Letter of Marque 500 GP?? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Letter of Marque 500 GP?? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Tyveil
10-20-06, 02:15 PM Letter of Proxy - to replace a noble in abscense - 8 gp, Forged (extremely risky because the stakes are high - you're messing with royalty) - 100 gp
Letter of Pardon - forged 100 gp + (again very risky for both the forger and the bearer, I don't think law enforcement would take lightly to letting convicted criminals go)
Letter of Marque - 500 GP!!! Forged 25 GP???

Source - Players Guide to Eberron

Ok, I'm having a hard time figuring out how and why Breland would get away with charging such an outrageous price?? It doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone pay 500 GP for a Letter of Marque and how in the world would it ever be worth it??
Bluebrush
10-20-06, 02:28 PM It's what extremely handsome economists call "charging what the market will bear."

Basically, this is an acknowledgement that adventurers will rapidly rise form their scummy middle class origins to become some of the richest people in the land simply due to the ridiculous amounts of cash they make from robbing the ruins of Sharn and Xen'drik.
Basically adventurers choose between paying the 500gp once or they get home with several thousand gp worth of treasure and run the risk of having it confiscated.

Essentially, the price reflects the amount adventurers are willing to pay rather than how great the administrative costs are.

I think it mentions in the Eberron Campaign Setting that you can work through a patron who holds a letter of Marque (IE: A professor at Morgrave University) and have it work for the party.
Kreistor1
10-20-06, 02:42 PM The Nations don't want people delving into ancient/evil ruins and coming back vampires, fiendish, or awaken ancient horrors, so they make it expensive (meaning you can afford the right equipment and people for the job) or force you to do it illegally (so they can stop you).

"Everything in, on, and under Breland belongs to all the people of Breland, adventurer. You went into that ruin and stole things that belong to this nation. Welcome to your prison term, and we'll take that thank you very much..."
Tyveil
10-20-06, 03:30 PM Oh so a Letter of Marque is reusable? I was under the false impression that you'd have to get one each trip to Xen'drik. Well the 500 GP is easier to understand if it grants you a lifetime license to forage Xen'drik, espescially for businesses that hire adventurers. Still if forging is easy and only costs 25 GP I'm not sure why anyone would shell out for the real deal.
Just another user
10-20-06, 05:29 PM Oh so a Letter of Marque is reusable? I was under the false impression that you'd have to get one each trip to Xen'drik. Well the 500 GP is easier to understand if it grants you a lifetime license to forage Xen'drik, espescially for businesses that hire adventurers. Still if forging is easy and only costs 25 GP I'm not sure why anyone would shell out for the real deal.
I think it is valid for some time, like 1 year, or 2 or 5, then it must be renewed.
And of course it can always be revoked.
And about why people go for the real deal, because they don't want to win a free trip, one way to Dreadhold. Plus the confiscation of your ship, everything you have found and paying a huge fine.
Ringmereth
10-20-06, 09:51 PM Oh so a Letter of Marque is reusable? I was under the false impression that you'd have to get one each trip to Xen'drik. Well the 500 GP is easier to understand if it grants you a lifetime license to forage Xen'drik, espescially for businesses that hire adventurers. Still if forging is easy and only costs 25 GP I'm not sure why anyone would shell out for the real deal.

You're also forgetting that even low-level adventurers who make an expedition into a Xen'drik ruin could bring back treasure worth 20 times that fee. Sure, there are other costs to consider in an expedition, but the potential rewards of pillaging the remanants of the greatest civilization in recorded history make a 500 gp fee look like pocket change (which it probably is to begin with to powerful adventurers).
Need_A_Life
10-21-06, 07:22 AM Well, with a good Forgery check it'll never be discovered and you'll net 475gp; 500gp if you do it yourself.

While that's not much, it'll add up.

I'd probably take the risk, odds are that the money I'm saving will be able to buy me a new face with the Tyrants (organisation that helps you establish a new identity complete with new appearance), it's 500gp for a basic identity and 5,000gp for a bulletproof one.

Of course, I'm greedy enough to try and sell warforged corpses to shady artificers and throw in a couple of authentic-looking schematics for repairing them... Who're they gonna tell ("that man sold me a disabled warforged belonging to house cannith and we had an oral contract that these instructions would help me reactivate it!") without either being laughed at or going to court, where I'll deny everything.
Edymnion
10-21-06, 12:46 PM Except that, you know, the forgery only works for people that are casually checking your papers. Yeah, so it looks real, you can go. If it EVER comes into question, all they would have to do is check with the issuing office to see if the records show them giving you a letter of marque, and when it comes out as a big "No, we've never heard of them before", you're going to be busted no matter how good it looks.

