D&D: How Much for that Sword?

So, you thought your character did OK with that 10 gp “normal” sword, eh? Hello, you got ripped off! 

A question came up recently about why PCs using straight by-the-book D&D BECMI game mechanics should bother using a battle axe, which requires both hands to wield, rather than a sword since they both inflict the same amount of damage. The answer was that battle axe’s useful weight is concentrated at the outer end of its shaft, which demands both hands to wield effectively. Compared to this, the sword’s weight is balanced closer to its handle and is therefore much more practical to wield single-handedly, but it’s also more expensive to forge. Either because of their cost or whether swords are limited by law to nobility (depending on the DM’s game world), swords might simply not be available to level 1 characters. In most games I’ve played, nobody pays attention to such minutia. PCs start with a lot more money than they should, provided gold is an issue at all! But let’s look further into this, in terms of economics and effects on game play.

The Swordsmith by Saadirfan ©2014-2020 Saadirfan

Economics: The toughest part is establishing how money might work, given the generally fuzzy data on wealth and manufacturing in real world Middle Ages. The first thing to establish is a medieval “minimum wage” for workers in a way that can be easily translated into a D&D game. The concept is that minimum wage reflects the basic cost of food needed to survive (not including the costs of all other things like clothing, a place to live, and some entertainment, let alone savings). The chart below demonstrates the daily basic cost of food, assuming a loaf of bread costs 3 coppers (based on the cost of bread in 1300’s England—3 pence). Whether 3 English pence are really worth 3 D&D coppers remains to be proven, but I’ll establish this value as a baseline for the game, however arbitrary, provided everything else is priced accordingly, such as an adventurer’s equipment.

Cost of “Survival”
Servings per Loaf of Bread	Calories	Entire Loaf (1½ pound)
12	120	1,440 Calories
Average male worker requires 2,500 calories per day
or	1.74	loaves of bread per day
"Established" cost for 1 loaf of bread =	3.00	copper pieces
Minimum "survival" income =	5.21	copper pieces per day

Manufacturing a Sword: The next step is to get a better understanding of what it takes of make “a sword.” In a game like BECMI, such details as workmanship and how they affect gameplay are entirely brushed aside for the sake of simplicity. Nonetheless, let’s not lose sight of that crucial issue.

            A cheap, somewhat rudimentary sword, the sort a cash-strapped level 1 PC ought to look for, requires about a week’s work involving a blacksmith and two snot-nosed helpers, neither much more than apprentices in this profession. The chart below hashes out some numbers.

Cheap, Basic Sword (any village or better)
Requires 1 blacksmith + 2 helpers for 1 week
"Income Rate"		Cost in Coins
Helpers	x1	10.42	copper pieces/day
Blacksmith	x3	15.63
Total “Minimum Wages”		26.04
Cost of Living Adj.	x2	52.08
Operating Costs (fuel, facilities, services)		3
Total		55
Raw materials for 1 cheap sword		10	copper pieces
Final Cost for 1 Full Week		395
or		4	gold pieces

Income Rate: The two helpers in this instance are “minimum wage” earners. The blacksmith, on the other hand, earns three times as much. A “cost of living adjustment” (two rows down) then modifies this income to allow for such nice things as better food once in a while, clothing, a few mugs of ale at the local tavern, paying taxes, and rudimentary entertainment. (No, Sir. The neighbor’s goat isn’t available at the moment.)

Operating Costs: A guess on my part on what it might cost to run a forge each day it is used (wood or charcoal, possible rent from a local lord, miscellaneous services in the village related to running the forge, etc.)

Raw Materials: A cheap sword should require raw iron, wood, leather, acid, etc. It is stated here as a fixed amount per sword.

Final Cost: The final figure takes into consideration all of the above and the amount of work time. In reality, a swordsmith would be working on multiple swords at one time, possibly 4 of them, stretching the actual timeframe to a full month for all 4 swords. The final cost is the minimum for which the blacksmith would agree to make the sword, with a half payable upfront. The actual sales price requires negotiation between the PC and the blacksmith—Yay, roleplay!

