Magnimar Laws

Hello All!

I'm just curious - is there any information about laws in Magnimar? I've recently read Guide to Korvosa - and there is a sidebar about crime and punishment. I've also read that Maginmar don't have a lot of laws, but in book dedicated to Magnimar I haven't found these laws.

For example - are drugs outlawed in Magnimar?

Check out Paizo's Magnimar book

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8slp

Check out Paizo's Magnimar book

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8slp

Actually I own this book and there is no info there...

Oh, well, I got nothing for you then. :/

Hello All!

I'm just curious - is there any information about laws in Magnimar? I've recently read Guide to Korvosa - and there is a sidebar about crime and punishment. I've also read that Maginmar don't have a lot of laws, but in book dedicated to Magnimar I haven't found these laws.

For example - are drugs outlawed in Magnimar?

Drugs are not outlawed in Magnimar, but the kinds of activities that they tend to engender (violence and the like) are. In some parts of the city, guards or militia or even just locals eager to stop a problem before it becomes a problem might take matters into their own hands. Drug runners and dealers are pretty sly with their businesses in any event; they know they've got a good thing going and don't want to attract too much attention, and when you get some young upstart who does, the established criminal groups tend to self-police before it becomes a problem that attracts too much attention.

Oh, thank you very very much, James! :)

So in, Magnimar, the authorities are mainly "Good ol' boy" peacekeepers rather than strict law-enforcement judge Dredds, like Korvosa/Cheliax?

I got this impression from the books as well. Plus, out in Sandpoint, which follows Magnimar's "rules" (such as they are), Sheriff Hemlock seems more of an Andy Griffith/Eureka-type of Sheriff (CG).

This makes sense in-universe considering the reason Magnimar was founded.

Don't forget that there are Hellknights in Magnimar. IRIC, they don't really answer to anyone but themselves.

-Skeld

There is also the Bazaar of sails, which basically employs (read: protection racket), it's own security force to prevent theft and pick-pocketing and I imagine also checks for crimes that discourage fair trade (counterfeiting, rigged scales, etc). The law of Magnimar seems happy enough to allow this internal security to exist as long as they do the job they extort money from venders to do.

I think in some ways, while there is less approval from the magnimar law, there is similar amounts of understanding with some of the Scarzni gangs. While the Arvensoar can't approve of the criminal activities of the Scarzni, they probably recognize that if there is, say, a kidnapper that targetted a Varisian community, the Scarzni might find and deal with him first before the law has a chance to.

I encounter this question quite a bit as my PCs are members of the Magnimar Watch (Special Division).

Aside from the violence issue – the greatest harm is to impede commerce.

Various pharmaceuticals, mind-altering alchemical concoctions, and potions of variable utility are commodities – and hence protected by law as part of the natural course of commerce.

Whenever they have an encounter, the first thing my party does is consider if the creature/monster/individual in question is impeding commerce. If so they are officially obligated to intervene.

CJ

Dotted for interest.

This discussion intrigues me. I would like to subscribe to the newsletter. (Read: Dot)

Very Respectfully,
--Bacon

The one thing that I like to remember is that Magnimar was founded on the principle that Korvosa was too confining in its laws. For the most part in Magnimar, it seems that "money talks" and as such, crimes against the wealthy, merchant-types is likely to be met with more expediency than on other subjects. That is not to say that law-enforcement is lax, just a little looser than Korvosa.

I ran a legal scenario for Lyrie's trial in Magnimar, mostly to introduce the city to my players before the AP takes them there. I described the system as "idiosyncratic" on the best of days. With few laws on the books, it really depends on the Justice you get to find out how much the verdict you want will cost you. In my game, they were thrilled to learn they got one of the honest ones - after all, Sheriff Hemlock has had some success in the past with Justice Ironbriar, so they actually had to prosecute their case without worrying too much about grift.

In general, I would say there isn't such a thing as "case law" in Magnimar. One Justice is free to ignore the previous rulings of another Justice, making their system of government crumbling under its own weight. Freedom from oppressive law is just as bad as oppressive law and all that.