Gold was a pure precious metal that was used in Faerûn as the baseline of most currency.[3] Despite its high value it was fairly commonly found throughout Toril.[4]
Description
Gold was a soft, malleable and exceptionally conductive metal.[4]
Worth
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.[3] Electrum coins were worth 1/2 of a gp,[5] and platinum coins were worth 10 gp.[3] A standard gold piece (gp) weighed 0.32 ounces (9.1 grams), so 50 coins weighed about 1 pound (450 grams).[6] Each piece was typically a flat disk 11⁄4 or 1.25 inches (3.18 centimeters) in diameter and 1⁄8 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.[7]
The metal was valuable to many artisans for its malleability and aesthetic qualities.[4]
Uses
Gold was prized by many wizards for its magical properties.[8] If refined and treated with the right magical processes, gold could become as hard as steel and used to forge effective armor and weapons,[9] which could hold a number of enchantments, even those that conflicted one another.[8] While it offered significant protection against fire and acid, golden armor was twice as heavy as steel and more encumbering.[9]
Gold was specifically used in the crafting of shoonrings that had multiple magical properties.[10]
Gold was favored by the gods Abbathor, Geb, Hanali Celanil, Thard Harr, Ubtao, and Vergadain and seen as a sign of their blessings.[11]
Waukeen, the goddess of wealth and trade, was known as Our Lady of Gold,[12] and was said to wield a cloud of gold coins as a weapon.[13]
Appendix
Notes
- ↑ 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
External Links
References
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 143, 255. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sean K. Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, Angel McCoy (August 2001). Magic of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 179. ISBN 0-7869-1964-7.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.