Buying an Inn (GP only)


Advice


Like many adventuring groups, my players have decided they want to buy an inn and run in on the side 'for fun.' Because it's like printing money and requires no effort. (Rolling eyes) Anyhoo....

These players have a morbid fear of learning new rules. There will be NO downtime system in this game; there can be no resource points, no mention of labor or goods as resources. What they want is to flip open an equipment list, point to the entry marked INN, and pay that GP cost, period. (Cue Stewie Griffin.)

They want an inn in Absalom's Foreign Quarter: initial cost, expense of running it, and average income... all without having to learn one more rule about anything. Any suggestions? I'm looking for specific numbers to tell them, in units of Gold Pieces only.


Uh, maybe you should look at the downtime rules yourself.

Inn wrote:

Create 52 Goods, 5 Influence, 47 Labor (2,130 gp)

Rooms 1 Bar, 1 Bath, 1 Bedroom, 1 Common Room, 1 Kitchen, 1 Lavatory, 1 Lodging, 1 Stall, 1 Storefront

A place for visitors to stay and rest.

The gold piece value is the converted value of goods, influence, and labor. So 2,130 is how much it costs to build an Inn.

They'd earn money from the Inn the same way as anyone else, Profession checks. Specifically:

Skilled Work wrote:

If you have ranks in a useful skill, you can spend 1 day working in a settlement to earn more capital than you would doing unskilled work. Note that this method includes both legal and illegal means of earning capital—for example, a day spent using Sleight of Hand to earn money could be a day spent performing as a street magician or a day spent pickpocketing.

Choose either one type of capital (Goods, Influence, Labor, or Magic) or gp, and attempt a skill check. You can take 10 on this check.

If you chose gp, divide the result of your check by 10 to determine how many gp you earn that day. For example, if your check result is a 16, dividing it by 10 earns you 1 gp and 6 sp that day (round to the nearest silver).

They can use the normal profession rules if they want, but they'll get way less gold (half roll in gold pieces per week). That's only if they do it themselves. If they hire someone to do it they'll need to pay them. Someone like:
Innkeeper wrote:

Wage 2 gp/day

Skills Appraise, Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), Profession (any one)

An Innkeeper runs an establishment focused on hospitality. He's typically a 3rd-level commoner or expert, but could also be a retired fighter, rogue, or warrior. An Innkeeper sees to the day-to-day operation of an Inn, Tavern, hotel, restaurant, or exclusive private social club.

Hope that helps.


Hmmm. I saw that, but I'm just not comfortable saying that buying a Hilton in central Manhattan costs the same as putting up a Motel 6 outside of Teaneck. (My questions of how big an inn? how many rooms/guests? how many staff? were met with "Don't care; don't care; don't care. What's it cost?")

As for a profession check, my first thought was "No, that's too complicated for them." But I just might be able to sell them on the notion that at least ONE of the PCs ought to have a rank in a Profession skill in order to run a business (Preach it, Linus). I'll give it a shot.

I still need a flat GP total, but thanks for the thoughts.


Have someone sneakily sell them a flophouse - nothing but rooms with beds in them, and not a huge moneymaker. If they're not willing to put in any effort, I don't think they should be particularly rewarded, either.

Alternate Plan: Give them the Inn and a flat profit, but deduct the value from loot they get elsewhere.


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Way I see it you have a couple of options.

1. Tell them no.
2. Tell them no, unless they do learn the rules.
3. Tell them that they can get what you offer (the standard inn described) in a suitable location.
4. Do all the work for them.
5. Make stuff up.

Seriously, as a DM of course you have to be accommodating to your players' wishes to some extent but what you're describing here are the children who want to eat their desert without eating their veggies first... You don't have to put up with that. You should reward effort, not laziness.


Bob bob bob got it.

Cost of operation is variable based on location.

Just tell them how much it loses/makes each month.

That's what they want, after all.


I'm with Rednal and Arcane Addict.
These players just want something for free so either give them the worst option you can think of or just tell them no.


It looks like Bob Bob Bob has provided a flat cost to buy an Inn. If the players want a bigger Inn increase the cost proportionally. If you think it should cost 30% more (or 10% more, or 120% more) in Absalom that's great though it might be nice to increase the potential profits too.

I think it might be a little unfair to say that the players want something "for free" when they're looking to BUY an Inn (presumably with gold pieces in much the same way as they'd buy most other things). Sure, the Inn might turn a modest profit, but by the time the profits exceed the initial investment I'd imagine that the amount of gold the Inn brings in would likely be insignificant compared to the party's adventuring income.

