D&D 5E D&D Lied To Me. Gp vs Sp

[James Gasik]

Except that Diamonds are Dirt Common in the Universe. They're just pretty.

Not in D&D at least. Though I suppose some extra-dimensional cartel could have artificially inflated their value like De Beers did in our reality.

EDIT: Ninja'd obviously, but I replied to Fitz's reply.

 

[Maxperson]

As far as actual buying power, I've been running games with 1 gp = 100 USD so my players here get a decent grip on it.

A modest lifestyle at 1 gp per day would be 100 USD per day or about 35000 per year, which while well below the national average, is close to fit the bill (no pun intended).

A comfortable lifestyle at 2 gp per day would be twice that, or about 70000 per year, well above the national average and certainly "comfortable".

At 100 USD per gold piece, silver is worth 10 USD and copper 1 USD. You want to buy a meal of modest quality? 5 cp or so. You want a "high-end, top of the line" suit of armor (plate), at 1500 gp would equal about 150000 USD by comparison, enough for a very nice sports car, truck, or SUV. I'm not talking an exotic sports car, which would easily be double that or more, of course.

Room at an inn? 5 sp for modest would be 50 USD, seems about right for most road-side inns, etc.

More or less, it works well enough IME.

I like the 1e conversions. 20sp($1) = 1gp($20). 5gp = 1pp($100). If you like electrum, those would be $10 bills since 2 = 1gp.

 

[pukunui]

I always saw 1gp as ~$10 US.
1sp as a buck
1cp as a dime.

Sure. As I said, I see it more in terms of the visuals and the breakdown of the units. A copper piece looks like a penny and it is worth 1/100th of a gold coin, just like a penny is worth 1/100th of a dollar.

A silver piece looks like a dime in color and it is also worth 1/10th of a gold piece, just like a dime is worth 1/10th of a dollar.

An electrum piece doesn't really resemble a 50c coin, but they're both rarer than the others.

It's by no means a perfect analogy, as it only really works for those familiar with American money, and even then, the D&D system doesn't have nickels or quarters.

Here in NZ, we've got an actual $1 gold coin, but then we've also got a $2 gold coin. The smallest coin we've got now is a 10c piece, and it resembles a penny in size and color. However, NZ doesn't use quarters. Instead, there are 20c coins, and the 50c coins are more common than in the US. NZ used to have a 5c "nickel" but it got dropped not long after I moved here. All that being said, since NZ has almost completely transitioned to a cashless society post-COVID, I wouldn't be surprised if more coins get dropped.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

In D&D, silver is a lot more expensive than on Earth, because there is a constant demand for powdered silver to create holy water. This consumes the silver, taking it off the market permanently.

It's basic economics, really.

I'd always assumed such "consumed" materials were replenished by supernatural means. I mean, it's already a universe where spontaneous generation is not only real, it is good hard science. So, if living organisms can just pop out of nothing, why not minerals too?

Perhaps that same process is what produces living dungeons.

For my Jewel of the Desert game, we don't bother with denominations smaller than "dinars," which I treat as equivalent to GP. A week's manual labor earns a salary of 10 dinars, which is plenty to live a modest life on (rent a cheap apartment, buy food and clothing for a small family, and have a little to spend on something nice now and then). Given the party regularly gets paid in 50+ dinars for their services, anything smaller would be irrelevant to them. 100 dinars is a good floor price for basic magic items; potions often cost less but, naturally, are consumable. Rare magical ingredients or powerful stuff imported from Jinnistan tend to be in the 50-200 dinar range.

The most expensive thing the party has ever handled was the Desert Rose Ruby, which was valued at over 10,000 dinars for insurance purposes (which, I'm fairly sure, is more than the party has ever collectively earned). They helped officiate its sale from its former owners (who had been on very hard times) to one of the richest men in the city; he paid a pretty penny for it, which knocked him down a peg in the rankings of the richest people in the city, falling from "second place possibly tied for first" to something like 4th or 5th, but he's been working to recoup that.

