Dungeon Master's Guide
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A letter of recommendation is worth only as much as<br />
the person who wrote it and offer no benefit in places<br />
where its writer holds no sway.<br />
MEDALS<br />
Although they are often fash ioned from gold and<br />
other precious materials, medals have an even greater<br />
symbolic value to those who award and receive them.<br />
Medals are typically awarded by powerful political<br />
figures for acts of heroism, and wearing a medal<br />
is usually enough to earn the respect of those who<br />
understand its significance.<br />
Different acts of heroism can warrant different<br />
kinds of medals. The King of Breland (in the Eberron<br />
campaign setting) might award a Royal Badge of Valor<br />
(shaped like a shield and made of ruby and electrum)<br />
to adventurers for defending Brei ish citizens, while<br />
the Golden Bear of Breland (a medal made of gold and<br />
shaped in a likeness of a bear's head, with gems for<br />
eyes) might be reserved for adventurers who prove their<br />
allegiance to the Brelish Crown by uncovering and<br />
defeating a plot to end the Treaty of Thronehold and<br />
reignite the Last War.<br />
A medal doesn't offer a specific in-game benefit to one<br />
who wears it, but it can affect dealings with NPCs. For<br />
example, a character who proudly displays the Golden<br />
Bear of Breland will be regarded as a hero of the people<br />
within the kingdom of Breland. Outside Breland, the<br />
medal carries far less weight, except among allies of<br />
Breland's king.<br />
PARCELS OF LAND<br />
A parcel of land is just that, and usually comes with a<br />
royal letter affirming that the land has been granted as a<br />
reward for some service. Such land usually remains the<br />
property of the local ruler or ruling body, but is leased<br />
to a character with the understanding that it can be<br />
taken away, especially if his or her loyalty is ever called<br />
into question.<br />
A parcel of land, if sufficiently large, might have one or<br />
more farms or villages on it already, in which case the<br />
recipient is pronounced lord or lady of the land and is<br />
expected to collect taxes, along with any other duties.<br />
A character who receives a parcel of land is free to<br />
build on it and is expected to safeguard it. He or she may<br />
yield the land as part of an inheritance, but can't sell<br />
or trade it without permission from the local ruler or<br />
ruling body.<br />
Parcels of land make fine rewards for adventurers<br />
who are looking for a place to settle or who have family<br />
or some kind of personal investment in the region where<br />
the land is located.<br />
SPECIAL FAVORS<br />
A reward might come in the form of a favor that the<br />
characters can call on at some future date. Special<br />
favors work best when the individual granting them is<br />
trustworthy. A lawful good or lawful neutral NPC will<br />
do whatever can be done to fulfill an obligation when<br />
the time comes, short of breaking laws. A lawful evil<br />
NPC does the same, but only because a deal is a deal.<br />
A neutral good or neutral PC might pay off favors to<br />
protect his or her reputation. A chaotic good NPC is<br />
CHAPTER 7 I TREASURE