Lifestyle expenses encompass more than just rent, but I don't blame you for not wanting to split hairs over that. Just be ready to hear the argument that such-and-such is too high a price because it's also food and clothing, etc. Monthly rent (whatever it ends up being) * 10 years would be an OK ballpark number for a purchase price.
Lifestyle expenses encompass more than just rent, but I don't blame you for not wanting to split hairs over that. Just be ready to hear the argument that such-and-such is too high a price because it's also food and clothing, etc. Monthly rent (whatever it ends up being) * 10 years would be an OK ballpark number for a purchase price.
Agree on this
You could use the Lodging price as a reference for renting.
As for buying a house. I would suggest using real-life economic models as a reference. There are economic studies about the ratio between house price and rent price after the 2008 economic crisis. Google it up and use the ratio as the baseline.
You could look at the cost of boats to give you an idea of cost for a large, wooden structure that keeps out the water.
Keep in mind D&D does not reflect economics as we understand it irl. The costs in the PHB make no sense when you look at them through a traditional economics lens. Also this is a world where people with magic can create things from nothing. (Wall of stone a few times and poof, you’ve got a house.)
This is all to say, don’t worry about it. Figure out how much money you’ve given your PCs, and decide how easy you want it to be for them to have the house. You can decide to make it cheap if you want them to have one. Or you can say only the nobility is allowed to own property if you don’t want them to have one. If you let them have it, then maybe give them 2-3 choices in terms of price points. The fun part will really come when their enemies figure out where it is and then rob them before they burn it down.
Finally, Matt colville published a strongholds and followers book. I don’t know if it has anything for regular houses versus castles, but you might check that out if you’re really interested.
Also, the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure delves into the costs associated with running and maintaining a base of operations in a large city, as the party is "gifted" the deed to a manor house/tavern and has the option to clean it up and open a business out of it.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Those purchases seem cheap. A general rule is that yearly rent should = 1/3 of purchase price (36x monthly rent). More in Downtown, even more in a real metropolis (NYC, San Fran, Tokyo, etc.)
Also, give them a choice of a good neighborhood or a bad neighbor hood, the good neighborhood should be x2 cost. Bad might be crime ridden or it could merely be far from the nobles.
Save yourself the trouble and just come up with an adventure where they're given the deed to a house at the end of it. Then you don't have to worry about rent or the price of purchasing a house outright and just focus on the fun parts of owning a base.
I agree with TransmorpherDDS about making a base the reward for an adventure. Or, perhaps even better, have the party sign a Service Contract with a local official/agency, where they are granted rights to a property in exchange for agreeing to take on a reasonable number of assignments on an as-needed basis.
At low levels, before they develop a reputation, buying property somewhere nice will probably be prohibitive, but at mid-levels they become "Persons of Interest", which someone will want to curry favor with. At high-levels, they'll have enough money and power that buying mundane things won't serve much purpose.
Getting a long-term room at an Inn might take little more than a Fetch Quest to collect rare herbs to treat the Innkeeper's ailing family member or friend. (Let the players remain in good standing by bringing back fresh game, bottles of wine, or doing minor repairs/cleaning.)
Getting a house in a nice part of town might require slaying a local menace. (Cities want to keep dragon slayers around, just in case.)
Getting a fortress would likely require clearing out a local stronghold of its current hostile inhabitants and just homesteading it. (As with dragon slaying, having benevolent neighbors helps to keep the bandits away. This could lead to a diplomatic relationship with the local government.)
If a party can't negotiate this kind of arrangement relatively quickly, then what are they hoping to achieve by having a base there?
I had my players take out a group of bandits that were living in a house on the outscirts of town. Afterward they decided that they were just going to fix it up and live there. A lot of really fun RPing was done associated with repairs, maintenance, dealing with local laws, officials, setting up housekeeping when they left, etc.. It seems silly, but it was really fun.
I had my players take out a group of bandits that were living in a house on the outscirts of town. Afterward they decided that they were just going to fix it up and live there. A lot of really fun RPing was done associated with repairs, maintenance, dealing with local laws, officials, setting up housekeeping when they left, etc.. It seems silly, but it was really fun.
Player here, I bought a three room cottage for 1000 go. I was fine with it. Just hoping it comes with a plot of land too so I can create a proper map for it.
Edit: didn't come with land. It's fine, got a bath out of it. Rocket stove heated btw. Hoping my dms will let me run it as an apothecary but gotta get one to agree to let my learn recipes for herbalism kit. It's a public league type set up at a local store. Has a storyline by the way.
The Adventurers Domestic Handbook over at DMS Guild offerer several pages for buying, renting outfitting and maintaining a "house", if you want to make that a big part of your game. I would ask my players first, if they want to have that, because it is not for everybody. Otherwise, make it simple.
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In one of my games, my players want to buy a house in the local city to use as a base of operations.
