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Alternate Forms of Fantasy Currency

Started by Porklet, March 14, 2009, 04:13:32 PM

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Porklet

Quote from: Garanth
Quote from: Lord Vreeg
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Porklet
Quote from: Higgs BosonHow about something created magically? Like have government mages "printing" the money, and they have a unique magical aura, depending on which government mage imbued the coin.

Or, you could just not have currency at all, but instead a free bartering system.

I had considered a magical aura, but the layman peddler would have no way of ensuring the currency was legit.
In a fairly high magic world, there could be minor magic items that detected the government mage's aura.  Depending on how expensive they are and how wealthy/generous the govt. is, it could be possible that they are simply distributed to each business.
That was I alluded to earlier.  Much as moneychangers had scales as tools, which were VERY expensive often, I can see some barely magiced items able to determine very specific items.


You could also have some sort of trick that a layman could use to roughly ward against forgery. Something like how people would bite gold coins to determine whether they were real.

Perhaps touching the imbued coin with their tongue or finger, and judging the legitimacy of it based on how the magical aura makes their skin tingle.

I had considered having the coin sing if immersed in water or squeezed or sang to.  It would be a simple act.  It might work, but magic in this world is not a common everyday occurence (PC's notwithstanding).  Magic usually has a more devestating or historic-level effect.  I'll have to think on that.

Pair o' Dice Lost

Quote from: GaranthYou could also have some sort of trick that a layman could use to roughly ward against forgery. Something like how people would bite gold coins to determine whether they were real.

Perhaps touching the imbued coin with their tongue or finger, and judging the legitimacy of it based on how the magical aura makes their skin tingle.

Cold iron is often said to be harmful to magic and fey and that sort of thing, so perhaps touching a piece of worked iron to a "coin" would cause a ripple, or a color change, or something else as the magic was temporarily disrupted.  You could even use that to differentiate denominations--the "prism" coin changes color, the "spark" causes a small flash of light, the "pool" ripples and the edges liquefy slightly, etc.
Call me Dice--that's the way I roll.
Current setting: Death from the Depths; Unfinished Setting I'll Probably Get Back To At Some Point: The Living World of Glaesra
Warning: This poster has not maxed out ranks in Knowledge (What the Hell I'm Talking About).

Pair o' Dice Lost

Double post.  Damn quote button being next to the edit button....
Call me Dice--that's the way I roll.
Current setting: Death from the Depths; Unfinished Setting I'll Probably Get Back To At Some Point: The Living World of Glaesra
Warning: This poster has not maxed out ranks in Knowledge (What the Hell I'm Talking About).

Nomadic

Quote from: Porklet
Quote from: Elemental_ElfI always thought it would be cool for a magical medieval currency to be in the form of a magical snake tattoo that wraps around one's arms and body. It would be divided into small equally sized scales. Each scale would be given an arbitrary value (probably based on how rare/common the scales are). To transfer money, one would have to inscribe a small transmutation circle and place one's hand and another's inside the circle, perhaps speak a few words, and the scales would crawl/slide off one man's arm, across the circle and crawl up the other man's arm.

What I think I find most interesting about this idea is that one cannot truly hide how rich one is. Granted you could wear long sleeves but a brigand/bandit, or even a local Lord, could easily hire some thugs to strip you bear. It would definitely make taxation a much easier process, as well as theft. To hide one's wealth, a person could transfer their scales to a slave/trusted friend but that's just as risky as handing a sack of money to a similar person in our world, if not more.

Nomadic offered up something similar.  It certainly is an imaginative idea.  I would be more inclined to use that as a transfer of power in a small magical group like a cabal or religous institution.  Perhaps used during a power transfer ceremony.

One could counterfeit it my simply being tatooed.  Then the currency would need some sort of magical aura or design feature to show the tatoo was legit.  My main obstacle, so far, has been how to use a magical aura, or something similar, without leaving the layman peddler at the mercy of the system.

Well with my version you could make yourself look rich with tattoos yes. However, when the time comes to pay the piper you would not be able to do so. The tattoos are transferred through the will of the mind, floating from the person willing the transfer to the person/item that they are transferring it too.

I see this as creating interesting systems. Payment detailing not only what tattoo will be transferred for what item, but where on the body/item to put it. Note also that one can freely marks off an item to themselves. So while nobody can steal marks off a person they can steal them off an item. Note that a corpse counts as an item so threats of killing you and taking your marks could be very real. Anyhow I doubt it would be the only currency. You would have other more standard types while the marks themselves were counted as a higher type due to their symbolism of wealth and beauty. Most everyone wants them because of the social impact just like most everyone wants a new car or fancy motorcycle.

Porklet

Quote from: Pair o' Dice Lost
Quote from: GaranthYou could also have some sort of trick that a layman could use to roughly ward against forgery. Something like how people would bite gold coins to determine whether they were real.

Perhaps touching the imbued coin with their tongue or finger, and judging the legitimacy of it based on how the magical aura makes their skin tingle.

