Each of my players have thousands of gold each, but only one player ever spends any. A few sessions ago he (eldritch knight) spent 2k to commision some mithral plate, but the other players spend nothing (a totem warrior and a moon druid). I have made property available in one of the major cities, but they don't seem interested in that, nor the magic item purveyors in the major cities. Each player has roughly 3000 gold and is likely to get thousands more within the next few sessions.
That is a good suggestion, the only problem is that I've kind of already done that for magic items that they have found. I don't want to have to tailor every magic item to them specifically, I still want there to be the regular magic items available for purchase that might reasonably be purchased by a regular person with a lot of money
The totem warrior is the only player with an involved goal to meet. They are looking for a way to commune with their dead mother without the requirement for the body, and he was told by a mysterious entity that following the party would eventually lead him to his goal. I have a magic item planned for him as a quest reward that will allow him to basically scry on her soul, which will lead to a new quest hopefully.
The fighter was a professional athlete hoping to spread his fame further by monster hunting, so his goal is fulfilled by following the party around.
The druid doesn't have a backstory or goal, she just wanted to play D&D. She came up with something quick about being a knight and leaving her order and becoming a druid, and that's about it. No real goal there.
Don’t stress it, if they are having fun that’s all that matters. Maybe as they level up further don’t give them magic items specifically. Or make one use items such as potions available to buy. If they are not using potions in combat consider a house rule to make taking one a bonus action. I implemented that and suddenly my party wanted potions
You could hint at some danger or downside of hoarding all that money. Some kind NPC catches a glance inside their bulging purse and exclaims that carrying such a hoard might make them a target of some greedy dragon or opportunistic cabal of thieves. Inspire thoughts that this money would be better invested in magical or mundane defences.
Perhaps they might want to keep the money safe or invest it. Have an NPC mention a bank that they might at least want to store the money. The Banker could be a good source of future plot hooks, giving them hints of future investment opportunities or valuable relics.
Or perhaps ask the characters in game. Have an NPC actually ask them in character what they would do if they had 5000 gold, what are there dreams. Players in games often think they need to store up their cash for some future thing. It's up to you to provide that thing for them, but they will need to make it themselves first.
But overall, if the players are having fun without spending their money then you don't need to try too hard to convince them.
Maybe they need to convert it into something they can carry easily or invest in property so they have some place to store it without having to carry it everywhere with them?
If they truly don't seem to want to spend the money... have the money dry up for a while. Have things interact with them that cause trouble that aren't on someone's to do list that they need to resolve. Get them on a trip and have meager opportunities shown to them. Have a village that was devastated by natural disaster (or dragonfire) and see if they just need to be able to give out of the goodness of their heart... and reward them if they do from odd items of magical power.
At that level of money though, I would ask them to let you know how much money they are carrying on their person and how they have it stowed... before you get into any thievery or something. Maybe they are keeping it safe in a box under their mattress and don't have it with them all the time (which makes it safe and vulnerable at the same time).
And yes, on a cold winter's night in a tavern high up in the mountains, have an NPC ask them, "If we make it through all of this... what would you spend your money on?" Maybe I'm biased after the last week in Texas, but there was a lot of time for contemplation...
How are they carrying stuff? Are they walking around with it on their back, like common labourers? Maybe someone in town makes a comment to the effect of, 'You know, really sucessful people ride horses, just saying." Some treasure in the form of large art pieces will teach the lesson that there's a reason horses and mules and wagons are used. So will some exhaustion at the end of a long day of walking.
As the characters climb in social status they are going to be expected to have the trappings of success. The mayor of Leilon is going to expect the town heroes to arrive on horses or in carriages, not walking dusty and tired. Townsfolk will expect fine clothes and jewellery, not battered armor. At some point, the players have to get sick of people saying to their characters, "Oh, the servant's entrance is round the back."
Speaking of Leilon, it is a growing town. There are lots of opportunities for someone to get in on the ground floor of a business. Perhaps Merrygold Brightshine suggests to one of the more pious characters what she could do with a generous donation to the church. Shall we say, 10,000 gold? Maybe Mazira Shae comments about how the characters' standing would be improved if it were known they paid 5,000 gold to cover tents and gear for the expanding workforce? How much would it be worth for a character to see their name engraved in stone above the door of a brand new warehouse?
Another money sink is fame. One evening, the characters are drinking in the tavern and a bard starts singing the exploits of a rival party. If questioned why the bard is not singing about the PCs (after all, they defeated a dragon!) the bard answers simply, 'The other party paid me."
Also, how they are carrying all the gold. 3,000 gold coins weights 60 pounds! That is two backpacks just for their coins, before they even think about storing other gear. Is their character really carrying three or more backpacks around with them everywhere they go?
What's that, you say, they have "converted" it to gems? Well, where did they do this conversion and how much did it cost them (I'd suggest Waterdeep and at least 10% commission for the moneychanger). Then there is the issue of spending gems. Are Jack Torver and Alion Malwyn going to accept "100 gp gem" for goods or accomodation? Not in my game. They can't spend gems so they won't accept gems.
