Hirelings and Services
This is a list of many of the hirelings and services available for purchase. Countless other services and hirelings might exist in various cultures, and the prices below should be used as a guideline when determining new services or professions a hireling might be hired to perform.
Hirelings are non-slave people of varying skill and ability who perform a specified duty for a specified amount of time. The prices listed for hirelings are per day of their services unless stated otherwise. Some hirelings must also be provided room and board in addition to their listed fee, if they are expected to continue performing services beyond normal business hours (for example, many cooks live in the same dwelling as their client, so that they can prepare meals that require more time than a single 8-hour shift would normally permit).
Services range from renting transport on a vehicle to things like baths or stays at an Inn. Countless other services exist, of course.
Alchemical Dirigible (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 2 gp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Ride in style aboard a luxurious and uncrashable dirigible filled with magical, and completely non-exploding (really), aether. Avoid the hassles of bumpy, rutted roads, and glide to your destination with the completely reliable power of magic. (The dirigible company takes no responsibility for lost or stolen possessions, including passenger life, health and well-being.)
Bath, Cold
- Cost: 2 cp
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Ah, nothing like a tepid bath to wash away the odd stains you got from that last slime encounter. This is a large barrel of water brought to your room that is barely large enough to fit into. At this price, you'll need to provide your own soap, though a scouring stone is often available upon request, which is just as good, really.
Bath, Hot
- Cost: 6 cp
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Now we're talking. A nice hot bath. Rumors that taking baths in the winter makes you sick are mostly unproven. Soap included, though legroom is not. The barrel this bath is provided in is still just barely big enough for a sized-medium creature. It's pretty good if you're sized-small, though.
Bath, Public
- Cost: 2 sp - 1 gp
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A large pool of water, often heated by a hotspring, and shared communally. In some cultures, there is a divider between the male and female sections of the bath. Public baths often cost more than private baths, because there is much more room to bathe, the water never gets cold, and the view is (at least in some cultures) much better.
Body Art, Crude
- Cost: 1 gp
- Weight: -
- Craftable? Yes
- Skill: Profession (Artist)
- Check DC: 5
This tattoo uses a simple black ink, and is injected into the skin using a bone needle. While imminently affordable, crude body art is unlikely to impress anyone. Crude body art is often a very simple shape or pattern, requiring little or no artistic talent. Tattooing crude body art takes about 30 minutes and will last for decades. The richness of the black ink will fade to a bluish grey after a few years.
Body Art, Exotic
- Cost: 2,000 gp (or more)
- Weight: -
- Craftable? Yes
- Skill: Profession (Artist)
- Check DC: 35
Exotic body art is a complex work of tattoo artistry, often using many colors of ink, and requiring a great deal of skill on the part of the tattoo artist. Tattooing exotic body art requires several days or even weeks, depending on how much of the buyer's body is being covered. The inks used will remain vibrant for as long as the skin exists, even after the death of the buyer.
Body Art, Fine
- Cost: 50 gp
- Weight: -
- Craftable? Yes
- Skill: Profession (Artist)
- Check DC: 20
Fine body art is a tattoo using a few colors of ink, and creating a good-looking piece of skin art on the wearer. Such a tattoo requires a full day of work to create, and the inks used will fade only a little over a decade or so, though the image created will last for as long as the wearer's skin remains intact.
Carriage, Basic (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 3 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
This is a horse-drawn carriage, covered with doors and window curtains, allowing up to four occupants to ride in some modicum of anonymity, if not style. The carriage features wooden benches inside, a luggage rack up top, and the barest minimum of shocks to prevent the wheels from shattering from the typical road. The ride in this conveyance is not as dignified as it would appear from the outside. However, a carriage offers privacy while moving across town, which can be useful in some circumstances. A carriage can carry up to 6 passengers, though it is more comfortable with 4 or less.
