The motivation for developing this system

After many years of playing D&D, my friends and I eventually decided not to keep track of ammunition or equipment burden. However, this led to a strange phenomenon where my players would aggregate and sell all of the inexpensive possessions (leather armor, spears, etc.) they found on dead enemies. It never unbalanced the game, but it dragged the pace down, and it made me wonder: why are we keeping track of gold in the first place? Personally, I play RPGs to get away from trivial details, not to open up a fantasy accounting firm. To this end, I developed a new way to manage money for the more laissez-faire dungeon master.


Tiered finances

In this system, rather than keeping track of individual gold pieces, there are four financial states that a character can be in. If you really don't want to keep track of money, these states can also apply to the adventuring party as a whole.

Tier 1- Flush

The character is living large! Returning from a successful dungeon, perhaps with treasure looted from a dragon's horde or a giant's castle, the adventurer can afford little luxuries, like nice quarters, tasty meals, and all the basic equipment they require. A player can choose to remain in this state for a while until the dungeon master deems them out of money, or expend their ‘flush' status to facilitate an especially expensive purchase (such as a magic item). Typically characters move to Tier 2 after an expensive purchase, but depending on the nature of the exchange, they could move to Tier 3 or Tier 4.

Tier 2- Paid-up

Paid-up is the default financial status for most characters. The character has enough money to survive, but not enough money to waste on fancy clothes or food. They should be able to replenish key supplies (arrows, simple spell components, etc.), and obtain food and lodging at modest establishments. If the character blows money on frivolous expenses or wants to purchase a specialized piece of equipment, it will move them down to Tier 3 or Tier 4.

Tier 3- Broke

The character has no money. The only way they can procure the things they desire is to barter or steal. Characters who are broke may have a difficult time finding a place to stay, and may be forced to camp even in developed areas.

Tier 4- Indebted

The character has borrowed money, either with a respectable institution, such as a bank, or a less reputable service, like a loan shark. The particular details of the loan dictate whether characters have disposable income, so a character can be treated as Flush, Paid-up, or Broke while being indebted. The main difference between the other tiers and Indebted is that Indebted characters face constant scrutiny from their debtors and potential pressure from law enforcement depending on the nature of their debt.


Scaling your rewards

As your characters get more powerful, their financial reach should increase as well. At low levels, an enchanted sword should be enough to drain their bank accounts, but as they grow, they should get access to exotic mounts, luxury food items, vehicles, properties, and perhaps even armies. You can also let more than one character expend their ‘Flush' status simultaneously to acquire something that would normally be out of the party's price range.


The downside to this system

While using a tiered financial system can save you a lot of time, it is vulnerable to abuse. Characters looking for microbonuses might load up on magical ammunition or other single-use items that don't have a large effect on any one attack, but can gradually change the balance of power. Also, I found that once purchases became a matter of dungeon master ruling, there was more and bargaining between myself and the players as to what constituted a purchase that would consume their ‘Flush' status. Personally, it wasn't difficult for me to handle, but if you have particularly obnoxious players, this constant clash may wear you out.