Hey all! I was hoping to weave this adventure (Salvage Operation) from Ghosts of Saltmarsh into my homebrew campaign. The adventure calls for the party to receive a payment of 10,000 gp at level 3. This seems like an absurd amount of money for a lvl 3 party. I was thinking of lowering it to 5,000 gp. Has anybody run this before? Did the large influx of gold change your game in ways you didn't expect? Any other thoughts?
If you think your party has too much gold, here's a simple solution. Give them a chance to buy some uncommon and rare magic items. Non-consumable uncommon magic items can range from a price of 101 to 500 gp, while a rare one can range from 501 to 5,000, consumables are roughly half price of non-consumable items. You can eliminate 10,000 gold in one visit to the magic shop, your player's will feel rewarded, and, if you are careful about what you offer, those items shouldn't harm the balance of the campaign.
I've made the mistake of giving too much gold in the past so I can feel for you. Butttt, I don't really think 10k (divided among all party members) is too much (which if you're still worried, can be further divided by however many sailors and officers are on board the salvage ship) because a few mis timed rolls when trying to get out of the sinking ship and the entire chest can be lost. As slade mentioned, it's also a great time to stretch some shopping legs so that party members can actually *get* items/weapons they're actually interested in.
Based on rarity, 2-3k per player really won't go too far. And, you can make such a shopping spree a one time only event based on a once in a lifetime glut of gold. Bonus points for the only magic "shop" being the black market or in the back room of some already seedy gambling parlor. Ultimately, the DMG etc. leaves the availability and pricing of any magic items at your discretion (although having some ranges as slade pointed out is useful for a baseline).
*Also worth pointing out that a long ship or sailing ship has a listed cost of 10,000 gp per Ch. 5 of the PHB**Not a bad time to let the party buy their own ship to decide their own ports of call, run cargo, attack pirates, etc (cost of hiring sailing crew and maintenance extra, of course), a ship to name their own,
Depending on party composition, magic might not even be needed for them to spend through the money. If you've got a lot of people in heavy armor, mundane plate mail could eat up a lot of that gold. It might give them a little better AC than teir 1 typically has, but it should even out. And if you have any clerics looking ahead a bit, a few 300 gp gems for revivify can eat into it, too.
Or instead, you can just cut out the magic shop middleman, and give them items as payment. That can be even better, since you can give them a lower gp value of items and still have a cool factor. A 500 gp magic item can be a lot more fun to find than 500 gp, or even 600 gp.
If it were my players, they'd start investing in a stronghold (or a ship and crew) of their own. I don't know if that's more of an old school thing because I don't see it brought up much anymore.
10,000 gp is certainly on the high side for level 3, it's competitive with a CR 5 treasure hoard (averages about 5k in cash and valuables, plus magic items), but it probably won't take that many levels for it to not be that significant. On the other hand, it's not like the number is critically important, just set it to a value that's enough to motivate them and gives them around the wealth you want them to have.
Maybe involve an npc crew of say a dozen salvage experts. Divers, clever architects to manage improvised structures and probe existing ones, utility casters to deal with obstacles, social manipulators to keep local governances our of their hair, and so on. Start them off wanting to do an equal cut with the party and let the party work them down to half to their crew and half to the party.
Party refuses: salvage experts sabotage the player party. Either arrive first and party drives them off but they escape with/inadvertently destroy half
Party betrays them: salvage experts were part of a larger semi-criminal organization that now wants the player's heads
Party misses lead in hook for salvage crew: make it so the bulk of the haul is inaccessible without some good magic or supremely talented experts. 5000 gold from what they can get to, and another 25000 out of reach but currently safe.
Taxes. Paid in platinum only for that much value.. You need a permit to enter the city and get platinum before paying your taxes.. And don't forget the fee to apply for the permit.
Money changing fee. What you got is what is called "Etruscan gold" and it is only 85% pure. Standard coinage is 90% pure. Yall got to exchange that at a licensed Alchemist before you can use it to buy anything in these here parts.
Only nobles are allowed to own more than 10 gold coins. Gonna have to get enobled. But don't worry, I got you covered. Here is a certificate of noblehood. Yall gonna need to buy some property and hold a big party to prove that it's true, especially as that their ink is not dry. And you might consider marriage, it's the best way to prove the certificate valid.
Magic Items for sale, Magic Items for sale. Got to be a member of a guild to buy them, but they are incredible! And expensive.
