hey y’all, I have two questions regarding the way currency works in the game

1. how do you follow the Lifestyle Expenses in Chapter 5 of the PHB (under Expenses)? I actually only just noticed this part of the game existed and hadn’t heard of it before… how often do you deduct the cost from your character’s inventory? it states at the start of each week or month, is this for in-game time? do you still deduct when you aren’t playing? make it make sense pls

2. do you add the Starting Wealth by Class from the chart in Chapter 5 of the PHB (under Wealth) on top of the coins you start with from your Background?

1: Lifestyle Expenses only matter if you have a considerable amount of downtime where the party is chilling in town.  If you spend three weeks waiting around for something, then the Lifestyle Expenses would be deducted from your total (though your background may or may not provide an alternative that you don't need to pay for).

2: Yes, the amount of starting wealth you get from your class is added to the amount from your background to determine your total starting wealth.

Quote from 6thLyranGuard >>

2: Yes, the amount of starting wealth you get from your class is added to the amount from your background to determine your total starting wealth.

This is not actually correct. If you select starting gold at character creation (instead of equipment), you don’t get any of the equipment from your background.

Quote from OkinDragonborn >>

hey y’all, I have two questions regarding the way currency works in the game

1. how do you follow the Lifestyle Expenses in Chapter 5 of the PHB (under Expenses)? I actually only just noticed this part of the game existed and hadn’t heard of it before… how often do you deduct the cost from your character’s inventory? it states at the start of each week or month, is this for in-game time? do you still deduct when you aren’t playing? make it make sense pls

2. do you add the Starting Wealth by Class from the chart in Chapter 5 of the PHB (under Wealth) on top of the coins you start with from your Background?

1. Those Lifestyle Expenses represent a single day’s expenses for food, lodging, and equipment maintenance at whatever standard of living you choose while not adventuring. Say, for example, a PC rents a room at an Inn or own a house or whatever, then those expenses cover the costs of living during downtime. Downtime being the time they spend in between adventures. (After a tough adventure it may be common for the PCs to want to take a few weeks off before embarking on their next adventure.) I usually have my players deduct those expenses weekly, those Lifestyle Expenses only matter during downtime between adventures. Make sense?
2. No. They either get their starting equipment from class and background, or their starting wealth by class.

1. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/equipment#Expenses

Expenses

When not descending into the depths of the earth, exploring ruins for lost treasures, or waging war against the encroaching darkness, adventurers face more mundane realities. Even in a fantastical world, people require basic necessities such as shelter, sustenance, and clothing. These things cost money, although some lifestyles cost more than others.

Lifestyle Expenses

Lifestyle expenses provide you with a simple way to account for the cost of living in a fantasy world. They cover your accommodations, food and drink, and all your other necessities. Furthermore, expenses cover the cost of maintaining your equipment so you can be ready when adventure next calls.

At the start of each week or month (your choice), choose a lifestyle from the Expenses table and pay the price to sustain that lifestyle. The prices listed are per day, so if you wish to calculate the cost of your chosen lifestyle over a thirty-day period, multiply the listed price by 30. Your lifestyle might change from one period to the next, based on the funds you have at your disposal, or you might maintain the same lifestyle throughout your character’s career.

Your lifestyle choice can have consequences. Maintaining a wealthy lifestyle might help you make contacts with the rich and powerful, though you run the risk of attracting thieves. Likewise, living frugally might help you avoid criminals, but you are unlikely to make powerful connections.

2. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/equipment#StartingEquipment

Starting Equipment

When you create your character, you receive equipment based on a combination of your class and background. Alternatively, you can start with a number of gold pieces based on your class and spend them on items from the lists in this chapter. See the Starting Wealth by Class table to determine how much gold you have to spend.

You decide how your character came by this starting equipment. It might have been an inheritance, or goods that the character purchased during his or her upbringing. You might have been equipped with a weapon, armor, and a backpack as part of military service. You might even have stolen your gear. A weapon could be a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation until your character finally took up the mantle and followed in an ancestor’s adventurous footsteps.

I hope that helps.

Quote from SagaTympana >>

Quote from 6thLyranGuard >>

2: Yes, the amount of starting wealth you get from your class is added to the amount from your background to determine your total starting wealth.

 

This is not actually correct. If you select starting gold at character creation (instead of equipment), you don’t get any of the equipment from your background.

Yeah, my mistake.  I thought there was some pocket change if you took equipment for some reason.

Quote from 6thLyranGuard >>

Quote from SagaTympana >>

Quote from 6thLyranGuard >>

2: Yes, the amount of starting wealth you get from your class is added to the amount from your background to determine your total starting wealth.

 

This is not actually correct. If you select starting gold at character creation (instead of equipment), you don’t get any of the equipment from your background.

Yeah, my mistake.  I thought there was some pocket change if you took equipment for some reason.

 
There is pocket change from your background if you take equipment. Perhaps that’s what you were thinking of.

Yeah, knew that part.  For some reason I was thinking that you got a little bit from both.

thank you guys for clearing that up! I’m still just a little confused about the Lifestyle Expenses, @IamSposta do you mean an in-game week during downtime? do you just decide as the DM how much time you want to pass and, in turn, how much in Lifestyle Expenses the players will have to pay?

Quote from OkinDragonborn >>

thank you guys for clearing that up! I’m still just a little confused about the Lifestyle Expenses, @IamSposta do you mean an in-game week during downtime? do you just decide as the dm how much time you want to pass and, in turn, how much in Lifestyle Expenses the players will have to pay?

 
Yes, an in-game week. For example, I just wrapped up a campaign that took 23 months real time, but only covered about 2-weeks of in-game time. It wouldn’t be fair to charge them for real time. And yes, either the DM or the Players decide how much downtime the party will have, usually the players, and that’s what hat they pay for. The reasons for taking downtime are myriad, so players who want to pursue individual stuff like crafting magic items, selling magic items, or other personal side quest type stuff frequently take off however long they need to accomplish their own particular goal and then go back to adventuring.

got it, thank you so much for explaining!