Stronghold Builder's Guide is a mess

[Lance Hawvermale]

There seem to be many errors in the Stronghold Builder's Guide.

Bright Stone Keep example, page 10. A 10x10 hewn stone wall is 100 gp per section, but on the table on page 37, the same size and type of wall is 600 gp per section. Plus: page 37, first full paragraph: a 3-ft thick free-standing hewn stone wall costs 40 gp per section, while a 12-ft thick free standing hewn wall is 160. Meaning that a 6-ft thick wall would be 80 gp per section.

So which is it? 100 gp, 600 gp, or 80 gp per section of 10x10 hewn stone wall?

 

[Piratecat]

Hijack: Lance, did you get my email from the other day?

 

[Gregor]

I totally agree. I am trying to put together some stronghold options for my players but until I can decipher the guide ... I got nothin! However, it could also be that Im reading it incorrectly or Im just dumb ... probably the latter

Cheers,

 

[Lance Hawvermale]

Willie Walsh

Hijack: Lance, did you get my email from the other day?

I did indeed. In fact, I've been swapping emails with that fine gentleman ever since. Thanks!

Now, back to that Stronghold Builder's Guide question . . .

 

[Piratecat]

I'd go with either 80 or 100 gp. Text always trumps tables (and let's face it, 600 gp is just silly-expensive). I'd probably use the explicitly defined 100 gp over the interpreted 80 gp as well.

 

[Lance Hawvermale]

I'd go with either 80 or 100 gp. Text always trumps tables (and let's face it, 600 gp is just silly-expensive). I'd probably use the explicitly defined 100 gp over the interpreted 80 gp as well.

This reasoning seems sound.

I do find it odd that I can't find any errata for this book. Surely someone has voiced similar questions in the past. I've posted this same query on the WotC boards and have yet to receive a response.

 

[Silveras]

I'd go with either 80 or 100 gp. Text always trumps tables (and let's face it, 600 gp is just silly-expensive). I'd probably use the explicitly defined 100 gp over the interpreted 80 gp as well.

See, I would go the other way, because the text in this case is in an example. The examples, as we have seen in many other WotC products, are often composed separately from the main text, and do not get updated consistently when the main text changes. As such, I consider any discrepancies between the "main" body and the examples to be wrong in the example.

As to the pricing being "silly-expensive", it is based on the expected income for adventurers, not on any realistic pricing scheme.

 

[Piratecat]

I guess we'll just disagree, Silveras.

One other thought: beware of setting a bad precedent. With one single wall of stone spell, a 9th lvl wizard can create a little bit more than a 10' x 10' wall segment. If a PC wizard hires onto a building site, I don't think he should be paid 600 gp per spell.

 

[Pax]

If he is a 12th level caster, then 600gp per spell is exactly what he would be paid. (spell level x caster level x 10gp ... 5th level spell ...).

 

[Li Shenron]

If he is a 12th level caster, then 600gp per spell is exactly what he would be paid. (spell level x caster level x 10gp ... 5th level spell ...).

If your calculations are fine, maybe this could be a good compromise:

- normal masonry costs between 80gp and 100gp, depending on market circumstances and variability

- magic masonry costs 600gp but it's much faster, although you need very many casters to finish all in one day

I had the book for a while a couple of years ago, and I got the idea that all the prices should better be considered guidelines only. Building a stronghold is a kind of extraordinary work that happens quite rarely in practice, and as such it makes sense that costs may be variable.