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View Full Version : [4e]Titles and rewards



Nihb
2010-08-22, 09:34 PM
Every time I hit a wall, I come on those boards for assistances. This time, I've been asking my players about their own suggestions, so I can also have a few ideas more directly linked to the characters.

The campain will be set on a somewhat large tropical island that they call a continent. Only three civilized towns exist in this savage land. Some people may remember my last thread on tropical diseases (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161299) for this campain I'm planning. There are one main large town, and two less important towns, that most likely will end up as check points when out in the wild. This civilized part of the "continent" is ruled by the Merchants' Guild. They control what is imported and exported, they plan caravans between the three towns, they collect taxes and reinvest into the many towns' facilities, such as fortifications, sewers and streets. A few merchants craft magic items, such as potions and up to lv5 stuff, but this is very limited. They use adventurers to protect warehouses, caravans and VIPs, and some more shady operations.

The more fantastic needs are met by an adventurers neighborhood with almost no product of services affordable or useful to the common man. Some of the residents may ask for special flora or fauna, material for crafting goods and the like.

The local temple (5 good gods under one roof) operates a basic public school and petitions for peace and diplomatic missions with the Savages.

The last faction is the University, which offers higher education to those willing to pay, and hires adventurer to fetch historical or magical relics from the many ruins and evil temples hidden on the land.

Those are our patrons. The merchants' guild is the most powerful of the bunch, and is the most organized. As such, they have some kind of paramilitary medals for merit and power. Those medals give the character a title, but also give some privileges, such as a minor reduction on food, transport, etc. A tax reduction when importing or exporting goods (not as good as the merchants get), access to some items not usually sold to normal people on the white market, being able to use the guild's ressources to find trusted mercenaries of lower rank to help them on a mission, etc.

I already have a few ideas, but I'd like to hear yours. I'm thinking about 7 different ranks, with more economical and political positions at the top.

Meta
2010-08-22, 09:57 PM
Every time I hit a wall, I come on those boards for assistances. This time, I've been asking my players about their own suggestions, so I can also have a few ideas more directly linked to the characters.

The campain will be set on a somewhat large tropical island that they call a continent. Only three civilized towns exist in this savage land. Some people may remember my last thread on tropical diseases (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161299) for this campain I'm planning. There are one main large town, and two less important towns, that most likely will end up as check points when out in the wild. This civilized part of the "continent" is ruled by the Merchants' Guild. They control what is imported and exported, they plan caravans between the three towns, they collect taxes and reinvest into the many towns' facilities, such as fortifications, sewers and streets. A few merchants craft magic items, such as potions and up to lv5 stuff, but this is very limited. They use adventurers to protect warehouses, caravans and VIPs, and some more shady operations.

The more fantastic needs are met by an adventurers neighborhood with almost no product of services affordable or useful to the common man. Some of the residents may ask for special flora or fauna, material for crafting goods and the like.

The local temple (5 good gods under one roof) operates a basic public school and petitions for peace and diplomatic missions with the Savages.

The last faction is the University, which offers higher education to those willing to pay, and hires adventurer to fetch historical or magical relics from the many ruins and evil temples hidden on the land.

Those are our patrons. The merchants' guild is the most powerful of the bunch, and is the most organized. As such, they have some kind of paramilitary medals for merit and power. Those medals give the character a title, but also give some privileges, such as a minor reduction on food, transport, etc. A tax reduction when importing or exporting goods (not as good as the merchants get), access to some items not usually sold to normal people on the white market, being able to use the guild's ressources to find trusted mercenaries of lower rank to help them on a mission, etc.

I already have a few ideas, but I'd like to hear yours. I'm thinking about 7 different ranks, with more economical and political positions at the top.

You've inspired me to post our group's approach to this and while we went a different way with it, you may find it helpful.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165270

devinkowalczyk
2010-08-22, 10:33 PM
How about Levels?
Many companies run their employees off of a number scale, either up or down. The more extreme the number, the higher the privelage.
The beauracrats in Futurama work this way.


A level 8 might be a basic citizen
level 7 gives access and 1/10 off
all the way up to level 1, king merchant.

The Glyphstone
2010-08-22, 11:21 PM
Because 'level' needs another definition in D&D's thesaurus-lacking world?:smallbiggrin:

I'd make their ranks based off precious metals or gems.

Nihb
2010-08-23, 05:57 AM
Potion Sale, I'm stealing that.

Levels, ranks, medals, they are all meant to show how you are devoted to the guild. They are given after successful missions, and may be given if the guild is helped with something. Basic missions will give basic stars, up to 10. When a member reaches 10 stars, it gains a title.

