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Gold was a pure precious metal that was used in Faerûn as the baseline of most currency.[4] Despite its high value it was fairly commonly found throughout Toril.[5]

Description[]

Gold was a soft, malleable and exceptionally conductive metal.[5] It was resistant to nearly all acids in the Realms, with aqua regia being one of the only acids known to melt it.[6]

Worth[]

Treasure AFRT

A treasure chest filled with gold coins.

Most coins in Faerûn worked off of the silver and gold standard, with copper pieces (cp) being worth 1/100th of a gold piece (gp) and silver pieces (sp) being worth 1/10 of a gp.[4] Electrum coins were worth 1/2 of a gp,[7] and platinum coins were worth 10 gp.[4] A standard gold piece (gp) weighed 0.32 ounces (9.1 grams), so 50 coins weighed about 1 pound (450 grams).[8] Each piece was typically a flat disk 1 14 or 1.25 inches (3.18 centimeters) in diameter and  18 or 0.125 inches (3.18 millimeters) thick.[note 1] Any less than that and they were considered by most to be "shaved" and worth less than newly minted coins.[9]

The metal was valuable to many artisans for its malleability and aesthetic qualities.[5]

Uses[]

Gold was prized by many wizards for its magical properties.[10] If refined and treated with the right magical processes, gold could become as hard as steel and used to forge effective armor and weapons,[11] which could hold a number of enchantments, even those that conflicted one another.[10] While it offered significant protection against fire and acid, golden armor was twice as heavy as steel and more encumbering.[11]

Gold was specifically used in the crafting of shoonrings that had multiple magical properties.[12]

Gold was favored by the gods Abbathor, Geb, Hanali Celanil, Thard Harr, Ubtao, and Vergadain and seen as a sign of their blessings.[13]

Waukeen, the goddess of wealth and trade, was known as Our Lady of Gold,[14] and was said to wield a cloud of gold coins as a weapon.[15]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. Unfortunately, for both of these statements to be true, a typical gold coin had very little gold in it and was either alloyed with a much lighter metal, like aluminum, or was made of a gold-clad wooden disk. The density of gold is 19.32 g/cm³ and a pure gold coin of those dimensions would weigh about 1.7 ounces (48 grams) or over five times the weight of a "standard" coin. This suggests that the dimensions of a standard coin should be smaller and thinner.

See Also[]

Appearances[]

Video Games

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Andy Collins, James Wyatt, and Skip Williams (November 2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 29. ISBN 0-7869-2884-0.
  2. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 143, 255. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
  3. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0786965622.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  6. Lisa Smedman (June 2008). Ascendancy of the Last. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7869-4864-2.
  7. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
  8. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
  9. Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 91. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Sean K. Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, Angel McCoy (August 2001). Magic of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 179. ISBN 0-7869-1964-7.
  12. Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 192. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
  13. Sean K. Reynolds (2002-05-04). Deity Do's and Don'ts (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Faiths and Pantheons. Wizards of the Coast. pp. 10–15. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.
  14. Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  15. Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 89. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
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