Company Positions

Additional company roles for players to choose during an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign

In my review of Acquisitions Incorporated, I make the claim that the book only has 8 positions, and that this is far too few. I outlined that I thought 26 would have been my target, were I writing the book. In our discord, someone challenged that number as too many. As a big talker, I threw out the claim that I could knock 10 out without much effort. I spent about 8 hours of actual design time, and came up with 5. 

1) Procurer

I’ve got a guy for that

As the official Procurer for your franchise, your job is to get them whatever they need to run an efficient organization. You are used to getting all sorts of bizarre requests for all sorts of unexplainable reasons, and as a Procurer, nothing phases you anymore. The eye of a giant squid, have it to you next tuesday. An infernal fire troll egg? My buddy just got 3 this morning, I’ll pick ‘em up at lunch. 300 chairs for a recital, that might be tricky, but I know someone with a catering company. Let me see what I can do. Do you want an exotic bird?

As Procurer, your job is vital in preparing for quests, setting the stage to entertain diplomats, and any sort of acquisitions your incorporation might partake in. You can often be found discussing business with your contacts at the market, or scoping out the docks to see who has the best catch that day. 

Essential Functions: Acquire hard to get, rare, impractical, or illicit items for your organization.

Position Proficiency: In addition to your normal proficiency bonuses, you can add your proficiency to any checks made to introduce yourself to a new merchant and convince them to do business with you. 

Franchise Rank	Features
1	Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Value Compass
2	Purse of Petty Cash, I Know a Guy
3	Immaterial Wealth, Great Credit
4	Acquired Upgrade, Call in a Favor

Proficiencies and Starting Equipment

At rank 1 you gain proficiency with your choice of a Thieves’ Tools or Forgery Kit. The head office doesn’t grant you a tool kit for your proficiency, but you do start play with one. They do grant you a set of merchant’s scales, fine clothes, and a stack of requisition forms. 

Value Compass

Also at rank 1, the head office grants you the use of a Value Compass. This compass is an uncommon magical item that always points to the person with the most material wealth in a given 6 mile radius (or Kingdom Scale hex). If you are within the bounds of the same city, you can make a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check to find their name, and DC 20 to gain an audience with them, or their people.

Purse of Petty Cash

At rank 2, you gain the use of a purse of petty cash. This purse is continually filled with small coins and petty spending money to cover whatever needs you may have. The pouch produces up to 300cp per day in a variety of national coinage. Additionally, if attuned, you gain the benefits of a wealthy lifestyle with no costs associated.  

I Know a Guy

At rank 2, you always know a guy, or a gal, or a sentient being, or sometimes it’s an automaton, look, you know someone. You may not be on great terms, but you can always get an audience to plead your case or strike a deal. When you need a contact for a specific item, you can make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to gain an audience. Sometimes the contact is busy, out of town, or even just mad at you for something. You can use this feature for magical items, but increase the required result by 5 per rarity of the item. If you build a good rapport with a contact, your DM may allow you to bypass, or gain a bonus to this check. 

Result	When you can get a meeting
10	By end of the month
14	By end of the week
18	In the next 1d4 days
22	Tomorrow
26	Same day
30	Within an hour

Immaterial Wealth

At rank 3, your value compass can discern between cash on hand, and immaterial wealth like influence, property, or holdings. You can adjust the compass to detect any of the three, or combination of the 3 criteria as an action. 

Great Credit

At rank 3, you are well known enough that you can borrow against your franchise to make purchases. You can generally make purchases on credit (to those who have heard of your franchise) with a value up to, but not exceeding, the baseline monthly costs of your franchise. This money must be paid back, with 10% interest, before it can be leveraged again. 

Acquired Upgrade

At rank 4 you can begin to call in favors. The first of which is a cosmetic upgrade of your choice to your franchise.

Call in a Favor

During downtime, you take the task “Call in a Favor”. This task requires no resources, but allows you to call in a favor from someone who owes you. This sort of favor can’t really be refused, but they don’t have to like doing it for you. You can call in a favor, and have an NPC take a task for you, at their expense, and using their modifiers. They may have one of their hirlings handle it, or outsource it or whatever, but the third party should have a bonus at least as good as the NPCs for performing this task. This task does not count against your normal limit for the amount of tasks you can undertake at a given time. 

2) Debarrer 

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished colleagues. My client isn’t really on trial today, ya know. Common sense is on trial. 

The Debarrer, legally speaking, has one of the most important jobs in a franchise. Their job is to protect the franchise, and its charter members, from any legal threats. Ultimately, as an adventuring firm, the franchise is going to enter into what is legally known as a grey area. The regular job duties of an adventurer include breaking into something’s home, assaulting it, and taking all of its stuff. The Debarrer’s job is to make sure all of this is done with the utmost care in regards to the law, and ensure a just, and most importantly, legal defense for the franchise. 

Essential Functions: The Debarrer ensures the legal protection for all franchise activities. 

Position Proficiency:  In addition to your normal proficiency bonuses, you can add your proficiency to any checks made in regards to legal matters.

