Money making as Wizard 5e

[Pandreas]

Good evening everyone,

so now i have yet another question: What ways did you come up with to make money (for copying spells) as wizard?
Please without scamming people and that dotn break the game to much.

I am excited to hear your ideas! :D

[JNAProductions]

Adventure :P

[Goobahfish]

Err...

Silent Image + Minor Illusion for 'street entertainment'

Tenser's Floating Disc for labour. 500lb moving at 60 ft/round for an hour can definitely see some use.

[No brains]

Well if you don't want to break the game too much (my talents are wasted here) you can always work a profession and/or crat stuff. See the downtime activities in the PHB, DMG, or Xanathar's for info on that.

If you want to break things... a little, maybe consider selling castings of ritual spells while you're in town. There are likely a few people who would pass you a few GP to have an audible Alarm spell cast on their things. Selling Detect Magic/ Identify can be a way to run diagnostics on people who want to know if they are actually cursed (they wouldn't be defrauded by YOU necessarily). You may even be able to spam Unseen Servant to do a bunch of low-wage jobs for you.

[Melil12]

Be a thief … invisibility, mage hand, and Misty step.

Craft something … shape water/stone ect.

Taxi … dimension door

Ect ect ect

[manyslayer]

For low levels, mending and prestidigitation offer multitudes of options. Create bonfire for arson for cash?

Sleep for unruly children to give parents some needed peace and quiet.

Arcane lock for securing someone's valuables.

Gentle repose on fresh meat for caravans and others traveling.

Find missing people/lost items with locate object.

Skywrite for sky high advertising for a tavern or other merchant (or rich kid's proposal to the princess).

Just a few ideas of cantrip to 2nd level spells.

[J-H]

Once you get 4th level spells, Fabricate lets you replicate the work of several artisans in moments. Pair it with proficiency in the appropriate tools, and you can do things like turn a bunch of lumber/trees into 1,000 cu ft of javelins, wood spears, arrows ready to fletch, or a bridge, or the walls of a house.

[Corran]

Search for threads about the magic mouth ritual, they'll explain it better than I can. The short of it, is that with this ritual and enough initial budget, you can revolutionize (relatively) short range mass communications. If you find an NPC (ahem, DM) to buy into the idea, sponsor it and reward you for the end result, then you could potentially make a fortune.

[KorvinStarmast]

Adventure :P +1


Silent Image + Minor Illusion for 'street entertainment'

Tenser's Floating Disc for labour. 500lb moving at 60 ft/round for an hour can definitely see some use. Yes. Moving company work pays OK.

For low levels, mending and prestidigitation offer multitudes of options. Create bonfire for arson for cash?

Sleep for unruly children to give parents some needed peace and quiet.

Arcane lock for securing someone's valuables.

Gentle repose on fresh meat for caravans and others traveling.

Find missing people/lost items with locate object.

Skywrite for sky high advertising for a tavern or other merchant (or rich kid's proposal to the princess).

Just a few ideas of cantrip to 2nd level spells. My warlock (tome) used Skywrite (ritual) to advertise for our party bard's public performances. Made a little money for the group.

[Mastikator]

Continual flame. Costs 50gp to create one. Sell for more than 50gp. It's hugely cheaper for anyone to buy continual flame than to run any other kind of light source.

Consider torches, 1sp per hour. So you need 500 hours of light time for a continual flame to pay for itself, meaning if you're lighting an indoor room with continual flame for 21 days it's already cheaper.

Sell them for 75gp a piece and the math only changes to 32 days.

A 3rd level wizard can create 2 per day, that's 50gp per day, 350gp per week, 1400gp per month. What if people don't buy every day? Just keep cranking them out and sell as much as you can, some may want to buy more than only 2 anyway.

[KorvinStarmast]

In towns and cities, offer to put the light cantrip onto a copper or on a stick (if someone offers you 5 or 10 coppers, or a silver) so that they can walk home at night with a light on after a long evening at the tavern/pub.

