D&D 5E Creating a Wealth Score in 5e D&D

[BookTenTiger]

d20 Modern had an interesting rule for purchasing things. Rather than keeping track of how many dollars your character had, instead you had a "Wealth Score." If I recall correctly, depending on your score you could buy certain classes of items at no cost, while others you had to roll for, using your Wealth Score. If you rolled a certain amount, you got the item, but it lowered your Wealth Score.

For example, let's say my character wanted to buy a stapler. My Wealth Score would probably be high enough that my character could just buy one without worrying about it. But if my character wanted to buy a car, they would have to roll for it. Roll high enough, and I purchase the car, but my Wealth Score takes a hit (until I get paid for this next adventure, of course!), roll low and I fail to buy a car ("Your card is denied.").

What would this look like in 5e D&D?

I could see characters having a Wealth Score based on their Background (Noble = high Wealth Score, Urchin = low Wealth Score). Maybe something like a +1 to +5? And you would add in your Proficiency Bonus.

Your Wealth Score Bonus would allow you to purchase items of a certain value without spending any Gold Pieces. For example, a Wealth Score of 5, for example, may allow you to purchase items of, let's say, 2 Gold Pieces and below without spending Gold Pieces.

A character can raise their Wealth Score by investing money. Maybe each level of bonus would cost 1,000 x Bonus GP. So for example, to raise your Wealth Bonus from a 3 to a 4 would cost 4,000 GP. From a 19 to a 20 would cost 20,000 GP.

As Wealth Bonuses increase, it could unlock certain features of the game for characters. For example, you might need a certain Wealth Bonus in order to purchase or upgrade a keep, raise an army, or buy magic items. Certain areas of cities or kingdoms might be closed off to characters with low Wealth Bonuses (but open up for a high Deception check!). Fun powers could include the ability to always have a fresh horse ready at every city, be always dressed in Fine Clothes, earn a Reputation, and so on.

Well, these are just some thoughts. How would you do a Wealth Score in 5e? What would it be used for?

 

[turnip_farmer]

I don't think I would, to be honest.

Wealth scores seem suited to a modern game with banks and credit and all that, but it seems out of place in a medieval fantasy style game. Just give them gold and silver pieces.

Now, if I did want some sort of abstract mechanic to do the same thing, I might think in terms of some sort of social credit score. If you're in some kind of pseudo medieval setting, you could reason that most of the peasants round about don't deal in money much. It's all barter, and people doing favours for friends.

So characters could have a score representing their connections and how well liked they are. They could use this to get items, perhaps the use of animals, labour done on their behalf. Their score would decrease every time they used it (people have limited patience for giving out unreciprocated favours), but could go up as they saved people from bandits and monsters or whatever.

You could make most things hard to buy with money, so that players need to use their score for basic living expenses (peasants putting them up for free). But if their score gets high enough sure to great deeds of heroism, you could have that increase the radius in which the score works, as they become famous heroes that people are happy to do favours for.

Note that this is an idea I just had now, not something I've carefully thought through our actually tried.

 

[MGibster]

Wealth scores seem suited to a modern game with banks and credit and all that, but it seems out of place in a medieval fantasy style game. Just give them gold and silver pieces.

Now, if I did want some sort of abstract mechanic to do the same thing, I might think in terms of some sort of social credit score. If you're in some kind of pseudo medieval setting, you could reason that most of the peasants round about don't deal in money much. It's all barter, and people doing favours for friends.

You say potato but I say potato. From a practical perspective I see very little difference between a wealth score and your social credit score idea. As both a player and a GM, I have a distinct dislike for keeping tabs on gold and silver pieces because it doesn't add anything but tedium to the game. It's just not fun.

 

[MarkB]

In Blades in the Dark characters can only keep a small amount available as personal cash money. The rest goes into their "stash" - a nebulous resource that could be bank accounts, investments, purchased favours, etc.

The amount of Stash you have defines your lifestyle outside of the missions your team is undertaking - anything from squalid to wealthy. It doesn't really affect what you can buy for a mission, but it can affect your social standing when interacting with others.

You can convert funds out of your stash if you need ready funds, but it's at a 1 to 2 ratio - each coin you recover costs you two coins from your stash.

 

[R_J_K75]

As a DM or a player I cant remember the last time I kept track of coins/gems in a game. Even last game I played a PC in my DM said that'll be "x" gp, I said yeah OK sure whatever and didnt even bother to check if I had any money on my character sheet. I agree with @BookTenTiger that a compromise between bean counting and buying anything the player wants at any level would be nice but Im too lazy to actually figure it out. Although when reading the thread title D20 Modern immediately came to mind. Only time I even give this a second thought is if its an extreme case.

 

[turnip_farmer]

As a DM or a player I cant remember the last time I kept track of coins/gems in a game. Even last game I played a PC in my DM said that'll be "x" gp, I said yeah OK sure whatever and didnt even bother to check if I had any money on my character sheet.

I'm the same with hit points. The DM said "He hits you for x points of damage" and I just said 'yeah, whatever' and didn't bother to check how many I have left on my sheet.

 

[Maxperson]

You can convert funds out of your stash if you need ready funds, but it's at a 1 to 2 ratio - each coin you recover costs you two coins from your stash.

That would drive me crazy. Put $100 in the bank, but can only get $50 back out again. Heck, with that kind of money making scheme available I'd just get together with the other players and start a bank.

 

[R_J_K75]

I'm the same with hit points. The DM said "He hits you for x points of damage" and I just said 'yeah, whatever' and didn't bother to check how many I have left on my sheet.

Tracking hit points for your PC in combat and worrying about 3 sp for a round of ales and mutton stew is not quite the same thing.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Tracking hit points for your PC in combat and worrying about 3 sp for a round of ales and mutton stew is not quite the same thing.

I believe that was a humorous comment.

 

[R_J_K75]

I believe that was a humorous comment.

It is the internet so without the laughing emoji one never knows.