PC's owning businesses

[lupo]

Question for all the DM's out there,

how do you (or would you) handle it if a player wanted to start a business in your world. How would you determine the revenue and growth numbers for it?

I am kind of looking for an open discussion on the topic.

 

[hammymchamham]

Question for all the DM's out there,

how do you (or would you) handle it if a player wanted to start a business in your world. How would you determine the revenue and growth numbers for it?

I am kind of looking for an open discussion on the topic.

Profession.

 

[The Souljourner]

The Profession skill is exactly what should be used... it's the D&D equivalent of business school education. You can be the greatest craftsman in the world, but if you don't know how to market your wares, you'll be poor.

I haven't personally looked at the profession rules, but I'm sure it's all in there.

-The Souljourner

 

[Stalker0]

You also might want to give synergy bonuses from high appraise, bluff, diplomacy, and sense motive skills since those all benefit businessmen.

 

[lupo]

I think that I did a bad job in phrasing my original post. The question I was referring too was probably more for high level campaigns, with highly powerful and influential characters. When I said a business I did not mean that he works at an inn or makes armor. I was shooting for something a little bigger in scope. Something that will bring in larger sums of money and will have political implications on the game.

 

[hammymchamham]

I think that I did a bad job in phrasing my original post. The question I was referring too was probably more for high level campaigns, with highly powerful and influential characters. When I said a business I did not mean that he works at an inn or makes armor. I was shooting for something a little bigger in scope. Something that will bring in larger sums of money and will have political implications on the game.

So you mean being a mercanary? Or a spy? Profession sounds good to me.

Or you could alwas roleplay the group talking to the king (or who ever is hiring them) to talk about payment, without the need for a skill, though skills like Diplomacy would come in handy

 

[AuraSeer]

Your PCs probably spend most of their time out in the wilderness, fighting monsters. That doesn't leave them much time to direct business operations. His profits will depend on market forces, just like any other investment. Roll a d20-10, and read off his ROI as a percent (from a 9% loss to a 10% profit).

If some character does devote his time to business pursuits instead of adventuring, he should retire and become an NPC. The game is called Dungeons & Dragons, not Papers & Paychecks.

 

[officeronin]

Question for all the DM's out there,

how do you (or would you) handle it if a player wanted to start a business in your world. How would you determine the revenue and growth numbers for it?

I am kind of looking for an open discussion on the topic.

A better idea (especially for spellcasters who can craft wonderous items) is to set someone else up in the business. Find some journeyman who's ready to step out on his own, offer him a building, shop, and start-up funds in return for half of his net profit. If you're a spellcaster, make a "trinket of +5 craft and +5 profession" or "+10 craft" specific to this journeyman, and he'll do just fine for a long time, even if you are taking half the profits. Spending 3000 gp (2000 for a +10 craft, and 1000 for the shop) means that he has to make only 20 MW weapons (splitting the cash with you) to make your investment back...

If you have access to "Plant Growth", buy land, lead refugees there to clear it, and show up/teleport in once a year to cast the spell. You can tax higher, and they'll still be relatively happy with you!

And all of these are investments that have to be protected, and can be left alone if the DM wants...

OfficeRonin

 

[silvertable81]

I think that I did a bad job in phrasing my original post. The question I was referring too was probably more for high level campaigns, with highly powerful and influential characters. When I said a business I did not mean that he works at an inn or makes armor. I was shooting for something a little bigger in scope. Something that will bring in larger sums of money and will have political implications on the game.

I had a half Orc at level 6 with a +18 to cook, I'd assume that by epic levels he'd be making a fortune. The DM said that if I regularly get a 35+ skill check, deities may start checking it out.

 

[dkilgo]

At that point I would definitly have to agree with who ever said that the character should retire.

But, I do like the idea of the spell caster being a silent partner in a busines just to get the occasional influx in cash flow. any character could do something similar. Like a fighter opening up a chain of classy inns that couls be spread through out the land, and he could do his adventuring while traveling between the places to check up on the business.