D&D 5E How would you handle a player-controlled mine?

[Schmoe]

I believe the 1E Dungeoneer's Survival Guide has rules for just this topic.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

Read through the whole thread; thanks everybody! I wanted quick rules for using it as an alternative reward, but some ideas here are really interesting. I think the mine will become more than just an additional income source for the party (I'm afraid my players are too genre savvy to dig too deep, but troubles can come from any place ).

 

[Warmaster Horus]

I came expecting landmines and got something even better.

"Fire in the hole! [clack/clack/clack] ... BOOOOOM!"

 

[smbakeresq]

If you and your players really want to turn DnD into an economy simulator, you can certainly do that. I personally handle things like castles and mines and guilds and stuff that the players are involved with by having them dictate major directions in their operation (my thieves guild is going to be focused on gathering information via beggars), and maybe place a few trusted NPC's into key positions to handle the day-to-day stuff. Income and funds are assumed to be plowed back into the operation.

As for rewards to having such a thing, it really depends on the time scale of the campaign. If it's part of published AP where they are going from 1-15+ within about a year of game time, then there's very little benefit beyond access to standard goods and maybe some political influence. Something like a mine would honestly take years of investment to even start making money, assuming normal economical restrictions are in place. I mean, you need places to store the silver, housing for the workers (unless your mine is conveniently located near a major town), transportation for the silver, trusted guards and manager-types to keep the whole thing from imploding as soon as you leave, and the political connections to establish contracts for the product so that you're not treading water with small-scale transactions.

That stuff isn't cheap, and it's incredibly unlikely that the players would stumble on a "turn-key" operation that is somehow not being inherited *and* isn't simply getting possessed by the local lord or king or whatever. But assuming there's justification in place (maybe a PC is the inheritor, or they managed to blackmail the local lord), they still have to deal with a myriad of infrastructure and political investments.

Basically, the more detailed you try and make the system, the less believable it becomes that the characters would be involved. So just focus on the broad aspects, and don't let players start counting coppers like the mine is a debit card. It could very well make them all wealthy at some point, but it's not likely going to happen until after their adventuring career. Until that time, it can serve as a great plot device and starting point for political intrigue or a "we dug too deep" adventure.

Of course its a turn key. The Doppelganger that wasrunning it for the dragon overlord was pretty efficient at making it work. From the old book Draconomicon, which everyone should get as its what dragons should be:

Lothaenorixius Great Wyrm Blue Dragon Lothaenorixius is a dragon possessed. For decades, he preyed on salt caravans crossing his desert territory. The people who operated the caravans and the mines that supplied them constantly sought to eliminate the dragon. One day, a group of adventurers hired by a mine owner located Lothaenorixius’s lair and nearly succeeded in slaying him. Enraged, the dragon assaulted the mine itself, destroying the owners and taking over the entire mine. Lothaenorixius was quick to realize that the mine was a source of wealth. Rather than destroy it, he kept it in operation. The dragon now spends his days and nights trying to extract the maximum profit from his mine. Lothaenorixius knows he must spend something on food and lodgings for his workers and draft animals, but in his greed he begrudges every copper spent. He constantly tries to produce the maximum profit for the minimum investment. He makes extensive use of undead labor, but undead creatures do not work quickly enough to satisfy him. As a result, he finds some living workers a necessity, especially for transporting salt to market. Every three months, Lothaenorixius reviews production and income, then makes adjustments to his workforce. This usually entails killing and eating some workers (though he always saves some bodies for later animation as undead). If he’s particularly displeased with the results, even his followers and cohorts feel his wrath. In spite of his management methods, Lothaenorixius tries to keep a low profile. He has circulated a tale of his defeat at the hands of the party who unsuccessfully assaulted him in his lair. He runs the mine through his special cohort Lilanab (currently his 8th, the previous seven having been slain as examples to the rest of the workforce). Lilanab is an erinyes devil who masquerades as a human and poses as the leader of the group that “killed” Lothaenorixius. Parties are more likely to encounter Lothaenorixius’s servants that the dragon himself, unless they attack and loot the mine. Lothaenorixius comes forth to defend his holding if he perceives any threat. He also occasionally takes wing just to feel and breathe the hot desert air, or to disrupt a competitor’s trade. Lothaenorixius spends most of each day keeping tabs on business at the mine. He uses prying eyes spells and a crystal ballto monitor activities throughout the place. This surveillance usually gives him ample warning of any attempts to invade his lair. Lothaenorixius usually tries to disguise himself before entering combat. He uses his veil ability to appear as some other big, flying creature. A gynosphinx or a brass dragon are two of his favorite guises. Lothaenorixius stays hidden in a vast, secret chamber in the salt mine he has taken over. The mine and the complex of buildings that support it are home to more than 300 beings. These include Lilanab and more than 50 clerics with access to the Evil and Earth domains, dozens of mummies, and about 100 zombies. The remainder (around 150 individuals) consists of overworked slaves of various kinds (mostly humans). Every resident with an Intelligence score is aware that an unseen master controls the mine, but only Lilanab and the clerics know their overlord is the great blue wyrm Lothaenorixius.



This creature would have multiple mines, and the PC's get to one of them while away. The Dragon doesn't notice until the payments stop (allowing the PC to advance in level to be competitive) then he comes to investigate. Of course the original owners of the mine, who the dragon in polymorphed form swindled out of the mine, want their mine back also after the PC's cleared it out. The dragon would not just come in a kill everyone, it would be polymorphed into an acceptable race. The key behind these things is having the mine owners be good aligned, so they want the mine back but are not evil, so the PCs cant kill them.

 

[smbakeresq]

Inheritance is always a great idea as long as it isn't a pile of money. The PC's get pushed into someone else's problems.

 

[plisnithus8]

"Fire in the hole! [clack/clack/clack] ... BOOOOOM!"

As you enter the dwarven mine, your lack of perception has you stepping on what you thought was a rock - there is a quiet click as your foot puts pressure on the buried plate.
The halfling PC turns to you and says, "This mine is mine so that makes that mine you are stepping on mine as well."

 

[smbakeresq]

Guys I will put this here but please share it. Its a complete index to all the articles in the PRINT Dragon magazine, which is available all over the internets. Its really incredible and the author deserves adulation

http://www.aeolia.net/dragondex/

Enjoy!!!

 

[discosoc]

The key behind these things is having the mine owners be good aligned, so they want the mine back but are not evil, so the PCs cant kill them.

If the players are good-aligned (or even lawful neutral), they probably wouldn't object to the original owners regaining possession.

 

[Ancalagon]

There was a chapter on mining in a 2nd ed splatbook, pretty sure it was the one about dwarves...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Complete_Book_of_Dwarves

Yup, chapter 8!

 

[Ahrimon]

One simple method is to come up with an amount of net profit, hand-waving the gross amount, and a 1-40 chart going from really bad to really good. Then around monthly in game time have the players roll a d20+20 and the DM rolls a d20. Subtract the DM's roll from the players and look up the difference on the chart.

You could have stuff as simple as, "Caravan was robbed" no income this month, "Stuck a pure vein" +50% income this month, "Small cave-in" -25%, workers strike -50% for the next two months, "small gem vein" +100% income for 3 months, or "ops normal" no change. Little things like that.

If you want to get more in depth you could have some entries that generates plot hooks. Say an entry that is catastrophe roll on X table. That table includes things like "purple worm nest in the depths, no miners will go near the mine until dealt with. Cost XXg per month until dealt with." Or "Bandits attacking the caravan no income until dealt with." Etc.