Acquisitions Incorporated

Electrified Floors and Rails. Specific areas of a ship
or airship's floor and railings are warded with elemental
lightning, up to an area the size of half the ship's upper
deck. A character at the helm can activate this magic
as a bonus action. Any creature making contact with
a warded area takes 13 (3d8) lightning damage, and
must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its
speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.
Grease Compartment. Whet her a building, a vessel,
or some other structure, a franchise is equipped with a
compartment holding grease. When activated, nozzles
release the grease either in a 30-foot cone or into a spe-
cific area no larger than 20 by 20 feet-typically focus-
ing on an area through which attacking creatures are
likely to move. Any creature entering the greased area
must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone
and end its movement that turn. A creature driving a
vehicle that enters the greased area must make an ap-
propriate ability check against the save DC. On a failure,

the vehicle veers 3d10 + 10 feet in a random direction.

then e nds its movement for the round.

FRANCHISE CHOICE FEATURES

At ranks 3 and 4. a franchise can outfit its headquarters

with any one feature from among the lower-tier fea-

tures (cosmetic, expansion. transportation, or weapon

features). In consultation with the OM. this might cover

additional features to augment the headquarters' exist-

ing look or combat capability, or a plan to instead make

an existing feature even stronger. A method of transpor-

tation might double its speed and remove an existing

drawback, or an offensive feature could deal more dam-

age or target more than one creature per round.

SECRET FEATURES

A secret feature. gained at rank 4, is one that remains

unnoticed to most inspection. typically requiring a suc-

cessful DC 25 In telligence (Investigation) check or Wis-

dom (Perception) check to notice. A headquarters might

have a secret exit that guarantees escape and allows

franchise members or staff to leave and enter without

detection. A secret feature should usually add in-game

benefits, s uch as a potion-brewing laboratory in a secret

level of a castle, or a secret cargo hold within a ship that

can keep perishables fresh and provide endless stocks

of food and water to crew and passengers.

Escape Pod. A walking statue's head can also serve

as an escape pod. If the headquarters is ever destroyed,

or if the character controlling the statue activates the

escape mode as an action. the head detaches from the

body and takes to the air with a flying speed of 80 feet.

The flight lasts for up to 5 rounds, and is directed by the

same controls that originally controlled the statue. If the

head is not on the ground when the flight ends, it falls

and any creatures within take falling damage.

Extradimensional Tavern. Several of the doors in a

franchise's tavern are inscribed with runes. Anyone who

traces a rune while speaking a passphrase can access

their choice of ten extradimensional rooms, 20 feet on

a side. These rooms can function as libraries. laborato-

ries. meeting rooms, kitchens. prisons, private quarters,

and more, with each room's setup and contents chosen

when the rooms are first installed. Each room's initial

furnishing and equipment are included. though charac-

ters can later add to these features as they wish.

Glider Launcher. A hidden compartment within an

airship holds ten gliders. A secret door leads to the com·

partment, which features an exterior escape hatch acti-

vated from within any glider. Each glider accommodates

one Medium or smaller creature and up to 50 pounds

of gear, has a flying speed of 60 feet, and must descend

at least 20 feet each round. A glider can be piloted as an

action by any character with proficiency with flying ve-

hicles. Characters without such proficiency might need

to make ability checks of the DM's choosing to pilot a

glider successfully. A glider weighs 100 pounds, has

AC 14 , 50 hit poi ms, and is immune to poison and psy-

chic damage.

FRANCHISE COSTS

Running a n Acquisitions Incorporated franchise offers

countless benefits to an adventuring party-but those

benefits aren't cheap. Operating the franchise, installing

and maintaining franchise features. paying staff, cre-

ating merchandise with proper branding, settling legal

issues, and more are all encompassed by the baseline

cost for a franchise's headquarters. a multiplier from the

franchise's rank. and the franchise party's business per-

formance for the month.

If a franchise's costs leave a party low on cash, that's a

sign that it's time to go adventuring. Alternatively. char-

acters m ight use downtime to structure a leaner busi-

ness or e ngage in non-adventuring activities to bring in

more gold (see "Franchise Tasks and Downtime" later in

this chapter for more information). A franchise's major-

domo handles these finances and makes all necessary

payments to Head Office. suppliers. and other agents-

as long as sufficient funds are available.

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 "Recurring

Expenses" section of c hapter 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 lncorpo·

rated 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 OM as needs be. A noble estate

that is the envy of other nobles might demand expendi-

tures 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 head-

quartered in an abandoned lighthouse with monthly

expenses of 250 gp. But as time passes and headquar-

ters 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.

CHAPTl:.R 2 I GROl~'ING YOU R FRANCHISE

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