Licenses

In Waterdeep they call it a license. In Amn it’s a writ. In Skullport it’s a knife to the ribs. Call it what you like — it’s the price of doing business.

— Elaith “the Serpent” Craulnober (elven crime lord, exile)

Licenses are formal permits or charters granted by rulers, councils, or guilds. Unlike noble birth (inherent) or organizational membership (conditional), a license is transactional: it grants a specific privilege in exchange for coin, loyalty, or paperwork.

Licenses are highly regional — common in bureaucratic cities like Waterdeep, rare in rural villages, and nonexistent in lawless realms like Skullport. DMs should use licenses as both a gold sink and a story hook: forging papers, bribing officials, or hunting counterfeiters are all classic adventurer problems.

How Licenses Work

• A license upgrades or modifies a Right code for the character.
• Example: A Spellcasting License in Waterdeep upgrades Right of Spellcasting: L → D (licensed casters may use defensive spells).
• Licenses are revocable if abused.
• Licenses may require renewal fees (yearly or per use).
• Some licenses are only available to citizens or to members of approved guilds/factions.

Common Types of Licenses by Right

Right of Arms

• Arms Permit — Allows carrying martial weapons within city walls.
• Armor Permit — Authorizes wearing heavy armor in public.
• Mercenary Charter — Grants authority to fight for pay within the city or its lands.

Right of Spellcasting

• Spellcasting License — Basic permit to use leveled spells in public.
• Enchantment/Illusion License — Special writs to use charm or disguise magic legally.
• Travel License — Allows teleportation, planar travel, or flight within city limits.
• Necromancy Writ — Rare; permits funerary or sanctioned necromancy (usually under strict oversight).

Right of Beasts

• Familiar License — Allows magical familiars in public.
• Exotic Beast Permit — Grants right to keep owlbears, wolves, or other unusual animals.
• Mount License — Permits riding hippogriffs, giant lizards, or similar creatures inside city walls.

Right of Trade

• Merchant’s Permit — General license to buy and sell goods beyond subsistence.
• Salvage Charter (Adventurer’s License) — Allows adventurers to sell dungeon loot without confiscation.
• Relic Permit — Grants right to export or sell magical/ancient items.

Right of Faith

• Clerical Writ — Official recognition as ordained clergy; grants spellcasting rights equivalent to licensed casters.
• Shrine Permit — Allows establishment of a shrine or small temple.
• Temple Charter — Formal charter granting tax-exempt land and noble-like influence for a major temple.

Right of Status & Justice

• Bounty Charter — Permits hunting criminals and collecting rewards (legalizes vigilantism).
• Letter of Marque — Authorizes privateers to raid enemies of the state.
• Duel Permit — Sanctions resolution of disputes by combat under city law.

Right of Movement

• Travel Writ — Grants passage through city gates without inspection.
• Caravan Charter — Covers entire caravans, including beasts and guards.
• Curfew Exemption — Allows travel during restricted hours.

Regional Flavor Examples

• Waterdeep — Nearly every Right can be licensed; the Watchful Order manages magic, guilds manage trade, and noble councils manage arms and beasts.
• Neverwinter — Lord Neverember issues most licenses personally; fees are high but confer strong legitimacy.
• Fort Leilon — Vexmoors issue Salvage Charters cheaply but strictly monitor adventurers.
• Baldur’s Gate — Licenses exist but are corrupt; almost anything can be bought with the right bribe.
• Skullport — No official licenses; the closest equivalent is a crime syndicate “protection contract.”

DM Guidance

• Use licenses as gold sinks: annual fees, bribes, renewals, or fines for violations.
• Treat licenses as story hooks: counterfeit papers, stolen charters, or rivals accusing PCs of faking.
• Licenses are flexible levers: they can shift Rights one or two steps, but they never make PCs untouchable.

Licenses Quick Reference

Notes for DMs

• Prices are deliberately high — they’re meant as money sinks at adventuring tiers. Adjust for tone (low for gritty, high for bureaucratic).
• Licenses scale with settlement size — in a village, an “Arms Permit” might be free if you buy the reeve a drink; in Waterdeep, it’s an official paper sealed in wax.
• Revocation risk — PCs who abuse privileges can lose licenses, opening plot hooks (appeals, bribes, revenge).
• Counterfeit papers — great adventure seed: maybe the PCs think they’re licensed, but the clerk was a fraud…