Using the economy of the game (5e 2014), how much would it cost to build a construct a generic building like a house or a shop in the town? In particular, let's say the town is next to a lake and there are 500-1,000 inhabitants? What basis would you use for costing that out?
As a very rough guideline you might equate 1 gp in the game to somewhere around $100 - $500 USD. So, if the structure might cost somewhere around $250,000 to build in real life then it might cost around 1,000 gp in the game.
I'm sure there might be better ways to estimate this or perhaps there are already examples of these costs published in a source book somewhere.
The problem starts with the phrase “economy in game.” There is no economy in game. Mundane items have fairly arbitrary costs, and different worlds all have different baseline wealth levels. So, if you’re the DM, you can feel free to basically make up a number. That said, I’d maybe look to boats to give something comparable, like the 10,000-30,000 gp range.
I’d also throw out, in a D&D world, PCs building a house is boring. Cast wall of stone a few times, and then use stone shape for doors and windows. Or if you’re high enough level and you have the time, mighty fortress.
As a very rough guideline you might equate 1 gp in the game to somewhere around $100 - $500 USD. So, if the structure might cost somewhere around $250,000 to build in real life then it might cost around 1,000 gp in the game.
I'm sure there might be better ways to estimate this or perhaps there are already examples of these costs published in a source book somewhere.
You could use the price for Bastions in the 2024 DMG. Which increases in the size of the structure. As a template
Using the economy of the game (5e 2014), how much would it cost to build a construct a generic building like a house or a shop in the town? In particular, let's say the town is next to a lake and there are 500-1,000 inhabitants? What basis would you use for costing that out?
As a very rough guideline you might equate 1 gp in the game to somewhere around $100 - $500 USD. So, if the structure might cost somewhere around $250,000 to build in real life then it might cost around 1,000 gp in the game.
I'm sure there might be better ways to estimate this or perhaps there are already examples of these costs published in a source book somewhere.
I believe the 2014 DMG had guidelines for pricing by area. Not sure if the 2024 has details like this outside of Bastions.
The problem starts with the phrase “economy in game.” There is no economy in game. Mundane items have fairly arbitrary costs, and different worlds all have different baseline wealth levels. So, if you’re the DM, you can feel free to basically make up a number. That said, I’d maybe look to boats to give something comparable, like the 10,000-30,000 gp range.
I’d also throw out, in a D&D world, PCs building a house is boring. Cast wall of stone a few times, and then use stone shape for doors and windows. Or if you’re high enough level and you have the time, mighty fortress.
You could use the price for Bastions in the 2024 DMG. Which increases in the size of the structure. As a template
Adding link
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/dmg-2024/bastions