Rules/Rolls for Running a Shop

[Rhun]

the simplest rule is to use the one that already exists.

craft :: D20srd.org
profession :: D20srd.org

you make half your check a week minus expenses. It does not matter if you are a specialty store selling magic items or not, that is the rule for running a shop. If you produce an item, it is a craft check, if you are selling a service (like spellcasting) it is a profession check.

qft!

 

[anest1s]

would give xp but as always wont let me.. dont rem giving you any, but again this is great

im saving all this, might write into an article, for greyhawk journal, or kobold and will give credits. great stuff...

X

one of my female players has an interesting business idea... wishes to make a pit with green slime in it to act as a waste removal facility, channeling the sewers into it, etc. Im still working on the pros and cons, (it wouldnt be in place long before it over grew, was used for assassinations, etc... and the town demands its removal -but not where im going with this) I did this once long ago with a Gelationous cube, but that was for the basement of a mages tower and it was private not public...

What im getting at is they are looking at setting a steady source of income that would not fall under the normal busines model. comments welcome, just an interesting side note

That makes me think....why not everyone does this? I mean, if it is useful humans will start doing it on their own . If they can do it on their own, then it worths less.

I like things like that...a world where everyone uses green slime for garbage disposal, is more realistic than a world using sewers just because we don't have green slime in reality.

 

[Rhun]

That makes me think....why not everyone does this? I mean, if it is useful humans will start doing it on their own . If they can do it on their own, then it worths less.

I like things like that...a world where everyone uses green slime for garbage disposal, is more realistic than a world using sewers just because we don't have green slime in reality.

But green slime is inherently dangerous. There may be laws about having such things in a city or town (or realm for that matter).

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

But green slime is inherently dangerous. There may be laws about having such things in a city or town (or realm for that matter).

Imagine the terror to be unleashed just by dropping a cherry bomb down a public toilet.

Hee hee!

 

[Umbran]

That makes me think....why not everyone does this?

Well, the game doesn't simulate deeply enough for us to say. We can speculate in reverse, however:

Green slime is hazardous. It eats through wood or metal, and it grows as it consumes - so the green slime colony, given constant food, will need constant management.

And, you'll still want the sewer system to get the waste to the green slime (because a household of commoners will tend to get killed by it if you just have it in your outhouse pit). So, the slime doesn't save you much.

 

[Rhun]

Imagine the terror to be unleashed just by dropping a cherry bomb down a public toilet.

Hee hee!

It would sure give those alchemists a bad name!

 

[lordxaviar]

looks like im going to have to let they lie in their own ooze now that they have made it..

Saltmarsh will never be the same lol. Though honestly I dont think I would let it happen, the town council would be against it... as its dangerous, and takes away jobs.

to much technology of any kind is not a good thing for a feudal society

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Well, on the other hand, one might be able to breed a variant of green slime that is a little more... selective... in its dining habits.

Heck, a really benign variant might be something that you just put in a pitcher and pour over your head: it eats off all the grunge and dirt and lice and such, while leaving the bather intact. Basically the D&D version of that anti-septic hand gel stuff.

 

[Jacob]

Back from the session. Nothing happened, and the DM said he wanted to put the shop on hold for the now, even though we can't continue the game until it's settled. Hopefully something is figured in the meantime. Alright, to responses...

the simplest rule is to use the one that already exists.

Craft :: d20srd.org
Profession :: d20srd.org

What I'm curious on figuring out is a little different than selling goods you make in the shop (or basic undefined working in general). I'm interested in selling the surplus item which have either been found or taken from the dead of battle. I assume the Craft/Profession checks can be done on the side of this, or can't be done at all in the midst of this selling. How it's done isn't really spelled out in any book I've read thus far, which is what I'm trying to figure out.

On that note, this is not just about selling magic items in the shop, but MWK and generic items as well. The system I'm looking for would be the same in a world that had no magic shops to speak of. Perhaps that's a good place to start? If I had a lot of nonmagical weapons and armor on my person, how would I go about selling them within certain rules?

It can sell for full value, but you have expenses. Taxes and the like many have already mentioned, but there's one I think got missed.

Security.

You're going to have a building loaded with highly useful, highly expensive items? That sounds like a dungeon, but with fewer monsters - a soft target, easy pickin's as they say - some enterprising adventurers are going to wonder why they should go into the dungeon to find magic items, instead of breaking into your shop for them. You'll require 24/7 security, of the quality to defeat a party of your power or higher. And that's going to be a major overhead cost. And, so while you can sell it for full cost, you have overhead that'll bite into your profits.

As a GM, I'd be happy to just say it all comes out in the wash, and you net 50%, just like you were selling the items normally.

As a GM, I'm not going to let you have your cake and eat it too - if you want to get more money out of those magic items than normal, that means you have to put something into the venture - time (your character tends the shop rather than adventuring), risk (your profits are not assured, or you personally occasionally are threatened) or something along those lines.

I have issue with the bold section, because by doing as such you're completely stomping upon the idea of your PCs have a shop. Instead of going to a merchant and selling what you have for 50%, you're going to have them go through a lot of work, loopholes and challenges for...50%. Not cool!

The expenses and risks you are mentioning are a given for any sort of business, as are the tools of the trade that go into it, the lag of business, etc. But that doesn't mean you only get 50% after it's all said and done. If you're really going to go that route, why would and NPC own a shop if the goods you buy are going to net you the exact amount after selling them?

Let's go from this angle: how does an NPC go about getting a business running and deal with the expenses? After you get that down, apply it for the PC and you have yourself a means to make this work. There really shouldn't be a difference between the two and their goals, and if you say there is, how are there any shops at all in any campaign world?

one of my female players has an interesting business idea... wishes to make a pit with green slime in it to act as a waste removal facility, channeling the sewers into it, etc. Im still working on the pros and cons, (it wouldnt be in place long before it over grew, was used for assassinations, etc... and the town demands its removal -but not where im going with this) I did this once long ago with a Gelationous cube, but that was for the basement of a mages tower and it was private not public...

What im getting at is they are looking at setting a steady source of income that would not fall under the normal busines model. comments welcome, just an interesting side note

Not a bad plumbing or waste disposal idea, though it's dangerous and requires "mechanics" to make sure the slime/ooze doesn't get that large. I mean, really, this same idea was used in the Red Hand of Doom adventure path with a gray ooze. Not bad at all.

 

[lordxaviar]

Well, on the other hand, one might be able to breed a variant of green slime that is a little more... selective... in its dining habits.

Heck, a really benign variant might be something that you just put in a pitcher and pour over your head: it eats off all the grunge and dirt and lice and such, while leaving the bather intact. Basically the D&D version of that anti-septic hand gel stuff.

isnt that from mt zogonia...the evil druidess using the ooze to bathe...