Managing a Business

***Prerequisites:*** *Proficiency with a skill relevant to running the business (typically Persuasion, Performance, Intimidation, Deception, Insight, or a type of Artisan's Tools).*

*Credit to Reddit user /u/Burning\_Titan for the framework of this subsystem*

This downtime activity is for characters who own, manage, or are trying to start a business venture separate from their adventuring life. This could be an element for a player's backstory, or a new development. It could also tie into regular play in more significant ways, at the DM's discretion; an influential business may allow the player to be regarded as a noble and live an aristocratic lifestyle, a shady business may be discovered and ruined by local guards, or a patron of the business may give the party their next quest.

 Performance
 Intimidation
 Deception
 Insight
 Special

### Downtime Management

While you are out adventuring, it is assumed your business is either closed or being managed by a third party. During downtime, you can instead manage the business yourself by spending a day or multi-day activity doing so. Refer to the Downtime page for the rules on downtime activities.

Choose a skill check that represents how you handle your business during this time. Some examples are listed in the table here. Once you have determined which skill you will use, roll on the *Running A Business* table using the chosen skill. This will determine your profits or losses for that period of downtime. The DM may allow you to roll this check with advantage or disadvantage depending on the circumstances; a festival might increase demand for your services, or customers may be too poor to afford the wares, for example.

Your business has a ***maintenance cost*** associated with operating it, determined by the type and scale of the business. Refer to the table in the Building a Business section for examples of maintenance cost, and work with your DM to determine what an appropriate cost might be.

 0 - 2
 3 - 7
 8 - 10
 11 - 15
 16 - 20
 21 - 24
 25+

### Checking In

Sometimes, adventuring takes a long time, and you may wish to check in on your business briefly while passing through town, for instance. If you have arranged to have your business operated by a third party during your absence, you can spend a short activity to visit your business and gather news about how things are proceeding, as well as to collect your share of any profits that have been made during your time away. Note that running businesses in this way is considerably less profitable than managing them yourself, and if business has been doing dismally, you may need to pay out of pocket to cover any debts the business has accrued.

It is assumed that the business makes average profits while you are gone, unless the DM describes different circumstances. You may also roll for how well your business has been doing lately. Refer to the table below for your check-in earnings.

 3 - 4
 5 - 9
 10 - 11
 12

### Building a Business

Characters might aspire to owning a large successful business, and begin investing in starting one, or expanding an existing business. The table below describes examples of different sizes of business properties, along with their associated maintenance and construction costs. A character may purchase or build a new a business by paying the construction cost, if that type of property is available for sale.

A character that wishes to expand or build an extension for their business must acquire additional property by trade or as a gift. The construction cost of the existing business should be subtracted from the construction cost of the expansion.

 Rules
 Equipment
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