D&D (2024) Gold & Other Treasure (Can we get off the treadmill?)

[MGibster]

It's been oft lamented that treasure becomes essentially meaningless very quickly in 5th edition D&D. At least it's oft lamented by me. I ran my first 5th edition campaign in 2014 or 2015, and just accumulating treasure off of monsters and foes, even at lower levels, kept the party hip deep in more gold than they really knew what to do with. There were no magic shops, they weren't spending gold to advance in level, they were itinerant adventurers so real estate wasn't an option, and we were really more focused on old school style adventuring. Even when I ran Acquisitions Inc., a few years later, gold was essentially meaningless as it was trivially easy to make enough of it to keep the business afloat and to make improvements.

How important is treasure in a campaign really? Don't get me wrong, I might have characters who are highly motivated by treasure, but as a player, I don't really care about treasure. It doesn't matter to me if I find five gems with 50 gp each or a statuette made out of electrum. In Honor Among Thieves, the obsession with the acquisition of wealth wasn't the motivation for our heroes (I'm not going to spoil the plot for anyone who hasn't seen it yet), and it's not necessarily the motivation of many protagonist from various fantasy movies and novels.

Is the revision of 5th edition (I threw up a little calling it a revision) going to feature less treasure or provide DMs and players with more options on how to use treasure?

 

[RuinousPowers]

If I'm not including stronghold building or paying for training, then I don't use standard D&D treasure tables. I use modified 1e Warhammer tables instead.

 

[aco175]

I have cut the listed treasure to about 1/3 in the Against the Giants adventure and I think that is still too much. But, the players like to get gold, but there is not much to spend it on. At this level the PC simply throw it around like at the bar and buy drinks or just give the bandits the 25gold to let them pass. The players just cross off 20-30 gold each time they walk into town. Gets a bit Conan-like.

I thought the new edition was including some sort of stronghold rules. Too much to hope for item creation rules.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I am half tempted to get Blue Rose 5E just for the abstracted wealth system. Because, yeah, after a certain point, it's just accounting for its own sake.

 

[Lanefan]

Treasure is the most important thing in the game.

It's a big failing of 5e design that it gives no good places or reasons to spend it.

 

[Horwath]

just have magic items for sale and it's all good.

 

[Horwath]

just give the bandits the 25gold to let them pass.

We give bandits steel not gold!

 

[Lanefan]

just have magic items for sale and it's all good.

To a point, very much yes; and let the PCs sell their surplus items as well.

Beyond that point, no. The 3e system, where everything was available for a price and the pricing was...well, let's just say a bit wacko, went too far.

Training costs and strongholds are also very good money sinks.

 

[Horwath]

To a point, very much yes; and let the PCs sell their surplus items as well.

Beyond that point, no. The 3e system, where everything was available for a price and the pricing was...well, let's just say a bit wacko, went too far.

Training costs and strongholds are also very good money sinks.

you can always set a limit on common, uncommon items are readily available, rare you must go to metropolis or black market.
Vary rare, you need to be cleared for that, highly controlled items.
Legendary are one of a kind or only a few in the world.

 

[Shiroiken]

Unlike prior editions, you can actually run a full campaign without non-magical treasure. However, there's always ways to spend gold. The two most common are Potions of Healing and expensive spell components. Potions of Healing can allow you to full heal after a combat without spending precious spell slots or taking an hour for a Short Rest. Some of the best spells have expensive spell components, many of which are consumed on use. Diamonds for Revivify/Raise Dead and Greater Restoration are by far the most sought after, but Identify requires a pearl, Augury requires expensive rune stones (or other divination tool), and many more.