Thu 30 Jan 2020, 12:16
The value of a slave. Sounds horrible, but here goes. I’d say a slave would be considered a beast of burden, rather than an employee. I’d like for the slavers to think of the price for an average slave to be more worth than a donkey, but less than a good horse. So, ranging from 6 silver to 8 gold according to the listed price. Also, it must be possible to break even, compared to hire labor sooner or later. Hired unskilled labor is approximately 3 copper a day. This includes food and shelter, which the slaves would also need. The slaves would not get as good food or lodging though. Let’s say the cost for slaves is 1 copper a day, provided you have the resourses to feed them yourself (farmlands, hunting, fishing) and don’t need to buy food to feed them. So, paying 6 gold for a slave, it would take about 300 days, nearly a year, till the ”investment” starts to pay off, compared to hirelings. Sounds ok. So the price could be 4-6 gold for ordinary workers. Skilled, beautiful or tough slaves could be even more expensive.
I’d also rule a slave works half as hard as a hireling, in effect doubling that cost and taking 1-2 years before break even compared to hirelings.
Ok, so 4-6 gold per slave. Wow, why doesn’t everyone starts kidnapping other people to sell? Well, first off, it’s not something people would like about you and you’d quite soon get a reputation, rendering you a paria in every settlement. Also, in my campaign, Grindbone is pretty much the only place where buying/selling slaves is common. If you want to sell slaves there, you have to pay the slavers guild to get the permission (you don’t want to anger them, or you’ll most likley be up for sale yourself pretty soon). You also have to pay to hire a spot at the market, which is the only place you’re allowed to sell at. If you lack the skills yourself you have to hire a craftsman to groom your slaves, making them look pretty/healthy before sale. (Now, there’s a new career option for a craftsman. Slave groomer.) You might need to pay the local apothecary for drugs to keep your merchandise dosile. You might need to pay rent for place in a pen or the slaves pit when in Grindbone. And guards. Lastly, you have to pay tithes to the Rust brothers for the church to sanction your buisness. These fees would be like 75-85% of the sales price. Remember you’ll also have to feed the slaves from capture till they’re sold, 1 copper a day. Suddenly, the trade of a slaver is much work for a quite modest net profit.
Any thought?