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It is a certainty that your players will seek outside
aid many times during
the course of your campaign. At times a particular spell
-- or device able
to deliver a magical power -- will be necessary or very
helpful to a party,
and so they will seek out a cleric or magic-user to hire
for the service.
The most common spells sought are various cures and informational
spells.
The players should know from the outset that there is
no free lunch anywhere,
and that the performance of any service is going to cost
a ”reasonable” sum.
A few sample prices for spells are listed below.
Note that these charges are based on characters of similar
alignment and religion as the
cleric requesting the service at the headquarters of
the cleric in question.
Q. When characters need to find high
level clerical spells to effect cures, is
it possible to find these within
temples or by the use of a sage? What
is the price for resurrection, and
where can it be found?
A. The costs of buying the effects of a
clerical spell (not the spell itself) are
given on p103/4 in the DMG, in the
section 'Hiring NPCs
to cast spells or use devices'.
The prices
given are advisory, and
do not include a 'have spell, will
travel' option -- a PC
must go to the spell caster.
The roolz do not list the cost
of resurrection, which can be seen as a
sign of special favor from the gods
and should only go to characters who
have performed noteworthy deeds
for their cause. The idea of buying a
resurrection just isn't reasonable.
Clerics capable of casting resurrection
should not be very common
anyway -- 16th level and 18 wisdom
as minimum prerequisites -- and
they will be concerned with matters
of greater importance than the
deaths of low-level adventurers.
Finally,
a sage would not
necessarily know any spells at all. Sages'
areas of knowledge are usually sharply
defined, and need not include any
spell-casting abilities.
(Imagine #11)
| Cleric Spell Requested | Cost in Gold Pieces (See Below) |
| astral spell | 5,000 per person |
| atonement | 500 per level of experience of the recipient |
| augury | 300 |
| bless | 5 per person per level of spell caster |
| commune | 1,000 plus 500 per question |
| continual light | 500 |
| control weather | 10,000 |
| cure blindness | 1,000 |
| cure disease | 1,000 |
| cure light wounds | 100 |
| cure serious wounds | 350 |
| cure critical wounds | 600 |
| detect evil/good | 100 (assumes device checked) |
| detect magic | 150 (assumes device being checked) |
| dispel evil/good | 1,000 |
| dispel magic | 100 per level of spell caster |
| divination | 1,000 |
| earthquake | 10,000 |
| exorcise | 1,000 per level of spell caster |
| find the path | 500 per level of spell caster |
| gate | 50,000 |
| glyph of warding | 100 per level of spell caster |
| heal | 200 per point of healing |
| neutralize poison | 1,000 |
| part water | 1,000 per level of spell caster |
| plane shift | 4,000 |
| prayer | 50 per level of spell caster |
| protection from evil | 50 per level of spell caster |
| purify food & drink | 100 |
| raise dead | 1,000 plus 500 per level of spell caster |
| regenerate | 15,000 |
| remove curse | 500 per level of spell caster |
| resist cold | 50 per level of spell caster |
| resist fire | 100 per level of spell caster |
| restoration | 10,000 plus a like amount per level of experience of the recipient |
| silence | 100 per level of spell caster |
| tongues | 500 |
| true seeing | 400 per level of spell caster |
<* = per level of spell caster?>
Prices can be adjusted for faithful, lower level characters.
Likewise, they can be upped a bit for those who are not
regular attendees of services.
If the caster is expected to travel any distance, but
not at risk,
factors will be as much as doubled.
If at any risk, the cleric is likely to refuse or charge
five or more times the rates shown.
Attack spells are not shown in order to discourage hiring
of spell casters for such purposes.
As a general rule, no specially hired spell caster will
ever accornpany a party on an adventure of any sort,
except in circumstances planned and directed by the Dungeon
Master.
When non-cleric spell casters are hired, they will likewise
consider alignment and personal risk in setting fees.
Whether casting spells or using a
magical device supplied to them by the party, there will
always be a substantial
charge. Should any of good, particularly lawful good,
alignment
complain, note that ”the worker is worthy of his hire”
and similar
Scriptural quotes might be called for in order to silence
complaints. If
death results due to payment failure, point out that
the player has”gone to
his (or her) reward” - how can that be bad? In the event
that the cleric
would actually further the cause of the deity and alignment
by doing the
service, payment can be deferred until the party has
the wherewithal to do
so; however, this deferral will certainly adjust the
fee upwards, or possibly
require a normal fee and special service from the party
in addition.
