5etools-mirror-2.github.io/data/book/book-ai.json

{
	"data": [
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 1: Acquisitions Incorporated",
			"page": 5,
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "book/AI/000-01-01.webp"
					},
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					"height": 1054,
					"credit": "Klaus Pillon"
				},
				"Acquisitions Incorporated was founded in Seattle, Washington, in a time spoken of in only hushed tones: the year 2009. It first saw life as a podcast, which, at the time, was an unusual way to play Dungeons & Dragons. The intervening decade saw Acq Inc take on many forms\u2014streams, recorded content, comics, and, of course, live roleplaying shows. While these are all now completely normal ways to discover and enjoy D&D, back then, not so much. We just did it because it seemed like a cool idea, and ten years later, it seems like maybe we were right. Today, Acq Inc's adventures continue, dutifully chronicled online at acq-inc.com.",
				"Our intention with Acquisitions Incorporated was to bring dark office comedy to a world of swords, sorcery, dungeons, and (dare we say) dragons. This book, created in concert with Wizards of the Coast, sets you up for success in your own fantasy-business endeavors. Chapter 1 provides an orientation for new franchise members, detailing how to start a game and play the Acquisitions Incorporated way. {@book Chapter 2|AI|1} explores the various positions within an Acq Inc franchise, introducing a variety of roles vital to an adventuring enterprise's success. {@book Chapter 3|AI|2} delves into backgrounds for Acq Inc franchise members, entrenching company goals at the core of their beings. In {@adventure Chapter 4|OoW|0}, all this comes together in an adventure taking characters from level 1 to 6, establishing a party's claim on a world they've begun to explore and strip-mine for profit.",
				"Following these chapters, {@book appendix A|AI|4} presents stalwarts of the Acquisitions Incorporated world, founding members and characters from the company's ongoing adventures. {@book Appendix B|AI|11} details foes, from terrifying deep crows to infamous keg robots. {@book Appendices C|AI|12}, {@book D|AI|13}, and {@book E|AI|14} conclude this guide with a variety of Acq Inc tools and treasures, from vehicles like the {@vehicle battle balloon|AI} to the mighty {@item Orrery of the Wanderer|AI}.",
				"Many hands worked diligently throughout the process of creating the Acquisitions Incorporated campaign and this resulting book. If you put your ear very close to the pages, you will hear us whisper, \"thank you.\"",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "It's Just Business",
					"page": 5,
					"entries": [
						"With its roots set firmly in heroic fantasy, D&D might feel out of sync with modern-day business dealings. But the game and its settings are actually a perfect fit for such tropes. What better way to think of the big bad monster at the center of a web of even bigger and badder plans than as the CEO of a megacorporation, using every resource to dominate the market? What is an adventuring party but a limited-liability corporation, with each member contributing specialized skills to growing the brand and expanding a power base?",
						"Likewise, hirelings, sidekicks, apprentices, and other paid laborers working for the heroes have been staples of Dungeons & Dragons since the earliest editions of the game. Charisma in AD&D was good for little other than determining how many followers your character might gather\u2014and, more importantly, how much pain and suffering you could put those followers through before they abandoned you. The world of Acquisitions Incorporated returns these hired helpers to prominence for their importance to the campaign story. And, of course, for comic effect.",
						"When the characters are relatively low level, an Acquisitions Incorporated style of play can present them with even more hurdles to overcome. The often bizarre, unfeeling, and surreal elements of corporate and business life can add a degree of danger or absurdity to even the most run-of-the-mill adventuring. And as the characters attain higher levels\u2014and their franchise attains higher rank\u2014their connections to Acquisitions Incorporated can help dial up the stakes of any adventure path. In an Acq Inc campaign, every NPC is a potential customer. Every bit of treasure found is an investment in the franchise and its future. Every other would-be hero is the competition, and every villain is the head of Evil Incorporated, just begging for some market volatility.",
						"Money, as they say, makes the world go around. And as is true in real life, so it goes in the fantasy realm. The far-reaching power of global corporations allied with political power doesn't just inform our own real world\u2014it molds it. Bringing that concept of powerful corporations working with or against nobility to gain money, power, and influence into D&D adds another layer of depth to the story your campaigns create.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "What Is Acquisitions Incorporated?",
							"page": 6,
							"entries": [
								"An Acquisitions Incorporated campaign has a unique texture, because it combines deeply ordinary clerical toil with multiverse-spanning stakes. And in the end, you never know which one of those tropes might save your life.",
								"Acquisitions Incorporated is high fantasy by way of office comedy. Imagine the Fellowship of the Ring insisting they only trekked from nine to five. Think about Conan barbarously assailing his way up the corporate ladder. Or perhaps King Arthur insisting that Excalibur's real magic lie in brand awareness, or Robin Hood pivoting the Merry Men toward a pyramid scheme.",
								"Starting your own Acquisitions Incorporated franchise means stepping into a world of possibility. It opens up countless adventure hooks, rules for building and growing your own personalized base of operations, and a way to introduce Acquisitions Incorporated's specific sense of farcical corporate culture, questionable morality, and unfolding narrative to your own game.",
								"Within the world of Acquisitions Incorporated, the franchise is the center of brand expansion throughout the world of Faerûn and beyond, even as it provides a new set of tools for player expression and involvement. In a way, it provides players with a greater purpose to explore. And although entirely nonnegotiable, franchise fees are incredibly reasonable.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Our integrated Intern Success Pathway is a robust, unparalleled system for reliable growth year-on-year while maximizing your downstream."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "002"
						}
					],
					"id": "001"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "A Corporate Prospectus",
					"page": 6,
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/001-01-02.webp"
							},
							"width": 613,
							"height": 1000,
							"credit": "Aviv Or"
						},
						"Throughout history, some people have had things and other people have wanted those things. But where most would gaze upon that arrangement and see an inescapable life of unfulfillment, {@creature Omin Dran|AI|Ominifis Hereward \"Omin\" Dran} saw a business opportunity. Thus was Acquisitions Incorporated born. In the years since, Omin and longtime employee (though less-longtime friend) {@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI|James Winifred \"Jim\" Darkmagic III} have turned a talent for redistribution of property into a reputation as the multiverse's premier adventurers for hire.",
						"{@creature Omin Dran|AI}, CEO of Acquisitions Incorporated and war priest of Tymora, is the very model of the modern Faerûn business mien. He prioritizes his responsibilities first to his shareholders (which is to say, himself); second to his goddess; and then at some later stage to the well-being of his employees. It's definitely not third. But it's up there somewhere.",
						"{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI} III comes from a long line of renowned wizards, but he turned his back on his family and his inheritance for a life on the stage\u2014at least until well-paid heroics came calling. Jim and Omin's unlikely partnership began when Jim was the only surviving candidate in the running for a hotly contested position with the company. (Any deaths incurred in this process were incidental, and not the result of the actions or negligence of Acq Inc.)",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "How It Started",
							"page": 7,
							"entries": [
								"Acquisitions Incorporated began as most adventuring groups do, with the wholesale removal of irksome kobolds, scouting ruined towers, delving into dwarven necropolis-cities, and abandoning wounded goblin hirelings named Splug to a terrible fate. The usual stuff. But in short order, Acq Inc traded kobolds for dragons, and upgraded ruined towers to eldritch temples. As the company grew, so too did its demand for willing and able-bodied adventurers. However, a limited payroll meant having to settle for one or the other.",
								"After coming to the conclusion that a mission statement best described as \"minion harvesting\" sent the wrong message, Acquisitions Incorporated started an internship program. In accordance with the truism \"you get what you pay for,\" the very first Acq Inc intern died on his second assignment with the company. But like all good leaders, {@creature Omin Dran|AI} understood that truisms cut two ways, and he led the remaining team on a legendary trek through the Nine Hells to recover the soul of said intern. (Clearly, none of those hells paid for him either.)",
								"The rogue {@creature Viari|AI} is one of Acquisitions Incorporated's best internship success stories. In fact, he was so successful that he remained the company's flagship intern for nearly a decade. He first joined Acquisitions Incorporated during an expedition into the {@adventure Undermountain dungeons of Halaster Blackcloak|WDMM} (who, due to an ongoing defamation suit, we can no longer refer to as \"the Mad Mage\"). From regrowing his own arm after an unfortunate incident with the {@i Apocalypse Dagger}, to wrangling dinosaurs to win street races, {@creature Viari|AI} has earned something far more valuable than a regular salary with Acq Inc. He's earned on-the-job experience."
							],
							"id": "004"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Aggressive Expansion",
							"page": 7,
							"entries": [
								"Thanks to the company's continuing success and robust internship program, Acquisitions Incorporated has long since outgrown garden-variety slaughter and disregard for public well-being. {@creature Môrgæn|AI}, an elf ranger from the Elsewynn, joined the team as a troubleshooter some time ago, and quickly showed that her propensity for slaughter and disregard for the public well-being is far beyond garden variety.",
								"{@creature Môrgæn|AI}'s recruitment coincided with Acquisitions Incorporated acquiring its first airship. Diviners have theorized that this was no coincidence, but the combined psychic will of all mortal creatures to put as much distance between them and the ranger as possible. More practical minds see the folly in this, since the airship simply gave {@creature Môrgæn|AI} a better vantage point.",
								"Beyond the core Acquisitions Incorporated crew, {@creature Omin Dran|AI} has overseen regular strategic expansion of the Acq Inc brand. The \"C\" Team, the \"B\" team, and numerous other franchise operations have been established, flying the Acq Inc flag, bearing the Acq Inc sigil, and\u2014most crucially\u2014paying a cut of the profits into company coffers on a monthly basis.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"What the customer wants is not always what the customer needs... or gets."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "005"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Adventuring Biz",
							"page": 7,
							"entries": [
								"In the years between its founding and today, Acquisitions Incorporated has pried deep into the underbelly of Waterdeep, commandeered battle balloons above the jungles of Chult, faced down mechanical beholders, and robbed a bank operated by devils. The team has also rubbed shoulders with some of the most notorious figures in the Forgotten Realms, including bumping into Drizzt Do'Urden while journeying through the Underdark.",
								"When {@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI} became afflicted with the Death Curse, there was no definitive proof that this was a direct result of his employment with Acquisitions Incorporated, or had been incurred while on assignment. However, as Omin had already made his stance on the subject of death and termination of employment contracts very clear, he sought to break the curse. Dabbling in some light cloning and contracting the help of a trash witch, the team managed to restore Jim to peak productivity. Never one to waste company resources, Omin also traded Jim's clone to a devil. It seemed prudent at the time.",
								"However, nothing in Acquisitions Incorporated's storied history encapsulates the company's efficacy better than the recovery of Omin's sister, {@creature Auspicia Dran|AI}, from the Wandering Crypt. The specifics of her initial capture by that dread creature remain shrouded in mystery. Some say it was inspired by the evil actions of Omin's other sister, {@creature Portentia Dran|AI|Portentia}. Some also speculate that as the sole shareholder of Acq Inc, Omin founded the company for the express purpose of rescuing his beloved sister. Acquisitions Incorporated will not be making further statements on the matter at this time."
							],
							"id": "006"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "No Competition",
							"page": 7,
							"entries": [
								"The company's mounting successes have led, of course, to imitators and rivals. The Six, counting among their number a certain left-for-dead goblin now named {@creature Splugoth the Returned|AI}, have been a persistent splinter in the Acq Inc corporate paw for ages. Suggesting that acquisition is a family business, Omin's own sister Portentia now runs and serves a competing company called Dran Enterprises. Originally founded by what turned out to be a false version of Omin's lost sister, Auspicia, Dran Enterprises has long sought to execute a hostile takeover of Acquisitions Incorporated. All such efforts have been skillfully rebuffed, of course, with Acq Inc embracing its place as an always-independent (and clearly superior) operation.",
								"Riding its past success into a completely deliberate and planned expansion across the multiverse, Acquisitions Incorporated shows no signs of slowing down. (Because that would likely require self-reflection and measured responses that are historically off-brand.) And that expansion means new franchises. The first step was Ravnica, a city run by guilds and simply overflowing at the practicability of acquisition for hire. But beyond that? Infinite possibilities. Because wherever people want things they don't currently have, Acquisitions Incorporated will be there, asking them to sign."
							],
							"id": "007"
						}
					],
					"id": "003"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Fast Franchise Generator",
					"page": 7,
					"entries": [
						"No time to read the whole book? Who can blame you! (What is this thing, like 200 pages? Yikes.) To get a taste of the awesomeness that is an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, just roll up any number of critical franchise elements from the tables on this page. (DMs can also do this if they want to shirk the work of creating rival franchises from whole cloth. Slackers.)",
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Franchise Logos or Livery",
							"colLabels": [
								"d10",
								"Logo or Livery"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"text-center col-2",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"The words \"Green Flan\" in Elvish"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"The symbol of Asmodeus"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"The name of the franchise's dead founder, elaborately engraved"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"A beholder's central eye"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"The silhouette of a catoblepas"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"Three werewolves howling at the moon"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"\"Lathander is Our Copilot\""
								],
								[
									"8",
									"A winking {@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}"
								],
								[
									"9",
									"A snaking piece of barbed wire"
								],
								[
									"10",
									"The franchise's business number"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Headquarters Locations",
							"colLabels": [
								"d10",
								"Headquarters"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"text-center col-2",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"A tavern once owned by smugglers. Tunnel entrances have clearly been bricked over, and no one's quite sure where they all lead."
