D&D 5E Help me setup "Clerical Insurance"

[Stalker0]

So if you consider a lot of poor farmers that can't afford basic 1st level spells.....but the tremendous life saving power of a spell like cure wounds...that seems ripe for an insurance concept.

So the idea. The local church requires the peasantry to contribute X per year into the "insurance pool". This gives them the following benefits:

1) Once per week disease and poison screenings, on a specific day of the week. (its a 1st level ritual for a cleric, so minimal resources, its more of a feel good)
2) Every peasant in the pool receives healing for any "life threatening injury" (in dnd terms at 0 hp), but no more than 3 times per year. Aka "catastrophic insurance"

So lets say we have 100 peasants in the pool. How much should "X" be to ensure the peasants can afford to pay but that the clerics are getting a solid return for the risk of having to use lots of healing for an emergency that they could have charged tithes for otherwise.

 

[Maxperson]

So if you consider a lot of poor farmers that can't afford basic 1st level spells.....but the tremendous life saving power of a spell like cure wounds...that seems ripe for an insurance concept.

So the idea. The local church requires the peasantry to contribute X per year into the "insurance pool". This gives them the following benefits:

1) Once per week disease and poison screenings, on a specific day of the week. (its a 1st level ritual for a cleric, so minimal resources, its more of a feel good)
2) Every peasant in the pool receives healing for any "life threatening injury" (in dnd terms at 0 hp), but no more than 3 times per year. Aka "catastrophic insurance"

So lets say we have 100 peasants in the pool. How much should "X" be to ensure the peasants can afford to pay but that the clerics are getting a solid return for the risk of having to use lots of healing for an emergency that they could have charged tithes for otherwise.

In the services section it lists unskilled labor at 2sp per day, which is a good average to go with. Some of those 100 will be skilled, but I think that 2sp per day for a lot of peasant jobs is high. So those 100 peasants are making 20g per day, or 600g per month. A single 1st level spell can cost 10-50 gold. I think a insurance premium cost of 10% would probably be sufficient. It doesn't need to get more complicated than that.

I would also make the local church a church of the god of wealth, merchants or some other similar portfolio. That way the church isn't risking offending their god by setting up insurance for spells granted.

 

[iserith]

It just sounds like a hassle because you have to see your primary cleric first just to get a referral to see a specialist.

 

[Stalker0]

In the services section it lists unskilled labor at 2sp per day, which is a good average to go with. Some of those 100 will be skilled, but I think that 2sp per day for a lot of peasant jobs is high. So those 100 peasants are making 20g per day, or 600g per month. A single 1st level spell can cost 10-50 gold. I think a insurance premium cost of 10% would probably be sufficient. It doesn't need to get more complicated than that.

So your saying a payment of 10% of 600g = 60 gp per month for 100 peasants, or .6 gp per peasant per month. Is that right?

 

[Maxperson]

So your saying a payment of 10% of 600g = 60 gp per month for 100 peasants, or .6 gp per peasant per month. Do I have it right?

Yeah. I mean, cure lights and such are easy spells with no real cost, so probably the low end of 1st level spells. 10g. The peasants are unlikely to need anywhere near 72 of them in a year, which leaves plenty for profit and the the even rarer higher level healing spell needed.

 

[jgsugden]

I tend to have the local faith provide healing spells to the poor for free if they are worshippers or aligned with the interests of the church. These minor miracles are a way to keep them aligned with the interests of the church. Faith in the real world often has business/financial underpinnings, but in a world where the Gods pay attention and get involved, it is less about the coin and more about the faith ... at least in my settings.

 

[Maxperson]

I tend to have the local faith provide healing spells to the poor for free if they are worshippers or aligned with the interests of the church. These minor miracles are a way to keep them aligned with the interests of the church. Faith in the real world often has business/financial underpinnings, but in a world where the Gods pay attention and get involved, it is less about the coin and more about the faith ... at least in my settings.

Right, which is why I say it should be a church of the god of wealth or merchants. A church of the god of healing is unlikely to charge someone in real need.

 

[J-H]

You can make it a tax that everyone pays, with the appropriate attitude... or you can make it a matter for publicly visible charitable contributions.... Let social shaming and conformity do the work for you. However, if the temple gets a lot more than it "needs," there's going to be an expectation of sharing back to the community.

Relevant link:

Collections: Bread, How Did They Make It? Part I: Farmers!

Thanks to our helpful volunteer narrator, this entire post series is now also available in audio format! This essay will hopefully be the first post in a series (II, III, IV, A) covering some of th…

acoup.blog

Jump to the section about "Risk Control" and how peasants typically handle it. It's different from the modern "Profit maximization" approach we are used to.

 

[Dioltach]

Just introduce the historical concept of a tithe, and one of the benefits that the populace get in return is general healing and spiritual care.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Just introduce the historical concept of a tithe, and one of the benefits that the populace get in return is general healing and spiritual care.

A simpler and more accurate way of representing the social dynamic around this sort of situation.