Varros looks to Captain Belloc and says, "I don't know
about my companions, but I find your terms of employment fair, however, I think
100 gold each seems a bit more of a respectable number for the job. Maybe you
could consider it payment for services rendered,"
Varros fixes his gaze on the trophy bag for a noticeable
moment then returns them to the Captain, "also, the ability to borrow
decent horses for our company would only allow us to relate your requested
information in a more timely matter."
Oloc is relieved that the goblin threat is taken seriously
by the Captain. But when the discussion of joining up as scouts comes up the
mage frowns slightly. He had been hoping to explore the ruins soon; visions of
magic items and long forgotten spellbooks dominating his thoughts. Still, the
offer of gold for simple recon work is enticing.
"I agree with Varros, begging your pardon Captain. I
think 100 gold and horses would be more equitable. As you can see, we
deliver."
Understanding the need to be well compensated Duran lets the
others talk. He does chime in saying "Yes Captain horses would be most
useful for our endeavors."
Gaven stands back to let the others negotiate terms. He
gathers Bill Barley's saddle and ichor-coated dagger from Ollie. The cleric seems
willing to take on the mission whatever the terms.
The captain looks at the haggling members of the party. For
a second his eyes narrow, then he grins. "Horses would indeed make the
task easier. The guard, unfortunately have no horses, except my own and those
of my two lieutenants. Certainly not enough to transport your party."
"That being said," he continues, as if reading Oloc's
mind, "I understand that this job may take your attention away
from more lucrative pursuits. Let us then say 100 gold up front – that's sum
total for the company, mind you, not per man.* And I can raise the spotting
bounty to 300, if you find the goblins – again, that's 300 for the company as a
whole – with the same 50 for the party just for your trouble if the search is
unsuccessful."
"I cannot afford to offer you more than this for
a reconnaissance. I have too many other contacts who could do the job for less. But I
believe you have talents they do not, and I would prefer that you take on the
task. For this reason, I offer you far more than I would
offer them."**
"And," he adds, looking at Varros and Oloc,
"your point about the trophies is well taken. You do indeed deliver, which
is why I want your services. I don't pay for trophies, but let us consider
them, in this unique case, as a tangible token of the information you gleaned
in their collection. And I'll say that information is worth 50 gold, in itself,
whether you accept my job offer or not."
"Would these revised terms meet with your...?"
The captain's question is interrupted as the door bursts
open. Mrs. Miggins pushes her way past a guard and rushes into the room. Tears
of joy stream down her face and she squeals with delight when she wraps Elsie
in her arms. Noticing the party for the first time, she cries out "You
found her! You found my Elsie! I knew you'd bring my Elsie back to me, I just
knew it!"
A few seconds behind, almost as a footnote to the joyous
scene of reunion, Bob Barley enters the room and stands quietly near the wall
beside the door. He seems to struggle inwardly, trying to swallow the lump in
his throat, and stifle tears of a different sort.
*************************
OOC: Actions?
*Just a note, the original offer – in each of its sums – was for the party, not per man. Going per man would be something the captain could never afford: 50 each would be 200 total up front just for taking on the job, and if we were talking 250 each just for spotting the goblins (instead of 250 for the group), we'd be looking at another 1000, coming to a total of 1200 gold, just for a recon.
**Remember the going rate for just a merc like Stan is 5 gp/week. You guys are better than that of course – you just have to decide how much better :)
Also, whether or not you choose to accept the captain's
offer, you will of course have the opportunity to sell off the gear and other
items you found at the farmhouse, visit the temple, purchase any equipment
and/or make other expenditures (except potentially those with a time
component, depending on your plans), bank any money, etc., once you're done talking to the captain and
the two parents.
Varros - Fighter
ReplyDelete"Captain Belloc, your offer is generous and fair, you have my services."
OOC: assuming the rest of the party accepts the offer, Varros will suggest selling the spoils from the goblins. He will also dispose of the trophies assuming the captain does not want them, he will keep the bag. Varros will also try to glean any information he can from those he encounters in town during the remainder of his stay regarding the ruins nearby. Varros will also give Stan and Ollie 5 gp each from his current funds as a bonus for a job well done. I have subtracted 10 gp from my inventory.
Gaven - cleric
ReplyDeleteGaven turns to Mrs. Miggins, "No need to thank us for performing our sworn duty. You should thank Bill Barley for valiantly protecting Elsie."
Gaven approaches Bob Barley with a mournful look, "You have my and the Light's condolances. We wish to return Bill's saddle and dagger to you. He bravely protected Elsie and gravely injured the goblin's Lieutenant. You should be very proud of his actions. We laid him to rest atop Lover's Grove."
Gaven says to Belloc, "I agree to your terms, Captain. We know the goblins are from Stagwood, where do you think we should start?"
OOC: Gaven will sell off the trinkets he found to add to the party's treasure.
OOC: Do you want us to give general actions for the rest of the day at this point, or wait until after this encounter?
DeleteOOC: Feel free to give as many actions as you like.
