Real-Estate
Apr 30, 2014 16:14:02 GMT
Post by Adele on Apr 30, 2014 16:14:02 GMT
This thread describes the rules and details surrounding real-estate used in Dol-Terias. We describe the rules for building real-estate, the way cost is calculated and the procedures that must be followed, both by players and by DM's, in regards to real-estate. For the purposes of the chat, real-estate is any piece of land that is cultivated or built upon.
Step By Step Guide
1. Idea
The first step in the process surrounding real-estate is a player having a desire or idea to build a base, or a DM having an idea of setting up a small building as a reward for a big storyline. For purposes of narrative we will presume a player, but the same process goes for DM's. Before proceeding with the idea, the player should get a clear idea of the scale they want to achieve, the general features they want their building to have, etc.
In Dol-Terias we use the Stronghold Builders Guide as a reference for the cost of walls and the cost of stronghold components. No other options are available, and only stone and wooden walls can be used. We encourage players to look into this to get a sense of the scale and cost of things.
2. Formal Proposal
Based upon the idea, a formal proposal should be drafted. It is wise to get in touch with a DM at this point and talk to them about your idea to help you flesh it out. Any DM can help you in this. The formal proposal should include at minimum, the following information:
- Stronghold Components used
- Construction Materials (stone or wood walls?)
- The location of the Building
- The Location Factor of the location (see below)
- A cost estimate based upon the above points
- The full name of the PC or PC's who are doing the purchasing
- A Building Blueprint (i.e. a map), which lists where each stronghold component is located.
- Any and all special details of the building and surrounding area
- Your Forum username and PC(s) involved in the building process.
Optionally, the following additional information can be provided to help get a feel for things. Having a good feel with the idea helps the DM team see the benefits of the construction and increases the odds of approval.
- Description of the building as a whole
- Description of the major rooms
- Friendships of the PC who is building that may be useful (i.e. with the local Lord, with the masons guild, neighbours, etc.)
- Positions of the PC that may be relevant (i.e. a cleric building a church, etc.)
- Anything else you may feel is relevant
The formal proposal should be emailed to the leading DM (Sean, Alan, Lucas, Adele).
3. Reception of Proposal
After the document is sent in, the leading Dungeon Master will check the document to make sure it meets with the minimum criteria. If any required information is missing, or if information is incorrect, your proposal will be refused. In that case, you will receive an e-mail which will list the reason for refusal.
Reasons for refusal may include, but are not limited to:
- You have not provided all the information required in a formal proposal.
- Your cost estimate does not match the components and construction materials used.
- The size of your building / map does not match with the components purchased. For example, your bedroom is 50 by 50 feet despite only purchasing stronghold components for a 20 by 20 feet area.
- Your building is structurally unsound, for example if the second floor is significantly bigger than the first or if your building has more than four floors.
- Your PC is an outlaw or otherwise has no access to construction crews
If all required information is present and no errors are found, you will receive an FPM saying that your proposal has been taken into consideration. You may expect this email within a week of sending it in, except during periods the leading DM is absent (which would be announced) in which case there may be a longer delay.
Once it is taken into consideration, the leading DM will schedule the proposal to be discuss during a DM meeting or on the private DM boards, preferably the next, but this depends on the time to the next meeting and the workload of the team. The DM meeting for which it is scheduled and the date of that meeting will be in the email you receive.
4. Discussion in the DM team
At the appropriate DM meeting, your proposal will be discussed by the team. They will give opinions on the building, any details they spot that might need adjustment and any considerations such as the local population being against the idea, responses from factions, etc.
The DM team will hold a vote in which you need a majority to approve your proposal. The DM team may require changes be made in which case you will be contacted regarding these. They may also impose cost penalties or bonuses depending on the appropriateness of the building and other details.
You will be FPMed the decision of the DM team in the week following the DM meeting. It will include the decision, relevant points made by the team and any additional cost or benefits. If your proposal is denied, it will contain the reason, which may or may not be fixable. If you feel it can be fixed based upon the reasons for denial, you are free to submit a new formal proposal following the normal steps, or you can come up with a new idea and propose that instead.
The FPM will also list a caretaker DM, usually the person who helped you with the formal proposal. The caretaker DM will guide you through the construction process. The caretaker DM has some plots and stories for you, based on the DM team meeting, so be careful ^_^
5. Permission, Payment, Problems
Before construction can begin, you need to get permission from the Lord owning the land if you are building outside the city, or if want to build inside the city, from either the Council (Doltanbran) or the High Lord (Terias). This may require diplomatic skills, bribes or missions being performed, or it could be that you already have enough favour with the Lord that they say yes immediately. That is, if you are able to get an audience at all. In some cases, you may not deal with the Lord himself but with an administrator or family member. The caretaker DM will help you with the scene or scenes required for this.
With permission, you can pay for the construction. Payment is made in full before work is started, as materials need to be purchased up front. The caretaker DM will remove the gold from your sheet and add a note regarding the start of construction.
Construction is done by a team of skilled workers which are hired as part of your purchase price. These workers are organized in a masons guild which ensures that there are not too many and not too few working on the project, which guarantees the quality of the workmanship, etc. In general the construction will take 1 OOC month for every 1000 gp. Thus, a building costing 2500 gp will take three months to complete. In some cases, especially for expensive structures, construction may be faster. The caretaker DM will inform you of this.