								],
								[
									"2",
									"A simple chapel to a long-forgotten god. The pews are awfully uncomfortable, but fragrant incense burns without ceasing."
								],
								[
									"3",
									"A battle-worn castle. A real fixer-upper, it's seen better days. Better years. Maybe even better centuries."
								],
								[
									"4",
									"A top-of-the-line naval vessel that has somehow been stranded miles inland."
								],
								[
									"5",
									"A private library. The franchise is free to use the space as long as no harm comes to the books."
								],
								[
									"6",
									"A hollowed-out statue of an ancient king."
								],
								[
									"7",
									"An early model airship. Very early. The balloon is mostly patches at this point\u2014a motley assortment of ship sails, cloaks, and animal skins."
								],
								[
									"8",
									"A former blacksmith's shop, which was a former exercise studio, and a former cafe before that."
								],
								[
									"9",
									"A multicolor waterproof canvas stretched over a succession of jutting stone columns. Within, it always appears to be late spring."
								],
								[
									"10",
									"A creaking wagon that smells of turnips, and which is bigger inside than out."
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Headquarters Quirks",
							"colLabels": [
								"d8",
								"Quirk"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"text-center col-2",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"One staircase leads to two different places somehow."
								],
								[
									"2",
									"Any kettle used in the kitchen screams when it boils."
								],
								[
									"3",
									"Every chair has one leg slightly shorter than the others."
								],
								[
									"4",
									"Every stairwell has an illusion of one additional step at the top."
								],
								[
									"5",
									"There's a nest in the attic. A big nest. Like, really big."
								],
								[
									"6",
									"Every Friday, the color of the walls changes to a different festive theme."
								],
								[
									"7",
									"The building was previously owned by a franchise rival, and the place is filled with their marketing materials."
								],
								[
									"8",
									"There's a space inside the headquarters that's clearly a room, but which has no doors."
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Memorable Majordomos",
							"colLabels": [
								"d6",
								"Majordomo"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"text-center col-2",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"A consummate professional. No amount of blood, gore, or viscera will keep them from completing their duties."
								],
								[
									"2",
									"A sinister figure who sticks to the shadows and respond always to requests with, \"Yes, master.\""
								],
								[
									"3",
									"The ghost of the previous owner. They do a terrible job and refer to all prospective clients as trespassers."
								],
								[
									"4",
									"A brusque, deaf, retired military captain."
								],
								[
									"5",
									"An incredibly cheerful chef, who insists that no business is more pressing than a full belly."
								],
								[
									"6",
									"A druid that keeps an open door policy for any and all animals seeking shelter. Their cleaning policy is less rigorous."
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Reliable Connections",
							"colLabels": [
								"d8",
								"Connection"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"text-center col-2",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"{@b Kim the Kid}: The best fence in town."
								],
								[
									"2",
									"{@b Jeremy Snoot}: The most easily intimidated customs official in the city. From blueprints of government buildings to shipping manifests, he's your halfling."
								],
								[
									"3",
									"{@b York Battleby}: A dab hand at knitting and swinging a sword. He takes payment in liquor for either service."
								],
								[
									"4",
									"{@b Diana Fenwick}: Noble who wants to play criminal; enthusiastic, inexperienced, and loaded."
								],
								[
									"5",
									"{@b \"G\"}: The only thing known about this information broker is the dead-drop point where they exchange messages, and that they're never wrong."
								],
								[
									"6",
									"{@b Teresa Clearlake}: If you're looking for a place to lie low, her funeral home is ideal."
								],
								[
									"7",
									"{@b Jenkin Twotooth}: Always has a job for those looking to scrape together a few coins. Unfortunately, his teeth outnumber his scruples."
								],
								[
									"8",
									"{@b \"Mustard\" Micah}: Famous for being able to get goods and people past any blockade. Provided you don't mind said goods or people smelling strongly of mustard for the next month."
								]
							]
						}
					],
					"id": "008"
				}
			],
			"id": "000"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 2: Growing Your Franchise",
			"page": 9,
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "book/AI/002-02-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1545,
					"height": 1000,
					"credit": "Daarken"
				},
				"As a run-of-the-dungeon adventurer, your character might kick through countless locked doors, lay down ancient magics, or send any number of monsters to the afterlife in the pursuit of fame and treasure. But when you take your place as part of an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, you become something more than a mere hero. As a member of an elite group standing on the cutting edge of the adventuring business, the brand precedes you. And sure, sometimes the blades on the cutting edge are kind of sharp. But with Head Office at your back, you know you have the best tools in the industry at your disposal. And maybe the basic funeral packages Acq Inc offers aren't that great, but there are some tasteful upgrades you might consider.",
				"This chapter introduces the Acquisitions Incorporated franchise and the rules for running it. Franchise benefits are organized by level tier, and include an ever-expanding business territory, wide ranges of options and upgrades for a franchise headquarters, and more. This chapter also introduces company positions\u2014a new set of rules for franchise characters granting access to unique, tier-based abilities that can help a party stand out in a crowded marketplace. And because taking a vacation is no excuse for diminished returns, an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise can make use of expanded rules for downtime and franchise activities, allowing players to help shape the business and the narrative of the campaign even when they aren't in the field.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Franchise Advancement",
					"page": 9,
					"entries": [
						"A license to operate an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise comes with nearly limitless benefits! When your party starts a franchise, you receive a region in which to operate, a franchise headquarters, and a majordomo to assist with basic headquarters needs. As your characters become accomplished adventurers (and continue to contribute to Head Office coffers), Acquisitions Incorporated helps your franchise gain even greater benefits! See the following {@book Franchise Advancement table|AI|1|Franchise Advancement} for a summary of what you get at each rank.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Franchise Rank",
							"page": 9,
							"entries": [
								"By default, a franchise rank is gained at each tier of play (beginning at level 1 and advancing when the average party level reaches level 5, 11, and 17). The DM might choose to increase or decrease the level of play at which franchise tiers are gained, or tie advancement to story or campaign goals. Each franchise rank provides characters the opportunity to operate in a larger geographic area, hire staff and direct them to execute franchise tasks, and customize the franchise headquarters."
							],
							"id": "00b"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Licensed Region",
							"page": 9,
							"entries": [
								"When a franchise first starts out, it is licensed to operate in a small region focused on a settlement or similar mercantile point. You might think this means Head Office doesn't trust its new franchisees. Not at all! No! It's just so much easier to support a group when they start in a focused area. Don't worry at all that a rival Acquisitions Incorporated franchise will outmaneuver you. It seldom happens. Keep growing your business, and the Acq Inc license will expand to help you find more customers and increase your brand presence.",
								"Within your licensed region, you have the right to use the full power of Acquisitions Incorporated branding. No other Acquisitions Incorporated franchise will operate in your region, and all the region's customers are exclusively yours. Of course, non-Acquisitions Incorporated rival organizations might be present. You are expected to drive them out of business. (Or give them untimely deaths. You do you.) A franchise can build or operate any number of locations, such as warehouses and trade shops, within its region. You may not maintain property or establish formal operations in a settlement outside your region, even if you ship goods to that location.",
								"You may not use the Acquisitions Incorporated brand outside your licensed region without written, documancer-generated permission, since those areas might belong to other licensees. You can adventure outside your territory, of course, and can assist or work for other organizations. However, you are expected to prioritize missions given to you by Head Office.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rank 1: Settlement",
									"page": 10,
									"entries": [
										"Acquisitions Incorporated grants your franchise a license to operate in a settlement, and in a territory around the settlement approximately 10 miles across. If your region includes a coastline, you are granted the rights to engage in sea trade within that region. You can ship goods (over land, water, or air) to one city or other settlement outside your region. (The DM approves this location, and might wish to establish your franchise's relationship with it through play as part of the campaign.)"
									],
									"id": "00d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rank 2: Small Territory",
									"page": 10,
									"entries": [
										"Your license now expands to include a region similar in size to a province or a small kingdom\u2014typically up to 50 miles across, with your starting settlement somewhere within. (For mapping purposes, this area is roughly the same scale as a province-scale map. See \"{@book Mapping Your Campaign|DMG|1|Mapping Your Campaign}\" in chapter 1 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}.) You are expected to expand your trade and branding throughout the region. You'll seize new markets, develop new offerings, increase your network of contacts, and safeguard the king and queen's spoiled kids so the monarchs think of you positively. You can ship goods to two cities or other settlements outside your region.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Group Dynamic",
											"page": 10,
											"entries": [
												"An Acquisitions Incorporated franchise is a group effort. Many decisions must be made in the course of running a franchise and playing in an Acq Inc campaign, and it is assumed that all players will be involved in making those decisions. Whenever this book talks about a franchise collectively\u2014and in particular, when it talks about decisions being made by a franchise\u2014the understanding is that all characters (in the game) and all players (at the table) have an equal say in determining a franchise's fortunes and fate. Sure, arguments will crop up from time to time. But that kind of roleplaying is a big part of what makes an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign."
											],
											"id": "00f"
										}
									],
									"id": "00e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rank 3: Large Territory",
									"page": 10,
									"entries": [
										"Your license grows to include a broad expanse of provinces, a few small kingdoms, or a large kingdom or federation, covering a territory the size of half the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. A large territory might overlap with other Acquisitions Incorporated regions, though you are theoretically working with (and perhaps overseeing) smaller franchises rather than working against them. You can ship your goods to any destination, and can assign staff to a city to which you ship goods\u2014solely to oversee the distribution of those goods, and certainly not to compete with rivals. Don't cause too much trouble and Head Office will stay happy."
									],
									"id": "010"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rank 4: Limited Extraplanar",
									"page": 10,
									"entries": [
										"Your franchise now includes specific locations located on other planes of existence. These could include such fabled trading locations as Sigil, the City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire, or a githyanki outpost in the Astral Plane. Your license to operate in these regions is not exclusive. Your region on the Material Plane might or might not expand, depending on both your performance and the goals of the campaign. The DM might establish extraplanar locations through play. Failing\u2014or succeeding\u2014in securing an extraplanar location could create interesting and deadly rivalries!",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Franchise Advancement",
											"colLabels": [
												"Levels",
												"Franchise Rank",
												"Licensed Region",
												"New Staff",
												"Franchise Tasks",
												"Headquarters Features",
												"Costs"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1\u20134",
													"1",
													"Settlement",
													"Majordomo, 2 untrained hirelings, 1 skilled hireling",
													"1 task",
													"Starter headquarters",
													"× 1"
												],
												[
													"5\u201310",
													"2",
													"Small territory",
													"4 untrained hirelings, 1 skilled hireling, 10 crew",
													"2 tasks",
													"Cosmetic, expansion, transportation, weapon",
													"× 1.5"
												],
												[
													"11\u201316",
													"3",
													"Large territory",
													"8 untrained hirelings, 2 skilled hirelings, 10 crew",
													"3 tasks",
													"Arcane, defensive, franchise choice",
													"× 3"
												],
												[
													"17\u201320",
													"4",
													"Limited extraplanar",
													"16 untrained hirelings, 4 skilled hirelings, 20 crew",
													"4 tasks",
													"Arcane, franchise choice, secret",
													"× 5"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "011"
								}
							],
							"id": "00c"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Staff",
							"page": 10,
							"entries": [
								"{@book Chapter 5|PHB|5|Services} of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB} details the costs for characters to hire skilled and untrained hirelings. As is true of characters in any campaign, Acquisitions Incorporated franchisees are free to hire any NPCs they want, within whatever limitations the DM wants to set on such employment. But the franchise itself comes with a number of staff whose wages are part of the franchise's cost, providing not only labor but story potential.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/003-02-02.webp"
									},
									"width": 791,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Aviv Or"
								},
								"Each franchise rank grants a number of new staff members who live in the franchise headquarters or within its geographic scope. The cost of maintaining staff is included in a franchise's costs. Each staff member has a proficiency bonus equal to 2 + the franchise's rank. For skilled hirelings or crew, the DM might substitute NPC statistics when that seems appropriate. Each time a franchise gains a rank, existing staff members can be gifted with early retirement (that is, fired), and replaced alongside new hires that fit the franchise's needs.",
								"A franchise might engage all kinds of hirelings and agents over the course of a campaign, but specialized franchise staff fall into four different categories.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"An employee is like a friend you pay."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Majordomo",
									"page": 11,
									"entries": [
										"A majordomo administers a franchise headquarters. They typically reside within the headquarters and seldom leave it, sending out communications through a dedicated messenger (at no extra cost, and traveling on foot or by means the franchise provides). A majordomo is proficient in Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) and two skills of the DM's choice.",
										"The DM is encouraged to use the rules for creating nonplayer characters in {@book chapter 4|DMG|4|Designing NPCs} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} to detail the majordomo, giving this individual a vibrant personality and backstory. The majordomo's goals should be aligned with the franchise and with Acquisitions Incorporated as a whole, allowing them to properly act as an ally and steward for the party.",
										"It can be helpful to a campaign to provide the majordomo with a backstory that complements a franchise's evolution over time. A sage might research how the franchise gains new capabilities. Or perhaps the majordomo was the pilot of a vessel capable of planar travel, who slowly applies those features to the headquarters. A majordomo of a franchise modeling itself after a spy organization might constantly invent devices for the franchise, making continuing progress as the party returns with gold, lore, and resources.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Filling Positions",
											"page": 11,
											"entries": [
												"A franchise's majordomo can take a company position (see the next section) in addition to the positions taken by the characters. Especially with a small party, it can be good to have a majordomo fill a useful position that no character wants to take. No other NPCs can take company positions."
