I've been playing tomb of annihilation and stops back in civilization have been non-existent and I have noticed that this has put a massive crimp on my wizards ability to take advantage of found scrolls and spell books. So with that in mind I thought of a poll to determine which class is most bound by a steady supply of gold.
It depends heavily on build. Fighters typically spend a good amount of money upgrading armor for example, but if they lean towards archery or two weapon fighting then they have a high enough dex to not need heavy armor. If you are talking about resources that can be difficult to replenish in the wild, then arrows and bolts come up. They aren't expensive, but if you don't have the time and skill to make them yourselves then it can be an issue.
I am currently playing a campaign in the desert nowhere near civilisation. My character is very Archery focused, I currently don't have a bow because it broke. Whilst I am not as powerful with dual wielding a shortsword and a scimitar that I managed to loot off some kobolds, I am by no means redundant. Its at most a minor inconvenience.
Wizards can function just fine without money assuming they still have their spellbook and focus. They already learn far more spells than other arcane casters; they don't need additional spells. None of the spells that have costly components are a necessity; Chromatic Orb isn't that great, and Identify isn't essential in any way. Anything they do manage to add to their spellbook is a bonus.
Archers can make ammunition in the wilderness if they have the right tools.
On the other hand classes without cantrips are going to want to get silvered, adamantine, and/or magic weapons eventually. On top of that, heavy armor users need a lot of money to upgrade their AC past what chain mail provides. If I had to vote for just one class, it'd be Paladin; all of their class features encourage going for a melee weapons with heavy armor build.
It's all relatively conditional, but Wizard is really the only class where a major class feature across all subclasses (scribing spells) has a set cost that requires regular spending. Other classes have stuff they might need to spend money on... you might need to regularly buy arrows, or you might need to buy heavy armor... but that's all dependent on how you built your character. You can still use all of your major class features without spending a single gold beyond whatever it takes just for your character to survive from one day to the next.
I think, though, there is something to be said for Artificer, which I notice isn't included with this poll. They still don't have the same built-in cost that a Wizard has, but for their infusions to work that means they need to own items that can be infused. A lot of it can be handwaved... if you need some magic boots, you can reasonably assume your character owns a pair of boots, even if it's not an item you're explicitly tracking in your character sheet. But you may need to justify owning a Helmet, or a Robe, or explain where your ring came from. It also includes the "Magic Item Adept" feature, which technically saves you money in the long run, but is still a feature that explicitly asks you to spend money in order to take advantage of at least one aspect of it.
Even for a wizard you could say it is how they buit their character, most wizards if they come across a spell scroll will want ot put it in their spell book but if it a (non-ritual) spell that they will never prepare then why waste the components.
In some campaigns the healer my come out on top. If finding scrolls are relatively rare and combat is deadly the cost of diamonds to revivify could outstrip the cost of specail inks.
The thing about Wizards and money is that they actually have quite a few ways to make money on the side that doesn't even involve adventuring. What with Mending, Unseen Servant, and Conjuration/Illusion spells, etc. downtime for Wizards can often be an opportunity to build a business or to manipulate luck in games of chance - as long as there is some modicum of cooperation from the DM and a city nearby, a determined Wizard should not want for gold unless they are spending far more than is necessary.
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I've been playing tomb of annihilation and stops back in civilization have been non-existent and I have noticed that this has put a massive crimp on my wizards ability to take advantage of found scrolls and spell books. So with that in mind I thought of a poll to determine which class is most bound by a steady supply of gold.
It depends heavily on build. Fighters typically spend a good amount of money upgrading armor for example, but if they lean towards archery or two weapon fighting then they have a high enough dex to not need heavy armor. If you are talking about resources that can be difficult to replenish in the wild, then arrows and bolts come up. They aren't expensive, but if you don't have the time and skill to make them yourselves then it can be an issue.
Wizard by a long shot. Inscribing spells and expensive components can be a heavy gold sink at lower levels.
Wizard is really the only one majorly impacted.
I am currently playing a campaign in the desert nowhere near civilisation. My character is very Archery focused, I currently don't have a bow because it broke. Whilst I am not as powerful with dual wielding a shortsword and a scimitar that I managed to loot off some kobolds, I am by no means redundant. Its at most a minor inconvenience.
Depends a bit on your DM and how prevelant magic is.
Full plate is expensive but a one time cost.
Recurring gold sinks can include:
Scribing spells into spell books: Wizards and some Warlocks.
Consumable spell components: All caster but especially casters with access to higher level spells, where these components can be very expensive.
Making magical items: depends on the game, but again generally casters.
Buying magical ammo: depends on availability, generally rogues and warriors.
Buying scrolls and potions and other consumable magic items: depends on availability and player preference as any class can benefit from these.
Wizards can function just fine without money assuming they still have their spellbook and focus. They already learn far more spells than other arcane casters; they don't need additional spells. None of the spells that have costly components are a necessity; Chromatic Orb isn't that great, and Identify isn't essential in any way. Anything they do manage to add to their spellbook is a bonus.
Archers can make ammunition in the wilderness if they have the right tools.
On the other hand classes without cantrips are going to want to get silvered, adamantine, and/or magic weapons eventually. On top of that, heavy armor users need a lot of money to upgrade their AC past what chain mail provides. If I had to vote for just one class, it'd be Paladin; all of their class features encourage going for a melee weapons with heavy armor build.
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A paladin, because they should be tithing at least 10% of all treasure they find to their church :D
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Plate mail is the single largest "mandatory" gold sink.
For all of those claiming that armor is a one-time cost, you've obviously never seen a party facing a Rust Monster or two lol
If I may ask, why would a monk be really expensive?
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Monks start off with the lowest "Wealth by Class" calculation rubric.
As a DM, I felt I had to provide some freebies to my Monk players due to how low their WbC was compared to every other class.
It's all relatively conditional, but Wizard is really the only class where a major class feature across all subclasses (scribing spells) has a set cost that requires regular spending. Other classes have stuff they might need to spend money on... you might need to regularly buy arrows, or you might need to buy heavy armor... but that's all dependent on how you built your character. You can still use all of your major class features without spending a single gold beyond whatever it takes just for your character to survive from one day to the next.
I think, though, there is something to be said for Artificer, which I notice isn't included with this poll. They still don't have the same built-in cost that a Wizard has, but for their infusions to work that means they need to own items that can be infused. A lot of it can be handwaved... if you need some magic boots, you can reasonably assume your character owns a pair of boots, even if it's not an item you're explicitly tracking in your character sheet. But you may need to justify owning a Helmet, or a Robe, or explain where your ring came from. It also includes the "Magic Item Adept" feature, which technically saves you money in the long run, but is still a feature that explicitly asks you to spend money in order to take advantage of at least one aspect of it.
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Even for a wizard you could say it is how they buit their character, most wizards if they come across a spell scroll will want ot put it in their spell book but if it a (non-ritual) spell that they will never prepare then why waste the components.
In some campaigns the healer my come out on top. If finding scrolls are relatively rare and combat is deadly the cost of diamonds to revivify could outstrip the cost of specail inks.
The thing about Wizards and money is that they actually have quite a few ways to make money on the side that doesn't even involve adventuring. What with Mending, Unseen Servant, and Conjuration/Illusion spells, etc. downtime for Wizards can often be an opportunity to build a business or to manipulate luck in games of chance - as long as there is some modicum of cooperation from the DM and a city nearby, a determined Wizard should not want for gold unless they are spending far more than is necessary.