Updated: Aug 12, 2014
Authors: Michael Marzilli
Version: 1.0.0
Welcome to NERO LARP’s Personal Estate System. This system is designed to work in tandem with the larger NERO LARP Estate System, which covers running estates ranging from small hamlets to entire empires. The personal estate system is developed to allow the player to further develop their character by allowing the purchase of homes and/or businesses, as well as hire employees/hirelings. While the bulk of this system exists to give your character “a place to live” and “some place to be while not adventuring”, there are certain aspects which allow the player to maintain and improve his/her holdings.
The first rule of the Personal Estate System is that everything exists under the permission of your local chapter’s plot committee. That means, if your plot committee does not want you to build an inn and tavern located in the Swamp of Dreaded Death, then you will not be allowed to construct such buildings in that location. Additionally, in many situations, one would need to get permission from the local nobles before building a home or business. It would not be feasible for a character which belongs to Faction A to be able to build a fortified manor in the territory of their enemy, Faction B. The nobles of Faction B would not allow such to happen. As such, under most circumstances, permission must be sought (in-game) from the local nobles, and also from your local plot committee.
The second rule of the Personal Estate System is that everything can be affected, either for good or ill, by your local plot committee. If your local plot committee decides that the town that your business is located within suddenly falls into the sea, then your business will be lost as well. On the other hand, if the town your home is located within is affected by a beneficial magic, your home will share in that benefit. Your local plot will have as much of an affect upon your estates as much as your local plot can have an effect upon your character.
The third rule of the Personal Estate System is that everything is in flux, and everything is inter-connected. That means that during one period, you can experience a windfall, and other periods, you can experience tragedy. Your personal estates can be affected by weather, crime, magic, random events and events which affect the town/city/barony/county/duchy/kingdom/empire your estate resides within.
The final rule of the Personal Estate System is to use the system primarily as a means to further define your character; and to have fun. The system is designed to be balanced. There will be equal opportunities of gain and loss. The outcomes that happen during each week/month can be determined by your local plot committee, or happen at random. In either case, you are encouraged to use the events in your character’s story.
(This system is currently under development. The numbers and formulas included in this document are subject to change as the system is tested and improved. Please direct any questions, problems, comments or ideas to rowell@nerolarponline.com or visit the Forum Topic dedicated to this system at: http://nerolarp.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8682 )
All purchases and income transacted in the Estate System work with the character’s Estate Bank, which is a separate account from the characters regular bank. The reason for this is that the estate system can generate some very large numbers, which would throw the in-game economies of most chapters completely out of whack. Since the estate system is mainly an off-board system, a different metric of currency is needed which will 1) allow players to gain wealth within the system to improve their estates, and 2) keep that wealth from filtering back into the in-game economies of NERO chapters. The estate system is an off-board “mini-game”, which has indirect ties to the in-game realm.
A character can deposit money from their character’s bank into their estate bank at a ratio of 1 to 2. For every 1 silver taken from the character bank, 2 silvers are put into the estate bank. For example, when transferring 250 silver from the character bank, a total of 500 silver would be placed into the estate bank.
Conversely, a character can withdraw money from their estate bank into their character’s bank at a ratio of 20 to 1. For every 20 silver taken from the estate bank, 1 silver is put into the character’s bank. For example, when transferring 400 silver from the estate bank, a total of 20 silver would be placed into the character’s bank.
Again, this is done to preserve the in-game economies of the various NERO LARP chapters.
Properties refer to the building and the land the building sits upon. A property can be a home or a place of business. In some cases, a property can refer to a vehicle in which a character can live (such as a ship, or a caravan wagon). A property can also refer to a mobile camp site that the character can erect and break down. For a list of the various property types, see Table 1-1 (Business Properties) and Table 1-2 (Dwelling Properties).
The number of properties that a character can own is based upon the character’s level. A new character will start off with the ability to purchase one property. Within a few levels, the character will be able to purchase an additional property. Beyond the first property, a character gains the ability to purchase an additional property at every tenth level.
