Do your PCs spend money on non adventureing things?

[Wik]

All the time.

In my current game, PCs spend a bit of money hiring craftspeople to turn their "trophies" (horns of various critters) into items of art. Right now, they all have horns made of hydra bones. These PCs also love many of the "trinket" items they received - they got badges for services rendered to the city of Sasserine, and love the things... only one PC sold his, and that was keeping in character.

In a post-apoc game, our group had a boat, and pretty much all their resources were spent on improving this boat. And they just weren't concerned about adding armour or weaponry (although about half their resources went into this). They were also concerned about improving the boat in other ways - they put in a plasma screen TV, fixed the radar and watermaker, made sure the shower wasn't just cold water, and fixed up the kitchen and fridge. I'm sure some of that had a game effect, but most of it was just to improve upon the comfort of their characters. Hell, they even received a collection of 100 DVDS (which they could have traded for a fair amount of ammo), but decided to keep 'em. The characters even stopped their boat once a week for "movie night".

 

[William drake]

Yes.

You can't just buy all the toys, you're playing a person, so he or she needs to eat, sleep, wash, and so on. I don't know why you wouldn't. And yes, for those who save their money just for gaming reasons: a new sword, magic obejects and the like, are, well, not playing realisticly.

 

[Storyteller01]

Does your group spend money on frivolous things? Or perhaps they try to have investments in shops or expeditions? Maybe they buy real estate? Or are they all about buying up on better gear and going from one adventure to another?

Our current group leader is looking to purchase a fort or some other base of operations. The mechanic is constantly looking for parts, almost never buying adventuring gear. Our fighter is lloking to create a weapons collection, willingly buying 'subpar' or antique weapons simply to have them.

When the anyone in the party needs to get somewhere far and can't take the ship, they're looking at 2,000 gp roundtrip teleport. 1,000 gp if they're willing to sit a few months on a charter ship.

Probably one of our funniest moments is when a previous campaign described how they were spending their cash during down time.

Fighter: I'm looking for weapons and armor.
Thief: I'm looking to get info.
The fairy sorcerer: I'M GOING TO RODEO DRIVE BABY!!!

She came back with a very expensive belly necklace (formerly a human anklet).

 

[Hussar]

Depends greatly on what the focus of the campaign is. Generally: not that much.

Cheers!

Ditto.

Although, a house of some sort and possibly a ship has featured in the past. But, stuff like a new outfit or whatnot? meh. After about 4th level, dropping a few hundred gp's on a wardrobe get's you pretty much everything you could ever want.

 

[DonTadow]

It sounds like it should be a poll, but it is not. In another thread on magical items there was a side discussion on spending money on whores and ale. Some posters felt that any player that does not spend all their money on magical items deserves to be killed by demons and such. I like to see characters a little more well rounded and not solely concentrating on their life as an adventurer.

Does your group spend money on frivolous things? Or perhaps they try to have investments in shops or expeditions? Maybe they buy real estate? Or are they all about buying up on better gear and going from one adventure to another?

There's no wrong way to play, but if seems unrealistic that the only thing that guys characters buy is magical items. How do they eat, sleep. What are they adventuring for? is everyone trying to save the world?

My players have always spent their money on frivolous things. I don't even remember the last magical item they bought. They have bought houses, mansions, judges, mayors, drugs, taverns and stock.

My players also must spend 20 percent of their expected wealth to the DM before they can level. This is to cover the cost of living that I might handwave during play.

 

[el-remmen]

MY problem is often trying to figure out prices for the bizarre things the players want to buy!

 

[Emirikol]

We have a house rule: blowing your money gives you x.p. (but you have to describe how you got it). It's VERY popular, especially in our lower magic item world.

X.P. for Loot Characters in a community can go on R&R. Typical actions include senseless wenching, endless feasting, roughhousing, gambling, smoking black lotus, drinking away the demons, dabbling in the dark arts, wronging-rights, crafting useless trinkets, using your profession inappropriately, making bribes, making sacrifices to the temple, etc.
There are three effects of R&R:
1) Earn 1 x.p. for every 4 g.p.’s wasted (minimum 20 gp)
2) Heal thrice your level
3) 1-in-d12 chance of ending up no x.p gained an in an unpleasant situation (DM’s choice)


jh

 

[Umbran]

My players have not gone for "investing" - they don't sit in one place long enough to manage such things.

The do buy things other than specific adventuring equipment. I've found they do slightly more of this since I moved to using "upkeep", instead of individual pricing of all items.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Rather frequently. In our last campaign, set in Al-Quadim, two of the PC's were brothers and sent at least 20% of their wealth back home to their family. In our current Oathbound game, one of the PC's is a bloodlord for a run down canton, and they have spent thousands in rennovations and public works. I'm normally more generous when the PC's are, so they tend to get extra because I know it will go to buy schoolbooks or inlaid mahogany dressers or whatever rather than rings of ultimate badassery.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Why yes, yes they do.

Between them, the party has some 3,000 acres with about a dozen manors in various stages of construction. In varying combinations, they own seven townhouses in four different cities on two continents.

Besides the bar and *cough* entertainment of one city, they also own a cargo ship and the cleric is working on building a toll bridge.

Over the past six years (both RL & gametime) they have investments in three different trading organizations, one of which they leased their cargo ship to, provided loans in different cities to build defensive walls, create a mage's guild, and rebuild after a goblin invasion. One of their "karmic" investments has been sending magical odds and ends to various honorable allies & acquaintances to ensure that aid would be forthcoming if needed.

Between them, they have military ranks in three countries: sargeant-major to the League, lieutenant to Sylvanost, and colonel in Solamnia. The stipends are not particularly large given their level but it means they'll never starve. They are exempt from many taxes and tolls in several regions, can draw against military stores for common goods, and can even mobilize the populace, though historically they have only used that to order people to keep their heads down or to run like the wind.

They also have a host of letters of introduction and recommendation and keep several letters of credit good for a few thousand GP made out by different nobles and organizations to ensure that they will have some cash and establish some local contacts wherever they go.

Many items were gifts that I felt more appropriate than gold. Giving people land in your territory means those people have a vested interest in defending that land. Granting them the land to build a townhouse in return for a low-interest loan is a great deal, especially if they decide to throw in some extra coin to protect that new townhouse. It's a subtle thing to give someone a ship full of local cargo that is rare in the party's homeland. On one hand it says: "I reward you with wealth that will be more valuable once you return home" and on the other it says: "go home."

My party is also pretty filthy with Leadership. With the exception of the cohorts, the masses inhabit and manage the properties. I don't screw over the players constantly but just often enough that the feat is worth it to at least provide a warning of things going wrong. Since IMO npcs generally treat cohorts as PCs, most of the cohorts have their own properties and titles.