Sooooo...Scrooge McDuck is evil?
Gold, Earth's very own starmetal or warpstone?
- Thread starter AdmundfortGeographer
- Start date
AdmundfortGeographer
Getting lost in fantasy maps
The link in my original post seemed to posit exactly that. That nearly all gold we have mined or will ever mine had fallen to the earth from the stars because the gold that was on the planet at formation had long since sunk to the core.
Sure, not fallen during the evolutionary span of humanity, but fallen to earth long after it cooled.
It seems common for fantasy settings for there to be usually a few ages prior to the coming of man where a rain of gold from the stars could have occurred.
So...Earth had a golden shower, and you think it would be appropriate for younger, fantasy planets to be likewise?
*tsk-tsk*
*tsk-tsk*
Andor
First Post
I recall a science-fiction story that started with "There are no millionaires on Blarg." This turns out to be because they don't use gold for coinage, but uranium. The millionth coin makes your money-pit go critical.
Maybe your planets gold has a uranium/radium/plutonium impurity?
"Daddy, why is the dragon's hoard glowing?"
"Dragon gold is magic, everyone knows that."
"Oh. Daddy, where did all your hair go?"
"Err.. dragon curse maybe? Now hand daddy his new dentures."
This, of course, implies dragons are powered by the radiation given off by their hoards. Which explains a lot, frankly.
Maybe your planets gold has a uranium/radium/plutonium impurity?
"Daddy, why is the dragon's hoard glowing?"
"Dragon gold is magic, everyone knows that."
"Oh. Daddy, where did all your hair go?"
"Err.. dragon curse maybe? Now hand daddy his new dentures."
This, of course, implies dragons are powered by the radiation given off by their hoards. Which explains a lot, frankly.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
McDuck is exactly as evil as he is relevant to this discussion about D&D.
The Blarg FDIC only insures any individual money-pit up to one hundred thousand coins, for reasons of national security.
Smart investors maintain multiple money-pits.
Cheers, -- N
Baron Opal
First Post
No RuneQuest for him, then!
What about RuneQuack?
One observation that I have read is that gold is somehow incorporated into magic items (it does appear to vanish with the 3.X rules on magic item creation).
With that in mind, gold is a gift from the heavens- or a curse. The givers could be aliens would want to assist land dwellers or help them destroy themselves (look at the magic item list for how many relate to combat).
Or it could be solid magic. That is why it doesn't corrode. Magic becomes a solid in stars, deep space, planetary rings, Legrange points, when certain planets align, gods dying or being born, whatever. Those who build spelljammers can become insanely wealthy- enough to destroy whole economies, at least until the gold is reduced by magic item creation.
With that in mind, gold is a gift from the heavens- or a curse. The givers could be aliens would want to assist land dwellers or help them destroy themselves (look at the magic item list for how many relate to combat).
Or it could be solid magic. That is why it doesn't corrode. Magic becomes a solid in stars, deep space, planetary rings, Legrange points, when certain planets align, gods dying or being born, whatever. Those who build spelljammers can become insanely wealthy- enough to destroy whole economies, at least until the gold is reduced by magic item creation.
