D&D 5E Why I think gold should have less uses in 5e, not more.

[Distracted DM]

So first step to this issue: identify the behavior you want. What do you, the GM, want characters to spend wealth on?

1. Is this Sword n Sorcery where they spend almost all of it partying, living it up, and then it's time to go on another adventure because they're broke?
2. Do you want them to invest in the narrative by funding causes/factions/etc that they care about?
3. Do you want them to invest in the world by building a stronghold and being responsible for an area, guild, etc?

I think for the 1, you need to use a carousing table- there are lots from other games. And carousing should have mechanical impact- again, there are games out there with this.

For 2, I suppose patrons, guilds, etc are the way to go. Organizations- again, with mechanical bonuses. I know 5e has some but I've heard they're weak.

3, there's Strongholds and Followers and A5e's strongholds.

BUT again, you really need to nix gold-for-magic items if any of these are going to work. Either that, or bribe/hope/ask/initiate players to participate so other players see that they can get cool things by engaging with them.
Maybe the first taste is free, that sort of thing

My biggest problem here is the removal of magic items as purchasable- especially if you've been doing it already and players expect it. Of course talking with your players would be advisable, but I can imagine all sorts of objections.

Plus, my biggest issue would be that it's already been established in the setting... How to undo that, how big of a retcon is it and is it feasible... That's the problem I'd face. And sticking by my guns

Already I want to say "ok uncommon items are around occasionally but nothing higher is found for sale." But.. that leaves the door open

 

[Lanefan]

This sort of feels like a tangent of the MagiMart thread- but yeah, I agree with the basic premise of "if players can spend money on magic items they won't spend it on anything else." That includes even strongholds that provide character bonuses! They'll just keep hoarding it hoping something very cool but very expensive becomes available for sale.

This doesn't apply to all players... But it does to many.

Thing is, when a character is building a stronghold that usually means said character is more or less retiring from adventuring, meaning the logical thing to do at that point is to sell magic items to pay for the stronghold.

Put another way, the magic items you use while adventuring are also your long-term savings plan; and a +2 longsword is far easier to carry around than 4000 g.p.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In my experience, if gold does not have a use in the game part of the game (mechanics) players very quickly stop caring about it. Which is fine if you are saving the world or reaching for other goals, but kills treasure hunting dead.

The tension between heroic and mercenary fantasy goes back to the earliest days of D&D. The game needs to be able to accommodate both styles of play.

Perhaps the solution is to have alternative rules with regards to gold, decided upon at the beginning of the campaign. Gold = xp is one obvious way to reward players in a mercenary campaign. Or gold to level up. Stuff from 1st edition.

 

[Distracted DM]

Thing is, when a character is building a stronghold that usually means said character is more or less retiring from adventuring, meaning the logical thing to do at that point is to sell magic items to pay for the stronghold.

Put another way, the magic items you use while adventuring are also your long-term savings plan; and a +2 longsword is far easier to carry around than 4000 g.p.

In older editions possibly building a stronghold means retirement, but in the 5e products I mentioned they certainly aren't. The strongholds specifically give your character adventuring bonuses.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I always thought the presence of strongholds in D&D was a strange holdover from it's tactical wargaming roots. I mean, players play D&D to get away from thier real life responsibilities of property, home, work, etc. Why would they want to recreate that in their fantasy game!? Irresponsible adventurers forever!

 

[RainOnTheSun]

It might be worthwhile to mimic the way Final Fantasy XV did level-ups: your experience points didn't really "count" until you cashed them in by resting for the night, and spending money to go to a fancy hotel instead of camping outdoors gave you a multiplier. In other words, the more money you spend on your standard of living, the further your XP goes.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It might be worthwhile to mimic the way Final Fantasy XV did level-ups: your experience points didn't really "count" until you cashed them in by resting for the night, and spending money to go to a fancy hotel instead of camping outdoors gave you a multiplier. In other words, the more money you spend on your standard of living, the further your XP goes.

Final Fantasy lifted that from 1st edition AD&D!

 

[Distracted DM]

Final Fantasy lifted that from 1st edition AD&D!

Could you elaborate or point a way to it? I can't say it's familiar.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Could you elaborate or point a way to it? I can't say it's familiar.

Heh. I'm going by 40 year old memories, but I think the rules for training time and gold were in the 1st edition DMG.

 

[RainOnTheSun]

To me, the difference is that spending money on training is still very utilitarian, and a character who only spends money on strictly utilitarian things can feel more like a drone the player pilots than a person. I like mechanics that incentivize PCs doing things people would do, because they help two of the biggest desires in an RPG to fit together: the desire to make the numbers go up, and the desire to make the collection of numbers into more than a collection of numbers.