So, more or less, anyone rolling in the 100s of dinars a year for income would be comparable to a low-six-figures; anyone dealing with multiple thousands of dinars a year is a millionaire; and the sultana, whose net worth of property and treasury and art and such is probably in the low 100k dinar range and might be an effective billionaire if she were a private citizen.

 

[Zardnaar]

Sure. As I said, I see it more in terms of the visuals and the breakdown of the units. A copper piece looks like a penny and it is worth 1/100th of a gold coin, just like a penny is worth 1/100th of a dollar.

A silver piece looks like a dime in color and it is also worth 1/10th of a gold piece, just like a dime is worth 1/10th of a dollar.

An electrum piece doesn't really resemble a 50c coin, but they're both rarer than the others.

It's by no means a perfect analogy, as it only really works for those familiar with American money, and even then, the D&D system doesn't have nickels or quarters.

Here in NZ, we've got an actual $1 gold coin, but then we've also got a $2 gold coin. The smallest coin we've got now is a 10c piece, and it resembles a penny in size and color. However, NZ doesn't use quarters. Instead, there are 20c coins, and the 50c coins are more common than in the US. NZ used to have a 5c "nickel" but it got dropped not long after I moved here. All that being said, since NZ has almost completely transitioned to a cashless society post-COVID, I wouldn't be surprised if more coins get dropped.

You're a newbie here. We used to have 1,2 and 5 cent coins.

And $1&$2 notes.

 

[Maxperson]

Here in NZ, we've got an actual $1 gold coin, but then we've also got a $2 gold coin.

Good Lord! At the current prices of gold, can you even see those coins with the naked eye?!

 

[ezo]

I like the 1e conversions. 20sp($1) = 1gp($20). 5gp = 1pp($100). If you like electrum, those would be $10 bills since 2 = 1gp.

Whatever works.

Mine is more about the buying power than the simple conversion. If my players want their PCs to have a very nice dinner, then it will run 1 to 2 gp, or more, equating to 100-200 USD or more. Buying other things, for when prices aren't given, are easily determined and everyone understands the standard.

1 cp = 1 USD
1 sp = 10 USD
1 ep = 50 USD (which we don't use in the game)
1 gp = 100 USD
1 pp = 1000 USD

So, "modest meals" for a day is 3 sp or 30 USD for "3 meals". You won't get great stuff for that, but certainly "modest". 10 USD for a couple slices of pizza and a soda (1 sp), etc.

 

[cbwjm]

I've been tempted to use old British coinage terms and throw them in my games.
A pound used to be a gold coin, was based on 1 pound of silver. 20 shillings to the pound, 12 pennys to a shilling. Then throw in guineas (also gold coins but 1 shilling more than a pound), farthings, thruppence, florins, and crowns.

I don't think I'd change the costs of items, just the base number of coins to reach the next, 12 coppers to 1 silver, 20 silver to 1 gold.

You can read more here if interested: Understanding old British money - pounds, shillings and pence

 

[Zardnaar]

Good Lord! At the current prices of gold, can you even see those coins with the naked eye?!

They're not real gold but look vaguely like it if you squint.

Pop culture they're referred to as gold. Eg gold coin donation means $1 or $2.

 

[Maxperson]

Whatever works.

Mine is more about the buying power than the simple conversion. If my players want their PCs to have a very nice dinner, then it will run 1 to 2 gp, or more, equating to 100-200 USD or more. Buying other things, for when prices aren't given, are easily determined and everyone understands the standard.

1 cp = 1 USD
1 sp = 10 USD
1 ep = 50 USD (which we don't use in the game)
1 gp = 100 USD
1 pp = 1000 USD

So, "modest meals" for a day is 3 sp or 30 USD for "3 meals". You won't get great stuff for that, but certainly "modest". 10 USD for a couple slices of pizza and a soda (1 sp), etc.

Yeah. There's no wrong way to do it for sure. My thinking is that weapons and armor become very expensive at those rates. Full plate is $150,000! $30,000 seems like a better price for full plate. $1,000 for a greatsword, rather than $5,000.

It really depends on where you want the buying power to be.