Spending Gold

There are many motivations for beginning an adventuring career. Fame, glory, a dark and twisted backstory, to name a few. There are also those who are in it for the money. Even if payment is not an adventurer’s primary goal, it can be an extremely lucrative way of life. Now the question is, what are you going to do with all that extra coin?

The following sections provide three distinct ways to spend gold: shopping for material items, seeking out NPC services, and donating funds for city projects or factions an adventurer may be involved with.

Downtime or Shopping Sequence?

The biggest decision a Narrator needs to make is whether gold will be spent during a session or during downtime. Both options have advantages and drawbacks, and ultimately it comes down to the Narrator’s preference and the tone of the campaign. In episodic campaigns where there’s a clear beginning and end to a quest before the story returns to a sort of status quo between adventures, Narrators may decide that coin will be spent between adventures. This might be over a conversation immediately at the end of a session or between games by reaching out between sessions instead. For more on downtime see Between Adventures .

In a more cinematic campaign where the emphasis is more on character development and story progression, downtime might be rare. In this case, it may be best to run a scene for adventurers that wish to spend their coin in town.

In either case it is imperative that the players know what the standard is for spending their coin. Discussing this in session zero, when the Narrator starts to see how the campaign is coming together, is a good time to get everyone on the same page. More information on session zero see Safety Tools .

Shopping

When you have a heavy purse and want to lighten the load your first instinct will likely be to hit the shops. Just what kind of suppliers and the breadth of their selection will depend on the size of the settlement.

There are three primary types of establishments where an adventurer may purchase goods: adventuring outfitters, magic item suppliers, and smithies.

Adventuring Outfitters

In every village, town, or city you are bound to find a storefront claiming to be your number one source for adventuring gear. While in smaller settlements these may be simple general stores with a limited stock, in larger settlements you are likely to find one or more well stocked adventuring outfitters.

You can find a detailed list of adventuring gear elsewhere in Chapter 4: Equipment .

Magic Item Suppliers

At a certain point in an adventurer’s career they might find challenges that seem insurmountable without the aid of magic. Magic items are typically found as loot in complex dungeons or are given as rewards for completing dangerous quests. If you are in a large city or metropolis—or you find yourself in a world where magic is the norm—you may just be able to go shopping for magic items.

Most magic item shops have a limited supply of uncommon and common magic items of significant power. Utility magic items are far more common in shops such as these. You can use the Magic Items For Sale table to give you an idea of the typical stock of magic item suppliers, and find more magic items and their prices in Chapter 13: Enchanted Gear .

Magic item suppliers are also useful locations narratively, as they may be frequented by notable adventurers, politicians, healers, and villains. Additionally, these shops sometimes have spellcasters on their staff that can perform spellcasting services for a fee as described in the next section.

Table: Magic Items For Sale

Bag of holding 500 gp

Bracers of archery 500 gp

Cloak of protection 500 gp

Eversmoking bottle 250 gp

Eyes of the eagle 250 gp

Gem of brightness 900 gp

Goggles of night 500 gp

Helm of comprehending languages 250 gp

Basic healing potion 50 gp

Greater healing potion 150 gp

Superior healing potion 550 gp

Spell scroll (cantrip) 10 gp

Smithies

Smithies are found in more developed settlements of at least a few dozen people, with more and more experienced smiths living in more highly populated areas. Here, adventurers can purchase any simple weapons. At the Narrator’s discretion you might find martial weapons and regionally specific weapons when applicable. Smithies also have a selection of medium and heavy armors. Light armor can be found at a leatherworker's shop.

Smithies can also take custom orders. See the pricing guide for crafting items below for more details.

NPC Services

There comes a point in every adventuring party’s life cycle where there is not enough time or resources to do everything on their own. Thanks to kind Narrators, this time is usually when said adventurers have become flush with coin. You know what they say: “If you can’t afford the time to do it, at least you can afford to pay someone else.”

Listed below are descriptions of various services NPCs can provide throughout your adventures as well as their associated fees.

Ordering Crafted Items

Adventurers can be a picky sort and sometimes it is harder to find the exact item they need on the rack of a smithy or the shelf of a magic item supplier. When this happens crafting the desired items from scratch is the solution—and why craft something yourself if you have the money to pay an expert?

To determine the cost of having an item crafted, you must add the cost of materials and the crafter’s fee to the standard price for the item, although when rare materials are involved you may have to provide them instead of just pay for them. At the Narrator’s discretion the crafter’s fee may vary slightly based upon the crafter’s experience, settlement population, or some other variable. Refer to the Crafting Prices table to find the standard prices for crafter’s and material’s fees. Use the storefront column to determine what kind of storefront said crafter is usually found in.

