Stationers' Guild

The Stationers' Guild

Stationers' Hall, the High Road and the Way of the Dragon, Trades Ward

Personages

Guild Master

Lady Master Stationer Phembra Baroon

Primary Contact

the Master

Other Guild Members

Membership: 600+ None

Membership

Livery

White robes, with a black quill pen on the breast

Dues

Entry Dues: 15 gp • Annual Dues: 1 gp/month

Goods & Services

• Books: Pages: quarto (10gp per 100pg), octavo (5gp per 100pg), folio (50gp per 100pg), plus covers • Calligrapher's Supplies: 10gp • Covers: leather, basic (–), leather, decorative (+10gp, +20gp, +40gp), leather, fine (+20gp, +40gp, +80gp), cloth (–), wood, basic (–), wood, decorative (+10gp, +15gp, +30gp), wood, fine (+12gp, +25gp, +50gp), metals, decorative (+18gp, +35gp, +70gp), metals, fine (+50gp, +75gp, +100gp) • Forgery Kit: 15gp, but sold as a limner's kit • Ink (2oz bottles): plain black (2gp), plain black non-fading (8gp), colors (5-7gp), colors, nonfading (16-20gp), spell (75gp) • Paper (12" x 20"): scrip (2cp/sheet), ragpaper (2cp/sheet), parchment, average (2sp/sheet, up to 1gp for very large sheets), parchment, vellum (4sp/sheet, up to 2gp for very large sheets) • Pens: quill (2cp ea), metal nib (2-4sp, depending on design) • Sealing Wax: 5sp-2gp (based on color) • Seals: 12gp for each design or likeness; requires Herald's affidavit • Signet Rings: 5cp to 5gp (based on metal); requires Herald's affidavit

Member Shops

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Faction Details

Common Descriptors: Studious, detail-oriented, scholarly Primary Classes: Any Alignments: Any

Faction Ranks

• Apprentice: Renown 1. You are apprenticed to a master within the Guild. • Journeyman: Renown 3+. You have completed your Journeyman's Work, and may now work within your guild's specialty, albeit under the direction of a master. • Master: Renown 10+. You are an acknowledged master of your art in your own right.

This guild consists of those artisans who make both parchment paper and the cheaper rough-finished variety known in Waterdeep as “"scrip."” The guild also produces its own ink, blotters, colored waxes for seals, gilt ink for use in illuminating documents, metal pen nibs, and the like. It also imports many large feathers from the South for use as fine quill pens. All guild members have their own secret recipes for preparing special paper, but the guild does supply its members with fine parchment (made in Stationers’ Hall) and the other products of their trade, at a discount.

Notable Members

• Lady Master Stationer Phembra Baroon: The guildmaster of the Stationers' Guild is a half-elven alchemist whose inks are considered some of the finest in the North. It is well known that she spends most of her year making specialty inks for Candlekeep's scriveners, and the rest of her year making the fine spell-inks used in the scribing of spellbooks. She is also known to be good friends with Rusella Varandal, the Herald of Waterdeep.

Faction Ranks

Stationers in good standing have the following ranks.

Apprentice (Rank 1)

Prerequisite: Stationers' Guild renown 1+

• Master: You have a master for whom you work. You are provided a Lifestyle free of charge (usually "Poor"), and are expected to dedicate at least one tenday every month in downtime activity toward working in the master's shop. This functions like the Training downtime activity except that you do not run the risk of Training Complications. Once you have completed a number of these Training workweeks to gain a new proficiency, you gain proficiency in the Stationers' Tools tool proficiency. If you already have this proficiency, you may instead gain proficiency in Calligrapher's Supplies or Forgery Kit. You also gain a point of Stationers' Guild renown.
• Journeyman's Work: Rank 2 • Special Mission. The only mission that gains an Apprentice another point of renown is the completion of the Journeyman Work. This is a DC 20 Intelligence (Stationer's Tools) test, which takes a tenday of the Work downtime activity. Each tenday put into a specialized downtime activity called Journeyman Work Preparation reduces the DC of this test by 1. When the apprentice is ready, the test is performed. If failed, the guild declines to elevate the apprentice, who must remain an apprentice for another year before trying again. If successful, the journeyman piece is accepted, and the student gains a Rank of Guild faction, becoming a Journeyman.

