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NPC Pocket Change

Oryan77

Adventurer
One thing that I never see any more in D&D books is a stat block that includes how many coins the NPC is carrying. I was wondering, is there any reference chart from an RPG book that lists how much money certain type of NPCs might be carrying around? Something to reference as a guideline.

I'm just curious what a designer might think is the appropriate amount an NPC would be carrying around depending on his profession or social status. Keep in mind, I'm interested in "pocket change", not their actual wealth.
 

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I don't know of any charts specifically. Overall, I think it depends on the type of NPC and the situation you're having the players find them in.


A goblin raider who cannot trust his fellows not to steal his money and who doesn't have a good hideyhole laid out somewhere -- everything is on him.

A farmer out in the field working -- nothing at all.

A laborer around town -- enough for a meal and/or a pint or two at the pub.

A merchant traveling to make a purchase -- enough to make that purchase, which may be quite a bit of money, but then there will be guards hopefully. (One the way back, they have the goods, so that's wealth too.)


I always try to think about what they'd logically be carrying. I don't figure most people carry around much money unless they are planning to need it or unless they have no safe place to keep it. The rural NPC is probably better off burying their stash under a fence post than carrying it around where it could be stolen since there's probably nothing to spend it on during their normal day anyway. An urban NPC would carry enough coins to complete they're likely business. Those humanoid non-human NPCs like orcs, goblins, and ogres might carry the shineys or hide them, depending on how safe they think hiding it would be; it's not like they can walk into a store with the coins.

Of course, unless they're raiding humans, my non-humans and monsters don't have little or no coinage. Their wealth is in other things. I mean, really, where does an owlbear get a pile of coins, unless maybe he's been eating adventurers.
 


I think this is one of those things that is best served by "going by feel". Think about their occupation, what they were out doing at the moment and then go from there as a GM. I can come up with things like this on the fly much faster than referencing a random table in a book. Couple that with the value of what is one's pockets might vary tremendously between what an NPC in a village might have versus one in a major city or even between two cities of different economic conditions.
 

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