Wealth And Money
| Class | Starting Wealth | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | 3d6 × 10 gp | 105 gp |
| Bard | 3d6 × 10 gp | 105 gp |
| Cleric | 4d6 × 10 gp | 140 gp |
| Druid | 2d6 × 10 gp | 70 gp |
| Fighter | 5d6 x 10 gp | 175 gp |
| Monk | 1d6 × 10 gp | 35 gp |
| Paladin | 5d6 × 10 gp | 175 gp |
| Ranger | 5d6 × 10 gp | 175 gp |
| Rogue | 4d6 × 10 gp | 140 gp |
| Sorcerer | 2d6 × 10 gp | 70 gp |
| Wizard | 2d6 × 10 gp | 70 gp |
Each character begins play with a number of gold pieces that he can spend on weapons, armor, and other equipment. As a character adventures, he accumulates more wealth that can be spent on better gear and magic items. Table: Starting Character Wealth lists the starting gold piece values by class. In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less. For characters above 1st level, see Table: Character Wealth by Level.
Coins
| Exchange Value | cp | sp | gp | pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper piece (cp) | 1 | 1/10 | 1/100 | 1/1,000 |
| Silver piece (sp) | 10 | 1 | 1/10 | 1/100 |
| Gold piece (gp) | 100 | 10 | 1 | 1/10 |
| Platinum piece (pp) | 1,000 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
The most common coin is the gold piece (gp). A gold piece is worth 10 silver pieces (sp). Each silver piece is worth 10 copper pieces (cp). In addition to copper, silver, and gold coins, there are also platinum pieces (pp), which are each worth 10 gp.
The standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce (50 to the pound).
Other Wealth
| Cost | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 cp | One pound of wheat |
| 2 cp | One pound of flour, or one chicken |
| 1 sp | One pound of iron |
| 5 sp | One pound of tobacco or copper |
| 1 gp | One pound of cinnamon, or one goat |
| 2 gp | One pound of ginger or pepper, or one sheep |
| 3 gp | One pig |
| 4 gp | One square yard of linen |
| 5 gp | One pound of salt or silver |
| 10 gp | One square yard of silk, or one cow |
| 15 gp | One pound of saffron or cloves, or one ox |
| 50 gp | One pound of gold |
| 500 gp | One pound of platinum |
Merchants commonly exchange trade goods without using currency. As a means of comparison, some trade goods are detailed on Table: Trade Goods.
Selling Treasure
In general, a character can sell something for half its listed price, including weapons, armor, gear, and magic items. This also includes character-created items.
Trade goods are the exception to the half-price rule. A trade good, in this sense, is a valuable good that can be easily exchanged almost as if it were cash itself.
Spellcasting and Services
| Service | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Coach cab | 3 cp per mile | |
| Hireling, trained | 3 sp per day | |
| Hireling, untrained | 1 sp per day | |
| Messenger | 2 cp per mile | |
| Road or gate toll | 1 cp | |
| Ship's passage | 1 sp per mile | |
| Spellcasting | Caster level × spell level × 10 gp3 | |
| 3 See spell description for additional costs. If the additional costs put the spell's total cost above 3,000 gp, that spell is not generally available. Use a spell level of ½ for 0-level spells to calculate the cost. | ||
Spellcasting: The indicated amount is how much it costs to get a spellcaster to cast a spell for you. This cost assumes that you can go to the spellcaster and have the spell cast at his convenience (generally at least 24 hours later, so that the spellcaster has time to prepare the spell in question). If you want to bring the spellcaster somewhere to cast a spell you need to negotiate with him, and the default answer is no.
The cost given is for any spell that does not require a costly material component. If the spell includes a material component, add the cost of that component to the cost of the spell. If the spell has a focus component (other than a divine focus), add 1/10 the cost of that focus to the cost of the spell.
Furthermore, if a spell has dangerous consequences, the spellcaster will certainly require proof that you can and will pay for dealing with any such consequences (that is, assuming that the spellcaster even agrees to cast such a spell, which isn't certain). In the case of spells that transport the caster and characters over a distance, you will likely have to pay for two castings of the spell, even if you aren't returning with the caster.
In addition, not every town or village has a spellcaster of sufficient level to cast any spell. In general, you must travel to a small town (or larger settlement) to be reasonably assured of finding a spellcaster capable of casting 1st-level spells, a large town for 2nd-level spells, a small city for 3rd- or 4th-level spells, a large city for 5th- or 6th-level spells, and a metropolis for 7th- or 8th-level spells. Even a metropolis isn't guaranteed to have a local spellcaster able to cast 9th-level spells.