Carriage, Noble's (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 1 gp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A noble's carriage is usually privately owned, but a few entrepreneurial spirits have begun to offer this means of transportation to anyone willing to pay for it. A noble's carriage offers all the privacy of a basic carriage, but considerably more comfort. It is typically pulled by four or more horses to even out the jerky movements of a single horse, as well as thickly cushioned seats and well-crafted spring shock absorbers on the wheels. Even at high speeds, occupants of this carriage ride in comfort and style. Many modern noble's carriages are even ensorcelled with magical breezes to keep the air in the cabin fresh and temperate. Furthermore, anyone wishing to make an impression will feel right at home amidst the gold trimmings and lace-edged curtains. A noble's carriage can carry up to 6 passengers, though it is far more comfortable with 4 or less. After all, there are so few nobles with 5 actual friends, who would build something for them?
Carriage, Upholstered (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 1 sp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
An upholstered carriage is a carriage built with the comfort of the rider in mind. Though not as opulent as a noble's carriage, the seats are cushioned and the wheels are attached to springs to absorb the jostles caused by bumps and ruts in the road. Typically drawn by a pair of horses, an upholstered carriage is a considerable improvement over a basic carriage. An upholstered carriage can carry up to 6 passengers, though it is more comfortable with 4 or less.
Cart (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 1 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
This cart is pulled by a single horse, and is primarily designed to carry produce and other trade goods. A single cart can carry one cartload of cargo, which is 50 bales or 50 twentyweights, but merchants have been known to accept passengers in the backs of their wagons when leaving a market without goods to carry. An empty cart can carry around 4 passengers (not counting the Drover) instead of cargo. Any extra coin made is a good thing to an enterprising merchant, after all. A ride in a cart is not unlike the sort of experience you'd get on a poorly constructed carnival ride. Luckily, if you throw up in the back, the smell isn't likely to be much worse than what's already there.
Chronicler
- Cost: 5 gp / per day
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
You can hire a chronicler to follow you around and write your story for posterity's sake. As a very interesting person, it seems selfish to keep all this great stuff you do to yourself. Tell the world! Chroniclers are expensive because they are both literate and also well-versed in putting situations to words that not only describe the situation well, but do so in a way that paints their patron in the best possible light. At request, a chronicler can tailor their story of your life to be a comedy, a tragedy or a thrilling and suspenseful yarn. Some adventuring required. (Okay, not really, the Chronicler will make it all up if he has to, but it's much better to record your actual deeds, really.)
Companion
- Cost: 5 cp - 10 gp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Yeah, probably that kind of companion, though you can just talk, if you want to.
Crasis Engine (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 3 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A Crasis engine is a marvel of alchemy, engineering and magic, capable of conveying huge amounts of cargo across long distances, assuming relatively flat ground. Crasis engines are sort of like steam locomotives with legs, and multiple 'cars' can be hooked together to create a kind of centipede-like machine which hauls cargo between cities. They require a great deal of space to travel, with each car being sized-gargantuan, and typically running 20 to 30 cars long. Each car is capable of its own locomotion, but is far more powerful when working in tandem with other cars. Crasis engines do not require a track or road, but perform quite poorly on rough, uneven ground, and cannot navigate slopes greater than about 15 degrees without risking a stall or collapse. Crasis engines are not really designed to carry passengers, but often offer rides if there is spare room in one of the cargo holds. Crasis engines move only about as quickly as a horse, but they do not need to stop at night. Riding in these machines is not terribly comfortable, but neither is it awful. The primary inconvenience is the noise, as they are quite loud, in a rhythmic kind of way. Each car of a Crasis Engine can carry 4 cartloads of cargo (200 bales/twentyweights), or 16 passengers (not counting the Drover), or some combination thereof.
Doctor
- Cost: 1 gp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
You can hire the care of a professional doctor, who knows exactly how to apply those hot needles, leeches and saw-looking things to make you feel better. Sure, his job sounds a lot like the royal torturer, but surely that's just a coincidence. Doctors will typically have a Heal skill equivalent to the Merchant DC of the settlement size in which you hire him. Doctors are not clerics or priests, and do not use that treacherous divine magic everyone raves about. They use good, honest science to bleed your illnesses away, all proper-like.