And when you start trying to sell off thousands of galifar's worth of plundered loot in downtown Sharn, you can bet they're going to check. An hour or two of having a Sivis gnome thumb through the paperwork is well worth it if they get to take everything you own.
Just another user
10-21-06, 02:25 PM Well, with a good Forgery check it'll never be discovered and you'll net 475gp; 500gp if you do it yourself.

While that's not much, it'll add up.

I'd probably take the risk, odds are that the money I'm saving will be able to buy me a new face with the Tyrants (organisation that helps you establish a new identity complete with new appearance), it's 500gp for a basic identity and 5,000gp for a bulletproof one.

Of course, I'm greedy enough to try and sell warforged corpses to shady artificers and throw in a couple of authentic-looking schematics for repairing them... Who're they gonna tell ("that man sold me a disabled warforged belonging to house cannith and we had an oral contract that these instructions would help me reactivate it!") without either being laughed at or going to court, where I'll deny everything.
He could tell to his "friends" in the underground (Boromar clan, or that drooam crime ring), or send an anonymus tip to house Cannith (do you want to know who (or even where)is that guy that stole your disabled warforged?) or when warforged come to him for repair offer him free healing for a year in exchange of your head.
You can't expect shady people to respect the law when they search "justice".
Need_A_Life
10-21-06, 02:38 PM He could tell to his "friends" in the underground (Boromar clan, or that drooam crime ring), or send an anonymus tip to house Cannith (do you want to know who (or even where)is that guy that stole your disabled warforged?) or when warforged come to him for repair offer him free healing for a year in exchange of your head.
You can't expect shady people to respect the law when they search "justice".
Sure, as if I care.

If I (for some strange reason) approached him without disguising myself, I guess I'd have to go all the way to the Tyrants and rearrange my face if it turned out he had those kind of connections.

More likely, he'd realize that in a city with 200,000 regular citizens and thousands of travellers coming through every day, he won't be able to find me (especially as I favor changelings [1001 faces] and warforged [just the same face all over] for races).
Nuclear_Buddha
10-23-06, 05:43 PM warforged [just the same face all over]

Not correct. Warforged faces are:

a. Not standardized. They all look different. There might be a bigotted "they-all-look-alike" sentiment in Khorvaire, but it's not true.

b. Marked by a ghulra in the middle of the forehead. These symbols are unique to each warforged.
Edymnion
10-24-06, 01:14 AM Not correct. Warforged faces are:

a. Not standardized. They all look different. There might be a bigotted "they-all-look-alike" sentiment in Khorvaire, but it's not true.

b. Marked by a ghulra in the middle of the forehead. These symbols are unique to each warforged.Actually, yeah, by default their faces do look alike. Look at the pictures in Races of Eberron at the warforged working at the construction site, they're all identical. Read Keith's City of Towers novel, and you'll find multiple places where its mentioned that Pierce's faceplate is virtually identical to every other WF's faceplate.

Each has a differant, unique ghulra. That is the only standard differance in warforged (beyond the obvious things like body feats).
goblin_pride
10-24-06, 07:52 AM I don't know if you noticed this little detail, but a letter of Marque is only needed if you plan on unloading your plunder in Sharn or Breland. A letter of Marque is irrelevant outside there. However, as a form of royal charter, it allows you to sell anything you bought from those plundering in Xen'Drik as well. I would pay the 500gp and then make sure every one of the other groups travelling by the same ship know I had the right to sell Xen'Drik plunder "when we get back" for a small percentage of the price. Heck, I might even give them part of what I get for their loot. And if I don't, who are they gonna complain to?

Just my two cents, but that use hit me at the first reading of the description in the ECS
Nuclear_Buddha
10-24-06, 01:22 PM Actually, yeah, by default their faces do look alike. Look at the pictures in Races of Eberron at the warforged working at the construction site, they're all identical. Read Keith's City of Towers novel, and you'll find multiple places where its mentioned that Pierce's faceplate is virtually identical to every other WF's faceplate.

Each has a differant, unique ghulra. That is the only standard differance in warforged (beyond the obvious things like body feats).