Cold iron is often said to be harmful to magic and fey and that sort of thing, so perhaps touching a piece of worked iron to a "coin" would cause a ripple, or a color change, or something else as the magic was temporarily disrupted.  You could even use that to differentiate denominations--the "prism" coin changes color, the "spark" causes a small flash of light, the "pool" ripples and the edges liquefy slightly, etc.

I could do something similar.  I am never opposed to throwing up obstacles for spellcasters.  I don't want to use iron.  So I would have to come up with something else.  Perhaps a mineral useless for anything but large scale building.  So access to the mineral would be widespread, and it could disrupt the magic flow in or around it.  I'll have to think on that one.

Porklet

Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Porklet
Quote from: Elemental_ElfI always thought it would be cool for a magical medieval currency to be in the form of a magical snake tattoo that wraps around one's arms and body. It would be divided into small equally sized scales. Each scale would be given an arbitrary value (probably based on how rare/common the scales are). To transfer money, one would have to inscribe a small transmutation circle and place one's hand and another's inside the circle, perhaps speak a few words, and the scales would crawl/slide off one man's arm, across the circle and crawl up the other man's arm.

What I think I find most interesting about this idea is that one cannot truly hide how rich one is. Granted you could wear long sleeves but a brigand/bandit, or even a local Lord, could easily hire some thugs to strip you bear. It would definitely make taxation a much easier process, as well as theft. To hide one's wealth, a person could transfer their scales to a slave/trusted friend but that's just as risky as handing a sack of money to a similar person in our world, if not more.

Nomadic offered up something similar.  It certainly is an imaginative idea.  I would be more inclined to use that as a transfer of power in a small magical group like a cabal or religous institution.  Perhaps used during a power transfer ceremony.

One could counterfeit it my simply being tatooed.  Then the currency would need some sort of magical aura or design feature to show the tatoo was legit.  My main obstacle, so far, has been how to use a magical aura, or something similar, without leaving the layman peddler at the mercy of the system.

Well with my version you could make yourself look rich with tattoos yes. However, when the time comes to pay the piper you would not be able to do so. The tattoos are transferred through the will of the mind, floating from the person willing the transfer to the person/item that they are transferring it too.

I see this as creating interesting systems. Payment detailing not only what tattoo will be transferred for what item, but where on the body/item to put it. Note also that one can freely marks off an item to themselves. So while nobody can steal marks off a person they can steal them off an item. Note that a corpse counts as an item so threats of killing you and taking your marks could be very real. Anyhow I doubt it would be the only currency. You would have other more standard types while the marks themselves were counted as a higher type due to their symbolism of wealth and beauty. Most everyone wants them because of the social impact just like most everyone wants a new car or fancy motorcycle.

I do like the visible wealth status aspect of it.  I agree about corpses being items.  However, in what way could a marking be stored elsewhere?  Who makes these tatoos?  Are they reserved for those of great wealth?  Are they religious or magical in nature (other than the obvious enchantments involved)?  Intriguing...

Nomadic

Quote from: PorkletI do like the visible wealth status aspect of it. I agree about corpses being items. However, in what way could a marking be stored elsewhere? Who makes these tatoos?  Are they reserved for those of great wealth?  Are they religious or magical in nature (other than the obvious enchantments involved)? Intriguing...

It would be just like transferring it to another person except it would be put on the item. People could use that to transfer marks over distance when they couldn't go themselves, or perhaps create a secret bank. Banking it by placing them on items is risky as anyone can steal the marks, but on the other hand it hides your wealth. As to their making like I said they were the seals to the temples of an ancient god. People discovered one of these finds and brought them back with them, and they sort of drifted their way into the local monetary system. Their rarity has made them sought after and they have been attributed with all kinds of powers (though questionable in truth). There is never a lack of treasure hunters looking to uncover a new temple and get wealthy, and from time to time it still happens.

Porklet

Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: PorkletI do like the visible wealth status aspect of it. I agree about corpses being items. However, in what way could a marking be stored elsewhere? Who makes these tatoos?  Are they reserved for those of great wealth?  Are they religious or magical in nature (other than the obvious enchantments involved)? Intriguing...

I really like this idea, but more in the vein of these ancient and rare tatoos as a form of social status altering jewelry.  That also brings up some other questions.  I am wondering what religious conotations bearing one of these marks might convey?  Does it give its bearer magical abilities or access to magery?  Is it sentient, acting like a Spirit Vessel?  They would essentially be living relics of an ancient god or spirits bound in tatoo form.

I do have four Elder Gods that have faded from memory.  Their children are the gods of this world, but their symbology and essences permeate all things divine.  In fact, their children are nothing more than facets of the older and greater gods.  These tatoos could be passed down from time immemorable.  One deals with elves and Fey folk, and another is confined to one race/nation of isolated people.  However, the other two are juxtaposed and quite active in all affairs of humanity (as a force not a consciousness).  Having pre-historical living tatoos of another divinity and time makes for a good story, interesting mechanics, and has a number of adventure hooks.  I'll will have to muse on this.