Result: I wouldn’t call it a “normal” sword, but as the name implies: a “cheap” sword. Game effect: –1 to damage (down to 1 minimum) after the first battle unless an hour is spent sharpening its blade; an unmodified score of 1 on a hit roll may result in the sword breaking altogether (roll a d6—the sword breaks with a score of 1). And by the way, no wizard worth his/her salt would bother enchanting a cheap sword. That’s for the better stuff only.

“Normal” Sword (small town or larger)
Requires 1 swordsmith + 3 helpers for 4 week
"Income Rate"		Cost in Coins
Helpers	x2	31.25	copper pieces/day
Swordsmith	x7	36.46
Total “Minimum Wages”		67.71
Cost of Living Adj.	x3	203.13
Operating Costs (fuel, facilities, services)		6
Total		209
Raw materials for 1 normal sword		100	copper pieces
Final Cost for 4 Weeks		5,952
Rounded up to		60	gold pieces

Income: These are higher income, guild-paying professionals, with bona fide apprentices and a competent metal worker. The swordsmith expects to afford a reasonably nice dwelling and decent lifestyle.

Final Cost: As explained earlier, 60 gp is the cost for making this sword. The actual sales price should be negotiated. Prices can go up based on a number of factors, such as lack of competition, war-time in effect, scarcity of resources, the cost of importing quality raw materials, local cost of living, inflation, graft and corruption, etc.

Result: The sword does not require sharpening between each battle. Once after each adventure is enough. The odds of breaking the sword are much lower: roll a subsequent d12 after a critical fail—the sword breaks with a score of 1. Some ornamentation and personalization may be available.

“Kingly” Sword (major urban center only)
Requires 1 master crafter + 4 helpers for 16 weeks
"Income Rate"		Cost in Coins
Helpers	x3	62.50	copper pieces/day
Master crafter	x12	62.50
Total “Minimum Wages”		125.00
Cost of Living Adj.	x4	500.00
Operating Costs (fuel, facilities, services)		12
Total		512
Raw materials for 1 kingly sword		1,000	copper pieces
Final Cost for 4 Months		58,344
Rounded up to		600	gold pieces

Income: These are the best in the trade. The master crafter is no doubt an older and wealthy individual with a business in a major urban center. Some of the helpers may be well on their way to becoming reputable swordsmiths. They remain solely for the sake of learning every secret they can from their master. They could easily double their personal incomes when opening their own forges.

Final Cost: Additional jewelry could be added, silver or gold ornaments, and intricate engravings, for the right price. The sky’s the limit. This weapon's market value is worth enough bread to feed about 400 people for a month.

Result: This sword hardly ever requires sharpening. In fact, the workmanship is so fine, give it a +1 bonus either to damage or to the wielder's initiative. Forget about the odds its blade will break unless the DM is particularly cruel. Rather, if used against a lesser sword, increase the latter’s odds of falling apart +2 on the second die roll when its owner’s scores a critical failure.

Enchantments: A sword's magical plusses increase by the same amount the opposing weapon's odds of breakage after a critical fail. Conversely, plusses can reduce modified odds of breakage down to a minimum of 1. A non-magical kingly sword should be considered a +1 weapon solely as regards its ability to hit enchanted creatures. Any magical bonuses to hit and damage only come with actual enchantments.

Other Swords: For a short sword, reduce cost –30%; for a bastard sword, increase cost +30%; for a two-handed sword, increase cost +60%.

Battle Axes: They require half as much time to manufacture compared with a “normal” sword. Using the same cost structure, this boils down to a minimum 2 gold for a cheap battle axe, 30 for one of good quality, and 300 for a kingly weapon. Shortcomings and benefits are otherwise the same as those described for swords. They still require two hands to wield, but they are much cheaper to purchase.