Character Earnings and Budgets
Coin in Turnbuckle Town follows a simple course: From the hands of the Clients into the accounts of the CAds and finally into the pockets of the Guides. Or perhaps the final step is the register at the local watering hole.
Whereas guides subsist on payments from Clients, clients have a monthly stipend that they can survive on. This could represent family funds, business income, scrupulous savings, or any other revenue stream you can think up for your Client character.
It is up to you to keep track of your character’s wealth. Honor system, folks!
Guides
Guides earn their keep through the purses of their clients. Different CAds have different pay structures, but all of them grant a certain percentage of the intake to their Guides. The Guides are free to spend this coin as they wish throughout Turnbuckle Town.
Money earned through the adventures themselves (loose coins, mundane relics, priceless artifacts, etc) is generally split equally amongst the party and not reviewed or taxed by the CAds. However, Clients may pay the CAd company more to ensure a larger share–or even all–of the loot gathered winds up in their hands. Naturally, this results in a larger payment from the CAd to the Guides.
Guide Items
Guides are integral to the operations of the CAds, and as such, the CAds do their best to ensure that their Guides are well-equipped. Each month (in real time), Guides can select one free magic item from amongst those available to them on DnD Beyond. The rarity of item granted is based on the individual character's Prestige Score, as seen on the table below.
DMs will not be auditing your item choices, but please keep them reasonable. Ideally most of the truly special loot will be found on an adventure, not between them. If you have questions, ask in Discord.
Guide PS Chart
| PS Tier | Item Rarity |
|---|---|
| Novice | Common |
| Journeyman | Uncommon |
| Adept | Rare |
| Exemplar | Very Rare |
| Legendary | Do What You Want |
Clients
Clients are granted a monthly (in real time) stipend of funds. Calculations for a client stipend can be found below (see Client Stipends) . Any coin earned through adventure can be spent however you desire, but the monthly stipend is generally used to purchase adventures from the CAds and additional services from your Guides.
Depending on the type of Adventure, CAds may allow a Client to spend additional coin to ensure a higher share of the gathered loot. Rates are negotiated on a case-by-case basis between the DM (acting as the CAd) and the Client.
Client Stipends
A PC's stipend is dependent on three primary factors: their lifestyle (picked during character creation), their Backgrounds and their PS. A characters lifestyle can change overtime if they have acquired the funds to justify it (DM must approve), their background cannot.
A stipend can be calculated through the following formula:
[!Client Stipend Equation] (lifestyle score + background score) x PS x 10gp = Stipend in gp
For example a character that has a lifestyle of modest, the sailor background and a PS of 7. You would calculate their lifestyle score through:
(3+1) x 7 x 10gp = 280gp/month
Tables detailing the scores associated with the various lifestyles and backgrounds can be found below.
Lifestyle Score Chart
| Lifestyle | Score |
|---|---|
| Wretched | 0 |
| Squalid | 1 |
| Poor | 2 |
| Modest | 3 |
| Comfortable | 5 |
| Wealth | 8 |
| Aristocratic | 10 |
| #### Background Score Chart |
[!important] Not all backgrounds are listed below. If you choose a background that is not listed or homebrew one, talk with your DM to determine you background score on a scale of 0-5.
| Background | Score |
|---|---|
| Acolyte | 2 |
| Anthropologist | 1 |
| Archaeologist | 1 |
| Black Fist Double Agent | 1 |
| Caravan Specialist | 2 |
| Charlatan | 2 |
| City Watch | 1 |
| Clan Crafter | 1 |
| Cloistered Scholar | 2 |
| Cormanthor Refugee | 0 |
| Courtier | 5 |
| Criminal | 0 |
| Dissenter (Initiate / Vizier) | 1 |
| Dragon Casualty | 0 |
| Earthspur Miner | 0 |
| Entertainer | 1 |
| Faction Agent | 1 |
| Far Traveler | 2 |
| Folk Hero | 4 |
| Gate Urchin | 0 |
| Gladiator | 2 |
| Guild Artisan | 2 |
| Guild Merchant | 1 |
| Harborfolk | 0 |
| Haunted One | 0 |
| Heretic | 0 |
| Hermit | 0 |
| Hillsfar Merchant | 1 |
| Hillsfar Smuggler | 0 |
| Inheritor | 5 |
| Initiate | 1 |
| Inquisitor | 1 |
| Investigator | 1 |
| Iron Route Bandit | 0 |
| Knight | 3 |
| Knight of the Order | 3 |
| Mercenary Veteran | 2 |
| Mulmaster Aristocrat | 4 |
| Noble | 5 |
| Outlander | 0 |
| Phlan Insurgent | 0 |
| Phlan Refugee | 0 |
| Pirate | 0 |
| Sage | 2 |
| Sailor | 1 |
| Secret Identity | 0 |
| Shade Fanatic | 0 |
| Soldier | 1 |
| Spy | 1 |
| Stojanow Prisoner | 0 |
| Ticklebelly Nomad | 0 |
| Trade Sheriff | 2 |
| Urban Bounty Hunter | 0 |
| Urchin | 0 |
| Uthgardt Tribe Member | 0 |
| Vizier | 0 |
| Waterdhavian Noble | 4 |