1. Keeps you in beer money
2. Acts as a "this guy can do things" word-of-mouth advertising for the other kinds of more expensive assistance previously mentioned.
Also:
Unseen Servant: maid service, charge whatever the market will bear.

I was in a campaign a few years ago where a wizard chose to "act the gigolo" with a wealthy duchess widow, a noble whose influence we needed to set up a caper (we needed to kidnap the castellan because we believed (correctly) that he was in league with a rival town's merchants ...)
He used unseen servant to handle a variety of erotic / exotic toys. An all adult table. The whole party found it an amusing use of the spell (Unseen Servant shenanigans are legion among D&D players) ... as did the DM. This whole thing got started with a "I wouldn't touch her with yours!" comment shortly after the party's initial meeting with the duchess ..

[JackPhoenix]

Continual flame. Costs 50gp to create one. Sell for more than 50gp. It's hugely cheaper for anyone to buy continual flame than to run any other kind of light source.

Consider torches, 1sp per hour. So you need 500 hours of light time for a continual flame to pay for itself, meaning if you're lighting an indoor room with continual flame for 21 days it's already cheaper.

Sell them for 75gp a piece and the math only changes to 32 days.

A 3rd level wizard can create 2 per day, that's 50gp per day, 350gp per week, 1400gp per month. What if people don't buy every day? Just keep cranking them out and sell as much as you can, some may want to buy more than only 2 anyway.

Your math is way off. Torches are 1 CP per hour, so it's 5000 hours of light time before CF matches them, or about 208 days. Much longer in practice, as vast majority of places don't need to be lit 24/7. Also, are you familiar with Sam Vimes theory of economic injustice? It's true Continual Flame is cheaper in the (very) long run, the issue is that most people can't afford to pay 50gp+ at once, but they can afford few cp or a sp every day.

[RSP]

Mold Earth to be a quick landscaper.

[Mastikator]

Your math is way off. Torches are 1 CP per hour, so it's 5000 hours of light time before CF matches them, or about 208 days. Much longer in practice, as vast majority of places don't need to be lit 24/7. Also, are you familiar with Sam Vimes theory of economic injustice? It's true Continual Flame is cheaper in the (very) long run, the issue is that most people can't afford to pay 50gp+ at once, but they can afford few cp or a sp every day.

Oh you're right. It would still be used in places like castles, temples, mansions and mid-to-up level taverns. And homes of people with valuable trade skills. Peasants nothing though.

[Anymage]

Continual flame. Costs 50gp to create one. Sell for more than 50gp. It's hugely cheaper for anyone to buy continual flame than to run any other kind of light source.

Consider torches, 1sp per hour. So you need 500 hours of light time for a continual flame to pay for itself, meaning if you're lighting an indoor room with continual flame for 21 days it's already cheaper.

Sell them for 75gp a piece and the math only changes to 32 days.

A 3rd level wizard can create 2 per day, that's 50gp per day, 350gp per week, 1400gp per month. What if people don't buy every day? Just keep cranking them out and sell as much as you can, some may want to buy more than only 2 anyway.

How many continual torches do you think there's a market for, given that by definition they never run out? Also, given that other wizards exist in the setting, how many people do you think want continual torches that haven't already gotten themselves one? Lots of these "economy hacks" seem to assume that the PC is the only one with powers and that the rest of the world just reacts to basic inputs without any deeper thought.


Adventure :P

This. It's the point of the game and why you're playing an adventurer instead of a banker in the first place.

If you're looking for something more specific, then assuming you're out of T1 (where better armor, possibly silver weapons, and most likely healing potions are going to be regular costs), keep in mind that your party members might well want you stocked on rituals and other handy spells. When money starts to pile up and the game doesn't have many outlets, keeping the wizard stocked is a smart move for the party.

[Slipjig]

If you are just looking for pocket money, the ability to spam Prestidigitation is the basis of a solid cleaning business. Somebody running a kitchen with a mediocre cook might pay for spammable Thaumaturgy as well to make the food taste better.

