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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Softwind" data-source="post: 1217456" data-attributes="member: 13893">I've been thinking lately about economics in the game.  Specifically, what makes, or rather, keeps,  something valuable?  Intrinsic or otherwise?  Why is gold valuable, if seemingly every treasure horde has hundreds if not thousands of the little round disks made of the metal?  Just how many "pretty sparklies" can you dump into a local economy, until it gets to the point that kids are playing marbles with them in the street? Taking this a step further - how much magic can be produced in "permanent" form, until the object thus crafted becomes just another bauble?  Just how many Longsword +1s does the average town need?  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue    :P"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" />  Does every street corner vendor soon have potions and scrolls for sale, much like a newspaper/coffee kiosk?  (Starbucks, anyone?) Granted, it may take a long time to get to this point, but as another poster mentioned, most D&D worlds have civilizations that span thousands of years, with citizens that possibly could have been there at the founding of the city/state/nation. Anyway, having said that, I've got an idea for a treasure that would retain at least a portion of it's value, if only because the items provide comfort, service, or useful functionality to day-to-day life.   Utility items Clothing - Protection from blank - raincoat that doesn't get wet, blacksmith gloves that won't scorch, hat that shades the user in the hottest sun, bunny slippers of foot massage, (my wife's favorite - green blankie of comfyness, it's warm, it's soft, it "makes you sleep better" <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ) Jewelry - ocular of minute vision (aka jewelers loupe), pendant that provides minor protection from disease/poison/hot/cold/etc (+1 to save, or something), tiara with continual flame (make it sparkle!), ear horn (+2 to Listen) Cookware - warming pan, chill stone, spoon of perpetual stirring, everfull gruel pot (yum!), eversharp knives, self-turning spits  Well, anyway.  The list could be huge - just think of things today that are used constantly that require or are inproved by modern materials or power.  Toothbrush. Cell phone. Television. Oven/stove.  Rotisserie. Fondue pot! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> Now, take these ponderings and apply them to different cultures, as some previous posters have.  Find a focus for each race, something that each member of the race would have in common, and build items from there.Applying that to the world of D&D as it stands would seem to make every race be militant, because the majority of magic items in existance are weapons or defensive items.  There are exceptions of course.  I just think there should be more.  (Haven't done much about it, since I've just recently started thinking about it.) Sorry, I think I've gone off the topic that this thread was started for.  Hmm, let's try yanking this back to topic, thus: drow - dark, spider, evil, torture itemsillithid - brains, dark, mind/psionics, evil, torture itemsgiants - BIG, evil, simple, food, torture devices Hmm, there's a theme there.  I'll stop now.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></blockquote>

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