D&D 5E Those poor farmers!

[Ed_Laprade]

Also Innkeepers, Shopkeepers, and those who own a trading post or noble estate. According to the chart on page 127 of the DMG, not only do none of these people make any money from these, they actually have to pay for the privilege of running them!

Ok, so I assumed that the text would clear this up and explain how these time honored money makers actually made money. Nope. All it says is that PCs who own one might be able to make a profit from one, and that's it!

Fail, big time!

 

[Pickles JG]

You have the wrong game. This one is about adventurers killing thimgs and taking their stuff. You want Agricola (nb also one where farmers do not make oodles of money)

 

[Fanaelialae]

It's on DMG pg 129, under Running a Business. Presumably a farmer is running his business full time, so he has a 10% chance of losing money, a 20 % chance to break even, and a 70% chance to make money.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

It's on DMG pg 129, under Running a Business. Presumably a farmer is running his business full time, so he has a 10% chance of losing money, a 20 % chance to break even, and a 70% chance to make money.

that's much better odds then opening a FLGS in this economy...

 

[Greatwyrm]

The market for food is a bit larger than the market for games.

 

[Mouseferatu]

The market for food is a bit larger than the market for games.

Not necessarily. Haven't you ever heard of game animals?

...

I'll show myself out.

 

[SkidAce]

Not necessarily. Haven't you ever heard of game animals?

...

I'll show myself out.

Laugh...because there is no groan.../grin

 

[Fanaelialae]

The only thing I'd change about the Running a Business rules is the flat 5 gp multiplier.

As it stands, running a farm is much more potentially profitable than running an inn because your potential for profit is the same, but your expenses are 10 times less when running the farm. When you roll well, they both generate the same profit, but when you roll poorly the inn will cost you a lot more than the farm.

What I think I'll do is change the multiplier to be the maintenance cost (rather than a flat 5 gp). That way the farm costs less to maintain but makes less, whereas the inn is a riskier proposition in terms of expenses but also stands to make more profit.

 

[seebs]

I do wonder, though, about the flat cost of "owning" a shop. A merchant prince can't possibly actually be making money, every store they own costs them additional money and doesn't bring in more revenue.

 

[Ahrimon]

A merchant prince doesn't follow the rules in the DMG. Those rules are guidelines for an adventuring player to own a business on the side. Your farmers, tavernkeeps, merchant princes, etc fortunes rise and fall at the will of the DM.

If you wanted to get a bit deeper into the players becoming merchant adventures, you'll have to extrapolate on those rules a bit and expand them for your purposes. But for what they are, they work fine IMO.