B i di g , B i e e , a d B b

A Guide to Economics in Fantasy Settings

I d c i

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The C f B i di g A Ra ge f B i di g

B ilding T pe Cost Constr ction Time To build or buy

Abbe 25,000 gp 250 da s It is s all more e pensi e to b a pre-e isting
b siness than to b ild one. A t pical modifier
Farm 150 gp 20 da s might be aro nd 1.25 b t this can be changed
G ildhall 4,000 gp 60 da s d e to se eral factors. A b siness o ner forced to
sell nder poor circ mstances or in a time cr nch
Smaller Manor 2,500 gp 50 da s might ha e a 0.75 modifier. A b siness that as
Ho se, medi m 1,000 gp 40 da s repossessed b the cit after its o ner
disappeared after meeting a b nch of ad ent rers
Ho se, small 500 gp 30 da s might sell it to the ad ent rers for cheap.
Ho el 8 gp 5 da s
H nting lodge 1,000 gp 40 da s
Inn, roadside 4,000 gp 50 da s
Inn, to n or cit 6, 000gp 50 da s
Keep (small castle) 25,000 gp 250 da s
Noble Estate 20,000 gp 150 da s
O tpost or Fort 10,000 gp 75 da s
Palace (large castle) 250,000 gp 400 da s
Shop, empori m 7,500 gp 70 da s
Shop, large 3,000 gp 40 da s
Shop, small 1,000 gp 30 da s
Temple, large 40,000 gp 250 da s
Temple, medi m 5,000 gp 30 da s
Temple, small 2,000 gp 50 da s
To er, fortified 10,000 gp 75 da s
Trading post 3,000 gp 50 da s

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 Re
Pa i g he Bi

Ta a i
Cost per Skilled
B ilding T pe da Hirelings Hiregs
Abbe 15 gp 5 20
Farm 5 sp 1 2
G ildhall 5 gp 3 3
Ho se, large 3 gp 1 3
Ho se, medi m 7 sp 1 1
Ho se, small 2 sp 1
Ho el 3 cp 0 0
H nting lodge 7 sp 1 0
Inn, roadside 10 gp 5 7
Inn, to n or cit 8 gp 2 5
Keep (small 60 gp 30 50
castle)
Ta ation Le el Ta Rate (% of b ilding al e)
Noble Estate 10 gp 3 12
No real estate ta 0%
O tpost or Fort 50 gp 20 40
Cheap 0.5%
Palace (large 200 gp 120 120
castle) A erage 1.0%
Shop, 35 gp 6 4 Abo e A erage 2.0%
empori m High 2.5%
Shop, large 10 gp 2 5 E torti e 3.5%
Shop, small 3 gp 1 1
Temple, large 20 gp 6 12
Temple, 10 gp 3 6
medi m
Temple, small 5 gp 2 1
To er, fortified 20 gp 10 0
Trading post 10 gp 4 3

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 Ac i e Ma age e
P fi Fai e

Diffe e ce f he DMG

d100 +
Da s
Managed Res lt
01-14 Yo m st pa the b siness s f ll
maintenance cost for each of the da s.

15-20 Yo m st pa half the b siness s

maintenance cost for each of the da s.
Profits co er the other half. A Ga e-B ea i g Cha ge?
21-35
The b siness co ers its o n maintenance
cost for each of the da s.
36-50 Yo co er the maintenance cost and profit
half of the pkeep maintenance cost for each
of the da s.
51-65
Yo co er the maintenance cost and profit the
f ll b siness pkeep cost for each of the da s
66-75 Yo co er the maintenance cost and profit
t ice the f ll b siness pkeep cost for each
of the da s.
76-90 Yo co er the maintenance cost and profit
three times the f ll maintenance cost for each
of the da s.
91 or Yo co er the maintenance cost and profit five
higher times the f ll maintenance cost for each of the
da s.

When To Evaluate a Business

Remember that repeated rolls tend to the a erage.
That means that the more often o e al ate a
û b siness (roll for profits) in a gi en time period,
the less likel o 'll get cra res lts. The more
often o roll the closer to the 20% or 65%
a erage o r pla ers ill be, b t that's ob io sl
more ork for o . I'd sa 3-5 rolls per period is
reasonable, in that it isn't too m ch ork for the
DM, b t also pre ents eird res lts from
bankr pting a pla er.

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 AF Ra ge f Hi e i g
Life F he Re f The

H M ch Sh daW e Ma e?

