D&D General Donating the Loot

[Fauchard1520]

Not so long ago, my players decided to stop killing things for five seconds and count up their loot. Much to my horror, they discovered that they’d accumulated nearly half a million GP in assets. But rather than buying out the magic item chapter of the book, my li'l murderhobos did me proud.

Guilty about all the times they’d lead monsters from the dungeon and back into town, they commissioned four watch towers and a garrison. Then they made a combination guildhall and inn. Next was an adventuring university, a monument, renovations for two local temples, a performance hall staffed by a troop of gnomish actors, and even free training for the local militia. I wound up changing that small town into a small city, and the party have become its most beloved philanthropists.

So I ask the esteemed boards a simple question: When is the last time your PCs have given to charity?

(Comic for illustrative purposes.)

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Len]

Well, a couple weeks ago we killed someone we were supposed to rescue, then had him raised, and gave him some (but not all) of his belongings back. I think that counts as charity in D&D.

 

[Eltab]

My Dragon Heist / Dungeon of the Mad Mage group is still trying to figure out how to make a tavern reliably profitable.

 

[Fauchard1520]

My Dragon Heist / Dungeon of the Mad Mage group is still trying to figure out how to make a tavern reliably profitable.

That's the thing: I don't think it's supposed to be. Check out that downtime system over in Pathfinder 1e for comparison:

Downtime – d20PFSRD

www.d20pfsrd.com

If you run the numbers, you wind up making a pittance compared to the typical work of adventuring. We're talking like... Less than 100 gp per week. In that sense, I think that designers tend to look at businesses as flavor options rather than true money-making alternatives. The intent is to keep adventurers adventuring rather than retiring to town and becoming millionaires.

Still, I think that adjusting where and when you place treasure could help. Generous tippers, noble patrons, winning brewing competitions, or stumbling upon some crazy-profitable secret formula for dwarven fire brandy could all work. It just requires math behind the GM screen.

 

[the Jester]

Depends on the pc and group, but there's at least one pc in my Alpha game who gives all his money to orphans.

 

[Fauchard1520]

Well, a couple weeks ago we killed someone we were supposed to rescue, then had him raised, and gave him some (but not all) of his belongings back. I think that counts as charity in D&D.

It so weird to think about... We play this game to accumulate wealth and level up our dudes. But we're also supposed to be big damn heroes. Assuming we're going for the basic white-hat power fantasy rather than some kind of antihero story, selfless acts are part of the genre. That goes directly against the "acquire loot and power" element of play.

 

[akr71]

Never, sort of... during ToD the party quite frequently came across massive amounts of coin and treasure, but NPCs frequently reminded them that all that wealth was stolen from villagers and townsfolk. Often, they would leave the treasure or just take a few choice pieces and haul the rest back to the city as 'liberators'

So, they gave most of their treasure away, but not because they wanted to, but because an NPC told them it was expected.

 

[uzirath]

The last game that I played in included another PC who was a bit of a kleptomaniac, especially from the wealthy. He was simultaneously compulsively generous, especially to the poor and needy. This was simultaneously hilarious and near suicidal. (And occasionally quite touching; he played it well.)