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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
515 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 03:05:11
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Do you use money changers in your realms campaign?
If so how? Is there a money changer in every city, town and village? Where do you draw the regional lines? Will the Dalelands take Cormyrian coins? Will normal merchants not take them at all or will they severely discount them where money changers will only take a small cut?
If anyone has actual Realms lore behind this that would be great too.
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The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31726 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 03:43:21
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There are money-changers in official Reamslore.
Ed's noted a rather integrated "bank" and "moneychanging" system at work in Delzimmer. See his Elminster Speaks articles at WotC. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 16:20:37
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| While the nations in my world have different currencies, I have not implemented any exchange rates. I had thought of doing it, and I would eventually like to do it, but I think trying to figure out different exchange rates would be very time consuming. At this period in time I just require my players to exchange their money to the appropriate currency and I charge them a fee for it. |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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wintermute27
Learned Scribe
USA
179 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 18:38:19
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Forgotten Realms Adventures has some great information of the differences in coinage used in the realms (p.129-130). It wouldn't take much to extrapolate a standard system of exchange based on the coin descriptions. In my upcoming campaign set in Cormyr, I'll be basing my exchange rates on a Cormyrean Lion standard weight. When they go to exchange their gold, out come the scales.
When I've given my players coins minted in different countries in the past, I like to have the merchants give them a hard time with supposed "shaved" coins, different coin weights and so on. In general though, I usually have merchants accept any currency as long as it comes from a reputable country or trade organization. |
My Current Campaign: The Adventures of the Stonelanders |
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 25 Nov 2009 : 04:01:48
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How I do it is just take a flat 15-25% cut of the gold unless the person is a merchant or has the appraise skill then I only take 5-15% depending on their roll. If they have diplomacy or gather information they can reduce it even further, but it would take them the whole day. If they have someone in the party that is familiar with where they are exchanging in the city I lower the DCs to reflect familiarity with the locals. Sometimes the group has time sometimes they don't, but I usually just encourage the party to carry gems which value can be exchanged for currency without worrying about money changers. Most of my characters don't even carry gold after they start leaving a specific region and just carry 50 gold piece gems to skip the banks entirely. And a trader certainly will take a gem for currency, which allows them to also skip those pesky money changers as well.
But you better know how much it is worth and always have to worry about them cheating you on how the gem is really worth. Though I'm sure there is probably the occassional random merchant that will deal on the level with you. Not every one of them is from Sembia I'm sure!
But that is how I go around it in my campaign. For regions that aren't solidified into one country and just a scatter of city-states gold is just accepted at face value. |
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Darkheyr
Learned Scribe
264 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2009 : 14:54:23
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| I usually just handwaive that. Most of the groups I've DMed or played with actually travel around a lot, and keeping track of where you acquired how many coins is just too much of a hassle. Some exceptions remain, for example ancient coins found in some ruins which were minted in old Delzoun or similar - those might actually be more worth to some historian. |
silm.pw - A Neverwinter Nights Persistent World |
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Razz
Senior Scribe
USA
749 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2009 : 00:39:54
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Depends on the region or city-state or wherever. On average, I believe a money-changer charges a 10% fee. So if you exchange the currency of 1000gp to 100pp, you'll get 90pp in return. Probably the same when exchanging currencies, too.
This is why PCs who travel to different nations a lot tend to simply resort to bartering (my masterwork full plate plus a few hundred gp for that there mithral chain shirt), trade bars (though I think the worth of a tradebar in weight may be different in a few nations), and gems (sketchy due to appraisals, but gems are more reliable in the end). |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2009 : 00:58:25
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| Another thing you can consider, instead of making the players go and exchange their gold at a money exchanger and keep track of different currencies, you can just handle all that at the store level. "Oh? You want some plate mail? Well normally I charge 100gp, but because you only have some foreign coin, I'll have to charge you 110gp." |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Darkheyr
Learned Scribe
264 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2009 : 11:31:58
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| Thats assuming you know they only have foreign coin, however - which again, requires tracking. |
silm.pw - A Neverwinter Nights Persistent World |
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Sandro
Learned Scribe
New Zealand
266 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2009 : 19:36:40
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There's a piece in the 3e FRCS about what money is accepted where -- as I recall, it basically says "Gold coins are fairly standard in size, and should be accepted anywhere, providing they're not damaged, etc." It then goes on to describe some region-specific coinages, and what they're worth in that region and elsewhere.
