Price for slaves or indentured servants?

Bren · August 26, 2017, 04:37:35 PM

Quote from: GameDaddy;986138P.S. Totally completely dislike this new RPGsite BBS interface, probably won't be posting here much anymore.

New interface? What new interface? The site looks the same to me as it has all year if not longer.

Quote from: Headless;986801I think that is ratcheting up the ick factor.

A lot of fiction has a significant ick factor. So does most of human history.

Bren · August 26, 2017, 04:38:58 PM

Quote from: soltakss;986793If 10 horses cost 5 Cumal, then 5 horses cost 2 Cumal and a young slave girl, or perhaps 2 Cumal and a slave boy, or perhaps 2 Cumal and a dwarf Cumal.

The problem with making change comes when someone wants to buy 1 horse of average or lower quality or a pig or chicken. The value of 1/10 of a slave girl is a bit difficult to work out.

soltakss · August 26, 2017, 05:46:13 PM

Quote from: Bren;986888The problem with making change comes when someone wants to buy 1 horse of average or lower quality or a pig or chicken. The value of 1/10 of a slave girl is a bit difficult to work out.

Then you resort to using money ...

Elfdart · August 27, 2017, 12:34:50 AM

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;985742One of the Lawful Evil PCs in my 5e game wants to hire help and was looking at getting a slave or indentured servant.

1) Do such things exist in the Forgotten Realms?

2) Are there any RPGs or D&D editions that try to ballpark it?

I tried researching real life Civil War era prices and got something like $800 which converts to roughly $22,000 today, but that doesn't tell me anything about D&D gold.

Al-Qadim has prices for slaves in the main sourcebook. Since that's part of FR it should mesh, though it's a 2E source and I'm not sure which edition you're playing.

Anyway, they fall into four price categories:

Bearer/laborer -30 gp

Eunuch/house servant -60 gp

Guard/entertainer/courtesan/fighter -90 gp

Specialist -900 gp and up

These are the asking prices -they can be haggled down to as little as half if the buyer plays their cards right. The book also suggests that ringers might be "marked down" as a way of unloading unruly or dangerous slaves. Let the buyer beware.

Bren · August 29, 2017, 07:33:57 PM

Quote from: soltakss;986910Then you resort to using money ...

Only if money exists. And even if it does, what kind of money. IIR in the Mediterranean money of account predated the creation of specie. But money of account is likely to be less useful for wandering PCs and more useful for royal clerks and merchants from established merchant cities like the Minoans.

What we did in the game was trade stuff of lower value. So 5 chickens might = 1 goat and 2 goats might equal one pig, etc. Bronze tripods were one frequently used item of lower value than a slave. Jars of olive oil or measures of wheat could be another (though we never used them).

RPGPundit · September 02, 2017, 01:30:28 AM

Quote from: Kuroth;986373Proof I haven't been here for quite some time. Mod red warnings rpgnet style.

That's not a mod thing. That's just an Estar thing. Since some people might not have noticed he's a mod yet, it kind of makes sense.

Price for slaves or indentured servants?

Bren

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soltakss

Elfdart

Bren

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