D&D 5E Do you actually use "Lifestyle Expenses?"

[CleverNickName]

When I look at the etymology of blackmail, it has nothing to do with armor. In Middle English, the word "mal" or "male" meant rent, or tribute.

Huh. I learned it differently (this isn't the first time I was misinformed by a teacher.) Something about knights who couldn't afford proper upkeep on their armor and the armor turning black? I never bothered to look it up until now.

The reference to rent/tribute makes more sense to me. And brings us back around to lifestyle expenses once again.

 

[Zaukrie]

No. It just doesn't interest me. Good on you if it does, but that's not why we play.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Nope. I barely bother with money at all. I used to do, but 5e didn't make it all that interesting, so I gave up. I give out treasure, I suppose, but I don't feel like there's much for the players to DO with it.

 

[Baron Opal II]

So here's my question: Do you worry about cost of living concerns in your game? Or do you handwave that mess in favor of high adventure? Why or why not?

I do use them, it simplifies things for us, I feel.

You pay X coin per month and that entitles you to this lifestyle, clothing, and two weeks of typical supplies for your adventure.
If you pay at higher or lower levels, you have greater or lesser quality starting supplies, replace the mule that got eaten by an owlbear, &c. Rangers and druids can get by with less, wizards and paladins want more.

I find I don't like a "wealth" attribute, but I appreciate "wealth packages". If you spend X coin you get Y lifestyle. If you have means, then you can channel that into a baseline lifestyle and more coin can be spent on bling, bribes, and magic items.

 

[billd91]

For some campaigns, I do. Depends on how we’re playing. I really like it for town-based campaigns.

 

[Fauchard1520]

Note, for example, that the living expenses include maintenance of equipment. If you have expensive equipment (like plate mail armor, for example) you need to pay those costs, or the equipment degrades.

I mean... It simulates the world. But it does so at the cost of a lot of minutia.

In my head, cost of living is useful in hardscrabble, low-fantasy settings. I want Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser drinking away their last dime and then going out to adventure and get more. But by the time you hit your first hoard, you'd have to "live a lavish lifestyle" for months for that to happen. Does the game expect us to do time skips?

And in your own example, is armor going to break because you forgot to pay? That seems like a gotcha, which is no bueno. But the alternative is to remind your player to cough up 10 gp, which seems like an inconsequential waste of game time. I'm not sure how to make these minor expense support adventure and excitement rather than bookkeeping-for-its-own-sake.

 

[Umbran]

I mean... It simulates the world. But it does so at the cost of a lot of minutia.

Yeah, but I don't want the minutiae. The piddly bookkeeping of every beer and bowl of stew is not something my payers take much entertainment in, so I want to gloss over it.

But by the time you hit your first hoard...

My villains don't leave nonsensically large wads of cash sitting around.

 

[Bupp]

I use them, but do it monthly at the 1st of the month (in game).

 

[GMforPowergamers]

so this 'kind of' came up this week. I am a PC noble who has bragged about his wealth for 4 sessions, and we just got planeshift/slideresed to a new world (actually happened end of session 2 just now realizing) we went to get a set of rooms at an inn, and I went to throw my weight around and it worked cause they have few casters (I am a bladsinger/artificer) so I was seen as 'important' even without my family name... so the owner asked if I wanted the VIP suit and of course would give me the 'wizard discount'.

for 5 days for 5 of us in a suit with 7 beds (3 in 2 rooms and a master with 1) and a kitchen and living area. he wanted 500gp. So I put down the money and the DM said "Wait really?" and I said "Yup just take it off my sheet" and we went to our 'rooms'

so I made a joke about it was like when I would say "It's 3 sp normally but family discount for you 1gp". and 2 players asked what a noble would EXPECT to pay and the DM didn't know so I brought up the Chart and was like "well if I say all 5 of us are getting good aristocrat treatment, 2-4gp per day per person is 100gp more or less... so this was 5 times that"