How much value should adventurers get out of gear they haul back to town and sell off?
I've seen suggestions like 50% of the purchase price but that seems way too generous.
 Ape Out Shirt $21.68 |
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Ape Out Shirt $21.68 |
I think 50% is fine. Alternatively, use the actual rules the system has.
Since you're talking about 5e despite being out of your containment thread, XGE has rules for selling magic items and the DMG has rules for selling mundane items, stating that weapons and armor used by monsters "are not in good enough condition to sell".
It depends.
On the one hand, the gold, israeliteels, and art are essentially "as new" and the demand will dictate the price.
Magic items will be just as priceless no matter where they're found, but few will have the gold for them and fewer have the use for them.
The weapons, armour, and household goods (skillets and whatnot) are likely to be heavily used and carry the taint of evil races. Would you buy a second hand cookpot that had a human head in it yesterday? Either your adventurers or your local market must be poverty-stricken for these to be worth retrieving.
The clothing of dead people is essentially worthless and ought to stay on the corpses purely from an economic point of view.
50% is a common system-suggested starting point. WFRP 2e is one of the only systems I know which suggests 150% is the point where merchants start SELLING listed gear, with list price being the 'actual' value. Consider also that people not might WANT to buy salvage. That may be because it's simply worthless - to stick to WFRP examples, who wants a shit-smeared club that belonged to a beastman - or it might be because they fear where you got the goods, especially if you're a stranger. Think about it - if you show up to a coaching inn with like 4 extra horses in reasonable shape and go "oh, they belonged to bandits," would YOU believe that? From a complete stranger? An armed stranger? Some are gonna look the other way out of corruption or credulity, but I'd wager a good chunk of people you try to hawk salvage too are going to be afraid that they'll catch heat.
Of course, this all depends on the sort of game you're playing and like to run. An old-school dungeon crawl loot-and-scoot isn't very fun if no one wants the loot.
>These are good "realistic" explanations for the actual resale value and or logistics of looting and selling items found "adventuring"
but like one anon said playing a loot n scoot dungeon adventure aint NO FUN if you can sell your loot you find
so my little head cannon for playing a DnD style game is that in general the towns and merchants you sell goods to are so shady or morally neutral they will take almost anything and shine it up enough to make it look sellable to the unaware consumer so they can make that gold coin, and on the other hand these towns and markets are in such need of these items and weapons and armors that theyll take anything as long as it looks half way clean and in decent enough shape or if not they can at least smelt or reuse the material and craft it into something actually worth something or valuable or useful
i will say this though, everyone saying items should be sold at 50% of the value is ABBSURD, realistically speaking unless its a monster or enemy that knows and realizes it NEEDS to take care of its equipment most braindead or stupid or skill less monsters or enemies either wont know how to sharpen and repair their weapons and armor and sundries, or they wont frickin care cause theyre a monster or undead or a dumbass bandit that doesnt give a frick to do so
if i was a DM id be willing to let my adventurers sell their loot for 25% of the value because most likely it would be in terrible condition or poor craftsmanship even if its in good enough condition, unless it was loot from an enemy that seems smart enough to value their weapons and armor and sundries to be in good condition or craftsmanship, like a bandit leader, a gang boss, a sergant or general, an orkboss, vampire leader etc etc enemies that can lead and think for others can most likely deduce that they also need good equipment and to maintain it
>but cool thread OP i enjoy discussing topics that are mundane or un-discussed
>I've seen suggestions like 50% of the purchase price but that seems way too generous.
The suggestion is 50% because wasting your time doing deeper market analysis when a market doesn't exist is a waste of fricking time. If your players are trying to sell wheat in the wheat capital of Frickaroundia, give them 40% of value. If they're trying to sell wheat in the famine-struck capital of Foundoutia give them 60%.
Use a proper Encumbrance system like the OSE alternate one,
My players recoiled at the idea of bringing sacks of copper coins.
(100 coins = 1 slot)
Even the normal encumbrance system should discourage the coin hoarder.
I usually play close to full price if it's in good condition, but players have to pay agents to find someone interested in the item and finding takes some time and isn't sure, so if it isn't something clearly worth the hassle they don't really take it
It depends if the party finds buyers for the things or is willing to spend time selling them. A lot also depends on the size of the settlement (a village will have small funds and only needs selected items, say metal pots or knifes; a town will have more founds but some or all items will be taxed and some sales may be restricted or forbidden, e.g. by guilds that produce them in the town).
Metal armor, weapons, mundane items is easy, they will get at least the price of the scrap materials if there is a smith around.
Antique items may have a historic value for collectors or sages. So that rusty helmet of the 1000 years old skeleton may be worth its weight in gold. Or nothing.
Depends on what gear, what they haul, time of year, competition, etc.
GURPS has some nice rules for this.
>The default is 40 percent of actual value
>Poor characters don't have the right connections to find the best merchant, and rich characters have better connections
>The Merchant skill can be used to haggle
>Items can be sold on the black market or donated to a cleric's temple
At low levels, collecting swords and bows from warriors that take care of them is generally practical and profitable. Metal armor on officers is usually good. 20 - 50% is reasonable depending on where you try to unload it..
That is a nice rule, thanks
20% for normal adventurers because merchants acting as middlemen absorb some risk when selling secondhand gear procured from literalwhos, 60% for well-connected types like aristocrats or minor nobles or people who otherwise have an upstanding reputation to maintain, 100% for established merchants that can sell it directly to customers (or major nobles that can have a lacky do that for them).
And yeah like other Anons have said, gems, art, and other forms of “portable wealth” operate on different rules, generally selling at it’s listed “fair price,” either to collectors buying it directly, other merchants that figure they can upsell it since demand for art can fluctuate wildly, or artisans who are willing to pay a small fortune for the right gemstone that will be worked into a piece that will sell for an even bigger fortune.
50% depending on who they got it from.
>Goblin shortbows and scimitars
Worthless. No way an adventurer makes a soldier's monthly salary killing a single goblin and selling his loot.
>bandits
maybe one or two of them have a nice weapon on them but most are too dinged or damaged to sell for anything but scrap. 10%
>proper soldiers/knights
Everything on them should be a perfect working order, 50% is fair.
obviously, these fricks should have some kind of treasure on them, small gemstones. nice silver wear, a gold pocket watch etc.
Nothing. The only thing that so called "adventurers" should get is a kick in the nuts.
Whatever the rules suggest. We're here for adventure, not bookkeeping.
100% of the value, what the frick
"gee that's worth 300 gold guess i'll just give you 50 gold and call it even"
if the item is degraded or old then it doesn't have the same value as before
whatever it's worth that's what you get from a reputable store
however treating stores as just rote numeric exchanges on a spreadsheet is gay, turn shops into storytelling moments if you want, have a guy try to rip you off
I start at 20% and adjust based on the quality and the person they're trying to sell it to.