D&D 5E If you aren't buying magic items, where will you spend your gold?

[Grainger]

In my old campaign, I allowed players to change the money either for gems or higher-value coins (platinum pieces), but they had to pay a commission. I haven't decided what to do in my current campaign yet. Of course, the PCs could bury their savings somewhere, of course, or protect it with locks/magic/traps - all of which are nicely expensive things to spend money on.

 

[Piratecat]

I've figured out that finding a way to transport my gold is a real problem. I have around 900 gold. I tried to buy a magic bag, but there none about. Now I'm dragging a bag of 900 gold with me. They better come up with a good banking system in the world books if magic bags aren't readily available. 900 gold weighs as much as my gnome. I'm going to have to get converted into gems or something.

In the old, old days gold pieces were 10 to a lb, weren't they? What are they in 5e?

 

[Henrix]

In the old, old days gold pieces were 10 to a lb, weren't they? What are they in 5e?

10 to a pund? Those are immense coins.

A rough historic comparison of average common coin weights makes the 3e assumption of 50 coins to a pound very reasonable.

A British guinea was a quarter ounce, so 64 guineas to a pound.

So 900 gp would be some 18 pounds of gold.

(A little more than 300 000 USD in gold today.)

 

[BigVanVader]

This is why I'm interested in settings with paper money. It's why I love the wild west as a setting, actually.

 

[Henrix]

Banking, in many formal and informal ways, is very old. And has been around in most, if not all, civilised areas.

A lot of the oldest cuneiform writings deal with wealth and trade, and some are probably something like IOUs held between trustworthy people, i.e. early banking.


You give the money to someone trustworthy and get an IOU. You can then use that to withdraw a similar amount of money from a person in another town or country.
Perhaps you can even use that IOU to buy stuff from somebody else, provided they trust the person involved (and are able to trade in the IOU).
Primitive banking and bank notes, in other words.

Trustworthy people in a fantasy world could be goldsmiths (like in our world), or perhaps lawful temples. (Who'd not trust the Temple of St. Cuthbert?)

Guilds and powerful organisations often managed economics that way, sometimes just for their members.
The Wizards' Guild of Greyhawk can probably be trusted.
What if the Thieves' Guild has a banker of their own? One that can take care of illicit money and launder it under a respectful façade?


Or a 'bank' held by a guild for mercenaries and other adventurers? A place were even magical items can be brokered?

What if the PCs start banking? They'd have to work up some good trust in society first, nobody trust a murderhobo.

Stuff you can easily make interesting scenarios with.

 

[baradtgnome]

In the old, old days gold pieces were 10 to a lb, weren't they? What are they in 5e?

Yes, coins were crazy, unrealistically heavy in the good old days.

Players basic rules v2 page 43: "A standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce, so fifty coins weigh a pound."

This seems reasonable, though in my experience from visiting museums and such, there are examples of coins which are closer to 200 to the pound and not uniform in size among the denominations. Gold was more rare, silver more prevalent, and what is platinum? Of course, real life is not convenient for game accounting.

A character could wear jewel encrusted clothing to carry their wealth, but wearing it on the outside would have hazards and call attention to would be thieves. Hmmmm - does this create a market for jewel encrusted under garments for adventures?

 

[steeldragons]

This is why I'm interested in settings with paper money. It's why I love the wild west as a setting, actually.

Seems like a fairly flimsy reason.

Heh. See what I did there? HA! I slay me.

 

[aramis erak]

In the old, old days gold pieces were 10 to a lb, weren't they? What are they in 5e?

Yes, they used to be 1/10 pound...
5E is 50 to the pound.

This can be found in PBRv0.2 p. 43.

 

[Ahrimon]

This is a fair point, and one that is up to individual DMs to decide. My campaigns will always have at least some way to create magic items tho. I love Eberron too much for there not to be.

The starter adventure mentions a Spellforge where magic item creation happened. Perhaps there needs to be some Ley Lines intersections or font of power something for conditions to be right to make items. It can be difficult, but it shouldn't be impossible. And as pointed out in this thread, even things that are difficult to make and expensive to buy have a market.

Magic items can still be rare, even in Eberron. Love the setting by the way. I've always pictured Eberron's common magic as the more utilitarian type. Animated sweeping brooms, continual flame lamp-posts, self pushing carts, etc. It's easy to have lots of common utilitarian magic and say that the arts of creating magically hardening armor, powerful staves, light fast weapons, etc has been lost. Who's to say that even the utilitarian magic is permanent. What if your magic broom has to be replaced every 5 years because the enchantment fades? Maybe the lightning rail has to be recharged every year with a ritual. That even creates a bigger industry for common magic. Self heating griddle pan, 10g, good for 3 years guaranteed, etc.

This POV leaves the spirit of Eberron intact and still allows for rare powerful magic as well as heroes being something quite extraordinary.

 

[Bayonet]

Yes, coins were crazy, unrealistically heavy in the good old days.

Players basic rules v2 page 43: "A standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce, so fifty coins weigh a pound."

This seems reasonable, though in my experience from visiting museums and such, there are examples of coins which are closer to 200 to the pound and not uniform in size among the denominations. Gold was more rare, silver more prevalent, and what is platinum? Of course, real life is not convenient for game accounting.

A character could wear jewel encrusted clothing to carry their wealth, but wearing it on the outside would have hazards and call attention to would be thieves. Hmmmm - does this create a market for jewel encrusted under garments for adventures?

That's the reason lots of warrior cultures were known for wearing tons of heavy jewelry. In the absence of a decent banking system (or the absence of a reputation that allows one to take advantage of the banking system) one of the only options is to wear your wealth on you, to spend as you see fit. Need to pay for food or weapons? Just peel off one of your silver arm rings, and chop it into pieces until you have what it takes.