Making money off the famous (in-game, of course) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Making money off the famous (in-game, of course) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kuroimaken
03-01-08, 08:02 PM So here I was after reading a very silly thread on another board, when I thought, what's the best way to make money in D&D without fighting? While pondering this question I arrived at the obvious conclusion, using real world methods, of course.

And what is the one thing D&D and the real world have in common?

Celebrities.

This is the basic idea. You take a famous NPC of the world, like, say, Elminster of Shadowdale.

And then you sell his autographs.

That's right. You sell his autographs. You might even go so far as to make the writing 'magical' if need be, in the case of a famous mage. The beauty of this is that your Forgery check is opposed by your victim's Forgery check. Which means, unless those you're trying to con are con artists themselves, their chances of detecting it are slim.

As for making the writing magical, all you need is a pair of Detect Magic goggles (shouldn't be very hard to make or even expensive; and it should only have to be used if you're conning people on the street) and an ink that detects as magical, and then you're set.

Just think about it. How much would someone pay for an autograph of Elminster?

For maximum fun, rip the pages off a grimoire. The separate pages are worth more than the grimoire itself anyway. All you're doing is adding ink.
Kouk
03-02-08, 08:32 AM Hmm... well, if I was the DM I suspect almost nobody would want to buy an autograph supposedly of a famous person from some guy on the street...

Besides that many people can't read, why would anyone with half a brain buy something like that? You would have to first stop someone on the street, and then make a nice Bluff check against them before they would consider buying it, whether or not they had that kind of money to spend. Even a commoner from the boondocks will question why you are selling multiple signatures from famous people (which he has no way to verify).

Additionally, depending on who supposedly signed the autographs, they may come after you in some way.

If you have a good Forgery check, you would probably make a better business contracting your services to those interested, or counterfeiting money/bank notes. Fake artwork may be a decent idea as well.
Kuroimaken
03-02-08, 08:15 PM Hmm... well, if I was the DM I suspect almost nobody would want to buy an autograph supposedly of a famous person from some guy on the street...

Besides that many people can't read, why would anyone with half a brain buy something like that? You would have to first stop someone on the street, and then make a nice Bluff check against them before they would consider buying it, whether or not they had that kind of money to spend. Even a commoner from the boondocks will question why you are selling multiple signatures from famous people (which he has no way to verify).

Additionally, depending on who supposedly signed the autographs, they may come after you in some way.

If you have a good Forgery check, you would probably make a better business contracting your services to those interested, or counterfeiting money/bank notes. Fake artwork may be a decent idea as well. Yes, but clearly you seem to have no concept of one thing D&D does NOT have in common with the real world: an advanced enough legal system. Anyone could say it's a crime to, say, forge a document by the Duke of Whatchamacallit to get someone in prison, but thinking back in medieval terms, can anyone say it's a crime to sell autographs? Think about it, back then they didn't have royalties. It would be very muddy waters to declare you owe money to someone because you stole his signature.

Alternatively, you could sell T-shirts. Or invent trading cards. But what would the fun of that be?

Target audience here would probably not be a commoner, but a member of the higher class (or not necessarily so high), who'd have enough money to buy it but not enough brains to realize it's a fake. You could, for example, sell it to a merchant, who'd be able to brag to his friends of high society that he's got the legitimate signature of Elminster!

The greatest advantage of disonesty in D&D is that most money scams in the real world haven't been tried yet. The greatest disadvantage is that the means to use them are mostly unavailable or too expensive.

And remember the rule number one of the rare item for sale: you never tell the customer you've got more than one, but you -always- do.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kuroimaken 03-01-08, 08:02 PM	So here I was after reading a very silly thread on another board, when I thought, what's the best way to make money in D&D without fighting? While pondering this question I arrived at the obvious conclusion, using real world methods, of course. And what is the one thing D&D and the real world have in common? Celebrities. This is the basic idea. You take a famous NPC of the world, like, say, Elminster of Shadowdale. And then you sell his autographs. That's right. You sell his autographs. You might even go so far as to make the writing 'magical' if need be, in the case of a famous mage. The beauty of this is that your Forgery check is opposed by your victim's Forgery check. Which means, unless those you're trying to con are con artists themselves, their chances of detecting it are slim. As for making the writing magical, all you need is a pair of Detect Magic goggles (shouldn't be very hard to make or even expensive; and it should only have to be used if you're conning people on the street) and an ink that detects as magical, and then you're set. Just think about it. How much would someone pay for an autograph of Elminster? For maximum fun, rip the pages off a grimoire. The separate pages are worth more than the grimoire itself anyway. All you're doing is adding ink.
Kouk 03-02-08, 08:32 AM	Hmm... well, if I was the DM I suspect almost nobody would want to buy an autograph supposedly of a famous person from some guy on the street... Besides that many people can't read, why would anyone with half a brain buy something like that? You would have to first stop someone on the street, and then make a nice Bluff check against them before they would consider buying it, whether or not they had that kind of money to spend. Even a commoner from the boondocks will question why you are selling multiple signatures from famous people (which he has no way to verify). Additionally, depending on who supposedly signed the autographs, they may come after you in some way. If you have a good Forgery check, you would probably make a better business contracting your services to those interested, or counterfeiting money/bank notes. Fake artwork may be a decent idea as well.
Kuroimaken 03-02-08, 08:15 PM	Hmm... well, if I was the DM I suspect almost nobody would want to buy an autograph supposedly of a famous person from some guy on the street... Besides that many people can't read, why would anyone with half a brain buy something like that? You would have to first stop someone on the street, and then make a nice Bluff check against them before they would consider buying it, whether or not they had that kind of money to spend. Even a commoner from the boondocks will question why you are selling multiple signatures from famous people (which he has no way to verify). Additionally, depending on who supposedly signed the autographs, they may come after you in some way. If you have a good Forgery check, you would probably make a better business contracting your services to those interested, or counterfeiting money/bank notes. Fake artwork may be a decent idea as well. Yes, but clearly you seem to have no concept of one thing D&D does NOT have in common with the real world: an advanced enough legal system. Anyone could say it's a crime to, say, forge a document by the Duke of Whatchamacallit to get someone in prison, but thinking back in medieval terms, can anyone say it's a crime to sell autographs? Think about it, back then they didn't have royalties. It would be very muddy waters to declare you owe money to someone because you stole his signature. Alternatively, you could sell T-shirts. Or invent trading cards. But what would the fun of that be? Target audience here would probably not be a commoner, but a member of the higher class (or not necessarily so high), who'd have enough money to buy it but not enough brains to realize it's a fake. You could, for example, sell it to a merchant, who'd be able to brag to his friends of high society that he's got the legitimate signature of Elminster! The greatest advantage of disonesty in D&D is that most money scams in the real world haven't been tried yet. The greatest disadvantage is that the means to use them are mostly unavailable or too expensive. And remember the rule number one of the rare item for sale: you never tell the customer you've got more than one, but you -always- do.