Ansalon's monetary system is steel based, while Faerun's monetary system is essentially gold-based.
I wonder what would happen if a permanent portal opened between Ansalon and Faerun. The portal is in a remote and wild location on both planets (let's say in the Plains of dust in Ansalon and in Anauroch in Faerun) but is wide enough to be comfortably crossed by a caravan and (with wings closed) even by an Ancient Red Dragon. The location is secret and can't be divined with magic.
According to ( https://dragonlance.fandom.com/wiki/Coin ) in Kyrnn (assuming coins have the same weight) gold has a value of 1/20 steel ; 1/2 silver and 1/200 platinum.
In Faerun gold have a value of 10X silver and 1/10 platinum. {To estimate the value of steel is more difficult ... steel is not iron, but: I would say that since iron is 10mo per 100kg and since 1mo is 10grams, gold is 1.000xIron (10gGold=10kgIron). Plus a long sword, which is made of steel (≈3kg) is 10g, meaning that 10kg of "swords" are 30mo. So, a sword is 30x the iron price. Part of the price must be a manufacturing premium from (let's say) steel ingots. Based on the price of iron and swords I would say that a steel ingot of 10kg could be 10Gold coins or 100 grams of gold.} based on the calculation in {...} in Faerun steel is 1/100 of gold.
Anyone from Faerun crossing first the portal and discovering this could cross it again a second time bringing 1ton of steel (which can be transported easily in a dimensional bag or in a big cart) which would cost in Faerun 1k Gold coins. The same person could use it to purchase goods in Krynn, for a purchase power equivalent to 100k gold in Faerun (a single cart of steel could become many many carts full of valuable goods). Even better, since the value of gold in Kyrinn is 1/20 steel, the same person could gradually convert its 1ton of steel into 20 ton of gold (2MILLION GOLD COIN), something like 20 carts (or 5 dimensional bags) full of gold.
Meaning that at every travel he could do a 2,000X profit.
The same thing could be done with silver or platinum (only copper seems to have the same value in both worlds), even if it would be less efficient.
After a few trips (assuming he makes it alive) the person could be richer than the richest merchant house from Amn. A few million golds /steel coins won't affect the monetary system, but if he goes on and on (accumulating the wealth of a dwarven king, let's say), he could screw a little bit in both monetary systems: there is too much steel in Faerun to really affect its price there (maybe it will grow slightly in some regions), but he could cause some inflation while he spends all that gold from Krynn. At the same time, steel would become cheaper in Krynn.
Faerun has a much bigger population and a much bigger economy, so I think the effect would be stronger in Ansalon.
Fascinating! The math is way beyond me, but this is a really cool post. Assuming you treat the exchange rates from the wiki as official 5e material. But if you do, that could make some enterprising adventurers very rich. Welcome to DDB!
It was time I joined the forum after 17years of D&D 😊
Yeah, I think the wiki could be used as a good source. Even if there are many canon sources in Dragonlance saying that steel is much more valuable than gold.
For the steel price in Faerun, price and weight of a sword is canon in 5E main handbooks, while for the price of iron there is some canon source in 3.5.
But even if the prices may be slightly off, the orders of magnitude should be correct.
Ansalon's monetary system is steel based, while Faerun's monetary system is essentially gold-based.
I wonder what would happen if a permanent portal opened between Ansalon and Faerun. The portal is in a remote and wild location on both planets (let's say in the Plains of dust in Ansalon and in Anauroch in Faerun) but is wide enough to be comfortably crossed by a caravan and (with wings closed) even by an Ancient Red Dragon. The location is secret and can't be divined with magic.
According to ( https://dragonlance.fandom.com/wiki/Coin ) in Kyrnn (assuming coins have the same weight) gold has a value of 1/20 steel ; 1/2 silver and 1/200 platinum.
In Faerun gold have a value of 10X silver and 1/10 platinum. {To estimate the value of steel is more difficult ... steel is not iron, but: I would say that since iron is 10mo per 100kg and since 1mo is 10grams, gold is 1.000xIron (10gGold=10kgIron). Plus a long sword, which is made of steel (≈3kg) is 10g, meaning that 10kg of "swords" are 30mo. So, a sword is 30x the iron price. Part of the price must be a manufacturing premium from (let's say) steel ingots. Based on the price of iron and swords I would say that a steel ingot of 10kg could be 10Gold coins or 100 grams of gold.} based on the calculation in {...} in Faerun steel is 1/100 of gold.
Anyone from Faerun crossing first the portal and discovering this could cross it again a second time bringing 1ton of steel (which can be transported easily in a dimensional bag or in a big cart) which would cost in Faerun 1k Gold coins. The same person could use it to purchase goods in Krynn, for a purchase power equivalent to 100k gold in Faerun (a single cart of steel could become many many carts full of valuable goods). Even better, since the value of gold in Kyrinn is 1/20 steel, the same person could gradually convert its 1ton of steel into 20 ton of gold (2MILLION GOLD COIN), something like 20 carts (or 5 dimensional bags) full of gold.
Meaning that at every travel he could do a 2,000X profit.
The same thing could be done with silver or platinum (only copper seems to have the same value in both worlds), even if it would be less efficient.
After a few trips (assuming he makes it alive) the person could be richer than the richest merchant house from Amn. A few million golds /steel coins won't affect the monetary system, but if he goes on and on (accumulating the wealth of a dwarven king, let's say), he could screw a little bit in both monetary systems: there is too much steel in Faerun to really affect its price there (maybe it will grow slightly in some regions), but he could cause some inflation while he spends all that gold from Krynn. At the same time, steel would become cheaper in Krynn.
Faerun has a much bigger population and a much bigger economy, so I think the effect would be stronger in Ansalon.
IDEAS for interesting PLOT TWISTS?
Fascinating! The math is way beyond me, but this is a really cool post. Assuming you treat the exchange rates from the wiki as official 5e material. But if you do, that could make some enterprising adventurers very rich. Welcome to DDB!
I really like D&D, especially Ravenloft, Exandria and the Upside Down from Stranger Things. My pronouns are she/they (genderfae).
Thank you!
It was time I joined the forum after 17years of D&D 😊
Yeah, I think the wiki could be used as a good source. Even if there are many canon sources in Dragonlance saying that steel is much more valuable than gold.
For the steel price in Faerun, price and weight of a sword is canon in 5E main handbooks, while for the price of iron there is some canon source in 3.5.
But even if the prices may be slightly off, the orders of magnitude should be correct.