Forge of Fury (Tales of yawning portal) gold awarded

[Akolyte01]

The Forge of Fury adventure seems to award a LOT of gold to the players. I was thinking about reducing the amount awarded by about 30% across the board. Can anyone who has run this adventure comment?

[Avonar]

Hard to comment, it 100% depends on what the players will do afterwards and what they will be able to spend it on. All up to you.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I stressed more about how much gold to award to my players a few years ago than I do now. These days I tend to over-award gold while giving them more opportunities to spend it on things that are either purely fluff or have little-to-no mechanical benefit. I focus more on the items and services that are available, so the power level remains in check. Ideally I want the players spending money that they take in, and getting their power boosts from completing story and adventure portions.

[Akolyte01]

I stressed more about how much gold to award to my players a few years ago than I do now. These days I tend to over-award gold while giving them more opportunities to spend it on things that are either purely fluff or have little-to-no mechanical benefit. I focus more on the items and services that are available, so the power level remains in check. Ideally I want the players spending money that they take in, and getting their power boosts from completing story and adventure portions.

I like the idea of fluff expenditure.... I'm thinking I'll giving them a manor soon that has been ransacked, so would be a gold sink to fix her back up etc.

Do you have other ideas for potential fluff-costs you've found your players like to engage in?

[Honest Tiefling]

Have some nobles insult them. The party can try to attack them, sure, or try to out-manuever them at the next grand Ball held by nobles above the ones who insulted them. But you need money to attend and more money to out-do the snooty nobles.

Especially if this ball has hooks for multiple PCs (leads, job offers, potential allies, etc.). The manor would play into this quite well.

[Mikal]

The Forge of Fury adventure seems to award a LOT of gold to the players. I was thinking about reducing the amount awarded by about 30% across the board. Can anyone who has run this adventure comment?

Gold is mostly useless in 5e. Let em have it if they feel better about themselves. Besides, their characters earned it for completing the adventure.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I like the idea of fluff expenditure.... I'm thinking I'll giving them a manor soon that has been ransacked, so would be a gold sink to fix her back up etc.

Do you have other ideas for potential fluff-costs you've found your players like to engage in?

You can train them to offer bribes when appropriate, and depending on circumstance that can be a major drain. Sometimes that could be an unscrupulous prince who needs a big chunk of change. Once they came up with the idea of buying a ton of of food for a group of hill giants to attack a fort.

Seed money for businesses that won't ever see a practical ROI, but can pay off with useful favors or even plot tidbits later on; I've had NPCs deliver information to folks the PCs have done fiscal favors for in the past. So if the party gets off track, for example, a convenient plot hook might show up in the hands of the kobold merchant they helped get set up with a banana stand.

[DanyBallon]

In one game I play in, my character is always looking for more money, because he decided to take over the half ruined manor in Phandalin and restore it for our home base. Let me tell you that restoring a manor with a collapse rooftop, and many broken window is a real money sink :smallbiggrin: Also you need to pay the staff that oversee the restoration and manage the manor while we are adventuring

On the other hand, we ship every piece of arms and armor we gather while adventuring. We can say that if anything threat is to come again to Phandalin, we have enough weapons to arm all the village and the anyone in the surrounding area :smalltongue: