D&D 5E Taxes, and the people who have to pay them.

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

In the home brew campign I am working on only land owners pay tax.
The land owners tend to be nobles of some kind and have diferent ways to create revenue from the lands they own.

 

[Sunseeker]

I counter this argument with "Be Kirk, not Spock."

Spock was totally the wizard of the party though, send the big dumb fighter in fist. Stand back and eat popcorn.

 

[Draegn]

Rather than an income tax, I have the local government of the area the players live in levy periodic taxes. The taxes tend to be regressive and inspire dislike if not hatred to those collecting them. Such as the Captain of the Watch who uses the defense tax to live very well off, who has equipped his special guard with mastercraft silver plated plate mail, who adorns himself with lush finery. All the while leaving the rest of the watch in a state of unreadiness and leading many to act in a corrupt manner.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

You miss the point of my post.

There is always a way for something to happen. Whether good or bad, anybody can be defeated. It's not about fireballs, it's not about rules or mechanics, it's about creativity. Assuming the DM allows it.

In D&D fiction, gods die, and they have more resources than any 17th or 20th level party.

I'm not sure that I agree with you there. There are limitations to what individuals can accomplish, even thinking creatively, and there are significantly fewer limitations on high-level adventurers than there are on random peasants and bureaucrats.

The language of the system reflects how the game world works, and the world doesn't allow for easy ways to bypass hit points and saving throws. The rules of the game afford significant protection to high-level characters (and monsters), and those need to be respected if you're going to play the game.

 

[LordEntrails]

I'm not sure that I agree with you there. ... The rules of the game afford significant protection to high-level characters (and monsters), and those need to be respected if you're going to play the game.

My last word on the subject, significant protection does not mean immunity. And a game in which any character, player or non-player, is inviolate no matter what sounds boring to me.

 

[Shiroiken]

In my campaign, I let the players know about taxes in the campaign guide, made available online before session 0. Most taxes are import/export tariffs on trade goods, which generally won't affect them. Everyone has to pay a tax based on their profession, and that's mostly handled in lifestyle expenses/downtime. Walled towns and cities require payment when you enter and exit, but that's not really a big deal. The big deal is the 20% "recovery tax" levied on anyone who brings in wealth from adventuring. It's not something that's going to come up directly, but as the group starts to get wealthy, people are going to notice, which will draw the tax collector. Then they'll have to pay based on the estimate he offers (or bribe him to lower it, which is common).

Humorously, in my last campaign, the party was VERY strict on paying taxes. Not only were they somewhat part of the government (Elders of the realm, plus a Knight Bachelor), but they regularly used Teleportation Circle to show up in the equivalent to city hall. Not only did they have little incentive to cheat, they really couldn't hide it anyway...

 

[The Crimson Binome]

My last word on the subject, significant protection does not mean immunity. And a game in which any character, player or non-player, is inviolate no matter what sounds boring to me.

I agree, and it's one of my major complaints about 5E: as written, high-level characters are nearly unthreatenable, which just isn't very much fun.

 

[Eltab]

The Domesday Book, c.1096, is the oldest tax roll in England's history. It is written in Latin and very repetitive, but you can skim it and look for where stuff changes. (You can also find translations into modern English.) This will give you an idea what sort of things were actually taxed. Water mills, farm fields, oxen, plows - property - is most of it, some nobles own "the right to hunt the forest" for instance, so they have to at least go out and get enough lumber / furs / venison to pay the tax each year.

I would make "paying the taxes" as painless and in-the-background as possible. Unless your PCs just dare you to send a Tax Collector after them with intent to commit personal enrichment under color of law. (Guy's name might be Zacchaeus?)
Somehow, every dungeon has coins, artworks, fancy property, magic items ... and a 20-lb brick of gold that BBEG hadn't quite gotten around to using.

Maybe you could make a scenario out of a bunch of Royal Officials showing up with bright shiny new arms /armor / equipment that the King just bought for them with that big fat tax payment the PCs provided last month.
You also could give your group's Alchemist - or Transmuter Wizard - a chance to show off, by turning Lead into Gold and paying the tax with THAT.
(In the Transmuter's case, pay and then get outta town fast.)

 

[Eltab]

Right, but that would require the existence of something more powerful than a high-level adventuring party to enact those consequences

Even a strong man must sleep some time.

And if the group takes turns sleeping, it won't be very mobile.

With the passage of time - about 24 hours? - without a Long Rest, some of the PCs are going to be at the end of their rope. You can increase the tempo of harassing attacks if you face PCs that recharge after Short Rests. Eventually you can send a Diplomat with instructions to propose and accept the (exhausted) PCs' surrender.
And if the PCs do get away across the border ... now they are the next King's problem not yours.

 

[Eltab]

I counter this argument with "Be Kirk, not Spock."

Be Spock.
Figure out what is really going on and how to influence it. Tell Kirk and let HIM get all beat up fixing it.

Just be aware that McCoy is going to spend some time trying to get your goat once the problem is solved.