Concerning Writ of Debt’s

[McGuffin]

A Writ of Debt is a legal document that can be entered in to where one party (the lender) pays or loans money on the behalf of a second party (the debtor). The debtor voluntarily signs this agreement. The Writ of Debt allows the lender to collect any and all income from the debtor, until the amount is repaid in full. The Writ’s authorize the lender to require that the debtor work to repay it or face penalties from the crown such being sent to debtor’s prison and other forms of punishment.

Writs are issued by the banks similar to bank notes. Payments that are made are done in front of a banker and notarized by the banker on behalf of the crown as an agent empowered to maintain the legal documents. These debts can be bought and sold for more or less than the value of the debt amount depending on all sorts of facts such as the likely ability of the borrower to ever repay it.

Writs of Debt are largely considered by most people in Cormyr to be dirty underhanded legal tricks and most people have a strong distain for them. No one enters in to Writ unless they think they can make a quick profit from it or have absolutely no other choice in the matter due to current circumstances.

This is essentially a voluntarily self imposed legal slavery. However certain aspects are protected which allow them to exist without being outlawed as slavery has been.

No person can be forced in to entering a Writ of Debt through any magical means or extortion, blackmail, or fraud. They can only be entered in to voluntarily.

A borrower cannot be forced to do work that would jeopardize their life.
A borrower cannot be forced to do work that is illegal.
A borrower cannot be forced to repay the debt through prostitution.
A borrower cannot be forced to do work that is against their religion.

However beyond that cruel hard labor and humiliating and disgusting types of work can be freely imposed in order to pay the debt.

Violations of Writ of Debt’s regulations are not to be enforced by RCHM but instead reported to and handled by the local authorities. (IE Guards through a DM )

*Added*
This is a device for an ongoing plot that I have. This is not to be used to transfer any wealth from player to player.

This is for DM's and NPC to NPC or PC to NPC role play only. If you want to role play something like this between players you must do through a DM.

[summer]

Question this an agreement from player to a player? This agreement a tool with the dms that are an ongoing plot idea? Reason I am asking if player to player is:

say player A has 500k in gold talks to player B who is 10th level would care for a loan have till next week to pay it off. Player B says sure sounds fine lend me 100k so i can get that Great sword I been saving for last four months still short 100k. Player B takes coins and gets the sword and goes on a tear cause sword improves his character immensely( see twinking rule here).

Dm regulate what is borrowed and payment schedule then?

Summer

[ritefoot]

I hate gold loans in RP.
It passes the whole find items for that cost 100 and sell them or 10 and so in time you have 100 gold to buy the thing you need.
FRC can be hard to get into for new players. That sorta means we all have our friends. This means a level 20 can boost 5 level 5s into epic even faster than we are seeing at the moment.
At the moment we have merchants and this leave inventories at the limit of what they can carry and the types of items to be a mix of every sort of thing. Gold is not like this.
If a level 1 gets 100k they will be getting 20xp a kill when they should be getting 7. In time they will be able to pay this off. But they will from day one have 'pay off debt' on their mind and not RP.
It is a cultural thing for the US to be in debt from two generations back but not all people are like this and for it to be so in FRC just does not sit well.
In the old days people would never get into this type of thing for anything short of their house. In the form of a surf. They would give a portion of what they make and offer their services in the protection of the land.
Now if they had a trade they might be able to have this last for 7 years but mostly it meant forever and their kids were locked into it too. It was hated.
So hated that if your kids left and went to work in the towns they would be free after some years.
They could never go home as they would be arrested for trying to break contract.
It is this that sits in the minds of people back then and not shiny sword. The merchants were willing to do it but them again they could always just kill the lender.
People would fight and were hunted to get and keep their freedoms from this type of thing 800 years ago on earth. FRC has Thay.
Can your lender sell your debt to Thay?
Now one other thing. Why would a lender give you 100k? You are not worth 50 in meat. You could buy a town for less. Why?
In the end all these dungeons are filled with the equipment of those that tried before and lost. Adventurers are not raised every week.
How do they know this guy is different?
Why would you stay in FRC and pay back when Waterdeep is only a few weeks away and you would live like a king.
There are many problems with this!
Should we add this into the world so a few people can be forced to walk about with Pink Hats on their heads?
Rite.

[lakhena]

I think players tend to be too nice to the newbies, letting them off the hook when they should be taking writs of debt or other debts in general. This usually happens in the context of rescues and raising the dead.

I know it doesn't mean much / cost much to your high level pc to do a rescue or raise someone from the dead, etc... but think of the rp potential that gets lost when you say "oh, it's okay! You owe me nothing." Why not take advantage of the low level?

I wouldn't limit this to gold. There are lots of creative ways to collect a debt. It's also not just something an evil person would do. I loved having good pcs hold one over an evil's head. It's not punishment to refuse to raise them -- it's punishment to force them to do a sickeningly good act because they owe you big time for xyz!

Just a few thoughts from a scattered mind.

[EDM Neo]

I think McGuffin's post was mostly to OOCly clarify some background information for a plot he's running, in which writs of debt are important.

