We're way too rich

[dorain]

In a game this weeked our party ended up insanely wealthy. we were sent on a run of the mill sunken treasure recovery mission, and contacted the aquatic beings which lived near the ruins. Noticing the wealth of pearls in their city, I offered to trade metals (rare for them) in exchange for pearls (rare for us). A good diplomacy check here a bluff check there and we walked away with wealth appropriate for a party 10 levels higher than our own. (Note: our alignments run a little south of good so this was totally in character.) Now i'm having regrets. It makes sense as far as realism is concerned (it happened in america, we didn't have any diseased blankets so we dodged that bullet) but now game balance is toast.
What's an appropriate CR for a 5th level party with 15-17th level wealth?
Is there any saving this game?
Isn't our DM supposed to be posting this?

 

[EricNoah]

I have a title for you:

Stronghold Builder's Handbook

A way to spend loads of cash, have fun, and give yourself *more* stuff to worry about!

 

[SableWyvern]

What would your party do if you heard about a bunch of 5th level stooges with far too much money for their own good, while you were all 16th level?

There are many in-game ways, appart from the answer to that question, for your DM to fix his game balance without resorting to obviously contrived means.

Besides which, it's entirely possible to run a campaign with stupidly rich, low-level characters, who stay rich; although your DM will probably have to rethink anything he had planned.
What you intend to do with this money will have a big impact on how the DM can/should deal with the situation.

 

[Crothian]

You have pearls, what does that really do for you? Foirst off can you saftly carry them all? Being low-mid level if you start spending them you face the very real possibility of getting robbed.

So, you need to sell them. But few places could buy anymore then a few thousand gp at a time. Pearls are valuible because they are rare. So, if you try to sell them all, you'll flood the market and not get a good price.

 

[bondetamp]

Invest in art. Fund a theatre to sing your praise.

 

[bondetamp]

Come to think of it, iit could be a fun idea to impose a meta game rule that said that only 5% of all colected wealth could be used in a way that directly aided adventuring, and then give obscene amounts of wealth for the players to figure out how to spend in a memorable fashion.

 

[Black Omega]

Is there any saving the game? Sure! An important point if I read your comments right is that you have the wealth of a 15th level group in pearls. Not in magic items. If it's a more organized economy, you'll have to turn the pearls into coin 'o the realm, but even if you are bartering, there will be a limit on how much you can trade in any given place. And once word gets around that a less than powerful group has so much wealth, higher level NPC's will start circling like sharks. You should have to be very carefulto hang onto your pearls, gold and the magic items you can get. Even with magic items, a 10th level group with typical magic items should be able to take you. And as long as the PC's are left alive (or can be revived bythe one survivor) that sets up a fine revenge adventure for later.

 

[SableWyvern]

Any group whose DM is instituting Bondetamp's suggestion is advised to contact any of my old players and ask them about the Grand Opening of the Inn of the Bleeding Dragon. Those guys knew how to spend too much money.

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Invest all the gold into a casino, gain more profits over time so by the time you're that level 15th character, you'll have well over triple your gold

 

[Hejdun]

I would suggest funding institutions that won't directly aid you in adventuring. I.E. Start up a bar or art gallery, or a theatre. You could alternatively buy a keep (70,000 gp or so) and use your money to maintain that, as well as hire guards. You could donate it all to a temple, or temples. You would basically be heroes to whatever temple you gave it to. You could basically just start your own village, start building buildings and advertise . Basically, if you don't want it to break the game, use the money in creative ways that won't make you over powered while adventuring.