Hah! Whoops, I sit (half-) corrected. That's what I get for paying attention to the wrong artwork.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tyveil 10-20-06, 02:15 PM	Letter of Proxy - to replace a noble in abscense - 8 gp, Forged (extremely risky because the stakes are high - you're messing with royalty) - 100 gp Letter of Pardon - forged 100 gp + (again very risky for both the forger and the bearer, I don't think law enforcement would take lightly to letting convicted criminals go) Letter of Marque - 500 GP!!! Forged 25 GP??? Source - Players Guide to Eberron Ok, I'm having a hard time figuring out how and why Breland would get away with charging such an outrageous price?? It doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone pay 500 GP for a Letter of Marque and how in the world would it ever be worth it??
Bluebrush 10-20-06, 02:28 PM	It's what extremely handsome economists call "charging what the market will bear." Basically, this is an acknowledgement that adventurers will rapidly rise form their scummy middle class origins to become some of the richest people in the land simply due to the ridiculous amounts of cash they make from robbing the ruins of Sharn and Xen'drik. Basically adventurers choose between paying the 500gp once or they get home with several thousand gp worth of treasure and run the risk of having it confiscated. Essentially, the price reflects the amount adventurers are willing to pay rather than how great the administrative costs are. I think it mentions in the Eberron Campaign Setting that you can work through a patron who holds a letter of Marque (IE: A professor at Morgrave University) and have it work for the party.
Kreistor1 10-20-06, 02:42 PM	The Nations don't want people delving into ancient/evil ruins and coming back vampires, fiendish, or awaken ancient horrors, so they make it expensive (meaning you can afford the right equipment and people for the job) or force you to do it illegally (so they can stop you). "Everything in, on, and under Breland belongs to all the people of Breland, adventurer. You went into that ruin and stole things that belong to this nation. Welcome to your prison term, and we'll take that thank you very much..."
Tyveil 10-20-06, 03:30 PM	Oh so a Letter of Marque is reusable? I was under the false impression that you'd have to get one each trip to Xen'drik. Well the 500 GP is easier to understand if it grants you a lifetime license to forage Xen'drik, espescially for businesses that hire adventurers. Still if forging is easy and only costs 25 GP I'm not sure why anyone would shell out for the real deal.
Just another user 10-20-06, 05:29 PM	Oh so a Letter of Marque is reusable? I was under the false impression that you'd have to get one each trip to Xen'drik. Well the 500 GP is easier to understand if it grants you a lifetime license to forage Xen'drik, espescially for businesses that hire adventurers. Still if forging is easy and only costs 25 GP I'm not sure why anyone would shell out for the real deal. I think it is valid for some time, like 1 year, or 2 or 5, then it must be renewed. And of course it can always be revoked. And about why people go for the real deal, because they don't want to win a free trip, one way to Dreadhold. Plus the confiscation of your ship, everything you have found and paying a huge fine.
Ringmereth 10-20-06, 09:51 PM	Oh so a Letter of Marque is reusable? I was under the false impression that you'd have to get one each trip to Xen'drik. Well the 500 GP is easier to understand if it grants you a lifetime license to forage Xen'drik, espescially for businesses that hire adventurers. Still if forging is easy and only costs 25 GP I'm not sure why anyone would shell out for the real deal. You're also forgetting that even low-level adventurers who make an expedition into a Xen'drik ruin could bring back treasure worth 20 times that fee. Sure, there are other costs to consider in an expedition, but the potential rewards of pillaging the remanants of the greatest civilization in recorded history make a 500 gp fee look like pocket change (which it probably is to begin with to powerful adventurers).
Need_A_Life 10-21-06, 07:22 AM	Well, with a good Forgery check it'll never be discovered and you'll net 475gp; 500gp if you do it yourself. While that's not much, it'll add up. I'd probably take the risk, odds are that the money I'm saving will be able to buy me a new face with the Tyrants (organisation that helps you establish a new identity complete with new appearance), it's 500gp for a basic identity and 5,000gp for a bulletproof one. Of course, I'm greedy enough to try and sell warforged corpses to shady artificers and throw in a couple of authentic-looking schematics for repairing them... Who're they gonna tell ("that man sold me a disabled warforged belonging to house cannith and we had an oral contract that these instructions would help me reactivate it!") without either being laughed at or going to court, where I'll deny everything.
