Currency in a POL setting

[rkanodia]

Complete unrelated to my previous post...

Am I the only one who wants money to work more like it does in WoW? I prefer a game where, at low levels, PCs deal almost exclusively in copper. At mid levels they'd get their hands on silver as a matter of course. At high levels gold will be the preferred currency. I prefer a world where 1cp will buy you a days food and lodging, and keeping track of such amounts at level 1 might very well be important. But at mid level the PCs are more concerned with the food and lodging of their castles' inhabitants. And at the higher levels food and lodging are nearly an afterthought.

My preference is for 100cp = 1 sp, 100sp = 1gp, and 100gp = 1pg. A "pg" is a precious gem, which is a totally generic concept I like to use to rationalize a standard size and value of money that is greater than a GP. A "mithril piece" might also fit.

It doesn't really matter to me, but I would think something like a 'gemmed coin' could work. Imagine a coin made of some metal, with sockets for a certain number of small, standard-sized gems. It would be produced at a royal mint, just like any other coin, except that it is studded with a prescribed set of precious jewels. A 'gc' would sort of be the 'thousand dollar bill' of the D&D world.

 

[JDJblatherings]

It doesn't really matter to me, but I would think something like a 'gemmed coin' could work. Imagine a coin made of some metal, with sockets for a certain number of small, standard-sized gems. It would be produced at a royal mint, just like any other coin, except that it is studded with a prescribed set of precious jewels. A 'gc' would sort of be the 'thousand dollar bill' of the D&D world.

Such coins are in the world Elric runs about in, they are very rare however.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

At the high end jump from specie to something with metaphysical value, souls bound in gems. They can be traded to extraplanar traders or used to make magic items, or be given to demons in return for service....Souls they're what's for dinner

 

[Intrope]

A way to make it somewhat reasonable is make Gold a mystical material ala Mithral and Adamant. The properties just have to be hammered out.

Thin coatings can block scrying and Detect spells. Like lead, but healthier.

Relatively easy ritual Magic can transmute gold into other items. Like turning a pound of gold irrecoverably into a steel 2 handed sword. Harder magic could transmute 47 pounds of gold into a +1 steel two handed sword.

And by introducing such a situation, a stable economy can be formed based on an absolute vaule. Gold coins have to be pure since thier value is because what they can become.

Interesting ideas! I was going to suggest that it might be relatively easy via cantrip-level magic to validate coinage--but this is a superior solution IMO.

It's even consitent with some of the fantastic ideas about gold the alchemists came up with, too.

Perhaps one of the mystic properties of gold is that it's always pure: any 'debasement' just oozes out? That would get rid of the debased coinage issue--and now you can *always* measure gold in coins by weight; 10 pieces's worth is 10 pieces's worth, whether it is a nugget, bar, coin, bracelet, or what-have-you.

 

[frankthedm]

At the high end jump from specie to something with metaphysical value, souls bound in gems. They can be traded to extraplanar traders or used to make magic items, or be given to demons in return for service....Souls they're what's for dinner

Our host ran a game where the lower planes had Onyx coins with lesser damned souls bound to them. Never figured out the exchange rate sadly.

 

[Gundark]

The idea of "the gold piece" is abstract. If your game is in the Forgotten Realms your PC may actually find "thirty-three Double Eagles (currency of Baldur's Gate)" which is worth exactly eight s.p. (not ten). Do the math and those 33 coins are worth 26.4 Cormyrian Lions (the "standard" g.p. of the Dalelands and Western Heartlands) simply as a result in difference by weight. Most DM's just don't bother with this level of detail though.

The Iron Kingdoms World Guide went in to this level of detail. Getting paid in Ordic Royals isn't as good as getting paid in Cygnarian Crowns (both are gold pieces of their respected countries)

Very interesting from a fluff standpoint. Very annoying from a game perspective.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I think I would actually enjoy not having a universal currency, and using trade goods between locations and local marks of credit within them. (One currency system

It's completely doable with 3e....but it generally isn't worth exerting a lot of effort over. I did it, and will do it again, but only for flavor.

Let's say your PCs travel to another continent that's never heard of your country, so your coin is not accepted by the general merchants. The PCs can still find a money changer will be glad to convert (for a fee) based on the precious metal content. A nice little RP experience, suitable for indicating how alien the setting is from the PCs native one.

But the point is that once the PCs do that conversion, they stop caring about it and without being a real pain by only speaking in local currency values, you can't make them care. If you do try to force it, you'll irritate players.

So I have elven florins and dwarven solidas, but I use them for flavor and no longer worry about making detailed coinage tables.