Moose's Guide to Better Businesses

by C. Moose Wylde (version 1.2)

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Add ships
Here are some simple but effective rules for running your own
business in your campaign.
Work with your DM to determine how you came to own the
land or property. This may be an adventure in itself! Perhaps
you received it as payment for helping a noble, or cleared a
group of bandits out of an old tower.
Once you own or control the property, you can begin building
your business! If the property contains an existing structure
that can be refurbished to meet your needs, then you pay the
Refurbish Cost. Otherwise you will need to pay the Build
Cost. Both of these startup costs include all expenses needed
to get your business up and running. Once you’ve paid your
startup costs, congratulations! You now own a fully
functioning business!
Your business provides you with a permanent Comfortable
Lifestyle, or you and your whole team with a Modest Lifestyle.
It also serves as a setting piece for your campaign and
provides roleplaying opportunities. We assume that any profit
after paying monthly expenses and supporting your lifestyle is
rolled back into the business, so you receive no salary unless
you invest additional time or money.
If you want to draw a salary from your business, you must
invest additional time or money into the business. Rather than
use years or months, we use character levels as our
accounting period. For each character level you achieve while
owning your business, you can draw a salary if you have
invested the associated cost per level in gold or days worked
(one day worked substitutes for one gold).
If you have invested some time or money between levels, but
don't meet the required cost per level, then you forfeit your
investment and receive no salary.

Business Ownership Table

Business Type Startup Cost (Build) Startup Cost (Refurbish) Cost per Level Salary per Level
Farm, Large 20,000gp 10,000gp 2,000gp 6,000gp
Farm, Small 5,000gp 2,500gp 500gp 1,500gp
Guildhall* 5,000gp 2,500gp 5,000gp 10,000gp
Inn, Large 10,000gp 5,000gp 5,000gp 15,000gp
Inn, Small 5,000gp 2,500gp 1,500gp 4,500gp
Castle (Palace), Large* 500,000gp 250,000gp 100,000gp 200,000gp
Castle (Keep), Small* 50,000gp 25,000gp 25,000gp 50,000gp
Hunting Lodge 5,000gp 2,500gp 700gp 2,100gp
Noble Estate* 25,000gp 12,500gp 3,500gp 7,000gp
Outpost (Tower), Large* 30,000gp 15,000gp 3,000gp 6,000gp
Outpost (Fort), Small* 15,000gp 7,500gp 1,500gp 3,000gp
Shop, Small 5,000gp 2,500gp 1,000gp 3,000gp
Shop, Large 10,00gp 5,000gp 2,500gp 7,500gp
Temple, Large* 50,000gp 25,000gp 7,000gp 14,000gp
Temple, Small* 25,000gp 12,500gp 2,000gp 4,000gp
Ship, Large 30,000gp 15,000gp 2,500gp 5,000gp
Ship, Small 10,000gp 5,000gp 1,000gp 2,000gp