All of this, but I especially love "The servant's entrance is around the back." Treating characters as poorly as they treat themselves is just repayment.
Sometimes it is hard to grasp just how much money a gold piece is. I have heard all sorts of "conversions" to real dollars but that doesn't really work either. Especially if they are new.
So you say 3000gp which we know is (probably) a lot, but if they are thinking about it in dollars it isn't going to be enough to buy a house or land or even a really good "magic item" (like a computer or huge TV or something). It depends then on how organic you want to be. You could have them overhear a conversation in a tavern about a guy getting tipped a gold by an adventurer and so is going to take a week off to relax, or 50 gold and now he is going to buy a cottage in a village somewhere and effectively "retire".
Another ham handed way is to have them meet a travelling merchant. He only has a few goods (magic items) and names a price for each as he describes them. To be honest though, as a player, if I saw someone paying 2000gp for mithral armor I wouldn't think I could get anything worthwhile for 3000gp - nothing really magical.
Another possibility - really drill into what they are doing during downtime. Are they camping by the community fire? Are they in the tavern? Are they buying drinks and food etc - then tell them how much they are spending each day. This will reinforce that they are rolling in cash.
Life is very busy unfortunately, gone from most Pbp's indefinitely. If you'd like to contact me, I am on Discord at GreatAxeblade#7595, always happy to chat :)
Honestly there not much to do with money in this edition, and if they aren’t biting at the magic shop, there’s really not a lot. Maybe they just like watching the number go up. Everyone likes to be rich
As others have said, if everyone is having fun, what’s the issue with them having cash?
Honestly there not much to do with money in this edition, and if they aren’t biting at the magic shop, there’s really not a lot. Maybe they just like watching the number go up. Everyone likes to be rich
As others have said, if everyone is having fun, what’s the issue with them having cash?
Them having money isn't a problem. The problem is, why would I use gold as a reward if they never use it? I have to come up with a more useful reward, or I have to come up with a way to make gold more useful.
Each of my players have thousands of gold each, but only one player ever spends any. A few sessions ago he (eldritch knight) spent 2k to commision some mithral plate, but the other players spend nothing (a totem warrior and a moon druid). I have made property available in one of the major cities, but they don't seem interested in that, nor the magic item purveyors in the major cities. Each player has roughly 3000 gold and is likely to get thousands more within the next few sessions.
I'm surprised that they aren't visiting a magic shop, since you say that you have them in your campaign.
There's not much other use for magic.
Are they new players who might now know how magic items can help them?
Are they experienced players who might be saving up for a rare or very rare magic item (which the shops might NEVER have in stock)?
They are new, before this 2 of the players had only played DoIP before, and the fighter has never played before.
Ask them what they're interested in buying for their character and work that into your game?
Totem engraved or ornamental weapons?
Totem focused magic items?
Maybe the druid would like to buy deeds to land where they can establish their druids grove?
That is a good suggestion, the only problem is that I've kind of already done that for magic items that they have found. I don't want to have to tailor every magic item to them specifically, I still want there to be the regular magic items available for purchase that might reasonably be purchased by a regular person with a lot of money
Anything in their background history that might help?
For example how did the totem warrior end up with the group?
Are they seeking other members of their tribe or are they on a quest to recover some artefact or locate missing family members?
And as for the Moon Druid how does she relate to other members of her order or tribe?
Is she on the hunt for something and needs to find out important details by consulting sages and the like?
Speaking of which are they part of the same tribe?
The totem warrior is the only player with an involved goal to meet. They are looking for a way to commune with their dead mother without the requirement for the body, and he was told by a mysterious entity that following the party would eventually lead him to his goal. I have a magic item planned for him as a quest reward that will allow him to basically scry on her soul, which will lead to a new quest hopefully.
The fighter was a professional athlete hoping to spread his fame further by monster hunting, so his goal is fulfilled by following the party around.
The druid doesn't have a backstory or goal, she just wanted to play D&D. She came up with something quick about being a knight and leaving her order and becoming a druid, and that's about it. No real goal there.
Don’t stress it, if they are having fun that’s all that matters. Maybe as they level up further don’t give them magic items specifically. Or make one use items such as potions available to buy. If they are not using potions in combat consider a house rule to make taking one a bonus action. I implemented that and suddenly my party wanted potions
You could hint at some danger or downside of hoarding all that money. Some kind NPC catches a glance inside their bulging purse and exclaims that carrying such a hoard might make them a target of some greedy dragon or opportunistic cabal of thieves. Inspire thoughts that this money would be better invested in magical or mundane defences.
Perhaps they might want to keep the money safe or invest it. Have an NPC mention a bank that they might at least want to store the money. The Banker could be a good source of future plot hooks, giving them hints of future investment opportunities or valuable relics.
Or perhaps ask the characters in game. Have an NPC actually ask them in character what they would do if they had 5000 gold, what are there dreams. Players in games often think they need to store up their cash for some future thing. It's up to you to provide that thing for them, but they will need to make it themselves first.
But overall, if the players are having fun without spending their money then you don't need to try too hard to convince them.
