Prices for scavanged body parts

[Vlos]

I was wondering if anyone has come across a source or formula for determining the value of scavanaged body parts? That is after a party kills something (lets say a beholder), they harvest the eye-stalks or glands?

A formula would be best.

A similar forumla was proposed by Sean Reynolds over on his site where by Bounties for hunting down monsters was that a CR 1 was worth 1gp bounty and that it doubled for each CR, so a CR 2 was worth 2gp, a CR 3 worth 4gp, CR 4 worth 8gp, etc.

Article can be found at:
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/bountiesformonsters.html

Now that is bounties, but what I am looking for is for harvesting their raw body parts for components or other stuff. For example after killing a dragon, everyone loves to grab a tooth as a trophy, but what about all othe other teeth? or glands, or scales? How much are these worth.

I think it would be easiest to come up with a forumla of total value that can be "harvested" that is based on either CR or rarity of creature. Thus, while it would be nice to know what each individual part is worth, it's probably easier to say the lot is worth "x".

 

[MadBlue]

Dragon #332 has an article called "Cutting up the Dragon". I don't have the issue yet, but it might have the kind of information you're looking for.

MadBlue

 

[Vlos]

Thanks for the heads up, it looks like it deals only with dead dragons "101 uses for a Dead Dragon", but if it gives prices for the different body parts, maybe some info could be used for determining the other prices of other creatures.

Anyone else have any other info?

 

[Bront]

make a judgement call. However, be carefull. I personaly don't like the idea that a party will disect any monster and bring all the parts back, simply that they will take what is usefull or valuable.

Also, remember they need someone to be able to buy them, in price, and need. So they may be at the mercy of a cheap local wizard who needs the stalks, but won't pay much for them.

 

[yennico]

Remember:
1. Every body part of a monster can be good for something, but not every body knows this knowledge.
2. Carrying body parts can be problematic:
- flesh decays, rots and stinks. The smell will attract scavengers. PC with this smell wil have problems to enter a city.
- The PCs have killed a dragon. They carry the dragon skull. A fresh dragon skull with intact eyes, etc.... will bring more money (e.g. for a flesh golem ) than only a dragon skull without the flesh. A wizard of a city who wants to buy the fresh dragon skull knows the market of dragon skulls in the city or even in the country. He knows that he is the only one who will buy this skull so he can define the price.
- Carrying dead body parts can spread the rumor that the PCs are evil or necromancers or necrophiles.
3. Selling of dead body parts can be illegal in some countries.
4. If dead body parts are needed for something, the PCs also can need these things.
e.g. Ingredients to brew a potion of bull´s strength are grinded teeth of orcs or other humanoids with an str attribute boost of at least +4. Will PCs drink a potion of bull´s strength if they know they drink a milk shake with grinded orc tooth.

 

[Sigurd]

Unless they have a known buyer when they encounter\kill the beastie its _very_ difficult to get any sort of buyer for the stuff. They could try craft taxidermy.

I don't know what a gentle repose spell would do to a beholder. I imagine all those glands and strange tissue would rot pretty fast.

S

 

[seankreynolds]

You need to be careful when you consider assigning value to monster body parts. If a monster's body has value, then that affects the total amount of treasure for that encounter. In the long run, it can mean that the PCs are running around with too much wealth for their level, which may make later encounters easier. Something to keep in mind. An extra 100gp for a Medium dragon isn't going to break the system, but if every time you kill a CR6 wyvern you're able to acquire and sell 1-2 doses of wyvern poison (market price 3000 gp each), even at the 50%-selling-to-a-merchant guideline that's a significant change from the average CR6 treasure value of 2000gp.