1
This is unofficial Fan
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marked withpermitted under
an asterisk give the Fan Content
a smaller return Policy. Not approved/endorsed
than others. These are assumedbytoWizards.
providePortions
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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
as military force, political power, or special access to the divine. Work with your DM to determine how these benefits might manifest in
 Business Upgrades
Players can add various upgrades to their business. Upgrades provide all kinds of benefits and come with an associated installation
or maintenance cost. You may only choose each upgrade once.
Equipment Installations
Labor Saving Device
Cost: Refurbish Cost
From domesticated animals to water wheels, people
everywhere are searching for labor saving devices. You have
developed one for your business!
Increase your Salary per Level by 50%
Laboratory
Cost: 2,000 gp and increase your Cost per Level by 10%.
You install a laboratory in the building that houses your
business.
You have advantage on any intelligence checks you make
while using the equipment you’ve installed.
Library
Cost: 2,000 gp and increase your cost per level by 10%
You install a library in the building that houses your
business.
You advantage on all Intelligence checks for research.
You may use your Library to research a formula for a
magic item or spell.
Lifestyle Upgrade
Cost: Daily lifestyle expense x 500
You have upgraded the living quarters in the building that
houses your business.
You and your adventuring team enjoy all the benefits of the
purchased lifestyle whenever you are living at your
business location.
Secret Basement
Cost: Refurbish Cost
You build secret rooms in the building that houses your
business. These may take the form of a secret basement,
hidden passages, or hidden rooms.
You have enough hidden space for up to three people to
live in secret.
Anyone attempting to locate your secret rooms must
succeed on a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
2
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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Workshop
Cost: 2,000 gp and increase your Cost per Level by 10%
You install a custom workshop in your business, enhancing
the quality of the goods and services your business can offer.
Choose one trade that your workshop supports.
You have access to a workshop for the chosen trade.
Reduce crafting times by 50%
Business Practices
Byzantine Bureaucracy
Cost: 2,000 gp
You purposely filed a long and complicated string of
documents when you opened your business. While not
technically illegal, you've manipulated the system so that it is
very difficult to determine your identity.
Anyone attempting to discover who actually owns your
business must spend 50 gp and 1 month doing research,
then succeed on a DC 20 intelligence check.
Cost Cutting Measures
Cost: Reduce Cost per Level by 50%
Maybe your business is just getting too big to run, or you’re
winding things down in order to retire. Regardless of the
reason, you are scaling back.
Reduce your Salary per Level by 50%
Community Outreach
Cost: Reduce your Salary per Level by 10%
You donate to an orphanage or sponsor a local sports team.
You are a well known and respected member of your
community.
You are accepted among the nobility for any Carousing and
gain access to a local temple to perform Religious
Services.
You receive a two contacts who will do favors for you.
Downstream Diversification
Cost: Refurbish Cost
You begin to take advantage of revenue streams not
typically associated with your type of business. Perhaps your
tavern bottles and sells it's own beer, or the monks in your
Temple also grow fruits and vegetables.
Increase your Salary by 50%
Hostile Takeover
Cost: 25% of Refurbish Cost
Maybe you purchased a rival's business or took advantage
of a loophole to gain a hereditary estate. Either way, you have
gained control of another business.
Refurbish Cost for your new business reduced by 50%
Upstream Consolidation
Cost: Refurbish Cost
Rather than purchasing products to sell to consumers like a
typical business, you also produce those products. You might
make your own beer, harvest your own grains, or forge the
tools you sell.
Increase your Salary by 50%.
Hiring Professionals
Executive Leadership
Cost: Increase your Cost per Level by 20%
You hire a competent business manager to run your
business for you.
Increase your Salary by 20%.
Extra Help
Cost: increase cost per level by 150 gp
Good help is hard to find, but you found it! Your additional
skilled labor means that you can get more accomplished when
spending your downtime working in your business.
Each day spent working your business now substitutes for
5 gold when calculating cost per level.
Garrison Captain
Cost: increase cost per level by 500
A local garrison captain will respond to your call for aid
because of your generous donations.
Gain advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks when
you can show your connection to the military.
If your business is under attack, the garrison will ride to
your defense (use stats for 1 Knight and 20 Guards).
Legal Department
Cost: increase cost per level by 300
You have a lawyer on retainer who is capable of helping you
get out of legal trouble. Not only will they represent you in
court, but your lawyer can also draft legal documents and
perform many services for you discretely. Lawyers are rarely
questioned when acting on behalf of a client, and yours will
even do some illegal things to keep you out of trouble. Be
ready to pay extra for illegal services though!
Loss Prevention Specialists
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Cost: Increase your Cost per Level by 200
You hire security guards that protect your business and
personal belongings. While you and your friends are inside of
your business, they will protect you as well.
Your business gains a security team (use stats for 1 Bandit
Captain and 4 Guards).
Marketing Team
Cost: Increase Cost per Level by 20%
You hire a group of people to market your business for you.
Not only do your marketing people spread word about your
business, but they also gather information for you about any
topic you want.
You have advantage on any checks to learn about what a
person, group, or organization is doing.
Increase your Salary per Level by 10%.
Privileged Memberships
Noble Peerage
Cost: Increase your Cost per Level by 20%
Your letters patent legally certify your position as a member
of the nobility, and you are allowed to tax the lands
surrounding your establishment.
You own the land upon which your business is built, and
you are addressed as Baron or Baroness.
You gain 3 Renown in the organization of your choice.
You gain access to nobles for any Carousing, are treated
with the utmost respect by commoners, and may petition
for an audience with other nobles.
Increase your Salary by 20%
Guild Membership
Cost: Increase your Cost per Level by 20%
You have been accepted into a prominent guild as a
member.
You gain 3 renown in a guild of your choice, and gain
letters of introduction that certify your entitlement to all of
the advantages and responsibilities of guild membership.
You may call on fellow guild members for favors, appeal to
the guild in legal matters, and gain access to guild-only
prices for goods and services.
Increase your Salary by 20%
3
 Illegal Activities
All Illegal activites result in losing your business in 3 levels
unless you have the Consigliere Upgrade. After you lose your
business in this manner, you are a wanted criminal and
cannot open another business.
Bagman (illegal)
Cost: Increase Cost per Level by 300
You have retained the services of a professional criminal.
Your bagman ensures that money and products arrive at their
destination on time.
You may call on your bagman to deliver money or
equipment to you that. Any equipment delivered must be
found in the building that houses your business or
purchased from your contacts with money located at your
business.
Black Market Dealer (illegal)
Cost: increase cost per level by 50%
A black market dealer uses your business as a front to sell
illegal goods, and uses some of your storage space to store
and hide goods.
Increase your Salary by 50%
You can purchase most equipment at a 20% discount.
You can purchase items not normally for sale.
Cleaner (illegal)
Cost: 1,000 gp for installation, increase cost per level by 20%
You have retained the services of a professional criminal.
Your cleaner makes evidence disappear like magic, and has a
small workshop in the building that houses your business.
Despite the horrible smells that occasionally drift up from the
shop, your cleaner is a model tenant.
You may call upon your cleaner to remove evidence from a
crime scene.
Increase your Salary by 20% for allowing other criminals
to hire your cleaner.
Consigliere (illegal)
Cost: Increase your Cost per Level by 50%
You have acquired the services of a professional criminal.
Your Consigliere handles all of the illegal aspects of your
business with the utmost care and discretion.
You do not lose your business if you take any illegal
upgrade that otherwise has "lose your business" as a cost.
4
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Creative Accounting (illegal)
Cost: Lose your business in 3 levels
Through illegal accounting, you are able to take more
money out of your business than you legally should. Maybe
you cheat on your taxes or don’t pay your business partners.
Increase your Salary per Level by 50%, then you lose your
business after 3 levels. After you lose your business, you
are a wanted criminal and cannot open another business.
Deep Connections
Cost: increase cost per level by 25%
You are the mentor or personal friend of an heir to a
criminal organization. The organization has let it be known
that you and your business are off limits from any other
criminals, but should your actions put your contact in danger,
you will be in big trouble from their organization.
Gain 3 renown in a criminal organization or your choice.
Gain one contact with 10 renown in the same
organization.
Dirty Cop (illegal)
Cost: increase cost per level by 400
You have a law enforcement officer on your payroll. This
officer will give you information and do favors for you like help
you plant evidence or escape custody. They won't do anything
that will get them caught, so be careful of what you ask them
to do.
You gain a contact among law enforcement that will give
you information.
You gain advantage to any checks to plant or hide evidence,
or to break in or out of jail.
Fence (illegal)
Cost: Increase your Cost per Level by 200
You have gained the services of a professional criminal.
Your fence makes sure you are able to find buyers for all of
your magical, illegal, and rare goods, and uses your business
as a front to sell illegal goods.
You do not need to spend 25 gp or any time to find buyers
for your items, and you receive +5 on any Charisma
(Persuasion) check to get a good offer to sell magical
items.
Increase your Salary by 20%.
Mole (illegal)
Cost: increase cost per level by 200
You have an employee who has gone undercover in a rival
organization. The rival organization might be the city watch, a
local guild, cult, or a criminal organization. Your mole
faithfully sends you updates about the plans and motives of
the infiltrated organization.
You gain advantage on any checks to gain information
about the infiltrated organization.
Money Laundering (illegal)
Cost: Double your cost per level
You use your business as a front to transform illegally
obtained money into legal tender.
Double your Salary