Edymnion 10-21-06, 12:46 PM	Except that, you know, the forgery only works for people that are casually checking your papers. Yeah, so it looks real, you can go. If it EVER comes into question, all they would have to do is check with the issuing office to see if the records show them giving you a letter of marque, and when it comes out as a big "No, we've never heard of them before", you're going to be busted no matter how good it looks. And when you start trying to sell off thousands of galifar's worth of plundered loot in downtown Sharn, you can bet they're going to check. An hour or two of having a Sivis gnome thumb through the paperwork is well worth it if they get to take everything you own.
Just another user 10-21-06, 02:25 PM	Well, with a good Forgery check it'll never be discovered and you'll net 475gp; 500gp if you do it yourself. While that's not much, it'll add up. I'd probably take the risk, odds are that the money I'm saving will be able to buy me a new face with the Tyrants (organisation that helps you establish a new identity complete with new appearance), it's 500gp for a basic identity and 5,000gp for a bulletproof one. Of course, I'm greedy enough to try and sell warforged corpses to shady artificers and throw in a couple of authentic-looking schematics for repairing them... Who're they gonna tell ("that man sold me a disabled warforged belonging to house cannith and we had an oral contract that these instructions would help me reactivate it!") without either being laughed at or going to court, where I'll deny everything. He could tell to his "friends" in the underground (Boromar clan, or that drooam crime ring), or send an anonymus tip to house Cannith (do you want to know who (or even where)is that guy that stole your disabled warforged?) or when warforged come to him for repair offer him free healing for a year in exchange of your head. You can't expect shady people to respect the law when they search "justice".
Need_A_Life 10-21-06, 02:38 PM	He could tell to his "friends" in the underground (Boromar clan, or that drooam crime ring), or send an anonymus tip to house Cannith (do you want to know who (or even where)is that guy that stole your disabled warforged?) or when warforged come to him for repair offer him free healing for a year in exchange of your head. You can't expect shady people to respect the law when they search "justice". Sure, as if I care. If I (for some strange reason) approached him without disguising myself, I guess I'd have to go all the way to the Tyrants and rearrange my face if it turned out he had those kind of connections. More likely, he'd realize that in a city with 200,000 regular citizens and thousands of travellers coming through every day, he won't be able to find me (especially as I favor changelings [1001 faces] and warforged [just the same face all over] for races).
Nuclear_Buddha 10-23-06, 05:43 PM	warforged [just the same face all over] Not correct. Warforged faces are: a. Not standardized. They all look different. There might be a bigotted "they-all-look-alike" sentiment in Khorvaire, but it's not true. b. Marked by a ghulra in the middle of the forehead. These symbols are unique to each warforged.
Edymnion 10-24-06, 01:14 AM	Not correct. Warforged faces are: a. Not standardized. They all look different. There might be a bigotted "they-all-look-alike" sentiment in Khorvaire, but it's not true. b. Marked by a ghulra in the middle of the forehead. These symbols are unique to each warforged.Actually, yeah, by default their faces do look alike. Look at the pictures in Races of Eberron at the warforged working at the construction site, they're all identical. Read Keith's City of Towers novel, and you'll find multiple places where its mentioned that Pierce's faceplate is virtually identical to every other WF's faceplate. Each has a differant, unique ghulra. That is the only standard differance in warforged (beyond the obvious things like body feats).
goblin_pride 10-24-06, 07:52 AM	I don't know if you noticed this little detail, but a letter of Marque is only needed if you plan on unloading your plunder in Sharn or Breland. A letter of Marque is irrelevant outside there. However, as a form of royal charter, it allows you to sell anything you bought from those plundering in Xen'Drik as well. I would pay the 500gp and then make sure every one of the other groups travelling by the same ship know I had the right to sell Xen'Drik plunder "when we get back" for a small percentage of the price. Heck, I might even give them part of what I get for their loot. And if I don't, who are they gonna complain to? Just my two cents, but that use hit me at the first reading of the description in the ECS
Nuclear_Buddha 10-24-06, 01:22 PM	Actually, yeah, by default their faces do look alike. Look at the pictures in Races of Eberron at the warforged working at the construction site, they're all identical. Read Keith's City of Towers novel, and you'll find multiple places where its mentioned that Pierce's faceplate is virtually identical to every other WF's faceplate. Each has a differant, unique ghulra. That is the only standard differance in warforged (beyond the obvious things like body feats). Hah! Whoops, I sit (half-) corrected. That's what I get for paying attention to the wrong artwork.