I figured out rent should be something like (number of party members) * (Lifestyle expenses) * (30 days) = a monthly rent.
Does that sound right?
However I am at a loss figuring out what I should charge, if they decide to buy a house instead of renting. Any ideas?
Lifestyle expenses encompass more than just rent, but I don't blame you for not wanting to split hairs over that. Just be ready to hear the argument that such-and-such is too high a price because it's also food and clothing, etc. Monthly rent (whatever it ends up being) * 10 years would be an OK ballpark number for a purchase price.
Agree on this
You could use the Lodging price as a reference for renting.
As for buying a house. I would suggest using real-life economic models as a reference. There are economic studies about the ratio between house price and rent price after the 2008 economic crisis. Google it up and use the ratio as the baseline.
You could look at the cost of boats to give you an idea of cost for a large, wooden structure that keeps out the water.
Keep in mind D&D does not reflect economics as we understand it irl. The costs in the PHB make no sense when you look at them through a traditional economics lens. Also this is a world where people with magic can create things from nothing. (Wall of stone a few times and poof, you’ve got a house.)
This is all to say, don’t worry about it. Figure out how much money you’ve given your PCs, and decide how easy you want it to be for them to have the house. You can decide to make it cheap if you want them to have one. Or you can say only the nobility is allowed to own property if you don’t want them to have one. If you let them have it, then maybe give them 2-3 choices in terms of price points.
The fun part will really come when their enemies figure out where it is and then rob them before they burn it down.
Finally, Matt colville published a strongholds and followers book. I don’t know if it has anything for regular houses versus castles, but you might check that out if you’re really interested.
Also, the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure delves into the costs associated with running and maintaining a base of operations in a large city, as the party is "gifted" the deed to a manor house/tavern and has the option to clean it up and open a business out of it.
I thought this thread was going to be about someone renting a house just to play D&D in :(
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Those purchases seem cheap. A general rule is that yearly rent should = 1/3 of purchase price (36x monthly rent). More in Downtown, even more in a real metropolis (NYC, San Fran, Tokyo, etc.)
Also, give them a choice of a good neighborhood or a bad neighbor hood, the good neighborhood should be x2 cost. Bad might be crime ridden or it could merely be far from the nobles.
I would use:
Regular city, bad/suburb: monthly x 30
Regular city, good/Downtown: monthly x 60
Metropolis (or similar) Suburb: Monthly x 50
Metropolis (or similar) Downtown: Monthly x 100
Save yourself the trouble and just come up with an adventure where they're given the deed to a house at the end of it. Then you don't have to worry about rent or the price of purchasing a house outright and just focus on the fun parts of owning a base.
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I agree with TransmorpherDDS about making a base the reward for an adventure. Or, perhaps even better, have the party sign a Service Contract with a local official/agency, where they are granted rights to a property in exchange for agreeing to take on a reasonable number of assignments on an as-needed basis.
At low levels, before they develop a reputation, buying property somewhere nice will probably be prohibitive, but at mid-levels they become "Persons of Interest", which someone will want to curry favor with. At high-levels, they'll have enough money and power that buying mundane things won't serve much purpose.
Getting a long-term room at an Inn might take little more than a Fetch Quest to collect rare herbs to treat the Innkeeper's ailing family member or friend. (Let the players remain in good standing by bringing back fresh game, bottles of wine, or doing minor repairs/cleaning.)
Getting a house in a nice part of town might require slaying a local menace. (Cities want to keep dragon slayers around, just in case.)
Getting a fortress would likely require clearing out a local stronghold of its current hostile inhabitants and just homesteading it. (As with dragon slaying, having benevolent neighbors helps to keep the bandits away. This could lead to a diplomatic relationship with the local government.)
If a party can't negotiate this kind of arrangement relatively quickly, then what are they hoping to achieve by having a base there?
Thank you all, that gives me a lot of good ideas 👍
LOL that would be fun 😀
I had my players take out a group of bandits that were living in a house on the outscirts of town. Afterward they decided that they were just going to fix it up and live there. A lot of really fun RPing was done associated with repairs, maintenance, dealing with local laws, officials, setting up housekeeping when they left, etc.. It seems silly, but it was really fun.
That is a great idea, thanks
Player here, I bought a three room cottage for 1000 go. I was fine with it. Just hoping it comes with a plot of land too so I can create a proper map for it.
Edit: didn't come with land. It's fine, got a bath out of it. Rocket stove heated btw. Hoping my dms will let me run it as an apothecary but gotta get one to agree to let my learn recipes for herbalism kit. It's a public league type set up at a local store. Has a storyline by the way.
The Adventurers Domestic Handbook over at DMS Guild offerer several pages for buying, renting outfitting and maintaining a "house", if you want to make that a big part of your game. I would ask my players first, if they want to have that, because it is not for everybody. Otherwise, make it simple.