The PCs have the potential to pick up a lot of loot in SoS, much of it in the form of low-value coins. Between these, gems and valuable jewelry/artwork/etc, they'll need a trustworthy place to convert that into a more liquid currency (my PCs are drooling at the thought of all the magic items they'll be able to buy). Is there a temple of Abadar in Kaer Maga, or some similar group that won't just try to murder the PCs and/or take all their money?
The PCs have the potential to pick up a lot of loot in SoS, much of it in the form of low-value coins. Between these, gems and valuable jewelry/artwork/etc, they'll need a trustworthy place to convert that into a more liquid currency (my PCs are drooling at the thought of all the magic items they'll be able to buy). Is there a temple of Abadar in Kaer Maga, or some similar group that won't just try to murder the PCs and/or take all their money?
Think of it that way: By the time the PC's get back out of Scarwall, they are essentially a group of super-soldiers. Maybe there are groups who'd want to murderize them for their "phat lewtz", but after getting trashed one or even two times, even those should have learned their lesson.
Taking the basic set-up for cities, there certainly shouldn't be too many high-level NPCs be running around in Kaer Mage, let alone ones organized enough to form a credible threat to a level 14-16 party.
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By the same token, there may not be anyone with an interest in expensive gear. Let's say the party finds a +2 holy weapon... Who can afford to buy that? And who would even want it? Market demand for such a thing may be non-existent.
The party might be required to come up with ideas on who to go to for selling off loot. For example, a holy weapon might best be sold to a temple of a good deity. Strongly enchanted armor might best be sold to a temple worshipped by mercenaries, or perhaps bartered with at a thieve's guild.
When the group starts trying to fence items above about 10k-15k, I start looking for alternatives as most people just won't have the cash...
(Might be fun though for minions of their nemesis to purchase the stuff -- at half price even! -- and then be wearing it for the big battle!)
By the same token, there may not be anyone with an interest in expensive gear. Let's say the party finds a +2 holy weapon... Who can afford to buy that? And who would even want it? Market demand for such a thing may be non-existent.
The party might be required to come up with ideas on who to go to for selling off loot. For example, a holy weapon might best be sold to a temple of a good deity. Strongly enchanted armor might best be sold to a temple worshipped by mercenaries, or perhaps bartered with at a thieve's guild.
When the group starts trying to fence items above about 10k-15k, I start looking for alternatives as most people just won't have the cash...
(Might be fun though for minions of their nemesis to purchase the stuff -- at half price even! -- and then be wearing it for the big battle!)
I expect that to be less of a problem, since the gold limits of bigger cities like Kaer Maga are quite high. When I said that there probably won't be some organized high-level raid on the players just for visiting that city, it doesn't mean that there aren't high level NPCs who'd buy something like a +2 holy longsword.
Also, giving the players too much problems in selling their loot smells like GM griefing to me, to be honest. They have bigger fish to fry than to run one session around selling loot.
Creative Director
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Although it's easy as a GM to get concerned with game-world elements concerning economy and supply/demand when it comes to the logistics of selling off magic items and buying new ones... it's always important to remember that you're not the only one playing the game. Players LOVE to sell and buy magic items, and if you make that process slow and cumbersome and difficult by adding too much in the way of haggling or stuff, it's really easy to turn the experience into a drag.
High level is one place where, in my experience, it's usually better to either just let the PCs buy and sell as they will (assuming that they're in a big city—Kaer Maga will do fine) rather than try to make things more complex. At low level, when PCs don't have much to buy or sell, getting into the gritty details of economy is more workable.
Another option is, of course, to alter the type of treasure the PCs find in the adventure so that the stuff they find is stuff they'll want to keep. This is tricky too, though, since it starts to mess with verisimilitude when a PC can't, for example, loot a scythe-wielding chainmail wearing monster.
Although it's easy as a GM to get concerned with game-world elements concerning economy and supply/demand when it comes to the logistics of selling off magic items and buying new ones... it's always important to remember that you're not the only one playing the game. Players LOVE to sell and buy magic items, and if you make that process slow and cumbersome and difficult by adding too much in the way of haggling or stuff, it's really easy to turn the experience into a drag.
High level is one place where, in my experience, it's usually better to either just let the PCs buy and sell as they will (assuming that they're in a big city—Kaer Maga will do fine) rather than try to make things more complex. At low level, when PCs don't have much to buy or sell, getting into the gritty details of economy is more workable.
Another option is, of course, to alter the type of treasure the PCs find in the adventure so that the stuff they find is stuff they'll want to keep. This is tricky too, though, since it starts to mess with verisimilitude when a PC can't, for example, loot a scythe-wielding chainmail wearing monster.
Not to mention the logistical nightmare to make sure that each character receives something of worth and none of them comes clearly out on top over all others. Oh, and that it is something the player actually wants, not you as the GM.
Sell-able loot and coin is most times better, IMO. But YMMV, of course.