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So I'll post a short list of things I need for this performance. Tulbas, it would be great to have some help. We have 2 days to prepare.

A stage, chairs, a fence -> the price will be to sit in the chairs, others could watch for free but not have a chair.
Someone to collect money -> Haahqae will be busy warming up, needs someone else to collect the seat price and give the money to him/divide it up.
Ale -> Increase monetization of the event by having drinks for sale. Having drinks for sale could be an incentive to get an innkeeper to advertise/supply chairs if needed.
Advertising -> Haahqae will do most of this himself.
A killer performance that gets him in everyone's good books -> He'll be practicing for this, but a little Tulbas magic might help!
A seat price that some/all of the soldiers would be willing to pay and wouldn't scare away customers, but would bring in that cash that Haahqae (and everyone else) desperately needs right now. I'm thinking somewhere in the order of 2-5 silver per seat. (Jaded if you know of prices of tickets for various circus performances or the such, would be good to get some input here, otherwise I'm just guessing)

I would consult chapter 8 of the Complete Bard's Handbook. Although Haahqae is not a bard, I think the rules there are still applicable in determining costs, attendance and how much he'll make.

Lol. Why do I suddenly envision the party turning into a circus...
Come see the flying fire elf! The juggling gnome! the scaaary Minotaur! The fire-proof/fire breathing goblin! The melodious Bard! The beautiful Singing Swordswoman! Dazzling displays of magic by the last surviving Gray Elf (I know, not really, but hey we're putting on a show here.)

We distract the patrons while Shima robs the guards blind. Arulia is the bouncer.

Well, it says this about carnivals:
The term carnival is used here to include any circus, carnival, caravan, or other traveling form of entertainment.

Carnival bands are complex and expensive operations to run, and they include multiple performers. It is easiest for a bard to join in an existing carnival, but if he wants to start his own he has to invest some time and money. The base list of needed assets includes at least one wagon (though a one-wagon carnival is unlikely to see much success), horses or oxen to pull it, entertaining implements, portable performance area (a stage, tents, etc.), several high-quality performers, and the necessary support crew (teamster, cook, carpenter, etc.). Total outlay of gold for such an operation is in the thousands of gold pieces.

The typical fee for a night at the carnival is one electrum piece per person (except infants, who are admitted for free). If this carnival's entrance fee is higher or lower, the Dungeon Master will take this into account when he determines the nightly conditions for the purposes of Table 32 (higher fees effectively improve the conditions, lower fees worsen the conditions).

Haahqae's performance is just one piece of a carnival, not the whole thing and he hasn't invested in all of the oxen/wagon stuff, so I imagine 1 electrum is a rather steep price for a seat-cost.

However "street side performances" sounds more like busking, which this is not. And "Booked Performances" show the income as a total, not a per seat basis, so I assume they're talking about free performances in inns, like what Haahqae does at the steel tankard.

"Shows and Productions" sounds like it might be similar to what Haahqae's doing, except on a more professional scale, with someone to rent out the grand market to him, provide security and everything. Typical admittance fees to productions are 1 gold piece, although really elaborate performances put on in extravagant theaters can range up to a platinum piece or more.

So, judging by that, we might be looking at anything up to 1 steel for the seat costs. Haahqae might low-ball it (5 silver) since the baaz aren't used to this sort of production and have notoriously short tempers.

Yeah, this sounds more like a 'production' to me than anything else.

TristenC wrote:Lol. Why do I suddenly envision the party turning into a circus...
Come see the flying fire elf! The juggling gnome! the scaaary Minotaur! The fire-proof/fire breathing goblin! The melodious Bard! The beautiful Singing Swordswoman! Dazzling displays of magic by the last surviving Gray Elf (I know, not really, but hey we're putting on a show here.)

We distract the patrons while Shima robs the guards blind. Arulia is the bouncer.

I guess that that would be where Arulia's talents would lie in a circus context.

I've been planning/wanting to run a bard-centric game where the characters are part of a touring musical group. The actual bards would be singers, instrumentalists, and such, while the fighters would be bouncers and roadies, the mages in charge of pyrotechnics, the thieves work the crowd, and so forth. Such a tongue-in-cheek feel would lend itself well to Hackmaster, I think.

Hehe. Put me down for a fire-breathing, tumbling, juggling Kender acrobat/rogue please

TristenC wrote:Lol. Why do I suddenly envision the party turning into a circus...
Come see the flying fire elf! The juggling gnome! the scaaary Minotaur! The fire-proof/fire breathing goblin! The melodious Bard! The beautiful Singing Swordswoman! Dazzling displays of magic by the last surviving Gray Elf (I know, not really, but hey we're putting on a show here.)

We distract the patrons while Shima robs the guards blind. Arulia is the bouncer.

Well Haaqae's profession IS juggler, it's how he's payed his way traveling around the world for years. Such a performance is sort of in his field of expertise. Unfortunately, he has neither the time, the motivation nor the ability to gather the entire party into a circus in 2 days. (Too many people don't like him/stayed distant to him, if he tries to find Gregeddin only bad things will happen).

Oh, and Shima's not allowed to rob them blind! (That's my job)

*Is actually a changeling*

Wait, are those even in 2?

Changelings? No, I believe they were created specifically for Eberron, which is a 3E setting.

There are dopplegangers in 2E, though.

Interesting circus concept, although probably hampered by PP being only 5%.

chese780 wrote:*Is actually a changeling*

Wait, are those even in 2?

Tulbas isn't the last Grey Elf either, that's just how he'd be advertised in the circus

Chris1234 wrote:Interesting circus concept, although probably hampered by PP being only 5%.

Don't worry about that, my PP's 25%, we're set!

Perhaps the has has a higher WIS than the player

Technically, the war of the lance isn't 2e