High Level Play & buying Inherent Stat Bonuses.

[Craiconn]

Let's say all of you are being asked to create brand new characters for a higher-level play campaign. 

At what level of pre-Epic play do you feel comfortable spending gold from your initial WBL allocation on buying Wishes for Inherent Bonus boosts to your stats?  14th level?  16th?  17th?

Again, this is for characters you are creating from whole cloth at the start of a new campaign.  Granted, buying Inherent bonuses has a different context for a single stat character like a Wizard (who wants to push hard on boosting INT) compared to a multi-stat-emphasised character like a Ranger. 

[awaken_D_M_golem]

loose ... a 6th level spell gets you Efreeti Wish loops.

vs.

tight ... even this +12 Metropolis doesn't have a high
enough level Wiz or Sorc to cast a Wish = too bad.
And nobody will let you do the above "loose" trick.


The safest tactic is basic C.O. -- do it yourself.

[Arz]

Also on cost, three wishes using Horn of Gorgon nets you a +7 inherent, or +6 with only two wishes. That's 575 well spent gold. If only it wasn't limited to Strength. For those prices I'd gladly grind down a few other magical beasts.

[Craiconn]

Thanks for the replies.

I should have qualified my initial post with a little more info.  Let's assume a competent and flexible optimization-friendly DM in a campaign where treasure is distributed and acquired fairly close to WBL.  Meaning, no crazy or endless loop Wish farming shenanigans, but good/reasonable access to Wishes and what-not.

My main curiosity is to see if under these fairly typical circumstances ... where would many of you feel comfortable generating a character with bought Wishes using WBL.

Thanks!

[Bauglir]

Generally, I'll reserve a 20% minimum of my WBL for straight-up ability score boosts after level 8. I don't know exactly when I run out of  enhancement bonuses given that, however, and I will often go higher depending on the character and the needs I have at a particular time. Vague recollection suggests around level 17 or so. Prior to that, there are better ways to spend my money.

[Craiconn]

Generally, I'll reserve a 20% minimum of my WBL for straight-up ability score boosts after level 8. I don't know exactly when I run out of  enhancement bonuses given that, however, and I will often go higher depending on the character and the needs I have at a particular time. Vague recollection suggests around level 17 or so. Prior to that, there are better ways to spend my money.

Damn. That's an ambitious savings account program you got there, Bauglir. :-)

I think most of us would succumb to spending temptations at that level range. On the flipside, your single stat characters must have insane DCs at earlier-than-expected levels.

[Bauglir]

Actually, I never force save DCs as a primary mode of attack. Every game I play in involves enemies a few CRs higher than the party, and typically NPCs are reasonably well-optimized and benefit from the same. This tends to mean that saving throws are a losing battle - attack bonuses are easier to boost. I'll admit, I have a bizarre metagame. Numerical bonuses and tactical options (short-range teleportation, tree tokens, etc) take priority as a result.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

"My main curiosity is to see if under these fairly typical circumstances ..."

Hey the local Metropolis has a Magic Mart that has 9s.
You go dicker with functional diplomacy, bluff, sense motive,
divinations, gather info on You, detect alignment, etc.
Town Wiz/Sorc says:  Your +1 is no skin off my back = sure.  I'll throw in some mead too.
What does the Town Wiz/Sorc have to fear from your party?


Those builds Tempest + his group, have posted
back at old wotc C.O. ; pretty much ALL of them
have this kind of stat bump to them.