											],
											"id": "014"
										}
									],
									"id": "013"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Untrained Hirelings",
									"page": 11,
									"entries": [
										"As described in the \"{@book Services|PHB|5|Services}\" section in chapter 5 of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}, untrained hirelings provide general labor, and can function as builders, cleaners, porters, and other workers. Untrained hirelings can work for a franchise or its allies, perhaps tending a garden for a noble family or helping a merchant unload cargo from ships. They will not engage in combat and do not leave the headquarters to join the party on adventures.",
										"The DM should name at least one hireling who acts as a leader for any interactions with groups of untrained laborers. Providing hirelings with a similar background (such as a band of ex-soldiers or reformed criminals) can add personality to the group. Consider using the rules in {@book chapter 4|DMG|-1} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, applying the results of a single set of rolls to the entire group. Those hirelings could all shave their heads zealously, be brawny but absentminded, play various musical instruments, use colorful oaths and exclamations, and so on.",
										"Group ideals, bonds, and flaws, along with a shared history, can all add depth to a group of untrained hirelings. Those musicians might be connected by the ideal of tradition, and bound to the franchise to protect a cultural heirloom they value above all else. Their flaw and secret could be that they stole the heirloom from their former employer, a rival merchant organization. Over time, the same hirelings might show up as part of the characters' adventures time and time again, revealing aspects of their past and creating story continuity.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Job Title and Benefits",
											"page": 11,
											"entries": [
												"What the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB} calls untrained hirelings are often referred to as \"subemployees\" within an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, while skilled hirelings typically gain the more prestigious title of \"intern.\" It's entirely up to individual franchisees what awesome titles they bestow upon their staff members in addition to (or, indeed, in lieu of) perks such as an occasional wage."
											],
											"id": "016"
										}
									],
									"id": "015"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Skilled Hirelings",
									"page": 12,
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/004-02-03.webp"
											},
											"title": "Happy Franchise Staff",
											"width": 792,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										},
										"A skilled hireling has one or more skill, weapon, or tool proficiencies. A franchise can request skilled hirelings when needed (up to the maximum allowed by franchise rank), with the players describing the concept behind the hirelings and selecting one proficiency for each. The DM can then customize the hirelings as desired, perhaps by adding additional proficiencies or adjusting their combat statistics.",
										"Skilled hirelings can be fired and hired as needed. A franchise might bring on a couple of thugs to act as distraction during a street fair, then release those NPCs to hire a different set of skilled hirelings to conduct franchise tasks and downtime activities.",
										"Hirelings cannot perform more than one task at a time. A full complement of skilled hirelings assisting the party on a mission precludes other skilled hirelings from helping with franchise tasks and downtime activities until the mission is completed. As with untrained hirelings, detailing a group background and assigning personality characteristics to a group leader can make for a fun play experience.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Adventuring",
											"page": 12,
											"entries": [
												"Characters can adventure with up to one skilled hireling at a time. An NPC with a challenge rating of roughly half the franchise rank works well for most adventures, providing utility without disrupting balance. The loyalty system described in {@book chapter 4|DMG|4|Optional Rule: Loyalty} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} can be used to determine whether the hireling remains dedicated to the party's goals, or the DM can make that decision on the basis of how the adventure plays out and the characters' attitude toward the adventuring NPC."
											],
											"id": "018"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Tasks and Downtime",
											"page": 12,
											"entries": [
												"Skilled hirelings can also be assigned to franchise tasks, as described in the \"Franchise Tasks and Downtime\" section later in this chapter.",
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Hirelings are kindling in the fire of opportunity!"
													],
													"by": "{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}"
												}
											],
											"id": "019"
										}
									],
									"id": "017"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Crew",
									"page": 12,
									"entries": [
										"Crew are skilled hirelings trained in tasks pertaining to the physical maintenance of a franchise (for example, servers or gardeners) or the navigation of a mobile headquarters (sailors for a seagoing franchise, engineers for a giant hollow statue, and so on). Crew do not leave a franchise and cannot perform franchise tasks. They typically run rather than fight back when attacked, though the DM can decide otherwise. If a mobile franchise headquarters requires more crew than is granted by the franchise's rank, the characters must hire the remainder (typically at the skilled hireling cost of 2 gp per day).",
										"Hiring crew can become a cooperative roleplaying activity. Potential crew might hear of Acquisitions Incorporated or the party's exploits and come to interview with the franchisees. Choices might be offered by the DM, as between a team of ex-militia who lost their last battle and a crew of recently released criminals who swear they were wrongly imprisoned. Names, personalities, and roles can be assigned to crew by the DM and the players. Rather than simply interacting with the cook and the first mate, the characters can instead deal with Pepper, the chef who loves spicy foods, and Brazen, the veteran sailor who always talks back, creating the potential for entertaining interactions as the franchise grows."
									],
									"id": "01a"
								}
							],
							"id": "012"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Headquarters Features",
							"page": 12,
							"entries": [
								"Acquisitions Incorporated Head Office provides the members of each franchise with a place to call their own. It might not be initially impressive (cleaning any old blood stains is the franchisees' responsibility). But over time, characters in an Acq Inc campaign are granted resources to help construct the headquarters of their dreams! Each franchise rank affords the characters a number of choices, allowing customization and creativity. Sample features are provided as guidelines, but a franchise's features can include literally anything decided on and agreed to by the players and the DM.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Group Design",
									"page": 12,
									"entries": [
										"When selecting a feature, the characters must make decisions together\u2014meaning the players must do the same. Deciding on the features of a headquarters should be a team effort, both in game and around the table. What should a headquarters look like initially? Do the characters prefer to travel by land or by sea, or to operate from a fixed location? Is a ruined keep more interesting than an old vine-covered wizard's tower in the woods? Is the headquarters remote or within a settlement\u2014perhaps an old tavern or caravansary the characters can restore?",
										"It can be helpful to think ahead as well. Acquisitions Incorporated is known for mobile franchises, helping to bring goods and adventuring services to distant locations. When a franchise headquarters becomes mobile, will it fly or sail? Will it gain the power to teleport across the land? Will it sprout legs and walk?",
										"Everything depends on the type of headquarters. The top of a wizard's tower might detach and shoot skyward like a missile. Or a franchise's headquarters might be contained within a giant statue, which over time gains the power to move farther and faster. A castle or other stationary structure could contain a portal or teleportation circle, allowing the characters to travel to distant locations while the stronghold remains behind.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"There are a lot of perks to being an intern that people overlook. The hours are very flexible, you get a 20 percent discount in the gift shop, you get a bathroom break every four hours as long as you ask your supervisor first. And sometimes if you go into the conference room after a meeting, there will be a bunch of soda and leftover subs. You can just take as much as you want! As long as nobody sees you."
											],
											"by": "{@creature Viari|AI}"
										}
									],
									"id": "01c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Incorporating Benefits",
									"page": 13,
									"entries": [
										"The characters' collective skill proficiencies, tool proficiencies, backgrounds, and positions within their franchise could all impact the design and construction of a headquarters. A glassblower might make beautiful stained-glass windows, while a herbalist fills the headquarters with pleasing or mysterious scents. An acolyte could outfit a small area of the headquarters as a chapel, while a sage sources a unique desk at which to work. Such features are cosmetic or limited in impact, but enable players to feel more interested and invested in their headquarters."
									],
									"id": "01d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Starter Headquarters",
									"page": 13,
									"entries": [
										"Each franchise's starter headquarters is a mundane site, which has often been selected or handed down by Acquisitions Incorporated. The characters' initial base of operations could be a ruined tower, a worn horse-drawn carriage, a beat-up fishing boat, a dilapidated store or farm, or any similar structure or site. The DM might direct the characters toward a single ideal location, or might provide a range of options for players and characters to choose from. And of course, many potential franchise locations will have an interesting past\u2014a haunted mansion, a mysterious lighthouse, an old wizard's tower filled with malfunctioning magic, and so forth.",
										"The DM approves the headquarters concept and decides how large or small the initial structure can be, as well as any useful features. DMs and players can work together to create a map of the headquarters and its surroundings. {@book Chapter 5|DMG|-1} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} can help detail both wilderness and urban locations.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Lifestyle Expenses",
											"page": 13,
											"entries": [
												"Whenever characters are in residence at their franchise headquarters, they can automatically benefit from a minimum lifestyle\u2014poor at rank 1, modest at rank 2, comfortable at rank 3, and wealthy at rank 4. The normal costs associated with that lifestyle for franchisees and select staff are subsumed within the overall cost of running the franchise. Outside the franchise headquarters, normal lifestyle expenses apply."
											],
											"id": "01f"
										},
										"Many franchisees will use their starter headquarters as a point for expansion, adding new features, new rooms, new levels\u2014and, of course, new magic as the franchise grows in rank. Other campaigns might be better served by having the franchise change headquarters at different stages. Characters might start out in a ship, then move to a castle, then take possession of a unique magical headquarters in the end. Any potential headquarters site might be discovered by the characters as part of the campaign, or sites might be suggested or allocated by Head Office.",
										"Any of the following suggestions can make a great starter headquarters, or can provide inspiration for other headquarters features.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Abandoned Lighthouse",
											"page": 13,
											"entries": [
												"Raided by orcs who left no one alive? Those are probably just stories. And even if true, the orcs won't come back (probably). This abandoned lighthouse headquarters is strong enough to stand against any storm (probably), and many of the leaks have been fixed already. And just look at that cool light up top, and the oversized storage cellar. Docks close by are perfect for a starter franchise that comes into possession of a boat, and are also a sign of the lighthouse's importance to coastal trade. Commandeering it will likely win over the locals and maybe even the region's royalty!"
											],
											"id": "020"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Beat-Up Keelboat",
											"page": 13,
											"entries": [
												"Any franchise can take to the seas in this new (okay, very used) {@vehicle keelboat}! Pirates killed the previous owners, and Head Office picked it up for an excellent price. Most of the holes in the hull are repaired, and the sails are only a little bit moldy. Even better, there's a small covered area in the rear protected from the elements that makes a perfect living space! The keelboat holds a half-ton of cargo, and might even come with reduced docking fees at some ports of call.",
												"Statistics for a standard {@vehicle keelboat} are found in {@table Owning a Ship; Airborne and Waterborne Vehicles|DMG|chapter 5} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. The DM might adjust the number of people the boat can comfortably carry, but having such a headquarters typically implies that most franchise staff are itinerant or live elsewhere in whatever settlement is the boat's primary port of call.",
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"I don't have rivals. I have partners who simply don't know it yet."
													],
													"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
												}
											],
											"id": "021"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Old Tavern",
											"page": 13,
											"entries": [
												"With just a little work and some better furniture, this place could be the talk of the town. The tavern is certainly not haunted. Seriously, no one listens to those rumors. But if it were, and if the story was spun the right way, the marketing potential could be huge. Some even say that the ghosts (which totally don't exist) like to sing, so that's a plus! The kitchen is already stocked with plates, mugs, and lots of knives, and a few rooms upstairs are ready to rent out to travelers."
