D&D 5E Do We Really Need a Lot of Gold? (D&D 5th Edition)

[Seramus]

They don't pop down to Ye Olde Magique Shoppe every day of the week to drop a few gold on Wand Charges or polish for their Adamantine Armor.

Adamantine Polish just sounds neat. If it was a common magic item, what would it do?

 

[jmartkdr2]

My problem with magic shops is simply that, for the world to make any sense, there have to be a lot more adventurers in it than you might expect or want. Otherwise, who is buying all this magic stuff? They're ridiculously expensive compared to nearly everything else in the world, so are out of reach of almost anyone. And a business can't survive if only 4-5 people ever have enough money to shop there.

Presumably, nobles are also in the market for magic items. So it's not just adventurers.

But even still, that's not gonna support a storefront in the majority of settlements. Maybe the largest cities, but only there.

 

[Steampunkette]

Adamantine Polish just sounds neat. If it was a common magic item, what would it do?

4 gold per jar, each jar has 3 uses.

For 1 use you can polish your armor to a mirror shine, making it useable for any situation that requires a mirror. (Ritual Magic, Fighting a Medusa, Etc)
For 2 uses you can polish your armor so finely that you gain advantage on social skills against nobility between the rank of Knight and Prince.
For 3 uses you both polish and apply a dark coating of polish on your armor, hiding it's shine. While you remain still and do not leave your square you no longer gain disadvantage on stealth checks.

Each use lasts 1 hour or until you engage a target in melee combat.

 

[darjr]

Adventurer’s League had a thing for a while where you could purchase tittles and properties and unique items and pets. They were only for RP and bragging rights but folks spent LOTS of gold in them and their upkeep.

say, if you don’t want yours I’ll happily relieve you of that burden.

 

[Reynard]

Presumably, nobles are also in the market for magic items. So it's not just adventurers.

But even still, that's not gonna support a storefront in the majority of settlements. Maybe the largest cities, but only there.

And relatedly, MOST magic items should have nothing to do with adventuring. Nobles would be purchasing things that are either impressive indulgences to show off to their friends and rivals (animated statues that cost orders of magnitude more than a "mere" living butler) or exotic but useful things (the tankard that automatically chills the beer poured within).

It's too easy to assume the stuff listed in the PHB and DMG are the sum total of magic in the world, when those are just the things that are relevant to adventuring types.

 

[MGibster]

Money is power. Cliche, but accurate. If you're not finding a use for money in your games, you (and/or your DM) are probably not doing everything you can in the role playing side of the game.

I've always considered adventuring to be the core game play experience of D&D. I can see how gold might be used to support that core game play experience, but as it currently stands I don't believe the rules are very supportive of this.

 

[Sithlord]

Start buying ships. Never played an adventure where they didn’t sink regularly.

 

[Reynard]

Start buying ships. Never played an adventure where they didn’t sink regularly.

Start buying ships, but never get on them. Fill them with lumber and send them off to bring back spices (or whatever). Don't settle for being rich when you can become wealthy.

It makes me think of the difference between some millionaire athlete or entertainer in the company of billionaire investors or industrialists. They just aren't on the same order, even if the football player could beat up the hedge fund manager. Just because the PCs have power and cash on hand, the kings and the guild masters and the merchant princes are still going to eclipse their wealth and influence.

 

[hopeless]

Strongholds & Followers is a 3PP from Matt Coleville, and it's probably just what you're looking for.

Did just that, VERY curious about it more inclined to go for the druid's grove than the Cleric's version for my Knowledge domain Cleric of Sehanine Moonbow though.

 

[Retreater]

The WotC mega-adventures give few reasons to play other than story. The treasure is minimal (whether gold or items). They largely recommend milestone instead of XP.