Giving NPCs some actual money in their loot.

[Oryan77]

One thing that I really don't understand is how 3rd edition adventures rarely include coins in their NPC equipment stat block.

The stats will include all of their gear they have available as treasure, but they never include any platinum, gold, silver, or copper pieces. Some of the early 3.0 adventures did, and I remember many 2e and older adventures would include coins in their loot.

Do people include coins in their NPC loot or do your NPCs walk around broke, but at least they have some nice magic items?

If I wanted to include coins, without adjusting their pre-written treasure, what would you think would be a good quick-n-easy way to throw some change their way for varying challenge rating levels?

For example, if an NPC is already at max treasure value for his CR with the gear he has, how can I give him some extra coins without going over the wealth by level table by all that much? While at the same time, making the coins worth it to the PCs (a CR 10 group might not care to receive 10 gp from a level 12 NPC).

[Urpriest]

I usually have at least some currency wealth on my NPCs, though often it's in the form of gems rather than coins. Typically, NPCs should be a little under WBL since it's tricky to completely fill it up with useful items, so you can just make the remainder money.

[Larrx]

D&D economy is weird. I like to keep character building resources and cash separate. It's fun to do that. The magic items and gems that foes drop can be used or traded for things that make a character explicitly stronger, while 'cash' or gp is what's needed to pay for meals or inn rooms or bribes. If you play as such, then coin rewards simply make rp easier or more fun. Drop as much as you want!

[nedz]

I don't use other peoples adventures — half the fun of DM'ing is writing this stuff.

My NPCs usually have cash — unless there's a good reason, or I forgot.

The NPC Wealth tables in the DMG have cash values: I usually base my NPCs on those, subtracting wealth for gear naturally. NPC WBL < PC WBL BTW.

[fishyfishyfishy]

Coins can be pretty heavy in large quantities, so when I have any leftover funds after purchasing useful gear on NPCs I tend to make it Kundarak bank notes (it's an Eberron game). Occasionally it'll include rare gems and jewelry.

[Oryan77]

For the most part, we all seem to be in the same boat with our approach. I'm looking for maybe a fast way to throw some extra coins the PCs way via NPC loot.

It is easy for NPCs that we create because we can just give any remaining unspent loot (coins) as part of the treasure. But when running premade NPCs from the books, I'd like a method of adding coins even when the assumption is that the designer spent every coin on their gear.

For example, if a CR10 NPC had spent all his WBL on items, would multiplying his CR by 10 (CR10 x 10 = 100gp) feel like a reasonable reward for an appropriately leveled group? Keeping in mind they already got the appropriate treasure from him in the form of magic items/gems/art? Or does 100 extra gold pieces at that level seem pointless? A CR1 giving an extra 10gp sounds reasonable, but that formula at higher levels might make a player think it is pointless. I'm a DM though, so I can't really speak for the players. :smalltongue:

[Malcador]

A more simulationist approach might involve a brief calculation of how much money NPCs need to support their lifestyle. Like players, NPCs need to spend money on food, drink, lodging, arrows, spell components, and the like. They might also keep cash on hand to pay for things like weapon and armor repairs. If you give each NPC enough coins to cover a few weeks' worth of expenses, it makes it look like there is more to their lives than getting murdered.

[Oryan77]

If you give each NPC enough coins to cover a few weeks' worth of expenses, it makes it look like there is more to their lives than getting murdered.
That cracked me up. Good way to put it!

[SinsI]

Money and prices in D&D exist only for players. For everyone else, there are no rules that govern them and no attempts to make the system balanced have been made. So if you want to give NPC cash for some reason, subtract its price from the magic items they carry.

[Sagetim]

100 gold is always welcome. While most players may not realize it, they could spend 200 gold a month and live like a king. I'm not kidding, that's the cost per month to live like royalty. So 100 gold is half of that. Kill two of those guys a month and you can maintain your lavish lifestyle of drunken debauchery. After all, while a king has an estate to upkeep, you're an adventurer...so all the wealth you would have spent on that can instead be funneled into whores and ale. Or maybe ale first then funnel the ale into whores. You're rich, no one is going to question it.

Also, 100 gold can add up. If only one of the players is bothering to pick up coins, then the rest of the party doesn't have much right to complain after the fact when that person is ahead of them in wealth.

Anyway, I would make a small chart with classes of people on it. In Debt, Homeless, Broke, Poor, Okay, Average trader, wealthy trader, non-sabotaged land owner.

Anyone richer than that would have other people to handle their money for them, or carry things in non coinage wealth, like trade bars, hidden belts made of gold chain links, etc. In any case, higher level does not = richer in this case. It depends entirely on what kind of job and income they have. Someone could be a level 20 monk, but they will probably not have any cash on them. High level magic items maybe, but their cash would likely be back at the monastery. A high level assassin is not going to carry their coin purse with them on a job (at least not the part where they are killing the target and escaping).

So, to answer your question...sprinkle some coins on various npcs. They're going to have coppers and silvers (and probably a fistful or more of them) because that's what most things that you would purchase every day have their cost in. Sure, a fancy meal might cost a few gold, but a simple trencher at the road side tavern is going to be in the coppers, maybe a silver. Coppers and Silvers are the most common currency in use, so every npc who isn't on a covert mission should probabl have some, especially if they're on a road trip and would thus need to buy food regularly and not want to get ripped off by paying in gold and getting shortchanged with some kind of 'moneychanging fee' excuse or some such.

edit: In case it wasn't clear, I'm telling you to actively ignore the wealth by level rules as anything but a guideline. If you have a level 3 npc who is supposed to be a rich and influential merchant, then give him really powerful protective gear, some platinum pieces to brag about, and deck him out in money. It doesn't matter that the wealth by level rules limit a level 3 character, because they're rules for adventurers (generally speaking) and not rules for...say...a man who runs the entire textile trade for a kingdom. That guy is going to have a ring of protection +5 and some other defensive magic gear even if he's level 1...because he can afford it and doesn't want to die.