Franchise Rank	Features
1	Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Letter of the Law
2	Objection, Loophole
3	Filibuster, Greased Palms
4	Get of of Jail Free

Proficiencies and Starting Equipment

At Rank 1 you gain proficiency in your choice of either a forger’s kit, or calligrapher’s supplies. In addition, the head office grants you a calligrapher’s kit, a dozen legal texts for the region you are in, and a diplomat’s pack.

Letter of the Law

At rank 1, you are issued a Letter of the Law. An uncommon magical scroll that dynamically updates to contain the laws of whatever nation you happen to be in. You still need to read it, and make an Intelligence (Investigation) DC 15 check over the course of a short rest to find a specific law. For groups without written law, the scroll outlines custom and legal guidelines.

Objection

At rank 2, your offhand knowledge of legal proceedings, and general confidence in their dealings allows you to object to any enforcement of a law by soldiers, townsfolk, or guards. As an action, you can cite the terms of your objection, and draw enough doubt into the equation that they will fetch a captain of the guard, barrister, judge, or similar ranking official. Whether your objection has merit is to be determined, but you can certainly buy time. 

Loophole

Once you’ve attained rank 2, you have mastered the legal lingo well beyond the average lawman. By scouring the local laws over a long rest, you can find a loophole in one. You can find some archaic, obscure, or vaguely worded law that allows you to break it, provided you do it in a roundabout, or specific manner. Obviously once this is done once, the legal experts in charge will change it to prevent further abuse. While this doesn’t prevent you from all retaliation for your actions, it does prevent legal recourse. 

Filibuster

At rank 3, you’ve mastered the art of confusing the issue with rapidfire, unrelated, bits of legal jargon. You can use the spell hold person once per long rest, provided you spend an action each round to sustain it. At rank 3, you can treat this as a 5th level spell, and at rank 4 an 8th level spell with an intelligence based spell save DC. 

Greased Palms

By the time you’ve reached rank 3, you know all the movers and shakers, and you don’t have time for your team to spend time behind bars. When confronted by law enforcement, you can pay 50% of whatever fine would be paid to the justice system directly to the agents of the law, in exchange for them dropping charges. You wouldn’t want to bog down the courts with all that extra work when they have real criminals to process, would you? If the punishment is beyond a fine, you can pay 2X the highest fine in the region, or 3x for a capital offense. 

Get out of Jail Free

At rank 4, you know everyone you need to, legally speaking. As a downtime task you can use the ability Get out of Jail Free. This requires an expenditure in gold equal to 10gp per day remaining in a sentence, but you can talk to a judge and get a person released from custody. The person doesn’t have to be a member of your franchise, but the head office would not like to see you use their name pulling random people from prison too often. In the case of a colossal mistake, you are an eligible target for this ability. 

3) Teamster

On the road again, Just can’t wait to get on the road again

Someone has to get this party from point A to point B. And I don’t mean plan a route, or buy supplies, or any of that tactical theory stuff. Someone has to actually transport the team and their goods. That’s where you, the Teamster comes in. You can coax the top performance out of your animals and machines, to ensure you get there ahead of schedule and under budget. 

Essential Functions: The Teamster coordinates travel for the franchise and all their equipment. 

Position Benefit: The Teamster can score a 10% discount on all lodgings and accommodations.  

Franchise Rank	Features
1	Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Carrot or the Stick
2	Fine Tuned, Cargo Hauler
3	Portable HQ, Ride in Style
4	Valet

Proficiencies and Starting Equipment

At Rank 1 you gain proficiency in Vehicles (Land) and Navigation Tools or Wisdom (Animal Handling). Additionally, you are given a cart with a donkey. At rank 2, you gain proficiency with Vehicles (Water) and at rank 4 Vehicles (Air).

Carrot or the Stick

At first rank, you are issued a common magical feedbag and riding crop. The feedbag can be attuned to a single animal, and provides you with advantage checks made on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks. The crop can be used to grant advantage on checks made with Vehicles. 

Fine Tuned

At 2nd rank, you know how to get the most out of your vehicles. Vehicles whose speed is based on an animal, have the animal’s speed increased by 10ft. Other vehicles have their speed increased by 1mph. 

Cargo Hauler

By 2nd rank, you are able to pack way more effectively than others. If the vehicles capacity is based on an animal, the animal’s carrying capacity is increased by 10* your wisdom modifier. If it is based off tonnage, increase that value by 10*your wisdom modifier. 

Portable HQ

At third rank, your headquarters gains an additional transportation feature at no cost. Additionally, when you are the subject of the teleport or planeshift spells, you can bring a vehicle, its crew, animals, and its cargo, along with you. 

Ride in Style

At third rank, the head office is willing to make an investment in your enterprise, and will grant you the use of a sailing ship, or equivalently priced vehicle or mount. 

Valet

By 4th rank, you have earned some renown as a mover of goods. The head office issues you a valet, who will serve loyally, keep your animals fed, and vehicles in good repair. They can operate your vehicle for you, and perform any repairs needed at no cost to you. If you have them manage your headquarters, its baseline upkeep costs are halved. Your valet uses the noble statistics, but is proficient in all vehicles and animal handling. 