To forestall the charming of spell casters
in order to get them to perform
services of this nature, note that such characters will
always be 25% likely
to cast a spell as close as possible to the opposite
of that he or she is
instructed to cast. This is due to the befuddled state
of mind and the psychic
duress of the charm spell operating on the individual’s
mind.
It is also worth mentioning that NPC spell casters are
NOT going to take
continual interruptions too kindly, even if the party
so doing is of the same
faith and alignment and pays well. At some point the
spell caster will get
fed up with it and begin raising rates. (The players
should not rely upon
those outside their group to keep their members viable.
They must learn
self-reliance or else pay the price one way or another.)
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43705&start=15
[quote="Thorkhammer"]Alchemy, you touched on a point/flaw in the mechanics of the game-system that [b]no one[/b], [i]I[/i] am aware of, has been able to coherently explain.
Are HL NPCs just "game cards" like in monopoly, [b]take a chance[/b] and [b]community chest[/b] to be there solely for the players to draw on when sh*t happens to their characters? Or is there supposed to be some coherent world behind all the adventuring?
If the former, then what's the big squawk? just have some L16 schleep/cleric show up and render haste-toot the Restoration spell and then get him outta there!
If the latter, then there's not likely to be many L16 clerics even on the dang world--if there is one at all! The math doesn't support it.
But, I don't want to siderail too far from the issue. So, back to business! :lol:[/quote]
Good question.
Depends on taste (former vs. latter).
As a note, worlds like the FR (and possibly others) have
become so detailed that practically every high-level cleric/priest, in
each city/town/village is noted, along with basic info like levels &
deity.
(They probably even give levels for his dog, as well.)
The first step towards this was in FORGOTTEN REALMS ADVENTURES.
Although a 2E source, the FRA city template is a simple
& usable & functional template for this kind of world design.
Cleric Spell Requested
Cost in Gold Pieces (See Below)
1
bless5 per person per level of spell caster
cure light wounds100
detect evil/good100 (assumes device checked)
detect magic150 (assumes device being checked)
protection from evil50 per level of spell caster
purify food & drink100
resist cold50 per level of spell caster
3
augury300
resist fire100 per level of spell caster
silence100 per level of spell caster
5
continual light500
cure blindness1,000
cure disease 1,000
dispel magic100 per level of spell caster
glyph of warding100 per level of spell caster
prayer50 per level of spell caster
remove curse500 per level of spell caster
7
cure serious wounds350
divination1,000
exorcise1,000 per level of spell caster
neutralize poison1,000
tongues500
9
atonement500 per level of experience of the recipient
commune1,000 plus 500 per question
cure critical wounds600
dispel evil/good1,000
plane shift4,000
raise dead1,000 plus 500 per level of spell caster
true seeing400 per level of spell caster
11 (req. lesser deity)
find the path500 per level of spell caster
heal200 per point of healing
part water1,000 per level of spell caster
16 (req. greater deity)
astral spell5,000 per person
control weather10,000
earthquake10,000
gate50,000
regenerate15,000
restoration10,000 plus a like amount per level
of experience of the recipient
CLOISTERED CLERIC
1
bless5 per person per level of spell caster
cure light wounds100
detect evil/good100 (assumes device checked)
detect magic150 (assumes device being checked)
protection from evil50 per level of spell caster
purify food & drink100
3
augury300
5
cure blindness1,000
cure disease 1,000
dispel magic100 per level of spell caster
glyph of warding100 per level of spell caster
prayer50 per level of spell caster
remove curse500 per level of spell caster
7
cure serious wounds350
divination1,000
exorcise1,000 per level of spell caster
neutralize poison1,000
tongues500
9
atonement500 per level of experience of the recipient
commune1,000 plus 500 per question
cure critical wounds600
dispel evil/good1,000
plane shift4,000
raise dead1,000 plus 500 per level of spell caster
true seeing400 per level of spell caster
11 (req. lesser deity)
find the path500 per level of spell caster
heal200 per point of healing
part water1,000 per level of spell caster
16 (req. greater deity)
astral spell5,000 per person
control weather10,000
earthquake10,000
gate50,000
regenerate15,000
restoration10,000 plus a like amount per level
of experience of the recipient