Yearl Dail Commission per

Worker Income Wage da
Skilled Labo rer 150 gp 4.1 sp 5 sp
Labo rer 75 gp 2.1 sp 3 sp
Man/Maidser ant 40 gp 1.1 sp 2 sp
S ineheard 40 gp 1.1 sp 2 sp

Master 300 gp 8.3 sp 18 sp

Craftsman
Skilled Craftsman 250 gp 6.9 sp 14 sp
Craftsman 150 gp 4.2 sp 9 sp
Jo rne man 120 gp 3.3 sp 7 sp
Apprentice 90 gp 2.5 sp 5 sp

Armo rer 375 gp 10.3 sp 20 sp

Carpenter 175 gp 4.8 sp 10 sp
Cook 150 gp 4.1 sp 10 sp
Cooper 120 gp 3.3 sp 8 sp
Mason 225 gp 6.2 sp 15 sp
Skill vs. Training
Priest 170 gp 4.7 sp 10 sp
I ant to disting ish briefl bet een skilled s.
nskilled and trained s. ntrained, beca se the Thatcher 220 gp 6.0 sp 12 sp
PHB ses both. I o ld sa that a farmhand is Wea er 180 gp 5.0 sp 10 sp
al a s an ntrained orker b t can certainl be
skilled or nskilled at their jobs. In contrast, trained
orkers ( hat the PHB and DMG refer to ask G ard 175 gp 4.8 sp 10 sp
Skilled Hirelings ) m st recei e training. The
progress p a hierarch , often in the g ild of a cit . G ard Captain 450 gp 12.3 sp 25 sp

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 Item Cost
T ade G d Re i i ed Gold (1lb) 50 gp
Goose (1) 5 cp
Herring, salted 2 cp
Hone (1lb) 1 sp
Hone (1o ) 1 cp
Iron (1lb) 1 sp
I or (1lb) 3 gp
Lead (1lb) 1 gp
Linen (1 sq. ard) 5 gp
Item Cost Liq or, A erage (bottle) 2 sp
Adamantine (1lb) 5,000 gp Liq or, E q isite (bottle) 5 gp
Ale (gallon) 2 sp Liq or, Poor (bottle) 8 cp
Ale (m g) 4 cp Mead (gallon) 5 sp
Animal Hide (1lb) 2 gp Mead (m g) 1 sp
Animal Hide (2lb) 3.5 gp Meat, cooked (1 ser ing) 3 sp
Apple or Orange (single) 1 cp Milk (1qt) 2 cp
Apples or Oranges (2lb) 5 cp Mithral (1lb) 1,000 gp
Beef, ra (1lb) 1 sp M stard (1lb) 3 gp
Bees a (1lb) 1 sp M tton, ra (1lb) 1 sp
Bees a Candle (case of 25) 1 gp M rrh (1lb) 7 gp
Bees a Candle (1) 5 cp N tmeg (1lb) 2 gp
Berries (1lb) 1 sp Oats (1lb) 2 cp
Brass (1lb) 2 gp O (1) 12 gp
Bread (1 loaf) 2 cp Pepper (1lb) 2 gp
Bron e (1lb) 1.5 gp Pig (1) 3 gp
B tter (1lb) 5 sp Platin m (1lb) 500 gp
Camphor (1lb) 2 gp Potatoes or Onions (1lb) 1 cp
Can as (1 sq. ard) 1 sp Rice (1lb) 1 cp
Cheese (1lb) 1 sp Saffron (1lb) 15 gp
Chicken (1) 2 cp Salt (1lb) 5 cp
Cinnamon (1lb) 2 gp Sheep (1) 2 gp
Clo es (1lb) 2 gp Silk (1 sq. ard) 10 gp
Coal (1lb) 3 cp Sil er (1lb) 4 gp
Cod, salted 2 sp Steel (1lb) 2 sp
Copper (1lb) 5 sp S gar (1lb) 2 gp
Cotton (1 sq. ard) 5 sp Tallo (1lb) 2 sp
Co (1) 7.5 gp Tea (1lb) 2 gp
Eggs (1 do en) 6 cp Vanilla (1lb) 4 gp
Flo r (1lb) 2 cp Wheat (1lb) 1 cp
Frankincense (1lb) 3 gp Wine Bottle (common) 5 sp
Fresh Vegetables (1lb) 4 cp Wine Bottle (fine) 10 gp
Fr it, dried (1lb) 1 sp Wine Bottle (good) 1 gp
Ginger (1lb) 1 gp Wine Pitcher (common) 2 sp
Ginseng (1lb) 8 gp Wool (1lb) 3 sp
Goat (1) 1 gp Wool cloth (1 sq. ard) 7 sp
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Regi a Va ia i S gg i g E a e

B ac Ma e
d100 Good Ab ndance Price Modifier
1-10 Ab ndant 0.7
11-25 Mildl Ab ndant 0.8
26-40 Common 0.9
41-60 A erage 1.0
61-75 Uncommon 1.1
76-90 Scarce 1.2
91-100 Ver Scarce 1.3

S gg i g
More Tables!
While Table 6 presents all of the goods in
alphabetical order, Appendi B contains the same
information broken do n b the t pe of good
(spice, mineral, alcohol, etc.). Using the s bdi ided
tables ma allo for ease of commerce hen in a
specific spice market, or hen b ing reso rces in
a mining to n.
 Si e ed Wea
Si e , a d Tha Which i
P icie Tha G d

Wh a Diffe e Me h d f Si e ?
G i g Bac i Ti e

I c i e cie a d Fi e

Item Price Adj stment

Amm nition, adamantine +200 gp
Amm nition, mithral +80 gp
Hea armo r, adamantine +7,5000 gp
Hea armo r, mithral +3,500 gp
Medi m armo r, adamantine +4,000 gp
Medi m armo r, mithral +2,000 gp
Shield, adamantine +2,500 gp
Shield, mithral +1,000 gp
Weapon, adamantine +1,750 gp
Weapon, mithral +800 gp

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P b e i h Magic I e P ice Ba ed Ra i A e?

