Looking for ideas about what the players can actually do with all their gold.

I'm the brand new DM about to play out the second session in a couple of weeks. Prior DM set the tone that even in their big capital city there's a lack of armor, weapons, magic items, etc. (this campaign keeps all the same characters, etc. So i'd prefer consistency rather than up-ending their known world).

So, basic question is, if there's limited options for what could actually be bought, what else? I've come across ideas such as black market auctions, paying craftsmen to make bespoke (possibly homebrew?) rare items, buying real estate (taverns maybe), a new shopkeeper rolls into town that actually has very nice item but is very expensive, etc.

Any body have suggestions to make this all work? Other ideas? The players love gold & loot, but I can also foresee that they'd possibly end up with too Much powerful items (in a sense devaluing intrinsic interest) and possibly changing the overall dynamic of the difficulty level moving forward.

Appreciate the input!

Traditionally - and by that I mean 70-80's old school D&D - after awhile, player character set up a keep, keep, or stronghold. Essentially they become politically powerful, and established.

That is very very expensive.

5e doesn't really have rules for that, but Matt Colville's kick starter project is about that very thing.

In order to add variety you could allow the players to buy pets such as blink dogs, birds, or monkeys. Another option you have is you could allow the players to buy components for enchantments or rituals where they can then create their own magic gear depending on what you want to have available. This can create an incentive for your players to work towards earning a magic weapon or armor or even create items. I hope this helps and wish you luck.

Healing potions and Scrolls should be eating  a chunk of it , upkeep of horse, food beer floozies and gambling another chunk, resurrection ain't cheap either, after that they can either blow a load on building up a reputation and influence so some noble will grant them a tract of land to build a keep on, before blowing another heap on actually building one, dwarven stonemasons are miracle workers they can build you a house and Rob you at the same time, then you need to hire people to run your keep while you're out chasing dragons for the heaps of loot you're going to need to run the place, I always have magical item crafting a possibility in my campaigns, then I always invent some complicated procedure involving ingredients a recipe for making it and actually being in a position to have a number of certain spells cast on a daily basis for a month or 2 at least, if it's not a consumable, easier if it's a consumable, 

But for items up to rare, I let people have a chance of finding something in a shop that trades in magical wares, chances of someone actually selecting a rare item that they want going into the nearest shop and finding it zero, they will find a selection of heal potions a few heal Scrolls, maybe a couple of magic missile scrolls a load of dried bat wings and eye of newt and stuff like that and probably a stuffed aligator too.

I think this is why the pattern "There is a world threatening evil that only the Players can stop" pattern has become so common.

Every party has to be the chosen ones to stop the great evil since it's the only thing Level 17-20 PCs can do as traditional hero's and still be challenged.

We forget that there are other patterns of heroic storytelling: Becoming great nobles and running kingdoms, playing a generational game where players play out the lives of multiple generations, etc.

If you look at the first few publications in The Forgotten Realms supplements, you get the distinct impression that the main super-powerful NPCs in the world might have been the PCs in Ed Greenwood's game, which eventually retired to running nations and being great sages.

Yeah, 1000 gp for a 10 foot section of 30' high walls with parapet, battlements, and crenelations is no joke. 

1500 gp for plate armor isn't a joke either. Give them the chance to buy that and they will.

A lot of great ideas here, thank so much!

I'm now envisioning a story arc wherein the players will inherit the Noble NPC's Manor at the end of the campaign (due to his death or retirement?), and basically have to pay to maintain the upkeep in order to keep up political connections; they are a very Adventuring/Fighting party, and could drag them into some stickier larger purpose conflicts; in current campaign they may well end up angering a large population of Wood Elves who have sworn allegiance to an evil dragon (but it all depends on their overall interactions and choices, it's all up in the air at the moment because they haven't reached this city in the woods yet), so totally possible for a large scale revenge war to break out that threatens the whole region. 

Feedback?

I would make sure that your players are OK with that kind of campaign focus change.

If they are showing up to ( as Matt Colville would put it ) "Roll dice and kill monsters" - they might not be happy about suddenly being tied down to a specific region and forced to play SimCastle ( if you're going to get detailed about their responsibilities beyond some castle manager showing up once a month with a 10K gp bill for expenses ).

If they think that could be a fun change of pace, run with it.

Thanx again for all the input;

Dug around deeper into my seldom looked-at sections of the DMG for downtime activities, running a business, maintenance costs, etc. It got me thinking that it could be a good hook for at least one of the current players. His character had somehow managed to sweet-talk the local Madame into a brief fling; I'm now thinking she can offer to sell a half-share of her business to him, giving him an incentive to grow-out his character's roleplay a bit more with an otherwise one-time NPC, gives him something to actually "buy" with 1000s of golds (potentially loaning from other characters or a financier?), and otherwise making a few tweaks with the maintenance cost d100 type charts to make it applicable;

alternately, maybe he sets-up a rival business? (more cost but more fun?)

Buying land, a stronghold, or a business are all good options. Here's some other suggestions.

• Gambling and Carousing. A good way to blow off steam. Gambling might even reap rewards if the PCs are lucky.
• Luxury Items. This includes anything fancy that doesn't provide a specific benefit (beyond conferring a certain status).
• Common and Uncommon Magic Items. These might include potions, spell scrolls, etc. as well as novelty items.
• Upgraded or "Masterwork" Items. Armor, weapons, tools, and other equipment that provides small bonuses but that aren't magical.
• Rare Spell Components. Foci or reagents that provide a small (but circumstantial) bonus when casting certain spells or rituals.
• Spellcasting Services. There are a number of low to mid-level spells that might make the PCs' lives easier.
• Mounts and Vehicles. Both purchasing them and also possibly paying to have someone keep them (ex: stabling a horse or renting a private dock).
• Training. Paying to acquire new proficiences in skills, tools, and languages or more specific features (maybe even feats).
• Research. Paying to acquire knowledge, perhaps about a magic item's whereabouts or about certain plot details.
• Philanthropy. Giving back to the community or to certain factions, either on principle or in exchange for specific benefits such as circumstantial bonuses to ability checks.
• Spy Networks. Paying to have others keep tabs on known enemies and keep an eye out for other dangers in an area. Might extend to maintaining safehouses, etc.
• Starting a Guild. The PCs might even want to start a guild of their own, including themselves and other like-minded allies.
• Employees. Putting NPC hirelings on retainer for specific purposes (for example, a cleric with access to healing magic such as raise dead or resurrection).
• Banking. If the PCs have a lot of wealth, they'll probably want to store it in a secure place. They might pay for storage or for specific defenses on their personal vault.
• Investments. Rather than buy anything specific, the PCs might consider investing in merchants, certain trade goods, etc.
• A Vacation! The PCs might want to take a break after all that adventuring.

There's always the 2 old cleric/ paladin bases chestnuts too, go spread  theword to the heathens (i.e. hire boat crew small army of guards go to somewhere far away and spread the word of your faith)

Or the vision from your God telling them to go to a specific place and build a huge shiny temple, then you can have a laugh and make that specific place be on a tiny bit of dry land in the middle of a huge marsh  then do lots of ranting while roleplaying the head dwarven mason telling him he's a lunatic, extra party quests pacifying the local area and suchlike.. you can spend as much of their loot as you like with that one ( I actually did this with one of my parties, they all joined in and founded a town, castle temple and wizards tower on 3 small dry bits, 500 years later their next party grew up in the town that their first characters founded)

Paying protection money (er, guild fees) for their mentor’s shop can get quite expensive. In fact, the more they pay, the more they’ll be pressed to contribute to the greater good.