[Doug Lampert]

Your math is way off. Torches are 1 CP per hour, so it's 5000 hours of light time before CF matches them, or about 208 days. Much longer in practice, as vast majority of places don't need to be lit 24/7. Also, are you familiar with Sam Vimes theory of economic injustice? It's true Continual Flame is cheaper in the (very) long run, the issue is that most people can't afford to pay 50gp+ at once, but they can afford few cp or a sp every day.

Also, torches are extremely inefficient light sources compared to a lantern or candle, you need vastly more oil to feed a torch fire and are burning a substantial amount of a valuable rag per hour rather than a trivial amount of a twine wick per hour.

If a torch is 1 CP/hour, then a decent clay lantern and wick should be about 1 CP per night or less.

The advantage to continual flame for light is likely to be the lack of smoke. Remember that prior to modern central air, houses tended to be very poorly ventilated, since any ventilation is a way for the heat to escape and outside of the tropics, nights tend to be too cool rather than too warm.

[greenstone]

I can't help but think some of these methods wouldn't work in a world with a lot of labour. Why would I pay money to a mage with unseen servant to do stuff when I can just pay an actual servant to do it?

Some of the methods, however, are genius. Why have I never thought of a wizard in a pub selling light cantrips to people for beer money?

My suggestion for making money as a wizard is to become the advisor to a ruler (corrupt or not is your choice). Your patron will pay you to do magical research and you never have to set foot in a dirty smelly dungeon ever again. :-)

[Corran]

How many continual torches do you think there's a market for, given that by definition they never run out?
They can still be destroyed or lost. Alternatively create/exploit an urgent need (eg night raiding) and be the only one nearby who can supply.


Also, given that other wizards exist in the setting, how many people do you think want continual torches that haven't already gotten themselves one?
Sure, but does the torch they already have excorcise bad spirits, protect against bad luck and help your plants grow faster? Or you could make a case about the importance of the spell slot and highlight the risks. Depends on the buyer.


Lots of these "economy hacks" seem to assume that the PC is the only one with powers and that the rest of the world just reacts to basic inputs without any deeper thought.
The sad part is that such silly situations can often happen in a game. Player(s) wants to do something unexpected and the DM allows it without adjusting the world accordingly. It's not the worst thing it can happen, with moderation (usually needed from the player's side) it can be a decent compromise, where the player gets to have some fun and the DM does not have to overanalyse aspects of their world that they did not intend to.



It's true Continual Flame is cheaper in the (very) long run, the issue is that most people can't afford to pay 50gp+ at once, but they can afford few cp or a sp every day.
So? Set up some installements and become a lich. There, problem solved.

[PhoenixPhyre]

How many continual torches do you think there's a market for, given that by definition they never run out? Also, given that other wizards exist in the setting, how many people do you think want continual torches that haven't already gotten themselves one? Lots of these "economy hacks" seem to assume that the PC is the only one with powers and that the rest of the world just reacts to basic inputs without any deeper thought.


So much this. Especially that last sentence. Personally, I think it's safer (and leads to more coherent gameplay and worldbuilding) to assume that any obvious trick has been figured out and exploited before hand and the market is, if not fully saturated, at least not open to trivial exploits. And if it hasn't been exploited...maybe there's a reason that the trick doesn't work as expected. RAW is not the operating system of the (fictional) universe. It's an abstraction layer around a game set in a fictional universe that functions by its own (hopefully consistent) laws.



This. It's the point of the game and why you're playing an adventurer instead of a banker in the first place.

If you're looking for something more specific, then assuming you're out of T1 (where better armor, possibly silver weapons, and most likely healing potions are going to be regular costs), keep in mind that your party members might well want you stocked on rituals and other handy spells. When money starts to pile up and the game doesn't have many outlets, keeping the wizard stocked is a smart move for the party.