											],
											"id": "022"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Worn Carriage and Horses",
											"page": 13,
											"entries": [
												"This humble, worn carriage, previously owned by a now-defunct trading company, makes a perfect starter headquarters. The carriage's exterior is weathered wood, and the interior seats and cushions have seen better days. Still, it offers all the perks of home plus the ability to change the neighbors every time you take to the road.",
												"The rear of the carriage features a generous cargo space for up to 500 pounds of goods, and is protected from the weather. The horses are hardworking and love apples. The carriage has AC 11 and 75 hit points, and moves at the speed of its {@creature Draft Horse||draft horses} (40 feet). Four passengers can ride inside, two up front with one steering, and two atop the rear cargo area. Up to three people can also sit on the roof of the cabin, for an especially exciting perch when the cart is moving quickly!",
												"Because this sort of franchise typically can't hold the characters and all their staff (at least not comfortably), such staff are often itinerant or based in whatever settlement the carriage returns to most often.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "book/AI/005-02-04.webp"
													},
													"title": "The \"C\" Team's Wagon Headquarters",
													"width": 1546,
													"height": 1000,
													"credit": "Michele Giorgi"
												}
											],
											"id": "023"
										}
									],
									"id": "01e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cosmetic Features",
									"page": 14,
									"entries": [
										"A cosmetic improvement, gained at franchise rank 2, allows a franchise to radically alter the look and feel of its headquarters. A beat-up wagon could become a gilded carriage, with luxurious interiors and servants dressed in matching finery. A tavern could proudly display the party's kills in the drinking hall, feature mugs gathered from dwarven holds around Faerûn, and have decor matching a particular theme.",
										"Improvements can also be of a fantastic or magical nature, such as flickering magical torches or portraits that watch and interact with observers. The DM has final approval over such improvements, and is the arbiter as to whether cosmetic improvements might provide any actual benefits during play. When allowed, such benefits should be situational and limited. A foe might become distracted the first time a ghostly figure appears in a haunted tavern, but the quality of the illusion is such that it doesn't stand up to continued scrutiny.",
										"Cosmetic effects can also be focused on selling and branding a franchise, such as adding manufacturing capabilities, a light-up sign, a customer showroom or service center, and other commercial features. At the DM's discretion, such features might generate additional income or lower the costs of certain franchise tasks.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Draconic Ship",
											"page": 14,
											"entries": [
												"This once-innocuous seagoing vessel has been detailed to appear as a brass dragon. The ship's interior is decorated in draconic art, and platforms among the rigging are linked by silk ropes attached to pulleys. These might provide benefits to crew trained in their use if the ship is ever attacked."
											],
											"id": "025"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Enchanted Wizard's Tower",
											"page": 14,
											"entries": [
												"In the entrance hall of a former-wizard's-tower headquarters, enchanted portraits display visages of the franchise's recently vanquished foes. Smaller portraits throughout the tower display important moments in the franchise's adventuring history, and the whole interior is set with magical lighting, decorated with candelabra, and features drapes and carpets matching the franchise's chosen motif."
											],
											"id": "026"
										}
									],
									"id": "024"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Expansion Features",
									"page": 14,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, an expansion feature allows a franchise to double the size of its headquarters. When doing so, players and characters can define the changes to the current configuration. Perhaps the headquarters expands in size laterally, or gains an extra floor. Perhaps a new basement is excavated\u2014or poking around the existing basement reveals a secret level of dungeons heretofore unknown.",
										"Franchise members can decide on what features are involved in the expansion, including new windows, doors, and furniture. Adding certain types of space might also call for extra supporting features. If storage is on an upper floor, a winch might be installed to lift goods. A cellar could add another exit and an area for storing wine or alchemical supplies. Or a carriage headquarters could gain a second cart to become a wagon train.",
										"All construction is low cost but functional, as in the following examples.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Expanded Lighthouse",
											"page": 15,
											"entries": [
												"The lighthouse is now taller, with two additional levels, an upgraded beacon, and a stronger exterior. A stairway leads down into a network of old caverns, including some used as storage space, and finally onto a small beach with a dock."
											],
											"id": "028"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Expanded Tavern",
											"page": 15,
											"entries": [
												"The building adjacent to the tavern has been bought out and connected to it, allowing for more guest chambers, a larger common room, a larger kitchen, and staff quarters. A large fireplace fills the common room with light and warmth, while new tables and chairs create a welcome environment. Guest chambers might feature a patio or balcony."
											],
											"id": "029"
										}
									],
									"id": "027"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Transportation Features",
									"page": 15,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 2, every franchise gains some form of mobility, with players and DM working together to determine how a headquarters facilitates travel (or expands on its normal travel modes) from one location to another. A ship might gain a magic sail, or could add a balloon to become a battle balloon airship. A hollow statue could gain the ability to stride across the landscape. A wizard's tower might teleport from place to place. Or doors within a tavern could be revealed as a magical portal connected to various locations in far-flung lands.",
										"The DM has final approval over the method of locomotion, and can put in place any reasonable limitations or constraints on that movement. Additionally, any method of movement should have a weakness or drawback determined by the DM. As a rule of thumb, a mobile headquarters can travel a distance of 30 miles per day (equivalent to a fast travel pace) per franchise rank. This rate of travel can vary depending on weather, visibility, availability of maps, or other conditions.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Giant Stone Statue",
											"page": 15,
											"entries": [
												"A 100-foot-tall stone statue has stairs and rooms carved within its interior. When a character sits at the helm located in a room within the statue's head, the statue can be directed to walk across the land. The statue ignores {@quickref difficult terrain||3}, usually by simply crashing through it. However, the navigator has a limited sight line while peering out through the statue's large eyes. When the terrain is cluttered or subject to combat conditions, it can be hard to avoid creatures or objects smaller than a large building.",
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"A good idea is to swim in the wake of an existing business. Somebody else did the market research and decided this was a good location? Awesome! Now use that decision against them. Set up direct competition. Then spread rumors about them until they're forced to leave the area in shame. Now the market is yours. That's how you business."
													],
													"by": "{@creature Donaar Blit'zen|AI}"
												}
											],
											"id": "02b"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Battle Balloon",
											"page": 15,
											"entries": [
												"A hot air balloon is lit by a magic furnace channeling elemental power. A galleon suspended below the balloon features a helm that controls the ship. The vessel can fly virtually anywhere, ignoring {@quickref difficult terrain||3}, but it is at risk from storms and strong winds. If the balloon takes significant damage, the ship could be forced to descend\u2014or might even crash.",
												"({@book Appendix C|AI|12} features vehicle statistics for a typical battle balloon. For characters who choose this highly coveted feature for their headquarters, the DM can impose limitations on the ship's attacks and make changes to its statistics.)"
											],
											"id": "02c"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Self-Contained Train",
											"page": 15,
											"entries": [
												"This mobile franchise headquarters features a magical-mechanical locomotive that lays down its own track. Mechanical arms at the front of the locomotive set down crossbars and rails in front of the headquarters at ridiculous speed, while arms at the back of the headquarters pick up the track as it passes. The train moves at quarter speed over {@quickref difficult terrain||3} (instead of half speed). It can pass over rivers, but cannot cross lakes or large bodies of water."
											],
											"id": "02d"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Extradimensional Wagon",
											"page": 15,
											"entries": [
												"A seemingly simple wagon drawn by an old horse channels powerful magic. The wagon's driver can cause the wagon to teleport the distance of a day's journey, targeting a known location over the course of one or more extradimensional jumps. Such teleportation is usually done when no one is looking, to avoid arousing suspicion or frightening the locals. Though the wagon eventually arrives at the intended destination, the intervening stop-off points are unknown\u2014and quite possibly perilous.",
												{
													"type": "inset",
													"name": "Acquisitions Incorporated Is Magic!",
													"page": 15,
													"entries": [
														"Dungeons & Dragons offers a wide range of play styles, and works with many different types of campaign story. The {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} talks about some of the most common types of fantasy that can shape a D&D campaign, including a general sense of campaigns being high magic, low magic, or the D&D standard in between.",
														"An Acquisitions Incorporated campaign has its own distinct feel, as talked about in {@book chapter 1|AI|0} of this book. Part of that feel comes from the substantial benefits that characters gain from franchise features and company positions\u2014mechanical boons, magic items, access to powerful spell effects, and more. These benefits are gained automatically, as a general reward for the characters' adventuring success driving franchise advancement. So it's important that everyone is aware how adding those built-in campaign benefits to the regular magic gained during adventuring will give the characters a boost in power.",
														"For an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign meant to feel and play like standard D&D, the DM should consider creating a low-magic campaign, and letting the benefits of company positions and franchise features fill in the magical gaps. A standard campaign played with the rules in this book should be treated as a high magic campaign, with the DM and the players understanding that the difficulty of encounters and other tasks might need to be ramped up to offer a real challenge to the characters. Of course, nothing prevents anyone from playing a high magic campaign with the Acquisitions Incorporated rules. But DMs and players should all be aware that doing so will create extremely powerful characters\u2014who will no doubt attract extremely powerful enemies and threats as a matter of course."
													],
													"id": "02f"
												}
											],
											"id": "02e"
										}
									],
									"id": "02a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Weapon Features",
									"page": 16,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, the members of a franchise can add a weapon to their headquarters, choosing from the options in the \"{@book Siege Equipment|DMG|8|Siege Equipment}\" section of chapter 8 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. The DM can limit those options or change the details of specific choices, and players can also design unique offensive features, subject to approval by the DM. For example, a walking statue that strikes with a fist could be treated as a ram\u2014or the DM and the players might agree that it would be fun to use some of the effects of {@spell Bigby's hand} for such an attack.",
										"Most siege weapons (whether mechanical or magical) require two characters, crew, or skilled hirelings to operate, and such weapons might be slow to reload or recharge. Headquarters weapons are not particularly effective against small bands of creatures (such as a group of goblins), but they can be useful against a single large threat (such as a dragon). If siege weapons are abused by franchisees, they might be targeted by enemies, break down, or require costly maintenance each time they are employed in battle.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Giant Statue's Fists",
											"page": 16,
											"entries": [
												"A giant hollow metal statue acting as a franchise headquarters features a control center from which the statue's arms can be manipulated. One fist can be used per round to strike at foes, using statistics similar to a ram (AC 15, 100 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage)."
											],
											"id": "031"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Giant Fist",
											"page": 16,
											"entries": [
												"{@i Melee Weapon Attack}: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one object or creature. {@i Hit}: 16 ({@dice 3d10}) bludgeoning damage."
											],
											"id": "032"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Lighthouse Energy Blast",
											"page": 16,
											"entries": [
												"Magical power can be focused through a lighthouse beacon, requiring 1 round to gather energy and aim. The following round, the energy can be released. The beacon has AC 12, 75 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and vulnerability to cold. The explosion of energy can be treated as a {@spell scorching ray}, {@spell fireball}, or {@spell lightning bolt} spell, as the DM determines. More powerful features might require more time to recharge, or could be usable only a certain number of times per day. Such attacks might function at longer range but be unable to target creatures or objects within 60 feet of the lighthouse."
											],
											"id": "033"
										}
									],
									"id": "030"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Arcane Features",
									"page": 16,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, an arcane feature provides a unique magical capability to a headquarters. A haunted headquarters might gain a permanent cohort of friendly undead servants, while a giant statue headquarters could gain the ability to allow the characters to see at great distances and through darkness or fog. A more generic arcane feature could instead grant any franchisee the ability to cast a specific spell of 6th level or lower, with a limitation of one casting per day.",
										"An arcane feature should be something that doesn't fit within another category (specifically, a transportation or weapon feature), though the DM is the final judge of what arcane features are acceptable.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"Money is an attempt to discretize the ephemeral\u2014an impossible task. When Head Office comes knocking, tell them that money is an attempt to discretize the ephemeral."
											],
											"by": "{@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI}"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Ever-Changing Ship",
											"page": 16,
											"entries": [
												"Whether an oceangoing vessel or an airship, this headquarters can alter its appearance with illusion magic. Additionally, the appearance of some or all creatures aboard can be changed as if they were affected by a {@spell seeming} spell. Franchisees can alter the appearance of the ship and its occupants a number of times per day, or can drop the illusory effects as needs be. The nature of the illusion magic means that the ship's size and features do not change, and individuals interacting with the ship or investigating its appearance have a chance to see the true form of the ship and its crew."
											],
											"id": "035"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Spectral Wait Staff",
											"page": 16,
											"entries": [
												"A tavern headquarters (which already has a cosmetic feature to make it appear haunted) now gains spectral wait staff. The spectral staff serve customers expertly, and speak and understand speech as if intelligent. However, they are magical creations similar to those conjured by the {@spell unseen servant} spell, able to perform all the functions of such a creation and any other functions agreed to by the DM. Spectral staff can momentarily become insubstantial, along with anything they carry, allowing them to serve food and drink through walls. Any member of the franchise can spend an action to telepathically command one or more spectral staff members."
											],
											"id": "036"
										}
									],
									"id": "034"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Defensive Features",
									"page": 16,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 3, the headquarters gains one defensive feature, planned out by the players in collaboration with the DM. Ships and other vessels with statistics can gain an increase to hit points or AC. Or a general defensive feature could include the choice of any two effects noted in the {@spell guards and wards} spell, which can be enabled or disabled by any franchise member.",
										"Players are encouraged to be creative in thinking about defensive features. An airship might have a deck that can channel lightning to repel boarders. A wagon might have transparent windows as strong as steel, and the ability to retract any rails or platforms upon which attacking foes could stand. Defensive features might impose conditions on enemies, or even deal damage. The DM should limit damaging effects to dealing 10 damage to a single target (5 damage for a multitarget or area effect) per franchise rank. When a saving throw is required, a good DC is 12 + franchise rank.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Carriage Ejector Platforms",
											"page": 16,
											"entries": [
												"A carriage gains potent defensive capabilities in the form of sections of its roof and walls set with powerful concealed springs. This defensive feature can be activated as a bonus action by the driver or any creature within 5 feet of them. When a creature steps or grabs onto a protected section, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be flung from the wagon to a distance of 10 feet per franchise rank. The creature takes falling damage as if it had fallen that distance."
