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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Jan 2009 : 21:31:05
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Watching a documentary on silver mining, they mentioned that from a ton (2000 lbs) of ore they are able to obtain 18 lbs of lead, 2 lbs of zinc and 16 oz of silver.
Now mines have different mixtures of metals within the ore that they pull from the mine, and 1 lb of silver?
So I looked into it and found a website that provided the following information.
The silver extration process
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The ore used to extract silver was not a silver ore but Lead Sulphide (formula PbS), known as Galena or Galenite (named by the Roman Pliny) which contains 87% lead.
The ore as mined was not pure as it was mostly encased in rock, combined with earth, and also contained traces of iron ore and other minerals. Firstly it had to be pounded into small fragments on stone tables with rock hammers, then ground to a fine powder of 1-mm grain size in a stone mill (very hard work!). Then it had to be washed in a "washery" to remove as many of the impurities as possible. The washed ore was then dried and formed into bricks.
Next, the bricks of washed ore were heated in a furnace where the lead/silver mixture was released from it's sulphide and separated from iron oxide impurities and run-off into "pigs" or blocks.
The pigs of lead were now placed in a high temperature (950 degC) 'Cupellation' furnace with materials capable of oxidising (absorbing) the lead. The lead oxide was skimmed off the surface of the hot mixture using iron tools. The silver that remained was run-off and solidified into blocks.
Since lead was also valuable, it was recovered by placing the lead oxide remaining from the cupellation process into yet a third furnace and heated to 250 degC and air was blown through it. The lead was run-off and formed into rods.
Since lead is a cumulative poison, many slaves must have died from its effects; not to mention from the sulphur dioxide fumes from the original lead sulphide processing furnaces - & the arsenic contained in small quantities in the lead.
I'm curious about is if the mineral veins that were mined back in the 1400s were better than what we are getting these days.
It would be a lot of manual labor to produce 1 lb of silver per 1000 lbs of ore.
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Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
Edited by - Wenin on 14 Jan 2009 21:34:03
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Darkmeer
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 05:33:52
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Depending on your mining site you have some of the following results (not up to date, we're looking from 97 to present here)
Gold: Per troy ounce (20 pennyweights/31.1034 grams), you must move roughly 70 TONS of rock and other metals in order to find it (let's argue that Platinum isn't found in sandy environments for now). Even though so much rock must be moved, its rarity isn't so much of a thought. Let's say you're moving the same amount of rock for the same amount of material, and let's use one troy ounce as our staple.
1 Troy Ounce of Gold has a volume of 11.9050 Cubic Inches.
1 Troy Ounce of Platinum has a volume of 9.66 cubic inches
1 troy ounce of Silver has a volume of 15.2673 cubic inches.
This is all based on their specific gravities. Th reality is though, that you get "more" for your mining with silver than you do either gold or platinum. Even better is that silver is found in veins with lead, copper, and even gold veins (Electrum, when they've been fused together). Platinum is virtually pure, and needs to remain so. It is such a fickle metal that most use an Argon environment when smelting it.
There, useless facts unloaded.
/d |
"These people are my family, not just friends, and if you want to get to them you gotta go through ME." |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 17:25:03
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So in a world of "real" magic, would the value of lead lessen?
Searching for reasons why lead would be valuable to ancient civilizations, most of the reasons I found result avenues of introduction of lead poisoning!
Historical Production and uses of Lead
Artwork = Still possible
Currency = Sure, though not used in canon FR
Kitchenware = POISON
Tablets = Cool
Weights = Of course, so worthless, it's dead weight =)
Coffins = Cool
Warfare = Sling stones, horray for the Halflings =)
Pottery Glaze = POISON
Lead Glass = Cool
Lead based Paint = Ok (Only poisonous to those who like eating paint chips, right? =) )
Lead based Cosmetics = POISON
Medicinal = POISON
If lead is not that useful, than the lead obtained in mining more precious metals won't offset the cost as much, making the precious metals more valuable.
I see a world with "real" gods and "real" magic, to be a world more enlightened and educated than ancient times.
Or... perhaps in a "magical" world, lead actually has positive medicinal effects? =) hrms....
