Prices represent normal market conditions in settled regions with functioning trade. Local abundance, scarcity, taxation, war, guild control, isolation, and merchant opportunism can alter them. Common people spend mostly copper and silver; gold is used for valuable tools, livestock, weapons, travel, property, luxury goods, adventuring, and stronger magic.
10 copper pieces (cp) = 1 silver piece (sp); 10 sp = 1 gold piece (gp); 100 cp = 1 gp. An ordinary laborer earns about 5 cp per day and a trained craftsman about 1 sp. Typical daily pay: beggar or irregular work 1–3 cp; farmhand or common laborer 4–6 cp; skilled craftsman 1 sp; journeyman specialist 1–2 sp; master artisan 2–5 sp; clerk or scribe 1–3 sp; common soldier 6 cp–1 sp plus provisions; veteran or mercenary 1–5 sp; physician, engineer, or specialist 3–10 sp; exceptional master 1 gp or more. Food and lodging are often included for servants, soldiers, and apprentices.
Typical food prices: coarse bread loaf 1 cp; fine bread loaf 2 cp; porridge or vegetable stew 1–2 cp; cheese or salted fish 3–8 cp; common meat portion 4–8 cp; whole chicken 5–8 cp; common tavern meal 3–5 cp; good tavern meal 6 cp–1 sp; wealthy meal 2–5 sp. Drinks: mug of ale 1–2 cp; local wine 2–4 cp; good wine 5 cp–2 sp; fine imported wine 5 sp–2 gp. Lodging per night: common-room space 2–3 cp; shared cheap room 4–6 cp; ordinary private room 1 sp; comfortable private room 2–4 sp; fine suite 1–3 gp; stable space for a horse 2–5 cp.
Typical clothing prices: linen shirt 2–4 sp; common trousers or skirt 3–5 sp; wool cloak 5 sp–1 gp; common shoes 4–8 sp; good leather boots 1–2 gp; ordinary complete outfit 1–3 gp; fine merchant outfit 5–15 gp; noble clothing 20–100 gp or more. Household goods and tools: cooking pot 1–3 sp; blanket 2–5 sp; 50 feet of rope 3–5 sp; lantern 3–6 sp; hammer 3–5 sp; wood axe 5–8 sp; carpenter's tools 2–5 gp; smith's tools 5–15 gp; fine artisan tools 10–30 gp; strong chest 2–5 gp; ironbound chest 5–15 gp.
Weapons require skilled labor and good metal, making swords valuable possessions rather than common tools. Typical weapon prices: dagger 1 gp; hand axe or spear 1–2 gp; mace 3–5 gp; short sword 5–8 gp; arming sword 8–12 gp; longsword 12–18 gp; greatsword 20–35 gp; battleaxe or warhammer 5–10 gp; shortbow 3–5 gp; longbow 8–15 gp; crossbow 10–20 gp; heavy crossbow 20–35 gp. Armor: padded armor 2–4 gp; leather armor 5–8 gp; mail shirt 20–30 gp; full mail 35–60 gp; brigandine 25–45 gp; breastplate 35–60 gp; partial plate 70–120 gp; full plate harness 150–300 gp; shield 1–5 gp. Listed armor prices include necessary fitting. Major alteration, exceptional tailoring, or custom fitting adds 20–50%. Gilding, etching, heraldry, and ceremonial decoration increase price without necessarily improving combat performance.
Ordinary equipment represents competent work. Fine Quality costs ×2 normal price and reflects superior materials, balance, finish, durability, or fitting. Masterwork costs ×5 and is made by a recognized master. Renowned Masterwork costs ×10 or more. Dwarven or Elven Masterwork usually costs ×10–25 when produced by an acknowledged master using exceptional cultural techniques; the premium does not apply merely because the maker is a dwarf or elf. Craftsmanship tiers are mutually exclusive: use only the highest applicable craftsmanship multiplier. Material modifiers apply separately and multiply the resulting price: superior common metal ×1.5–2; scarce regional metal ×3–5; rare ore ×5–10; supernatural ore ×10–30; singular or nearly unobtainable materials are individually negotiated. Thus a 15 gp sword might cost 75 gp as Masterwork or 150–375 gp as Dwarven or Elven Masterwork before any rare-material modifier is applied.
Typical animal prices: chicken 3–5 cp; goat 5–10 sp; pig or sheep 1–2 gp; cow 3–6 gp; ox 5–8 gp; donkey 5–10 gp; mule 10–20 gp; riding horse 20–40 gp; fine riding horse 50–100 gp; trained warhorse 125–250 gp; exceptional warhorse 300 gp or more. Vehicles and tack: cart 5–10 gp; wagon 15–30 gp; fine carriage 50–150 gp; saddle 5–15 gp.