Fence
- Cost: 10% of cost of goods bought or sold
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A fence is someone who specializes in finding the right buyer for whatever crap you've decided you need to sell. A fence doesn't usually care where your crap for sale actually came from, and tends to not ask a lot of questions about things like "ownership" or whatever. Depending on the item to be fenced, it can take a few days to a few weeks (for the truly exotic and expensive stuff) to find a buyer. The fence usually determines the price of the item, makes sure you're okay with it, and then takes a 10% cut of the sale. If he can get you more, then his cut goes up and so does yours (in theory), so everyone wins. Of course, if you get your fence arrested, because you asked him to sell something stolen or otherwise illegitimately acquired, he might just hold that against you. Fences frequently work for a local thieves' guild, and are perfectly capable of summoning up muscle if they need it.
Footman
- Cost: 5 sp / per day
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A footman is a person trained to run ahead of his patron to arrange social engagements, announce his patron's arrival, and generally be nearby to carry heavy things, when needed. A footman is a lesser social position to a valet, but has similar responsibilities, though rarely as personal. A footman, for example, would never be invited to help his patron change clothes, or bathe. That would be going too far, good sir!
Hireling, Trained
- Cost: 3 sp / per day
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A trained hireling is simply a person capable of physical tasks, who also has a professional skill in a relevant area. Trained hirelings can also be fighting men, such as caravan guards or mercenaries. More highly trained folks will, obviously, demand more pay than a simple hireling, but if you just need another pair of hands that won't screw something up, a trained hireling is a good bet.
Hireling, Untrained
- Cost: 1 sp / per day
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
An untrained hireling is a basic laborer, useful for anything that, as you might expect, doesn't require any training or prior experience. The most common use of untrained labor is 'porter,' but they can also be useful for things like pretending to be mourning at someone's funeral, or otherwise making a place seem more populated. Untrained hirelings aren't always stupid, per se, but a smart patron would never count on such a person to actually get anything right. For that sort of expectation, it would be best to hire trained hirelings.
Inn Stay, Common (Per Night)
- Cost: 5 cp / per night
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
This is a cot and blanket in the common room of an inn. The proprietors of such places frown on all the hassle caused by thievery and fighting, so anyone involved in such a thing, both victim and aggressor, will be swiftly thrown out (with no refunds). This doesn't always deter the more industrious mischief-makers, and can lead to some pretty annoying neighbors. In addition, there's the inevitable drunk who won't stop throwing up, and that guy in the corner who snores so loud the windows rattle, but otherwise, there's a roof over your head and it's warm. You might not get much sleep, but you won't die of exposure.
Inn Stay, Good (Per Night)
- Cost: 2 gp / per night
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
This is a private room at an inn. Typically not much larger than the bed itself, and enough room to get dressed/undressed or use the chamberpot that is kept (covered) under the bed. Private rooms usually have a small window, and a small table to hold a candle or lantern.
Inn Stay, Poor (Per Night)
- Cost: 2 sp / per night
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
This is space on the floor in front of the hearth. The floor is hard stone, but it's quite warm so close to the fire. The debris from a night of eating and drinking surrounds you, along with a dozen or so other folks who couldn't afford a cot. At least you're indoors, right?
Inn Suite, Average
- Cost: 16 gp / per night
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
An average inn suite features a large bed, a wardrobe and trunk to keep your clothes and other belongings, as well as a couple of chairs in a small sitting area. It may also offer amenities such as a washbasin or room for a bath to be brought in (though that costs extra). Smaller inns typically only have one such room, but larger cities will have inns with dozens of suites such as this.
Inn Suite, Luxurious
- Cost: 32 gp / per night
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A luxurious suite has all the amenities you could want: an on-staff seamstress to fix any tears in your clothing, a butler (shared among all the other guests) to make sure you have everything you need, a massive bed that was likely constructed inside the room to avoid carrying it up the stairs, and numerous couches, chairs and nooks for all your hangers-on and lickspittle in-laws and "friends" to occupy while you still have coins left in your purse. Such a suite often offers private dining, rather than needing to mix with the other guests in the inn, and quite excellent food (available at additional cost, of course).