Journeyman (Rank 2)

Prerequisite: At least three months at Rank 1 and Stationers' Guild renown 3+

• Working Assistant: You may now be taken in as a journeyman employee in a master's shop. You have the right to take the Work downtime action within the Stationers' Guild's area of vocation, adding a +1 to the check. You may not run your own business or open your own shop within Waterdeep, however, by the laws of the Guild, as long as you are a member of the Guild.
• Experienced Journeyman: Renown 5+ You are well-known for your skill, and an asset to any master's shop. You may add a +2 to the result of taking the Work downtime action in your guild's area of vocation. You also gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill, as your experience in a shop has given you some talent at bargaining and haggling.
• Master's Work: Renown 6 • Special Mission. The only mission that gains a Journeyman another Rank is the completion of the Master's Work. This is a DC 24 Intelligence (Stationer's Tools) test, which takes a tenday of the Work downtime activity. Each tenday put into a specialized downtime activity called Master Work Preparation reduces the DC of this test by 1. When the journeyman is ready, the test is performed. If failed, the guild declines to elevate the journeyman, who must remain a journeyman for another year before trying again. If successful, the journeyman piece is accepted, and the student gains a Rank of Guild faction, becoming a Master.

Master (Rank 3)

Prerequisite: At least one year at Rank 2 and Stationers' Guild renown 10+

• Master: You are accorded a master of the Stationers' Guild, giving you a vote in its political affairs and your own Master's Seal. You now have the right to open a shop practicing the vocation you have learned although some of this rank choose to continue to work for other masters (especially if they are working on saving up enough coin to start their own shop). Stationers shops operate at a minimum of Poor quality.
• Master's Touch: When crafting items using your stationer's tools, calligrapher's supplies, or forgery kit proficiencies, you get 10gp worth of work done per day, instead of the normal 5gp.
• Guild Loan: Masters in the Guild are entitled to arrange a loan from the guild, in an amount equal to your Guild Rank x 50gp. This does not accrue interest for the first year, and then accrues 10% monthly thereafter. You cannot gain another loan while you still owe one.
• Shop: When you open and run a shop, the longer the shop successfully operates, the more attention and renown you attract for your craft. This is handled via the Establishing a Business downtime action. The following benefits accrue after the indicated amount of time that your shop has been in operation.
  • Master's Reputation: For each year your shop is in operation, gain a +1 bonus to the monthly Business Roll due to a growing reputation.
  • Renown: Gain a point of Stationers' Guild renown for each six months your shop is in operation.
  • Apprentices: For each year your shop is in operation, you attract 1d3 apprentices. Apprentices are considered Unskilled hirelings, which you are expected to maintain at Poor Lifestyle. Each apprentice remains with you for (1d6 x 6) months, after which they either become journeymen (60%) or prove themselves unfit for the vocation (40%).
  • Journeymen: For every four apprentices that come through your shop, you attract one journeyman. Journeymen are considered Skilled hirelings, which you are expected to maintain at a minimum of Modest Lifestyle. Each year, a journeyman has a chance equal to 20% + 10% per additional year spent in your employ of becoming masters. If this check ever results in a 91% or higher, the journeyman simply doesn't have what it takes to ever become a master, and remains a journeyman for the rest of their careers.

Guildmaster (Rank 4)

Prerequisite: At least three years at Rank 3, Stationers' Guild renown 25+, and the majority vote of the masters of the Stationers' Guild

• Master of the Guild: The guildmaster is in total control of the Guild's finances and various holdings, established by the laws of Waterdeep. The guildmaster has control of the guild's coffers and can give commands to its membership. Guildmasters wield a great deal of influence in Waterdeep, on the level of the heads of noble houses, and are often involved in a variety of intrigues and business undertakings. The guildmaster lives at a Wealthy Lifestyle, paid by the guild.