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Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
Edited by - Wenin on 15 Jan 2009 17:26:59 |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3762 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 17:58:26
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| -Given that in D&D worlds (generally), gold is the most expensive coin, copper is the least expensive coin, and silver is somewhere in the middle, the processes used to getting silver aren't all that complicated, and the metal itself is fairly abundant. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know) |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36963 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 18:27:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
-Given that in D&D worlds (generally), gold is the most expensive coin, copper is the least expensive coin, and silver is somewhere in the middle, the processes used to getting silver aren't all that complicated, and the metal itself is fairly abundant.
What about platinum?  |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 18:46:14
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| I suppose precious metals would have to be more abundant than the real world, in order to have gold coins as a currency. Though that would also have to take into account the size of the economy. Smaller economies can afford precious metals as a currency, while larger economies find even having copper as a currency to be cost prohibitive. |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 18:54:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
-Given that in D&D worlds (generally), gold is the most expensive coin, copper is the least expensive coin, and silver is somewhere in the middle, the processes used to getting silver aren't all that complicated, and the metal itself is fairly abundant.
Although it can vary a good bit, silver is roughly 1/100th the value of gold in the real world. It is 1/10th the value of gold in the D&D world. That suggests that it is more rare or difficult to process, rather than less. Perhaps that is because a great deal of magic goes into the processing in order to avoid all the nasty consquences. Maintaining a cadre of priests able to cast Neutralize Poison and Zone of Sweet Air would not be cheap.
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 18:56:21
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That also depends on the value of the metal and what other uses it can be put to. The reason why the copper in US pennies is getting to be too expensive is because copper is extremely useful in electronics, which drives the price up and makes it prohibitive for some other uses. In Faerun, copper wouldn't have as great a value because they don't have electronics. Therefore, it wouldn't necessarily be that difficult to use copper coins.
EDIT: @ Wenin |
Edited by - ranger_of_the_unicorn_run on 15 Jan 2009 18:57:20 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 19:27:23
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quote:
Originally posted by ErskineF
Although it can vary a good bit, silver is roughly 1/100th the value of gold in the real world. It is 1/10th the value of gold in the D&D world. That suggests that it is more rare or difficult to process, rather than less. Perhaps that is because a great deal of magic goes into the processing in order to avoid all the nasty consquences. Maintaining a cadre of priests able to cast Neutralize Poison and Zone of Sweet Air would not be cheap.
This is more indicative to me that Gold is far more common in fantasy settings. In the RW, commoners NEVER had gold, and yet, in D&D, when you read the various sources (usually modules) that include that kind of stuff, a lot of common households have a cache with at least one or two gold, some silver, and a bunch of copper. Most RW peasants wouldn't even have that copper laying around.
Also, I don't know much of anything about metallurgy (except what all the 'Katana debates' have taught me - which is far more then I wished to know ), but it seems to me that many of the more difficult 'extraction processes' would be simplified with magic - an 'Argon Environment' was mentioned earlier; would something like this be easier to duplicate in a world where people have access to the Elemental Planes?
Which brings me to my next point - unlike our RW, FR's economy, along with every other D&D world just about, also gets 'stuff' from outside. If a Mage (probably a Sha'ir) summons a Dao and requests "a boatload of precious gems and metals", he will most likely be getting it from the Plane of Elemental earth.
Also, a magical world doesn't have as much of a 'loss factor' as the RW one does. A galleon ladened with gold sinks? Just cast a divination and find out where it is! No need for centuries of 'treasure hunting' with all sorts of technical equipment like mini-subs. This may be a minor point to some, but every little factor contributes in an economy.
Another thing - I have read PLENTY of FR (and D&D) lore discussing mines with 'rich veins of Gold and Mithril', or ones with 'gems the size of your fist'. It would seem 'Fantasy Mines' produce a much higher output, or the veins are much purer (or both).
And now that I mentioned Mithral, that and Adamantite (and any other 'magical metals') would also serve to differentiate a fantasy economy from ours. Gold isn't as high-up on the chart as it is here, with all those others around.
You also have the 'divine' - in the Eastern material, the Jade Ladies are responsible for placing precious metals and stones within the earth (Toril, in this case). There are other gods and myths that do similar things - it would seem when you have powerful extra-planer beings involved, the amount of raw material is also made more abundant.
All of ths leads me to believe that various things are found naturally occurring in much purer forms throughout the Realms, and all that 'lead seperation' might not come into play nearly as much.
In addition - I'm surprised no-one else mentioned this - What makes everyone think that EVERY OTHER RACE is poisened by the same things humans are? Perhaps only humans have a 'bad reaction' to lead - maybe Dwarves sprinkle it on their hotcakes!