The main feature of a property to be concerned with is the number of room slots that it has. Larger buildings have more room slots, while smaller buildings have less room slots. Rooms come in various sizes, and as such, take up a different number of room slots. A small bedroom takes up one room slot, and can house up to 3 people. A luxurious bedroom, on the other hand, takes up 4 room slots, and can house up to 20 people.
Room slots are not a fixed dimension. Therefore, the cost of adding a room will vary depending on the size of the building it is placed within. After all, even though a small bedroom is only 1 room slot, a small bedroom in a small hut would not be the same size as a small bedroom in a large house.
Each property type has a set number of days needed to construct/repair the structure. Typically, the larger the building, the longer it will take to build, and the more costly the labor and materials. If you wish to have your property built more quickly, you can pay more money (which represents hiring more workers and expediting the delivery of building materials).
To build a property in half the time, the cost is multiplied by three.
To build a property in one third the time, the cost is multiplied by six.
To build a property in one quarter the time, the cost is multiplied by ten.
Once completed, you have the option of adding on another floor (if applicable), which will double the number of room slots in your building.
Every property, except Camp Sites, requires a monthly upkeep, which represents paying for fixes to your building, paying for water, firewood, etc. This amount is automatically deducted from your estate bank each month.
Businesses generate revenue through the sale of products or services. Each business has a base amount of revenue it will generate in a week/month. This base revenue represents the part-time nature that your character spends at the store, instead of being off adventuring.
In order to increase revenue, you can hire employees. Non-Combat employees have a profession in which they create a product, or provide a service. When an employee is hired to work at a place of business, they generate additional income based upon their level of skill and their happiness. The more skilled and happy an employee is, the more revenue is generated by that employee.
Employees must also be paid a salary. Each week/month, an employee is paid their salary from the character’s estate bank. When an employee is initially hired, their starting salary is pre-set, based upon the skill of the employee, and the job they will be performing. You can always change the salary, higher or lower. Lower salary means an unhappy worker, while a higher salary tends to mean a happier worker. The system does not directly factor salary into happiness; so paying an employee a large salary will not rocket the employee’s happiness. In fact, such an act could back fire, as the employee will continually expect a high salary, and higher raises.
Each property is made up of rooms. Each room type serves a distinct purpose, ranging from sleeping quarters to sale floors. The property comes with a Default set of rooms. These are the rooms most likely found in the type of property purchased.
Any rooms that you are not interested in keeping, or no longer wish to utilize, can be demolished. There is a cost associated with demolishing a room, to cover the labor and materials needed to complete the task. The demolition also takes time, depending on the size of the room. When demolition on a room is begun, the overall condition of your property decreases. As the demolition continues, the condition of your property increases until it returns to 100%, when the demolition is complete.
If your property has enough free room space, you can opt to build new rooms. Each room has its own cost, and time to build into the property. Once construction begins on your new room, the overall condition of the property decreases. As construction continues, the condition of your property increases until it returns to 100%, when the construction is complete, and the room is usable.
For a list of Room Types and their functions, please see Table 1-3 (Estate Room Types)
Estate Assets are objects which are added to rooms or properties, and add a special ability to the property.
Workshop assets, when placed into the appropriate room type, grant the character the bonuses of a Crafting Workshop (see NERO LARP Rulebook, p. 32-33). The workshop is designated for a specific crafting skill (i.e., Alchemy, Smithing, Potion Making, Scroll Making and Trap Making). The workshop will always be accessible to the owner, as long as the owner is at the property. If a character cannot travel to the property where the Workshop is located, they will be unable to use the bonuses of the workshop when doing production for an event. Workshops are local chapter only, so can only be used for events which take place in which the property exists.
Non-Personal Workshops (i.e., Group, Guild and Town workshops) allow the owner to grant other characters trustee privileges. When an owner makes another character a trustee, that character will be able to use the workshop in the production of items for events. As with the owner, trustees must be able to visit the property in order to utilize the workshop. A trustee cannot use a workshop for an event outside of the chapter in which the property and workshop is located.
For a list of Estate Assets, see Table 1-4 (Estate Asset Types).
Employees and Hirelings are NPC characters created by the system to work for the character in various capacities. Employees are NPC’s that work as general help, such as a clerk in the character’s shop, or a barkeep that works in the character’s tavern.