However, that is all presuming nothing goes wrong. The caretaker DM may run one or more stories surrounding problems with the building. This may bring additional benefits, or additional cost or it may just require some adventuring or roleplaying to solve the problem. Anything could happen!
After all problems have been resolved, construction is completed and the head mason will give you a tour of your new building and you will be handed the key. The caretaker DM will add this to your sheet and will then register your completed building with the DM team. Congratulations! You just became the proud owner of some real-estate!
Location Factors
Not all locations are the same. When you want to build in a specific location, there may be an increase in cost to be paid for that. This includes costs such as purchasing and demolishing existing buildings, difficulty delivering materials to the location, additional taxes and fees or simply the fact that others want your location as well, making it more expensive to acquire.
Location Factors are a factor over the base price of your building. You calculate the cost of walls and rooms and multiply this by the location factor. This replaces the factors in the Stronghold Builders Guide. If a feature or location is not listed below, please contact a DM and the team will make a ruling.
If you want multiple location features, you apply both factors consecutively. In all cases the DM team may rule certain combinations impossible. For example, you cannot have a house that is both in the Hive and next to the Temple of Anvarol for obvious reasons.
Location Factor (Multiplier)
- Doltanbran - Alleys (1.2)
- Doltanbran - Hive (0.8)
- Doltanbran - Nobles' District (2.0)
- Doltanbran - Marketplace (1.5)
- Terias - Streets (1.2)
- Terias - Docks (1.1)
- Terias - Roses Square (1.5)
- Close to City Feature [Such as Tavern or Temple. Apply to each feature.] (1.1)
- Within Two Miles of the City [Outside the City] (1.1)
- Inside Forest [Outside of City] (1.1)
- Next to Main Road [Outside of City] (1.1)
- Riverside [Outside of City] (1.1)
- On a Small Hill [Outside of City] (1.2)
Laws Regarding Real-Estate
Dol-Terias has some laws specifically related to real-estate. These are In Character laws, which means they can be 'bent' by characters so inclined, but punishment for this may be severe. Regardless, guild workers will not build illegal constructions, so if you break the law you will need to hire shady figures who may or may not be trustworthy.
If your building reeks heavily due to industry being practised there, animals being kept or for any other reason whatsoever, you will be ordered to clean this up within a week. If the stench continues afterwards, you must pay a fine of 5 crowns per day.
If your building features a privy which dumps waste or excrement on a neighbours land, in their cellar, etc, you will be fined a sum of 10 crowns to be paid to the neighbour.
If your building collapses or suffers structural failure, the head mason will be held responsible for all costs resulting from this and will be made to repair the damages free of charge. If someone dies or is seriously injured during this event, the head mason will be punished as if he had deliberately and intentionally inflicted this injury or death as a criminal act. If necessary, his assets will be seized to pay for the damage to be fixed by a more competent mason.
The only exception to the above law is if the head mason can prove the damage was caused by an external source, such as an earthquake or if the owner of the building is being punished by the Gods.
If you have on your property weapons or armour beyond those you could reasonably need for yourself and your people or if you own siege weapons of any kind, the penalty is death by hanging. To be clear, this might be a hundred longswords for a family of four, or if you have balista's or catapults on your roof. If you happen to have a few extra swords in your basement, nobody will mind.
You may put up an open, wooden fence around your property to keep in livestock, but your local Lord may order you to remove it at their leisure. If you fail to remove it, the lord may order his men to do it for you and your livestock might 'run off' during these events into the possession of his men.
No building or group of buildings may have surrounding walls, be they hedges or wood or stone, that is higher than 2 feet. If you build such a wall, the Lord's men will tear down your wall without warning, taking parts of your properties in payment for their work, as they believe is fair. You cannot contest their judgement so this is generally bad for you.
No building may be higher than three floors, have battlements, barbicans, gatehouses, a portcullis, drawbridges, moats, machicolations, turrets, murderholes or other fortifications without express permission from the Lord, nor may actual defensive walls with or without crenelations be put up. If you build these without permission from the Lord, he will come visit you with his army, lock you and your family and friends inside the house and burn it down to the ground.
Windmills and watermills may not be built within five miles of other mills. Both require a permit.
The penalty for building illegally is the forfeiture of the mill to the lord.
Exceptionally large constructions require an oath of faelty be made to the local Lord. You must swear to work in his service and be available as one of his men in times of war. In return you may receive additional privileges such as the right to levy tax on local farmers, the right to forage or hunt game in the area or the right to collect toll on a nearby road or bridge. OOC note: this will be determined by the DM team.
Rules Regarding Real-Estate
- Dol-Terias also has some OOC rules related to real-estate. These are Out of Character laws and you cannot bend or break them.
- No building may be higher than 5 floors. Buildings higher than this require special supports not available to normal individuals.
- No building may have more than two floors below ground. There is no technology that can dig that deep without groundwater filling up the cellar and without causing instability to the walls.
- No magical architecture or spellcasting is available to reduce cost. You may not even cast them yourself – builders despise magic being used where they work.
- If you plan to use your building as a place of business, please submit the business with your request so we can judge on the package as a whole instead of looking at separate components.