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D&D 5E Does your city have a cleric NPC and what can he cure?

R_J_K75

Legend
Because the option is so rare most NPC's are not aware it's even an option.

Interesting. I never gave this much thought, but it sounds reasonable. I just always thought of it as because its a fantasy world where in most settings magic is somewhat common place or at least known to exist. Raise dead all though not an everyday occurrence and out of reach of most common folk, I'd always thought its at least well known as an option throughout most clergy even if they cant cast it themselves or are not worthy of receiving it. Definitely a different perspective from what I'm used to.
 

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A level 9 NPC cleric who can cast the spell (for a fee and the diamond)
Some other (cleric) NPC or a PC (everyone of these have to be able to do this of course) who uses a scroll (of course this would increase the cost eventually)

So how is this available in your campaigns?
Is it like some universal health system, aka all good and most neutral temples offer this to mostly anyone?
Or Temples offer this, but require the patient/corpse to be of the same faith?
Or is it not available because NPC(clerics) are not high enough level?
Or is it available as a scroll, but PCs need to do the casting or find someone who can do the casting?

Also please give similar examples for other possible services e.g. detect magic and identify by NPCs etc.
I play and run D&D 3.5, so there are guidelines in the SRD and core books for how much to charge for spells.

For divine magic, I usually use the listed prices for spells as being the cost they'd charge random travelers who weren't part of their faith or congregation, with prices for members of their own congregation being about 10% of the listed price (except for any expensive material components, of course). They might charge 10 GP to cast Cure Light Wounds for a complete stranger that walks in and is obviously an affluent adventurer with magic items and lots of training. However, they might ask just 10 SP for a local that's a member of their parish, which is far more affordable to a typical 1st level commoner (about a day's wages, if you realize what a typical laborer makes under the Profession or Craft skills, with just 4 ranks and even without an ability score bonus or Skill Focus feats, they'll still make 7 GP a week taking 10)

If their parishioners outright can't afford the suggested donation, they'll help as they can and as daily spell slots permit.

I consider a local "parish priest" to be about a 5th level Cleric and a local "Bishop" (i.e. the head priest for a city or small region) to be at least 9th level. If you've got the money and components, you can get someone Raised in at least any small city, but it'll cost you.

Generally speaking, most good or neutral (and many Lawful Evil) Churches would cast healing or raise/resurrection spells to any passerby that came to them with money, as long as it clearly wasn't going to start trouble (like trying to Raise someone executed by the local government).

As for other spells, since in D&D 3.5, you have to have spellcasting to make alchemical items, I tend to assume most towns (other than the very smallest of hamlets) have at least one town alchemist, who is typically a low-level Wizard (or maybe a Sorcerer), and who sells alchemical items, and may sell a few potions or scrolls (not a lot of call for those, but they may have a few lying around or might be able to make them on request), and could cast common 1st, or maybe 2nd level arcane spells for hire, typically at the stock SRD prices (anyone who knows to ask for an Identify spell can afford it, in their minds).

If you go to a city, finding a wizard for hire won't be hard at all.

I liked how Forgotten Realms justified the commoditiziation of magic casting and items in D&D 3e, that the nation of Thay had given up on military conquest of Faerun and turned towards economic domination, and turned their extensive spellcasting towards providing for-profit spellcasting, with Thayan enclaves becoming a negotiated presence in major cities offering a wide variety of services (and in countries where more evil clerics would be frowned on, neutral clerics of Kossuth would provide divine spellcasting). Given all the high level spellcasters in the Realms, and Thay's constant failed attempts at conquest, switching to an economic instead of a military plan made sense. . .but my players would NEVER stop calling the Thayan Enclave you go to shop for items and spellcasting "Thay-mart"
 

Ashrym

Legend
Interesting. I never gave this much thought, but it sounds reasonable. I just always thought of it as because its a fantasy world where in most settings magic is somewhat common place or at least known to exist. Raise dead all though not an everyday occurrence and out of reach of most common folk, I'd always thought its at least well known as an option throughout most clergy even if they cant cast it themselves or are not worthy of receiving it. Definitely a different perspective from what I'm used to.