[McGuffin]

Feb 20, 2010 4:14:55 GMT -5 summer said:

Question this an agreement from player to a player? This agreement a tool with the dms that are an ongoing plot idea? Reason I am asking if player to player is:

say player A has 500k in gold talks to player B who is 10th level would care for a loan have till next week to pay it off. Player B says sure sounds fine lend me 100k so i can get that Great sword I been saving for last four months still short 100k. Player B takes coins and gets the sword and goes on a tear cause sword improves his character immensely( see twinking rule here).

Dm regulate what is borrowed and payment schedule then?

Summer

This is a device for an ongoing plot that I have. This is not to be used to transfer any wealth from player to player.

This is for DM's and NPC to NPC or PC to NPC RP only. If you want to RP something like this between players you must do through a DM.

[ritefoot]

It is not that it would give no RP it would just take more and not be in context. He lends great potential to power gaming.
Where 'No worry you owe me nothing' for a raise dead
(A new player gets a break, the server might be healthier, a high level does still look like a good guy when it is not a big deal for them. Community Community Community.)
to an epic can now make a few people do simple and limited errands while kitting out the hunting party of one of their Alt characters with stuff others can not afford. It is power through OOC with DM OK.
The thing I am wondering is why would people lend to adventurers? The level of risk would be huge.
Hey the DMs know what they are doing... there should be a limit based on level of the lender. It should not be huge. 1000gp a level max to any given lender. Enforced by law.
Rite.

[McGuffin]

Feb 20, 2010 7:11:26 GMT -5 ritefoot said:

I hate gold loans in RP.
It passes the whole find items for that cost 100 and sell them or 10 and so in time you have 100 gold to buy the thing you need.
FRC can be hard to get into for new players. That sorta means we all have our friends. This means a level 20 can boost 5 level 5s into epic even faster than we are seeing at the moment.
At the moment we have merchants and this leave inventories at the limit of what they can carry and the types of items to be a mix of every sort of thing. Gold is not like this.
If a level 1 gets 100k they will be getting 20xp a kill when they should be getting 7. In time they will be able to pay this off. But they will from day one have 'pay off debt' on their mind and not RP.
It is a cultural thing for the US to be in debt from two generations back but not all people are like this and for it to be so in FRC just does not sit well.
In the old days people would never get into this type of thing for anything short of their house. In the form of a surf. They would give a portion of what they make and offer their services in the protection of the land.
Now if they had a trade they might be able to have this last for 7 years but mostly it meant forever and their kids were locked into it too. It was hated.
So hated that if your kids left and went to work in the towns they would be free after some years.
They could never go home as they would be arrested for trying to break contract.
It is this that sits in the minds of people back then and not shiny sword. The merchants were willing to do it but them again they could always just kill the lender.
People would fight and were hunted to get and keep their freedoms from this type of thing 800 years ago on earth. FRC has Thay.
Can your lender sell your debt to Thay?
Now one other thing. Why would a lender give you 100k? You are not worth 50 in meat. You could buy a town for less. Why?
In the end all these dungeons are filled with the equipment of those that tried before and lost. Adventurers are not raised every week.
How do they know this guy is different?
Why would you stay in FRC and pay back when Waterdeep is only a few weeks away and you would live like a king.
There are many problems with this!
Should we add this into the world so a few people can be forced to walk about with Pink Hats on their heads?
Rite.

Writs of Debt used in this plot are modeled after a similar Medieval English Surf and Vassel program. They are in fact hated. No merchant in his right mind would sign a Writ of Debt to an adventure. The lender in each case evaluates the potential for profit and likely hood of repayment. These Writs of Debt are not common and almost always entered in to due to some sort of dire situation.

[McGuffin]

Feb 20, 2010 9:31:40 GMT -5 lakhena said:

I think players tend to be too nice to the newbies, letting them off the hook when they should be taking writs of debt or other debts in general. This usually happens in the context of rescues and raising the dead.

I know it doesn't mean much / cost much to your high level pc to do a rescue or raise someone from the dead, etc... but think of the rp potential that gets lost when you say "oh, it's okay! You owe me nothing." Why not take advantage of the low level?

I wouldn't limit this to gold. There are lots of creative ways to collect a debt. It's also not just something an evil person would do. I loved having good pcs hold one over an evil's head. It's not punishment to refuse to raise them -- it's punishment to force them to do a sickeningly good act because they owe you big time for xyz!

Just a few thoughts from a scattered mind.

Sorry for not making it clear enough in my orginal post.
This is a device for an ongoing plot that I have. This is not to be used to transfer any wealth from player to player.

This is for DM's and NPC to NPC or PC to NPC role playonly. If you want to role play something like this between two players you must do it through a DM.

[McGuffin]

Feb 20, 2010 11:26:13 GMT -5 EDM Neo said:

I think McGuffin's post was mostly to OOCly clarify some background information for a plot he's running, in which writs of debt are important.

Thank you, Neoseanster, Is correct.

[summer]

I thought you running more so plot but was only guessing thank you for the clarity. Good on you to make a creative plot. Somethign outta the regular slay monsters and get exp and reward..

Summer