James McMurray
First Post
Thanks, the description was mostly my wife's ideas. If I can catch her in an imaginative mood, she's a heck of a lot better at that stuff than I am.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Never Deal with a Dragon
- Thread starter James McMurray
- Start date
James McMurray said:
Yes, but that's a self-fulfilling and perpetuating mindset. And not really a valid excuse, because if everyone who thought as you did placed their post in the proper forum, said forum would get more traffic, and you'd get answers....
Sorry to be a stick in the mud. Just doing my bit to support good habits on the new boards....
Mishihari Lord
First Post
Neat story. I think this is the right forum. Story hour is more for ongoing stories. Short one-post stories have always gone in General.
James McMurray
First Post
A New developement
I just received the following email from a player. I haven't had much of achance to fully analyze it yet, but I figured I'd also see about getting some input from the folks here.
Please note that the dragon in question is Lawful Neutral, and saw its taking of half of all cargo that passed through its area as a legal tax imposed by the local lord (itself). Also, although the dragon is still a dragon, with all the vanity and egotism that implies, it does know that this party managed to come into its lair and past all its traps and kill it once before, so it won't just dismiss them out of hand.
Here's the email...
James,
I was thinking about the dragon, (the one we are going to raise). Once we rasie him there will be a problem with him going back to his old ways.
He had a pretty sweet operation by taking half the cargo of ships. I figure he only got cargo from ships that were foolish enough to sail in his zone. Maybe three ships a year at 100 tons of cargo per ship. What if he was able to get a piece of cargo from every ship? Or a piece from every port in the area? A single port may receive 100,000 tons a year.
That's when it hit me. What if we made some kind of "deal" with the local ports?
The Deal:
Before raising the Dragon we will speak with owners of local Ports and Docks. The plan will be to start a guild. Each Port/Dock will pay the following from their total amount of cargo received each year:
Precious Cargo: One gold piece per 1,000 gold pieces in value of high priced cargo received, (100 magic swords, 50 bars of gold, 1,000 silver rings, 10 tons of silk cloth). This fee is only for bulk items.
Passenger: One bronze piece per passenger received, (personal equipment is included with this fee). Slaves are Precious Cargo and not passengers.
*note: The ports can charge whatever they want from ships using their docks.
**note: Prices are subject to negotiation and debate when we meet with the owner of the docks. In truth, I don't really even know what would be a fair price to charge. I just listed something I got out of one of the books I downloaded. I would like to charge just enough to make the dragon happy, and make the Church happy also.
This money will be summed and delivered at the end of every year to the Dragon. In return for the cash the dragon will keep the shipping lanes clear of Pirates, (ships without banners). He will also keep the sea lanes clear of other monsters that would otherwise cause trouble for ships.
When we raise the dragon we will make this offer to him/her along with giving the dragon back his lair, (but we will have a room in it that we can use from time to time). I will also be his "resurrection monkey" should something happen to the Dragon (Dragon pays for Componant cost). We will also insist that he not keep company with evil clerics, devils, demons, etc.
* I would also like to build a large light tower on the island. This tower will be constructed/funded by the local Ports to "mark" the sea zone that is protected. If a ship at sea can see the light from the tower they know they are in the protected zone. It will also sever as a warning to pirates.
* The banners given to ships to fly will have a blue background with a yellow lightning bolt through its center. I would like to find out a way to make the banner look like it has a silver background with a blue lightning bolt when looked at through the eyes of a dragon, (makes cheating hard to do).
* If ports are cheating, the dragon must give the port a very showy warning, (no body count or real damage) before engaging in any kind of reciprocity.
* ?% of the annual money delivered to the dragon will be set aside. With half of this money, (?% of total) going to the local King as a form of tax, (this may help keep ports and ships honest because if they are cheating the dragon, they are also cheating the King out of his tax money). The other half of the deducted cash, (?% of total) will be given to the Church of Heironious as an administrative fee. Both the Church and King will have administrators placed at the ports to help with accounting and banner construction/upkeep. (This will hopefully increase the churches sphere of influence).
---------------
Well, what do you folks think?
I just received the following email from a player. I haven't had much of achance to fully analyze it yet, but I figured I'd also see about getting some input from the folks here.
Please note that the dragon in question is Lawful Neutral, and saw its taking of half of all cargo that passed through its area as a legal tax imposed by the local lord (itself). Also, although the dragon is still a dragon, with all the vanity and egotism that implies, it does know that this party managed to come into its lair and past all its traps and kill it once before, so it won't just dismiss them out of hand.
Here's the email...
James,
I was thinking about the dragon, (the one we are going to raise). Once we rasie him there will be a problem with him going back to his old ways.
