own notation, so even in an institution the learning is individualized.
So I would say, three days a week (or four days a tenday, with change), he has work to do. This includes classes (has to physically be at the college) or experiments (brew a potion, but make this roleplaying-only, so he doesn't have to loose gold or XP), or even write a paper (say, on the merits of the magic missile.
Now, the tricky thing to do is balance the benefits versus the cost. As I said, you can limit what he gets out of it. For instance, in regards to creating magic items without the feat, perhaps he still has to qualify for the feat; so, at 3rd level, he can only do scrolls and potions, and has to wait until 5th for wands. Also, you might require some of his gold go to the college anyway. Or offer him a choice of formal tuition, or of paying more for his benefits. If he's working for the city as a part of the adventure, perhaps he's getting a discount on tuition (much as if serving in the Spellguard for 5th-level-and-up members). |
| Zzdtri |
Posted - 30 Oct 2004 : 09:53:22
quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
If you do this, you have to decide whether to require him to pay the tuition fees, or if (as is allowed for in Silver Marches) the tuition is paid by an outside factor (in other words, a freebie).
I've a character (also created at third level) who got some of the advantages of the college, and didn't have to pay tuition. The DM, however, limited what advantages could be done. I got two wands at 10%, but only two. I also got a few free spells.
How much time have you actually spent on attending classes and shuch? I have just read trough it again, and if I got it right you must spend quite a bit there (granted, not for every benefit). Maybe I could make it that he has to spend some time to gain the benefits in the first place.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 28 Oct 2004 : 21:30:29
If you do this, you have to decide whether to require him to pay the tuition fees, or if (as is allowed for in Silver Marches) the tuition is paid by an outside factor (in other words, a freebie).
I've a character (also created at third level) who got some of the advantages of the college, and didn't have to pay tuition. The DM, however, limited what advantages could be done. I got two wands at 10%, but only two. I also got a few free spells.
If I were to recreate this character, I'd actually do it somewhat different, because I didn't understand game balance back then -- this was my first game. For you, I'd say you shouldn't give more than what my DM gave me. If anything, it should be less. Perhaps it's 20% of the base price. Perhaps you limit how many items he gets.
If you feel that the player is a good roleplayer, reward him. (I hope that's the reason why my DM did that, because as I look back on it, it seems stupid to give a new player that much if he acts as munchkin as I was acting back then.) If it turns out to be a mistake . . . well, NPC thieves infest every city.  |
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