For more on the item crafting process refer to Between Adventures .

Table: Crafting Prices

Item Type	Crafter’s Fee	Storefront
Common or uncommon potion	5%	Apothecary, magic item supplier
Rare potion	10%	Apothecary, magic item supplier
Wondrous item	10%	Magic item supplier
Ammunition	5%	Smithy
Simple weapon	5%	Smithy
Martial weapon	10%	Smithy
Light armor	5%	Leatherworker
Medium armor	5%	Smithy
Heavy armor	10%	Smithy

Enchanting Gear

You can also pay someone to enchant your weapons, armor, clothing, or jewelry. The price for an enchanted item such as this is the combined total of the crafter’s fee for a wondrous item and the cost of the mundane item without enchantment.

Additionally, for a fee of a third of a magic item’s cost, you can have an enchanter transfer the enchantment from one magic item to a mundane item.

Spellcasting

The further you adventure the more you’ll need certain spells cast—but you may not yet be powerful enough to cast them. The first time this is likely to come up is after the untimely death of a party member. When this happens, to return them to life allies must seek out a spellcaster of some renown to hire for the task.

Powerful mages who advertise their services are only likely to be found in a magical metropolis.

Refer to the Spellcasting Services table for a list of commonly performed spells and associated prices.

Table: Spellcasting Services

Spell	Material Fee	Casting Fee	Class
Arcane lock	25 gp	50 gp	Wizard
Augury	25 gp	50 gp	Cleric
Awaken	1,000 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, druid
Clone	3,000 gp	1,500 gp	Wizard
Contingency	1,500 gp	1,000 gp	Wizard
Divination	25 gp	200 gp	Cleric
Forbiddance	1,000 gp	2,000 gp	Cleric
Foresight	—	2,000 gp	Bard, druid, warlock, wizard
Gate	5,000 gp	2,000 gp	Cleric, sorcerer, wizard
Greater restoration	100 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, cleric, druid
Guards and wards	10 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, wizard
Identify	100 gp	200 gp	Bard, wizard
Imprisonment	500 gp+	2,000 gp	Warlock, wizard
Instant summons	1,000 gp	1,000 gp	Wizard
Legend lore	450 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, cleric, wizard
Programmed illusion	25 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, wizard
Raise dead	500 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, cleric, herald
Regenerate	—	1,000 gp	Bard, cleric, druid
Reincarnate	1,000 gp	1,000 gp	Druid
Remove curse	—	500 gp	Cleric, herald, warlock, wizard
Resurrection	2,500 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, cleric
Scrying	1,000 gp	1,000 gp	Bard, cleric, druid, warlock, wizard
Seeming	—	500 gp	Bard, sorcerer, wizard
Sequester	5,000 gp	1,000 gp	Wizard
Speak with dead	—	300 gp	Bard, cleric
True resurrection	25,000 gp	5,000 gp	Cleric, druid

Renting a Demiplane

Occasionally you might find an eccentric wizard advertising the rental of a demiplane. These pocket dimensions are incredibly customizable and highly sought after.

Most starting rates for such spaces are 1,200 gold a tenday or 3,000 gold a month. However it may not be all it is cracked up to be—you’ll be hard pressed to find a wizard who is a reasonable landlord or obeys rent-control laws.

Donations

For one reason or another an adventurer may be moved to donate to charity or invest to the betterment of a settlement. There are boons and rewards available to sponsoring a city project or helping develop a charitable organization. In order to benefit from a donation, you must contribute at least 1,000 gold.

Infrastructure Rewards

Stone Bridge (1,500 gold)

Donating the money for the bridge gives you the privilege of naming it. If it is a toll bridge, you never have to pay toll at this bridge or any other toll collector in the settlement. Additionally, you gain advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with common citizens of the settlement.

Improved Sewer System (4,000 gold)

When you donate money for a new or improved sewer system you gain exclusive access to the sewer blueprints, and you can order secret tunnels to be made between the sewers and any 3 buildings in the city of your choosing. Additionally, for an extra 3,000 gold, a small underground facility can be built inside the sewers. This facility does not count towards the other 3 buildings that have tunnel access.

City Buildings (2,500 gold)

When you fund the building of a city institution, such as a town hall or police facility, you never have to make an appointment to see a city official. Additionally, you gain advantage on Insight and Intimidation checks when interacting with city officials.