I'll read through it again in a bit and see if I got anything wrong. |
"Gods, little fishes, and spells to turn the one to the other," Mordenkainen sighed. "It's started already..." |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 22 Dec 2009 : 07:37:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
What if different regions use different metals for coins? For example, the major drow region in my world uses octagonal adamantine coins called orbben(spiders)that are worth about two GP there, but only one elsewhere. How do you work out exchange rates for the materials?
Well... It depends.
There's no hard and fast rule. If you have access to the old Forgotten Realms Adventures hardcover, there are some examples of non-standard coins, usually issued by one nation or the other, listing the value in the issuing nation, and the value elsewhere.
Exchange rate would depend on a number of factors, in my view. The first would be how widely the "non-standard" coin would be accepted in the area where you are trying to exchange it. A drow coin, like you describe, would probably not be widely accepted for a number of reasons. First, it's drow - trying to use them might make a lot of people think that you are an associate of the drow ("Yer coin is not accepted 'ere, and me thinks ye should be going, demon-kisser"). Second, the overwhelming majority of the population may never have heard of adamantine (it's hardly something that's part of everyday life in the villages and most of the cities across the realm), and may not even recognize it as having any value. ("So you say this is worth two gold pieces, then? Wait here for a breath, good sir, I have this blackened kettle that should be worth a king's ransom then.")
If you manage to find a money-changer or a merchant that will accept the non-standard coin, I would try and calculate the value of the material itself, and use that as a baseline. In your example, the gold value of the measure of adamantine that the coin is made of. Depending on the exchanger's intention, he might then reduce the "exchange value" or increase it. Oh, and this is before he inflicts his "fee" on the adventurers.
For example, if the intent was to sell the adamantine for raw material, he'd probably reduce the exchange rate, since it is raw material, needs to be worked, etc. (As a sidenote - I do not have my reference materials with me at the moment, but from memory I seem to remember that adamantine is worth far more than two times the value in gold; by one ancient netbook (dated 2000 or so) that I still use, adamantine is worth 500 times its weight in gold.)
If the money changer thinks he can re-sell it as coin, then he might be willing (though not voluntarily so, of course) to increase the rate. For example, a Waterdeep moneychanger with contacts in Skullport might know someone who could use the adamantine coins in transactions with the drow, and would therefore be willing to pay top dollar for it. |
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bladeinAmn
Learned Scribe
199 Posts |
Posted - 23 Dec 2009 : 20:16:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Gelcur
(1)Do you use money changers in your realms campaign?
(2a)If so how? (2b)Is there a money changer in every city, town and village? Where do you draw the regional lines? (3)Will the Dalelands take Cormyrian coins? Will normal merchants not take them at all or will they severely discount them where money changers will only take a small cut?
If anyone has actual Realms lore behind this that would be great too.
(1) Yes.
(2a) If I'm familiar w/the land the campaign is in via a sourcebook I've read or have in my possession, then I'll use the currency system there. For example, I'm familiar w/Amn due to my familiarity w/the Baldur's Gate for PC series and Lands of Intrigue 2e sourcebook, so I'll use the currency system on pg. 13 of book II for it.
If I'm not familiar w/the land the campaign is in, I juss use typical FR campaign currency, w/copper peices, silver peices, gold peices, platinum peices, and gems being the ascending currency.
(2b) I would have a money-changer at every border town (ie-Murann, which borders the west of Amn w/waterways going north, south, and west, and Nashkel, which is a small town, but travels northward to Baldur's Gate, unto Waterdeep, and eastwards to the Sunset Vale, unto Cormyr), and every major economically powerful city which is considered economically inland, not on the border of a country (ie-Esmelteran in Amn, and Arabel in Cormyr).
If I was to set up a legit moneychanger in an economically inland village, then I'd most likely roleplay that its someone whose primary business is something other than moneychanging (unlike those in big cities and bordertowns), and uses the moneychanging business as a means to his/her primary business (ie-a financially wise wizard in Keczulla who has tradebars worth of Sunset Vale coinage, to trade at a discount price w/exceedingly cunning, competent, brave adventurers goin up to Iriaebor through the Snakewood, eventually en route to Sshamath, to procure Underdark spell components for the wizard!).
(3) I don't see why not. I haven't fully read sourcebooks on those lands, but I don't see why the Dalelands would be significantly lower than Cormyr on the economic scale wherein those neighboring currencies can't be traded fairly on a regular basis. I'm sure Ed and others here have more lore than I do on that, of course.
