The Spellcaster for Hire
EXPERT HIRELINGS
DMG 1st ed
If henchmen are defined as the associates, companions, and loyal (to some degree) followers of a player character, hirelings are the servitors, mercenaries, and employees of such player characters, and they too can have some degree of loyalty — based on their accommodations, rate of remuneration, and treatment. Various hirelings of menial nature are assumed to come with the cost of maintaining a stronghold; thus, cooks, lackeys, stableboys, sweepers, and various servants are no concern of the player character. Guards and special hirelings are, however, and such persons must be located and enlisted by the PC or his or her NPC henchmen.
Location of Expert Hirelings: Most expert hirelings can be found only in towns or cities, although some might be located in smaller communities — providing they are willing to pick up and relocate, of course. Employment is a matter of offer and acceptance, and each player character must do his or her own bargaining. The various types of hirelings (listed below) will generally be found in the appropriate section of the community — the Street of Smiths, Weapon Way, Armorers Alley, etc. — or at cheap inns in the case of mercenary soldiers.
Monthly Costs: The cost of each type of expert hireling is shown on the list. This amount is based on all the associated expenditures which go with the position — salary or wage, uniform or clothing, housing, food, and sundry equipment used routinely by the hireling. Exception: The cost does not include arms and armor of soldiers, and these items must be furnished to mercenaries over and above other costs. Certain other hirelings incur costs over and above the normal also, when they engage in their occupations. These are indicated on the table by an asterisk (*).
SPELLCASTERS
DMG 2nd ed
There will come a time when player characters feel in dire need of a particular spell or spells to which no one in their group has. They may need to raise a fallen comrade, remove an evil enchantment, or provide an addltid protection. The natural solution is to find an NPC willing and able to cast the spell. This can make special difficulties for both the playera and the DM.
Finding a Spellcaster
Locating a capable NPC is the first step. Not all NPCs advertise their abilities; this is especially true in the case of of spellcasters. Bragging that one is the great and powerful wizard Wazoo can be bad for one's health. There is aiways a young hot-shot who will take the claim as a challenge. (Sort of like the Old West, where there was always someone itching to beat the fastest gun... ).
For this reason, spellcasters tend to be mysterious or, at least, quiet about their abilities. Churches. temples, and other holy places tend to be the best place to look since clerics have some obligatlon to proclaim the power of their deity openly.
Convincing an NPC to Help
Assuming the player characters know of a capable spellcaster, there is still the problem of convincing the NPC to cast the desired spell. Often the NPC won't even have the spell ready when the characters need it. After all, it isn't every day a cleric needs to cast a raise dead spell. He will need a day just to rest and memorize the desired spell.
Religious Differences: The faith of the player characters and the ethos of the NPC's religlon may pose an even greater problem than availability. It is quite possible for a cleric to refuse to cast a spell to aid an "unbeliever," "heathen," or 'heretic." Some may agree, but only at the cost of a donation, service, or conversion. A rare few accept any and all without passing any judgment. In general, it is best to seek the services of a like-minded cleric than to go to a stranger.
Money: For some clerical spellcasters and most non-clerical types, spellcasting is more a matter of finances than philosophies. If the characters find a capable spellcaster, they must be prepared to pay (and pay dearly) for his services. For a desperately needed service, the NPC knows he has the player characters over a barrel and will bargain accordingly.
Table 69 gives me idea of the costs for different spells. These costs are not set, by any means, and can be raised (but seldom lowered) for a variety of reasons.
Table 69: NPC SPELL COSTS
| Spell Required | Minimum Cost |
|---|---|
| Astral Spell | 2,000 gp per person |
| Atonement | * |
| Augury | 200 gp |
| Bless | * |
| Charm person | 1,000 gp |
| Clairvoyance | 50 gp per level of caster |
| Commune | * |
| Comprehend languages | 50 gp |
| Contact other plane | 5,000 gp + 1,000 per question |
| Continual light | 1,000 gp |
| Control Weather | 20,000 gp |
| Cure Blindness | 500 gp |
| Cure Desease | 500 gp |
| Cure Light Wounds | 10 gp per point healed |
| Cure Serious Wounds | 20 gp per point healed |
| Cure Critical Wounds | 40 gp per point healed |
| Commune | * |
| Detection Spells (any) | 100 gp |
| Dispel Magic | 100 gp per level of the caster |
| Divination | 500 gp |
| Earthquake | * |
| Enchant an item | 20,000 gp plus other spells |
| ESP | 500 gp |
| Explosive runes | 1,000 gp |
| Find the path | 1,000 gp |
| Fire Trap | 500 gp |
| Fools' gold | 100 gp |
| Gate | * |
| Glyph of Warding | 100 gp per level of the caster |
| Heal | 50 gp per point healed |
| Identify | 1,000 gp per item or function |
| Invisible Stalker | 5,000 gp |
| Invisibility | 500 gp |
| Legend Lore | 1,000 gp |
| Limited Wish | 20,000 gp ** |
| Magic mouth | 300 gp |
| Neutralize poison | 100 gp |
| Permanency | 20,000 gp ** |
| Plane Shift | * |
| Prayer | * |
| Protection from Evil | 20 gp per level of caster |
| Raise Dead | * |
| Read Magic | 200 gp |
| Regenerate | 20,000 gp |
| Reincarnation | * |
| Remove curse | 100 gp per level of caster |
| Restoration | * |
| Slow Poison | 50 gp |
| Speak with dead | 100 gp per level of caster |
| Suggestion | 600 gp |
| Symbol | 1,000 gp per level of caster |
| Teleport | 2,000 gp per person |
| Tongues | 100 gp |
| True Seeing | 5,000 gp |
| Wish | 50,000 gp ** |
| Wizard lock | 50 gp per level of caster |
* This spell is normally cast only for those of similar faith or belief. Even then a payment or service may be required.