A Se f G ide i e

I c i e P ice E e he e!

DMG DMG XGE

Price XGE Price Creation Creation
Rarit Range Range Cost Cost
Common 50-100 20-70 gp 100 gp 50 gp
gp
Uncommon 101-500 100-600 500 gp 200 gp
gp gp
Rare 501- 2,000- 5,000 gp 2,000 gp
5,000 gp 20,000 gp
Ver Rare 5,001- 20,000- 50,000 gp 20,000 gp
50,000 50,000 gp
gp
Legendar 50,000+ 50,000- 500,000 100,000
gp 300,000gp gp gp
C c i
A e di A
P ice f B i di g i Medie a
E e

£
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£ £

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A e di B
Item Cost Item Cost
Adamantine (1lb) 5,000 gp Ale (gallon) 2 sp
Brass (1lb) 2 gp Ale (m g) 4 cp
Bron e (1lb) 2 gp Liq or, A erage (bottle) 2 sp
Coal (1lb) 3 cp Liq or, E q isite (bottle) 5 gp
Copper (1lb) 5 sp Liq or, Poor (bottle) 8 cp
Gold (1lb) 50 gp Mead (gallon) 5 sp
Iron (1lb) 1 sp Mead (m g) 1 sp
Lead (1lb) 1 gp Wine Bottle (common) 5 sp
Mithral (1lb) 1,000 gp Wine Bottle (fine) 10 gp
Platin m (1lb) 500 gp Wine Bottle (good) 1 gp
Salt (1lb) 5 cp Wine Pitcher (common) 2 sp
Sil er (1lb) 5 gp
Steel (1lb) 2 sp

Item Cost Item Cost

Camphor (1lb) 2 gp Apple or Orange (single) 1 cp
Cinnamon (1lb) 2 gp Apples or Oranges (2lb) 5 cp
Clo es (1lb) 3 gp Beef, ra (1lb) 1 sp
Frankincense (1lb) 3 gp Berries (1lb) 1 sp
Ginger (1lb) 1 gp Bread (1 loaf) 2 cp
Ginseng (1lb) 8 gp B tter (1lb) 5 sp
M stard (1lb) 3 gp Cheese (1lb) 1 sp
M rrh (1lb) 8 gp Cod, salted 2 sp
N tmeg (1lb) 2 gp Eggs (1 do en) 6 cp
Pepper (1lb) 2 gp Flo r (1lb) 2 cp
Saffron (1lb) 15 gp Fresh Vegetables (1lb) 4 cp
S gar (1lb) 2 gp Fr it, dried (1lb) 1 sp
Tea (1lb) 2 gp Herring, salted 2 cp
Vanilla (1lb) 5 gp Hone (1lb) 1 sp
Hone (1o ) 1 cp
Meat, cooked (1 ser ing) 3 sp
Milk (1qt) 2 cp
M tton, ra (1lb) 1 sp
Oats (1lb) 2 cp
Potatoes or Onions (1lb) 1 cp
Rice (1lb) 1 cp
Wheat (1lb) 1 cp

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A e di B C i ed
Item Cost
Animal Hide (1lb) 2 gp
Animal Hide (2lb) 4 gp
Can as (1 sq. ard) 1 sp
Cotton (1 sq. ard) 5 sp
Linen (1 sq. ard) 6 gp
Silk (1 sq. ard) 12 gp
Wool cloth (1 sq. ard) 7 sp

Item Cost
Bees a (1lb) 1 sp
Bees a Candle (case of 25) 1 gp
Bees a Candle (1) 5 cp
I or (1lb) 3 gp
Tallo (1lb) 2 sp
Wool (1lb) 3 sp

Item Cost
Chicken 2 cp
Co 7.5 gp
Goat 1 gp
Goose 5 cp
O 12 gp
Pig 3 gp
Sheep 2 gp

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 Wi e
A e di C
Ag ic a Fac Shee

A quick disclaimer
Whea Fa i g A lot of the ratios abo e are a erages, and man
factors can change them. For e ample, a 10-person
ho sehold can tend to m ch more farmland than a
5-person ho sehold. Additionall , n mero s
setting factors s ch as a soil fertilit , dro ghts, or
magic can change ratios. These are j st g idelines
based loosel aro nd medie al farming.

Oa Fa i g

C Fa i g

Li e c

Chic e

Bee

G ai A c h

Mead

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Ac edge e

Refe e ce