Starting Equipment and Wealth
Characters start with 15 gp. Bulk tracks encumbrance (encumbered at 5 + Str mod). Class kits provide optimized starting gear. Expected wealth scales dramatically with level.
New characters begin with 15 gold pieces (gp) to purchase their starting gear. This covers weapons, armor, adventuring supplies, and class-specific items.
Typical Starting Purchases (Martial):
- Weapon: 1-2 gp (longsword 1 gp, shortbow 3 gp)
- Armor: 1-6 gp (leather 2 gp, chain mail 6 gp, full plate not available at level 1 — it's level 2)
- Shield: 1-2 gp (wooden 1 gp, steel 2 gp)
- Adventuring gear: backpack, bedroll, rations, waterskin, torches, rope — about 2-3 gp total
Typical Starting Purchases (Caster):
- Weapon: Simple weapon 0.5-1 gp
- Armor: Light armor or none, 0-2 gp
- Component pouch or divine focus: free (included in class kit)
- Scrolls or additional supplies: 2-5 gp
Bulk System: PF2e tracks encumbrance using Bulk rather than exact weight. Most items are 1 Bulk, light items are L (10 L = 1 Bulk), and negligible items are —. You become encumbered when carrying Bulk exceeding 5 + Strength modifier, and cannot carry more than 10 + Strength modifier.
Class Kits: The Core Rulebook provides pre-built equipment kits for each class, spending approximately 10-14 gp and leaving pocket change. These kits are well-optimized starting points.
Wealth by Level: As characters advance, expected wealth grows significantly. Level 2 characters should have about 30 gp worth of gear; level 5 about 135 gp; level 10 about 6,500 gp. The GM distributes treasure (coins, items, runes) to match these expectations.