LostSoul
Adventurer
The PCs in my game have taken control of a couple businesses. I felt a need to come up with some way to resolve how much money they get from those businesses.
Here it is:
Each business has a level. This is based on how big, important, and potentially profitable the business is. A single normal farm is a level 1 business; a town like Winterhaven is level 10.
Each business cycle - this depends on the business in question, but as a general rule a fiscal quarter/season sounds right - whoever's been running the business makes an appropriate skill check to determine if the business has been profitable or not. The DC is Hard for the level of the business.
If the check is a success, the business generates profits equal to a random monetary treasure packet of the level of the business.
If the check is a failure, the business runs a loss equal to 1/2 that amount.
If the check is a tie, it breaks even.
Making checks: Whatever skill or ability that makes sense is used. I'll decide this based on whatever actions you're taking. Maybe I should put the default skill next to the business, and some Secondary Skills that can be used as Aid Another; they can be used for the main check, but at a -2.
So:
Orest's shop, being a pretty important trading spot for the entire Nentir Vale, is level 8. Default skill: Insight (for haggling). Secondary skills: Arcana, Diplomacy, History (for laws, trade routes). Business cycle: Quarterly.
The Lucky Gnome Taphouse, being a run-down, seedy tavern, is level 3. Default skill: Diplomacy (for making customers feel at home). Secondary skills: Streetwise. Business cycle: Quarterly.
Other, more complex, potentially useless junk:
Staff: A good staff can aid you. A sheriff in a village, a good bartender or cook, etc. Sometimes you might need a whole bunch of guys, though a highly-skilled individual can do quite a lot. They will expect to be paid; each Aid Another check will reduce the amount of profit (or increase the loss) by 10%, more or less. Recruiting staff requires a check, which can be modified by how much you want to pay; it's a Moderate check of the level of the staff you want.
Silent Partners: If you want an NPC to run the business for you, he'll make the roll. You can make an Aid Another check to help him out if you do some work (or if your reputation is just that awesome). He'll take a chunk of the profit. Recruiting a manager is a Hard check.
Crime: You can increase the level of a business by engaging in criminal activity. If you do this, you can roll Streetwise or Thievery (and sometimes Intimidate) as the main skill. If you fail, someone's going to jail; generally bribes and fines and bail to get them out will double the normal amount of loss.
Out of Business: When you take a loss and you don't have enough money to cover it, it loses a level. Once it hits level 0, it's gone. Someone else might come along and try to take it over. Towns can turn into villages and villages into ghost towns.
Competition: If there's strong competition, you'll have to make an opposed roll in addition to making the DC. If you beat the opposed roll you hurt their business; they have a -2 penalty to the next check they make. If you fail, you have a -2. This is cumulative. You still need to make the DC in order to turn a profit (so you can put someone else out of business this way by giving them a huge penalty). This penalty resets (for all competetors) each time any business loses a level.
Get a Job!: If you want your PC to do some work, he can get a job working for someone else. Make a Moderate check of whatever level you want; get 10% of the treasure packet if you succeed. Nothing happens if you fail.
Improving a Business: To raise a business a level, spend 1/2 the total monetary treasure of the next level and make a Hard check of that level. If you succeed, it gains a level. You can't always do this and it takes some time between checks.
Building or Buying a Business: If you want to build a business from the ground up, spend the total monetary treasure of that level and it's yours. This takes some time. It might be less to buy an existing business.
Here it is:
Each business has a level. This is based on how big, important, and potentially profitable the business is. A single normal farm is a level 1 business; a town like Winterhaven is level 10.
Each business cycle - this depends on the business in question, but as a general rule a fiscal quarter/season sounds right - whoever's been running the business makes an appropriate skill check to determine if the business has been profitable or not. The DC is Hard for the level of the business.
If the check is a success, the business generates profits equal to a random monetary treasure packet of the level of the business.
If the check is a failure, the business runs a loss equal to 1/2 that amount.
If the check is a tie, it breaks even.
Making checks: Whatever skill or ability that makes sense is used. I'll decide this based on whatever actions you're taking. Maybe I should put the default skill next to the business, and some Secondary Skills that can be used as Aid Another; they can be used for the main check, but at a -2.
So:
Orest's shop, being a pretty important trading spot for the entire Nentir Vale, is level 8. Default skill: Insight (for haggling). Secondary skills: Arcana, Diplomacy, History (for laws, trade routes). Business cycle: Quarterly.
The Lucky Gnome Taphouse, being a run-down, seedy tavern, is level 3. Default skill: Diplomacy (for making customers feel at home). Secondary skills: Streetwise. Business cycle: Quarterly.
Other, more complex, potentially useless junk:
Staff: A good staff can aid you. A sheriff in a village, a good bartender or cook, etc. Sometimes you might need a whole bunch of guys, though a highly-skilled individual can do quite a lot. They will expect to be paid; each Aid Another check will reduce the amount of profit (or increase the loss) by 10%, more or less. Recruiting staff requires a check, which can be modified by how much you want to pay; it's a Moderate check of the level of the staff you want.
Silent Partners: If you want an NPC to run the business for you, he'll make the roll. You can make an Aid Another check to help him out if you do some work (or if your reputation is just that awesome). He'll take a chunk of the profit. Recruiting a manager is a Hard check.
Crime: You can increase the level of a business by engaging in criminal activity. If you do this, you can roll Streetwise or Thievery (and sometimes Intimidate) as the main skill. If you fail, someone's going to jail; generally bribes and fines and bail to get them out will double the normal amount of loss.
Out of Business: When you take a loss and you don't have enough money to cover it, it loses a level. Once it hits level 0, it's gone. Someone else might come along and try to take it over. Towns can turn into villages and villages into ghost towns.
Competition: If there's strong competition, you'll have to make an opposed roll in addition to making the DC. If you beat the opposed roll you hurt their business; they have a -2 penalty to the next check they make. If you fail, you have a -2. This is cumulative. You still need to make the DC in order to turn a profit (so you can put someone else out of business this way by giving them a huge penalty). This penalty resets (for all competetors) each time any business loses a level.
Get a Job!: If you want your PC to do some work, he can get a job working for someone else. Make a Moderate check of whatever level you want; get 10% of the treasure packet if you succeed. Nothing happens if you fail.
Improving a Business: To raise a business a level, spend 1/2 the total monetary treasure of the next level and make a Hard check of that level. If you succeed, it gains a level. You can't always do this and it takes some time between checks.
Building or Buying a Business: If you want to build a business from the ground up, spend the total monetary treasure of that level and it's yours. This takes some time. It might be less to buy an existing business.
