money value in 1st/2nd/3rd ed.

[rossik]

so...

do money value changes in diferent editions?

like, 10 gp still can buy the same things from 2ed to 3ed?

 

[Treebore]

I believed they changed with each edition. The best thing to do is just pick the edition whose pricing you like best and use it. Plus 1E (and 2E?) had electrum pieces.

 

[rossik]

anymore ideas?

 

[RobJN]

Did Quasqueton's analysis of treasures between AD&D and 3rd ed. survive the Great Crash? I seem to remember quite a bit of analysis going on there. Don't have access to the Search function, but I'm sure some kind soul may be able to find a link.

As an aside, "Ask Wizards" had a question a while back about just how much a gold piece is worth. Very enlightening.

I tinkered with the money system back in the day, based on Peter Trueman's "Just Give Me Money!" article in Dragon 167.

 

[Delta]

so...
do money value changes in diferent editions?
like, 10 gp still can buy the same things from 2ed to 3ed?

That's a *hard* question that has no official answer. Prices for equipment changed (some up, some down). Magic item prices changed. Standard treasure for monsters changed; money treasure in official adventures definitely went down by a lot.

So possibly no one knows, for a general rule.

 

[TerraDave]

Well, it depends.

In terms of mundane items, buying power is roughly the same, but there was tweaking across editions. For the listed weapons, prices are exactly the same or close over the last two editions, though there are some exceptions.


Second Edition

Battle axe 5gp -
Composite long bow 100gp -
Composite short bow 75gp -
Dagger or dirk 2gp
Dart 5sp
Glaive 6gp
Hand crossbow 300gp
Hand or throwing axe 1gp
Heavy crossbow 500gp
Heavy horse lance 15gp
Javelin 5sp
Light crossbow 35gp
Light horse lance 6gp
Long bow 75gp
Long sword 15gp
Morning star 10gp
Scimitar 15gp
Short bow 30gp
Short sword 10gp
Spear 8sp
Trident 15gp
Two-handed sword 50gp
Warhammer 2gp

Third edition

Battleaxe 10 gp
Crossbow, heavy 50 gp
Crossbow, light 35 gp
Dagger 2 gp
Dart 5 sp
Glaive 8 gp
Greatsword 50 gp
Handaxe 6 gp
Javelin 1 gp
Lance 10 gp
Longbow 75 gp
Longbow, composite 100 gp
Longsword 15 gp
Morningstar 8 gp
Scimitar 15 gp
Shortbow 30 gp
Shortbow, composite 75 gp
Spear 2 gp
Sword, short 10 gp
Trident 15 gp
Warhammer 12 gp

Probably more importnatly, you may or may not be able to buy magic items with it. 1st ed had amounts that an item could be sold for. It is debated if that meant sold to your charecter for (ie. bought for). 2nd ed core books did not contain prices for magic items (though some latter suplements did). These are roughly the same order of magnitude as 3rd ed, but certainly not the same.

Somewhat tangentaly, that money would be easier to carry, no matter what you buy. In 1st ed its was 10 g.p. to the pound, so those where some big coins. In 3rd, I think it is 30 (I think). This in turn implies that gold and silver are more valuable by the ounce (though there buying power is still low when compared to real world equivelents).

 

[diaglo]

so...

do money value changes in diferent editions?

like, 10 gp still can buy the same things from 2ed to 3ed?

some of it yes.

so the Holmes edition had Plate Mail for 50gp
1edADnD the price went up.

steel pieces was a Dragonlance thing.

but in 2edADnD. value and weight changed.

20sp no longer = 1 gp. it became 10sp = 1 gp. and it went from 10 coins = 1 lb to 50 coins = 1 lb.

as we reach the 2000ed brass, lead, bronze, and electrum coins vanished along the way

 

[Quasqueton]

B/XD&D: 100cp = 10sp = 2ep = 1gp = 1/5pp --- 10 coins = 1 pound

AD&D1: 200cp = 20sp = 2ep = 1gp = 1/5pp --- 10 coins = 1 pound

AD&D2: 100cp = 10sp = 2ep = 1gp = 1/5pp --- 50 coins = 1 pound

D&D3: 100cp = 10sp = -ep = 1gp = 1/10pp --- 50 coins = 1 pound
--------------------------

Item: B/XD&D, AD&D1, AD&D2, D&D3

Long sword: 10gp, 15gp, 25gp, 15gp

[small/light] Shield: 10gp, 10gp, 3gp, 3gp

Chainmail: 40gp, 75gp, 75gp, 150gp

Backpack: 5gp, 2gp, 2gp, 2gp

10-foot pole: 1gp, 3cp, not listed, 2sp

[small] Sailing ship [cog]: 5,000gp, 5,000gp, 10,000gp, 10,000gp

+2 long sword: no value given, 4,000gp, no value given, 8,315gp

Potion of speed/haste: no value given, 450gp, no value given, 750gp

Hand of Vecna: not listed, 60,000gp, not listed, no value given

--------------------------
Getting a friend raised from the dead (9th-level NPC cleric):

B/XD&D = free/no value or guidance given, and no material component.
AD&D1: 5,500gp, no material component.
AD&D2: ". . . a payment or service may be required." No direct guidance on a proper payment or service. No material component.
D&D3: 450gp, 5,000gp material component = 5,450gp.

Quasqueton

 

[Korgoth]

D&D pricing is weird. For example, in 3E Raise Dead requires a 5,000gp diamond. But from what market? If I have a little chip of diamond and I tell the cleric: "Hey, padre, I'll let you have this here diamond chip for 5,000gp" did the cleric just buy a 5,000gp diamond? If not, then who sets the value and on what standard is it based?

 

[green slime]

D&D pricing is weird. For example, in 3E Raise Dead requires a 5,000gp diamond. But from what market? If I have a little chip of diamond and I tell the cleric: "Hey, padre, I'll let you have this here diamond chip for 5,000gp" did the cleric just buy a 5,000gp diamond? If not, then who sets the value and on what standard is it based?

Heretic.