Hardhead
Explorer
Is it just me, or are the prices in the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook a bit steep? I mean, most of the room's prices are very high unless you buy the "basic" versions. To my mind, characters should be able to afford a very nice house/small fort around 5th level, a basic castle at 10th level, a castle with all the knobs on at 15th level, and a high-fantasy castle (like a floating tower) at 17th-20th level.
Yet, the prices presented allow nothing like that. The "cheap keep" costs 70,000.
Let's make some assumptions about how much the group is spending on their home. We'll say that everyone pitches in to buy it (something you can't count on - it's not what's happening in my group!) and they're a typical four party group. We'll say there spending 1/5th of their wealth on it. That's more than I would spend on something that won't help me stay alive in adventures, but hey.
Under these assumptions, our four-person group can afford the "cheap keep" (which only has three bedrooms, I might add) at 12th level, given normal party gold amounts. A nice, but non-magical castle like the "coral castle" can be afforded at 19th level (OK, its' underwater, but it's not airtight, just built for mer-people, and so it's price isn't modified from a similar land-based castle. And there are no land-castle examples in the book that are in the same price range).
Larger non-magical castles like the Dwarven Redoubt are unaffordable at all levels to our theoretical party. The really cool ones like floating towers cost 2.6 million (compared to the 375k of the coral castle). The Citadel of the Planes is 2.3 million. These are right out, cost-wise.
Even the Landlord feat helps, but still doesn't completly aleviate the problem. The feat gives you "virtal money," in the form of contacts, ect to help you build your castle. With it, that Coral Castle at 15th level (assuming you're still putting in 1/5th of the party treasure in additon to your feat).
Am I the only one that thinks prices in the Stronghold Builder's Guidebooks needs to come down? As a player, I want to build a cool building eventually, but with the current prices, I'll never be able to afford something cool like a floating tower, even at 20th level!
Yet, the prices presented allow nothing like that. The "cheap keep" costs 70,000.
Let's make some assumptions about how much the group is spending on their home. We'll say that everyone pitches in to buy it (something you can't count on - it's not what's happening in my group!) and they're a typical four party group. We'll say there spending 1/5th of their wealth on it. That's more than I would spend on something that won't help me stay alive in adventures, but hey.
Under these assumptions, our four-person group can afford the "cheap keep" (which only has three bedrooms, I might add) at 12th level, given normal party gold amounts. A nice, but non-magical castle like the "coral castle" can be afforded at 19th level (OK, its' underwater, but it's not airtight, just built for mer-people, and so it's price isn't modified from a similar land-based castle. And there are no land-castle examples in the book that are in the same price range).
Larger non-magical castles like the Dwarven Redoubt are unaffordable at all levels to our theoretical party. The really cool ones like floating towers cost 2.6 million (compared to the 375k of the coral castle). The Citadel of the Planes is 2.3 million. These are right out, cost-wise.
Even the Landlord feat helps, but still doesn't completly aleviate the problem. The feat gives you "virtal money," in the form of contacts, ect to help you build your castle. With it, that Coral Castle at 15th level (assuming you're still putting in 1/5th of the party treasure in additon to your feat).
Am I the only one that thinks prices in the Stronghold Builder's Guidebooks needs to come down? As a player, I want to build a cool building eventually, but with the current prices, I'll never be able to afford something cool like a floating tower, even at 20th level!