Perambulator
Crafter
In a world where magic work how would you describe the sanitation?,
Magic and sanitation
MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
Depends. If an Eberron like world where low level magic is common, wide use of prestidigitation would lead to a high degree of cleanliness.
Until, everyone learns that all the magically cleaned away dirt, grime, and fecal material is being magically transferred to the underdark leading to ecosystem collapse due to overpopulation of otyughs. First the drow, duergar, and deep gnomes come to the service, clashing with the above-ground races to carve out a new home for themselves. Then other monsters not seen above ground begin pouring out. And then, eventually, the chickens come home to roost and hordes upon hordes of otyughs spew out to the surface devouring everything in their path like swarms and massive, stinking locusts.
Until, everyone learns that all the magically cleaned away dirt, grime, and fecal material is being magically transferred to the underdark leading to ecosystem collapse due to overpopulation of otyughs. First the drow, duergar, and deep gnomes come to the service, clashing with the above-ground races to carve out a new home for themselves. Then other monsters not seen above ground begin pouring out. And then, eventually, the chickens come home to roost and hordes upon hordes of otyughs spew out to the surface devouring everything in their path like swarms and massive, stinking locusts.
Perambulator
Crafter
Interesting, though I doubt there would be a lack of invention. Think of a world where people come up with different ways of handling dirt and filth. Say; instead of tossing out that rusty old +5 sword for a young drow to find and clean up, the owner hires a sanitation mage to use his castings to remove the rust and otherwise spiff it up.
aco175
Legend
Poop flows downhill- still.
Depends on your world, but I tend to have some magic but not soo much that commoners trip on it walking down the street. Most of my towns and villagers would not have much sanitation and bring their filth to the fields or dump it in the river. A larger city would have sewers and such and maybe something cool to deal with things.
aco175
Legend
My world a +5 sword would not rust and never be tossed aside. It could be lost and found again, but it would still be in fine shape.
A mage that deals with restoring magic or reusing the essence of magic would need to come up with a better name than sanitation mage. I think the fighter would keep telling poop jokes around him.
I assume 'average' magic.
Sewers would be common: it's simply easy to dug and create them even with weak magic.
The classic is every city or town or such as a Black Pudding in a chamber underground that they simply dump all the waste on.
Cantrips and 1st level spells can "clean". Just a couple spellcasters could make Clean Buckets that would clean themselves once a day. Even better would be a clean pool that did the same thing.
A couple unseen servants at the lowest can clean areas and remove wastes.
Sewers would be common: it's simply easy to dug and create them even with weak magic.
The classic is every city or town or such as a Black Pudding in a chamber underground that they simply dump all the waste on.
Cantrips and 1st level spells can "clean". Just a couple spellcasters could make Clean Buckets that would clean themselves once a day. Even better would be a clean pool that did the same thing.
A couple unseen servants at the lowest can clean areas and remove wastes.
kigmatzomat
Hero
Depends on how common Mold Earth is. Most people have no idea how slow it is to move dirt by hand. The construction estimators will tell you a person with a shovel will move under 23cf of dirt/hr*. Mold earth moves 125cf every 6s. This is on par with a 100hp excavator.
In an hour a 1st level caster (or magical race) can open 3,000ft of 5ft deep trench. That would take the shoveler 225 days.
I want to repeat that: One (1) hour of cantrip Mold Earth can replace 225 people working for one day. (At 2sp/day each, that is 45gp of labor)
One person with that cantrip can excavate a massive sewer system in a few weeks. (15 days x 10hrs x 60m x 10 rnds x 5ft /2 (open & close trench)= 225,000ft =~ 42mi of sewers, or almost 3 miles of trench per day)
You will need pipes in those trenches. Simple clay sewer pipes can be a log, split lengthwise, the heart burned out, then tied back together and slathered in clay. The clay acts as a seal, the charcoal layer is a protectant and the wood fibres are reinforcement. Most will last a few decades but I have personally watched a 100yr old wooden sewer pipe be replaced.
