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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mmadsen" data-source="post: 446156" data-attributes="member: 1645">Re: In Defense of GolemsBut that golem's output is spread over eons as well.  Properly discounted for time, it might not be worth much at all to short-lived quasi-medieval humans.  In fact, if their future's uncertain enough that they discount future returns at 50% annually, an immortal slave is worth just two man-years of work today.  If their future's fairly certain, and they only discount future returns at 10% annually, an immortal slave is still only worth ten man-years of work today.Multiply those numbers by how many men's work one golem can perform, and you get the present value of a golem.  For instance, a golem capable of performing 30 men's labor forever is worth 20 to 300 man-years' labor, assuming anywhere from 50% down to 10% interest -- not that mad sorcerer kings are getting bank loans.Even for someone with a very long-term view, hiring workers or buying slaves seems like a decent deal against the 80,000 gp materials cost plus two months' Wizard's labor, all paid up front, that it takes to build a stone golem.  Even 300 man-years of labor only costs ~100,000 sp, or ~10,000 gp in D&D's decimal currency system.</blockquote>