Philanthropic Rewards

Public Library (3,000 gold)

When you fund the building of a public library you gain advantage on Investigation checks made to research using the library so long as relevant information can be found there. Additionally, you may ask the scholar in residence to perform a research project over the course of one week on a specific topic. How useful the information provided after this research is complete is left to the Narrator’s discretion.

Hospital (4,000 gold)

When you contribute to the building of a hospital you gain free treatment by the medical staff. Medical staff immediately work to stabilize any dying character, regardless of whether they donated to the hospital. Common diseases can be treated in a week’s time. Treatment of rarer diseases and ailments are left to the Narrator’s discretion, and hospitals cannot treat magical ailments.

Orphanage (2,500 gold)

Characters who contribute to the building of an orphanage gain the trust of the youngsters of the street. You have advantage on Charisma checks made against orphans from this settlement. Additionally, at the Narrator’s discretion the staff of the orphanage are willing to provide useful information to you. Such information could include local gangs recruiting orphans or the identity of an orphan’s parents.

School (3,000 gold)

If a school is built there is a higher chance of literacy amongst children, teenagers, and young adults in the town. Additionally, characters can recruit recent graduates of the settlement’s school as hirelings.

Community Botanical Garden (3,000 gold)

A community garden gives the settlement access to plants used for medicinal and magical purposes—as well as good old-fashioned cooking. After you build a botanical garden you have access to herbs and plants required for spell components, the brewing of potions, and the crafting of magical items. Additionally, you receive a 10% discount on all potions and food sold in this settlement.

Animal Sanctuary (10,000 gold)

An animal sanctuary is a great investment for any adventuring party, especially rangers and druids. Animal sanctuaries provide a location to learn about more animals that you may not interact with every day. These institutions sell their creatures only to those they know who will care for them, and when you invest in the building of such a property you receive a 50% discount on the animals found there.

Pets

While most pets are likely to be acquired over the course of an adventure there is always the possibility of finding places with animals and magical beasts for sale. Use the price guide below for finding your party’s new furry (or scaly) friend.

Table: Common Pets

Bat 5 gp

Boar 5 gp

Camel 50 gp

Cat 5 sp

Crab 5 gp

Draft horse 50 gp

Eagle 50 gp

Frog 2 gp

Goat 3 gp

Hawk 25 gp

Lizard 1 gp

Mastiff 25 gp

Mule 8 gp

Owl 10 gp

Pony 30 gp

Rat 1 sp

Raven 30 gp

Riding horse 75 gp

Scorpion 1 gp

Spider 1 gp

Weasel 2 gp

Table: Uncommon Pets

Pet Price

Axe beak 75 gp

Black bear 250 gp

Brown bear 300 gp

Constrictor snake 75 gp

Crocodile 50 gp

Elephant 200 gp

Flying snake 150 gp

Giant bat 50 gp

Giant boar 200 gp

Giant crab 50 gp

Giant crocodile 300 gp

Giant eagle 200 gp

Giant frog 25 gp

Giant goat 75 gp

Giant lizard 30 gp

Giant owl 50 gp

Giant rat 25 gp

Giant scorpion 400 gp

Giant spider 300 gp

Giant toad 150 gp

Giant weasel 30 gp

Lion 300 gp

Owlbear 500 gp

Panther 100 gp

Tiger 300 gp

Warhorse 400 gp

Wolf 50 gp

Table: Rare Pets

Pet Price

Blink dog 2,500 gp

Cockatrice 1,000 gp

Griffon 10,000 gp

Hippogriff 7,000 gp

Mammoth 40,000 gp

Pegasus 25,000 gp

Pseudodragon 6,000 gp

Triceratops 30,000 gp

Tyrannosaurus rex 65,000 gp

Unicorn 15,000 gp

Eggs

There are some creatures that are easier to train from birth and some that must be trained from birth, such as dragons. Refer to this list of egg pricing when you are looking to raise dragons and similarly difficult to domesticate creatures. Note that none of these creatures can be acquired in a common market and are almost always handled by auctioneers and auction houses, or the occasional private collector of eccentricities.

Table: Egg Prices

Black dragon 25,000 gp

Blue dragon 35,000 gp

Brass dragon 10,000 gp

Bronze dragon 20,000 gp

Copper dragon 10,000 gp

Couatl 20,000 gp

Gold dragon 30,000 gp

Griffon 3,000 gp

Green dragon 25,000 gp

Hippogriff 2,000 gp

Pseudodragon 5,000 gp