When a cleric is attempting to grow a congregation through the casting of spells for the general populace (p. 124 of Core) is it assumed that the spells are cast gratis or can she charge for them as well? If she can charge for them, is there a way to determine the *demand* for spells in a given market class? I would imagine, in other words, that there would be more spells available than are actually cast per day, as per p. 54.
I'm not an autarch, but it says "charitably cast".
In my game, if such a caster charged for those spells, then he could certainly expect payment (assuming he found a buyer), but I wouldn't count it as charity for the purpose of attracting congregants.
To get congregants, it must be gratis.
To earn revenue, I'd just assume that demand equals supply, e.g. the amount you can buy in the market is the same as the amount you can sell. (If demand exceeded supply, then prices would be higher; if supply exceeded demand, prices would be lower.)
[quote="Alex"]
To get congregants, it must be gratis.
To earn revenue, I'd just assume that demand equals supply, e.g. the amount you can buy in the market is the same as the amount you can sell. (If demand exceeded supply, then prices would be higher; if supply exceeded demand, prices would be lower.)
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This is easy enough to get by on, but it does raise the question of who is buying the Mage's Fireball every day. Cleric spells tend to be a bit more obvious since they're the kind of things people would have otherwise gone to a hospital for.
The mage isn't paid to CAST fire ball, he is paid to keep it ready, incase of an invasion, like military personel paid not to hit people with swords, but to be ready to.
Personally I would model that sort of interaction with henching or hiring. If a mage is being paid for their offensive capability at the ready, then they'd be being paid whatever monthly wage a character of that level could command and that would contribute to the hirer's garrison.
But when you get to a "marketplace of spells" it gets a bit odd. The core book gives us prices for divine and arcane spells based solely on their level and the size of the market, and the PCs aren't worried because they know which spells they need cast on their behalf (most often: Cure light wounds, remove poison, remove disease, remove curse, Restore Life & Limb). Certainly, it's fair to assume some NPCs are buying spells that aren't interesting to adventurers. I could even fathom someone with insomnia paying a mage to cast sleep on them.
It's simple enough to handwave, but it's worth noting that high level mages with many spells at their disposal can make a lot of money quickly by selling their spells if there are no limits. Consider the 5th level mage, Living a quiet life in an unremarkable, class V village. If we invert the Spell Availability by Market as a demand modifier, he will be able to sell 1d2 3rd level spells per day at 75gp, 1d4 2nd level spells at 20gp, and 2d6 1st level spells per day at 5gp. Technically the wording is that these numbers indicate "number of arcane spellcasters capable of casting this spell" and that they are able to cast the spell once per day. This doesn't immediately imply they can't sell about this many spells per day. Regardless, a 5th level caster can cast 1 3rd level spell and 2 each of 2nd and 1st level spells, meaning they're guaranteed to be able to sell all their 1st and 3rd level spells, with a 75% chance to sell all their second levels. This is as much as 125gp per day. In just 1 week, they could earn enough money to cover the wages of a retinue of 4 level 4 henchmen, keeping them on retainer.
As I look at the table though, the real money is in 4th level spells, though they'd have to move to a class IV market to be guaranteed a chance to sell their spells, a 7th level mage could be making 450gp/day, needing just 2 days of sellspelling to pay for a 6th level henchman. Regardless, this quickly eclipses the expected wages of a 7th level character of 1600gp/month. Perhaps this is the reward for being a 7th level magic user (and there are many), but it seems like someone looking to pursue this path should perhaps at least have to jump through the extra hoop of finding spells that citizens or people passing through town are actually likely to buy every single day.
Regardless, this does offer a lucrative opportunity for any player who has always dreamed of being an NPC wizard. alternating between selling spells, using the proceeds to buy monster parts, and then selling scrolls/potions made with magic research, it would be possible to level up without ever leaving town.
[quote="Jard"]
Regardless, this does offer a lucrative opportunity for any player who has always dreamed of being an NPC wizard. alternating between selling spells, using the proceeds to buy monster parts, and then selling scrolls/potions made with magic research, it would be possible to level up without ever leaving town.
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Core 113 says characters don't earn XP from business transactions or wages. Is there an exception for selling spells somewhere?
You are correct. You use the money you make from selling your spells to either A) attempt to purchase monster parts from merchants or B) hire out adventurers to go get you some (see another post I just made :-P )
Only once you have the spare funds and monster parts necessary can you do magical research, which DOES grant XP.
[quote="Jard"]
You are correct. You use the money you make from selling your spells to either A) attempt to purchase monster parts from merchants or B) hire out adventurers to go get you some (see another post I just made :-P )
Only once you have the spare funds and monster parts necessary can you do magical research, which DOES grant XP.
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I see now. That's what I get for not reading the XP rules all the way through.