I ran my first session last weekend. Calendar of Harptos, level 1, starting 3rd of Tarsakh in Bremen using lifestyle expenses (poor, modest, comfortable), XGE tools and downtime with tweaked economy (redistributing some of the quest rewards). On the contrary, I have players scrounging for gold, and I suspect they will be under-funded until they reach chapter 3. The divination wizard in particular will be saving every penny, not just to copy spells and make a backup spellbook, but also for identify, clairvoyance, and scrying, not to mention scribing scrolls. The only two opportunities to gain significant wealth in this adventure are the cauldron and the dragon's hoard. After that, opportunities to spend gold almost disappear, so wealth becomes irrelevant.
I mostly agree - gold isn't overflowing in Icewind Dale. But if the characters do come into one of those big fortunes (or some of the lesser fortunes of 100-500 gp that can be found), there's not much to spend it on. Once you've bought your sled dogs, there's not much to do with gold except rations, so I think it's good for the DM to just think about some possible ways to make gold useable. But yeah, I don't disagree with your overall assessment that RotF isn't exactly a "rich" campaign :) (and wizards will always have something to spend gold on, no doubt!)
Another good spending option that PCs love is wizards scribing spells from NPCs’ spellbooks. There are a bunch of spellbooks in the campaign book, the PCs’ faces as I read out the spells in Dzaan’s spellbook was brilliant.
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Thanks for sharing all these thoughts; I really appreciate you putting this all together!
Thanks for the ideas, I really like the juxtaposition of this construct merchant in his perfect little shop, amidst the ruin and danger of Ythryn.
I ran my first session last weekend. Calendar of Harptos, level 1, starting 3rd of Tarsakh in Bremen using lifestyle expenses (poor, modest, comfortable), XGE tools and downtime with tweaked economy (redistributing some of the quest rewards). On the contrary, I have players scrounging for gold, and I suspect they will be under-funded until they reach chapter 3. The divination wizard in particular will be saving every penny, not just to copy spells and make a backup spellbook, but also for identify, clairvoyance, and scrying, not to mention scribing scrolls. The only two opportunities to gain significant wealth in this adventure are the cauldron and the dragon's hoard. After that, opportunities to spend gold almost disappear, so wealth becomes irrelevant.
I mostly agree - gold isn't overflowing in Icewind Dale. But if the characters do come into one of those big fortunes (or some of the lesser fortunes of 100-500 gp that can be found), there's not much to spend it on. Once you've bought your sled dogs, there's not much to do with gold except rations, so I think it's good for the DM to just think about some possible ways to make gold useable. But yeah, I don't disagree with your overall assessment that RotF isn't exactly a "rich" campaign :)
(and wizards will always have something to spend gold on, no doubt!)
Another good spending option that PCs love is wizards scribing spells from NPCs’ spellbooks. There are a bunch of spellbooks in the campaign book, the PCs’ faces as I read out the spells in Dzaan’s spellbook was brilliant.
Your products are great! Really enhancing my Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign!
Thank you, I'm happy to hear that! :)
great video! will be using in my new campaign (just wrapped session 2).
my DM is cheap AF! we’re barely getting any gold.