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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gizmo33" data-source="post: 2320940" data-attributes="member: 30001">I thought the 3E DMG said the wage for a laborer is 1 sp/day.  A lot of medieval references say 1 pence (d) per day.  Assuming 1 d= 1 sp; and looking at figures for basic infantry I think 3 sp/day for food+wage would work.  1 million gp/year for an army of 10,000 is about right by those figures. However, IMO the DM has factors to consider before he allows the ruler of his kingdom to elect to pocket the 1 million gps or turn it into magic items.  Unless he's working with a pretty heavy cash economy, much of the 1 million gp would be in the form of food, ale, new shoes, etc.  You couldn't put 1 million gp of wheat on the market and expect to get it's value for it - assuming that you spent the reasources to collect, record, and manage it - all detracting from it's value.  Imagine the colossal rat-swarms that you'd have to fight. So a 10,000 person army would not, IMO require 1 million actual gold pieces to be available and spent.  There's also the question of how much loot from conquest would form the pay of the soldiers.  Conquering a city and splitting the wealth with the soldiers is an easier way to pay them than to cart along millions of gps.  Actual weapons are probably much cheaper in history than in DnD.  Another "pro-mook army" houserule would take a serious look at the cost of a longbow for example.  IIRC one medieval expense sheet listed longbows at 2 shillings each, which would be 24 sp each if you accept my 1d=1sp conversion.   The DM could rule that feudal service obligations provide a ruler with cheaper sources of food, weapons, armor, and horses than what the PCs are charged according to the PHB.  Perhaps the price to PCs of such items is a result of special taxes, guild regulations, or some such.  In fact, such a "tax" on swords would not be without precedent - it would keep people from raising dangerous private armies within the realm.    The bulk of the armies in my campaign have always been raised from people assumed to have their own equipment, so I've never thought about a ruler taking 10,000 people who only own some peasant rags and giving them all the necessary stuff - I imagine the expense of doing that *would* be hideous!</blockquote>

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