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6 months ago ::
Dec 04, 2012 - 11:40PM
#51
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The problem that I see is the assumption that D&D is a game based on dungeon crawling and collecting loot. I understand that plenty of people play the game that way, so it's more or less a standard. With that said, by maintaining tradition, the economy will continue to be horribly inflated with mountains upon mountains of gold that can only truly used on extraordinarily expensive real estate or magical items. As per prior editions(namely 3rd and especially 4th), the economy made absolutely no sense when regarding the cost of goods and services. With extremely expensive magical items available for purchase, shouldn't there be, like, a magic item bubble or something? I've never really seen much emphasis on economy or even politics in D&D, but with prices as listed for some things, like plate armor, for example, wouldn't there be some sort of economic collapse? What happens if a group of adventurers walk into a small hamlet with a sack of platinum pieces? They could likely buy the entire hamlet, its goods, its people, and the residing lord.
I guess what I'm trying to say is the economy in D&D is f-ed, and pricing magical items on the basis of glorified grave robbery does not help this in the slightest.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 7:46AM
#52
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Date Joined:
Dec 21, 2007
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I also agree and like some ideas in this thread (which I've not read entirely). At this point, gold is generally pointless, except that you need a HUGE, HUGE amount to get a single healing potion (25g), which means all those rewards of a few silver and a few copper are complete junk. (It also makes rolling low on a potion feel even worse.) However, once you have 100g, you really don't care how much you have until you have 5000. Personally, I think common items like healing potions are drastically overpriced, and I like the idea of making the economy silver-based: it might be easy to think of it like 1 silver = 1 dollar/euro in today's markets, although that may still be a bit high for some. (So a good meal is a few silver, and a fancy room at the inn + meals might be a gold. Healing potions would be more like 50 silver in that economy, I'd think. No idea how this matches up to the equipment pages - it's just an example.) But I think some of the feeling in this thread is right: if "special" items are mostly priceless, then there is really an opportunity to make money "valuable" again.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:00AM
#53
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Date Joined:
Jun 17, 2010
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I'd like, for once, to have gold not just be an alternate form of XP, leading directly to character advancement and charcter advancement only, and instead plot-focused. The gold you get lets you have access to more story, not shiny loots.
D&D Next = D&D: Quantum Edition
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:04AM
#54
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Date Joined:
Jun 25, 2011
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I also agree and like some ideas in this thread (which I've not read entirely). At this point, gold is generally pointless, except that you need a HUGE, HUGE amount to get a single healing potion (25g), which means all those rewards of a few silver and a few copper are complete junk. (It also makes rolling low on a potion feel even worse.) However, once you have 100g, you really don't care how much you have until you have 5000.
Personally, I think common items like healing potions are drastically overpriced, and I like the idea of making the economy silver-based: it might be easy to think of it like 1 silver = 1 dollar/euro in today's markets, although that may still be a bit high for some. (So a good meal is a few silver, and a fancy room at the inn + meals might be a gold. Healing potions would be more like 50 silver in that economy, I'd think. No idea how this matches up to the equipment pages - it's just an example.) But I think some of the feeling in this thread is right: if "special" items are mostly priceless, then there is really an opportunity to make money "valuable" again.
That's a really good point, actually. I hadn't thought how a silver-standard economy would affect things like healing potions. I also like your analogy that a silver is a dollar/euro.
It might be easy just to change the prices of certain items listed in gold to silver instead. So a Healing Potion would be 50 SP, not GP. I dont know if that exchange rate would knock things out of balance, but it seems like the easiest fix.
Using 1 silver = 1 dollar, a quick look at the Equipment section shows...
Leather Armor = 10 gold = 100 dollars/silver
Chain Mail = 75 gold = 750 dollars/silver
Splint Mail = 500 gold = 5000 dollars/silver
Shield = 10 gold = 100 dollars/silver
Spear = 1 gold = 10 dollars/silver
Dagger = 2 gold = 20 dollars/silver
Longsword = 15 gold = 150 dollars/silver
Greatsword = 50 gold = 500 dollars/silver
Bow = 25-50 gold = 250-500 dollars/silver
20 Arrows = 1 gold = 10 dollars/silver (or 50 cents/arrow)
Common Clothes = 5 silver = 5 dollars/silver
Traveler's Clothes = 2 gold = 20 dollars/silver
Fine Clothes = 15 gold = 150 dollars/silver
Torch = 1 copper = 10 cents
Bucket, empty = 5 copper = 50 cents
Healer's Kit = 5 gold = 50 dollars/silver
Musical Instrument = 5 gold = 50 dollars/silver
Hammer, basic = 2 silver = 2 dollars/silver
Potion of Healing = 50 gold = 500 dollars/silver
**Potion of Healing = 50 silver = 50 dollars/silver ** with new price
These prices seem mostly reasonable, I suppose. I definitely think that the Healing Potion is better off at the 50 silver price.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:08AM
#55
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I'd like, for once, to have gold not just be an alternate form of XP, leading directly to character advancement and charcter advancement only, and instead plot-focused. The gold you get lets you have access to more story, not shiny loots.
I like this idea, +1.
My two copper.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:12AM
#56
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Date Joined:
Jun 25, 2011
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I'd like, for once, to have gold not just be an alternate form of XP, leading directly to character advancement and charcter advancement only, and instead plot-focused. The gold you get lets you have access to more story, not shiny loots.
