D&D 5E Exploring the economics of Raise Dead

[Krachek]

And for adventurers distribution I prefer to see a bell curve rather than a decreasing curve.
That mean that the most Common adventurers are somewhere between level 5-8.

 

[jasper]

Paging Evil Rotten Jasper. Paging evil rotten jasper. Please pick up the white phone, your true rezz has come through. Jasper pulls his head out the ice. Only to get stop by his gawds minions. "The boss said you could leave!"
Paging Viking Rotten Jasper Paging Rotten jasper. Your Raise dead is ready. " BEEP that! I in the halls, the mead is good, The babies are willing. And NO HANGOVERS. Besides I owe Krachek 5 dollars and welshing on the bet."

 

[MarkB]

It certainly doesn't work if most of the population is adamant about getting to the afterlife. It just doesn't feel like that sort of population would work out very well as a civilization, particularly with respect to accidental deaths or deaths by injury or stupidity. Likewise for children.

As for the "possibility" of success, well, that really depends on the person being resurrected, doesn't it? If they definitely don't want to be rezzed, then they shouldn't be paying in the first place. If the success rate is low, then, yeah, the entire plan fizzles. And that would certainly explain the lack of common use of those spells, if that were the case.

But still...

It isn't about what they decide when they're alive, though. It's about what happens after they die. A person may be utterly intent on living a full, long life no matter what the ups and downs, but if he arrives in the afterlife and finds that it's a wondrous and enriching experience beyond anything he ever experienced as a mortal, will he really maintain that resolve?

Or if he's consigned to an eternity of torment by demons or devils, is the choice really in his hands? Souls are a currency and a delicacy in the lower planes, why would those who've claimed this particular soul allow it to go free?

 

[aco175]

There's still that pesky "soul must be free and willing to return" clause. If someone's gone on to the realms of Elysium, do they want to go back to mortality? And if they're in the Hells or the Abyss, will their tormentors let them go?

Another thought with this, what about people scamming others by saying that I have spoke with the departed and he does not wish to return. There is no cost and payout. It is in the language of the deal that funds are forfeit if the body wishes it. Who's to say that someone cannot be bribed to claim this.

 

[MarkB]

Another thought with this, what about people scamming others by saying that I have spoke with the departed and he does not wish to return. There is no cost and payout. It is in the language of the deal that funds are forfeit if the body wishes it. Who's to say that someone cannot be bribed to claim this.

That's a tricky one. It takes some high-level magic to pull that off for real (Speak With Dead doesn't do it - you get to talk to a semblance of the creature, not their departed soul) - about the lowest-level spell that's likely to get you a reliable answer is Commune.

So the question is whether people are aware that this is the case, so that they won't fall for it if a charlatan tries to pull it off. Hopefully, the religious orders who issue these policies will be informative on the subject.

 

[Cleon]

But my real objection is this: you assume infinite diamonds.

Well no, the spell says a diamond worth 500 gp not one of a particular size.

So if copious use of magic is reducing the diamond supply, the remaining diamonds just become more valuable per carat due to their increased scarcity, so it just means the diamonds consumed by spells become smaller and/or lower quality. If the world has an equivalent of De Beers to artificially jack up the price of diamonds I don't seem them running out for a very long time.

If it goes on long enough, even a microscopic diamond would be worth 500 gold pieces. There's an incalculable number of those in the earth's crust.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Well no, the spell says a diamond worth 500 gp not one of a particular size.

So if copious use of magic is reducing the diamond supply, the remaining diamonds just become more valuable per carat due to their increased scarcity, so it just means the diamonds consumed by spells become smaller and/or lower quality. If the world has an equivalent of De Beers to artificially jack up the price of diamonds I don't seem them running out for a very long time.

If it goes on long enough, even a microscopic diamond would be worth 500 gold pieces. There's an incalculable number of those in the earth's crust.

I doubt magic considers diamond scarcity and price inflation relevant. What should the designers have written, "a diamond of 4 oz., being equivalent to the worth of 500 gold pieces as of the time of the writing of this handbook"? The books are written with natural language; they are not meant to be read as a legal document or scientific treatise.

 

[Cleon]

I doubt magic considers diamond scarcity and price inflation relevant. What should the designers have written, "a diamond of 4 oz., being equivalent to the worth of 500 gold pieces as of the time of the writing of this handbook"? The books are written with natural language; they are not meant to be read as a legal document or scientific treatise.

Four ounces? That's like 625 carats!

Ahem, getting back on track, I could argue that the perceived value of a material component could be an important factor as far as magic is concerned. Like the "sacrificing the thing you love most" trope, the actual "real value" based on its usefulness and properties might not matter so much.

Magic isn't always rational, although there's usually a sort-of-logic to it.

How the "worth" of an object affects its usefulness as a spell component just raises some interesting questions is all.

Is it just a matter of how much the caster paid for it? Maybe it is how much the diamond cost that matters not its actual size or quality? Could they pay 500 gp for a lousy diamond that only has a market value of 5 gp and still have the spell work?

I'm reminded of an Order of the Stick cartoon were Vaarsuvius had to turn down a bunch of 1,000 gp diamonds because he brought so many of them the seller gave him a 5% discount and 950 gp diamonds didn't meet the spell requirements as written.

 

[Pauln6]

I left Revivify but took the others off the main clerical spell list. Only clerics of the death gods permit the dead to be restored Nerull in exchange for an equivalent life (remember to take prisoners) and Wee Jas in exchange for magical items. Plus you are branded for life as a returnee with the symbol of the deity. All your property at the time of death belongs to your heirs so people will hide this secret from even their loved ones. No more undressing with the lights on.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Four ounces? That's like 625 carats!

Ahem, getting back on track, I could argue that the perceived value of a material component could be an important factor as far as magic is concerned. Like the "sacrificing the thing you love most" trope, the actual "real value" based on its usefulness and properties might not matter so much.

Magic isn't always rational, although there's usually a sort-of-logic to it.

How the "worth" of an object affects its usefulness as a spell component just raises some interesting questions is all.

Is it just a matter of how much the caster paid for it? Maybe it is how much the diamond cost that matters not its actual size or quality? Could they pay 500 gp for a lousy diamond that only has a market value of 5 gp and still have the spell work?

I'm reminded of an Order of the Stick cartoon were Vaarsuvius had to turn down a bunch of 1,000 gp diamonds because he brought so many of them the seller gave him a 5% discount and 950 gp diamonds didn't meet the spell requirements as written.

Okay, so Ragnar the Rogue buys a 5 gp diamond, and then sells it to Clancy the Cleric for 500 gp. Clancy knows nothing about jewels so he believes Ragnar.

Are you honestly telling me you'd let your players get away with these types of shenanigans in your campaign? I certainly wouldn't in mine.

If you do, then Ragnar's found himself a fine racket. He doesn't even need to feel bad about it, because the diamonds will work as intended!