A level 5 business requires an initial investment of 50,000 gp, a weekly maintenance cost of 500 gp, and must be maintained for at least 20 weeks in order to be upgraded. Examples of a level 5 business include a multi-level emporium with an attached boutique or a tavern chain across the city.

Weekly Costs and Income

The weekly cost is an abstract value representing all costs of ownership, including paying employees, rent, supplies, etc. The business owner's weekly profits are proportional to these costs. For each week of in-game time, players should make a business check (a d20 roll modified by their business level; a business owner makes this check with proficiency), and multiply the resulting value by their weekly costs. In certain circumstances, this check may have other modifiers, such as a festival (granting +2), or the business being under debt (resulting in a -2 penalty).