Help controlling player wealth

[Gentlegamer]

Set up a few really dangerous dungeon encounters where they can choose to retreat using a special teleporter . . . that teleports them one way and all their gear another way.

 

[Altalazar]

I suggest making it part of the storyline than trying to get rid of it.

After all, as someone else pointed out, there ARE some people in the world with literally THOUSANDS of times the wealth of even relatively wealthy people. Being ridicuolously rich doesn't make you invulnerable. It has its own issues, and besides, it also opens up new realms of adventure. Players could found a multi-million gold piece trading consortium, or even a nation. There's more than just personal equipment to buy with money, after all. Start offering such options or suggesting them and you may find your players disposing of their wealth even faster than you'd even have wanted.

 

[Plane Sailing]

In one campaign my Lawful Evil PC has a will that reads something like "upon my death, my assets are to sold and used to hire the best assassins that can be afforded to kill my killer, his or her family and nearest relatives". Seemed like the best thing to do at the time

 

[Altalazar]

In one campaign my Lawful Evil PC has a will that reads something like "upon my death, my assets are to sold and used to hire the best assassins that can be afforded to kill my killer, his or her family and nearest relatives". Seemed like the best thing to do at the time

There's a cool use for money. Heck, how about assassinations paid in advance for revenge. So you know that no matter how you buy it, your money has already bought your vengence. Just need to make sure they keep tabs on you so they know when/how you die. Perhaps some sort of advance spell that goes off at death, sending word of who killed you to your hired assassins. There's a fun use for money.

 

[jgbrowning]

Are you and the players having fun? Would decreasing their current amount increase, decrease or have no effect upon the amount of fun being had?

I'm from the school that the GM can make the game fun under almost any circumstances. Let the PCs do what they want and work with them to create challanges regardless of the situation they are in—be that rich as a noble or poor as a begger. There are fun and exciting challanges to be found at either level.

joe b.

 

[Altalazar]

Are you and the players having fun? Would decreasing their current amount increase, decrease or have no effect upon the amount of fun being had?

I'm from the school that the GM can make the game fun under almost any circumstances. Let the PCs do what they want and work with them to create challanges regardless of the situation they are in—be that rich as a noble or poor as a begger. There are fun and exciting challanges to be found at either level.

joe b.

Hear hear. Just think of it as a new challenge, not to "take" their money, but to help them come up with creative and fun ways to spend it on things other than equipment. Perhaps just seeing a "Castle for Sale" sign for 10,000,000 Gp will catch their eye. That could lead to all sorts of interesting adventures...

 

[Whimsical]

Huge Castles are 1,000,000 GP according to the DMG. But according to that chart, no one of non-noble wealth could even afford a simple house. I guess 95% of the D&D population just wander around like homeless folk.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Maybe this one's a bigger-than-normal castle. Or floating in the clouds or something.

 

[Arnwyn]

When these new characters come in they need to have level appropriate gear.

And there's your problem.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I am trying to run a by the book campaign. But no matter what I do it seems like the amount of gear they carry gets way out of kilter compared to the DMG guidelines for wealth at their character level.

I think the root of the problem is that they scoop up the wealth fallen of PCs -- the ones the players have give up on when they decide to try something else after dying. Fair enough. Who wants to stop someone from trying something new after 3 or 4 deaths?

When these new characters come in they need to have level appropriate gear. They can't show up in a bar wanting to adventure naked.

Take a run of the mill 9th level character. 36k in wealth. Raise a him a few times, regenerate a limb, cure insanity, then give up on him. Even after all those costs it is a net inflow of cash into the party that rapidly adds up. Repeat this a few dozens of times and what do you have? A very, very wealthy party!

They are high enough level with so much magic that it is difficult to prevent them from successfully recovering the bodies of fallen comrades. Fireballing the fallen bodies every combat seems a little gamey.

Maybe I should just Disjunction their ass?

Where are the taxes? Where are the adventuring fees (permits/rights of passage/bribes/gifts)? Where are the upkeep of home and equipment? Where is the 15% the church gets? Where are the family members looking for a handout? Where is the bills for mom and dad?