											],
											"id": "038"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Electrified Floors and Rails",
											"page": 17,
											"entries": [
												"Specific areas of a ship or airship's floor and railings are warded with elemental lightning, up to an area the size of half the ship's upper deck. A character at the helm can activate this magic as a bonus action. Any creature making contact with a warded area takes 13 ({@dice 3d8}) lightning damage, and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn."
											],
											"id": "039"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Grease Compartment",
											"page": 17,
											"entries": [
												"Whether a building, a vessel, or some other structure, a franchise is equipped with a compartment holding grease. When activated, nozzles release the grease either in a 30-foot cone or into a specific area no larger than 20 by 20 feet\u2014typically focusing on an area through which attacking creatures are likely to move. Any creature entering the greased area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall {@condition prone} and end its movement that turn. A creature driving a vehicle that enters the greased area must make an appropriate ability check against the save DC. On a failure, the vehicle veers {@dice 3d10 + 10} feet in a random direction, then ends its movement for the round."
											],
											"id": "03a"
										}
									],
									"id": "037"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Franchise Choice Features",
									"page": 17,
									"entries": [
										"At ranks 3 and 4, a franchise can outfit its headquarters with any one feature from among the lower-tier features (cosmetic, expansion, transportation, or weapon features). In consultation with the DM, this might cover additional features to augment the headquarters' existing look or combat capability, or a plan to instead make an existing feature even stronger. A method of transportation might double its speed and remove an existing drawback, or an offensive feature could deal more damage or target more than one creature per round."
									],
									"id": "03b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Secret Features",
									"page": 17,
									"entries": [
										"A secret feature, gained at rank 4, is one that remains unnoticed to most inspection, typically requiring a successful DC 25 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check or Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check to notice. A headquarters might have a secret exit that guarantees escape and allows franchise members or staff to leave and enter without detection. A secret feature should usually add in-game benefits, such as a potion-brewing laboratory in a secret level of a castle, or a secret cargo hold within a ship that can keep perishables fresh and provide endless stocks of food and water to crew and passengers.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Escape Pod",
											"page": 17,
											"entries": [
												"A walking statue's head can also serve as an escape pod. If the headquarters is ever destroyed, or if the character controlling the statue activates the escape mode as an action, the head detaches from the body and takes to the air with a flying speed of 80 feet. The flight lasts for up to 5 rounds, and is directed by the same controls that originally controlled the statue. If the head is not on the ground when the flight ends, it falls and any creatures within take falling damage."
											],
											"id": "03d"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Extradimensional Tavern",
											"page": 17,
											"entries": [
												"Several of the doors in a franchise's tavern are inscribed with runes. Anyone who traces a rune while speaking a passphrase can access their choice of ten extradimensional rooms, 20 feet on a side. These rooms can function as libraries, laboratories, meeting rooms, kitchens, prisons, private quarters, and more, with each room's setup and contents chosen when the rooms are first installed. Each room's initial furnishing and equipment are included, though characters can later add to these features as they wish."
											],
											"id": "03e"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Glider Launcher",
											"page": 17,
											"entries": [
												"A hidden compartment within an airship holds ten gliders. A secret door leads to the compartment, which features an exterior escape hatch activated from within any glider. Each glider accommodates one Medium or smaller creature and up to 50 pounds of gear, has a flying speed of 60 feet, and must descend at least 20 feet each round. A glider can be piloted as an action by any character with proficiency with flying vehicles. Characters without such proficiency might need to make ability checks of the DM's choosing to pilot a glider successfully. A glider weighs 100 pounds, has AC 14, 50 hit points, and is immune to poison and psychic damage."
											],
											"id": "03f"
										}
									],
									"id": "03c"
								}
							],
							"id": "01b"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Franchise Costs",
							"page": 17,
							"entries": [
								"Running an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise offers countless benefits to an adventuring party\u2014but those benefits aren't cheap. Operating the franchise, installing and maintaining franchise features, paying staff, creating merchandise with proper branding, settling legal issues, and more are all encompassed by the baseline cost for a franchise's headquarters, a multiplier from the franchise's rank, and the franchise party's business performance for the month.",
								"If a franchise's costs leave a party low on cash, that's a sign that it's time to go adventuring. Alternatively, characters might use downtime to structure a leaner business or engage in non-adventuring activities to bring in more gold (see \"{@book Franchise Tasks and Downtime|AI|1|Franchise Tasks and Downtime}\" later in this chapter for more information). A franchise's majordomo handles these finances and makes all necessary payments to Head Office, suppliers, and other agents\u2014as long as sufficient funds are available.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Baseline Costs",
									"page": 17,
									"entries": [
										"The baseline monthly cost of a franchise is calculated based on the franchise's headquarters, as noted on the Baseline Costs table on the next page. The costs on this table differ from the costs found in the \"{@book Recurring Expenses|DMG|6|Recurring Expenses}\" section of chapter 6 in the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. (That section details the costs characters might expect to pay to own an inn, a keep, or other types of properties.) This is because franchise costs include a tithe to Head Office, repayment to Acquisitions Incorporated for funding the initial construction or purchase of the headquarters, the use of approved contractors for construction and maintenance, and other subtle fees.",
										"Baseline costs are for representative dwellings, and can be adjusted by the DM as needs be. A noble estate that is the envy of other nobles might demand expenditures of double or triple the baseline cost. A franchise's baseline costs might also change during the course of the campaign. A party might initially start out headquartered in an abandoned lighthouse with monthly expenses of 250 gp. But as time passes and headquarters features are added, that lighthouse might grow in size, weapon features, and magic to resemble a fortified tower. The DM will modify baseline costs as needed to fit the headquarters and the campaign style.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Baseline Costs",
											"colStyles": [
												"col-10",
												"col-2 text-right"
											],
											"colLabels": [
												"Franchise Headquarters",
												"Monthly Cost"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"Horse-drawn carriage or wagon",
													"15 gp"
												],
												[
													"Farm or rural enterprise",
													"20 gp"
												],
												[
													"Settlement enterprise (guildhall, inn, tavern, shop, and so forth)",
													"120 gp"
												],
												[
													"Sailing ship, including all port fees",
													"200 gp"
												],
												[
													"Remote enterprise (fort, lighthouse, trading post, roadhouse, and so forth)",
													"250 gp"
												],
												[
													"Noble estate, large manor, fortified tower",
													"350 gp"
												],
												[
													"Airship",
													"800 gp"
												],
												[
													"Giant walking statue, magic locomotive",
													"1,000 gp"
												],
												[
													"Keep or small castle",
													"3,000 gp"
												],
												[
													"Large castle or palace",
													"12,000 gp"
												]
											]
										},
										"Some characters might decide to maintain more than one headquarters for their franchise, or to control additional sites as part of the franchise's overall operation. A franchise might use a ship as its headquarters, while also owning a number of remote trading posts run by franchise staff. The costs for all such \"virtual headquarters\" should be added together to derive one monthly baseline cost."
									],
									"id": "041"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Franchise Rank Multiplier",
									"page": 18,
									"entries": [
										"The multiplier on the Franchise Advancement table is applied to a franchise's baseline cost. This represents the increased costs a franchise faces as it expands into larger markets."
									],
									"id": "042"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Monthly Business Performance",
									"page": 18,
									"entries": [
										"Each month, a franchise performs the running a franchise task, which can be found in the \"{@book Franchise Tasks and Downtime|AI|1|Franchise Tasks and Downtime}\" section later in this chapter. The result of this task is used to calculate the final monthly cost, and is deducted from the franchise's coffers."
									],
									"id": "043"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Defaulting",
									"page": 18,
									"entries": [
										"No self-respecting franchise would ever run out of money and fail to make its monthly payments. Right? Were that to happen, the amount owed\u2014plus a modest 15 percent penalty\u2014would be due to Head Office the following month. Failing to make payments\u2014and especially defaulting on two or more payments in a row\u2014is likely to trigger campaign consequences. Head Office might send inspectors to a troubled franchise, or assign the franchisees a difficult (and hopefully profitable) mission. Rival groups and entrepreneurs might smell blood and attempt to attack the franchise or take over its markets. Nefarious NPCs will most certainly come calling.",
										"Defaulting on franchise payments can also strain relationships with nobles, merchants, and others who value a franchise more for its assets than for the characters. Such relationships typically turn frosty until the characters are able to prove that the franchise is back on its feet."
									],
									"id": "044"
								}
							],
							"id": "040"
						}
					],
					"id": "00a"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Company Positions",
					"page": 18,
					"entries": [
						"A franchise is a complex affair, requiring its participants to fulfill a myriad of important duties necessary for its proper growth (and the enrichment of Acquisitions Incorporated Head Office). A company position establishes a character's role within a franchise, as well as a relationship with the larger Acq Inc organization.",
						"When you choose a company position for your character, that choice is independent of and in addition to your character's background, class, and other options. Though Head Office might tell would-be Acq Inc franchisees to play to their strengths, you should choose the position that speaks to you\u2014and that feels like it'll be the most fun. All characters who take on an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise must take a company position. A character can take only one position within a franchise.",
						"Each company position has its own distinct flavor\u2014and comes with a range of preternatural benefits. Some of these benefits take the form of material boons granted by Head Office, including specialized magic items available only to Acquisitions Incorporated franchisees. Others are shaped by the subtle power of your position and the franchise's rank.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Joint Effort",
							"page": 18,
							"entries": [
								"Players\u2014and especially new players\u2014should keep in mind the amount of creativity and collaboration a company position requires when determining which position is the best fit for their character. In addition to their various mechanical benefits, the features of each company position are intended to offer players and DMs the opportunity to collaborate on crafting campaign narrative. Sometimes this is straightforward, as when a feature allows a character to learn useful information about enemies or allies, as with the obviator's Read the Opposition feature. Sometimes this calls for a focused collaborative effort between player and DM, as with the cartographer's Tale of Safe Travel. Where the narrative options in a position's features lend themselves to interpretation, the DM works with the players to determine how those options play out, as is the baseline model of every Acquisitions Incorporated campaign."
							],
							"id": "046"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Position Proficiencies",
							"page": 18,
							"entries": [
								"Accepting a company position with Acquisitions Incorporated means more than just a title and hopes of a paycheck. With it comes access to trade secrets, best practices, and corporate shortcuts central to fulfilling one's role within a franchise. When a character takes a specific company position, they gain proficiency in the tools and skills associated with that position. Such proficiency also extends to a variety of business practices, day-to-day tasks, and hazard mitigations that are all part of the job. Professional functions that characters can add their proficiency bonus to are detailed in the \"Position Proficiency\" section of each of the following company positions.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Company Tools",
									"page": 19,
									"entries": [
										"The tools and items that are granted to a character as part of a company position are unique objects created and bestowed by Head Office on trusted franchisees. A set of Acquisitions Incorporated tools might resemble mundane tools, but they are never the same. Countless mundane cartographers in the world have proficiency with cartographer's tools. But only an Acquisitions Incorporated cartographer has access to a {@item cartographer's map case|AI} and the ability to use it.",
										"Magic items gained as part of a company position always require attunement, but they do not count against the number of magic items a character can normally attune to. Each item can be attuned to only by the character to whom it has been granted by Head Office. If the tools of other Acq Inc franchisees are ever found, they cannot be attuned even by characters with the applicable position. (It goes without saying that such tools found at large are expected to be returned to Head Office immediately.)",
										"Each position magic item is representative of the significant mystic expertise of Acquisitions Incorporated\u2014and no matter who might use them, position items always belong to the franchise proper. The use of such items is typically revoked upon leaving the company, and Head Office is known for the diligence with which it retrieves items that are \"accidentally\" held onto."
									],
									"id": "048"
								}
							],
							"id": "047"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Gaining Ranks",
							"page": 19,
							"entries": [
								"You choose your character's position when the character first joins an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise. Your character's position rank is equal to your franchise's rank. Starting from rank 1, you gain specialized training (including new proficiencies), special equipment, and your rank 1 position feature. Then, as the franchise grows, the scope of your position grows with it. Each time the franchise gains a rank (normally at levels 5, 11, and 17), your character is promoted to that new rank in their position and gains the appropriate benefits."
							],
							"id": "049"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Cartographer",
							"page": 19,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i I've seen a million places, and I've mapped them all}!"
									],
									"by": "Cartographer's boast"
								},
								"Acquisitions Incorporated missions can lead across vast tracts of wilderness, into ancient ruins, deep underground, or to even more dangerous and remote places. The cartographer selects the method and route of travel for a franchise, and creates and maintains maps of the journey. As the characters travel, the cartographer maps important locations and resources, later providing finished maps to Head Office. The franchise's cartographer is also often responsible for the selection and care of vehicles and mounts.",
								"As a cartographer, you have a sharp eye for detail and take an interest in people, history, and natural features. You help advance your franchise by discovering and mapping new locations or hidden features, acquiring rare maps, and using different modes of transportation in secure and clever ways.",
								"{@b Noteworthy Cartographers}: {@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI} (\"C\" Team), {@creature Brahma Lutier|AI} (\"B\" Team, retired), {@creature Pendragon Beestinger|AI} (\"B\" Team), Purnagh Grost",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Create and maintain maps of a franchise's journeys; dictate directions",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus when you make an ability check to create or examine maps, search for new paths in the wild, or assess a route for possible dangers.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Cartographer",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, It's a Rental"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@item Spyglass of Clairvoyance|AI}, Tale of Safe Travel"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Map of Shortcuts, Map of the Moment"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"{@item Elder Cartographer's Glossography|AI}, Greater Tale of Safe Travel"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 19,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 cartographer, you gain proficiency with {@item cartographer's tools|PHB}, and your choice of vehicles (land) or vehicles (water).",
										"Head Office also grants you the use of cartographer's supplies (quill, ink, parchment, a pair of compasses, calipers, and a ruler), a waterproof leather map case, a spyglass, and a supply of colored inks."
