Making a Formal Party Charter

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Fauchard1520

Adventurer

• Jan 17, 2019

• #1

Have you guys ever used a formal party charter? I'm talking about the kind of in-game document that dictates how you portion out loot, handle resurrection funds, and deal with stealing-from-the-party-treasury types. Is it good policy to include one, or do you think it feels a bit too formal? Any thoughts on how to make a good one?

Comic for reference.

 

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Leatherhead

Possibly a Idiot.

• Jan 17, 2019

• #2

We made one for a mercenary company. We never wrote it out IRL, so we could have it be ambiguous enough for the characters to argue over.

 

jasper

Rotten DM

• Jan 17, 2019

• #3

This COULD be a great role playing activity. But here are some things I have done and seen.
Cash is divided by #pcs +1 for the Kitty.
Non-magical items. Those who can use them get first dibs. Then sell excess for cash.
Magic items goes to who needs the most. Or in a tie it counts as cash and pc has to buy it and put funds into kitty. Or roll off for it.
Stick another quarter in or raise dead. Cost comes from the kitty and pcs cash. PC has to payback what was taken from the kitty.
Steal from the party type. UNLESS ALL PLAYERS AGREE TO THIS BS, don't allow it. Or let thieving Jasper discover the party is not going to rescue his behind.

 

Umbran

Mod Squad

Staff member

Supporter

• Jan 17, 2019

• #4

We have had informal agreements aplenty over the years.

I'm currently running an Ashen Stars game, in which there are technically formal contract relationships involved as being members of a LASER crew. We most definitely do *not* write it out in full, as it is more like a modern legal document, with scads of sub-clauses. The party's business expert has, on more than one occasion, used his high skills in law and business to commit legal shenanigans* to get the PCs out of trouble, and that wouldn't work if the document was simple enough to actually read like a normal human being.



*Up to and including setting up a situation that will ultimately lead to a session that is apt to break one of the PCs out of chattel slavery.

 

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Nevvur

Explorer

• Jan 17, 2019

• #5

Once a long time ago, for a campaign that never really took off. Mine also involved a mercenary company.

A formal, in-game charter seems kinda weird and unnecessary to me unless the party is trying to conduct themselves as a business. Whatever the case, as an in-game item, a charter is as valuable a prop as the players make of it.

 

D

Dessert Nomad

Adventurer

• Jan 17, 2019

• #6

jasper said:

This COULD be a great role playing activity. But here are some things I have done and seen.
Cash is divided by #pcs +1 for the Kitty.

Click to expand...

The Tabaxi and wildshaped druid start fighting over who counts as the 'kitty' and therefore gets to take the extra share.

 

jasper

Rotten DM

• Jan 17, 2019

• #7

OverlordOcelot said:

The Tabaxi and wildshaped druid start fighting over who counts as the 'kitty' and therefore gets to take the extra share.

Click to expand...

I will box your ears.

 

Warpiglet

Adventurer

• Jan 17, 2019

• #8

For evil characters, yes. When we were teenagers in high school we wanted the novelty of being villains but wanted to be able to actually have a party function for more than a session. Oh! The lazy days of youth and marathon DnD! (1st AD&D).

 

D

Dessert Nomad

Adventurer

• Jan 17, 2019

• #9

But seriously, characters that adventure together would likely have some sort of contract for how they would divide loot and some kind of oath to take to the company or each other to be sure they'd follow it. I think it's quite reasonable to have a charter of some sort since in the game world characters are violent individuals working together for their own reasons. I don't think it's a good idea to try to make it a real document though - constructing functional legal documents needs a lot of background about the legal system (or general codes of honor) that isn't going to exist in detail for a typical campaign, and is a lot of boring work. Also, people who form adventuring parties in a world where adventuring parties are common would have experience and knowledge of how such contracts work, while the players don't - it's very easy to hit a 'gotcha' clause or loophole that people living in the game world would already know to look out for. A general agreement about how to handle things and 'we write up the charter and sign it' is plenty of work.

 

Mistwell

Crusty Old Meatwad (he/him)

• Jan 18, 2019

• #10

Fauchard1520 said:

Have you guys ever used a formal party charter? I'm talking about the kind of in-game document that dictates how you portion out loot, handle resurrection funds, and deal with stealing-from-the-party-treasury types. Is it good policy to include one, or do you think it feels a bit too formal? Any thoughts on how to make a good one?

Comic for reference.

Click to expand...

Oooh I have some obscure but helpful information!

I once read a book about the westward travel of gold rush seekers, who grouped together into formal parties with just such charters, which were essentially real life adventuring parties. Members would all sign the charter and pledge things like, "We hereby pledge ourselves, to support and protect each other in case of emergency and sickness, and in all cases to stand by each other as a band of brothers, to elect officers and vote to determine company actions, to work together under and agreed-upon division of labor, etc.." They would include morality and ethics clauses about gambling and cursing and drinking, rules for splitting found minerals, rules for differing roles in the company, etc..