4) Disputer

I work in the pursuit of recognized contractual ownership by a group or individual

In any franchise business model, there are always debates on jurisdiction. As Disputer, your job is to ensure that your franchise always has a fair and accurate stake. Sometimes that takes the form of dealing with encroachments, and other times, you stake claim for seemingly unoccupied territory to expand your own. 

Essential Functions: The Disputer ensures that the franchise always has the best jobs, and that there is no competition. 

Position Benefit: The Disputer ensures the party gets the best contracts. Increase any monetary rewards for contract completion by 10%. 

Franchise Rank	Features
1	Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, The Full Scoop
2	Border Patrol, Claimant’s Stake
3	Home Turf, Expansion
4	Acquisition, Protection

Proficiencies and Starting Equipment

At Rank 1 you gain proficiency in your choice of Cartographer’s Tools or Calligrapher’s Tools. In addition, the head office gives you a map detailing the exact borders of your territory, and the names of the franchises of any adjacent territories. You also receive a toolkit according to your proficiency, and an explorer’s pack.

The Full Scoop

As a rank 1 Disputer, you are given the full scoop on any job taken. You are aware of any other rival factions, within Acquisitions Inc and external, who may also be working to complete your task. 

Claimant’s Stake

At rank 2, you are given access to the uncommon magical item, the claimant’s stake. You can drive this stake deep into the ground near a major feature, landmark, or settlement within the same hex (or 6 mile radius) of your territory, that the head office has not given claim to. If the stake remains there for one week, the territory is automatically registered as part of your licenses region with the head office. 

Border Patrol

By 2nd rank, you are well aware of the going’s on in your licensed region. If another franchise, or adventuring group enters your territory, you are automatically alerted to their name, and the general location of where they entered.

Home Turf

When at 3rd rank, and within your licensed region, you and your franchise partners regain an extra number of hit points equal to your intelligence modifier whenever you spend a healing die. 

Expansion

At 3rd rank, you are expected to drive expansion, and your Claimant’s Stake is a great method. By this point, you’ve discovered an alternative use for it. You can stake it in a region licensed to another franchise, and if it remains for one week, the region is added to your own. 

Acquisition

Acquisitions the name of the game, and by 4th rank, you are able to acquire other franchises. If their rank is less than yours, you can buy out the franchise agreement for any other adventuring group for the price of 3 months upkeep. If you choose, you can hire new adventurers to run this region, or you can simply absorb it into yours. If you hire new adventurers, or choose to retain the old ones, they pay you 25% of the upkeep costs for their region each month, in addition to the normal costs paid to the head office. For your help. 

Protection

For your mentorship and guidance, at rank 4, if you have at least 4 sub-franchises reporting to you, you can bypass collecting their upkeep payments to you, and instead eliminate your monthly franchise headquarters costs. Your grateful sub-franchised agents will spread the costs among them. 

5) Architect

You know I always wanted to pretend I was an architect.

The Architect’s role in any franchise is one of planning and foresight. As an architect, your job is to design and upgrade the headquarters yourself, saving the franchise tremendous expense. 

Essential Functions: The architect is the person who actually decides just how high your spires are, and just how far the flame jets shoot. 

Position Benefit: You can add your proficiency modifier to any checks made to take the Headquarters Modification activity.

Franchise Rank	Features
1	Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Architect’s Compass
2	Distance Measurement
3	Identify Load, Buttress
4	Pièce de Résistance

Proficiencies and Starting Equipment

At Rank 1 you gain proficiency in Mason’s Tools. In addition, the head office gives you the Architect’s Compass, allowing you to accurately measure the interior dimensions of any room you are in as an action. 

Architect’s Compass

At Rank 1, as an action, once per long rest, you can use your Architect’s Compass to identify any hidden or secret doors or compartments in a room whose dimensions you have already determined and sketched. You are automatically alerted to the presence, and general location of any doors, hollow points in walls, or secret compartments. You do not know how to open them, or their specific location.

Distance Measurements

At Rank 2, You can use your compass to measure a room’s dimensions from a distance, provided you have line of sight. This also allows you to get a rough idea of the size a room must be, even if you can’t see the entirety of it. Such as through a window or down a hallway.

Identify Load

At Rank 3, you can identify a load bearing wall, support beams, or other structurally important supports for any room you have mapped. This grants advantage to checks made to demolish objects that are not load bearing by you, or anyone you instruct. 

Buttress

At Rank 3, you gain the ability to buttress supports. With a half hour’s worth of work, and suitable improvised materials, you can safely move the load carried by a load bearing object to another object. You need a similar amount of wood, stone, or metal able to do safely, and it must be touching the original point in some fashion. The materials do not need to be worked at the start of the project, but you do need your Mason’s Tools to do the job.

Pièce de Résistance

At Rank 4, you have achieved your Pièce de Résistance. Your franchise gains a unique Pièce de Résistance designed entirely by you. This single feature functions as your choice of any of your choice of features from transportation, weapon, arcane, defensive, and secret feature. You can select one feature per point of proficiency bonus and you must install it with the Headquarters Modification action. If your proficiency bonus increases, you can use the Headquarters Modification action again to add an additional function.