Downtime and Franchise Activity: Schmoozing

D&D 2024 rule: Downtime and Franchise Activity: Schmoozing. Source: Acquisitions Incorporated. rule type Rule The schmoozing activity is more than just random carousing, chatting people up at society parties, or pumping strangers for information over copious drinks. (Full disclosure: copious drinks are often still a part of the bigger schmoozing picture.) For characters in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, schmoozing is a carefully focused engagement of bargaining and influence, designed to harvest contacts important to a franchise's interests. Resources Schmoozing covers at least one workweek of interactions. Characters or staff members undertaking this activity must look and play the part of the confident franchisee-dressing well, spending money, giving gifts to new friends, and so forth. Schmoozing with laborers and other working-class folk might incur expenses of 10 gp per franchise rank, with expenses escalating to 100 gp or more per franchise rank for schmoozing professionals and business rivals. Schmoozing at the highest level with nobles or ranking members of a faction might incur expenses of 250 gp or more per franchise rank as the character or staff member attempts to put on an impressive social display. Resolution The character or staff member engaging in schmoozing determines whether they want to establish relations with specific NPCs or with any general representative of a group. The character makes a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine the effectiveness of their schmoozing, as noted on the Schmoozing table. A character with the obviator position gains a +1 bonus to the check. A character with a background related to those they attempt to schmooze gains a +1 bonus to the check (a criminal schmoozing other criminals, a guild artisan schmoozing a guild master, and so forth). 1-5 The character's failed schmoozing brings the franchise into disrepute. Any further checks made for the franchise to schmooze NPCs from the same group or organization...