He had a pretty sweet operation by taking half the cargo of ships. I figure he only got cargo from ships that were foolish enough to sail in his zone. Maybe three ships a year at 100 tons of cargo per ship. What if he was able to get a piece of cargo from every ship? Or a piece from every port in the area? A single port may receive 100,000 tons a year.
That's when it hit me. What if we made some kind of "deal" with the local ports?
The Deal:
Before raising the Dragon we will speak with owners of local Ports and Docks. The plan will be to start a guild. Each Port/Dock will pay the following from their total amount of cargo received each year:
Precious Cargo: One gold piece per 1,000 gold pieces in value of high priced cargo received, (100 magic swords, 50 bars of gold, 1,000 silver rings, 10 tons of silk cloth). This fee is only for bulk items.
Passenger: One bronze piece per passenger received, (personal equipment is included with this fee). Slaves are Precious Cargo and not passengers.
*note: The ports can charge whatever they want from ships using their docks.
**note: Prices are subject to negotiation and debate when we meet with the owner of the docks. In truth, I don't really even know what would be a fair price to charge. I just listed something I got out of one of the books I downloaded. I would like to charge just enough to make the dragon happy, and make the Church happy also.
This money will be summed and delivered at the end of every year to the Dragon. In return for the cash the dragon will keep the shipping lanes clear of Pirates, (ships without banners). He will also keep the sea lanes clear of other monsters that would otherwise cause trouble for ships.
When we raise the dragon we will make this offer to him/her along with giving the dragon back his lair, (but we will have a room in it that we can use from time to time). I will also be his "resurrection monkey" should something happen to the Dragon (Dragon pays for Componant cost). We will also insist that he not keep company with evil clerics, devils, demons, etc.
* I would also like to build a large light tower on the island. This tower will be constructed/funded by the local Ports to "mark" the sea zone that is protected. If a ship at sea can see the light from the tower they know they are in the protected zone. It will also sever as a warning to pirates.
* The banners given to ships to fly will have a blue background with a yellow lightning bolt through its center. I would like to find out a way to make the banner look like it has a silver background with a blue lightning bolt when looked at through the eyes of a dragon, (makes cheating hard to do).
* If ports are cheating, the dragon must give the port a very showy warning, (no body count or real damage) before engaging in any kind of reciprocity.
* ?% of the annual money delivered to the dragon will be set aside. With half of this money, (?% of total) going to the local King as a form of tax, (this may help keep ports and ships honest because if they are cheating the dragon, they are also cheating the King out of his tax money). The other half of the deducted cash, (?% of total) will be given to the Church of Heironious as an administrative fee. Both the Church and King will have administrators placed at the ports to help with accounting and banner construction/upkeep. (This will hopefully increase the churches sphere of influence).
---------------
Well, what do you folks think?
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Re: A New developement
I'm amazed at that player's initiative; I'd *definitely* let some sort of deal go through.
But not at those prices. Figure that they're paying essentially a road tax for usage of these sea highways; 1/10% tax is extremely low.
I'd make it a tax closer to 3% or so. The merchants will still make out quite well, if they don't have to hire bodyguards or take any other antipirate measures.
The merchants probably won't like it at first, and the dragon probably won't either; but eventually, I think they both oughtta see the light.
And the PC who comes up with this plan can probably get a seat on the local merchant's council in a few years if she wants.
Daniel
I'm amazed at that player's initiative; I'd *definitely* let some sort of deal go through.
But not at those prices. Figure that they're paying essentially a road tax for usage of these sea highways; 1/10% tax is extremely low.
I'd make it a tax closer to 3% or so. The merchants will still make out quite well, if they don't have to hire bodyguards or take any other antipirate measures.
The merchants probably won't like it at first, and the dragon probably won't either; but eventually, I think they both oughtta see the light.
And the PC who comes up with this plan can probably get a seat on the local merchant's council in a few years if she wants.
Daniel
James McMurray
First Post
I knew that percentage wouldn't be aceptable, but I wasn't sure what a good percentage would be. Thanks for the advice.
Last night I was thinking, and I thought maybe I would make it so that the Dragon was actually avting as part of an allied nation to the coastal areas, and excising a tax that had already been agreed upon. However, the merchants and/or nobility went behind his back and put rewards on his head. They also started using new trade routes, so he hired pirates to watch that sector of the waters for him.
Last night I was thinking, and I thought maybe I would make it so that the Dragon was actually avting as part of an allied nation to the coastal areas, and excising a tax that had already been agreed upon. However, the merchants and/or nobility went behind his back and put rewards on his head. They also started using new trade routes, so he hired pirates to watch that sector of the waters for him.
James McMurray
First Post
bump
