"What's weighing me down?" [Archive] - Wizards Community

"What's weighing me down?" [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DragonRg6
03-13-04, 07:37 AM I've met this problem again and again - When the players are carrying masses of gold, where do they put it? My players refuse to admit that it weighs anything at all, even when they are carrying 50,000GP!!!

I've forced them to admit it, but how much can a person realistically carry in their pockets, and in their backpack, besides all the other adventuring gear?
Lhiannon Sidhe
03-13-04, 07:43 AM I think the official rule is 50 coins = 1 lb.

I usually convert my money to gems or other light-weight trade goods whenever we get back into town from an adventure.
ieattrollsforbreakfast
03-13-04, 07:48 AM Its probably a good idea to get them to store some in a bank type place and make sure the owners dont run off with the cash.
Otherwise, they are going to be carrying around 1000lbs of coins, so Lhiannon Sidhe's idea is another good one if they must have it on them.
His Majesty
03-13-04, 07:58 AM Once converted to PPs or gems, it ain't so heavy anymore. A bag of hoding or Heward's Handy Haversack is also helpful.
DragonRg6
03-13-04, 08:19 AM I agree with the 50 coins to the lb idea, and I've seen that before. hmm. I suppose realistically, they can't carry more than say, 500 coins easily, along with their other stuff. I've managed to persuade them to leave it all with the wagon, and only trapse around with the necessary combat gear and survival stuff.
Escef
03-13-04, 08:27 AM You'd be surprised how much coinage can be carried. $5 in pennies is 500 coins. Most peoples' spare change jars hold more than that, and you could easily jam such a thing into a sack or backpack. What it comes down to is how they containerize it. There is a limit to how much weight a burlap sack can hold until it rips apart under the strain.
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger
03-13-04, 10:41 AM Big problem isn't how much coins they have but the weight. By using the 50=1lb rule your PC's are carrying 1,000 pounds and unless they all have 18 str they are probably all encumbered.

Now, a handy haversack can hold up to 120lb's but it only feels like 5lbs which is nice. Then you have a portable Hold which could probably fit it all in or at least most of it reducing the weight a great deal. I belive that the biggest portable hold weighs 60 lbs.

Also without the magic items, two sacks doubled up could probably hold 1/4 the coins and probably not break.

Now if it was me you could when you get too town do these things:

1)Turn the gold into platinum, now you only have 100 pounds which can easily be spread around the party. (For the most part)

2)Turn the gold into expensive gems which will probably put you under 10lb. But bewarned of pickpocketers as the party's whole fortune can be stolen pretty easily since it is condensed.

3)Put it in a bank (if one exisits) or someother trust worth storage area. If you own a keep put it in the vault, etc.

4)Spend it on anything everything, throw a huge party for the town and lose all the money but have a good time. :D
Hizar
03-13-04, 02:21 PM This is a home brewed solution, and has no official stats. It is also generally one of the first things that they find when we first begin adventuring.

Coin Purse of Holding. This small purse is indiscrept and appears to be a normal pouch ment for carrying coins, gems and othe small forms of currency. Stats: You can place an unlimited number of objects ruoghly the size and shape of a coin into this bag, otherwise it acts as a bad of holding. 4 oz, cost 1000 gp.

If you are an evil DM you can also supstitute a bag of deviouring with the same stats as above.

Beyound this the 50 coins = 1 lb rule is your only true option.
Lord Tarran
03-13-04, 02:52 PM I don't even think of gold, my player's spend all their gold as soon as they get it.
Drako
03-14-04, 06:13 AM I dont worry about gold either!!
I use the table on the DMG and so they dont get their hands into a lot of money!
A bank though would be a very good idea!
An another solution is take the money away from them!!(if u think they dont deserve it or they mustnt have it) How? I once played in a campaign where we were all in a cave and on the floor there was a pit,with bars and it was dark in there.When we got close to it and looked inside it was dark and only two red eyes were noticeable. After that a creature(guess who?!) casted darkness and made a breath attack upwards dealing us fire damage.So one of the character's God appeared to him in a vision and told him to throw the EIGHT THOUSAND GOLD PIECES into the pit so as to make him stop. In the end he threw it in and so....th gold was looosst!!!
Funny ah?Ironic i would say.
DragonRg6
03-14-04, 11:49 AM I'd just like to say that $5 in pennies is 500 coins, true, but I'm talking about GOLD PIECES, which generally weigh more and are 1/2 an inch across... Thus they generally take up more space and are heavier.

I've considered letting them have one magic item only for coin transportation, and I probably will... eventually.
clarkcd
03-14-04, 08:24 PM For a not so realistic approach, only worry about treasure when the party is figuring out how to transport it from the dungeon to town. Once it's safe in town, consider it to be converted into lighter forms of currency (platinum, gems, trade bars, bank notes). That way you don't screw your players out of their money but the players still need to figure out a way to get the treasure back to town due to its weight.