You can already do that. It's up to the DM to implement it, though.
A new quest is posted on the board of the Adventurer's Guild. It requires you find passage on a ship to the land of XXX. Oh no! Pirates frequent those waters! No one wants to sail there. You'll have to find a really stupid ship captain or come up with enough money to make it worth his while.
An NPC the players need to talk to is going to be at the Royal Ball tonight and tonight only! They can only talk to him if they manage to get tickets or bribe a guard!
The entrance to a legendary temple has been discovered but no one can open the door. You take a drawing of the strange runes to a sage to identify...for a price. He tells the party the door is attuned to certain gems. They need a rare and expensive gem to unlock it.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:21AM
#57
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Date Joined:
Dec 21, 2007
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Oh, another thing: I also think it'd be far more realistic and story-centric (and easier) to give rewards that were intagible. I'm sure others have probably already mentioned it, but when you save the farmer's daughter, you don't get money: you get a free place to sleep and free meals any time you're in the area. The blacksmith's shop you saved now gives you free arrows (or whatever), or maybe repairs things for free. Maybe the wizard you got that ingredient for is an expert in a specific type of lore you might need later. Those are way better than money - especially when it comes to the story - and occasionally more valuable. I'm sure many people do this sort of thing already, but it's a good way to combat inflation in-game. Ramzour: thanks for the comparison list! I'd say if 1 silver were to equal 1 dollar, we'd have to think about prices as if it were still about 1985 or so. I don't think I could get a set of "fine clothes" today for just 150 bucks. 
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:26AM
#58
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I would really like to see more effort in 5e towards simulating a real medevil economy. Now with removing magic items from every corner it is about time. If players need to deal with most problems they need to in real life (except paperwork and thank the gods of DnD for that :D) they should also need to with the most important one: money.
Please no, leave that sort of thing to the setting/DM. I don't want to care how much the inn costs or how much it takes to bribe the official. I only care about whether I can afford those things, and I'd prefer to let the DM just figure that out and give me a yes/no.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 10:07AM
#59
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Date Joined:
Jun 24, 2005
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Personally, I think common items like healing potions are drastically overpriced, and I like the idea of making the economy silver-based: it might be easy to think of it like 1 silver = 1 dollar/euro in today's markets, although that may still be a bit high for some. (So a good meal is a few silver, and a fancy room at the inn + meals might be a gold. Healing potions would be more like 50 silver in that economy, I'd think. No idea how this matches up to the equipment pages - it's just an example.) But I think some of the feeling in this thread is right: if "special" items are mostly priceless, then there is really an opportunity to make money "valuable" again.
Amazing. Didnt think anyone could underprice me on any items.
You really think healing potion at 25gp is overpriced? I never really looked at healing potions as common items. Even in the economy you speak of I would price healing potions in the 15-50gp range. In my setting its not goji juice. Its a relatively exotic magical elixir.
Well really plate mail needs to be broken into two types, plate and plate mail. The plate would be a kind of incomplete suit that covers the chest and the major parts of the arms, legs, and shoulders. It would have an AC bonus of 1 less than plate mail and cost significantly less. Then have plate mail that requires a fitting and custom work to make it fit and have it cost quite a bit of money...
How much? Sure separating fullplate from a breastplate or half plate adds some flavor. Im for that. I want 4e prices with half or full plate. Maybe even cheaper. There are better ways to balance armor. More posatives and negatives gives armor more personality. A cheaper price and players arent spending years risking their lives, amassing thousands of gp before they can use a classic Knight in full plate build.
Besides armor, some weapons, poison and spyglasses I cant think of anything that is so horribly inflated. You could simply reduce monetary rewards and you have your realistic economy. And it isnt just fluff. Now the players arent left with a surplus of money and nothing to spend it on. By the time they have 5 to 10K gold you could allow them to bid on a magic item or two in the teen levels.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 1:00PM
#60
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Date Joined:
Jun 25, 2011
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Oh, another thing: I also think it'd be far more realistic and story-centric (and easier) to give rewards that were intagible. I'm sure others have probably already mentioned it, but when you save the farmer's daughter, you don't get money: you get a free place to sleep and free meals any time you're in the area. The blacksmith's shop you saved now gives you free arrows (or whatever), or maybe repairs things for free. Maybe the wizard you got that ingredient for is an expert in a specific type of lore you might need later. Those are way better than money - especially when it comes to the story - and occasionally more valuable. I'm sure many people do this sort of thing already, but it's a good way to combat inflation in-game.
Ramzour: thanks for the comparison list! I'd say if 1 silver were to equal 1 dollar, we'd have to think about prices as if it were still about 1985 or so. I don't think I could get a set of "fine clothes" today for just 150 bucks.
I really like your suggestions. I think giving out gold as treasure is easy (read: lazy)...but the rewards like you suggested are far better in terms of roleplaying and potential awesomeness.
Say the party kills a flock of ghouls that were haunting the sewers in town. The local Lord wants to reward the party for their good deeds. What's more memorable? A reward of 125 gold....or having the Lord grant the party 2 favors of their choice?
As a DM, the latter is perfect opportunity to give depth and life to your world. Why waste it on a sack of coins when you can get tons of good story with just a little more thought and effort.
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