How to run a business in Dnd?
- Thread starter Dog Moon
- Start date
painandgreed
First Post
For a quick and dirty way of handling it, I'd probably run it like an investment. Determine how much they're goign to sink into the business. Putting more money into the busines means trying to sell a better product to a richer clientelle. Make a DC 10 Profession check every month. Every point above or below the target DC represents a 1% gain or loss on the original investment. Double this for every 10 above or below. So a total check of a 20 results in a 20% payout on original investment. Apply various situational modifiers as DM determines due to war, supply, demand, ect.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
How I figure DC = Income (sp)/# labour units/Weeks
eg I emply 100 people for 5 weeks meaning a cost of 3500sp
he attempts to make 500sp so
DC = 5000/100/5
DC = 10
Giving a profit of 5000 - 3500 = 1500sp for 10 weeks
Then add modifiers for circumstance eg trade ban => DC + 10, Bumper crop => DC - 5
eg I emply 100 people for 5 weeks meaning a cost of 3500sp
he attempts to make 500sp so
DC = 5000/100/5
DC = 10
Giving a profit of 5000 - 3500 = 1500sp for 10 weeks
Then add modifiers for circumstance eg trade ban => DC + 10, Bumper crop => DC - 5
Dog Moon
Adventurer
Thanks for the help. I've gotten some good ideas. I figure I'll modify a formula a little and add a couple of modifiers. I guess it might be better to keep it a little general. I probably don't need a complex formula.
I'm not playing dnd because I want to run a small business, but it fits my character concept and fantasy allows us to do what we can't in real life.
For the other thing, most of this discussion is occurring when we're not playing, so I won't be taking time away from the group. Also, my cohort will be running the things for me. She's one of those 'Behind the scenes' cohorts.
Well, thanks again.
I'm not playing dnd because I want to run a small business, but it fits my character concept and fantasy allows us to do what we can't in real life.
For the other thing, most of this discussion is occurring when we're not playing, so I won't be taking time away from the group. Also, my cohort will be running the things for me. She's one of those 'Behind the scenes' cohorts.
Well, thanks again.
Jesus_marley
First Post
Hire a weasley little guy with "The Torch" in his name. Works every time....
EDIT: Ooops... Misread the title. Thought it said how to RUIN a business in DnD. hehe.... hmmm
EDIT: Ooops... Misread the title. Thought it said how to RUIN a business in DnD. hehe.... hmmm
Amal Shukup
First Post
What is it with brothels? My players opened one too. High quality establishment (live entertainment - tasteful! - and so forth). Their plan was to:
a) Hire a trusted General Manager - actually, their trusted (and well paid) business factor (NPC) did the hiring. This shouldn't require the Leadership Feat - you don't need a feat to have employess, or friends... Particularly when you throw some cash around.
b) Set it up nice. They (bit of a handwave) spent 1000 GP fixing the place up. They also regulary donate key bits of art and such they find while adventuring.
c) Figure out expenses/incomes ONCE (and fairly off the cuff too) and just let it run. The sheet looks like:
_________________________________________
One Time Costs
Refurbishment, Furnishings: 1000 GP
(Amortized): 20 GP/Week
_________________________________________
Expenses
Rent: 50 gp/Week
Upkeep: 5 gp/Week
Staff
- General Manager (1) 125 GP/Week
- 'Companions' (5) 500 GP/Week + Tips
- Chef (1) 10 GP/Week
- Kitchen Staff (2) 5 GP/Week
- Maintenance/Maids (2) 2 GP/Week
- Bartender (1) 5 GP/Week + Tips
- Wait Staff (1) 5 GP/Week + Tips
- Livery (2) 2 GP/Week
- Security (1) 2 GP/Week
Musicians/Entertainment 20 gp/week
Booze 25 gp/week
Food 10 gp/week
Protection Money N/A
Graft N/A
_________________________________________
Income
- Drinks 200 gp/week
- Food 50 gp/week
- Livery Services 10 gp/Week
- Companionship 650 gp/Week
_________________________________________
Average Net Weekly Income = 124 GP
Avg Net Yearly Income = 4526 GP (10 day weeks, 36 of em/year + 5 holidays)
Yearly Taxes 10% = 453 GP
Net Yearly Income = 4073 GP
The results are fabulous from a Role Playing point of view:
Most of the staff are named, fully developed NPCs - some of whom help drive plots (some staff went missing a while ago - promptiing a multi-national [multi-plane!] adventure that brought them from 10th to 12th level or so...). One of the Livery boys is the kid of a local businessman they deal with regularly. The Chef is an NPC from a module I ran...