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
What if different regions use different metals for coins? For example, the major drow region in my world uses octagonal adamantine coins called orbben(spiders)that are worth about two GP there, but only one elsewhere. How do you work out exchange rates for the materials?
I figure bartering would be the answer when trading in drow-surface neutral trading posts like Skullport under Waterdeep, or more apporpriately, the drow city Sshamath (eg-"Hey drow merchant! My soul gem storing the spirit and mind of a powerful orc mage/orator, fully at your command for 5hrs/day, in exchange for 15 star sapphire gems + other spell components, that I may store more souls of my slain foes! Go on, try it for yourself, and see if its a fair trade! He's constantly tortured, be it in or out of the soul gem, so he'll always do as you bid w/all he got!").
I reckon that's how most drow trading w/surfacers in Sshamath would be done, given the uselessness of drow coins to the commoner merchants of the surface. |
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woodwwad
Learned Scribe
USA
267 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2009 : 19:39:58
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quote:
Originally posted by wintermute27
Forgotten Realms Adventures has some great information of the differences in coinage used in the realms (p.129-130). It wouldn't take much to extrapolate a standard system of exchange based on the coin descriptions. In my upcoming campaign set in Cormyr, I'll be basing my exchange rates on a Cormyrean Lion standard weight. When they go to exchange their gold, out come the scales.
When I've given my players coins minted in different countries in the past, I like to have the merchants give them a hard time with supposed "shaved" coins, different coin weights and so on. In general though, I usually have merchants accept any currency as long as it comes from a reputable country or trade organization.
thanks for the mention of the pages in the adventure book, I have that book. As it's 2nd ed I havn't looked at it in a while. I really like to mention where the coins are minted that my pcs find and year span they've found. If the coin is from Thay which Zulkir is on it. The undead hunter in my game was most unhappy to find coins were minted in Thay with a Lich on the front. He actually bought them all from the pc from Thay and burried them on the moonsea ride. I really like the names for different coins too, and the odd money like waterdeep trade notes. I'm big on using different rats for that sort of thing outside the waterdeep area for example.
Also, anyone else work gems like this example. Stag Hapson finds a diamond after a battle with Gargoyles, he gets Imara Rowan to appraise it. She finds the gems is worth close to 100gp. Stag takes the gem to the merchant, of course he knows enough to wait until he's in a minneral poor area and does not try to sell it in say Zhental Keep, and the merchant agrees it is worth 105 gp, he however has a shop, employees, guards, vaults and may have to sit on that gem for months before it sells. This being said, he's not willing to pay close to 105gp for it, he's looking to get into the gem for 20gp but with a good diplomacy role from Stag, he's willing to go 42gp on it. Stag takes the money and ends up giving all other gems he finds to the temple of tempus as donations. Anyone else do this with gems? |
Check out my reviews on youtube of Forgotten Realms and other rpg products. http://www.youtube.com/user/woodwwad?feature=mhum |
Edited by - woodwwad on 28 Dec 2009 19:46:33 |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2009 : 22:59:00
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I do that will all pieces of treasure; gems, artwork, statues, tapestries, what have you. The value listed in the DMG is just a MSRP so to speak. If they wanted to buy a gem or a piece of art, the listed value is close to what price they will have to pay. Of course depending on where they are and whether they have schmoozed the merchant, they may get it for more or less then that value.
But when they are trying to sell a piece of treasure to a merchant, no merchant is going to pay anything close to that MSRP listed in the DMG. If the group is lucky, they may get something close to 50% of that value.
Of course not every appraisal may be accurate. It could be they have the Hope diamond and some bad gem appraiser tells them it's worth 100gp, instead of the 10000gp it really is worth. It could be an honest mistake of the appraiser, or it may be that the appraiser is trying to pull a fast one on the player.
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Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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woodwwad
Learned Scribe
USA
267 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2009 : 01:33:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Fizilbert
I do that will all pieces of treasure; gems, artwork, statues, tapestries, what have you.
yeah, I do the same with that stuff. I don't run a hack 'n' slash game, so there isn't too much combat. Sometime there is more than one session between combats, so the treasure is a little lighter in my game than the hack 'n' slash style where you'd kill and loot a lot of monsters. I think if you add interesting pieces of art to groups of treasure, it can add a lot of interest to the game. I always design any treasure ahead of time. |
Check out my reviews on youtube of Forgotten Realms and other rpg products. http://www.youtube.com/user/woodwwad?feature=mhum |
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Money Changers
