Timewaster's Guide Archive
Games => Role-Playing Games => Topic started by: Spriggan on January 26, 2007, 09:04:23 PM
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From http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061110a
So let’s generously assume a D&D gold piece contains approximately 1/4 ounce of gold (the coin itself might weigh more, depending on the purity of the coin, etc.). Taking a look at today’s prices, gold is currently trading at around $580 per ounce. That means a D&D gold piece might be considered the equivalent of roughly $145.
then from the SRD a CR 1 encounter is worth 300gp which would make it $43,500 dollars for that encounter.
Man adventurers make some good money even though they can't get health insurance.
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I've got about $420 worth of stuff on me (MP3 player, Watch, cash) and am not including my car or anything at my apartment.
I'm worth about 3 GP after rounding up so CR 1/100, I doubt any random adventurer will be killing me for my loot.
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You sir, are wrong... thats tavern money right there, and your also worth a few XP.
Actually, the above is why I dont really like the D&D monetary system. I mean think about PC's who need 10,000 gp to make a magic item? Thats enough gold to make gold worthless. Maybe thats why I love the D20 modern system. Sure it makes cash abstract, but it also makes it easier to explain. And players futz with accounting much less.
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Well a better way to figure out the cost of gold would be to take a loaf of bread in our currency (average around 1.50) and in D&D money (2cp) so you could then say:
1 cp= $.75
1sp = $7.5
1gp=$750
Which is a lot more then what the Wizards article says one is worth. But then you have to account for different economics then our world since that load of bread is more attune to something you'd by at a bakery and not a grocery store, so hand made, plus the difference in cost between flour and other raw ingredients. Then you half to take into consideration inflation on the us dollar, when D&D was first written in the 70s bread probably cost like $.50, it's all something that would be interesting to see an accurate conversion but considering every D&D world is fake it's something that's hard to compare too (supposedly prices in their worlds don't change by era or year).
Anyway, that's all besides the point of this thread, which was to offer something funny to talk about and see based on wizard's website how many of us it would take to equal the reward of a level one encounter.
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I'm not counting credit cards.
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So when I'm packing around my greatsword, that is worth 50gp in DnD. Which converts to over 7000$, a lot more than I actually paid for it. Of course, I would be a tougher challege to get it compared to someone armed with a wallet full of cash and a walkman.
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Your greatsword is probably not worth 50gp in D&D. Most modern Medieval weapons are made for show, and aren't remotely as effective as their Medieval counterparts.
There are a few smiths out there who do, however, make quality replicas. These tend to be very expensive. If you happen to have one, consider yourself lucky, and well-armed. =þ
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I know EP has a handmade one, just like EUOL and I.
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Give me a little credit, I do know a thing or two about real swordfighting. Just saying that adventuring equipment is a bit overpriced. Full plate is 1,500 gp, coverted to 217,500$. That is more than even a good job pays in a year, but even in the middle ages, a year's wages of a blacksmith (who made decent money) supposedly could fully equip a knight. That would be armor, weapons, and mount.
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I am in no way defending D&D's economic system.
Or D&D at all, actually.
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i think the person who decided to research the gold to USD ratio is just a Nerd Cred Whore. The person who really gets the nerd cred is the guy who determines what a broadsword would be worth in USD, then discovers the USD to D&D gp ratio is. THEN uses that to determine CR. Note that gold isn't the only thing that determines CR, your ability to screw up an adventuring party's plans are the most important factor.
But Since there's a laptop in my lap, which is *not* the computer I'm typing on, which I won't count, though technically, it would, since the adventurers would certainly loot it if they killed me here in my office, I'm putting my value, not counting bank cards, at roughly$1500. That makes me, what? 6 or 7 gp? Nonsense.
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The thing is Medeval money was also really messed up, for an accurate interperitation of finances you should prolly look at S.John Ross's Fief PDF which goes into great detail about the cost of stuff. Money just didn't exist in places and barter was a lot more common.
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I hadn't considered credit cards, but since I have two in my wallet, and one of them has a massive credit line (high enough that they should be imprisoned for even offering it), I should probably raise my CR quite a bit. In non-credit terms I'm exceptionally poor.
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I purposely didn't add credit since the cards are easy to track and deactivate, it would be like finding a magic sword only have someone turn off it's magical abilities because it was stolen thus it becomes worthless.
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so let me get this straight?... I can earn xp and gold by phishing? SWEET!
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If you used a credit card before it was deactivated, you'd be fine--everyone knows police are worthless in D&D.
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yeah they only have a level or two in warrior, a freaking sorceror could take em at level 1.
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Besides--if it's okay for an adventurer to kill me for my loot, it's certianly okay for them to use my credit cards. That would be a weird legal line to draw.
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It's not so much a legal line but that it's not guaranteed cash. Lets ignore the legality of it and cops and just say banks or "evil" organizations that employ us as henchmen would cut them off once they knew we were day so as not to loose money, thus my magic sword reference above.
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Who is going to call it in if you're dead?
You can spend a lot on the credit card before anyone thinks to cancel it.
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So, if you counted my credit card and bank card, that'd bump me up to about 1/8 CR.
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Please evil wizards and overloards and such always seam to know when their henchmen are dead, they apperently have nothing better to do then spy on them.
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Credit Card companies may be evil, but they're hardly wizards.
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A vital issue that has yet to be addressed here is that loot is not always carried on one's person. For example, a dragon typically carries almost no equipment or other valuables, yet are high CR and, once you find their hoards, worth (possibly literally) tons of money.
No, I'm not just bitter that if you only count what I have on me I'm worth squat in xp.
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I suppose that technically most of us should count our cars, even if we're not in them at the time, because we carry the keys around. I know that if I killed an orc who was carrying the keys to a Honda, I'd count the Honda as loot from the orc.
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Assuming you could find that honda.
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exactly. If I was killed here at work there would be nothing to let hte killer find my car, which is 20 miles away.
However, he would also have access to the office where I work. But I suppose that's more of an adventure lead than actual treasure.
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Its pretty much the same as finding a key to a dungeon room or a chest or something, its only treasure if you find part b.
Unless your Honda key is made out of some sort of precious metal.
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Or has keyless entry so you can just walk around pushing the unlock button.
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Or has keyless entry so you can just walk around pushing the unlock button.
Sounds like a magic item. Should be worth something.
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I wish dungeon keys had keyless entry. So many video games would be so much easier if you could just push a button on a mysterious key and hear a door beep down a cavern somewhere.
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so thats how it worked in tomb raider... wish those ancients had smaller more portable keyless entry though.
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You can't compare a D&D gold piece with our world's economy. Our gold prices are determined by the supply (what is mined, stored, released from mints in various products) and what is demanded (jewelry, various cords/connectors).
If everyone in the world had a small piece of gold (or even easy access to it) it would be very cheap (not worhtless, its still a useful metal).
The problem with D&D economies (other than being static without some good DM work) is that a common laborer (1st level commoner with 4 ranks is one skill, and a +2 modifier) makes 1sp/day. That is all the information given about how to run a whole economy. There is nothing about scaling, inflations, flooded markets, or rare materials.
However, all that being said - the average player (and DM) really gives a crap about real world economic rules and just wants to cash in the 12,345gp worth of gems to get a +2 sword.
=)