Much of that is work that an Unseen Servant can manage: charring wood, putting out a fire, tying rope around log halves, coating them with clay. Our 1st level caster could have 6 of those going at a time via ritual casting.
For bigger sewers (5-10ft diameter), brick is common. Again unseen servants can make bricks and handle laying the bottom course. A skilled bricklayer would need to do the sides and arch. Or....our caster could Mold Earth a, well, earthen mold, and the servants lay the bricks on the dirt. Then the dirt could be moved out of the way once the mortar dries. They could do 30ft spans (the range of Mold Earth).
So...in my opinion, the d&d cities have pretty good sanitation. Downstream water quality may be absolutely atrocious, but the cities will be pretty good.
Of course, in my opinion, communities should offer a life of luxury to any 1st level dirt-mage and offer them bodyguards. Mold earth is worth 45gp/hr of unskilled labor. If they work just 40hrs a month, that is 22,000gp of labor/yr the community can use to grow food, produce goods, etc.
Sewers, drainage, road repair, excavating basements are infrastructure that last years, if not generations.
*don't take my word for it: How Long Does It Take To Dig a 6 Foot Hole? Production Rates For Manual and Mechanical Excavation in Light, Medium and Heavy Soil - Estimation QS
In an hour a 1st level caster (or magical race) can open 3,000ft of 5ft deep trench. That would take the shoveler 225 days.
I want to repeat that: One (1) hour of cantrip Mold Earth can replace 225 people working for one day. (At 2sp/day each, that is 45gp of labor)
One person with that cantrip can excavate a massive sewer system in a few weeks. (15 days x 10hrs x 60m x 10 rnds x 5ft /2 (open & close trench)= 225,000ft =~ 42mi of sewers, or almost 3 miles of trench per day)
You will need pipes in those trenches. Simple clay sewer pipes can be a log, split lengthwise, the heart burned out, then tied back together and slathered in clay. The clay acts as a seal, the charcoal layer is a protectant and the wood fibres are reinforcement. Most will last a few decades but I have personally watched a 100yr old wooden sewer pipe be replaced.
Much of that is work that an Unseen Servant can manage: charring wood, putting out a fire, tying rope around log halves, coating them with clay. Our 1st level caster could have 6 of those going at a time via ritual casting.
For bigger sewers (5-10ft diameter), brick is common. Again unseen servants can make bricks and handle laying the bottom course. A skilled bricklayer would need to do the sides and arch. Or....our caster could Mold Earth a, well, earthen mold, and the servants lay the bricks on the dirt. Then the dirt could be moved out of the way once the mortar dries. They could do 30ft spans (the range of Mold Earth).
So...in my opinion, the d&d cities have pretty good sanitation. Downstream water quality may be absolutely atrocious, but the cities will be pretty good.
Of course, in my opinion, communities should offer a life of luxury to any 1st level dirt-mage and offer them bodyguards. Mold earth is worth 45gp/hr of unskilled labor. If they work just 40hrs a month, that is 22,000gp of labor/yr the community can use to grow food, produce goods, etc.
Sewers, drainage, road repair, excavating basements are infrastructure that last years, if not generations.
*don't take my word for it: How Long Does It Take To Dig a 6 Foot Hole? Production Rates For Manual and Mechanical Excavation in Light, Medium and Heavy Soil - Estimation QS
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Jd Smith1
Hero
If magic=technology, then you would have no sanitation issues.
But if it were a world where magic is rare and risky, little or no change. That is how I run fantasy. In mine, the only time a serf might see magic is on the battlefield, were he to be called up in the feudal levy. And even then be would most likely not notice.
But if it were a world where magic is rare and risky, little or no change. That is how I run fantasy. In mine, the only time a serf might see magic is on the battlefield, were he to be called up in the feudal levy. And even then be would most likely not notice.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Yes, that was the first of JKR's weird canonical things she announced on Twitter.
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