Baseline Costs

The baseline monthly cost of a franchise is calculated based on the franchise’s headquarters, as noted on the Baseline Costs table on the next page. The costs on this table differ from the costs found in the “Expenses” section of chapter 6 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. (That section details the costs characters might expect to pay to own an inn, a keep, or other types of properties.) This is because franchise costs include a tithe to Head Office, repayment to Acquisitions Incorporated for funding the initial construction or purchase of the headquarters, the use of approved contractors for construction and maintenance, and other subtle fees.
Baseline costs are for representative dwellings, and can be adjusted by the DM as needs be. A noble estate that is the envy of other nobles might demand expenditures of double or triple the baseline cost. A franchise’s baseline costs might also change during the course of the campaign. A party might initially start out headquartered in an abandoned lighthouse with monthly expenses of 250 gp. But as time passes and headquarters features are added, that lighthouse might grow in size, weapon features, and magic to resemble a fortified tower. The DM will modify baseline costs as needed to fit the headquarters and the campaign style.

Franchise Headquarters	Monthly Cost
Horse-drawn carriage or wagon	15 gp
Farm or rural enterprise	20 gp
Settlement enterprise (guildhall, inn, tavern, shop, and so forth)	120 gp
Sailing ship, including all port fees	200 gp
Remote enterprise (fort, lighthouse, trading post, roadhouse, and so forth)	250 gp
Noble estate, large manor, fortified tower	350 gp
Airship	800 gp
Giant walking statue, magic locomotive	1,000 gp
Keep or small castle	3,000 gp
Large castle or palace	12,000 gp

Some characters might decide to maintain more than one headquarters for their franchise, or to control additional sites as part of the franchise’s overall operation. A franchise might use a ship as its headquarters, while also owning a number of remote trading posts run by franchise staff. The costs for all such “virtual headquarters” should be added together to derive one monthly baseline cost.