Very much agreed. In fact, 5e has gone relatively out of its way to make sure that the best way to make money, power, or anything is to adventure. Because that's the whole point. 5e is not an economic simulator. Or a fantasy world simulator. It's designed to support people going on heroic adventures (and often getting filthy rich as a consequence).

Of course, this also implies that DMs shouldn't try to nickel and dime players so they feel like they need a "real job" to supplement their adventuring income. At least that's my take on the matter.

[Pandreas]

Alright, thank you everyone for your inputs!

Some of those ideas sound actually genius and i will be sure to try them out :D

[Witty Username]

Thrift shop dealing. Grab detect magic and identify, find those hidden gems in the figurative.

[Lokishade]

Pass off cheap swill as exquisite wine with Prestidigitation.

You don't even need to lie about it. Tell people upfront that you can enhance their drinks and offer unique experiences. People be willing to pay for that kind of stuff.


The Continual Flame

It shines (heh) when you reach level 5, where you can upcast at level 3. That way, the torches that don't require maintenance also dispel castings of Darkness.

[KorvinStarmast]

Alright, thank you everyone for your inputs! Some of those ideas sound actually genius and i will be sure to try them out :D Glad you got some good ideas out of this brain storm. Happy Gaming! :smallsmile:

The Continual Flame

It shines (heh) when you reach level 5, where you can upcast at level 3. That way, the torches that don't require maintenance also dispel castings of Darkness. Nice. I'll keep that in mind for my sole remaining cleric PC. :smallsmile:

[JackPhoenix]

Also, torches are extremely inefficient light sources compared to a lantern or candle, you need vastly more oil to feed a torch fire and are burning a substantial amount of a valuable rag per hour rather than a trivial amount of a twine wick per hour.

If a torch is 1 CP/hour, then a decent clay lantern and wick should be about 1 CP per night or less.

The advantage to continual flame for light is likely to be the lack of smoke. Remember that prior to modern central air, houses tended to be very poorly ventilated, since any ventilation is a way for the heat to escape and outside of the tropics, nights tend to be too cool rather than too warm.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case. A torch is 1 cp and burns for a hour, a flask of oil is 1 sp (10 times as much) and provides 6 hours of light. A candle costs the same as a torch and burns for the same amount of time, but provide minimal illumination (5' of bright and 5' of dim light, compared to torch's 20'/20'). I would argue that the main advantage of CF isn't the lack of smoke, but the lack of heat. Open flame (and even closed lamps) are a massive fire hazard in mostly wooden buildings that led to destruction of entire cities.

[Doug Lampert]

Unfortunately, that isn't the case. A torch is 1 cp and burns for a hour, a flask of oil is 1 sp (10 times as much) and provides 6 hours of light. A candle costs the same as a torch and burns for the same amount of time, but provide minimal illumination (5' of bright and 5' of dim light, compared to torch's 20'/20'). I would argue that the main advantage of CF isn't the lack of smoke, but the lack of heat. Open flame (and even closed lamps) are a massive fire hazard in mostly wooden buildings that led to destruction of entire cities.

That's just the rules being silly. It's as bad as the components to make a 10' ladder costing 1/12th as much as a single 10' pole in 3rd edition.

Torches are a HORRIBLE source of light in terms of materials used for light produced, they're ALSO a source of substantial smoke and they ALSO are, as you point out, a fire hazzard.

Pretty much anything else whatsoever is better, which is why historical buildings were pretty much never lit by torches.

[Damon_Tor]

Good evening everyone,

so now i have yet another question: What ways did you come up with to make money (for copying spells) as wizard?
Please without scamming people and that dotn break the game to much.

I am excited to hear your ideas! :D

Divination wizards are great at any downtime activity, totally eliminating any risk of failure or consequences, but they especially excell at high-risk, high reward downtime professions like crime and gambling. As a diviner you should be able to use your portents to pull off absolutely perfect heists flawlessly with zero risk of jail time or other bad ends.

