Figuring out monetary and non-monetary rewards for players

[supergoji18]

I'm currently creating a quest that will involve the players being hired by the Jarl to take down a massive bandit organization led by a group of powerful monsters. The Jarl considers these bandits to be a huge threat to her people, especially since they have been hired by a rival Jarl to direct their raids against her lands. However, she can't spare the men to take them down because A) they've tried with a decently sized force in the past and it failed miserably (they didn't know at the time the bandits were lead by monsters, only finding out after) and B) she can't spare a larger force because she needs to protect her lands from her other rivals that seek to raid and invade. So she has decided to post rewards for anyone who can help.

My problem is that I don't know what an appropriate reward would be for helping take down the bandits would be. Here's what I am considering:
- a good sum of gold for the scalp of every bonfire bandit they can bring in
- double that amount if the scalp is of a bandit captain
- for the head of main leader, I want to give the players land with a manor on it.
- for the heads of his lieutenants, I want to give the players additional non-monetary benefits, such as additional land, control over a village near the manor, or something else.
- Killing the main leader and all of his lieutenants will get the players a noble title.

Im having trouble coming up with specifics. The setting is largely inspired by norse mythology and culture, and the economy is in decent shape (using the prices recommended in the PHB and DMG for 5e). The Jarl considers these bandits a major threat, so she will likely want to reward whoever gets rid of them quite generously. So here are some more specific questions I am going to ask to make things easier.

- What amount of gold should the bandit scalps be worth?
- How much land should be given to the players?
- What kind of things should this land have? If it has a village or other settlement on it, what should it have in it? What kind of taxes would the players receive from the village (since the players will essentially become the lords of that village).
- If the players have a farm on the land, how much money should it produce every year?
- How big should the manor be and how many servants?
- What other considerations should I have when rewarding players land?

[Unoriginal]

For the quest's monetary reward, I'd advise you to use the treasure tables in the DMG for all the encounters the PCs will face (so both the individual and hoard tables), then take a big share of it, maybe 3/4, and make it the reward the Jarl is offering.

As for the land/nobility title part, you should check with your players if they're interested by that kind of responsibilities, first.

[supergoji18]

For the quest's monetary reward, I'd advise you to use the treasure tables in the DMG for all the encounters the PCs will face (so both the individual and hoard tables), then take a big share of it, maybe 3/4, and make it the reward the Jarl is offering.

As for the land/nobility title part, you should check with your players if they're interested by that kind of responsibilities, first.

Thank you for the suggestion.

I'll let them have a choice between the land, some gold, or maybe some special services just to keep things open. But lets assume they pick the land and are all okay with it. What would be the specifics of the land that I should grant?

[supergoji18]

I'd like some more input please

[Innocent_bystan]

What level are your players?
I'd hesitate to give land to players that aren't at least level 10. Maybe you could promise a magic item? Or the use of the jarl's spellcasters for a number of times? You could also offer special training of a sort. (That results in a permanent +1 bonus somewhere, or access to an extra cantrip)

[supergoji18]

What level are your players?
I'd hesitate to give land to players that aren't at least level 10. Maybe you could promise a magic item? Or the use of the jarl's spellcasters for a number of times? You could also offer special training of a sort. (That results in a permanent +1 bonus somewhere, or access to an extra cantrip)

This is all planning in advance, but I estimate that they will be somewhere around level 7 when they finish this quest.

The whole point of this is to try to reward them with something that will make them more attached to the world, and get them more invested in it. Giving the players a place they can genuinely call home is a great way to do that from what I have seen. So I'd like to get some specifics on how I should handle it.

[Plantae]

To answer your specific questions:
1. I'd put a bandit scalp around 50-100 gp perhaps, especially since this is a reward anyone (not just the PCs could claim).
2. This really depends on the Jarl's gratitude. A small reward might just be a manor and a couple acres. A medium one, a larger house and maybe dozens or hundreds of acres. For a large land holding, 1000 acres or more wouldn't be out of the question, but this would still be small compared to that of a high-ranking noble.
3. For a small reward, probably just the manor grounds. For a medium one, maybe a couple hovels or small neighboring houses. For a large one, a small hamlet or village would make sense, but it might also be a more desolate area.
4. For an estate with at least some income from farming or taxes, I wouldn't try to put an exact number on it. I'd just say it's enough profit that the PCs can live a comfortable, wealthy, or aristocratic lifestyle (2-10 gp per day). But if you want an amount, that's between 730-3,650 gp per PC, per year.
5. A small manor might only have a half dozen servants. A medium one could have dozens. A large one could have as many as 100 servants, including indoor and outdoor workers. This isn't accounting for farmers and villagers living on the estate. To simplify things, I'd have the PCs interact mainly with the highest-ranking servants (stewards, butlers, the head housekeeper, and so on).

I do think you want to be careful about rewarding your PCs with anything larger than a medium-sized estate (the point where they're ruling over villages). Not because it doesn't necessarily make sense, as the Jarl might end up being very grateful, but because it could be very overwhelming. You probably want to avoid a situation where your game becomes a medieval village simulator.

But a reasonably large estate can make for a very cool home base, and with enough land, there's still room for the PCs to have some neighbors or a few servants who live on their property without it becoming too much.

I wouldn't worry too much about the specific costs and income from owning land unless you want to create a lot of spreadsheets. I'd focus instead on the overall benefits and on future investment opportunities. The estate should be something that mostly runs itself. Let your PCs decide on some basic details and add cool features but avoid getting too granular with this.

Here's some examples of potential benefits from land/noble titles.

