D&D 5E What's the point of gold?

[CapnZapp]

I think the biggest problem with a "magic item economy" is that eventually, you get... Eberron.

In practice this is not a concern at all. Just because my fantasy world "should" "logically" become an Eberron in the far future doesn't mean it will.

Anyhow, there's no need to worry about that now. Or ever.

 

[Remathilis]

Sorry what?

Let's not make this more difficult that it already is.

We're talking about the magic items in the DMG. No changes.

Then you're going to end up with the "Big Six" problem again.

There are items in 5e (like in 3e) that are obviously better than others, even if you set the prices far more narrowly (like 3e/4e did). As long as you have items that directly impact "the numbers" (AC, HP, Attack, Damage), they will always be far more valuable than items of limited or situation value (like Potions of Longevity or a Wand of Secret Door Detection).

If you were interested in comparing the cost of say, a cloak of protection to a cloak of elvenkind, my gut reaction is to price the cloak of protection way above the cloak of elvenkind (say, 5,000 gp for the CoE, but 50,000 for the CoP). There is no way I'd price an item like Gauntlets of Ogre Power for less than a million GP.

In practice this is not a concern at all. Just because my fantasy world "should" "logically" become an Eberron in the far future doesn't mean it will.

Anyhow, there's no need to worry about that now. Or ever.

Sure, and there's no logical reason why magic items can't be bought and sold. A world where magic is a commodity eventually ends up facing the Eberron question: if magic items are just gold + time, why wouldn't you make them to better peoples lives? Once you answer that, you get a line of logic that leads to magical lightbulbs, trains, telegraphs, artillery fire, and first aid kits. You can deny it, but that's no more nonsensical than saying nobody would ever sell you their +1 sword either.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think CapnZapp's point is that campaigns take place within a very narrow slice of time within a game world, and what that world may evolve into over the next 1000+ years is of virtually no importance to the state of the game being played at the table.

 

[Eric V]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think CapnZapp's point is that campaigns take place within a very narrow slice of time within a game world, and what that world may evolve into over the next 1000+ years is of virtually no importance to the state of the game being played at the table.

That's my understanding...and I believe he is correct.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I would say it comes from the past 20-25 years of D&D and computer roleplaying games. If you were born in 1985 or later I imagine the concept of magic item shops is the default in fantasy games. Myself being born in 1975 can easily imagine worlds where either assumption is the default.

As far as CRPGs go, the AD&D gold box games had no real use for gold: you could buy one or two magic items from shops but nothing special. Everything good had to be found. I still compulsively collected coins anyway, because why not?

As far as TTRPGs went, the only magic shops I knew of were in Spelljammer, run by the Arcane, and sold only spelljamming helms. The source of supply was a subject of intense speculation, and the motives of the Arcane for selling, even moreso.

So I am very comfortable with 5E's magic item paradigm.

 

[Gecko85]

As far as CRPGs go, the AD&D gold box games had no real use for gold: you could buy one or two magic items from shops but nothing special. Everything good had to be found. I still compulsively collected coins anyway, because why not?

Both Baldur's Gate and BG2 had tons of good items for sale...

 

[Jester David]

And what exactly is the problem with a comerade in arms whos survival depends on his combat power and on that of his companions expresses concerns over him rather spending a (I assume) large part of his ressources on a house which he/they might not even need, use or being even be allowed to keep?

At the risk of going down a slippery slope, when you allow one player to second guess or undermine another's decisions it sets a bad precedent.
The same argument could be made about options when levelling up ("Why did you take Actor instead of Polearm Master?") or even decisions in combat ("You should have moved into the flank and focused fire.").
It's not something that should be encouraged.

 

[Jester David]

Just because something is for sale doesn't mean it is easily acquired where you are. It doesn't mean you know where it is sold. It doesn't mean that the price is one you're willing to pay. It doesn't mean that the seller will sell to you.

I can tell you now, I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the top 10 urban population centers in the USA.

...and buying pickled turnips for my Mom- I like 'em too- requires I go to a certain kind of store. Buying my mother's preferred brand of pickled turnip requires I drive a half hour and cross county lines...without leaving "The city".

Going up the price scale a bit, I love guitars. I own more than 20. I have more than 300 luthiers and guitar manufacturers bookmarked on my iPad. To buy or even SEE most of them, I have to use the Internet because 99% of them are not available here, even most of the ones that are made and sold by multimillion-dollar international corporations.

True, but that's a far cry from the magic item stores of 3e and Pathfinder where anything under a certain price is assumed to be available for a set price. And even spellcasting is assumed to be for sale and listed in the same section of the PHB beside travel costs, mundane equipment, and inn rental.

There's certainly a middle ground for purchasing (and selling) magic items between "magic item shops are common and sandwiched between the jeweler and book binder" and "magic item shops do not exist".

I'm personally fond of the curio shop that is fun of odds and ends with the occasional magical trinket. And the magical magic item shop that appears randomly, occupying an alley for a time before vanishing. Or the extraplanar bazaar like the City of Brass.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Both Baldur's Gate and BG2 had tons of good items for sale...

Yeah, but that was a decade or more after the gold box games. (And in fact, I've never played BG or BG2.)

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

At the risk of going down a slippery slope, when you allow one player to second guess or undermine another's decisions it sets a bad precedent.
The same argument could be made about options when levelling up ("Why did you take Actor instead of Polearm Master?") or even decisions in combat ("You should have moved into the flank and focused fire.").
It's not something that should be encouraged.

I agree, but working with tactically-inept comrades does strain suspension of disbelief. I'll do it for the sake of the game, but if it were real I would leave some parties real quick and be better off on my own. (That's less about basic items though than combat smarts.)