Memories for Sale
The Sensates are not only explorers and hedonists of the highest caliber, but also purveyors of the finest experiences, pleasures and pains. The memory stones of the Civic Festhall are only one of the means available for witnessing other people’s experiences. In addition to partaking of the sensory stones, the aspiring sensate can also purchase distilled dreams, emotions, events, memories and visions. The trade in memory stones, mementos and distilled essences of this kind is strictly regulated and controlled by the Society of Sensation, although a few Prolongers and Incantifiers have also stumbled on these secrets and fuel a growing black market for such goods. Below as some basic price guidelines when dealing in memoria (also known as mementos).
| TYPE | PRICE | EXAMPLES |
| Minute | 1 sp | A bariaur scratching his rump, Getting a bit of pepper in your eye |
| Minor | 1 gp | A duck confit dinner, Howling at the moon, Choking on an expensive cigar |
| Interesting | 1-10 gp | Spriggan's first sexual experience, Wearing a king's crown, Arm smashed by a silver mace |
| Exotic | 11-50 gp | CR 1-5, Hiking through the Viper Forest, Tortured by a Kyton, Poisoned to death with spider venom, Bearing a demon's child, Witnessing a historical event (Battle of Four Quarters, etc.) |
| Rare/Personal | 51-100 gp | CR 6-10, Sleeping on the feathered wings of an archon, Falling in love with a rainbow, Your true love's caress, The smell of your mother, Ransacking the palace of a demon-king |
| Very Rare | 101-500 gp | CR 11-20, Eating coral in the Living Sea on the Astral, Entering the Lost Spire in Pelion, Escaping from Carceri on foot |
| Unique | 500+ gp | CR 20+, Meeting the overgod Ao, Slaying an avatar of Bane, Destroying a major artifact |
MODIFIERS
Unique Lost Price x2This memory is transferred to the recipient and erased from the owner’s mind. Some connoisseurs want to be the sole possessors of a rare memory and so pay extra to have it erased from the original owner’s mind. For example, the Yugoloth bone collector known as Skintight Feargus has paid many a pretty jewel to have the memory of the location of Orcus’ skullish wand be in his sole possession.
Bottled for Distribution x2The owner of the memory agrees to the bottling and distribution of that memory on the wholesale market. Depending on the skill of the Mnemos (memory mage), up to d8 bottles of a memory can be created from a single impression.
Nostalgia Spices x1.5Using the seeds from the very rare nostalgia plant, the memory is enhanced and improved from the original: colours arre more vivid, clothing more expensive, people in the memory are better looking/younger/nicer/smarter, the spells are more magnificent, the villains more dastardly and the dialogue far more witty and interesting. Overuse of this option can turn you into a grumpy old curmudgeon.
Sanitized x1.1The memory is cleaned of any criminal, unsavoury, offensive, lewd or inappropriate elements, as desired by the client and/or the law.
DREAM ESSENCESThese are somewhat cheaper than real experiences because they are more fuzzy and indistinct. The unreal nature of dreams means that the memory of this experience fades much more quickly than that of a ‘solid experience’. As a consequence the memory of the dream fades away after only a few (d6) minutes, although the actual dream trance will last as per the Duration table. Dream essences come in several colours which correspond to an emotion or experience.
| COLOUR | PRICE | EFFECT |
| Blue | 10 gp | Flying |
| Green | 5 gp | Being a tree |
| Red | 20 gp | Killing someone, or drinking blood |
| Brown | 10 gp | Being an animal |
| Purple | 15 gp | Casting epic spells |
| Pink | 25 gp | An erotic dream |
| Yellow | 12 gp | A prophecy |
DISTILLED EMOTIONSThese distillates of pure humanoid emotions can be used in a variety of ways, but their effects are temporary. The extraction process is secret and known only to the dream thaumaturgists of the Sensates and a few Wylders on the Outlands.
| COLOUR | PRICE | EFFECT |
| Blue | 50 gp | Sadness, melancholy, depression |
| Green | 80 gp | Jealousy, envy |
| Red | 40 gp | Rage (regular, not barbarian style) |
| Black | 80 gp | Hatred, anger |
| Yellow | 60 gp | Cowardice |
| Pink | 250 gp | Love, sometimes just Lust |
| Brown | 20 gp | Ennui, laziness |
| Violet | 70 gp | Shame, embarrasment |
| Rainbow | 150 gp | Happiness, euphoria |
DURATION MODIFIERFor dream essences and emotion distillates, multiply the price by this modifier. Memoria last the normal amount (based on INT) and do not fade unless otherwise noted.
TYPE DURATION DOSES PRICE Weak 2d6 rounds most common x1 Strong 2d6 minutes 2 weak = 1 strong x2.5 Potent 2d6 hours 2 strong = 1 potent x5
CURRENTLY ON SALE
Orstel's PigmentationWhile visiting the first ten layers of the Abyss, Orstel painted on himself on a daily basis, sometimes using regular watercolours and oils, and sometimes using his illusionary magic. The reactions of the local demons to his shenanigans are stored in a 30-bottle Collector's Edition on sale now for only 750 gp.
Memories in TriplicateUnfortunately you're not getting 3 for the price of 1 here, but rather a tortuous collection of the memories of a misplaced petitioner making his way through the byzantine bureaucracy of the Hall of Judgement on the Outlands. Each form is filled out in meticulous detail, each signature and chop-block is inked with excruciating precision, and the whole nightmarish process covers 157 uninterrupted days. The most hardcore sensates buy this fiendish memoria as a test of their commitment and stamina. [potent, 15 bottles, regular 805 gp, now only 420 gp]
Thanks to solomanii on the Wizards boards for the kernel of an idea and Talislanta for the dream essence and emotion distillates ideas.
- 497 reads
memories are too cheap. should be more expensive and increase exponentially or logrithmically with each step more rare. other than that good job.