Shocks from Sudden Liquidity


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion

Silver Crusade

I DM for 8 people (God help me), and these players up until fairly recently have, due to a mixture of being pack-rats and having scant opportunity for sales, had an outrageous horde of stuff they'd picked up on the course of adventures.

Old armor, equipment, amulets of natural armor, rings of protection, potions, spellbooks, gold statues, chocolates, defective magic items, monster parts, raw metal, trade goods, jewels, swords, etc, etc.

Now they just passed over the mark into 14th level, and they've been surviving for the most part on drops. Now that they've finally gotten rid of the crap cluttering up their ship's hold (to the tune of about 686,000 gold pieces. Each PC got about 85k thanks to good prof merchant rolls on the part of their merchant-summoner).

Mind, they hadn't sold anything since around oh, fifth level and have continually been complaining about WBL since they had to split their monetary finds eight ways (I give out most treasure in objects, not currency).

Now, the money they should have had all along, they have recieved in one huge glut and they're looking into bigger purchases (a few folks have gotten their tier weapons and equipment, which is great).

Now with the benefit of a large city, active magical community, and flush with funds like a cadre of Daddy Warbucks they're considering pooling their supplies into investments, purchases and base-establishment instead of making too many further purchases.

Now I support this, but does anyone else have any potential concerns with PCs suddenly discovering they weren't anywhere near as cash-strapped as they were, and having a sudden money bomb go off when their assets became liquid?

Also, from a quick audit of their sheets, thanks to their windfall they're currently about half of the way to what their WBL should be as 14th level characters (they just peeked over), so I'm kind of amazed it worked out that well with the random drop list from Ultimate Equipment, the old 3.5 DMG and my own DM experience generating the loot.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I suspect that players who horded stuff like you describe aren't going to make the most optimal purchases. I'd just take a wait and see approach.

Just out of curiosity, how did you handle them trying to just dump all this stuff onto the market at once?

Silver Crusade

They have a very accomplished merchant with them in terms of profession merchant. Jerk rolled a twenty on his check as well, which pushed it into the 40-50 range, and they got a higher percentage back on market price.

He also has access to the teleport spell through being a summoner and having a mage in the party, and the selling was abstracted to include the city they're in and other large cities and metropoli they passed through in the course of their adventuring careers, as well as an NPC (lower level) Adventuring group who bought some of their cast-offs.

I did make a note that selling half a million gp worth of material in a few days was damn near a feat in and of itself.

From a DM perspective I cringe a little at the toys they now have available. But they're all level appropriate.

They still have some stuff in their horde, but now its mostly either plot relevant stuff, stuff they didn't want to part with, or stuff they couldn't part with. They ended up burning the philters of love they had because they thought they were dodgy.

They also, for obvious reasons, can't move the viridium weapons they picked up even though they have a reasonable sell value, nobody wants a mace that gives him leprosy.

EDIT: As a note, when I say 'jerk' I mean it lovingly. My players are dear to me, even as I delight in their sufferings.

Dark Archive

Start having politicians, con-artists, brigands, charities, and all other sorts of people approach them for handouts and investments. There is nothing that attracts a swarm of the buzzards like the sound of coin in one's pocket. And considering the sheer size of their income just now, it will without a doubt attract folks of all sorts seeking to get in one the money. This will open up the door for tons of role play opportunities as well as newly established relationships and political influences/favors for the players to consider.

Just think of what happens to people who win the lottery.

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