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About this List

This is nothing more than a price listing of services and supplies, with some light guidelines for things that PCs often request of NPCs.

Privileges of Membership

The Guild is more of a Men's Club than a Guild. However, the influential members of society will not hire anyone for a scribe's or cartographer's job without being a member of the Guild. Also, the Guild has access to and knows of the majority of exceptional maps and rare books that are not available to the general public. Some maps and books are considered "trade secrets" by religious orders, trading companies, and governments and do not allow their public sale. Likewise, many rare books are part of private libraries, with owners that are keen to keep their secrets to themselves.  Access to those rare items is Guild privilege if it can be negotiated; the Guild restricts copies of such treasures. Being a member of the Guild also lends credibility to anyone pandering maps.

Guild members receive 10% off products and services sold by fellow Guild members as a general rule.

Scribes & Cartographers Guild Products & Services

Notes on the Products and Services

Maps: The world is not as accurately known as ours. Even accurate maps can be seriously flawed; this is accepted amongst cartographers. Foreign maps are always out of date and even more frequently wrong as explorers rarely have the ability to instantly bring their knowledge to cities (let alone towns and villages) and are often engaged with the business of survival, not surveying, in these unknown lands. Unless otherwise noted, maps are considered to be inked in black with no significant art other than a compass marking.  Regions, cities, and towns outside of the nearest 2-3 areas are considered foreign. Have the PC or NPC decide the quality of the map and make one Craft, Cartography roll with a DC of 15.  Additional Modifiers:  +10 for creating a map surveyed from above (i.e.. using scrying, Fly, or Levitate) +5 for creating the map in the area where measurements and landmark relations can be rechecked +0 for creating the map from detailed notes taken at regular intervals (DMs discretion based on map desired) -5 for creating the map from another cartographer's detailed notes -5 for creating a map from quick notes or detailed notes created within days of exploring/surveying the area -10 for creating the map from memory days later -15 for creating the map based on another's description -5 for creating a map without basic equipment +5 for creating a map of a simple area -5 for creating a map a complex area -15 for creating a map of a maze, unstructured chaotic area, or magically confusing area -5 for creating a map of an area surveyed when threatened -10 for creating a map of an area surveyed while under attack

	Treated Paper: Travelers often desire that the paper they purchase have some herbs ground and infused into the paper as it is formed (from cotton, wood pulp, or similar material, depending on region) to deter insects and molds from destroying the book. These treatments have little game effect, other than to explain the preservation of books and maps through the ravages of time and adventuring. Treatments to make the paper resistant to game affects (like fire) are more than rare, and are treated as magic items.
	Books: Research books are sold based on availability. Common topics are available 80% of the time in cities; uncommon are available 60%, and rare only 30%. In towns and villages there is a -25% penalty to the roll. Often, there are duplicates of the common and uncommon books (35% of the time there are 1d4 additional books). Sometimes there are new books written by local Guild members (25% chance in cities that there are 1d3 authors, 5% that one member authors books in small towns and villages); of these, 15% of them will be a true find (selling at one category better); and only 5% of those 15% are exceptional (selling in the rare category and commanding very high prices if the subject is uncommon or rare).
	Inks:  Different inks spread differently over pages, changing the amount of ink needed to cover a page.  A page is equal to one sheet of whatever, listed on the table above. Like the inks, the different sheets/pages absorbs different quantities of ink.  (These concepts are factored into the list above, but are not real-world scientific, they are simply game measurements.)  Inks do fade over time, mostly to shades of brown. Imported inks, like Indigo Blue, are slower to fade, if they do at all. Exotic and purified inks needed for magical maps where the ingredients are crucial to the magics applied to the paper need to be negotiated through the Mage's Guild, and are not listed here.
	Purchasing Policies: The Guild will purchase certain books and items that they can resell if the items are of general interest and in reasonably good shape. Resold items are worth 70-110% of the value listed in the charts above, based on condition and history. (Fair 70%, good 80%, excellent 90%, collectable 100%, desired 110%) Collectable original source books are sometimes purchased in poor condition if they are still readable, but not at the price they would normally command. In general, the guild will pay 40-80% of the resale value of any goods they figure they can resell. Prices are based on previous experience with the Guild and a Diplomacy Check. Have the PC make one Diplomacy roll:  A roll made at DC 30 indicates the Guild will pay 80% of the resale value; 75% for DC 25; 70% for DC 20; 60% for DC15; 50% for DC 10; and 40% for DC 5. A roll of less than DC 5 indicates that the PC is asked to leave and no business is conducted. Additional Modifiers: Guild members add a bonus of +4 to their roll. If the character has never dealt with the Guild before then the roll is at -3 penalty. If the character has had less than Friendly relations with the Guild before then the roll is at a -5 (or more) penalty. If the character has passed cursed, trapped, or poor quality items to the Guild, the roll is at a -10 (or more) penalty. Established good relations and friendly role-playing are generally worth +5 to the roll.

This page designed and written by Catherine Keene, unless otherwise stated. 2001-2005.
Direct comments and site problems to her at: KingsTears@aol.com
This page was updated on Sunday, August 13, 2006