When more important missions are finished, they may reward stars of better ranking. I had this system :
Tin Medal : You are the lowest member of the guild. A recruit.
Tin Stars : You gain those stars when you serve as a helper, a man-at-arm for a caravan, etc. Max rank of 10 tin stars.
Copper Stars : You gain a copper star on more difficult mission, but not quite critical. You are sent to slay a dangerous monster (wyvern, roc, bulette) or to deliver an important cargo in a set time. Max rank of 5 copper stars.
Silver Stars : You gain a silver star on more diplomatic situations, such as protecting an important person, or larger feats like sinking a pirate sailship or repel repeated Savages attacks. Max of 5 ranks.
Gold Stars : You are sent for the most dangerous mission (high paragon-tier). Max of 3 ranks.

I also have ribbons based on special conditions. A warrior would not likely get those, but a warlord or rogue more devoted on learning the gears of the guild might receive them (establishing trade roads with Savages, etc.) Those are, from lesser to better : Yellow, blue, red and golden ribbon.

I just don't know which privilege to give them all.

I had a couple of suggestions :
- Free identifying of items
- 1-10% reduction on prices
- 30% deduction on importing/exporting fees
- Thieve's Tools and other specialized tools are no longer reserved to locksmiths and other guild member crafters.

I'm looking for a bit less numeric privileges, but I'll take anything interesting.

The Glyphstone
2010-08-23, 08:22 AM
Well, in the airline industry they have the jump seat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_seat), a spare seat in the cockpit for pilots who need to hitch a ride to another airport before flying. Maybe having a certain standing or rank lets you book cheap or free passage on guild-flagged trading ships, making it easier to travel?

Meta
2010-08-23, 08:50 AM
Potion Sale, I'm stealing that.

Levels, ranks, medals, they are all meant to show how you are devoted to the guild. They are given after successful missions, and may be given if the guild is helped with something. Basic missions will give basic stars, up to 10. When a member reaches 10 stars, it gains a title.

When more important missions are finished, they may reward stars of better ranking. I had this system :
Tin Medal : You are the lowest member of the guild. A recruit.
Tin Stars : You gain those stars when you serve as a helper, a man-at-arm for a caravan, etc. Max rank of 10 tin stars.
Copper Stars : You gain a copper star on more difficult mission, but not quite critical. You are sent to slay a dangerous monster (wyvern, roc, bulette) or to deliver an important cargo in a set time. Max rank of 5 copper stars.
Silver Stars : You gain a silver star on more diplomatic situations, such as protecting an important person, or larger feats like sinking a pirate sailship or repel repeated Savages attacks. Max of 5 ranks.
Gold Stars : You are sent for the most dangerous mission (high paragon-tier). Max of 3 ranks.

I also have ribbons based on special conditions. A warrior would not likely get those, but a warlord or rogue more devoted on learning the gears of the guild might receive them (establishing trade roads with Savages, etc.) Those are, from lesser to better : Yellow, blue, red and golden ribbon.

I just don't know which privilege to give them all.

I had a couple of suggestions :
- Free identifying of items
- 1-10% reduction on prices
- 30% deduction on importing/exporting fees
- Thieve's Tools and other specialized tools are no longer reserved to locksmiths and other guild member crafters.

I'm looking for a bit less numeric privileges, but I'll take anything interesting.

Feel free to pilfer good sir. If you'd like help designing similar achievements for your home game, lemme know.

Now down to business: In the realm of non-numerical privileges, here's some thoughts:

*Protection/Security for any goods they don't take with them. Whether those be mass gold, lair items, anything hard to transport. Or simply items they haven't had the opportunity to sale.
*Refills on consumable items. If they purchase say salves of power, when they next return to that guild, they receive a free/discounted refill.
*Free/Discounted rituals. Works for martial/primal/divine/arcane now!
*Airships are sweet but perhaps access to some more exotic means of transportation

Some of those were quasi-numeric but hope those are helpful. If you want more in that vein, I can brainstorm.

Erom
2010-08-23, 09:14 AM
Non numeric privileges can be access to services not normally available, for example:

* Access to a Guild vault, for secure storage of goods
* Magic Item crafting to spec - instead of relying on the random stock of the crafters in town, you can request a specific magic item from a Guild craftsman. Obviously you still pay for it, and max crafted levels still apply, but still valuable to get the item you need.
* A safe/secure lodging in a Guild barracks or way-house.
* Access to the University libraries is an obvious one that a spellcaster would want.
* The "jump seat" idea on caravans that Glyphstone proposed is solid.

hamishspence
2010-08-23, 09:16 AM
3.5 DMG2 and PHB2 had, I think, organizations- which got more privileges the higher you rose in the organization. Maybe ideas can be drawn from that?