									],
									"id": "04b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "It's a Rental",
									"page": 19,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 1, at the start of any mission, you can requisition a second-hand {@creature draft horse} and {@item cart|PHB} (barely functional), {@creature Riding Horse||riding horses} and {@creature Pony||ponies} (typically well aged, one for each party member), passage on a ship or ferry (might require minor labor as part of the fare), and similar transportation. Any damage or losses to requisitioned equipment is expected to be repaid to Head Office."
									],
									"id": "04c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Spyglass of Clairvoyance",
									"page": 19,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, your Head Office-supplied spyglass becomes a common magic item. As an action, you can look through the {@item spyglass of clairvoyance|AI} at a location within 1 mile of you that is obstructing your view, such as a mountain, castle, or forest. You must then succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom check using {@item cartographer's tools|PHB} to map the natural terrain found within three miles of that chosen point. You do not gain any knowledge of creatures, structures, or anything other than natural terrain. This property of the spyglass cannot be used again until the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "04d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Tale of Safe Travel",
									"page": 19,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 2, you gain the ability to perform a 45-minute ritual using your {@item cartographer's tools|PHB}, maps, and 50 gp in consumed material components. By doing so, you ensure safe travel for you and other creatures, from your current location to another location you could normally reach within one day. The destination must be one to which you have traveled previously, or for which you have an accurate route and map.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/006-02-05.webp"
											},
											"width": 773,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										},
										"If your tale is told with reverence and precision, you and up to six other creatures plus their gear (including vehicles or mounts) become encircled in a magical bubble and are pulled into the {@book Border Ethereal|DMG|2|Border Ethereal} (see chapter 2 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}). During the ritual, you tell a story of your future journey, relating details of what will be seen en route. The DM can choose to add to the story, imparting additional details or planting seeds for future adventures. If you wish, the ritual can be ended early, allowing the party to encounter what's being described by the DM.",
										"Whenever the ritual is ended or interrupted by you, all the travelers arrive safely at the destination. At the DM's discretion, all the travelers affected by the ritual can gain the benefit of either a short rest or a long rest during the voyage."
									],
									"id": "04e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Map of Shortcuts",
									"page": 20,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, your map case becomes a common magic item. In addition to storing normal maps, your {@item cartographer's map case|AI} can be used to generate a special map identifying a shortcut. You can use your action to make a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check, with a success revealing a map buried in your {@i cartographer's map case} noting a relevant shortcut . Your travel time is reduced by half while you follow that route. If you succeed at the check by 5 or more, the map includes notes on the terrain, granting you advantage on the next ability check you make to travel through the mapped area in the next hour. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Half-Orc Cartographer (Fighter)",
											"page": 20,
											"entries": [
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Cartographer Grost was once so lost that he had to sleep on rocks and eat things that were not, strictly speaking, food. Determined to avoid this in future, he began leaving trails of things behind him\u2014trails he would often find again later, or intersect with at odd angles. Imagine his relief when he discovered maps. Grost was not born a cartographer, but that hasn't kept him from reaching the apex of the profession."
													]
												}
											],
											"id": "050"
										}
									],
									"id": "04f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Map of the Moment",
									"page": 20,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 3, you can use an action to make a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check and search your {@item cartographer's map case|AI} to find a map either related to your current mission or inspiring a new one. On a success, you find a map with a prominent landmark. The map has information on the natural terrain within one mile of the landmark. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until dawn seven days later.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Possible Map Mission Landmarks",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Landmark"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"The Ancient Sarcophagus of Gerald Smith"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A tree labeled \"This tree\""
												],
												[
													"3",
													"\"The Last Resting Place of My Rich Brother that is Also a Bear Cave\""
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A range of peaks known as the Slightly Wobbly Spires"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"An ever-flowing, nonmagical spigot of pure, clear water in the middle of nowhere"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A cave filled with screaming bioluminescent worms"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"The most haunted forest for ten miles in any direction"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A huge pile of rocks with no other rocks within sight"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "051"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Elder Cartographer's Glossography",
									"page": 20,
									"entries": [
										"When you attain rank 4, you gain a small tome that is an uncommon magic item. The {@item elder cartographer's glossography|AI} grants advantage on Intelligence or Wisdom checks related to geographical features or locations.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/007-02-06.webp"
											},
											"title": "Cartographer's Map Case",
											"width": 1164,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "052"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Greater Tale of Safe Travel",
									"page": 20,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 4, your Tale of Safe Travel feature can now span up to three days of travel. If your franchise headquarters is mobile, you can include it in your Tale of Safe Travel, and can also include items or goods weighing up to 2,000 pounds.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"It's of the utmost importance to remember that a good cartographer knows how to tell a story to a horse. The story does not have to be accurate, but it does have to entertain the horse."
											],
											"by": "{@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI}"
										},
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be a Cartographer?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A paranoid person by nature, you like seeing what's ahead of you at all times."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Your parent was a cartographer, their parent was a cartographer, and by the gods, you're going to be one too."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You're fairly certain no one else in your party even knows how to hold a map, let alone read one."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You like spyglasses. A lot."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Your nickname as a child was \"the cartography kid.\""
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Contrary to popular opinion, the destination is much, much more important than the journey."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A good map is like an adventure without the bugs. And the mud. And the wolves."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"You suffer from the nagging feeling of never knowing why you've come into a room, and you need the professional flourish that lets you cover for that."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "053"
								}
							],
							"id": "04a"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Decisionist",
							"page": 21,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i I'm not saying there aren't other perspectives. Just that my perspective is the only one that's on-brand}."
									],
									"by": "Decisionist sales pitch"
								},
								"A decisionist brings decisive leadership to an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise. They settle disputes and ensure that the team moves forward toward its goals, often serving as a leader (officially or otherwise) and compass for the party. A signature move of the decisionist is to impress the importance of a particular looming choice on the other franchisees, then call for a vote. The results of all franchise votes are recorded, then later reported to Head Office. Decisionists are also concerned with franchise morale and teamwork, helping all members of the franchise work together effectively.",
								"All decisionists vary in their approach to the task. You might primarily attempt to convince others through charismatic arguments, or through force of will or intellectual cunning. You might lead by example, or by extolling the examples of other people who've done the things you haven't quite gotten around to yet. Many decisionists go on to publish famous tomes, such as the best-selling {@i Habits of Effective Adventuring Parties} and {@i I Don't Care If the Rogue Stole Your Coins, We Have a Job to Do}. You help advance the franchise by calling for votes, making sure you're always on the side with the most votes, and resolving disputes within the franchise party.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/008-02-07.webp"
									},
									"width": 773,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Aviv Or"
								},
								"{@b Noteworthy Decisionists}: {@creature Donaar Blit'zen|AI} (\"C\" Team), Kelshi Annab",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Receive one extra vote on franchise matters; resolve interparty conflicts",
								"{@b Position Proficiencies}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to influence a decision being made by a group, assess the popularity of certain customs or individuals, or boost the morale of franchise hirelings.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Human Decisionist (Ranger)",
									"page": 21,
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"There are decisionists of all stripes. Domineering narcissists gravitate toward the role, to be sure, and occasionally that unyielding demeanor has its purpose. Decisionist Annab approaches the role in another way, considering herself in many ways outside the party she travels with, even though she has served in this capacity for years. When she leverages her {@i coin of decisionry}, glinting with its final, unswerving resolve, it is because she has heard all."
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "055"
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Decisonist",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Tiebreaker"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Absentee Ballot, {@item Coin of Decisionry|AI}"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Better Odds, Inspired Decision"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Charming Misdemeanor, Clandestine Kit"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 decisionist, you gain proficiency with a musical instrument (horn).",
										"Head office also grants you the use of a musical instrument (your choice of {@item horn|PHB}), a voting kit (ballots, a ballot box, an \"I Voted\" sticker set), and a {@item coin of decisionry|AI}. This large gold coin is emblazoned with the sigil of Acquisitions Incorporated as \"heads,\" and has a \"tails\" image that varies.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Coin of Decisionry \"Tails\" Image",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Tails"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Yourself"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A pumpkin"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A fourteen-headed hydra (it's a big coin)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"An old despotic tyrant, their image defaced"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A demon lord"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A foaming tankard of beer"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A Masked Lord of Waterdeep"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "056"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Tiebreaker",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 1, whenever the members of your franchise take a vote, you can present your {@item coin of decisionry|AI} and cast two votes."
									],
									"id": "057"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Absentee Ballot",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 2, if a member of your franchise party is absent, you gain their vote and can decide quite confidently how they would have voted. In addition, if a vote is ever taken while you are absent, you can call for a recount and add your two votes to the final voting result."
									],
									"id": "058"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Coin of Decisionry",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 2, your {@item coin of decisionry|AI} becomes a common magic item. When you flip the coin, it always lands with the Acquisitions Incorporated sigil face down, and a message appears on the \"tails\" face. Roll a {@dice d4} on the following table to determine the message.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"colLabels": [
												"d4",
												"Decision"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Lucrative"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Brand Appeal"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Indeterminate"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Ruinous"
												]
											]
										},
										"The coin has absolutely no divination abilities, and its results when you use it are random. But nobody else knows that. When a creature within 10 feet of you flips the coin (after having had its powerful prognostication powers dutifully explained), you can exert your will to control its operation as a bonus action, choosing the result that appears after it lands as a means of gently coercing the user toward a specific course of action. The creature flipping the coin can detect your manipulation with a successful DC 13 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check."
									],
									"id": "059"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Better Odds",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"When you reach rank 3, your {@item coin of decisionry|AI} gains a measure of actual divination power and becomes an uncommon magic item. In addition to its normal function, you can use an action to flip the {@item coin of decisionry|AI} twice while pondering a specific plan or objective, noting both random results. If you succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check, you learn which of the two results is more applicable to the course of action. This property of the coin can't be used again until the next dawn.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/009-02-08.webp"
											},
											"title": "Coin Of Decisionry",
											"width": 1218,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "05a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Inspired Decision",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 3, whenever a serious franchise vote is taken and the result goes the way you voted, you can inspire the rest of the franchise team with a brief speech. Make a DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check. On a success, each franchise member of your choice who can hear you gains advantage on the next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw they make in the next hour. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest."
									],
									"id": "05b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Charming Misdemeanor",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 4 decisionist, you can present your {@item coin of decisionry|AI} to grant yourself an extra vote when your franchise votes, for a total of three votes. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until dawn seven days later."
									],
									"id": "05c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Clandestine Kit",
									"page": 22,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, your {@item voting kit|AI} becomes a common magic item that conceals an extradimensional space. As a bonus action, you can place one tool kit that you are proficient with into the {@i voting kit}, or can remove it. No other type of object can be placed into the extradimensional space. A creature searching the {@i voting kit} finds and extracts the tool kit with a successful DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) or Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check.",
										"Additionally, you can use the {@item voting kit|AI} to cast {@spell charm person} (save DC 15). This property of the kit can't be used again until the next dawn.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"Decisionists work best when a verdict is unilateral and in direct contradiction to the rest of their team. Do the opposite of whatever they want, even if you want to do that thing too. It's about setting an example and establishing a pecking order."
											],
											"by": "{@creature Donaar Blit'zen|AI}"
										},
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be a Decisionist?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"It's always you who picks where everyone has lunch."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Roughly half your choices are the right ones. You might as well just toss a coin for it."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You have no idea. In fact, you're constantly plagued by indecision."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Democracy is the greatest force for change in the world, but is ruined by everyone else voting."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"All the other positions were taken."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You've always felt it was your calling to tell other people what to do. Now to make it official."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"When faced with two choices, you've always yearned for the freedom to choose both."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"As a child, you had a sibling make you choose which of your toys lived or died. You were never the same."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "05d"
								}
							],
							"id": "054"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Documancer",
							"page": 23,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i Contracts have mystical power. Break my contract and I'll use your bones for my next quill}."
