Code Legal

Waterdeep’s laws are necessarily extensive, covering a wide range of possible crimes and situations, as tends to be the case in a place where so many have lived and traded for so long. All laws are then interpreted and enforced by the Black Cloak Magistrates.

## The Code Legal - Laws of Waterdeep

***I. Crimes against Lords, Officials, and Nobles:***

* **Assaulting or impersonating a Lord:** death
* **Assaulting or impersonating an official or noble:** flogging, imprisonment up to a tenday, and fine up to 500 silver shards
* **Blackmailing an official:** flogging and exile up to 10 years
* **Bribery or attempted bribery of an official:** exile up to 20 years and fine up to double the bribe amount
* **Murder of a Lord, official, or noble:** death
* **Using magic to influence a Lord without consent:** imprisonment up to a year, and fine or damages up to 1,000 silver shards
* **Using magic to influence an official without consent:** fine or damages up to 1,000 silver shards and edict

***II. Crimes against the City:***

* **Arson:** death or hard labor up to 1 year, with fines and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus 2,000 silver shards
* **Brandishing weapons without due cause:** imprisonment up to a tenday and/or fine up to 10 silver shards
* **Espionage:** death or permanent exile
* **Fencing stolen goods:** fine equal to the value of the stolen goods and edict
* **Forgery of an official document:** flogging and exile for 10 summers
* **Hampering justice:** fine up to 200 silver shards and hard labor up to a tenday
* **Littering:** fine up to 2 silver shards and edict
* **Poisoning a city well:** death
* **Theft:** flogging followed by imprisonment up to a tenday, hard labor up to 1 year, or fine equal to the value of the stolen goods
* **Treason:** death
* **Vandalism:** imprisonment up to a tenday plus fine and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus up to 100 silver shards
* **Using magic to influence an official without consent:** fine or damages up to 1,000 silver shards and edict

***III. Crimes against the Gods:***

* **Assaulting a priest or lay worshiper:** imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to 500 silver shards
* **Disorderly conduct within a temple:** fine up to 5 silver shards and edict.
* **Public blasphemy against a god or church:** edict
* **Theft of temple goods or offerings:** imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to double the cost of the stolen items
* **Tomb-robbing:** imprisonment up to a tenday and damages covering the cost of repairs plus 500 silver shards

***IV. Crimes against Citizens:***

* **Assaulting a citizen:** imprisonment up to a tenday, flogging, and damages up to 1,000 silver shards
* **Blackmailing or intimidating a citizen:** fine or damages up to 500 silver shards and edict
* **Burglary:** imprisonment up to 3 months and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 silver shards
* **Damaging property or livestock:** damages covering the cost of repairs or replacement plus up to 500 silver shards
* **Disturbing the peace:** fine up to 25 silver shards and edict
* **Murdering a citizen without justification:** death or hard labor up to 10 years, and damages up to 1,000 silver shards paid to the victim's kin
* **Murdering a citizen with justification:** exile up to 5 years or hard labor up to 3 years or damages up to 1,000 silver shards paid to the victim's kin
* **Robbery:** hard labor up to 1 month and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 silver shards
* **Slavery:** flogging and hard labor up to 10 years
* **Using magic to influence a citizen without consent:** fine or damages up to 1,000 silver shards and edict

## Punishments

Punishment for a crime can include one or more of the following, based on the nature of the crime, who or what the crime is committed against, and the criminal record of the convicted:

* **Death**
* **Exile** (for a number of years or summers)
* **Flogging** (a set number of strokes)
* **Hard labor** (for a period of days, months, or years de- pending on the seriousness of the crime)
* **Imprisonment** in the dungeons of Castle Waterdeep (for a period of days or months depending on the seriousness of the crime)
* **Fine** (payable to the city; inability to pay the fine leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
* **Damages** (payable to the injured party or victim's kin; inability to pay damages leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
* **Edict** (forbidding the convicted from doing something; violation of an edict can result in imprisonment, hard labor, and/or a fine)