Randel
2010-08-23, 03:43 PM
Lesse:

1. A chance to sell items to other adventurers for a greater price. Basically, instead of selling items to the merchants for one fifth their price now, they let the merchants hold onto the item and wait until another adventurer buys it, at which point the player gets half or more of the price of the item.

So instead of selling stuff for cheap to get money right now, they let the merchant guild hold onto it for a while and get more money later on. Higher ranks in the merchants guild might let you get a bigger percentage of the cut.

They might be able to find other adventurers who want to unload magic items and buy stuff from them for one fifth the items worth, and then bring it to the merchants guild to sell it for half its worth... but there is no guarantee that they will be able to get cheap items, or that anyone will but their magic item soon, or how long it will take to sell it or get the money.

Thus, the adventurers could get more money for their items, but it would take a while to do so and you can control that to fit in with the wealth by level table. (The extra money they get from selling magic items for higher prices counts as treasure they would normally get by looting dungeons.)


2. Access to ritual casters of higher level then their own caster.

3. Access to magic items of higher level than they would normally get. So level 5 adventuers might be able to get a level 10 magic item if they really scrounge enough money and agree to do stuff for the guild and are a high enough rank to do so.

4. Servants. The guild could get some henchmen for the group to help carry all their loot or perform some tasks (as long as they aren't dangerous). If there are guards along with them then have the guards handle the minions while the bigger enemies concentrate on the adventurers.

5. Resurrection magic. At a certain rank in the guild, they get a sample of your hair or blood and if you die in the field then they resurrect you at one of their guild-owned places. You still have to pay your 'life insurance' and they take it out of your paycheck or whatnot.

6. VIP lounges. High ranking adventures who spend their money on booze and whores get better booze and whores than low-ranking ones. Also gambling casinos that are 'totally approved of by the gods' and you win slightly more often.

7. Better missions. Naturally you might get called on more exciting missions than low-rank adventurers. They don't send you to kill rats in sewers anymore.

8. Benefits for your family and loved ones. Maybe high ranking guild members get the fantasy equivilent of a 401k, life insurance policy, or investment portfolio for their family as well. Their family can thus live in better houses or have their kids get schooling while they are out adventuring. Adventurers who don't have families can have those benefits given to friends or some other family. (This can't be redeemed for cash, its strictly part of the 'reinvesting in the various towns' aspect of the Guiild). Maybe the adventurer could ask for their benefits to be spent on investing in better fortifications or whatnot for their home town instead of individual families.

9. Slave/prison pens. Not sure if this would really fit, but instead of killing their enemies then some adventurers could simply knock them out, tie them up, and have them sent to be given 'a fair trial'. The merchant guild finds out a way to deal with these bad guys and has them put to good use or pay their debt to society or whatnot.

The incapacitation, transportation, and other paperwork involved with containing enemies isn't something the merchant guild normally deals with, but high ranking members with an interest in this might be able to get some hand-cuffs or have a team of people on hand who can help with cleanup in this manner. There may be a shady slave-trade involved and the Guild doesn't let just anyone know about how it works.

Nihb
2010-08-24, 05:52 AM
Now we're talking!

Some suggestions don't apply to this merchants' guild. Rituals and magic crafting (which is a ritual anyway) is not their creed. But everything else is going to get in the game.

The characters will have to rent some place to keep their stuff, which could be a vault. I love the "give us your stuff, we'll sell it to other adventurers" bit. They are merchants, and they know their jobs. I'll probably have to work on some system to streamline the selling bits. If you have any suggestion on how many days it would take to sell equipment (from mondane to magical loot), I'd be grateful.

The life insurance bit, it'll probably a contingency plan. If you apply for their service, you give some of your blood and pay a standard fee. If they don't get news from you for three months, they revive you. If your payment doesn't cover the price of your revival, they'll credit you depending of your rank. I'll work something up.

The jump seat is one of the great ideas in this thread. When moving on a caravan, you are usually protected from attacks (caravans will have about 15-30 mercenaries to protect your ugly ass) and can just rest until you reach your destination. If you are low-ranked, they may charge you for the service, but higher ranks are a boon upon a caravan, so they'll travel for free.

I'm not sure about the prison. In this campain, most criminal are outright killed or kept up to three nights until hanged. I guess criminals from the other continent could fetch a good pay. I'll keep the idea and if it comes into play, I'll just throw it in.

Thanks all around!