My Two Amnors

A short treatise on the economy of Diomin by Rob Holmes

Diomin has set a different money system in the Worldbook that may make many gamemasters and players a bit nervous once they figure out what just happened.

Classical Dungeons and Dragons set the value of currency roughly based on historical references for capital and consumable equipment.

The most common coin that adventurers use is the gold piece (gp). A skilled (but not exceptional) artisan can earn a gold piece a day. The gold piece is the standard unit of measure for wealth. The most prevalent coin among commoners is the silver piece (sp). A gold piece is worth 10 silver pieces. Each silver piece is worth 10 copper pieces (cp). Merchants also recognize platinum pieces (pp), which are each worth 10 gp. The standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce (fifty to the pound).
(From the Player's Handbook)

In other words, one gold piece equals 10 silver pieces equals 100 copper pieces. So, when you go to the commodity list and attempt to purchase a chicken...

Chicken, 2 cp

Which would be roughly equal to 0.02 gold pieces, or 0.0067% of the artisan's estimated annual income (based on 1 gp per day and 300 workdays)

In Diomin, we have set a currency rate at:

Diomin money is in the form of coins, although farmers and such usually pay in barter. This system was first developed by the Zeredites and was later adopted by the Tirasim. Hearthom merchants, in a desire to standardize coinage, adopted it, taking it to all the other races and cultures. The basic Diomin coin is the copper senum, which is equal to half a bushel of wheat. Next in value, and more commonly used, is the silver amnor. Which is twice the value of the senum, or a bushel of wheat. The gold ezrum is 4x the senum, or two bushels of wheat, and the most valuable coin in Diomin is the platinum onti. The onti's value is equal to them all, or 3 and a half bushels. The amnor is the standard amount for one days pay for an unskilled laborer.
(From the Diomin Worldbook, page 63)

Or in other words, one gold ezrum is equal to 4 silver amnor is equal to 8 copper senum. So, to purchase the same chicken...

Chicken, 2 senum

Which would roughly be equal to 0.250 gold pieces, or, based on a laborer's income of one silver amnor per day, 0.33% of the laborer's estimated annual income. That's 50 times more expensive! Jeez! Better be a good chicken!

Or for the would-be fighters in our worlds...

Longsword, 15 gp

Classical D&D artisan purchases a longsword for 15 gold pieces which equals 5% of his annual salary, based on 300 gp per year. In Diomin, our unskilled laborer uses 15 gold ezrum, which is 20% of his annual salary, based on 300 silver amnor per year.

This will undoubtedly initially scare most players once they find that their money doesn't appear to go nearly as far. The key here is that Diomin's set value is for unskilled labor. It would not be unreasonable at all to find skilled artisans in Diomin making one gold ezrum per day, or, 300 gp per year. And it is completely expected that the hero's who conquer our world will make considerably more money for their labors.

There is still one issue then, now that we are comparing apples to apples, or artisans to artisans as it were.

Both of our artisans need a new blanket..

Blanket, winter 5 sp

But, as we quickly see in the money conversions, 5 sp is half a day's salary for the Classical D&D artisan, where it is one and a quarter days salary for our Diomin artisan.

So, this begs the question of why?

In Diomin, the market is distinctly different than what we have become accustomed to in the classical Dungeons and Dragons adventures. The economies in Diomin have been governed by the guild structures, making consumable goods markedly more expensive. Currency ores are in available in distinctly different ratios than what we have all become used to in previous campaign worlds. With the saturation of the market with service based resources and control of value of everything right down to a toothpick, the value of money, and chickens, is distinctly different.

So, in a nutshell, don't fret. The equipment prices in the D&D PHB, treasure rewards, and player's starting wealth, do not change in Diomin. But this is something to keep in mind when setting value to new items in your campaign world, and to note when going to the village outfitter - the money you have doesn't go quite as far.