Although that was a poor attempt at humour, in all honesty, I can't see Dwarves being 'allergic' to ANYTHING in the earth, most especially types of metal. There may be a particuler 'anti-Dwarf' thing a DM may create (or some setting I never read has) - perhaps Faezress... but in all honesty, I don't see it with any of the RW metals, minerals, substances, or precious stones. Dwarves are just hardier then that, and it's 'their thing'.
I'd probably say the same for gnomes, but I know there is/was a group of them in Dragonlance that got deformed by some bad Underdark radiation.
Anyhow, with an entire eco-system we call the Underdark, and all those races digging down in places we never would in the RW, I'm sure that is another source of tons more material then we are likely to find. The same would go for Undersea races - they can mine in places we never could, so that is another source that makes things more common.
You'll note that Dwarves usually never bother with the areas humans mine - they always have their own regions - it makes sense to me that they know where to look way better then any of us (humans) ever would. They probably find the little bit we extract laughable. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 15 Jan 2009 20:41:46 |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 19:48:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Wenin
I suppose precious metals would have to be more abundant than the real world, in order to have gold coins as a currency.
That's not why we don't have gold as a currency. The reason we don't have gold as a currency is because using paper allows governments to finance their profligate spending by simply printing more cash as needed. Before the invention of the printing press, governments could devalue their coinage by reducing the purity of the metal, but they couldn't expect the new coins to trade at the same rate as the old coins, not once merchants knew what was happening (and they would know very quickly). The only reason paper money is accepted now is because all the gold currency was confiscated. There is sufficient gold in the world to return to a gold currency tomorrow.
Bringing this back to the Realms, that's why I don't like Waterdeep's coinage. There's no way it could work in a world where gold is readily available. No one would accept a brass coin as being worth two gold pieces unless it was, for some reason, readily and reliably convertible to gold.
IMC, I made the taol (toal, whichever) essentially a bond issue. It was a way to raise cash after the ToT when the city was in dire financial straits. To raise money for reconstruction, the city minted taols and sold them for one gold piece each, promising to redeem them for four gold pieces each in the year 351 NR. The value of the coins has fluctuated over the years, and at first shops would not accept them. They are now worth 2 gp at any shop in the city. Their value drops by half once one passes beyond a day's ride of the city, though, and outside the Waterdeep region they are totally worthless.
As for the harbor moon, I made it a sort of bank note. It's issued by a consortium of banking and moneylending houses in the city, and is used to make bulk purchases when carrying large amounts of gold would be inconvenient. It can be redeemed for 50 gold dragons (the gold coinage of the city) at any of the participating banking houses, and the shops of the city will also accept it in payment at a slight discount. The same is true of the shops in the towns and villages within a day's ride of the city. Beyond that, one can find select merchants who will redeem the coins for 40 gold pieces anywhere within the greater Waterdeep region. They ship them in bulk to Waterdeep and make a profit redeeming them at the banking house of issue. Outside the Waterdeep region, such trade is more risky, and it becomes harder to find merchants who will accept them at any price. In such places, the coin's value drops to the value of its constituent metal, the equivalent of two standard gold pieces.
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3762 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 19:50:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
What about platinum?
-I tend to forget about platinum pieces. Yes, add platinum pieces and electrum pieces into the mix as well. Doesn't necessarily change anything, it but adds to the equation.
-Paper money, in the past, used to be based on the stockpile of gold that the nation-state in question had in it's possession. For every dollar that was printed, the U.S. government had in it's possession an amount of silver equal to the amount of $1.00. Later on, it was changed to the gold standard. Today, the dollar is simply backed on the faith of the U.S. government. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know) |
Edited by - Lord Karsus on 15 Jan 2009 19:56:30 |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 20:17:49
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From what I read on Wiki, Platinum wasn't "officially" discovered until the mid 1700's. It was kind of a mysterious metal. Reference of the metal could possibly date back to 1557.
Edit: BTW great responses from all! Good info and points being made. |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
Edited by - Wenin on 15 Jan 2009 20:27:59 |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 21:45:55
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quote:
Originally posted by capnvan
"Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."
