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:[1][2][3][4][5][6][note 1]
Volo's System[]
Pipes[]
Pipes were used to rate the quality of inns,[1][2][3][4][5][6] which were defined as any establishment that rented beds to travelers. The rating took into account such things as décor, comfort, service, food, et cetera. The criteria did not include pricing.[speculation]
An inn received a number of pipes from 
being the lowest quality to 
being the highest quality.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Tankards[]
Tankards were used to rate the quality of taverns,[1][2][3][4][5][6] defined as any public establishment that served alcoholic beverages. The rating took into account such things as atmosphere, watering of the drinks, service, décor, food (if any), et cetera. The criteria did not include pricing.[speculation]
A tavern received a number of tankards from 
being the lowest quality to 
being the highest quality.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Coins[]
Coins were used to rate the pricing of all businesses.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The rating compared the general prices of goods or services. The rating did not relate to the quality of the goods or services offered.[speculation]
A business received a number of coins from 
being the least expensive to 
being the most expensive.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Daggers[]
Daggers were used to rate the dangerousness of alleyways, courtyards, lanes, et cetera.[1][2][3][4][5][6] 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 
being the least dangerous to 
being the most dangerous.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The Menzoberranzan System[]
Guides to the city of Menzoberranzan in the late 1400s DR also had ratings for various establishments and they used a five-point system inspired by Volo's.[7]
Coin Stacks[]
Stacks of coins were used to rate the pricing at all businesses, but not necessarily an indication of quality. A business received a number of coin stacks from 
being the cheapest to 
being the most expensive.[7]
Stars[]
The quality of an establishment was measured on a scale from 
as the worst to 
as the best.[7]
Skulls[]
Menzoberranzan was not a safe place in general, but certain locations were rated for their level of threat, from 
for merely unsafe to 
for extremely deadly.[7]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ As Volo's ratings system has never been defined beyond a score out of 5, the following descriptions are presumed based on how it used in practice.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 4. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Ed Greenwood (1993). Volo's Guide to the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 4. ISBN 1-5607-6678-6.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), p. 4. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Ed Greenwood (January 1996). Volo's Guide to the Dalelands. (TSR, Inc), p. 4. ISBN 0-7869-0406-2.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Ed Greenwood (July 2000). Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. Edited by Duane Maxwell, David Noonan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-1626-5.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Brian R. James, Eric Menge (August 2012). Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 86. ISBN 978-0786960361.