Heck, the bouncer is a retired PC, left in a holding pattern...
The party is fairly powerful, and negotiated arrangements with the local guilds. One (smaller) crime organization that got too in their face was simply wiped out...
The place is fairly large, provides a 'home base', ties them to the community, serves as the stage for cool things (the Bard rolled her best evah Perform check there once - high 30's... Creating one of those 'legendary' performances...)
The party also enjoys substantial bonusses to Gather Information checks, because their General Manager has mad interpersonal skillz and works the joint... Gives me lots of opportunities to feed info to the party in character.
But it doesn't take any of their TIME, they just get income (or not - depending on circumstances. Over the course of a year, 5K one way or the other just doesn't make any difference to mid to high level PCs.
A'Mal
a) Hire a trusted General Manager - actually, their trusted (and well paid) business factor (NPC) did the hiring. This shouldn't require the Leadership Feat - you don't need a feat to have employess, or friends... Particularly when you throw some cash around.
b) Set it up nice. They (bit of a handwave) spent 1000 GP fixing the place up. They also regulary donate key bits of art and such they find while adventuring.
c) Figure out expenses/incomes ONCE (and fairly off the cuff too) and just let it run. The sheet looks like:
_________________________________________
One Time Costs
Refurbishment, Furnishings: 1000 GP
(Amortized): 20 GP/Week
_________________________________________
Expenses
Rent: 50 gp/Week
Upkeep: 5 gp/Week
Staff
- General Manager (1) 125 GP/Week
- 'Companions' (5) 500 GP/Week + Tips
- Chef (1) 10 GP/Week
- Kitchen Staff (2) 5 GP/Week
- Maintenance/Maids (2) 2 GP/Week
- Bartender (1) 5 GP/Week + Tips
- Wait Staff (1) 5 GP/Week + Tips
- Livery (2) 2 GP/Week
- Security (1) 2 GP/Week
Musicians/Entertainment 20 gp/week
Booze 25 gp/week
Food 10 gp/week
Protection Money N/A
Graft N/A
_________________________________________
Income
- Drinks 200 gp/week
- Food 50 gp/week
- Livery Services 10 gp/Week
- Companionship 650 gp/Week
_________________________________________
Average Net Weekly Income = 124 GP
Avg Net Yearly Income = 4526 GP (10 day weeks, 36 of em/year + 5 holidays)
Yearly Taxes 10% = 453 GP
Net Yearly Income = 4073 GP
The results are fabulous from a Role Playing point of view:
Most of the staff are named, fully developed NPCs - some of whom help drive plots (some staff went missing a while ago - promptiing a multi-national [multi-plane!] adventure that brought them from 10th to 12th level or so...). One of the Livery boys is the kid of a local businessman they deal with regularly. The Chef is an NPC from a module I ran...
Heck, the bouncer is a retired PC, left in a holding pattern...
The party is fairly powerful, and negotiated arrangements with the local guilds. One (smaller) crime organization that got too in their face was simply wiped out...
The place is fairly large, provides a 'home base', ties them to the community, serves as the stage for cool things (the Bard rolled her best evah Perform check there once - high 30's... Creating one of those 'legendary' performances...)
The party also enjoys substantial bonusses to Gather Information checks, because their General Manager has mad interpersonal skillz and works the joint... Gives me lots of opportunities to feed info to the party in character.
