D&D: Five Ways to Make Some Quick GP
Need some quick GP for your spell components? Looking for enough to stay at the nice inn? Here’s five ways to make some quick gold.
Dungeons & Dragons is a game of fantasy adventures. And perhaps the greatest fantasy it lets you live out, is the fantasy that with hard work comes a just reward. Adventurers can find hoards of gold pieces, valuable art objects, and magic items nestled away in the crannies of the dungeons they delve into.
But what if you need some GP in a hurry? Maybe you have to try and scrape together enough gold to transcribe your newest spell into your spellbook. Or you just need 10gp to summon your familiar after the Barbarian got drunk. Whatever the reason, we’re here to help.
Sell Your Inventory
Most problems in D&D can be solved by turning to your character sheet. And the problem of fast cash is no different. Though you’ll want to turn to your equipment section to solve this problem.
On page 144 of the Player’s Handbook we’re told:
As a general rule, undamaged weapons, armor, and other equipment fetch half their cost when sold in a market. Weapons and armor used by monsters are rarely in good enough condition to sell.”
So while you might not be able to sell the short swords you took off of those goblins, your own suit of leather armor is worth 5 gp. And you probably don’t want that thing. After all, it was ten pounds and only gives you one extra point of armor class.
That shortsword is worth 12 gp and 5 sp! That’s a familiar and then some.
But if you’re loath to part with your weapons or armor because you “need it for class features” or “to live” then you should look at your other equipment.
A Dungeoneer’s Pack will fetch you 6 gp on the open market, and Explorer’s Pack will fetch you 5 gp. And when was the last time you used either of them? What about those tools you are proficient with but never use? Don’t let that gear take up space when you could sell it.
Use Those Tools
But not to do actual work. You need money in a hurry. But you won’t make that by doing an honest day’s work; especially since by the rules as they are written, you only start earning money if you can make a Tool Proficiency or Performance check of 21+. That only gets you 25 gp plus a comfortable lifestyle for the week. And you can’t take the cash value on the lifestyle.
But you can use your expensive tool sets as collateral when taking out a high-interest loan. Look, just tell your DM you want to find a loan shark. They’re at least as old as Shakespeare, if not older. Heck in D&D they might be an actual shark. Or a shark person. Just borrow what you need, and then never pay it back.
What are they gonna do? You’re an adventurer. Odds are good you’ll be long gone before they realize anything. And they’ll have your tools, but you’ll have the money you need to earn back whatever you used as “collateral.”
Use Someone Else’s Inventory
It specifically says that the weapons and armor used by monsters are rarely in any condition to sell. But you know who keeps their weapons in good condition?
Town guards. And honestly, how competent are they? When was the last time you were worried because someone called the guard? Exactly.
Knock out a guard or two, steal their weapons and armor, and you’ll be rolling in quick money before anyone’s the wiser. Besides, put yourself in their shoes. If you’re a town guard who got rolled by some random adventurers, are you gonna fess up that you got your sword stolen? You’d never live it down.
Use Someone Else’s Money
Hey while we’re at it since you already have that guard knocked out, you could just take their coins too.
In fact, you could probably take anyone’s coins if you try hard enough. You’ll have to figure out how hard you want to try and at what point it stops being worth it. But if reality has taught us anything, it’s that crime pays. The bigger crime the better, honestly. Even really big crimes that you’d think you wouldn’t be able to get away with.
Use Money That Isn’t Even Real
Why use real money when you could just use an illusion to disguise those useless copper pieces as gold pieces?
Or take up Transmutation and use the Minor Alchemy ability to temporarily transform a cubic foot at a time of wood or stone or anything else available into silver. You’ll have to balance time, as the ability lasts an hour, and takes 10 minutes per cubic foot of material, but with the right setup, you can swoop in, buy something with “real silver pieces” and then be out of there before anyone knows.
You might want Disguise Self or the like before you do though.
Good luck!
