Acquisitions Incorporated

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  l lirelings are kindling in the fire oF opportunity..
  -Jim Darkmag1c

SKILLE D HI R ELINGS

A skilled hireling has one or more s kill, weapon, or tool

proficiencies. A franchise can request skilled hirelings

when needed (up to the maximum allowed by franchise

rank). with the players describing the concept behind

the hirelings and selecting one proficiency for each.

The OM can then customize the hirelings as desired.

perhaps by adding additional proficiencies or adjusting

their combat statistics.

Skilled hirelings can be fired and hired as needed.

A franchise might bring on a couple of thugs to act as

distraction during a street fair, then release those NPCs

to hire a different set of skilled hirelings to conduct fran-

chise tas ks and downtime activities.

Hirelings cannot perform more than one task at a

time. A full comple me nt of skilled hirelings assisting

the party on a mission precludes other skilled hirelings

from helping with franchise tasks and downtime activ-

ities until the mission is completed. As with untrained

hirelings, detailing a group background and assigning

personality characteristics to a group leader can make

for a fun play experience.

A d venturing. Characters can adventure with up to

one skilled hireling at a time. An NPC with a challenge

racing of roughly half the franchise rank works well for

most adventures. providing utility without disrupting

balance. The loyalty system described in chapter^4 of

the Dungeon Master's Guide can be used to determine

whether the hireling remains dedicated to the party"s

goals. or the OM can make that decision on the basis of

how the adventure plays out and the characters' attitude

toward the adventuring NPC.

Task s and Downtime. Skilled hirelings can also be

assigned to franchise tasks. as described in the "Fran-

chise Tasks and Downtime" section later in this chapter.

CREW

Crew arc skilled hire lings trained in tasks pertaining to

the physical maintenance of a franchise (for example,

servers or gardeners) o r the navigation of a mobile head-

quarters (sailors for a seagoing franchise. engineers for

a giant hollow statue, and so on). Crew do not leave a

franchise and cannot perform franchise tasks. They typ-

ically run rather than fight back when attacked. though

the OM can decide otherwise. If a mobile franchise

headquarters requires more crew than is granted by the

franchise's rank, the characters must hire the remainder

(typically at the skilled hireling cost of 2 gp per day).

Hiring crew can become a cooperative roleplaying ac-

tivity. Potential crew might hear of Acquisitions Incorpo-

rated or the party's exploits and come to interview with

the franchisees. Choices might be offered by the OM. as

between a team of ex-militia who lost their last battle

and a c rew of recently released c riminals who swear

they were wrongly imprisoned. Names, personalities,

and roles can be assigned to crew by the OM and the

players. Rather than s imply interacting with the cook

and the first mate, the characters can instead deal with

Pepper, the chef who loves spicy foods, and Brazen, the

CllAPTER 2 I UROWINC: YOUR ~R/\NCHJSE

H 11 PPV fRllNC:H ISE STllF"F

ve teran sailor who always talks back. creating the poten-

tial for entertaining interactions as the franchise grows.

HEADQUARTE RS F EATURES

Acquisitions Incorporated Head Office provides the

members of each franchise with a place to call their

own. It might not be initially impressive (cleaning any

old blood s tains is the franchisees' responsibility).

But over time, characters in an Acq .Inc campaign are

granted resources lo help construct the headquarte rs

of their dreams! Each franchise rank affords the ch ar-

acters a number of choices, allowing customization and

creativity. Sample features are provided as guidelines,

but a franchise's features can include literally anything

decided on and agreed to by the players and the OM.

GROUP DESIGN

When selecting a feature, the characters must make

decisions together meaning the players must do the

same. Deciding on the features of a headquarters

should be a team effort. both in game and a round the

table. What should a headquarters look like initially?

Do the characters prefe r to travel by land or by sea, or

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