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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Crazy Jerome" data-source="post: 3832697" data-attributes="member: 54877">Maybe the disconnects in this discussion are over terms.The problem here is that we are using "gold" in the 3.5 sense to mean "wealth"--from buying that first basic longsword to the millions of gold pieces necessary to buy that 3.5 complete set of +5 everything, plus widgets.  <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" />   But if we let wealth scale in that fashion, then we ignore the stages of wealth.  And 3.5 pretty much does ignore the stages.  At first level, by the RAW, you can be hurting a little for money, but the characters are hardly poor (usually).  By 2nd level, by the guidelines, the characters are already outfitted well.  By 4th, they have access to ever piece of mundane equipment they could possibly want, except for their own galley or such.In D&D, there are potentially three useful layers of wealth.  I'll label them in D&D terms, but don't get too caught up in the labels.  I think the issue we are seeing is the way characters can accumulate a lot one layer which translates directly into something in a higher layer:1. Copper/Silver Wealth - Where a character fits on the basic subsistence scale.  A guy without two coppers to rub together has to find a job with room and board just to stay afloat.  A guy rolling in silver has no mundane needs that aren't being met, but there are definite limits on what he can buy.  (He can hire a few guards long term, or a small army short term, but not more, for example.)2. Gold/Platinum/Gem Wealth - Where a character fits in the "mover and shaker" scale.  Here, you can hire armies, build keeps, do extensive bribes, throw lavish parties, have your own information network, etc.  You can also buy any kind of minor magic that qualifies as a commodity.  This only translates into personal power indirectly, based on the character's skill (and luck) at using the wealth.3. Major Item/Unique Treaure Wealth - Things that may not be exactly priceless, but nevertheless command a price way out of scale with what you would expect at first glance.  These are not commodities in any shape, form, or fashion.  Characters with this kind of wealth can translate it directly into personal power, when it isn't already.  That diamond as big as your fist isn't measured in "gold pieces".  It's measured in how good a magic sword you can trade for with it.Here I'm using "minor" magic item to mean anything that you can buy as a commodity, and "major" magic item to mean anything you can't.  Necessarily, each group would draw the line in different places.  The only way you could spend "gold" to get a "major" item is for special story reason combined with a lot of it.  For example, you have 100,000 gold, and the wizard that has no liquid cash is willing to sell you that major sword for it, even though it's practically a steal.D&D 3.5, especially the Magic Item Compendium with its reduced prices, works hard to collapse the distinction between the layers.  Even the near artifacts have prices.  But it doesn't have to be this way.  It's perfectly reasonable, for example, to have a campaign world where "+2 swords are a necessary part of every talented warriors equipment, but +3 swords and better are one-of-a-kind heirlooms, attainable only by force or by trading something equivalent."  In order for each DM to set that point where they want, you need a way to divorce "gold" from "major magic item acquisition".</blockquote>

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