Make big bucks with these clerical aides?

I fear my son has not forgiven me. I released him from my dungeons, explained that he had been in the right, and gave him our family sword as an apology - yet he remains sullen and withdrawn. I fear our relationship may never fully recover... and what's worse, the boys has declared that he will set out on his next adventure within the week - and I fear the gulf between us will only grow in his absence.

I have therefore decided to hire a henchman to accompany him; the dwarf in question is a skilled speaker and canny negotiator, and my hope is that his words may help repair the rift between us. I doubt my son will turn down the offer, as the henchman in question is a craftspriest with title of "Craft-curate," and able to cast a variety of useful spells.

The only question that remains is one of budget: If possible, I would like to reduce the cost of the venture by instructing the craftspriest to sell his spells for coin whenever he is in a town.

I read somewhere on these very forums that player characters and henchmen can sell their spells in towns for the prices given in the Spell Availability By Market table on page 54 of the ACKS core rules, and a given market can buy the same quantity of spells as it is able to sell. A craft-curate with two first-level spells and one second-level spell per day, therefore, could sell all three of his spells each day in any class I-V market of, and nearly any class VI market... But if a fourth-level character can reliably sell 60 gp worth of spells each day, why can I hire him for only 200 gp each month? He could earn nine times that by selling his spells in the marketplace!

I suspect my information on how many spells a market will purchase must be inaccurate. Please, Autarchs, tell me how many sold spells a market can really bear.

No, he cannot reliably sell 60gp worth of spells each day. The presumed economics are more like the sort you see with speaking fees for VIPs - where a VIP might get $25,000 for a 15-minute speech, but won't get 32 15-minute speeches per day 7 days per week. Temples and guilds cooperate to reduce supply and maintain pricing power.

I have not done a formal assment of spellcasting demand based on mortality rates or somesuch. If you need a rule of thumb, you can assume that each day a spellcaster has a 25% chance of being called on to cast his highest level spell for pay.

 

 

I also wouldn't let a PC profit from their henchman's spells in that way.  A henchman might sell their spells while in town, but they would do it on their own time and keep the money.

[quote="Alex"] No, he cannot reliably sell 60gp worth of spells each day...  If you need a rule of thumb, you can assume that each day a spellcaster has a 25% chance of being called on to cast his highest level spell for pay. [/quote] Thanks, Alex!

[quote="James K"] I also wouldn't let a PC profit from their henchman's spells in that way.  A henchman might sell their spells while in town, but they would do it on their own time and keep the money. [/quote] Oh? Don't you allow players to command their henchmen to cast spells?

In battle, sure but not for profit.

[quote="James K"]

In battle, sure but not for profit.

[/quote]

 

it's the difference between "you casting this spell is part of my bigger plan that will get us to a hoard of riches" and "i get x% of the money from you casting a spell that you didn't need me to facilitate" 

[quote="Jard"] it's the difference between "you casting this spell is part of my bigger plan that will get us to a hoard of riches" and "i get x% of the money from you casting a spell that you didn't need me to facilitate"  [/quote] To be fair, that's exactly how a lot of jobs work... but I take your point: A henchman who finds themselves only ever doing work they could just as easily do freelance has no strong reason to continue working for that employer.

In any case, in my campaigns, henchmen in town aren't on paid vacation. As long as their employer is paying their wages, said employer is paying for their spells, no matter how poorly they choose to use them.