D&D 5E If you aren't buying magic items, where will you spend your gold?

[Piratecat]

I've seen people mentioning that they have excess gold in 5e, largely because magic items aren't generally available to purchase. So the question is, where are you going to spend all that cash?

- purchase a flock of sheep to herd through the dungeon ahead of you. They'll set off traps, and pre-feed monsters!

- boost your luxurious lifestyle to the maximum. Feather beds! A bard to announce you! Your own manservant!

- torchbearers and henchmen! Never carry your own backpack again.

- buy respectability. Purchase a knighthood, or duchy, or noble title for your half-orc barbarian. "That's SIR Bloodrunnel to you, peon."

- tired of defending your home city? Use your funds to improve its defenses. When it's attacked by a hobgoblin army, you'll be two steps ahead.

- become a bard's or artist's personal patron, gaining great art that immortalizes you in the world.

- commission a unique magic item. Put the word out you're hunting for one, or just find an ancient sage who can track it down for you.

- dress up as a mysterious wizard and hire 1st lvl adventurers in taverns. Send them into your own stocked dungeon, and prepare them for tasks you don't want to do yourself.

Okay, what am I missing?

 

[thalmin]

Perhaps I'll bring back training to make level, like in 1E. That always used up the excess cash, plus explained how you learned the new stuff.

 

[Piratecat]

I used to love training, but I think it works best with slow advancement.

My PCs are using their funds to buy their way out of the military.

 

[steeldragons]

Yeah. I never took training out of the game. I know it's not RAW, but paying for some mentoring, time and materials at level up is a great way to spend money...and the players get to feel like they're really getting something "concrete" out of it. And a nice way to introduce contacts/npc's.

Also, piggybacking on your "respectability" idea, but not nobles, I'm going to throw in: Entrepreneurial endeavors. Buy/invest in a shop/inn/tavern/service that can [potentially] make the PCs a steady flow of income -not to mention npc contacts who aren't necessarily "henchmen", but can keep an eye on things/give you news/information when you're back from the last tomb-raiding expedition of killing things to take their stuff.

[Yeah. I like plausible and plentiful npc interaction potential. ]

[EDIT: I never took "slow advancement" out of the game either. /EDIT]

 

[GMMichael]

How about a caravel and crew, for when you inevitably anger the locals?

A little biased right now, but a coffee plantation would be nice too...

 

[Hereticus]

I've seen people mentioning that they have excess gold in 5e, largely because magic items aren't generally available to purchase. So the question is, where are you going to spend all that cash?

My plan is to take influence over a city, increase building of artistic and defensive structures, and attract merchants.

 

[SithlordRPGA]

I've seen people mentioning that they have excess gold in 5e, largely because magic items aren't generally available to purchase. So the question is, where are you going to spend all that cash?

- purchase a flock of sheep to herd through the dungeon ahead of you. They'll set off traps, and pre-feed monsters!

Ok this made me laugh you sir win the internet today

 

[Piratecat]

We actually tried to do this back in 1e AD&D; DM wouldn't let us!

 

[samursus]

All great ideas! I for one love to implement this kind of non mechanically benefitting stuff in my campaigns. Tricky part to me is figuring out the costs for those ideas. Never really wrapped my head around the D&D economy and how to equivocate dollars to gold pieces.

 

[Chocolategravy]

Magic items are generally available for purchase. If they weren't common as dirt they wouldn't be all over the place in the hands of practically every group of 4 or more creatures.