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Volo's Ratings System was the means by which Volothamp Geddarm ranked taverns, inns, shops, alleyways, and so forth in his well-known guidebooks. The categories were as follows:

Pipes[]

Used to rate the quality of inns, which were defined as any establishment that rented beds to travelers. The rating took into account such things as decor, comfort, service, food, et cetera. The criteria did not include pricing.

An inn received a number of pipes from 1pipe being the lowest quality to 5pipes being the highest quality.

Tankards[]

Used to rate the quality of taverns, defined as any public establishment that serves alcoholic beverages. The rating took into account such things as atmosphere, watering of the drinks, service, decor, food (if any), et cetera. The criteria did not include pricing.

A tavern received a number of tankards from 1mug being the lowest quality to 5mugs being the highest quality.

Coins[]

Used to rate the pricing of all businesses. The rating compared the general prices of goods or services against the average for the city/country/region in which the business operated. The rating did not relate to the quality of the goods or services offered.

A business received a number of coins from 1coin being the least expensive to 5coins being the most expensive.

Daggers[]

Used to rate the dangerousness of alleyways, courtyards, et cetera. The rating took into account such things as crime rates and the general propensities of the denizens of the area in question.

An area received a number of daggers from 1dagger being the least dangerous to 5daggers being the most dangerous.

The Menzoberranzan System[]

The city of Menzoberranzan also had ratings for various establishments and they used a five-point system inspired by Volo.

Coin Stacks[]

Used to rate the pricing at all businesses, but not necessarily an indication of quality. A business received a number of coin stacks from 1coinstack being the cheapest to 5coinstacks being the most expensive.

Stars[]

Quality was measured on a scale from 1star as the worst to 5stars as the best.

Skulls[]

Menzoberranzan was not a safe place in general, but certain locations were rated for their level of threat, from 1skull for merely unsafe to 5skulls for extremely deadly.

Appendix[]

References[]

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