Synergy & Stakeholders

If you'll forgive my Millenial slang, power creep is a thing. The higher level you are in Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games, the more powerful your character is. Makes sense, right? The problem is that not only do your character’s abilities increase with their level, but so does their gear.

Magic armor and weapons, magic items, hoards of gold and gems mean that eventually, your characters will trounce most obstacles you put in their way. But what do you do when they have more gold than they can spend?

The mercenary nature of adventuring means that most players are motivated by extrinsic rewards: gold, magic stuff, better gear, things like that, and scaling back rewards isn’t really an option. Players expect more than the five gold, or so they’d receive from clearing the giant rats out of the tavern’s basement if they slay a dragon. The main reason players complete challenges and slay monsters (other than their own heroic nature, of course!) is to receive rewards.

But what if rewards could be more than just better loot? What if they could…synergize?

Entrepreneurs & Equity

One way players could spend their hoards of gold is by opening a business. Not only does it give them something to spend their money on, but it also gives them a tangible part of the world that is just their own. The suggestions below are for a fantasy setting, but they can easily work for other worlds too: just swap the medieval term for its equivalent in your setting. For example, a tavern can be a saloon in Deadlands, or a nightclub in a modern or futuristic setting.

They could either purchase land and start their business from the ground up or buy the deed from an existing business. It could even be a reward for completing a quest instead of gold!

Potential Business Ideas:

• Armory/Blacksmith

• Bakery

• Book Printer/Library

• Brewery/Winery

• Coachman/Transportation Services

• Farm

• General Store

• Eatery/Restaurant

• Tavern

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

There’s no doubt that an adventurer-run business will attract its fair share of characters (pun intended). If a business becomes a home base for your group, not only can it be a rich source of plot hooks for Dungeon Masters, but it’s also a great way for the group to meet the movers and shakers in your setting.

To take the prototypical tavern as an example of a group’s business, there are a huge number of plot hooks:

• The town bandits decide to secretly use your tavern to plan their next robbery, or simply decide to rob you.

• A wealthy noble in disguise sits at the bar, hiding from his would-be assassins.

• A boisterous group of rival adventurers gets way too drunk and starts to affect business.

• The local crime boss tries to shake you down for “protection services”, then tries to light the place on fire when you refuse.

• A lone traveler, nearly bled to death, bursts into the tavern and desperately pleads for help.

• Giant rats infest the tavern, and the health inspector is visiting that same day!

• The town drunkard starts a bar fight!

In addition to being a source of conflict, it can also be a great way to introduce new recurring non-player characters that the group can look forward to seeing again and again. In the case of a tavern, take inspiration from your favorite fictional bar: they’re full of great characters! Some examples of shamelessly ripping off fiction.

For example, a half-orge barfly with an enormous bar tab that everyone knows could just be your own take on Norm from Cheers, or a dimwitted goblin janitor that’s always the butt of everyone’s joke could be like Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Rip off fiction, rip off your favorite TV shows, but add a twist. Not every non-player character hands out quests, but if they’re a regular attendee or patron of your business, players will be more invested in them, so consider giving them a bigger role than just background characters.

- Tanner