William Jennings Bryan, 1896
He preferred to crucify debt-holders on a cross of silver. :)
The above refers to the Free Silver movement, which can be read about here, here, and here. The idea was to allow silver to be coined as money and to fix the exchange rate between gold and silver at a set value. The problem is that, unlike in the D&D world, the values of the two metals do not stay in direct proportion to one another over time. As supply and demand fluctuate, the gap between the values of the two metals can spread. If the exchange rate between the two is fixed by law, then as the value of gold goes up relative to silver, those people who are paid in silver coins are getting less value than those paid with gold. Back in those days gold was worth about twenty times as much as silver. Currently, it's almost a hundred times the value of silver. One can see how unfair it would be to still have silver pegged at 1/20th the value of gold.
Of course, in D&D it would introduce far too much complexity to the game to try to account for any of that. I find it irritates players enough just to ask them to keep track of different types of coinage. :(
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
Edited by - ErskineF on 15 Jan 2009 21:47:11 |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2009 : 21:55:47
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quote:
Originally posted by capnvan
quote:
Originally posted by ErskineF
I find it irritates players enough just to ask them to keep track of different types of coinage. :(
Another reason to treat them as the enemy
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
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see
Learned Scribe
235 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2009 : 06:19:58
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The modern ratio of 100-to-1 on silver to gold is, to a large extent, a side effect of refining industrial metals. There's a lot more trace silver impurity than trace gold impurity in ores, and modern methods extract that instead of leaving it in the refined copper or lead as a less-than-a percent impurity. Historical ratios were a lot closer to 20-to-1 in the 19th Century, 15-to-1 in the 18th, and 10-1 in the Middle Ages.
(For D&D, it wouldn't hurt to keeping the ratio of money metals secure by making it trivial to transmute platinum, gold, silver, and copper into each other. Say, a make change orison granted to clergy of Waukeen, which produces coins with the goddess's image on them. If metal prices fluctuate so that, say, a silver piece is worth nine coppers, the Waukeenar start converting silver coins received in the collection box into ten times the number of coppers, buy silver with nine of the coppers, and repeat until the ratios go back to 1-for-10 and there's no more profit to be made.) |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2009 : 17:55:54
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| Oh I like that idea see! =) |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2009 : 19:00:31
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The unearthly proliferation of gold in D&D and hence the Realms is a long-ago matter of genre emulation. See the discussion of economics on p. 90 of the original DMG, for instance:quote:
It is simply more heroic for players to have their characters swaggering around with pouches full of gems and tossing out gold pieces than it is for them to have coppers. Heroic fantasy is made of fortunes and king's ransoms in loot gained most cleverly and bravely and lost in a twinkling by various means - thievery, gambling, debauchery, gift-giving, bribes, and so forth. The "reality" ADBD seeks to create through role playing is that of the mythical heroes such as Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Kothar, Elric, and their ilk. When treasure is spoken of, it is more stirring when porticiponts know it to be TREASURE!
Of course, D&D prices and economy were originally based on and assumed a nearby recently 'opened' Castle Greyhawk-style megadungeon driving inflation. |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 03:06:04
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Some decades ago Dover reprinted the authoritative 1556 handbook on Renaissance mining, De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola, which may also be read online (courtesy of Farlang.com). This might be of some interest to those who are reading this thread.
As for platinum pieces, my understanding of platinum is that it is not only very rare, but that it also requires an extremely high temperature (or cunning Maztican artisans) to work. It might be an appropriate coin to discover in a thousands-year-old dragon hoard from The Days of Thunder, but I don't see it being used in Faerunian coinage much nowadays (any more than it was in our own world).
If any of my players are reading this, STOP NOW!
SPOILER: A hill giant captured in Rashemen has bargained for his life by offering to lead the PCs to the treasure of the ogres who escaped the battle in which he was captured. He has described it as filling a big cave and being as big as the treasure of a dragon {ptui!}, and as being useful to pay "stupid goblins." It's there, exactly as described, but the Runemaster would-be restorer of ancient Ostoria has counter-struck tens of thousands of copper coins with his image and a Jotun motto, and gold-plated them, persuading the local goblins that because they are giant money they are more valuable than human/elf/dwarf/etc. coins. The vast hoard is worth about 390 "standard" gold pieces, but the tremendous size of the heap makes it a convenient place for concealing the occasional scroll, wand, gem, etc. The PCs will, of course, be outraged at what they may perceive as a deliberate deception, but the coins will, in fact, create an economic boom in Rashemen, elevating much small trading from barter to a coin-based economy, greasing the wheels of commerce. What the Rashemar will do about those giantish marks remains to be seen.... END SPOILER.