Also, 50coins/lb isn't a random idea. It's in the PHB P.112. While you're free to make a coin weigh whatever you wish it has been standardized in weight and size. The size of a coin is in the PHB P.168.
Rellik Laires
03-14-04, 11:21 PM i always run into this problem but thanx to the arms and equipment guid its quites easy to convert gold and pp and sp and junk to how much they wiegh. now every 500 gp should be converted to a 1 pound platinum bar and when im playing a char i always put the bars into empty sacks and me and my party members have agreed that a sack can only carry up to 20 pounds b4 deterorating.but its always good carrying around a cuple coins beacause if u have 25k on ur person in 1lb bars of platinum its gnna look real good breaking that bar just for an ale. lol

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DragonRg6 03-13-04, 07:37 AM	I've met this problem again and again - When the players are carrying masses of gold, where do they put it? My players refuse to admit that it weighs anything at all, even when they are carrying 50,000GP!!! I've forced them to admit it, but how much can a person realistically carry in their pockets, and in their backpack, besides all the other adventuring gear?
Lhiannon Sidhe 03-13-04, 07:43 AM	I think the official rule is 50 coins = 1 lb. I usually convert my money to gems or other light-weight trade goods whenever we get back into town from an adventure.
ieattrollsforbreakfast 03-13-04, 07:48 AM	Its probably a good idea to get them to store some in a bank type place and make sure the owners dont run off with the cash. Otherwise, they are going to be carrying around 1000lbs of coins, so Lhiannon Sidhe's idea is another good one if they must have it on them.
His Majesty 03-13-04, 07:58 AM	Once converted to PPs or gems, it ain't so heavy anymore. A bag of hoding or Heward's Handy Haversack is also helpful.
DragonRg6 03-13-04, 08:19 AM	I agree with the 50 coins to the lb idea, and I've seen that before. hmm. I suppose realistically, they can't carry more than say, 500 coins easily, along with their other stuff. I've managed to persuade them to leave it all with the wagon, and only trapse around with the necessary combat gear and survival stuff.
Escef 03-13-04, 08:27 AM	You'd be surprised how much coinage can be carried. $5 in pennies is 500 coins. Most peoples' spare change jars hold more than that, and you could easily jam such a thing into a sack or backpack. What it comes down to is how they containerize it. There is a limit to how much weight a burlap sack can hold until it rips apart under the strain.
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 03-13-04, 10:41 AM	Big problem isn't how much coins they have but the weight. By using the 50=1lb rule your PC's are carrying 1,000 pounds and unless they all have 18 str they are probably all encumbered. Now, a handy haversack can hold up to 120lb's but it only feels like 5lbs which is nice. Then you have a portable Hold which could probably fit it all in or at least most of it reducing the weight a great deal. I belive that the biggest portable hold weighs 60 lbs. Also without the magic items, two sacks doubled up could probably hold 1/4 the coins and probably not break. Now if it was me you could when you get too town do these things: 1)Turn the gold into platinum, now you only have 100 pounds which can easily be spread around the party. (For the most part) 2)Turn the gold into expensive gems which will probably put you under 10lb. But bewarned of pickpocketers as the party's whole fortune can be stolen pretty easily since it is condensed. 3)Put it in a bank (if one exisits) or someother trust worth storage area. If you own a keep put it in the vault, etc. 4)Spend it on anything everything, throw a huge party for the town and lose all the money but have a good time. :D
Hizar 03-13-04, 02:21 PM	This is a home brewed solution, and has no official stats. It is also generally one of the first things that they find when we first begin adventuring. Coin Purse of Holding. This small purse is indiscrept and appears to be a normal pouch ment for carrying coins, gems and othe small forms of currency. Stats: You can place an unlimited number of objects ruoghly the size and shape of a coin into this bag, otherwise it acts as a bad of holding. 4 oz, cost 1000 gp. If you are an evil DM you can also supstitute a bag of deviouring with the same stats as above. Beyound this the 50 coins = 1 lb rule is your only true option.
Lord Tarran 03-13-04, 02:52 PM	I don't even think of gold, my player's spend all their gold as soon as they get it.
Drako 03-14-04, 06:13 AM	I dont worry about gold either!! I use the table on the DMG and so they dont get their hands into a lot of money! A bank though would be a very good idea! An another solution is take the money away from them!!(if u think they dont deserve it or they mustnt have it) How? I once played in a campaign where we were all in a cave and on the floor there was a pit,with bars and it was dark in there.When we got close to it and looked inside it was dark and only two red eyes were noticeable. After that a creature(guess who?!) casted darkness and made a breath attack upwards dealing us fire damage.So one of the character's God appeared to him in a vision and told him to throw the EIGHT THOUSAND GOLD PIECES into the pit so as to make him stop. In the end he threw it in and so....th gold was looosst!!! Funny ah?Ironic i would say.
DragonRg6 03-14-04, 11:49 AM	I'd just like to say that $5 in pennies is 500 coins, true, but I'm talking about GOLD PIECES, which generally weigh more and are 1/2 an inch across... Thus they generally take up more space and are heavier. I've considered letting them have one magic item only for coin transportation, and I probably will... eventually.
clarkcd 03-14-04, 08:24 PM	For a not so realistic approach, only worry about treasure when the party is figuring out how to transport it from the dungeon to town. Once it's safe in town, consider it to be converted into lighter forms of currency (platinum, gems, trade bars, bank notes). That way you don't screw your players out of their money but the players still need to figure out a way to get the treasure back to town due to its weight. Also, 50coins/lb isn't a random idea. It's in the PHB P.112. While you're free to make a coin weigh whatever you wish it has been standardized in weight and size. The size of a coin is in the PHB P.168.
Rellik Laires 03-14-04, 11:21 PM	i always run into this problem but thanx to the arms and equipment guid its quites easy to convert gold and pp and sp and junk to how much they wiegh. now every 500 gp should be converted to a 1 pound platinum bar and when im playing a char i always put the bars into empty sacks and me and my party members have agreed that a sack can only carry up to 20 pounds b4 deterorating.but its always good carrying around a cuple coins beacause if u have 25k on ur person in 1lb bars of platinum its gnna look real good breaking that bar just for an ale. lol