The Inn could easily become a source of adventure hooks and NPCs. It sounds like a campaign enhancement opportunity to me. Even if the players aren't interested in learning new rules maybe they'd be interested in drawing a map of their Inn or detailing some of the NPCs who work there (or perhaps the DM would prefer to do that stuff or just find some prefab material online - there are even a few Inn generation apps out there)


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The inn presented in the downtime rules is suitable for a small village, really. If you want something more upmarket, you have to pay: more bedrooms, more common rooms, more lavatories, plus furnishings.

Seriously, the downtime rules are your best bet.

I'll see if I can rough up a good high-class establishment later.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Upscale Inn (building):

1 ballroom (furnished), 2 bars, 6 baths, 1 courtyard, 5 bedrooms (furnished), 1 common room, 1 kitchen, 6 lavatories, 3 lodgings, 1 office, 5 stalls, 1 storage, 1 storefront. Total cost: 9,670 gp, grants +198 to gp earnings checks.

Of course, don't forget the staff.

Upscale Inn Staff (organisation):

1 bureaucrats (5 people), 1 craftspeople (chefs and wait staff with Profession (innkeeper); 6 people), 2 lackeys (maids, butlers, concierge staff; 10 people), 1 guards (5 people). Total cost: 740 gp, grant +10 to gp earnings checks.

And, naturally, unless the PCs are going to be actively managing the place, they need a manager at 2 gp per day.

So, if you're using the downtime rules, you have spent 10,410 gp on purchasing an inn and hiring the staff, who will earn you, on average, 21 gp per day, with a manager costing you 2 gp per day, bringing that down to an effective 19 gp profit per day. It will therefore take 548 days to see an actual profit on the building.

If not using downtime and just using basic profession rules, you earn 109 gp per week, with the manager costing you 14 gp per week, which brings that down to 95 gp per week. It will take you 110 weeks to see an actual profit on the purchase.

But it is one damn fancy inn. You could add a sitting room for 480 gp, but it won't affect the gp earnings figure at all. Oh, and this thing could be up to around 400 5x5 squares in size, so make it a multi-storey building.


You should use this for a bunch of plot hooks against the characters. Below are some ideas.

1. The Inn is haunted by a powerful ghost that the players have to deal with. Have the ghost keep coming back until the players solve the mystery of its death.

2. The local thieves’ guild moves in and demands protection money to make sure “Nothing happens”.

3. One of their employees is kidnaped or otherwise in trouble.

4. Someone uses the Inn for some form of illegal activity and the players get blamed. Now the law is coming after the party.

5. One of their employees is stealing the profits so they make no money. When caught the employee flees leaving the party with a bunch of expenses that have to be paid. Back taxes, bills that were supposedly paid Etc.. If they don’t pay they are sued and lose the Inn.

6. One of their former enemies learns about the Inn and attacks them. This should be someone with some area of effect spells for maximum damage to the inn.

This is too good of an opportunity to let go to waste. Make the Inn a money pit. Watch the old Tom Hanks movie for Ideas.


Given that they want this to be hands off I'd use the investment rules. This is also more flexible as they can invest in a small inn or a large city centre luxury inn (e.g., 2000 g would be a 100% share in a typical village inn and 10,000 might be a large city inn. Use the "Tavern" entry.

As GM you need to know the rules an just get them to make a few rolls every now and then (or do all the rolls yourself if they prefer).


Chemlak has arrived with an Inn on a silver platter! It can be nice when the boards do the work for you. If the profit margin seems too high or too fast I'm sure the DM can think of many expenses for the business to encounter along the way. I think it would be nice if owning the Inn were fun and at least slightly profitable though.

Adventure hooks generated by the Inn needn't always involve "saving" the Inn either. Guests could communicate useful rumors or offers of employment to the PCs directly or through the Inn's employees. Of course there could also be a secret door or hatch in the Inn's basement which leads to sewers, catacombs, a dungeon, etc. Once cleared out the adventure area might serve as a secret hideout, smuggling route, etc.


Mysterious Stranger wrote:

You should use this for a bunch of plot hooks against the characters. Below are some ideas.

1. The Inn is haunted by a powerful ghost that the players have to deal with. Have the ghost keep coming back until the players solve the mystery of its death.

2. The local thieves’ guild moves in and demands protection money to make sure “Nothing happens”.

3. One of their employees is kidnaped or otherwise in trouble.

4. Someone uses the Inn for some form of illegal activity and the players get blamed. Now the law is coming after the party.

