Gemstone Value In Conan

[rgrove0172]

The values D&D places on gemstones seem rediculously inflated in Conan where a single gem worth 1000 GP would set a guy up for a couple years of comfortable living. Im assuming they should be reduced considerably, perhaps to a factor of 10 at least. Thoughts anyone? How do you rate your gemstones in Hyboria?

 

[bjorntfh]

The real problem of a gem like that isn't the value: it's the realistic value. No one (with a few exceptions) has 1000 GP just lying around, ergo you won't get anywhere near the value for it. Heck, our party got a 1000 GP star opal from a tribe who thought it was a shiny rock. We ended up using it as the focus to a sorcerous construct because no one could buy it.

500 to 1000 silver stones can be gotten, but beyond that you're dealing with non-profitable stones. Most likely they'd be broken up to make smaller valued stones and you'd lose some value, but actually be able to sell the lesser stones.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I don't worry about the value of gems. We (me and my gamers) are not shoppers. They deduct a percentage of overall wealth, and I tell them what kinds of stuff are available wherever they are at.

If they needed it as a plot point, then it depends on what they are trying to exchange and how much the other person wants gemstones. I play it by ear - I never use an exact exchange rate. I treat it much like how I would do it if they were trying to barter away a book, a castle, a slave, or a piece of information; what is the exchange rate of a fief or manor, for example? The seller talks it up, and the buyer talks up whatever it is he has to trade.

Barter is, almost by definition, not an exact science. I worked for a roofing company as their accountant for a while. The owner of the roofing company was building his own house, but he didn't want to take out loans or anything - so he bartered for his house, piece by piece. He wanted a basement, so he found a guy with a backhoe and offered to re-roof his house if he would dig out a basement. He then re-roofed a lumber company in exchange for lumber. He did the same thing for plumbing, flooring, construction, windows, etc. Did all of those exchanges technically come out even? No. But he got what he wanted out of what he had.

I simply do not bother with exchange rates since they would vary too much from place to place and from time to time - and, like bjorntfh says, it is doubtful anyone has that much cash laying around. I am, by training, an accountant with a lot of specialty in economics, so I would be tempted to mess with supply, demand, elasticity and a bunch of other variables, but it is easier and more fun to just treat gemstones like I would if they were trying to barter away information. They could trade high-value stones for a noble title or a fief, perhaps, but probably not for coins.

But if the value is needed for shopping, our group doesn't worry about it. We don't roleplay trips to market. No one in our group would be interested in that - they are too interested in the adventure, not in the mundane.

 

[DaveNC]

We usually use the value of the gemstones that the players get as "enough to put you up in (whatever city they are in) for a couple of weeks" with lodging, food, wenching, gambling and drinking, or to resupply for the next adventure. We don't worry too much about the actual sp/gp value of them. For us, the gemstone is worth whatever somebody is willing to trade you for it.

 

[Spectator]

Vincent D's training as a an accountant now makes me understand why Tito's, Miichael's and Germaine's Trading post came into existence.

I can see clearly now the rain has gone.

 

[Auggie]

Not directly related to this post, but are silver and gold coins easily usable in most countries? Say I have silver and gold from Aquilonia, can I still use it in another country (except Stygia, of course!)??

 

[rgrove0172]

We assume there are many different types and sizes of coins minted and making their way across the vast Hyborian landscape. Perhaps the silver coins of Zamora are actually rectangular bars, equal to 3x what a typical silver shilling would be in Nemedia. Or maybe the Gold Lunas of Aquilonia are equal to 2 of the smaller cold coins minted in Sultanapur. Such details are thrown into the game if they have some sort of bearing on the plot but otherwise we keep it simple. Generic silver and gold is calculated in our game with the basic value in mind only - not worrying about the specific origin and design.

 

[bjorntfh]

Our group just uses gold/silver by weight (50 coins to the pound) and trade bars (x coins worth of metal in a flat bar, usually 10 GP or 10 platinum trade bars.)

This way we don't end up with a bin of random countries' currency and trying to pick through what we can use in any one place. Of course breaking down the bars can be hard (this adventure we paid for the inn stay, the ensuing brawl, the then ensuing assault of city guards, and finally the attempted assassination and ignition of said inn with a single platinum trade bar... and had change left over.)

Mind you we're level 13 (almost, 700 exp away) and we horde our money (we're tightfisted and save it for better gear constantly since we tend to get a suit of MW armor and two fights later have some MW scraps.)

 

[Valgrim Bragisson]

I'm in Auggie's campaign, and the gemstones are worth whatever you can get. Early on, we raided an Atlantian tomb in Cimmeria. My character swiped a certain shiny red stone, and carried it around for a year or so, wanting to have it made into a necklace. The Jewler I hired in tarantia ended up selling it(we had dissapeared for almost a year). Gave me 500 Gold Lunas as "compensation"! Auggie let us know afterward that
a necromancer had baught that stone for 3 or 4 thousand. It turned out to
have the power to control undead. But 500 gold is 500 gold!

My guy is also a money hoarder and equpment lover. Akbitanan Warsword, Superior Aquilonian Plate, ect. That will probaly be scrap soon anyway :shock:

MP