** Some exceptional service will also be required of the player character.
Links to Classes
Adventurers League Formula
This is formula the Adventures League use for spell casting price. I use it when PC's need to use NPC spell services.
Spell Level Squared (i.e Level x Level) x 10 ( So Level 1 Spell - 10 gp, Level 2 - 40 gp, etc up to Level 9 - 810 gp)
Then Add Component Cost -
Consumed Component Price x 2 (to allow for cost of obtaining rare items etc)
Non Consumed Component Value x 0.1 (as can be used many times.)
So some examples:
Cure Wounds (at Level 1) costs 10 gp
Identify - 20 gp (10 gp for the spell, and as component needed is 100gp x 0.1, 10 gp extra)
Raise Dead - 1250 gp (Level 5 spell, so 250 gp - requires diamond worth at least 500 gp. Double that as consumed, so extra is 1000gp)
The pricing model that you cited in your answer, is derived from the Adventurer's League guides. As you mentioned, there was the Tyranny of Dragons Player Guide....but there are also the following...
- Tyranny of Dragons DM's Guide
- Storm King's Thunder DM's Guide
These are published by Wizards of the Coast, but only apply to Adventurer's League play. The equation cited...
(Level)2×10+(Consumed Materials×2)+(Non-consumed Materials×0.1)
was derived by the player-base because it accurately matches every cited "Cost to have this spell cast" entry in the Guides. To my knowledge, there are no exceptions. Every listed spell can have its cost computed with this equation. Which, given the sample size, means the equation is most likely right.
So, while this is not a "Rule" as laid down by WotC, it is an equation that can accurately predict the costs that they have cited for Adventurer's League play. And, in mathematics, if you have discovered an equation that can reliably predict all the results you know you have: we call that an accurate equation.
Again, just to be clear: The list of spellcasting service costs published by WotC is Adventurer's League content, not core rules. Additionally, the fact that players figured out this equation does not mean it can be applied to any spell in AL play. The only spells available for purchase in AL play are the ones explicitly listed in the guides. (So you can't just hire someone to cast Wish for you for 810gp.)
NPC Healer Prices - Cityscape
| Malady | Spell | Minimum Class/Level | Base Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death | Raise dead | Cleric 9 | 5,450 gp |
| Incomplete corpse | Resurrection | Cleric 13 | 10,910 gp |
| No corpse | True resurrection | Cleric 17 | 26,530 gp |
| Energy drain | Restoration | Cleric 7, paladin 14 | 380 gp |
| Negative levels | Greater Restoration | Cleric 13 | 3,410 gp |
| Ability damage or drain | Restoration | Cleric 7, paladin 14 | 380 gp |
| Curse | Break enchanyment (doesn't always work) | Bard 10, cleric 9, paladin 14, sorcerer 10, wizard 9 | 450 gp |
| Curse | Remove curse | Bard 7, cleric 5, paladin 11, sorcerer 8, wizard 7 | 280 gp |
| Disease | Remove disease | Cleric 5, druid 5, ranger 11 | 280 gp |
| Petrification | Break enchanyment (doesn't always work) | Bard 10, cleric 9, paladin 14, sorcerer 10, wizard 9 | 280 gp |
| Petrification | Stone to flesh | Sorcerer 12, wizard 11 | 660 gp |
Argol's
| Type | GP Cost | Maint | Units P/Week | Tot. Employment | Influence | Repair Cost | Construction Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spellcaster | 2,000 GP/2BP Wd. Bldg. Small |
150 GP | 1 Units | 1 Jobs | +4 Trade | 1,000 GP | 2 Weeks (4 men) |
| Plot Name | Size of Plot | Cost for Plot | Maintenance | Units P/Week | Tot Employment | Influence | Time to Clear the Land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Plot | 1 SS | 1,000 GP | - | - | - | +4 Trade | 4 Weeks |
Clearing the land assumes a group of 10 men working on the site.
Construction time is found by multiplying the production time by a PM (Production Modifier) that takes into account workforce and location. This gives you a figure that is in man/weeks. This figure can be divided by 7 to get the total weeks and the number is also used to reveal the men needed to do the job.
For an example we use a small wood building with the time of 8. If the modifier is 1 which is a prime site then no change in time and we divide 8 by 7 for 1 weeks. This assumes our workforce is 8 men involved in the wood building.
Use the Castle on the Moors example for a breakdown of the math.
Stronghold Space: An abstract measure of volume within a building. While stronghold spaces don’t have a fixed size, an average stronghold space is equivalent to a 20-foot-by-20-foot room with a 10-foot-hugh ceiling.
GREYHAWK PLOTS
Although there is no standard definition, the typical plot of land in Greyhawk stands at around 100 ft x 100 ft = 30 m x 30 m = 10,000 square feet = 900 square meters. In this case, a half plot can be considered to be 50 ft x 100 ft = 15 m x 30 m = 5000 square feet = 450 square meters.
Depending on the states in question, there can be variations to the sizes of a plot: 18 m x 30 m (540 sqm) and 18 m x 36 m (648 sqm; Lagos) are also common plot sizes. This is why it is essential that you always request sizes in square meters, for such things as ease of comparison.
So a Stronghold Space at 20ft x 20 ft = 400 sq feet or 25 SS per plot of land.
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