D&D 5E Who else uses silver as the currency denominator rather than gold?

[Coroc]

In all my vanilla campaigns I tend to use silver as the coin base, and I use historical accurate conversion ratios.

1 Gold = 20 Silver = 240 Copper

Since gold is rare and copper coins to minor, I do not have to use the conversion often anyway.

The easiest way to use this is just say Silver instead of gold for the PHB tables. But mostly I do my own equipment lists anyway and decide the value of things so the relation does reflect e.g. work needed to put in the manufacturing of items or availability of items (handmade <-> quasi industrial manufacturing of items), and also the relation between the value of items has to be fitting e.g. if a dagger costs 10 silver, a long sword might be 75 silver or so.

Most humanoid mobs and some others drop some silver coins, determined mostly random.

Do you do something similar for a better make believe?

 

[Caliban]

Do you do something similar for a better make believe?

Nope.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I used the 'silver standard' back in the day. Simply substituted sp for gp as the standard prices. Somewhat backed away from the 'gold rush economy' assumed by AD&D. I didn't use historical conversion, though, and had all manner of 'fantasy currency,' as well as uniform-weight coins of different metals.

 

[neogod22]

You could do that. They wanted to simplify the currency that's why they use gold prices even though silver is probably used by most ppl.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

 

[Warmaster Horus]

It's D&D so no, I keep the gp standard alive and well.

 

[WarpedAcorn]

I've thought about it, but stick to GP. Throughout the years GP is just ingrained in our minds as the base value, and it shows with some newer players when they ask about conversions from SP to GP or PP to GP. The wording is such that everything is translated to GP.

As a player, I can tell you if I have a choice between: a Chest full of 5000cp, a Strongbox full of 500sp, a Pouch full of 50gp, or 5 PP casually laying on a tabletop...I'm grabbing the Pouch, pocketing the PP, maybe putting the Strongbox in my backpack, and I'm leaving the Chest where it is. This actually happened in a game not long ago where there was a chest overflowing with CP, and I had NO desire to lug it around. I'll just grab a 100gp Ceremonial Longsword and be on my way.

But now I'm way off track of the actual thread...so yeah, I stick with GP and usually convert CP to mostly SP and GP when rolling random loot.

 

[neogod22]

If you are running a full campaign, and going to be dealing a lot in cities and towns, there's nothing wrong with converting. A good DM would be aware and will deal with trade prices accordingly. Commoners and below are probably dealing in copper and silver, while merchants and nobles will deal in gold, with bars (silver and gold) used in large transactions.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

 

[Seramus]

IRON coins or death!

 

[TheCosmicKid]

I don't see a need to do any conversion to assume that silver is the standard currency for ordinary people. Adventurers aren't ordinary people. The sacks of gold they're hauling out of ancient dungeons do not represent a typical laborer's wages.

 

[snickersnax]

Silver standard all the way.

1) Makes holy water (only uses 25sp worth of silver dust instead of 250 sp worth) more believable.

1b) Makes silver swords more believable (something <100sp worth of silver rather than 1000sp)

2) Don't have to ignore encumbrance rules when someone is carrying around a lot of wealth.

3) If I need to come up with the cost of something not listed in the books I think of 1 sp=$10 and adjust for technology and low labor costs if necessary.

4) Makes copper worth something.

5) Makes platinum really special.

6) Avoids gem currency.