Hirelings are NPC’s that work more closely to the character, such as a seneschal that oversees the operation of the character’s manor, or a Fighter that acts as a bodyguard for the character. As such, Hirelings start off with more loyalty to the character. A character can have at most two (2) hirelings at any given time.
There are two types of Employee: Combat and non-combat. Combat NPC’s are trained in one of the PC classes (Fighter, Rogue, Scholar or Templar), and have a Class Level. Combat employees can be brought along on off-board estate adventures, as well as offer your properties protection against crime or monster events. Combat employees can also be factored into local plot lines run by your local plot committee.
Non-combat employees are trained in a profession, such as farming, sales or beekeeping. These employees do not engage in combat. Their level is based upon the skill level in their profession (see Table 1-5 Profession Skill Levels). Non-combat employees generate additional revenue at the business the work within, or provide a service in the home they are hired into. The more skilled an employee is, the more sales income they generate.
| Property Type | **Time To Build (in days) ** | **Cost To Build ( in silver) ** | Room Slots | Maximum Employees/ Occupants | Max # of Floors | Average Income (in silver) | Average Expenses ( in silver) | Default Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guild Hall | 21 | 500 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 5 | |
| Business (any type) | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2) |
| Bakery | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Medium Business Kitchen (4), Small Retail Space (2) |
| Bank | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2), Large Vault (6) |
| Barber | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2) |
| Blacksmith | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2), Personal Workshop (5) |
| Brewery | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2), Personal Workshop (5) |
| Butcher | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2), Personal Workshop (5) |
| Farm | 30 | 200 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | |
| Flour Mill | 15 | 200 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2) |
| General Store | 15 | 200 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Retail Space (2), Small Warehouse Space (4) |
| Inn | 28 | 500 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 5 | Small Bedroom x5 (5), Medium Bedroom x3 (6), Large Bedroom (3), Small Dining Room (1), Large Dining Room (2), Small Pantry (1), Small Business Kitchen (2) |
| School | 28 | 500 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 5 | Classroom x3 (6), Large Classroom x2 (6), Lecture Hall (4), Office x2 (2) |
| Tavern | 21 | 500 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 5 | Medium Banquet Hall (6), Medium Pantry (2), Medium Business Kitchen (4), Small Retail Space (2) |
| Schooner | 15 | 200 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | Small Bedroom (1), Large Bedroom (3), Small Pantry (1), Large Warehouse Space (12) |
| Property Type | Time To Build | Cost To Build | Room Slots | Maximum Employees/ Occupants | Max # of Floors | Average Income | Average Expense | Default Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Site | 1 days | 10s | 6 | 1 | 1 | N/A | N/A | Small Bedroom (1) |
| Caravan Wagon | 2 days | 50s | 6 | 1 | 1 | N/A | 1s | Small Bedroom (1) |
| Hut (Small) | 2 days | 50s | 8 | 5 | 1 | N/A | 1s | Small Bedroom x2 (2), Small Dining Room (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| Hut (Medium) | 4 days | 100s | 12 | 10 | 1 | N/A | 1s | Medium Bedroom x2 (4), Small Dining Room (1), Small Pantry (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| Hut (Large) | 8 days | 150s | 16 | 15 | 1 | N/A | 1s | Large Bedroom x2 (6), Small Dining Room (1), Small Pantry (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| House (Small) | 4 days | 100s | 14 | 10 | 2 | N/A | 1s | Small Bedroom x2 (2), Small Dining Room (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| House (Medium) | 8 days | 150s | 17 | 20 | 2 | N/A | 1s | Medium Bedroom x2 (4), Small Dining Room (1), Small Pantry (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| House (Large) | 16 days | 200s | 20 | 30 | 2 | N/A | 2s | Large Bedroom x2 (6), Small Dining Room (1), Small Pantry (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| Manor House | 21 days | 300s | 20 | 5 | 2 | N/A | 3s | Small Bedroom x3 (3), Small Dining Room (1), Privy/Water Closet (1), Small Pantry (1), Small Kitchen (1) |