Inn Suite, Small
- Cost: 4 gp / per night
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A private room with a bed, a chair and a writing desk. Enough space to live in, if you don't own too many things, but not enough space to entertain guests. The bed is large enough for two if you really like each other, but it would probably be more comfortable if one of you slept on the floor instead.
Laundry
- Cost: 1 sp / per twentyweight
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Pay someone else to keep your clothes clean. Just drop off your clothes and they're clean the next day.
Laundry, Magic
- Cost: 1 gp / per twentyweight
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A whole day? For laundry? Feh! FEH, I SAY! Just pay the wizard to do it. It's easy for him and he certainly has nothing more important to do. And he definitely won't be offended when you point that out to him.
Lawyer, Competent
- Cost: 3 gp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Got legal problems? A competent lawyer can handle most cases, especially when you're actually innocent. He'll do background investigations, interrogate witnesses and run around to find evidence to exonerate you. More importantly, he knows the local judge and won't make a fool of himself when he argues your case. Seriously, don't try this yourself. You'll regret it.
Lawyer, Experienced
- Cost: 10 gp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
An experienced lawyer is the real deal. He doesn't care how guilty you are, or which noble's son you accidentally poisoned. He'll make an airtight case for you, bribe the right people and talk to the important folks on your behalf. You can't lose. Of course, if you're one of those Lawful Good types, it's important to note that everything this lawyer does on your behalf is entirely legal, and says so in the document he provided, right there on page 246.
Lawyer, Novice
- Cost: 5 sp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Well, he's better than nothing. Probably.
Messenger
- Cost: 2 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Need to deliver a message across town? Hire a messenger. This is nearly always a local child who has figured out that carrying your message will get him a meal for the day. As a note, it is possible to send messages longer distances than just "across town", but this takes MUCH longer, and usually involves setting up payment upon receipt. These messages are traded between travelers, bought and sold at each transfer, with the promise of a reward at the destination. It's not uncommon for this promised reward to become... exaggerated as the message travels through more and more hands. However, if it takes 7 different travelers to move a message 100 miles, it's not really unreasonable for the person who finally delivers it to expect a good tip (sometimes as much as 10 gold!) for their efforts, right?
Nurse
- Cost: 7 sp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A nurse provides interim care for someone sick or injured, and often has a Heal skill equal to half the Merchant DC for the settlement size in which they were hired. Nurses are not doctors, and do not triage injuries or treat diseases or poisons. Instead, they provide the longer-term recovery care necessary to get someone back to full health after such treatment. Nurses, like doctors, are people of science, not divine magic, and do not cast spells. There's whole temples for that.
Reforging, Brine Quench [edit]
- Cost: 16,000 gp
- Weight: 0 lbs
You employ an armorsmith to reforge your armor, shield, or weapon(s). Doing so completely retempers and reforges the item, using a brine quench, resulting in a tougher version of itself. This service is only offered in small towns or larger-sized settlements, and takes a full day of work.
A brine quench reforging can be applied to any of the following:
- light armor
- medium armor
- heavy armor
- any item that fits in your armor slot, such as Finemail Smallclothes, even if that item doesn't normally provide any AC.
- light shield
- heavy shield
- war shield
- tower shield
- weapons (to a smaller degree)
Once applied to an armor or shield, the AC granted by the item is permanently increased by +1, either as an Armor Bonus (if applied to an armor slot item), or a Shield Bonus (if applied to a shield). This process permanently increases the base armor value of the item. This is a non-magical process, and stacks with magical enhancement bonuses to the armor or shield. While you can reforge an item as many times as you want, the AC bonus never stacks with itself, and can never exceed +1 from a Brine Quench.
Note that non-armor items, such as Smallclothes, which do not normally grant any AC that are altered by this process do not suddenly become armor via this process, they simply provide a point of Armor AC. They are still ineligible for enhancement bonuses, armor magic properties, etc. unless they were already able to employ those bonuses.
