Value of Slaves

[Graybeard]

My homebrew is loosely based on ancient Rome. as such, slavery is legal and common within the upper middle class\nobles. Slaves of all types are present and run a wide range of prices based on skills of the slave (cooking, farming, sewing, brewing, etc) and what the market is at any given time. If there is an abundance of slaves with farming skills, then they are likely to cost less than those with rarer skills. So far, the prices in my game have ranged from 100sp to over 500 gp.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Here's the base overview of the way Kalamar handles slaves:

				   [b]Slave Costs[/b]

[b]Skill Level	Base Cost[/b]			[b]Exceptional Ability Scores[/b]
Unskilled	10gp				[b]Total Modifiers		Add[/b]
Laborer		25gp/NPC level			1  - 3			+5 gp
Craftsmen	75gp/NPC level			4  - 6			+10 gp
Scholar		60gp/NPC level			7  - 12			+25 gp
Adventurer	100gp/character level		13 - 24			+100 gp
						25+			+200 gp
[b]Race		Modifier[/b]
Dwarf		x2				[b]Age		Multiplier[/b]
Elf		x3				Young		x 1/2
Gnome		x1.5				Adult		x 1
Half-Elf	x1				Middle Aged	X 3/4
Half-Orc	x0.75				Old		x 1/2
Halfling	x1.5				Venerable	x 3/4
Human		x1

Mods, feel free to delete this if it is inapporpriate. I'm not giving everything away, but if it is too much, go ahead. Sorry for any inconvenience.

 

[thickets]

Very useful replies. Thanks all!

PS it's a Freeport campaign in case anyone was wondering.

 

[S'mon]

The Kalamar prices above look ok for something approximating a classical-to-medieval setting. Slaves in ancient Rome were often very cheap as war conquests glutted the market. Conversely slaves in antebellum USA were expensive after Britain banned the Atlantic slave trade. For most of history an unskilled slave was cheaper than a trained riding horse (in non horse breeding areas) but more expensive than an ox, so something in the 12-75gp area looks about right. A literate or trained gladiator slave would be far more expensive though.

 

[Alzrius]

Reveille, what KoK book are the slave price guidelines from?

The slave price guidelines in Lords of Madness are just CR squared multiplied by 100 gp.

There's also costs for slaves laid out in Theocracy of Canceri by Paradigm Concepts. It uses a more complex system, taking into account age, average ability scores, race, class, and level. It's the system I use when that sort of thing comes up at the game table.

 

[krissbeth]

How's that going to "twirk" people off? It's a reasonable example, given the question.

There's also the argument that it's not possible for an elf girl to be "comely."

 

[Armadillo]

The Kalamar system is nice. I like how it accounts for skills, age, and race.

But, why are halflings and gnomes 150% the cost of humans?

 

[Blackrat]

The Kalamar system is nice. I like how it accounts for skills, age, and race.

But, why are halflings and gnomes 150% the cost of humans?

They are less costly to feed and easier to store

 

[frankthedm]

But, why are halflings and gnomes 150% the cost of humans?

Availability is a grandmother friendly reason.

 

[roguerouge]

So the assumption is that the only use a comely young elven female might have is one of 'dubious' nature? If the OP had mentioned that the setting was in ancient greece, would there be similar assumptions about people's 'twirky' attitudes toward the young boy?

I'm sorry. I am wrong. You automatically win any attempt at berating me.

No, Wandering Star, it's the adjective that indicates the slave's use value. Referring to a "comely" prepubescent boy would be offensive in a similar manner. Referring to a skilled elven female slave would be less so.

Comely or not, I really encourage the OP to talk very frankly with his players and what they want and are comfortable with before he gets too invested in this aspect of his setting. However historical, playing a game with slavery--with its connotations of racial inferiority, forced prostitution, and torture--is not everybody's idea of good time.

Always ask before going down the path of grim n' gritty.

Finally, see sig below: