E6 Campaign - What to do with all that gold?

[Cerulean_Wings]

Hi all, I'm DMing an E6 campaign for the very first time, and it's my first time with low-magic settings, too. Therefore, I've run into the issue of the PC's having all that gold from their travels, encounters, enemies, and so on, and not having much to spend it on. My question is, then: does anyone have any recommendations about things the PC's could spend gold on, besides whatever magical items they can buy?

Rycanada suggested that I ask here for some solid guidelines on buying land, managing mines, and so on. Does anyone have those, either as invented or taken from a D20 source?

All help appreciated

 

[an_idol_mind]

Property, noble titles, guild fees, fancy gifts to important NPCs (maybe a valued hireling, or a damsel the PC hopes to win over). Those are just a few ideas that pop into my head. You can set a price and give a little bit of role-playing for expensive items and services. Property prices can be found in the DM's Guide.

Also, you might want to consider the Upkeep rules in the DM's Guide, which allow a player to decide on the PC's standard of living and pay fees appropriately.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Thank you for the recommendations, an_idol_mind, I'll see how I can manage them in my campaign. The issue, though, is that giving them hirelings will make battles easier, and I don't know if I want that to happen.

I don't recall about the upkeep rules in the DMG, would you mind reminding me on how they work, along with an example or two?

 

[Whisper72]

Well, with 'low magic', in my games this implies that magic is a lot rarer then 'normal', hence also a lot more expensive. So spending money on magic items eats up resources very rapidly.

Also, with limited levels (E6), I would also limit treasure. One thing I usually do in low magic / grittier campaigns is put everything on a silver standard: i.e. for most things, in stead of gold, one finds silver. This divides the treasure found by 10. Then I leave the prices for very rare items (such as magic) on par, i.e. effectively 10 times as expensive as usual.

Furthermore, I tend to limit treasure period.

If the PC's have lots of treasure anyway, they need to find a way to carry it. This usually means having to purchase valuables (generally gems and jewellery) which are easy to carry around. In the process of purchasing these items and then selling them again when cash is needed, there is generally a loss incurred (as a standard I use 10% value loss per transaction), which erodes accumulated treasure as well.

Furthermore, especially in an E6 campaign, access to higher level spells (for example to raise dead) can only be done by paying temples, getting special scrolls etc., which are naturally very costly as well.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

If the players are really that wealthy, you have an easy adventure hook.

Steal it.

The nice thing about stolen cash is that unlike taking a characters magical items, the players are not going to be that tied up in it. But, being players, they will still be suitably angry and motivated to find the theif, hill him, and take their stuff back.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Whisper72: thank you for the response, I'll see how it works if I hand out silver rather than gold.

Lord Zardoz: thank you, too, for the reply. Stealing might be a nice hook, but how many of those can one pull off before it turns lame? Only one, I'm afraid.

 

[Bacris]

Don't look at hirelings as purely combat-centric.

What about a cook so they have decent food - or a baggage train, as mentioned above? Are they really lugging all that money around on their primary mounts? Horses cost money and they don't have an infinite capacity... and wagons and the like break down. Also consider keeping their weapons, armor, and other equipment in top shape (which might work into the Upkeep rules, I'm not sure).

Additionally, to build on what Whisper72 says, the PCs should be using their money to curry favor with those organizations capable of high-level spells - if they haven't already. Churches are always in need of building repairs / expansions, after all.

And - improving land is a major resource drain. In one of the games I'm currently playing, one of the party members was deeded a large tract of land for service to the crown - fixing that sucker up has seriously taken its toll on our resources. This doesn't necessarily need to be land the PCs own - but what if they come into a town / village that was just razed and there's an opportunity to hire on a construction crew to fix things up (let them haggle the price so they don't feel too cheated).

All sorts of things to spend money on!

 

[Whisper72]

Ah. I nearly forgot. As in the real world, the fastest way to lose money: taxes!

The PC's, being 'fighting' types could have duty to serve the local lord. This duty can be bought off (was also done in the real world).

The treasure PC's gain will be taxed upon returning to civilized lands upon entering a (major) city, as it is seen as trade goods (think here of treasure found in the form of relics, jewellery, art, clothing (fur!) etc. etc.). 10-20% is quite normal.

Furthermore, clerics and paladins etc. would be taxed by their holy orders. Mages may be taxed by Wizards Guilds for access to new spells / spell research labs etc.

Also, reinstate that good ole rule from ADnD, where PC's have to train to raise a level, and pay for that training.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Don't look at hirelings as purely combat-centric.

What about a cook so they have decent food - or a baggage train, as mentioned above? Are they really lugging all that money around on their primary mounts? Horses cost money and they don't have an infinite capacity... and wagons and the like break down. Also consider keeping their weapons, armor, and other equipment in top shape (which might work into the Upkeep rules, I'm not sure).

All sorts of things to spend money on!

Hmmm, y'know, those might just work. More packmules = more money spend = more stuff carried

Thank you for the assistance, I'm taking it all into consideration

 

[Ry]

Drop skilled NPCs in once in a while; the PCs know a mason and another village that's not well-defended? They might commission some walls so they can get a decent night's sleep at its inn. Of course, that means getting materials... cartloads of rocks, mortar... angry bulettes...