Maybe they need to convert it into something they can carry easily or invest in property so they have some place to store it without having to carry it everywhere with them?
If they truly don't seem to want to spend the money... have the money dry up for a while. Have things interact with them that cause trouble that aren't on someone's to do list that they need to resolve. Get them on a trip and have meager opportunities shown to them. Have a village that was devastated by natural disaster (or dragonfire) and see if they just need to be able to give out of the goodness of their heart... and reward them if they do from odd items of magical power.
At that level of money though, I would ask them to let you know how much money they are carrying on their person and how they have it stowed... before you get into any thievery or something. Maybe they are keeping it safe in a box under their mattress and don't have it with them all the time (which makes it safe and vulnerable at the same time).
And yes, on a cold winter's night in a tavern high up in the mountains, have an NPC ask them, "If we make it through all of this... what would you spend your money on?" Maybe I'm biased after the last week in Texas, but there was a lot of time for contemplation...
How are they carrying stuff? Are they walking around with it on their back, like common labourers? Maybe someone in town makes a comment to the effect of, 'You know, really sucessful people ride horses, just saying." Some treasure in the form of large art pieces will teach the lesson that there's a reason horses and mules and wagons are used. So will some exhaustion at the end of a long day of walking.
As the characters climb in social status they are going to be expected to have the trappings of success. The mayor of Leilon is going to expect the town heroes to arrive on horses or in carriages, not walking dusty and tired. Townsfolk will expect fine clothes and jewellery, not battered armor. At some point, the players have to get sick of people saying to their characters, "Oh, the servant's entrance is round the back."
Speaking of Leilon, it is a growing town. There are lots of opportunities for someone to get in on the ground floor of a business. Perhaps Merrygold Brightshine suggests to one of the more pious characters what she could do with a generous donation to the church. Shall we say, 10,000 gold? Maybe Mazira Shae comments about how the characters' standing would be improved if it were known they paid 5,000 gold to cover tents and gear for the expanding workforce? How much would it be worth for a character to see their name engraved in stone above the door of a brand new warehouse?
Another money sink is fame. One evening, the characters are drinking in the tavern and a bard starts singing the exploits of a rival party. If questioned why the bard is not singing about the PCs (after all, they defeated a dragon!) the bard answers simply, 'The other party paid me."
Also, how they are carrying all the gold. 3,000 gold coins weights 60 pounds! That is two backpacks just for their coins, before they even think about storing other gear. Is their character really carrying three or more backpacks around with them everywhere they go?
What's that, you say, they have "converted" it to gems? Well, where did they do this conversion and how much did it cost them (I'd suggest Waterdeep and at least 10% commission for the moneychanger). Then there is the issue of spending gems. Are Jack Torver and Alion Malwyn going to accept "100 gp gem" for goods or accomodation? Not in my game. They can't spend gems so they won't accept gems.
All of this, but I especially love "The servant's entrance is around the back." Treating characters as poorly as they treat themselves is just repayment.
Sometimes it is hard to grasp just how much money a gold piece is. I have heard all sorts of "conversions" to real dollars but that doesn't really work either. Especially if they are new.
So you say 3000gp which we know is (probably) a lot, but if they are thinking about it in dollars it isn't going to be enough to buy a house or land or even a really good "magic item" (like a computer or huge TV or something).
It depends then on how organic you want to be. You could have them overhear a conversation in a tavern about a guy getting tipped a gold by an adventurer and so is going to take a week off to relax, or 50 gold and now he is going to buy a cottage in a village somewhere and effectively "retire".
Another ham handed way is to have them meet a travelling merchant. He only has a few goods (magic items) and names a price for each as he describes them.
To be honest though, as a player, if I saw someone paying 2000gp for mithral armor I wouldn't think I could get anything worthwhile for 3000gp - nothing really magical.
Another possibility - really drill into what they are doing during downtime. Are they camping by the community fire? Are they in the tavern? Are they buying drinks and food etc - then tell them how much they are spending each day. This will reinforce that they are rolling in cash.
Two words:
P E T S H O P
Life is very busy unfortunately, gone from most Pbp's indefinitely.
If you'd like to contact me, I am on Discord at GreatAxeblade#7595, always happy to chat :)
Homebrew races: ~Otterfolk! Play as a otter!~ Playable Dryad! (Literally just the monster sheet ported to player race)
Sauce Archpriest!- Join the Supreme Court of Sauces! Join the Cult of Cults! EXTENDED SIGNATURE Tooltips
Also don’t forget all this money weighs something, are you making them account for encumbrance?
Why is it a problem?
Honestly there not much to do with money in this edition, and if they aren’t biting at the magic shop, there’s really not a lot. Maybe they just like watching the number go up. Everyone likes to be rich
As others have said, if everyone is having fun, what’s the issue with them having cash?
Them having money isn't a problem. The problem is, why would I use gold as a reward if they never use it? I have to come up with a more useful reward, or I have to come up with a way to make gold more useful.
There’s a third-party book called strongholds and followers by Matt colville. Let them build their own castle.
What an interesting idea... I'll look into it, thanks for the suggestion