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 04:48:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen
Some decades ago Dover reprinted the authoritative 1556 handbook on Renaissance mining, De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola, which may also be read online (courtesy of Farlang.com). This might be of some interest to those who are reading this thread.
As for platinum pieces, my understanding of platinum is that it is not only very rare, but that it also requires an extremely high temperature (or cunning Maztican artisans) to work. It might be an appropriate coin to discover in a thousands-year-old dragon hoard from The Days of Thunder, but I don't see it being used in Faerunian coinage much nowadays (any more than it was in our own world).
If any of my players are reading this, STOP NOW!
SPOILER: A hill giant captured in Rashemen has bargained for his life by offering to lead the PCs to the treasure of the ogres who escaped the battle in which he was captured. He has described it as filling a big cave and being as big as the treasure of a dragon {ptui!}, and as being useful to pay "stupid goblins." It's there, exactly as described, but the Runemaster would-be restorer of ancient Ostoria has counter-struck tens of thousands of copper coins with his image and a Jotun motto, and gold-plated them, persuading the local goblins that because they are giant money they are more valuable than human/elf/dwarf/etc. coins. The vast hoard is worth about 390 "standard" gold pieces, but the tremendous size of the heap makes it a convenient place for concealing the occasional scroll, wand, gem, etc. The PCs will, of course, be outraged at what they may perceive as a deliberate deception, but the coins will, in fact, create an economic boom in Rashemen, elevating much small trading from barter to a coin-based economy, greasing the wheels of commerce. What the Rashemar will do about those giantish marks remains to be seen.... END SPOILER.
YOU sir, are devious. Well played.  |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 09:00:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
The unearthly proliferation of gold in D&D and hence the Realms is a long-ago matter of genre emulation. See the discussion of economics on p. 90 of the original DMG, for instance:quote:
It is simply more heroic for players to have their characters swaggering around with pouches full of gems and tossing out gold pieces than it is for them to have coppers. Heroic fantasy is made of fortunes and king's ransoms in loot gained most cleverly and bravely and lost in a twinkling by various means - thievery, gambling, debauchery, gift-giving, bribes, and so forth. The "reality" ADBD seeks to create through role playing is that of the mythical heroes such as Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Kothar, Elric, and their ilk. When treasure is spoken of, it is more stirring when porticiponts know it to be TREASURE!
Of course, D&D prices and economy were originally based on and assumed a nearby recently 'opened' Castle Greyhawk-style megadungeon driving inflation.
The problem in a long running campaign is that unlike the classic Sword & Sorcery heroes, players actually get the treasure instead of (in most cases) being lucky enough to escape with their lives. Poverty and greed are the two of the main motivations in S&S and gives an easy excuse for further adventures. But imagine if Conan managed to loot the Tower of the Elephant for values of tens of thousands in gold or if Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser left the Thieves guild with a fortune in gems.
I generally just adjust everything down to a silver base, with gold more or less being as rare as platinum. Prices values and standards are all in silver. It isn't that much more correct in an era where barter and commodities, but it becomes at least a bit less ridiculous.
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arry
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
317 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 12:04:32
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| Re: uses of lead, in Roman times one of the main uses was water pipes. |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2009 : 01:19:31
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Thank you, Arion Elenim -- telling a story is much more important to me than "following the rules." When following those rules leads to a poignant, realistic end to an adventure arc, then so much the better -- and I date back to the time when D&D had published rules for subduing "monsters." One wonders what most PCs would do if the local "monster" just cut them in for 50% of its treasure if they'd simply go away?
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2009 : 01:47:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen
Thank you, Arion Elenim -- telling a story is much more important to me than "following the rules." When following those rules leads to a poignant, realistic end to an adventure arc, then so much the better -- and I date back to the time when D&D had published rules for subduing "monsters." One wonders what most PCs would do if the local "monster" just cut them in for 50% of its treasure if they'd simply go away?
That reminds me of a session I DM'ed once. The PCs nearly walked away from a climactic fight after the villain convinced them that the amount of damage they had done to his temple was more damaging to the town's trade than the amount of financial ruin the temple was doing to the town in the first place...
That was until the party's cleric passed a spot check and saw the hidden Baneite symbol under the villain's chainmail...then it was on. 
It's amazing how economics affects a game, isn't it?
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My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Do you really want to tip porters with a silver?