During this process, you may also choose to alter the dweomermetal used (or add a new one, if your existing armor, shield, or weapon does not have a dweomermetal already). This is the only benefit of reforging a weapon. Even if the weapon adds an AC bonus (such as through the Blocking quality), reforging does not add any AC bonus to the weapon. However, changing your weapon's dweomermetal can be very nice indeed, so its often worth the effort.
You must pay the cost for the new dweomermetal in addition to the cost of the reforging. This step is optional, you do not need to change the dweomermetal of your armor if you do not wish to do so.
- Crafting: Profession (Armorsmith) (DC 25)
Reforging, Blood Quench [edit]
- Cost: 180,000 gp
- Weight: 0 lbs
You employ an armorsmith to reforge your armor or shield. While you could, in theory, use a blood quench on a weapon to change the dweomermetal, there is no reason to do so, and why spend the extra money for nothing? Doing so completely retempers and reforges the armor or shield, using a blood quench, resulting in a tougher version of itself. This service is only offered in large cities or larger-sized settlements, and takes a full day of work.
A blood quench reforging can be applied to any of the following:
- medium armor
- heavy armor
- heavy shield
- war shield
- tower shield
Once applied, the AC granted by the item is permanently increased by +1, either as an Armor Bonus (if applied to armor), or as a Shield Bonus (if applied to a shield). This process permanently increases the base armor value of the item. This is a non-magical process, and stacks with magical enhancement bonuses to the armor or shield. It also stacks with a Brine Quench Reforging, but the AC bonus granted does not stack with itself (i.e. you cannot perform two blood quenches on the same item to get +2 AC; a maximum of +1 AC is available per item reforged with this service).
During this process, you may also choose to alter the dweomermetal used (or add a new one, if your existing armor does not have a dweomermetal already). You must pay the cost for the new dweomermetal in addition to the cost of the reforging. This step is optional, you do not need to change the dweomermetal of your armor if you do not wish to do so.
- Crafting: Profession (Armorsmith) (DC 42)
Reforging, Astral Quench [edit]
- Cost: 1,750,000 gp
- Weight: 0 lbs
You employ an armorsmith to reforge your armor or shield. Doing so completely retempers and reforges it, using an astral quench, resulting in a tougher version of itself. This service is only offered in megalopoli or larger-sized settlements, and takes a full day of work.
An astral quench reforging can only be applied to the following items:
- heavy armor
- war shield
- tower shield
Once applied, the AC granted by the item is permanently increased by +1, either as an Armor Bonus (if applied to armor), or as a Shield Bonus (if applied to a shield). This process permanently increases the base armor value of the item. This is a non-magical process, and stacks with magical enhancement bonuses to the armor or shield. It also stacks with a Brine Quench Reforging and/or a Blood Quench Reforging, but the AC bonus granted does not stack with itself (i.e. you cannot perform two astral quenches on the same item to get +2 AC; a maximum of +1 AC is available per item reforged with this service).
During this process, you may also choose to alter the dweomermetal used (or add a new one, if your existing armor does not have a dweomermetal already). You must pay the cost for the new dweomermetal in addition to the cost of the reforging. This step is optional, you do not need to change the dweomermetal of your armor or shield if you do not wish to do so.
- Crafting: Profession (Armorsmith) (DC 59)
Road or Gate Toll
- Cost: 1 cp
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
This is the fee you have to pay in order to pass over that bridge or through that gate that someone took all that trouble to build. Tolls are almost never more than 1 cp, unless the destination they provide access to is meant to be exclusive to the super-wealthy. Generally speaking, towns and cities don't want to turn away the lower-class folks, as those are the people who actually pay their taxes and do all the work. Note that this toll is per person and per beast of burden, so a man on a horse would pay 2 cp for passage.
Sage
- Cost: 15 gp / per day
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A sage is a scholar of some particular field of study. A sage might be an expert in the history of a particular empire or kingdom, or he might be a master of theatrical plays written in the last century. In any case, he's someone you can hire to tell you stuff you want to know, or go find it in a library on your behalf. Sages are excellent at researching topics, and really enjoy libraries.