DeleteIf something comes up in the interaction for this encounter (i.e. as a result of other players' posts) that might somehow nullify or conflict with any such general action you might list, I'd hold off and ask for clarification before advancing to the next post.
But I'm assuming you're thinking things like buying equipment, visiting the temple, making a donation, etc. and I doubt there'd be any conflicts.
And giving those types of actions will help keep the game moving, so by all means, feel free.
I'll also add that I won't take you guys out of town in any post until everyone gives me an OOC: "okay, ready to leave town." That way we won't push the action on in any direction before everyone's geared up, etc.
OOC: How do we go about tallying how much we made as a group?
DeleteAre we roleplaying buying/selling things or will it 'just happen'? For example, as mentioned, Gaven will sell the jewelery and will want to buy some supplies. Should we just list what we want and add/deduct GP?
Are we supposed to be tracking encumbrance? How much coin is too much to be carrying around encumbrance-wise?
OOC: For the tallying (assuming you guys are going to sell off all the gear), I planned to do that for the next post (coming soon).
DeleteAs to roleplaying the selling and such, I had assumed that unless there's a reason to run it otherwise, it would "just happen." In PbP/PbB, I think haggling and roleplaying mundane, everyday sales and purchases would likely bog things down unnecessarily. In the case of haggling with the captain (or other employers) roleplaying the haggling makes sense, in that it plays a role in your decision of what to do next and where you want the campaign to go. In other words, it's not really haggling for haggling sake, but can actually shape the campaign, affect relationships with significan NPCs etc. I think in any situation where this is the case, we'll go ahead and role play it. But for the more mundane stuff I'd rather hand-wave and say "you talk to different merchants and manage to sell of X, Y and Z for such and such a total of gp."
So I'd say just tell me what your character wants to sell and buy, and go ahead and make the adjustments to your character sheet.
Just as a rule of thumb (as I think your characters would know this about there world) you can expect used items to sell for roughly 1/2 the "book value" (more if the item is of particularly good quality, less if the item is of poor quality or in poor condition).
OOC: For encumbrance, I guess I should say two things (the first general, and the second relating specifically to coin).
DeleteGeneral: Encumbrance is something I plan to largely "eyeball" (with the intent to do so generously). I only calculate when it looks like the quantity is starting to get out of hand. And I'll warn in advance as anyone begins to approach that point, like I did in one OOC regarding Ollie's load a ways back. I won't spring it on anyone at the last minute. We'll NEVER have an exchange like this:
"I try to run from the dragon."
"Oh, but you're encumbered, so your movement rate is only 30' per turn."
"What?!! You didn't tell me that!"
"Yep, sorry, the dragon toasts you. You're dead."
I promise not to do that to you.
The point at which I start thinking about doing an actual encumbrance "audit" is when anyone starts carrying more than, say, about 15 items (other than normal clothing and carrying containers like sacks or a backpack – I don't count those) of a size that wouldn't fit in the palm of your hand (so I'd ignore things like flint and steel as well). Since I'm just experimenting with this, it may be subject to change, but if it does, I'll again let you know well in advance and get input from you all on any alternative I might propose.
Coin: I'd say the bigger issue in determining how much coin to carry on your person is how much can you afford to lose (to pickpockets, bandits, capture, etc.). I really can't imagine a situation where you would ever need to have more than 50 gp (5 pounds of coin) on your person, and even that's probably more than necessary.
Between the Royal Banking Houses and the Church of the Light (at least one of which is present in every significant town; i.e. those towns that appear on the current maps), you'll always have ready access to your banked coin. The only (civilized) place you wouldn't be able to have that access is in tiny hamlets or settlements that are scattered around the countryside (not big enough to appear on the maps) and which don't have those two institutions. In those places, there's really nothing for sale that would ever cost you more than a handful of gp at the very most. Even for dropping gold to distract monsters, only the really dim-witted ones will go for it, and for them, it doesn't require much gold to make them go "ooh shiny..."
So really, I'd say the easy answer is to simply not burden your character with too much coin, as I'm trying to keep your PCs' access to banked coin (and encumbrance issues) fairly simple anyway.
If you envision a potential need for some sort of hefty reserve on your person, I'd recommend a piece of jewelry or two, or maybe a couple of gems (just let me know how much you'd spend to get them). If we were dutifully tracking the encumbrance every step of the way, you'd have to do this anyway (I don't imagine you would have your character carting around 500 gp in coin on his person, except when dragging it back to town following a successful adventure).
Duran - Fighter
ReplyDeleteDuran also nods in agreement to the Captain's offer. Then he goes to Bob Barley and, as it he custom in his village of Ashwood, presents the grieving father with a broken arrow saying "May your son's soul fly true to the world beyond." Then turning he awaits to leave with the others.
OOC: Duran will await the dividing of the spoils before purchasing anything. He will also inquire about where to find the local Fletcher.
Oloc - Mage
ReplyDeleteooc: Oloc is more than happy with the agreement with the Captain. In terms of actions, the only thing he is interested in doing immediately is looking to purchase some writing materials (parchment, ink, quills) and some more trail rations (5 days worth).
Please let me know if he can find all this and the cost and I will update his sheet.