[Damon_Tor]

How many continual torches do you think there's a market for, given that by definition they never run out? Also, given that other wizards exist in the setting, how many people do you think want continual torches that haven't already gotten themselves one? Lots of these "economy hacks" seem to assume that the PC is the only one with powers and that the rest of the world just reacts to basic inputs without any deeper thought.

I think this varies from setting to setting. In Eberron, sure, you can buy an ever burning torch at the corner store. In other settings magic isn't treated as being as prolific, and in some a spellcasting PC might be the first real magic somebody has ever seen. They might be one of the twelve wizards on the whole planet, and seven of those are third level or lower.

Of course even a rare-magic world is challenging. Because if magic is unusual people are unlikely to trust it. A flame that never goes out seems too good to be true, so who would be willing to lay out a year's pay for it?

[Mastikator]

I can't help but think some of these methods wouldn't work in a world with a lot of labour. Why would I pay money to a mage with unseen servant to do stuff when I can just pay an actual servant to do it?

Some of the methods, however, are genius. Why have I never thought of a wizard in a pub selling light cantrips to people for beer money?

My suggestion for making money as a wizard is to become the advisor to a ruler (corrupt or not is your choice). Your patron will pay you to do magical research and you never have to set foot in a dirty smelly dungeon ever again. :-)

A court wizard is a pretty common trope as far as I know. However you are right in some of these ideas, what you want is either:
A spell that creates a permanent valuable benefit (for example: continual flame)
A spell that creates a valuable benefit that unskilled labor can't duplicate (arcane lock, detect thoughts)
A spell that enhances valuable skilled labor (guidance, from clerics and druids tho)

You need to find the sweet spot between "actually useful for non-adventurers" and "affordable". I think that locks out almost every spell beyond 3rd, most non-ritual, most non-permanent.

[Unoriginal]

That's just the rules being silly. It's as bad as the components to make a 10' ladder costing 1/12th as much as a single 10' pole in 3rd edition.

Torches are a HORRIBLE source of light in terms of materials used for light produced, they're ALSO a source of substantial smoke and they ALSO are, as you point out, a fire hazzard.

Pretty much anything else whatsoever is better, which is why historical buildings were pretty much never lit by torches.

Torches costing less than oil lamps is both logical and following the example of real life.

You don't make torches using the oil you put in oil lamps (unless you have no choice). Using the cheaper, fouler-smelling alternatives which made more smoke, more sounds and less regular fire was the way to go for torches.

[Dork_Forge]

Torches costing less than oil lamps is both logical and following the example of real life.

You don't make torches using the oil you put in oil lamps (unless you have no choice). Using the cheaper, fouler-smelling alternatives which made more smoke, more sounds and less regular fire was the way to go for torches.

Its also worth noting that in reality, torches used weren't always the dinky sticks media has lead us go believe. Medieval era art has depicted torches that more resemble lances, which would burn for far longer and we're likely used to provide additional light to indoor functions. (fun random Shadiversity video I stumbled upon a month back)

For torches I've always like the style used in some pacific islands, basically an array or sharp sticks with little balls skewered onto them and set alight. This can be seen during one of the night scenes in Moana.

[Coidzor]

Prestidigitation on its own allows for a magical laundry service. Unseen Servant in the mix will only augment that.

You'll have to either go 3rd party or hash something out with your DM to get the price for them, but 6 Unseen Servants should be able to operate hand-powered querns and allow you to convert grain into flour, doubling your wealth in trade goods at whatever rate they're able to convert grain to flour.

[VladSlavhinsky]

Ok, I admit that the title had misled me, and I thought it was about other shady maneuvers by the Wizard of the Coast to steal money from us >__>
In my opinion the best way for the magician to get money is to pretend not to be a real magician and pass himself off as a skilled conjurer, incapable of real magic.
Challenging the public to discover his tricks would always guarantee a full house at the shows, provided that "real fake magic" is also included for the public to discover from time to time.

[Sigreid]

I'm sure some member of the thieves guild would be happy to pay to have invisibility cast.