Arms and Equipment Guide Edible Item Costs [Archive] - Wizards Community

Arms and Equipment Guide Edible Item Costs [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
FJ
03-09-05, 06:04 AM I am starting up a new campaign so I thought I would flesh out a few trading rules. Picked up the Arms and Equipment Guide went to page 31 and started looking at the various edible items. When I hit the flours I immediately thought something was wrong. Wheat flour comes in at 3 gp per pound.

I looked up a loaf of bread in the PHB on page 129, it costs 2 cp for a 1/2 lb loaf. Now to make a loaf this size would take a little under a 1/2 lb of flour. If I use the Arms and Equipment Guide prices that would cost me around 15 sp and that's without labor costs :confused:.

I then remembered about the trade goods in the PHB. And there it was on page 112, one pound of flour costs 2 cp, so to make a loaf of bread it would cost around 1 cp for the flour, this makes sense.

Is there something I am overlooking here or is the Arms and Equipment Guide just plainly wrong? I expect it's the later which means I am going to have to do some research and come up with my own prices for all the items :weep:.
Hot Rod
03-09-05, 07:24 AM It's become a standing joke at our tabel that "It better have figs in it!" is a standard protest against outrageous food prices. Figs are 7gp per oz. in the AEG. Rice? 5gp/lb! (these are supposedly temperate climate prices, most of these should be growable locally)

Reminds me of the webcomic where the town's lookout yells that an adventuring party is approaching, and everyone puts their prices up by about x10.
Rock_Slice
03-09-05, 07:42 AM I agree that either the prices are wrong, or that they're not explained enough.

One thing you have overlooked is that you're assuming that the loaf is a wheat loaf. But yes, wheat is the cheapest grain.

Going from the "corns," (unground), to ground, we get:
Barley: 1gp -> 2gp (x2) (+1gp)
Buckwheat: 5sp -> 1gp (x2) (+5sp)
Rye: 7sp -> 15sp (x2) (+8sp)
Wheat: 1cp -> 3gp? (x300?)

Assuming that the trend (x2) is correct, the cost of wheat flour should be 2cp, which equals the value in the PHB on p112.

As for the cost of rice, D&D is (i think) built around medieval Europe, so rice would be fairly exotic and expensive. If you're running an oriental campaign setting, many food items would be differently priced.
otomik
03-09-05, 11:36 AM As for the cost of rice, D&D is (i think) built around medieval Europe, so rice would be fairly exotic and expensive. If you're running an oriental campaign setting, many food items would be differently priced.if you assume that then Tobacco's 5sp/lb price needs to be explained (Tobacco from Maztica). Of course elminster has had that pipe for a long time so that line of thinking doesn't exactly work either.

3gp though, that's crazy, maybe thats in a region where carbs are evil and they just eat pigs instead (1 pig = 3gp).
Rock_Slice
03-09-05, 01:35 PM maybe a better term would be "loosely based" on medieval Europe. The tobacco is probably due to the tobacco that features in the Lord of The Ring series, which gave a lot of inspiration to the entire Fantasy RPG realm.

As to the "crazy" price of rice in a world loosely based on medieval europe, remember to factor in the cost of shipping (a journey of several months each way across dangerous oceans). Added to the length of shipping, if rice gets wet, it's ruined, and the combination of a cargo hold of rice and a leak can be devastating to the ship.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
FJ 03-09-05, 06:04 AM	I am starting up a new campaign so I thought I would flesh out a few trading rules. Picked up the Arms and Equipment Guide went to page 31 and started looking at the various edible items. When I hit the flours I immediately thought something was wrong. Wheat flour comes in at 3 gp per pound. I looked up a loaf of bread in the PHB on page 129, it costs 2 cp for a 1/2 lb loaf. Now to make a loaf this size would take a little under a 1/2 lb of flour. If I use the Arms and Equipment Guide prices that would cost me around 15 sp and that's without labor costs :confused:. I then remembered about the trade goods in the PHB. And there it was on page 112, one pound of flour costs 2 cp, so to make a loaf of bread it would cost around 1 cp for the flour, this makes sense. Is there something I am overlooking here or is the Arms and Equipment Guide just plainly wrong? I expect it's the later which means I am going to have to do some research and come up with my own prices for all the items :weep:.
Hot Rod 03-09-05, 07:24 AM	It's become a standing joke at our tabel that "It better have figs in it!" is a standard protest against outrageous food prices. Figs are 7gp per oz. in the AEG. Rice? 5gp/lb! (these are supposedly temperate climate prices, most of these should be growable locally) Reminds me of the webcomic where the town's lookout yells that an adventuring party is approaching, and everyone puts their prices up by about x10.
Rock_Slice 03-09-05, 07:42 AM	I agree that either the prices are wrong, or that they're not explained enough. One thing you have overlooked is that you're assuming that the loaf is a wheat loaf. But yes, wheat is the cheapest grain. Going from the "corns," (unground), to ground, we get: Barley: 1gp -> 2gp (x2) (+1gp) Buckwheat: 5sp -> 1gp (x2) (+5sp) Rye: 7sp -> 15sp (x2) (+8sp) Wheat: 1cp -> 3gp? (x300?) Assuming that the trend (x2) is correct, the cost of wheat flour should be 2cp, which equals the value in the PHB on p112. As for the cost of rice, D&D is (i think) built around medieval Europe, so rice would be fairly exotic and expensive. If you're running an oriental campaign setting, many food items would be differently priced.
otomik 03-09-05, 11:36 AM	As for the cost of rice, D&D is (i think) built around medieval Europe, so rice would be fairly exotic and expensive. If you're running an oriental campaign setting, many food items would be differently priced.if you assume that then Tobacco's 5sp/lb price needs to be explained (Tobacco from Maztica). Of course elminster has had that pipe for a long time so that line of thinking doesn't exactly work either. 3gp though, that's crazy, maybe thats in a region where carbs are evil and they just eat pigs instead (1 pig = 3gp).
Rock_Slice 03-09-05, 01:35 PM	maybe a better term would be "loosely based" on medieval Europe. The tobacco is probably due to the tobacco that features in the Lord of The Ring series, which gave a lot of inspiration to the entire Fantasy RPG realm. As to the "crazy" price of rice in a world loosely based on medieval europe, remember to factor in the cost of shipping (a journey of several months each way across dangerous oceans). Added to the length of shipping, if rice gets wet, it's ruined, and the combination of a cargo hold of rice and a leak can be devastating to the ship.