Land Benefits
The estate is furnished and has all the standard rooms one would expect in a comfortable noble manor.
For a price, the PCs can remodel the estate to include additional or specialized rooms. These rooms could provide a bonus to certain ability checks, increase the value of long rests at the manor, provide additional income, or increase the quality of crafted items, to give a few examples.
The PCs gain access to servants who might be able to provide specialized services. With remodeling, they could even keep more skilled artisans or spellcasters on retainer.

Noble Title Benefits
Being a landed noble could grant a bonus to Charisma ability checks (or even advantage) in certain social circles.
Also, once every few months, a PC might use their new connections to get some clues about the whereabouts of a rare magic item or to seek a favor from another noble.
The PCs might be able to procure services (such as spellcasting or hirelings) at a reduced rate.

Owning land can also be a great source of plot hooks, as locals (including servants, neighbors, and others) might come to the PCs seeking aid. The PCs might need to deal with disruptions on their land, like monstrous incursions, etc or even things as mundane as famine, disease, and the like. Though you'll want to be careful about truly threatening their home base's existence, as this ruins a bit of the comfortable "home sweet home" feeling.

For more specifics, you might want to seek out a dedicated supplement (there are a few on DM's Guild and some other places), as that will probably give you more (and better) ideas than posters here.

[supergoji18]

To answer your specific questions:
1. I'd put a bandit scalp around 50-100 gp perhaps, especially since this is a reward anyone (not just the PCs could claim).
2. This really depends on the Jarl's gratitude. A small reward might just be a manor and a couple acres. A medium one, a larger house and maybe dozens or hundreds of acres. For a large land holding, 1000 acres or more wouldn't be out of the question, but this would still be small compared to that of a high-ranking noble.
3. For a small reward, probably just the manor grounds. For a medium one, maybe a couple hovels or small neighboring houses. For a large one, a small hamlet or village would make sense, but it might also be a more desolate area.
4. For an estate with at least some income from farming or taxes, I wouldn't try to put an exact number on it. I'd just say it's enough profit that the PCs can live a comfortable, wealthy, or aristocratic lifestyle (2-10 gp per day). But if you want an amount, that's between 730-3,650 gp per PC, per year.
5. A small manor might only have a half dozen servants. A medium one could have dozens. A large one could have as many as 100 servants, including indoor and outdoor workers. This isn't accounting for farmers and villagers living on the estate. To simplify things, I'd have the PCs interact mainly with the highest-ranking servants (stewards, butlers, the head housekeeper, and so on).

I do think you want to be careful about rewarding your PCs with anything larger than a medium-sized estate (the point where they're ruling over villages). Not because it doesn't necessarily make sense, as the Jarl might end up being very grateful, but because it could be very overwhelming. You probably want to avoid a situation where your game becomes a medieval village simulator.

But a reasonably large estate can make for a very cool home base, and with enough land, there's still room for the PCs to have some neighbors or a few servants who live on their property without it becoming too much.

I wouldn't worry too much about the specific costs and income from owning land unless you want to create a lot of spreadsheets. I'd focus instead on the overall benefits and on future investment opportunities. The estate should be something that mostly runs itself. Let your PCs decide on some basic details and add cool features but avoid getting too granular with this.

Here's some examples of potential benefits from land/noble titles.

Land Benefits
The estate is furnished and has all the standard rooms one would expect in a comfortable noble manor.
For a price, the PCs can remodel the estate to include additional or specialized rooms. These rooms could provide a bonus to certain ability checks, increase the value of long rests at the manor, provide additional income, or increase the quality of crafted items, to give a few examples.
The PCs gain access to servants who might be able to provide specialized services. With remodeling, they could even keep more skilled artisans or spellcasters on retainer.

Noble Title Benefits
Being a landed noble could grant a bonus to Charisma ability checks (or even advantage) in certain social circles.
Also, once every few months, a PC might use their new connections to get some clues about the whereabouts of a rare magic item or to seek a favor from another noble.
The PCs might be able to procure services (such as spellcasting or hirelings) at a reduced rate.

Owning land can also be a great source of plot hooks, as locals (including servants, neighbors, and others) might come to the PCs seeking aid. The PCs might need to deal with disruptions on their land, like monstrous incursions, etc or even things as mundane as famine, disease, and the like. Though you'll want to be careful about truly threatening their home base's existence, as this ruins a bit of the comfortable "home sweet home" feeling.

For more specifics, you might want to seek out a dedicated supplement (there are a few on DM's Guild and some other places), as that will probably give you more (and better) ideas than posters here.

Thank you for the advice. Sometimes I get carried away with planning things and I just need someone to tell me to just keep it simple. Having it be self sufficient and able to afford them a comfortable living seems like the best idea, and is less of a headache for everyone.

By any chance do you know what rooms a typical manor would have? And what servants would be necessary?

Also, thank you for the DMGuild suggestion, I will check it out.

[Slybluedemon]

Thank you for the advice. Sometimes I get carried away with planning things and I just need someone to tell me to just keep it simple. Having it be self sufficient and able to afford them a comfortable living seems like the best idea, and is less of a headache for everyone.

By any chance do you know what rooms a typical manor would have? And what servants would be necessary?

Also, thank you for the DMGuild suggestion, I will check it out.

I would give them a small manor at first, Have an Armory (maybe), Library, Meeting room (Study), kitchen, dining room 4 or 5 bedrooms on the second floor and maybe 2 or 3 butlers.
One Butler for the Land Owner's personal Assistant, One to do the cooking and cleaning, One to do errands in town when needed.

Also maybe a Guest Villa away from the house, for family or associates


Have any future expansions come from their pocket