									],
									"by": "Documancer's warning"
								},
								"Every great Acquisitions Incorporated quest begins with a contract from Head Office\u2014and a franchise's documancer is most likely the one who controls and channels the power of that contract. A documancer bears the responsibility of managing each of a franchise's quests, of ensuring that every condition of the quest is fulfilled, and of recording and sending on information vital to Head Office when the mission is complete. When creating contracts with other organizations, a documancer makes sure that the language benefits both the franchise and Acquisitions Incorporated.",
								"As a documancer, you are respected for having the commitment and mental fortitude required to work with Head Office. You advance your franchise by using documancy for communication, insisting on recording all deals in writing, retaining records, destroying other records, and recalling vital information.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Not everyone truly appreciates the art of documancy, and only the best and brightest are chosen for this most important work. Come to think of it, I'm not sure you make the cut."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Walnut Dankgrass|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Favorite Methods to Destroy Documents",
									"colLabels": [
										"d6",
										"Method"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"text-center col-2",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Any way you like, provided you make a copy first"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Mimic shredder"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Fake dragon-head incinerator"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"The bottomless hole in the basement\u2014at least you're pretty sure it's bottomless"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"Feeding it to the goat out back"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"Making your coworkers eat it by slipping it into their food, piece by piece\u2014it's the only way to be sure"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/010-02-09.webp"
									},
									"width": 773,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Aviv Or"
								},
								"{@b Noteworthy Documancers}: {@creature Walnut Dankgrass|AI} (\"C\" Team), Brynshal Flume",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Record information; track job and quest details within the franchise",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to organize lore, analyze official or arcane documents, or convey a legally binding point of view.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Air Genasi Documancer (Sorcerer)",
									"page": 23,
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"When other children borrowed her toys, Brynshal kept unnervingly robust records\u2014duration, wear, remittance in case of loss, that kind of thing. In time, this hunger to define and make official the rhythm of daily life found its expression in documancy, a kind of mystic bureaucratic art founded by {@creature Omin Dran|AI}. Anything you put a signature to has power. And Brynshal wields that power with ease."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"(The {@filter genasi|races|base race=Genasi} can be found in {@adventure Princes of the Apocalypse|PotA} and the {@i Elemental Evil Player's Companion}.)"
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "05f"
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Documancer",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Gift of Words"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@item Documancy Satchel|AI}, Fluent in Boss"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Satchel of Holding, Document Flexibility"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Scroll Humidor, Scroll Service"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 documancer, you gain proficiency with {@item calligrapher's supplies|PHB}.",
										"Head office also grants you the use of {@item calligrapher's supplies|PHB} (ink, a dozen sheets of parchment, and three quills), a {@item documancy satchel|AI} for your calligrapher's supplies, a ledger, {@item sealing wax|PHB}, copper and silver leaf, a documancer's seal of limited authority, and a {@item Map or Scroll Case|PHB|scroll case}."
									],
									"id": "060"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Gift of Words",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 1, you are fluent in the semi-arcane language of documancy. This knowledge grants you advantage on Intelligence checks to decipher codes or similar scripts. The DM might also provide you with hints whenever you try to solve a puzzle or decipher clues involving writing."
									],
									"id": "061"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Documancy Satchel",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, your {@item documancy satchel|AI} becomes a common magic item, allowing you to magically send and receive documents to and from Head Office through a special pouch. Your {@item documancy satchel|AI} magically produces prewritten and signature-ready contracts at your request, covering most common contractual needs. It also occasionally produces sticky notes printed with useful information and inspirational quotes from Head Office."
									],
									"id": "062"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Fluent in Boss",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 2, your documancer training allows you to better process Head Office communications, as well as to understand what pleases your superiors. You can cast the {@spell augury} spell, with the spell's omens of weal or woe based solely on the perspective of Head Office. (It should be noted that Head Office at times has a surprisingly high disregard for potential woe to its employees.) Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until dawn seven days later."
									],
									"id": "063"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Satchel of Holding",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, your {@item documancy satchel|AI} gains additional features and becomes an uncommon magic item. One of the satchel's pouches now functions as a {@item bag of holding}.",
										"Additionally, you can use an action to draw forth from the {@item documancy satchel|AI} a {@item spell scroll} of {@spell comprehend languages}. The scroll vanishes when used, or ten minutes after it appears. This property of the bag can't be used again until the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "064"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Document Flexibility",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 3, you gain proficiency with a {@item forgery kit|PHB}. One such kit (containing several different types of ink, a variety of parchments and papers, several quills, seals and sealing wax, gold and silver leaf, and small tools to sculpt melted wax to mimic a seal) is always contained within the extradimensional space of your {@item documancy satchel|AI}.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/011-02-10.webp"
											},
											"title": "Documancy Satchel",
											"width": 934,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "065"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Scroll Humidor",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, your {@item documancy satchel|AI} gains additional power and becomes a rare magic item. Within the satchel, a dedicated extradimensional space can hold up to thirty documents or {@item Spell Scroll||spell scrolls}. Placing a single document into the scroll humidor is an action. Drawing forth a desired scroll is a bonus action."
									],
									"id": "066"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Scroll Service",
									"page": 24,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 4, you can use an action to request one {@item spell scroll} containing a spell of up to 3rd level from Head Office. If you succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check, the scroll instantly appears within your {@item documancy satchel|AI}. Only you can use this scroll. The scroll vanishes when used, or ten minutes after it has been summoned. After a successful use, this property of the satchel can't be used again until dawn seven days later. If you failed the check, this property can't be used again until the next dawn.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be a Documancer?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You heard a rumor once that signing a contract with your off hand is technically nonbinding, and you're desperate to see if it's true. For reasons."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"All businesses have their ups and downs, but there's always money to be made from \"processing fees.\""
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You have a habit of always being clear about what you've promised, but never saying when you'll do it."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You love doing decorative scrollwork on documents, knowing that's the best place to hide the fine print."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"As a child, you learned to cross your fingers behind your back when making a promise. Now you yearn to make that legally binding."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Your habit of screaming, \"No take backs!\" after any group decision seemed to suggest your true calling."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"You believe that language is an art, not a science. Who's to say what is or isn't a \"real\" word?"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"The smell of old parchment makes you giddy."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "067"
								}
							],
							"id": "05e"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Hoardsperson",
							"page": 24,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i Disbursement of coin is at my discretion. Be really nice to me}."
									],
									"by": "Hoardsperson joke (not joking)"
								},
								"As the name suggests, Acquisitions Incorporated is all about the acquiring, and the hoardsperson's job is all about storing that hard-earned loot. Each hoardsperson plays the vital role of managing a franchise's resources\u2014including the inventory of all supplies used and treasure gained during an adventure. Hoardspersons pay particular attention to making sure that supplies are requisitioned through Acquisitions Incorporated-approved sources whenever possible, and ensuring that the proper selection of loot is sent to Head Office at the end of a mission.",
								"As a hoardsperson, you are known as a trustworthy and responsible individual. You support your franchise by demonstrating accuracy, avoiding shortfalls, and anticipating resource needs.",
								"{@b Noteworthy Hoardspersons}: {@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI} (\"C\" Team), {@creature Phoenix Anvil|AI} (\"B\" Team), {@creature Two Dry Cloaks|OoW}",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Manage stores and items; track resources",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to negotiate a price for goods and services, assess the quality of equipment and treasure, or analyze resources in a local area.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Hoardsperson",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, What a Deal"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@item Living Loot Satchel|AI}, Living the Good Life"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Secret Satchel, That Thing You Need"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Portable Hole Satchel, That Expensive Thing You Need"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 25,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 hoardsperson, you gain proficiency with jeweler's tools.",
										"Head office also grants you the use of {@item jeweler's tools|PHB} (a small saw and hammer, files, pliers, and tweezers) and an account ledger, as well as up to 5 gp worth of equipment from the following options: {@item barrel|PHB}, {@item basket|PHB}, {@item block and tackle|PHB}, {@item bucket|PHB}, {@item chest|PHB}, {@item Tankard|PHB|flask or tankard}, {@item Jug|PHB|jug or pitcher}, {@item iron pot|PHB}, {@item pouch|PHB}, {@item sack|PHB}, {@item saddlebags|PHB}, {@item vial|PHB}, and {@item waterskin|PHB}."
									],
									"id": "069"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "What a Deal",
									"page": 25,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 1, you can use your extensive supply network to buy one item found on any table in the \"{@book Mounts and Vehicles|PHB|5|Mounts and Vehicles}\" or \"{@book Trade Goods|PHB|5|Trade Goods}\" sections in chapter 5 of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB} and have it delivered to your franchise headquarters within one day. With a successful DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check, you also negotiate a 50 percent discount on the item.",
										"If you fail the check, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest. When you use this feature successfully twice, you cannot use it again until your franchise attains the next rank.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/012-02-11.webp"
											},
											"width": 773,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										},
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Tabaxi Hoardsperson (Rogue)",
											"page": 25,
											"entries": [
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Forever in search of \"twinkles,\" {@creature Two Dry Cloaks|OoW} has a deep enthusiasm for treasure and a broad definition of what \"treasure\" might mean. As an old saying has it, \"the hoard is the heart of a franchise,\" and the tabaxi makes that case for her franchise every day. She believes that the contents of a hoard\u2014as delivered to and from Head Office by way of the hoardsperson's {@i living loot satchel}\u2014are the most true, most dispassionate assessment of a team's progress."
													]
												},
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"(The {@race tabaxi|VGM} can be found in {@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM}.)"
													]
												}
											],
											"id": "06b"
										}
									],
									"id": "06a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Living Loot Satchel",
									"page": 25,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 2 hoardsperson, you are granted the use of a {@item living loot satchel|AI}, which is an uncommon magic item. It functions as a {@item bag of holding} and is available in a variety of colors and styles.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Class-Based Living Loot Satchel",
											"colLabels": [
												"Class",
												"Satchel"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"Barbarian",
													"Broad belt with a dozen hanging pockets"
												],
												[
													"Bard",
													"Lute case"
												],
												[
													"Cleric",
													"Hollowed-out holy tome"
												],
												[
													"Druid",
													"Made from natural, organic, locally sourced woven fibers"
												],
												[
													"Fighter",
													"A thick, battle-scarred iron lockbox"
												],
												[
													"Paladin",
													"A metal case with fine engraving and scrollwork"
												],
												[
													"Ranger",
													"A fur-lined bindle"
												],
												[
													"Rogue",
													"A nondescript coin pouch"
												],
												[
													"Sorcerer",
													"A battered leather satchel, prone to spitting out multicolored sparks at the seams"
												],
												[
													"Warlock",
													"A patchwork monster-leather satchel with a \"purely decorative\" fanged mouth."
												],
												[
													"Wizard",
													"A pocket dimension hidden up your sleeve or inside your hat"
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/013-02-12.webp"
											},
											"title": "Living Loot Satchel",
											"width": 904,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										},
										"The {@item living loot satchel|AI} is a kind of magical being that safeguards the franchise's funds and valuables. Its innards are connected to a secure coffer within Head Office's vault in Waterdeep, to which the satchel periodically transfers the franchise's wealth. As an action, you can transfer any amount of your franchise funds back to your satchel with a successful DC 15 Dexterity ({@skill Sleight of Hand}) check."
									],
									"id": "06c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Living the Good Life",
									"page": 26,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 2, Head Office trusts that as long as your needs are met, you have no reason to skim any profits. You maintain a wealthy lifestyle at no cost to you."
									],
									"id": "06d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Secret Satchel",
									"page": 26,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 3 hoardsperson, your {@item living loot satchel|AI} gets an upgrade to function as the replica chest used for the {@spell Leomund's secret chest} spell, becoming a rare magic item. You can open the secret chest through your {@item living loot satchel|AI} to deposit or withdraw items\u2014even items that wouldn't normally fit in your satchel, but which fit within the chest. Thanks to Head Office striking deals you don't want to know about with extraplanar creatures you really don't want to know about, there is no chance for the spell to end."
									],
									"id": "06e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "That Thing You Need",
									"page": 26,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, you can use a bonus action to reach into your {@item living loot satchel|AI} and make a DC 15 Dexterity ({@skill Sleight of Hand}) check. On a success, you draw forth an item of your choice on the {@book Adventuring Gear|PHB|5|Adventuring Gear} table in chapter 5 of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}. The item must be of a size that can fit into your secret chest and be worth no more than 15 gp. Once you attempt to draw five items from your satchel, you cannot draw forth any more items until the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "06f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Portable Hole Satchel",
									"page": 26,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, your {@item living loot satchel|AI} receives another upgrade, becoming a very rare magic item. The secret chest accessed by your satchel now has the storage capacity of a {@item portable hole}\u20146 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep. As before, you can place any appropriately sized object into the {@i portable-hole}-sized chest, even if it wouldn't normally fit into your satchel.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"The key to the hoardsperson's job is cataloging all goods that enter the party's possession. You may also catalog goods that do not belong to the party. Sometimes it works."
											],
											"by": "{@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI}"
										}
									],
									"id": "070"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "That Expensive Thing You Need",
									"page": 26,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 4, when you use your That Thing You Need feature, you can requisition any item of up to 250 gp in value, as long as it would fit into the confines of your satchel's {@item portable hole}.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be a Hoardsperson?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You once tried to dive into a huge pool of gold coins. It hurt."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You've been betrayed by your adventuring party before, and there's no way now that you'll trust anyone else to hold on to the loot"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Once, through a series of increasingly complex negotiations, you traded a paper clip for temporary control of a minor fiefdom."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Material possessions don't mean that much to you. Or at least that's the story you're going with."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You've never had a problem spending other people's money. Surely keeping other people's money can't be that hard."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You believe there's no such thing as worthless goods. Only unmotivated buyers."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"You're not a hoarder. More of a passionate collector. You can stop anytime you want. Really."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Given the personalities of the other party members, it was mutually agreed that you were the only one who could be trusted"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "071"
								}
							],
							"id": "068"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Loremonger",
							"page": 26,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i I never forget a detail... though many wish I would}."
