Investment

Variant Rules

Once a character has accumulated gold, she can put it to work. Investments are a much safer bet than adventuring — but they are still wagers, and sometimes those wagers go bad. This system provides a sample of monetary investments and gives the GM suggestions for adventure hooks that grow out of them. Keep it interesting: an investment should create story, not just compound interest.

The rate of return should not exceed 5% per year for low-risk investments. Particularly risky ventures might see 15–20%, and situations where profit exceeds 25% are almost unheard of. Ration high-yield results carefully — and remember that tax collectors, bandits, swindlers, and rivals are always happy to get between adventurers and their income.

Optional Rule. This system is designed for long-running campaigns where downtime and wealth management matter. Introducing it mid-arc is workable but works best when PCs have downtime between adventures.

Investment Mechanics

When a PC invests, she provides seed money — the principal. At the end of each year roll d% and consult the Investment Rewards table to determine the outcome. The GM may modify percentages to fit campaign particulars; these figures are guidelines for a fantasy economy, not reality.

Failed Year Roll falls in Failed range

The investment provides no return this year. Three consecutive failed years mean the investment is ruined and the operation ends — unless the character reinvests at 2–3× the original seed money to rescue it.

Normal Year Roll falls in Normal range

The investment earns its Normal Return × seed money. For example, 1,000 gp at 3% earns 30 gp. The PC may:

  • Reinvest — add the 30 gp to next year's seed money.
  • Pocket the return — take 30 gp; seed money stays at 1,000 gp.
  • Cash out — take seed money + profit (1,030 gp) and walk away.
Breakout Year Roll falls in Breakout range

Roll the Breakout Return die and multiply the result by the Normal Return %. For example, banking's breakout roll of 1d4+1 yields a 5 — that year's return is 5 × 2% = 10% of seed money. Same reinvest/pocket/cash-out choices apply.

Early withdrawal: A PC can pull seed money at any time (1d6 days, direct contact required), but receives only half the seed money. The fire-sale liquidation sours the relationship; future investments with that group become unlikely.

Investment Rewards

Roll d% at the end of each investment year and find the row for your investment type. The calculator below automates the roll and return calculation.

Annual Return Calculator
Investment Normal Return Failed Year Normal Year Breakout Year Breakout Return
Arts
Creative 4% 01–30 31–95 96–100 2d4+1
Performing 2% 01–35 36–95 96–100 2d6+1
Banking 2% 01–10 11–98 99–100 1d4+1
Crafting
Common 1% 01–05 06–95 96–100 1d3+1
Magical 5% 01–30 31–95 96–100 1d8+1
Military 5% 01–15 16–90 91–100 1d6+1
Exploration 2% 01–40 41–85 86–100 2d8+1
Granary/Mill 3% 01–10 11–98 99–100 1d3+1
Guild
Assassins' 5% 01–30 31–95 96–100 2d4+1
Crafting 2% 01–05 06–98 99–100 1d3+1
Merchant 3% 01–10 11–98 99–100 1d4+1
Thieves' 4% 01–15 16–90 91–100 1d8+1
Imports
Exotic 5% 01–30 31–90 91–100 1d10+1
Ordinary 2% 01–15 16–95 96–100 1d4+1
Invention 3% 01–40 41–90 91–100 2d6+1
Protection 3% 01–30 31–95 96–100 1d8+1
Quarry 3% 01–20 21–90 91–100 1d6+1
Research
Magical 5% 01–50 51–75 76–100 2d6+1
Mundane 3% 01–20 21–85 86–100 1d8+1
Stable 1% 01–05 06–98 99–100 1d3+1
Tavern 2% 01–10 11–98 99–100 1d4+1

Example Investments & Adventure Hooks

This list is not exhaustive — NPC ingenuity opens up many possibilities. For each investment type, a sample complication is provided as a campaign hook. An investment should do more than generate passive income; it should generate stories.

The entertainers are more volatile or political than the investor had imagined. A performer takes a controversial public position, a troupe fractures over a rival patron's offer, or a creative work sparks a scandal with local authorities.

The investor's theoretically impenetrable vault is cracked and the valuables stolen. The thief may be an inside job, an elite criminal, or someone with a very specific grudge against the bank's largest depositor.

A labor strike, bandit activity, or an unscrupulous rival blocks access to needed materials. The disruption may be coincidental — or deliberately orchestrated to put the investor at a disadvantage.

An explorer ends up being unreliable, greedy, or incautious, accidentally releasing ancient evils on an unsuspecting populace. The investor may be legally or morally implicated in whatever happens next.

The building catches fire — from a simple accident or deliberate arson — and aerosolized grain dust causes a massive explosion. The disaster may displace an entire neighborhood and draw the attention of city officials.

A rival guild targets the investor's employees, friends, family, or buildings. Guild politics can quickly become personal, especially when the investor's gold is seen as backing one faction in an ongoing power struggle.

Enemies of the client see a shipment as an opportunity to humiliate or kill the PC and acquire valuable goods. The ambush may be political, mercantile, or personal — the cargo is just the excuse.

The invention fails spectacularly and dangerously, putting the surrounding populace at risk. The investor is now associated with the disaster, and there may be legal, financial, or civic consequences to manage.

A client you're protecting betrays an assassin's guild, is branded a heretic by an influential church, or insults a prominent member of the ruling elite. The investor is now caught between protecting the contract and avoiding becoming a target themselves.

Miners discover a strange hazard — mutation-inducing crystals, a flooded passage, or a cave complex full of dangerous monsters. The operation halts until someone deals with the threat.

The research goes awry, or falls into the hands of blackmailers, criminals intent on using it for evil, or rival researchers who plan to claim the credit — and any profits — for themselves.

Sabotage or a deadly accident occurs, or a rustler steals the most valuable mounts. Tracing where the animals went — and who paid for them to disappear — is its own small investigation.

Overheard plans for an ambush spark rumors and property damage. What started as idle conversation in the common room is now a civic incident, and the investor's name is attached to the establishment.
OGL 1.0a Notice. Pathfinder-derived Open Game Content on this page is used under the Open Game License v1.0a and Section 15 notice.