But it doesn't take any of their TIME, they just get income (or not - depending on circumstances. Over the course of a year, 5K one way or the other just doesn't make any difference to mid to high level PCs.
A'Mal
Last edited:
In the medieval world, people tended to only track whether their commercial empire as a whole was financially helpful. These are the days before double entry bookkeeping when people couldn't easily tell if they were making profits. In fact, they barely thought in those terms -- the key issues were whether they had enough money, power and status to get what they wanted and to be treated in the way they wanted.
If you're in one of those campaigns that goes for a medieval feel, a "realistic" pattern would be for many of your businesses to lose money but for this loss to be masked by their relationships to the other businesses. Also, if you actually run the kingdom, as opposed to just owning stuff in it, often everything you were doing would be a money loser and the only thing keeping you going would be taxes and tolls.
If you're in one of those campaigns that goes for a medieval feel, a "realistic" pattern would be for many of your businesses to lose money but for this loss to be masked by their relationships to the other businesses. Also, if you actually run the kingdom, as opposed to just owning stuff in it, often everything you were doing would be a money loser and the only thing keeping you going would be taxes and tolls.
Unless you're running "Anal: The Bookkeeping" (sorry ) I'd say the best way to do it is:
1. The GM extracts a large sum of money from the PCs in start up costs, I think you're past this stage.
2. The GM says that with wealth from the business, free use of brothel etc, the PC's standard of living has gone up (eg from the 30gp/month standard to the 200 gp/month standard) along with a commensurate rise in their social status.
3. If the PC wishes to regularly extract money from the business to fund other non-investment stuff, put their standard of living (& commensurate social status) back down to the 100gp/month level, & let them have 2d4x10gp a month to play with.
) I'd say the best way to do it is:1. The GM extracts a large sum of money from the PCs in start up costs, I think you're past this stage.
2. The GM says that with wealth from the business, free use of brothel etc, the PC's standard of living has gone up (eg from the 30gp/month standard to the 200 gp/month standard) along with a commensurate rise in their social status.
3. If the PC wishes to regularly extract money from the business to fund other non-investment stuff, put their standard of living (& commensurate social status) back down to the 100gp/month level, & let them have 2d4x10gp a month to play with.
Two written sources on this are the Enchiridion of Treasure and Objects D'Art (ST Cooley via rpgnow) which has rules for the profession skill (including how followers affect the skill check and how they need resources) and Dragon 268, which has an article on investing money into a business. The latter is 2nd ed. but can be converted rather easily.
Hurtfultater
First Post
I played in a Planescape game in which we almost started an investment bank/insurance company. The setting was tailor made for it, as the Lady will enforce contracts, making for a good business environment. Our procedure was something like this:
0) Be a bunch of intelligent, amoral, inhuman pedants. Also, make characters like that.
1) Secure startup capital. In this case it was real estate.
2) Get a pit fiend to owe you a favor.
3) Make the pit fiend a silent partner and legal counsel. Making him your silent partner gives him a vested interest in your success and gets valuable networking done. Making him legal counsel makes contract negotiations go better.
4) Start financing adventurers. Since d20 SEC hasn't been released, get other people to underwrite expeditions while you get kickbacks on suppliers and subcontractors.
5) Make preperations to utterly hose a prime material plane. This is where the euphemism 'providing market fluidity' and some fast talking will get those weak-stomached Neutrals on your side.
0) Be a bunch of intelligent, amoral, inhuman pedants. Also, make characters like that.
1) Secure startup capital. In this case it was real estate.
2) Get a pit fiend to owe you a favor.
3) Make the pit fiend a silent partner and legal counsel. Making him your silent partner gives him a vested interest in your success and gets valuable networking done. Making him legal counsel makes contract negotiations go better.
4) Start financing adventurers. Since d20 SEC hasn't been released, get other people to underwrite expeditions while you get kickbacks on suppliers and subcontractors.
5) Make preperations to utterly hose a prime material plane. This is where the euphemism 'providing market fluidity' and some fast talking will get those weak-stomached Neutrals on your side.
Similar Threads
