D&D 5E Death and 0 Max HP

[Sword of Spirit]

Yeah, I get that you have to hand wave this away in order for it to function. However, I disagree with the bolded sentence. Value is what something is worth, not what you get it for. If you pay 10,000 for 3,000 worth of diamonds, you have overpaid by 7,000. Those diamonds don't change to be valued at 10,000. Similarly, if you are given 3,000 worth of diamonds for free, they are still worth 3,000. In my example the actual worth of the diamonds changed.

Unless I'm really missing something, there isn't any inherent correspondence of gold to diamonds. Diamonds (or anything else) are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them.

As much as I love Planescape, I personally can't see an original boxed set being worth thousands of dollars like I've seen them listed for on ebay. But it people are actually buying at that price (and they may not be), then that really is what it is worth.

I'm not an expert in economics by any means, so you may be referring to some principle I'm not familiar with, but from what I can see, there isn't such a thing as independent value beyond what someone is willing to pay.

 

[Oofta]

As far as diamond dust, I've always thought of it two ways. On is that it's just a simplification like most of the rules in D&D.

But there's another way to look at it. The physical amount of diamond dust doesn't matter. It could be an ounce or a pound, what matters is what had to be sacrificed to get it. The amount of dust is symbolic, it's the sacrifice of wealth measured in gold that counts. There always has to be a sacrifice when a someone back from the dead, even if they were only dead for a minute.

 

[Maxperson]

Unless I'm really missing something, there isn't any inherent correspondence of gold to diamonds. Diamonds (or anything else) are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them.

As much as I love Planescape, I personally can't see an original boxed set being worth thousands of dollars like I've seen them listed for on ebay. But it people are actually buying at that price (and they may not be), then that really is what it is worth.

I'm not an expert in economics by any means, so you may be referring to some principle I'm not familiar with, but from what I can see, there isn't such a thing as independent value beyond what someone is willing to pay.

You are missing something. That something is that D&D doesn't make an attempt to mirror real world economics, so when the game says something is worth 2000, it's worth 2000. You can over pay or underpay, but the value is the value. Even if the PCs aren't willing to pay that much, NPCs are so the value is constant. D&Dnomics at work.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

You are missing something. That something is that D&D doesn't make an attempt to mirror real world economics, so when the game says something is worth 2000, it's worth 2000. You can over pay or underpay, but the value is the value. Even if the PCs aren't willing to pay that much, NPCs are so the value is constant. D&Dnomics at work.

Ah, I see what you mean now. A multiversal constant. ;-)

 

[Maxperson]

Ah, I see what you mean now. A multiversal constant. ;-)

LOL Yeah, it kinda is.

You can buy a diamond for 1000 gold on Toril, head over to Sigil where it will appraise for 1000 gold, then take a door to Oerth where a merchant will appraise it for the same 1000 gold.

If value were in the eye of the beholder, then you could make a PC who values diamonds much higher than others, have him go into a gem shop and buy a bunch of diamond chips which the merchant values at 10 gold, let the DM know you value those chips at 500 gold, and cast raise dead with each chip. Somehow I think your DM(or you if you DM) won't allow that to happen.

 

[DND_Reborn]

UPDATE: She LIVES!!!

The rest of the party finally caught up with the NPC and the character who had died from the vampire bite. Two high priests, performing a ceremony in concert were able, via Greater Restoration and Raise Dead, to restore the character to life. The other characters arrived about a week later to find their fallen comrade well again and ready to continue with their new quest.

Thanks all for your views.