It's the same premise as orcs avoiding being close for fireball. Except fireballs are more commonplace than raising of the dead. I find interesting that there are people who would assume orcish culture would not be familiar with the potential of fireball in a fantasy setting and there are people who would assume the less commonplace raise dead knowledge is a given.

The way I deal with raise dead isn't that it's unknown. It's just not common knowledge. Most NPC's are not trained in or educated in or experienced with magic.
 

aco175

Legend
Nobody mentioned Adventure League healing and raise dead. I think that it is a poor way to use it, but it makes sense in the way AL uses it. I don't think that I would ever go that easy on Raise Dead.
 

R_J_K75

Legend
Nobody mentioned Adventure League healing and raise dead. I think that it is a poor way to use it, but it makes sense in the way AL uses it. I don't think that I would ever go that easy on Raise Dead.

Im not familiar with AL, how does it work?
 


Prakriti

Hi, I'm a Mindflayer, but don't let that worry you
Im not familiar with AL, how does it work?
I'm not completely sure, but I think you just pay the cost of the spellcasting service, based on the following formula:

(Level)^2×10+(Consumed Materials×2)+(Non-consumed Materials×0.1)

For example:
  • Cure wounds (1st level) 10 gp
  • Identify 20 gp
  • Lesser restoration 40 gp
  • Prayer of healing (2nd level) 40 gp
  • Remove curse 90 gp
  • Speak with dead 90 gp
  • Divination 210 gp
  • Greater restoration 450 gp
  • Raise dead 1,250 gp
I've adopted this formula myself for the sake of ease and consistency. What makes AL "unique," though, is that I don't think they place any restrictions on where you can acquire these services. As long as you're in town or between games, then you can hire someone to cast these spells for you (AL players correct me if I'm wrong).
 
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DND_Reborn

The High Aldwin
I'm not completely sure, but I think you just pay the cost of the spellcasting service, based on the following formula:

(Level)2×10+(Consumed Materials×2)+(Non-consumed Materials×0.1)

For example:
  • Cure wounds (1st level) 10 gp
  • Identify 20 gp
  • Lesser restoration 40 gp
  • Prayer of healing (2nd level) 40 gp
  • Remove curse 90 gp
  • Speak with dead 90 gp
  • Divination 210 gp
  • Greater restoration 450 gp
  • Raise dead 1,250 gp
I've adopted this formula myself for the sake of ease and consistency. What makes AL "unique," though, is that I don't think they place any restrictions on where you can acquire these services. As long as you're in town or between games, then you can hire someone to cast these spells for you (AL players correct me if I'm wrong).
That is a relatively complex formula. Mine has always been

base cost = (Spell level)^2 x 100 + material components:

Level 1 = 100
2 = 400
3 = 900
etc.
9 = 8100

Depending on reactions, etc. cost could quadruple if things go poorly, and are never reduced.
 

Prakriti

Hi, I'm a Mindflayer, but don't let that worry you
That is a relatively complex formula. Mine has always been

base cost = (Spell level)^2 x 100 + material components:

Level 1 = 100
2 = 400
3 = 900
etc.
9 = 8100

Depending on reactions, etc. cost could quadruple if things go poorly, and are never reduced.
That one's pretty good. But the AL formula isn't as complex as it looks. Since most (all?) spells either have consumed or non-consumed materials and not both, it's really two simple formulas. Either:

(Level)^2×10+(Consumed Materials×2)

or

(Level)^2×10+(Non-Consumed Materials×0.1)

And since "×0.1" is just another way of saying 10%, it's just a matter of moving a decimal one place. So a 100 gp material component adds 10 gp to the cost, a 500 gp component adds 50, etc.
 


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