Scribe, Map
- Cost: 10 gp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A map scribe is someone trained in the art of making maps. They can perform this service based on viewing an area from a good vantage point, or by walking around the area, and frequently both. Since accurate maps are difficult to come by, a map-maker's services are quite expensive. Some map scribes also specialize in mapping oceans and open bodies of water, mapping shorelines and shoals and other hazards, as well as the location of islands in relation to neighboring land.
Scribe, Text
- Cost: 1 gp / per hour
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A textual scribe copies books and other writings. This is the non-magical means of book printing, and of preserving older texts from aging and decay. A text scribe requires a source text to copy, as well as a quiet, well-lit place to work.
Ship Frigate (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 3 sp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Frigates are longer, narrower ships than galleons, and are meant to make crossings over larger bodies of water. They can be mercantile or military in nature, but nearly all carry weapons of some kind, if only for defense. Passengers are sometimes taken aboard to make a little extra money on the voyage. It is worth noting that long sea voyages can be extremely dangerous to both crew and passenger alike. It is not uncommon for ships to complete a voyage having lost half the hands aboard ship before reaching port. Such casualties are usually due to weather, accidents or monsters, but can also be caused by poor communication skills between one or more of the parties involved. A frigate can carry between 100 and 300 cartloads of cargo (5,000 to 15,000 bales/twentyweights), and up to 20 passengers (not counting crew), depending on the size of the frigate.
Ship, Coaster (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 1 sp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A coaster is a generic term for any ship which is rigged to stay near the coasts, or within sight of land. Such ships are usually shallow-keeled, and therefore more subject to capsizing in heavier waves and winds. By staying close to shore, they can anchor in a sheltered area during heavy weather. This does mean they are slower to traverse larger distances, but the shallow keel gives them a speed advantage in better weather and allows them to navigate in rivers and shallower areas. Coasters can be anything from a small junk, a caravel, a brigandine or any other small, slow cargo ship. Coasters typically carry between 40 and 400 cartloads of cargo (200 to 2,000 bales/twentyweights), and up to 10 passengers (not counting crew), depending on the size of the coaster.
Ship, Galleon (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 2 sp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
Galleons are the largest class of ships, able to carry considerable amounts of cargo, passengers and a great deal of armament. The larger cousin to the frigate, they are ocean-going vessels, capable of very long journeys. Galleons are quite fast when running before the wind, but have very little maneuverability when running close-hauled. Like frigates, galleons can employ oars when no wind is present, or when running into the eye of the wind. As with all ocean-travel, passengers can have a high mortality rate, as the sea is very unforgiving. A galleon can generally carry between 400 and 1000 cartloads of cargo (2,000 to 50,000 bales/twentyweights), and up to 50 passengers (not counting crew), depending on the size of the galleon. Galleons can also carry companies of troops (around 100 soldiers), if they are outfitted as military transports. Such an outfit still carries a great deal of cargo in the form of provisions, kit and gear for the solders, and sometimes extra landing craft, and even horses.
Ship, Raft (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 1 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A bundle of logs tied together to create a flat, floating platform, a raft is completely unprotected from the weather, and must be propelled by "poling" the bank or bottom of the body of water being traversed. Rafts can only carry up to 8 passengers (not counting crew), and are often used to ferry across rivers when no fords are nearby. Such ferrying services usually have a guide rope stretched across the river in question, and the raftsmen pull the raft across using the rope, instead of (or in addition to) poles. (In such cases, the raft is also secured to the guide rope to prevent it from being washed away by a current or a storm.) Riding in a raft requires some attention to balance, and making sure the weight distribution is relatively even or it will capsize.
Ship, River Barge (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 1 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A river barge is a much larger version of a raft, and better constructed. It is still a flat floating platform, and still relies on poles or tow ropes to convey it to its destination, but its greater size and more solid construction allows it to carry considerably more cargo (or passengers) and reduces the risk of capsizing. River barges are a very economically practical means of trading along a river, and as such, are fairly commonplace in the more inhabited areas of civilization. A river barge is capable of conveying up to 100 cartloads of cargo (5,000 bales/twentyweights), or up to 20 passengers (not counting crew), or some combination thereof.
