The four players in my Skull and Shackles game have run up quite a list of party treasure in their adventures. They took what they needed/wanted and threw the rest into a "group pot" to figure out later. They also made a point to pay the appropriate amount of plunder to their crews to keep them plump and happy as well.
Now, as we prepare for the final adventure module in the series, they've finally opted to sell the brunt of their plunder. After going through the two page list (12-point font, single-spaced, dual-columned, single side) they claimed four or five more items, and are selling off the rest.
According to my Excel Sheet, it comes to over 500,000gp!
Normally, that would seem about right for 13th-level characters, but they are more or less fully equipped already, and have no less than three fully functional bases of operation and a massive fleet of 30 ships--all fully crewed by loyal, happily paid (and equipped) pirates.
Taking that into account, it seems a bit much to throw on top. Are the PCs really supposed to be so wealthy at this point in the campaign?
I'm not against them being wealthy, or anything, but I'm beginning to hear whispers about the characters simply retiring somewhere far off with all that wealth and letting the Shackles fend for themselves against the Chelish invasion, or perhaps of using their item creation feats to double the effective wealth to over a million gold worth in magical items! That is a little unsettling for me (considering they're already cake-walking most everything).
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I'd say let them sell their loot and spend the gold how they wish.
Perhaps in the time it takes them to sell this massive amount of loot their enemies have more time to prepare/train and thus the encounters get appropriately more difficult.
As for the issue of motivation, consider ways to make the adventure personal for them. Perhaps digging into their character background in order to find something that would make them want to continue forward with the adventure.
Or you know, maybe just the temptation of an extremely valuable/powerful treasure that would absolutely make sure they never wanted for money again. A sort of "one last score" before retirement type thing.
As for the issue of motivation, consider ways to make the adventure personal for them. Perhaps digging into their character background in order to find something that would make them want to continue forward with the adventure.
I've done this a number of times already. The lead player and "captain" of the crew also happens to be a Red Mantis Assassin and devout follower of Achaekek. Achaekek sent her visions of the dreamstone, bidding her to retrieve it for the glory of the order of the Red Mantis.
One character also had a powerful and well known pirate for a father who had mysteriously disappeared, and has leveraged her father's name and reputation several times throughout the adventure (even though we never once said what his name actually was). The bejeweled skull found in Harrigan's bedroom was ultimately identified as none other than said missing father.
Or you know, maybe just the temptation of an extremely valuable/powerful treasure that would absolutely make sure they never wanted for money again. A sort of "one last score" before retirement type thing.
If they are serious about retirement, this might be a good way to at least get them through the sixth module.
My party went off book quite a bit. While we got above WBL, we had to but supplies for the ships, pay crew, and refurbish captured ships. We did not ever have that much. Best party div I recall was after taking Harrigan. That netted about 20K each. Your party is netting about 125K each.
I suspect you did not keep a general track of how much loot they had. No worry, there is an easy fix. Any wealth spent on plot no longer affects WBL. The best way you can reduce their cash is to encourage them to purchase ships, titles, islands, and so on. Investing in an information network can also eat up money.
/cevah
Skull and Shackles seems to do this intentionally. My PCs are way over WBL even in book 4 now. It's why I don't feel too bad about killing them so often.
Ships can be quite pricey, perhaps make some stuff happen to their ship or ships so they have to keep repairing, upgrading or replacing them?
Isn't WBL for creating characters?
And if it gets to ridiculous, I once played in a game where the DM charged 50,000 for a map by reasons of inflation. Suffice to say, one of the party retired to be a map shop owner at the end of that session.