[Wids]

Oh, that's right. I still need to finish that Liber, don't I? Maybe on my next Tuesday off....


Just a few more ideas:


Mountaineer Pack

"This haulbag contains various bolts, pins, anchors, springhooks, belaying cords, rappelling cords and other climbing gear used to scale or descend mountains, crags and other sheer precipices.

Possessing this Mountaineer Pack will allow its bearer to traverse either of the Escarpments, thus safely climbing or rappelling into whichever region lies beyond the Escarpment. Most of the climbing gear in the Mountaineer Pack must be destroyed or left behind in order to secure the climb, making this pack a one-use item consumed during the transition."


Special Contract of Employment

"Whether through conquest, bargaining, favormongering, coercion or extortion, you have secured the services of a special hireling. As with any merchant, this hireling may be placed in any suitable marketplace lot or inside a house entitled to the bearer. Use of this contract will summon the bearer's choice of hireling (though members of the Merchant/Mercenary and Red Wizard factions will receive discounts to the hireling's periodic wages, as always):"


• Solicitor - This hireling may only be placed inside a house. The solicitor is charged with the task of collecting entrance fees, donations or other dues from visitors to the establishment.

(PCs may voluntarily give donations to the Solicitor in order to support the owner's house or place of business. Even if chests and other containers could accept Gold (and they can't), they would be vulnerable to theft. The Solicitor provides a viable means of collecting Gold from any grateful or generous PCs. In addition, since it can be assumed that NPCs frequent the establishment as well, the Solicitor generates a small amount of income for the owner to collect (ie. 3d6 Gold per day).)


• Guard - This hireling may only be placed inside a house. The Guard ensures the security and well-being of the proprietor's house. Any vandals, lockpickers, thieves, assailants, murderers or other ne'er-do-wells caught by the Guard in the course of their crimes shall be swiftly met with force.

(If a PC steals furniture, bashes a door or picks a lock in a house that doesn't belong to him/her, there is only a chance that a Legionnaire will respond to the crime. The presence of a Guard elevates this from a mere chance to a certainty, as the Guard will not only respond with his/her own force of arms but will sound the alarm and summon the Watch as well. By speaking with the Guard, the owner may invest Gold towards the Guard's equipment and training; thousands of Talons in wage bonuses, rewards and disbursements may be what separates the gruff but dull-witted rookie Guards from the seasoned, eagle-eyed veteran Guards.)


• Bartender - This hireling is proficient in the art of pouring, serving, mixing and advising on the many beverages which pass through Thay's many trade routes. The owner may decide which foods and drinks are served by the bartender, though the costs and variety of the sustenance served will reflect in the Bartender's annual dues.

(The Bartender is just what he sounds like: A merchant who sells food and booze, typically found inside Thay's many taverns and inns. Bartenders may be placed in houses or in market lots, though the latter will be more akin to a roadside peddler of refreshments than a proper barkeep. Players may dictate what the Bartender serves by placing drinks and foodstuffs in his inventory, after which the Bartender will sell and serve an unlimited number of each item. Bear in mind that the Bartender's menu will affect how much his contract renewal costs; a bartender who serves nothing but mead and ale will be far, far cheaper than a bartender who serves everything from ale to Evermead and Undermountain Arulyath.)


• Prostitute - A courtesan specializing in the arts of carnality. What manner of brothel could make do without suitable representation from the world's oldest profession? Prostitutes are also known for serving various temples as a more enticing way for the priests to gather tithes from the throngs of faithful. Be sure to keep your harlot properly fed, groomed and healthy in order to secure greater returns.

(For the aspiring pimp or madam, there's the Prostitute. They function just like any other prostitute, courtesan or whore on the server (as far as exchanging Gold for XP and/or temporary buffs), except that the Prostitute's owner can visit the Prostitute to collect a portion of whatever Gold the Prostitute has earned from servicing any passing PCs. On placing the Prostitute, the owner gets to choose the Prostitute's Race and Sex, as well as dictating the amount which the Prostitute charges; higher fees will ensure better XP as well as a healthier Prostitute who bestows more buffs and/or better buffs and who's less likely -- or completely unlikely -- to inflict disease on his/her clients, though the Prostitute's higher fees must be supported through corresponding investments from the owner's Gold; willpower alone isn't going to transform your scraggly opium whore into an international, Upper Class call girl. The owner's Level and/or Notoriety affects the number of races available; if you want to peddle a balor out as your hooker (you sick bastard), then you'd better be ready to scramble for Level 18 and more Notoriety than your local Tharchion. For the sake of fairness, the owner can't use the sexual services of his/her own Prostitute; let's keep the relationship professional, you whoremongers....)


• Priest - Some adventurers are devotees of certain patron gods, so much so that they often use the proceeds from their adventures to found an annex, shrine or chapel to the god of their devotion. At the behest of his/her Church, this Priest has been called to such a place of worship and attends it and its throngs of faithful tirelessly.

(When placed, the Priest's Deity will match that of the PC owner, and for simplicity's sake, the Priest's Alignment will match that of the deity. The Priest, in his or her base form (as summoned with the Special Contract) will be at the same approximate rank as a friar or a deacon of the Church: The Priest may sell a few minor potions and healing items (such as Poultices and ordinary Bandages) and may only offer wound healing for his/her services. Whether through gains in Level, gains in Notoriety and/or invested Gold, the owner may increase the prowess and prestige of the Priest, eventually increasing the Priest's goods all the way up to Potions of Heroic Ability and the Priest's offered services as high as Resurrection.)


Input and counter-suggestions go here. How 'bout it? :)