Ship, Rowboat (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 2 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A rowboat is a small boat capable of carrying up to 6 total crew (7 in an emergency), and relies, as the name suggests, on rowers to propel it through the water. Rowboats work best in still water, but can manage in nearly any water (ocean or river). Rowboats are nearly always the means of disembarking from a larger ship to get to shore when no piers, jetties or harbors are available. At least a couple of the passengers in the rowboat will need to actually row the boat, or else it will be a very long journey. Rowboats are not well-suited to go more than about a mile at a time. While it is possible to take them further, it is both impractical and dangerous. Rowboats are unprotected from weather, and can capsize easily if subjected to high waves or poor weight distribution among the passengers.
Sleigh (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 2 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A sleigh is similar to a carriage except that it uses skis instead of wheels, allowing it to travel over snow and ice. Sleighs are not capable of moving over bare ground or roads unless at least a few inches of snow or ice is present (well, they can, but not for long). Passengers in sleighs actually enjoy a very smooth ride, compared to carriages, and the cold weather usually means the enclosed cabin remains a tolerable temperature, despite its tendency towards stuffiness. A sleigh, like a carriage, can carry up to 6 passengers (not including the Drover), though they are more comfortable with 4 or less.
Spellcasting
- Cost: Caster level x 20 gp + the cost of the scroll for the spell in question
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
You can hire a local wizard or cleric to cast a spell for you. The cost for this service is the same as the cost of buying a scroll for the spell in question, plus an additional fee of 20 gp per caster level of the spellcaster you are hiring. While this may seem punitive, bear in mind that a hired spellcaster always succeeds in casting the requested spell (i.e. they can't roll a 1 on their Use Magic Device check).
It can sometimes be necessary to schedule an appointment, as wizards and clerics are frequently occupied with other things. However, some have taken to performing this service as their primary occupation, and allow walk-ins. Spellcasting services can be useful for the creation of magic items, healing an injured or sick ally, or any of a variety of other things.
Hired spellcasters will only charge you the caster level that is the minimum required for the spell, unless you specifically request that the spell be cast at a higher level (though obviously no higher than the caster's actual level). If a spell is purchased at a lower level, its effects and benefits are similarly reduced to the specified caster level.
Hireable spellcasters are typically of a caster level comparable to the settlement size wherein they reside. However, exceptions do exist. It is fairly common for that old hermit on the hill in that remote and tiny thorpe to actually be the former court magician for the king, after all.
Valet
- Cost: 1 gp / per day
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A valet is a specialized assistant who takes care of most of your day-to-day goings-on. He (or she) will assist you in dressing, ensure that you are on time for your appointments, arrange your social calendar (with your approval), the running of your financial affairs, and other tasks such as transcribing correspondence, or answering the door. A valet is given a great deal of trust and liberty with his patron's lifestyle, and so a wise patron will ensure his valet is never given reason to be anything less than happy.
Wagon, Heavy (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 3 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A heavy wagon is designed to carry large amounts of cargo and trade goods, and can incidentally carry passengers. Heavy wagons often employ a team of 8 or more horses, and can carry up to 8 cartloads (400 bales/twentyweights) of cargo. Alternatively, a heavy wagon can carry up to 10 passengers (assuming they like each other; this does not include the Drover team), or some combination of passengers and cargo.
Wagon, Light (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 2 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A light wagon is pulled by two horses and can carry up to two cartloads (100 bales/twentyweights) of cargo, or up to 6 passengers (not counting the Drover), or some combination thereof.
Wagon, Medium (Passage Per Mile)
- Cost: 2 cp / per mile
- Weight: -
- Craftable? No
- Skill: -
- Check DC: -
A medium wagon is pulled by a team of four horses and can carry up to four cartloads (200 bales/twentyweights) of cargo, or up to 8 passengers (not counting the Drover), or some combination thereof.