Confusion with Downtime Rules or "I Just Wanna Make Beer!"

[jabberwoky]

I am a 9th-level cleric of Cayden Cailean in one campaign I'm in, and want to run a brewery to make alcohol. My character currently has the leadership feat, but the Downtime Rules in Ultimate Campaign have confused me.

Assume that I am using the default brewery laid out on pg. 107 in Ultimate Campaign, and already own the building. Furthermore, I have a level 7 cohort with a Profession (Brewer) skill bonus of 17 (my manager), 20 1st-level followers, 2 2nd-level followers, and 1 3rd-level follower.

1. How many workers do I need to run my brewery?
2. What (if any) teams do I need to run the brewery?
3. From the previous questions, what is my upkeep per day? (Assume I have a manager who earns 4 gp/day)

[TempusAvatar]

Alright; to answer your questions:

1) The income blocks for the brewery (or any building) assume that your building is staffed by unskilled workers which are included with the construction of a building.

2)**Technically,** you do not need to hire any teams to operate the brewery. (But you're going to want to. More on this later.)

3)The brewery and teams do not incur any upkeep; all the background accounting (wages, etc.) is already worked into the income amounts, and the income amounts listed is "take-home." By having a manager you pay 4gp/day, your total upkeep is 4gp/day.

...That being said...

At the current setup, with just your brewery and no skilled labor, plus your manager, you are losing money.

(Assuming take 10 on the skill checks)
Daily income (assuming complete GP gain, no capital goods) : 36 SP
Daily upkeep: 40 SP
Daily net loss: 4 SP

At bare minimum, you will have to hire a team of "Craftspeople" to get yourself to a net gain/loss of 0. Your leadership score will assist with the hiring process; rules are on pages 80 and 91.

Also something to consider; you will have to ask your GM if it is possible for your cohort to take part in downtime actions. If so, (s)he could choose the "run a business" action to gain a second roll with a +27 to the skill check; assuming take 10, they could earn 37 SP that day. This may or may not conflict with their "manager" duties. Mileage may vary.

[jabberwoky]

The entire reason I took the Leadership feat is to have a manager for a brewery (since I'd be away a good deal- the manager would be the one who rolls the profession check, not me). The DM has allowed me to have the manager run the business, as long as I pay the wages and take all the risk.

Or by RAW a manager cannot roll for Profession checks?

[TempusAvatar]

Check Ultimate Campaign pg. 88. All the rules for managers are there.

It explains what benefits hiring a manager has for your business. Namely, delaying capital attrition, and preventing business attrition.

To answer you question, it does not say anywhere "a manager cannot roll for Profession checks."

...

Like I mentioned earlier, check with your GM. Since a cohort is (usually) much more fleshed out than other NPCs, they might be able to choose downtime actions and "run your business." This is not a bonus to your business's skill check; it is a separate skill check. Or your GM might decide to handle it completely differently. He's the boss.

[jabberwoky]

I see. Thank you.