5. One of their employees is stealing the profits so they make no money. When caught the employee flees leaving the party with a bunch of expenses that have to be paid. Back taxes, bills that were supposedly paid Etc.. If they don’t pay they are sued and lose the Inn.

6. One of their former enemies learns about the Inn and attacks them. This should be someone with some area of effect spells for maximum damage to the inn.

This is too good of an opportunity to let go to waste. Make the Inn a money pit. Watch the old Tom Hanks movie for Ideas.

Only bad stuff? Jeeeeez


you also have to remember they have to pay their employees


Mysterious Stranger wrote:

You should use this for a bunch of plot hooks against the characters. Below are some ideas.

1. The Inn is haunted by a powerful ghost that the players have to deal with. Have the ghost keep coming back until the players solve the mystery of its death.

2. The local thieves’ guild moves in and demands protection money to make sure “Nothing happens”.

3. One of their employees is kidnaped or otherwise in trouble.

4. Someone uses the Inn for some form of illegal activity and the players get blamed. Now the law is coming after the party.

5. One of their employees is stealing the profits so they make no money. When caught the employee flees leaving the party with a bunch of expenses that have to be paid. Back taxes, bills that were supposedly paid Etc.. If they don’t pay they are sued and lose the Inn.

6. One of their former enemies learns about the Inn and attacks them. This should be someone with some area of effect spells for maximum damage to the inn.

This is too good of an opportunity to let go to waste. Make the Inn a money pit. Watch the old Tom Hanks movie for Ideas.

don't forget the Health Inspector or the Tax Collector


The downtime rules only actually require you to pay managers, Blackvial. Any other staff are assumed to be paid directly from any profits.

Chemlak's Inn suggestion is truly palatial, especially with a 20-strong staff! I'd ask them what sort of inn they wanted, possibly suggesting that a couple are for sale. Bob Bob Bob's example from Ultimate Campaign would be at one end of the spectrum, Chemlak's at the other. Having a cheaper Inn might well get you more black market contacts or street rumours, but an extravagant one gets you links to noble clients.


Assign a GP value to it. Enough so that it is significant and a meaningful expenditure of their resources, but there is no need to drain them completely. Since they will never doing any meaningful amount of work there and will have to hire employees to run it, they basically break even every month. All profit go to wages, taxes, and maintenance. Upgrades cost extra. However, it gives them a base of operations. Eat, drink, and sleep for free. Store equipment and display trophies. And its a handy place to collect information and hear rumors. I would allow it mostly as a plot device. If any of them want to invest skill points into somethig relevant, toss them some extra virtual GP to invest in upgrades to the building.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Calybos1 wrote:

Like many adventuring groups, my players have decided they want to buy an inn and run in on the side 'for fun.' Because it's like printing money and requires no effort. (Rolling eyes) Anyhoo....

These players have a morbid fear of learning new rules. There will be NO downtime system in this game; there can be no resource points, no mention of labor or goods as resources. What they want is to flip open an equipment list, point to the entry marked INN, and pay that GP cost, period. (Cue Stewie Griffin.)

They want an inn in Absalom's Foreign Quarter: initial cost, expense of running it, and average income... all without having to learn one more rule about anything. Any suggestions? I'm looking for specific numbers to tell them, in units of Gold Pieces only.

Smile, nod, and distract them with something else.


Scavion wrote:
Mysterious Stranger wrote:

You should use this for a bunch of plot hooks against the characters. Below are some ideas.

1. The Inn is haunted by a powerful ghost that the players have to deal with. Have the ghost keep coming back until the players solve the mystery of its death.

2. The local thieves’ guild moves in and demands protection money to make sure “Nothing happens”.

3. One of their employees is kidnaped or otherwise in trouble.

4. Someone uses the Inn for some form of illegal activity and the players get blamed. Now the law is coming after the party.

5. One of their employees is stealing the profits so they make no money. When caught the employee flees leaving the party with a bunch of expenses that have to be paid. Back taxes, bills that were supposedly paid Etc.. If they don’t pay they are sued and lose the Inn.

6. One of their former enemies learns about the Inn and attacks them. This should be someone with some area of effect spells for maximum damage to the inn.

This is too good of an opportunity to let go to waste. Make the Inn a money pit. Watch the old Tom Hanks movie for Ideas.

Only bad stuff? Jeeeeez

Adventure hooks by nature are usually bad. The whole idea is to create a situation where the players have to do something about it. If the hook is good they will tend to just let it happen. About the only good adventure hook is where they find/hear something about a treasure. That one does is pretty common and does not really tie into the in other than hearing about the rumor at the Inn.

Since the players went to the trouble of purchasing the Inn chances are they will act to protect it.

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