GiantOctopodes
2014-11-24, 04:04 PM
A few things:
First, what is a fair market price for a giant poisonous snake? They would be purchased for the purpose of harvesting serpent venom, but ultimately that's not really the point- just like a horse, chicken, or any other animal, it's not about what you are going to do with it, but more about the cost associated with raising it, keeping it, and the value of it in terms of the potential profit or use that can be gained from it, whether or not you take advantage of it.
On the one hand, the cost of raising it is not extensive. Sure, it's large and carnivorous, but as a cold blooded creature, it consumes about 1/10th of the food quantity of a mammal of comparable size (due to not needing to regulate temperature). Compared to a Warhorse, which sells for $400 and has use in combat, is a 3 HD creature (CR 1/2), and requires extensive training, this is a 2HD creature, requires no training, costs less to raise, and has potential use in combat, as well as for the harvesting of poison. As such, a cost of 400GP or less seems fair.
On the other hand, with the cost of serpent venom being what it is, the value of such an animal for interested parties in terms of gold savings is potentially immeasurable, and as a reptile, it is expected to have a nice, long lifespan. As such, a cost of 4000GP or more seems not entirely unreasonable. Ultimately the DM will of course decide what the price is, and if it's even available, but I wanted to get a feel for people's thoughts on this, so when I come to him I can do so with a recommendation of a fair and reasonable figure, so I'm not asking him to just pluck a number out of a hat.
The second thing is, in terms of harvesting the venom. The rules state that the creature must be dead or incapacitated to harvest the venom. Well, when you're unconscious you're incapacitated, and when you're asleep you're unconscious. Does it seem only logical that you can thus harvest the venom while they're asleep, or does that seem exploitative? I'd hate to have to knock the snake out with pummeling, poisons or spells every time, both for the sake of keeping the snake happy and not wanting to instantly slay me on sight, and so that my Druid companion will actually help me with this, instead of freeing the thing at the first opportunity.
Finally, what is a reasonable amount of time to have to wait between harvests of the poison? I haven't been able to find any solid information on how long it takes snakes to refill their venom when milked, with information giving such disparate answers as "minutes", "4 days", and "three weeks", which gives an incredibly large spread. The amount of time it takes to refill also would have a large impact on the relative value of the snake. Would once per week be a reasonable expectation, or would that be excessive?
First, what is a fair market price for a giant poisonous snake? They would be purchased for the purpose of harvesting serpent venom, but ultimately that's not really the point- just like a horse, chicken, or any other animal, it's not about what you are going to do with it, but more about the cost associated with raising it, keeping it, and the value of it in terms of the potential profit or use that can be gained from it, whether or not you take advantage of it.
On the one hand, the cost of raising it is not extensive. Sure, it's large and carnivorous, but as a cold blooded creature, it consumes about 1/10th of the food quantity of a mammal of comparable size (due to not needing to regulate temperature). Compared to a Warhorse, which sells for $400 and has use in combat, is a 3 HD creature (CR 1/2), and requires extensive training, this is a 2HD creature, requires no training, costs less to raise, and has potential use in combat, as well as for the harvesting of poison. As such, a cost of 400GP or less seems fair.
On the other hand, with the cost of serpent venom being what it is, the value of such an animal for interested parties in terms of gold savings is potentially immeasurable, and as a reptile, it is expected to have a nice, long lifespan. As such, a cost of 4000GP or more seems not entirely unreasonable. Ultimately the DM will of course decide what the price is, and if it's even available, but I wanted to get a feel for people's thoughts on this, so when I come to him I can do so with a recommendation of a fair and reasonable figure, so I'm not asking him to just pluck a number out of a hat.
The second thing is, in terms of harvesting the venom. The rules state that the creature must be dead or incapacitated to harvest the venom. Well, when you're unconscious you're incapacitated, and when you're asleep you're unconscious. Does it seem only logical that you can thus harvest the venom while they're asleep, or does that seem exploitative? I'd hate to have to knock the snake out with pummeling, poisons or spells every time, both for the sake of keeping the snake happy and not wanting to instantly slay me on sight, and so that my Druid companion will actually help me with this, instead of freeing the thing at the first opportunity.
Finally, what is a reasonable amount of time to have to wait between harvests of the poison? I haven't been able to find any solid information on how long it takes snakes to refill their venom when milked, with information giving such disparate answers as "minutes", "4 days", and "three weeks", which gives an incredibly large spread. The amount of time it takes to refill also would have a large impact on the relative value of the snake. Would once per week be a reasonable expectation, or would that be excessive?