Smuggler (illegal)
Cost: Refurbish Cost
You partner with a smuggler who moves illegal goods
through the area. You install secret rooms and compartments
in the building that houses your business, and you allow the
smuggler to use them to hide goods. In return, the smuggler
pays you to rent the space, gives you a steep discount on
goods he is moving.
Increase your Salary by 1,000 gp
Receive a 50% discount on items being smuggled (DM's
choice).

Speakeasy (illegal)
Cost: Refurbish Cost, increase cost per level by 25%
You have converted part of the building that houses your
business into an establishment that caters to the criminal
underworld. You provide food, drink, and services that are
illegal in your area.
Increase your Salary by 50%
You gain two criminal contacts who will do favors for you.

Underworld Haven (illegal)

Cost: Refurbish Cost
You have sent the time and money to fortify the building that
houses your business. The structure would hold for several
days in a seige, and the interior is rugged enough to survive
more than a few barroom brawls. There are very few fights,
however, and almost no crime even though most of your
customers are criminals. Your establishment is a Haven,
somewhere that all major elements in the criminal
underworld have decided is neutral territory. Rivals are free to
discuss terms or conduct business here without fear of
reprisal (at least while on business grounds).
You gain 3 renown in an underworld organization of your
choice.
You gain two criminal contacts who will do favors for you.
You are treated as nobility among criminals.

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.