| Room Type | Room Slots Taken | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom (Small) | 1 | Sleeping quarters for up to 3 people |
| Bedroom (Medium) | 2 | Sleeping quarters for up to 8 people |
| Bedroom (Large) | 3 | Sleeping quarters for up to 14 people |
| Bedroom (Luxury) | 4 | Sleeping quarters for up to 20 people |
| Main Room | 2 | A main hall / reception area |
| Dining Room (Small) | 1 | A dining hall for up to 8 people |
| Dining Room (Large) | 2 | A dining hall for up to 15 people |
| Privy/Water Closet | 1 | A latrine |
| Banquet Hall (Small) | 4 | A dining hall for up to 30 people |
| Banquet Hall (Medium) | 6 | A dining hall for up to 60 people |
| Banquet Hall (Large) | 8 | A dining hall for up to 100 people |
| Pantry (Small) | 1 | A closet/root cellar to store enough food/water for up to 8 people for 6 months |
| Pantry (Medium) | 2 | A closet/root cellar to store enough food/water for up to 15 people for 6 months |
| Pantry (Large) | 3 | A closet/root cellar to store enough food/water for up to 25 people for 6 months |
| Kitchen (Small) | 1 | A food preparation/cooking area for small home meals |
| Kitchen (Large) | 2 | A food preparation/cooking area for large home meals |
| Kitchen (Business, Small) | 2 | A food preparation/cooking area for up to 30 patrons |
| Kitchen (Business, Medium) | 4 | A food preparation/cooking area for up to 60 patrons |
| Kitchen (Business, Large) | 6 | A food preparation/cooking area for up to 100 patrons |
| Great Hall | 12 | An open hall used for concerts/stage/dances shows with room for up to 50 people |
| Great Hall (Large) | 20 | An open hall used for concerts/stage/dances shows with room for up to 100 people |
| Office | 1 | Workspace for up to 3 people |
| Office (Large) | 2 | Workspace for up to 8 people |
| Classroom | 2 | A classroom for up to 15 students |
| Classroom (Large) | 3 | A classroom for up to 25 students |
| Lecture Hall | 4 | A large hall with podium for lecturing up to 50 students |
| Studio | 2 | An open room for work |
| Studio (Large) | 3 | An open room for work |
| Retail Space (Small) | 2 | A retail showroom with 5 display cases/aisles |
| Retail Space (Medium) | 6 | A retail showroom with 10 display cases/aisles |
| Retail Space (Large) | 10 | A retail showroom with 20 display cases/aisles |
| Theater Stage | 3 | A large hall containing a stage and seating for up to 100 patrons |
| Training Room | 10 | A combat training room suitable for up to 5 trainees |
| Training Room (Large) | 20 | A combat training room suitable for up to 15 trainees |
| Vault (Small) | 2 | A secured vault suitable for storing armors, weapons and small objects |
| Vault (Medium) | 4 | A secured vault suitable for storing items larger items (8ftx8ftx8ft) |
| Vault (Large) | 6 | A secured room-sized vault (10ftx10ftx10ft) |
| Warehouse Space (Small) | 4 | An open storage space (20ftx10ftx10ft) |
| Warehouse Space (Medium) | 8 | An open storage space (20ftx15ftx10ft) |
| Warehouse Space (Large) | 12 | An open storage space (40ftx20ftx10ft) |
| Personal Workshop | 5 | Specifically built to contain a Personal Workshop Asset |
| Small Workshop | 10 | Specifically built to contain a Group Workshop Asset (or smaller) |
| Guild Workshop | 15 | Specifically built to contain a Guild Workshop Asset (or smaller) |
| Open Workshop | 20 | Specifically built to contain a Town Workshop Asset (or smaller) |
| Asset Type | Maximum Trustees | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Workshop | 0 | 500 |
| Group Workshop | 10 | 2000 |
| Guild Workshop | 25 | 5000 |
| Town Workshop | 999 | 10000 |
| Untrained |
|---|
| Beginner |
| Novice |
| Apprentice |
| Proficient |
| Intermediate |
| Journeyman |
| Veteran |
| Advanced |
| Expert |
| Master |
| Grand Master |