D&D 5E (2024) Ditching the Treasure Treadmill

[MGibster]

After every encounter, for every piece of equipment rolled, roll the equipment's quality die. If it's a 1, it degrades down to a d10, or a d8, or a d6, or a d4. If you roll a 1 on your d4 quality die, the item is no longer functional.
Money can be spent to repair the quality.

If I had a DM introduce this rule into their game I'd quit. I dislike equipment degradation in most video games and would absolutely despise having to keep track of it in D&D. This rule would absolutely suck the fun out of D&D.

 

[Pamphylian]

I don't either. But you don't save up your copper pieces until you have enough gold to purchase the ship, that's boring. You steal it from a rival kingdom, accept it as a gift from the queen when you announce your intent to save the princess's fiancé from the Isle of Lemure, do a favor for a pirate captain, or something else that requires an adventure.

All great options! But I'd also want there to be the option of repairing a wrecked ship (for money), or taking out a ruinous high interest loan to acquire a ship at an earlier level than I'd expect. Each strategy has its advantages and disadvantages, all (including getting the treasure necessary) require adventure, and it's up to the party to figure out the best route. I think the dynamic I want is for my players to get treasure and see new options open up before their eyes, and start coming up with clever or deranged schemes for using it. Long term projects, "game breaking" splurges, new fronts to open up in the battle against evil..I feel a bit like I'm not doing my job if I'm not giving them campaign-advancing ways to use wealth. I also like the time dimension spending money opens up (projects like strongholds that take time, ongoing expenses, etc.) - it keeps the players hungry and keeps the game world in motion. I generally want to avoid extended bookkeeping but I think it can be done in a way that's not much more involved than keeping track of hp.

If I had a DM introduce this rule into their game I'd quit. I dislike equipment degradation in most video games and would absolutely despise having to keep track of it in D&D. This rule would absolutely suck the fun out of D&D.

Yeah, I'm not sure about an ongoing degradation mechanic. On the other hand, I do like something like AD&D's item saving throw system - getting hit by dragon fire should put some things at risk. I also like Rust Monsters. It's another part of the character sheet to attack, and in general magic items that come and go is all part of an adventure. Since I'm not a big fan of a magic item market I wouldn't intend this to be a big money sink. But, I like the idea of PCs being high-throughput (for items, money, etc.) - there's something qualitatively different about e.g. AD&D's high training costs+plus high expected income regime (versus low income, low spend) + things being easy come easy go - it sets up a nice dynamic that gets PCs interfacing more with the world.

 

[GMMichael]

I don't either. But you don't save up your copper pieces until you have enough gold to purchase the ship, that's boring. You steal it from a rival kingdom, accept it as a gift from the queen when you announce your intent to save the princess's fiancé from the Isle of Lemure, do a favor for a pirate captain, or something else that requires an adventure.

Steal from rival kingdom: target on your back until the rival king is replaced by a lackey.
Gift from the queen: oh, she'll never let you hear the end of that one.
Favor for pirate captain: okay, the guy was old. But so was the ship. It won't hardly move, due to all the barnacles on the hull.

These kinds of tactics are just a recipe for unhappy players in my experience. I want to adventure, not handle the mundane problems associated with managing hedge funds and commodities.

That depends on the players. If they're happy just fighting a bigger monster each time, go for it! If they're tired of, "you can buy whatever you want; your magical accountant will handle the rest, and the king's tribute," well, one should probably start applying logical consequences to what happens in-game.

 

[Flying Toaster]

If I had a DM introduce this rule into their game I'd quit. I dislike equipment degradation in most video games and would absolutely despise having to keep track of it in D&D. This rule would absolutely suck the fun out of D&D.

It sounds like the dice rolling and bookkeeping might get a bit tedious after a while, especially if the campaign is combat-heavy so weapons and armor take a constant beating.

 

[AlViking]

If I had a DM introduce this rule into their game I'd quit. I dislike equipment degradation in most video games and would absolutely despise having to keep track of it in D&D. This rule would absolutely suck the fun out of D&D.

It also makes no sense. Yes a sword may dull (by RAW magic items do not) but it can be sharpened. I had an ax that had been used for countless years splitting and chopping wood. The handle had been replaced at one point but that was it.

Tools, armor and weapons need maintenance and occasional repair. If that is done they can last for decades.

 

[Marc17]

Equipment degradation.
Every item starts with a d12 as it's quality die.
After every encounter, for every piece of equipment used rolled, roll the equipment's quality die. If it's a 1, it degrades down to a d10, or a d8, or a d6, or a d4. If you roll a 1 on your d4 quality die, the item is no longer functional.
Money can be spent to repair the quality.

That is a lot of work for not much payback, and one of the first things I think items would be enchanted to deal with. Even in a game about resource conservation, I think it would be better to roll up it all into lifestyle expense, fumble mechanic, or some occasional mechanic somehow.

As for magic shops, besides storefront wizards or temples that might have some stock scrolls or spells on hand, the main magic item dealer was a broker, somebody that knows who has what for sale, who wants what, and who can make what. They vet everything, get people together, and get a percentage of the deal. In my last game they were also a lawyer that dealt with such deals and the PCs used it in a reverse function. They were chasing an evil wizard who was probably hiding with one of their noble connections in the city, the dug through their magic items for things to temp said nobles, and the broker get them inside said noble states so they could question and look around without breaking in.

After reading an article on the Medici Bank, that there are 'great banks', which besides doing money changing, letter of credit and other such bussiness, are basically pawn and loan for nobles and other rich people. It would deal in luxury items, jewelry, objects d'art, gems, bullion, etc. They would be the people that buy magic items at half value quickly when the PCs want to sell them. They probably also would have some to sell. Of course, failure and loss of everything was a very real possiblity.

As for the OP, if all the PCs are doing is drinking and such till their next adventure and never looking at doing something grander, then there is not much need for all that money. Certianly it has been stated there is not much to do with money after a point anyway. Magic items are found. Lifestyle expenses as normally within reach for what PCs can carry in their pockets.

As for what to do with late game money, Bastions are a thing now. These seem to take the place of a home base. There has been full domain management in the past, but those often get into complicated systems that people don't want to deal with and have annoying flaws. For 5E, I expect greater domain management should be like magic items or bastions (if not rolled into bastions all together). PCs go an an adventure to set up or take over a domain. Upon success, it gives them a chance to spend lots of money on getting one. These grant some other benefits, but this also begs to be a different tier of play as one moves armies around and such. Still, things could be kept more story than war game.