Typical travel prices: local ferry 1–3 cp; coach passage 2–5 sp per day; merchant wagon passage 1–3 sp per day; ordinary ship passage 5 sp–2 gp per day; private ship cabin 3–10 gp per day. Services: local messenger 2–5 cp; porter 5 cp per day; bodyguard 1–3 sp per day; armed escort 3–8 sp per day; dangerous-region guide 3–10 sp per day.
Typical book and education prices: sheet of paper 1 cp; small ink vial 3–5 cp; blank notebook 3–8 sp; common bound book 2–8 gp; scholarly volume 10–30 gp; rare manuscript 25–200 gp or more; illuminated book 50–500 gp or more. Ordinary copyist 2–5 cp per page; professional, legal, or scholarly scribe 1–3 sp per page; translator 2–10 sp per page; private tutor 2–5 sp per day. Medical and alchemical prices: herbal remedy 2–8 sp; physician consultation 3–10 sp; skilled surgeon 1–5 gp; major surgery 5–25 gp; antidote for common poison 2–10 gp; rare antidote 10–100 gp or more; common alchemical reagent 1–5 gp; rare alchemical reagent 10–100 gp or more.
Magic is commonplace and woven into daily life. Simple enchantments are standardized, repeatable, and produced by trained enchanters, guild workshops, temples, institutions, and specialized craftsmen. Common folk may own minor enchanted tools used for light, heating, preservation, cleaning, signaling, measuring, lifting, irrigation, transport, labor, and trade. Such magic is narrow in purpose and usually comparable in value to a good mundane tool rather than an adventuring treasure. Typical prices: minor charm, enchanted token, or household convenience 5 sp–3 gp; simple enchanted tool or labor aid 2–10 gp; durable household or workshop enchantment 5–25 gp; substantial commercial, agricultural, or transport enchantment 20–100 gp. Standardized enchantments may cost less where produced in quantity.
Routine magic is inexpensive where practitioners are available, but cost rises rapidly with complexity, danger, rarity, regulation, or power. Typical services: minor magical assistance, testing, repair, or examination 5 sp–3 gp; identification of an unfamiliar enchantment 3–10 gp; routine professional spellcasting 2–15 gp; specialized spellcasting 15–75 gp; dangerous or restricted spellcasting 100–500 gp or more; major ritual 500–5,000 gp or more. Combat enchantments, broad self-sustaining effects, unusual permanent magic, and items requiring rare reagents or long individual labor remain beyond ordinary household means.
Typical adventuring item prices: minor consumable 10–50 gp; significant consumable 50–250 gp; minor permanent enchanted item 100–500 gp; uncommon permanent enchanted item 500–2,500 gp; powerful permanent enchanted item 2,500–15,000 gp; exceptional magical item 15,000–100,000 gp or more. Legendary or unique artifacts are not normally for sale. Commissioning standardized utility magic usually costs 25–50% more than purchasing an existing equivalent. Commissioning unusual or powerful magic usually costs 50–100% more and may require months or years. Rare-material and craftsmanship costs are calculated before major enchantment.
Typical property prices: rural cottage 100–250 gp; small town house 200–500 gp; good urban house 500–1,500 gp; merchant townhouse 1,500–5,000 gp; noble residence 5,000–25,000 gp or more; small workshop 250–750 gp; warehouse 1,000–5,000 gp; small farm 500–2,000 gp; productive estate 5,000–50,000 gp or more. Vessels: small merchant vessel 5,000–15,000 gp; large merchant ship 20,000–75,000 gp; warship 50,000 gp or more. Property values may also reflect legal rights, taxes, guild privileges, hereditary claims, and obligations.
Normal trade conditions use the listed price. Goods produced locally in abundance usually cost ×0.5–0.8; imported common goods ×1.5–3; goods in remote settlements ×2–4; restricted or heavily taxed goods ×2–5; wartime shortages ×2–5; severe shortages ×5–10; siege or famine conditions ×10 or more; rare foreign luxuries ×5–20. These availability modifiers normally do not multiply together. When several conditions apply, choose one multiplier representing the resulting local scarcity, usually within the highest applicable range. Explicit tariffs, monopoly fees, or extraordinary black-market costs may increase the final price separately. Apply prices according to availability rather than settlement size alone: grain may be cheap in farming country but expensive in a mining settlement, while metal goods may show the reverse.
Copper covers food, drink, candles, ferries, and minor daily expenses. Silver covers clothing, tools, lodging, craftsmen, ordinary services, and inexpensive magical conveniences. Gold pays for livestock, basic weapons, books, substantial travel, and common enchanted tools. Tens of gold buy better arms and armor, horses, quality equipment, substantial utility enchantments, and luxury goods. Hundreds of gold buy masterwork arms, rare materials, warhorses, minor adventuring magic, and modest property. Thousands of gold purchase powerful permanent magic, ships, estates, and major commercial ventures. Tens of thousands of gold represent exceptional magical items, noble fortunes, military infrastructure, and institutional spending. A few silver pieces are useful daily money; several gold pieces are substantial wealth to an ordinary person; hundreds of gold pieces are conspicuous wealth.