Go ahead and give Captain Xendros a small list of in stock magic items. Provide some items that may be beneficial or interesting for the party. Don't forget that they can also haggle with her in an attempt to get specific items sent in. (and also don't forget that all the magic items she sells carries a small curse that cannot be identified without both the identify spell and a DC25 arcana check)
The DM is am playing Ghost of Saltmarsh in went with this mentality for Saltmarsh:
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious"
He let us have the gold, but it was up to us to safeguard it. So far, several attempts have been made by Cultists and 'friends' to relieve us of the burned of all that gold.
In the case of my triton paladin, I donated half my share to an existing orphanage in Saltmarsh (I would have started one if the DM hadn't decided to add on already there). The rest I invested in buying a piece of property in Saltmarsh and renovating it (ongoing)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Watch your back, conserve your ammo, and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hey all! I was hoping to weave this adventure (Salvage Operation) from Ghosts of Saltmarsh into my homebrew campaign. The adventure calls for the party to receive a payment of 10,000 gp at level 3. This seems like an absurd amount of money for a lvl 3 party. I was thinking of lowering it to 5,000 gp. Has anybody run this before? Did the large influx of gold change your game in ways you didn't expect? Any other thoughts?
If you think your party has too much gold, here's a simple solution. Give them a chance to buy some uncommon and rare magic items. Non-consumable uncommon magic items can range from a price of 101 to 500 gp, while a rare one can range from 501 to 5,000, consumables are roughly half price of non-consumable items. You can eliminate 10,000 gold in one visit to the magic shop, your player's will feel rewarded, and, if you are careful about what you offer, those items shouldn't harm the balance of the campaign.
I've made the mistake of giving too much gold in the past so I can feel for you. Butttt, I don't really think 10k (divided among all party members) is too much (which if you're still worried, can be further divided by however many sailors and officers are on board the salvage ship) because a few mis timed rolls when trying to get out of the sinking ship and the entire chest can be lost. As slade mentioned, it's also a great time to stretch some shopping legs so that party members can actually *get* items/weapons they're actually interested in.
Based on rarity, 2-3k per player really won't go too far. And, you can make such a shopping spree a one time only event based on a once in a lifetime glut of gold. Bonus points for the only magic "shop" being the black market or in the back room of some already seedy gambling parlor. Ultimately, the DMG etc. leaves the availability and pricing of any magic items at your discretion (although having some ranges as slade pointed out is useful for a baseline).
*Also worth pointing out that a long ship or sailing ship has a listed cost of 10,000 gp per Ch. 5 of the PHB**Not a bad time to let the party buy their own ship to decide their own ports of call, run cargo, attack pirates, etc (cost of hiring sailing crew and maintenance extra, of course), a ship to name their own,
Boldly go
Depending on party composition, magic might not even be needed for them to spend through the money. If you've got a lot of people in heavy armor, mundane plate mail could eat up a lot of that gold. It might give them a little better AC than teir 1 typically has, but it should even out. And if you have any clerics looking ahead a bit, a few 300 gp gems for revivify can eat into it, too.
Or instead, you can just cut out the magic shop middleman, and give them items as payment. That can be even better, since you can give them a lower gp value of items and still have a cool factor. A 500 gp magic item can be a lot more fun to find than 500 gp, or even 600 gp.
If it were my players, they'd start investing in a stronghold (or a ship and crew) of their own. I don't know if that's more of an old school thing because I don't see it brought up much anymore.
10,000 gp is certainly on the high side for level 3, it's competitive with a CR 5 treasure hoard (averages about 5k in cash and valuables, plus magic items), but it probably won't take that many levels for it to not be that significant. On the other hand, it's not like the number is critically important, just set it to a value that's enough to motivate them and gives them around the wealth you want them to have.
Maybe involve an npc crew of say a dozen salvage experts. Divers, clever architects to manage improvised structures and probe existing ones, utility casters to deal with obstacles, social manipulators to keep local governances our of their hair, and so on. Start them off wanting to do an equal cut with the party and let the party work them down to half to their crew and half to the party.
Too much gold? NEVER such a thing.
Go ahead and give Captain Xendros a small list of in stock magic items. Provide some items that may be beneficial or interesting for the party. Don't forget that they can also haggle with her in an attempt to get specific items sent in. (and also don't forget that all the magic items she sells carries a small curse that cannot be identified without both the identify spell and a DC25 arcana check)
The DM is am playing Ghost of Saltmarsh in went with this mentality for Saltmarsh:
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious"
He let us have the gold, but it was up to us to safeguard it. So far, several attempts have been made by Cultists and 'friends' to relieve us of the burned of all that gold.
In the case of my triton paladin, I donated half my share to an existing orphanage in Saltmarsh (I would have started one if the DM hadn't decided to add on already there). The rest I invested in buying a piece of property in Saltmarsh and renovating it (ongoing)
Watch your back, conserve your ammo,
and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!