									],
									"by": "Loremonger mantra"
								},
								"Information has value, and the loremonger is that information's keeper. A franchise's loremonger studies and records all lore relevant to its operation, including tracking the economic, technical, and arcane methods by which the franchise can be improved. A loremonger records the deeds and history of the franchise, including the names of places visited and people met during missions. Those records are then sent to Head Office (often through a franchise's documancer) to ensure brand integrity.",
								"As a loremonger, you are a studious individual, usually with an interest in history or technical subjects. You might revel in your role, working as a central figure in your franchise as you use your knowledge to promote it. Or you might operate from the shadows, resembling a clever spymaster and allowing others to be the franchise's public face. You help advance your franchise by discovering secrets, tracking important lore gained during the characters' travels, and reporting on competitors' goals and methods.",
								"{@b Noteworthy Loremongers}: Mabannok Kovri",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Record names, dates, and vital information",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to analyze the operation of a franchise, assess historical records, or decipher codes.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Loremongers talk a lot. It's best to let them."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Loremonger",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, {@item Whisper Jar|AI}"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Need to Know, Whispered Encyclopedia"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Construction Permits, Whispered Warnings"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Efficient Upgrades, Whispered Arcana"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 27,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 loremonger, you gain one of the following proficiencies of your choice: artisan's tools (choose type), {@item navigator's tools|PHB}, vehicles (land), or vehicles (water).",
										"Head office also grants you the use of an appropriate tool kit if you chose a tool proficiency, as well as ink and an ink pen."
									],
									"id": "073"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Whisper Jar",
									"page": 27,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 1, you are the beneficiary of a {@item whisper jar|AI}\u2014a common magic item resembling an ether-filled jar with a long tap hose. The jar is used to record others' stories and your own observations, like a verbal notebook with unlimited space. The {@i whisper jar} records as fast as a creature can speak into it, and whispers back words at the same pace they were recorded. Activating the playback of a particular recording is an action.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Things Recorded in Your Whisper Jar",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Recording"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A live recording of the only performance of the mostly forgotten stage play {@i Tabaxi on a Hot Tin Roof}"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"The life's work of the loremonger who owned the jar before you"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Every courageous thought you've ever had, to cover for how scared you are most of the time"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Everything, because everyone else around you will eat their words one day!"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"The top seven places to eat fried rat skewers in every settlement you've ever visited"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"The entire family tree of every royal line, extant or lost, in Faerûn"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A moment-by-moment review of your favorite {@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI} stage performance"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"The sound of raucous applause, which you play back liberally"
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/014-02-13.webp"
											},
											"width": 773,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										}
									],
									"id": "074"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Need to Know",
									"page": 27,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, your insight grants you preternatural knowledge of the creatures around you. As an action, select one humanoid you can see and make a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check. On a success, you learn the following information: the creature's name, up to three aliases it has used within the past month, its primary profession, and its skill proficiencies. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest. You can use this feature only once on any creature."
									],
									"id": "075"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Whispered Encyclopedia",
									"page": 27,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, your {@item whisper jar|AI} becomes an uncommon magic item that can tap into the broader lore of Acquisitions Incorporated. As a bonus action, you ask the jar for information on a specific subject and make a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill History}) check. On a success, the jar plays back a recording on that subject, made somewhere, sometime by another Acq Inc loremonger. This property of the {@item whisper jar|AI} can't be used again until the next dawn.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Gnome Loremonger (Druid)",
											"page": 27,
											"entries": [
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Even without a {@i whisper jar}, Mabannok Kovri is an incomparable trove of lore. With the jar\u2014that misty, transparent urn that all loremongers use as a tool of their station\u2014they can scoot close to omniscience. \"Mab\" decants their {@i whisper jar} to share and protect any information vital to the franchise. But they have a particular sideline hobby of greedily trapping ribald dwarven poetry and recipes that \"honor the noble turnip.\""
													]
												}
											],
											"id": "077"
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/015-02-14.webp"
											},
											"title": "Whisper Jar",
											"width": 988,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "076"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Construction Permits",
									"page": 28,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, your knowledge of best practices for improving an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise results in a 20 percent reduction in your franchise's monthly costs (see \"{@book Franchise Costs|AI|1|Franchise Costs}\" earlier in this chapter, and \"{@book Franchise Tasks and Downtime|AI|1|Franchise Tasks and Downtime}\" later in this chapter).",
										"In addition, choose one room in your franchise headquarters that belongs to you alone. That room gains one cosmetic feature, and the headquarters as a whole gains one secret feature over and above those gained normally through franchise advancement. See \"{@book Headquarters Features|AI|1|Headquarters Features}\" earlier in this chapter for more information."
									],
									"id": "078"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Whispered Warnings",
									"page": 28,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 3, your {@item whisper jar|AI} gains additional power and becomes a rare magic item. As an action, you can cause the jar to function as a {@item wand of enemy detection}, whereupon it whispers the direction to foes within range. This property of the {@item whisper jar|AI} can't be used again until the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "079"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Efficient Upgrades",
									"page": 28,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, your knowledge of franchise lore and development yields further dividends. Your franchise headquarters gains one weapon feature and one cosmetic feature over and above those gained normally through franchise advancement. See \"{@book Headquarters Features|AI|1|Headquarters Features}\" earlier in this chapter."
									],
									"id": "07a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Whispered Arcana",
									"page": 28,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 4, your {@item whisper jar|AI} gains access to even more magic. By whispering the name of one of the following spells into the jar as an action, you can cast that spell from the jar: {@spell detect evil and good}, {@spell detect magic}, {@spell detect poison and disease}, {@spell find traps}, {@spell identify}, or {@spell locate animals or plants}. This property of the {@item whisper jar|AI} can't be used again until the next dawn.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be a Loremonger?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Your favorite thing to hear is, \"I probably shouldn't say anything, but did you know... ?\""
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Your {@i whisper jar} is a better conversationalist than most people you've ever met."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You can't keep a secret for the life of you, and you need to tell someone this thing you know or it's going to kill you!"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You never know when someone else's words will come in handy."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Peoples and cultures can never die as long as their stories are still told."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You talked about a really cool idea once when you were drunk, and can't remember a word of it now. That'll never happen again."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A person is only as good as their word, and you feel compelled to keep others honest."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"You can't read or write, so this whole recording-and-playing-back-what-you-say-in-a-jar thing is a huge benefit."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "07b"
								}
							],
							"id": "072"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Obviator",
							"page": 28,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i I adjust the odds and remove obstacles to create maximum convenience for our franchise}."
									],
									"by": "Obviator creed"
								},
								"Obstacles abound along the path to riches. A franchise's mission success might require combating a rival organization's disinformation attempts one day, then besting a castle's defenses the next. The day after that, some poor sap named Bob might need to be disposed of. And no matter what the type of challenge that needs to be overcome, the franchise's obviator determines the optimal way to shut down and destroy that challenge. (Nothing personal, Bob. It's just business.)",
								"As an obviator, you hatch convoluted plots to fight the overwhelming odds presented by each mission\u2014by whatever means are necessary. Sometimes, you might prefer brute strength and improvisation. Other times, you might undertake a deep study of conflicts and rival organizations, working carefully to stay three steps ahead of the opposition. In all cases, though, you help advance your franchise by hatching effective plans and tactics, anticipating problems, and learning about your foes\u2014ideally before they can treat you as an obstacle to their own success.",
								"{@b Noteworthy Obviators}: Lok",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Destroy targets (people and information); study conflicts",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to make sense of an enemy's tactics, discern a hidden threat, or intimidate a foe whose weaknesses you have previously assessed (see \"Read the Opposition\" below).",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Obviator",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Read the Opposition"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Alchemist's Insight, {@item Obviator's Lenses|AI}"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Advanced Preparations, {@item Travel Alchemical Kit|AI}"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Enhanced Lenses, Obviate the Opposition"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 29,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 obviator, you gain proficiency with {@item alchemist's supplies|PHB}.",
										"Head office also grants you the use of {@item alchemist's supplies|PHB} (two glass beakers, a metal frame to hold a beaker in place over an open flame, a glass stirring rod, a small mortar and pestle, and a pouch of common alchemical ingredients including salt, powdered iron, and purified water); your choice of a {@item Acid (vial)|PHB|vial of acid}, a {@item Alchemist's Fire (flask)|PHB|flask of alchemist's fire}, or a {@item Antitoxin (vial)|PHB|vial of antitoxin}; and a {@item hunting trap|PHB}."
									],
									"id": "07d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Read the Opposition",
									"page": 29,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 1, you can attempt to get a reading on one creature you can see, trying to learn useful information about it. As a bonus action, make a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check. On a success, you learn three details of your choice about the creature. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest. You can use this feature only once on any creature.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"Obviation is as much a philosophy as it is a practice. It's not a good fit for those who want to remain... you know, fully alive."
											],
											"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
										},
										"Possible details you might learn include the creature's goals or motivation, bonds or ideals, personality traits, flaws, combat strategy (including common attack methods or tactics), financial information, lair location, allies or foes, romantic entanglements, sense of humor, or favorite songs."
									],
									"id": "07e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Alchemist's Insight",
									"page": 29,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, you can use an action to use your alchemist's supplies to identify any unknown substance (including alchemical items, potions, and other magical substances). Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Where You First Dabbled in Alchemy",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Learning Experience"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You traveled with a charlatan alchemist for years, until they were arrested for selling fake healing potions. You still remember how to get the taste just right."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You were once the head dishwasher in a famous wizard's college."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"One of your parents was a healer in a small outpost, and they taught you that even the most mundane flora and natural materials can be used to wondrous effect."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"While lost in the Underdark, you were forced to consume mold, fungus, and insect parts to survive. You developed a taste for that sort of thing."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You think you might be addicted to holy water. You just can't stop drinking it long enough to find out for sure."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You were once the personnel manager of a struggling business and needed to come up with a herbal cure-all that would keep employees awake for eighteen-hour shifts. No one died. Mostly."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"As the child of a wealthy and despotic noble, you learned to smell {@condition poisoned} pastries a mile off. A shame that your siblings weren't so talented."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"As a server in a tavern, you refined the perfect hangover cure but never wrote the recipe down. Now you're desperate to recreate it."
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/016-02-15.webp"
											},
											"width": 773,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										}
									],
									"id": "07f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Obviator's Lenses",
									"page": 30,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 2, you gain the use of an uncommon magic item taking the form of a pair of spectacles, a spyglass, a monocle, or any other device with one or two lenses. When you look through the {@item obviator's lenses|AI}, you use a bonus action to make them function as {@item eyes of minute seeing} or {@item eyes of the eagle}. Once you make this choice, it cannot be changed until the next dawn.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Dwarf Obviator (Cleric)",
											"page": 29,
											"entries": [
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Like many Obviators, \"Lok\" chooses to use a working name rather than her actual name out of an abundance of caution. Obviators are cautious because they know precisely how dangerous any moment can be\u2014and they are dangerous for the same reason. An obviator is like a lethal walking library. And if you were to face some kind of walking library at some point, Lok would know exactly what to do about it."
													]
												}
											],
											"id": "081"
										}
									],
									"id": "080"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Advanced Preparations",
									"page": 30,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, you gain the ability to declare that you're totally prepared. This preparedness takes the from of asking yourself one question, then making a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill History}) check. On a success, you recall information you could have uncovered through earlier research about your mission. The information can be a discreet revelation, a vague hint, or even a riddle. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/017-02-16.webp"
											},
											"title": "Travel Alchemical Kit",
											"width": 1070,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "082"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Travel Alchemical Kit",
									"page": 30,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 3, Head Office provides you with a {@item travel alchemical kit|AI}\u2014an uncommon magic item containing miniaturized versions of both {@item alchemist's supplies|PHB} and a {@item poisoner's kit|PHB} (glass vials, a mortar and pestle, chemicals, and a glass stirring rod). You gain proficiency with a {@item poisoner's kit|PHB} as part of this upgrade.",
										"You can use this magical kit as long as it is on your person, with no need to draw or stow it. If you are ever searched, finding your {@item travel alchemical kit|AI} requires a successful DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) or Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check."
									],
									"id": "083"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Enhanced Lenses",
									"page": 30,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, your {@item obviator's lenses|AI} gain additional power and become a rare magic item. The lenses now function as both {@item eyes of the eagle} and {@item eyes of minute seeing}.",
										"Additionally, you can focus the power of the lenses to gain accuracy in combat, gaining advantage on a weapon attack roll (no action required). If that attack hits, roll one additional weapon damage die. This property of the lenses can't be used again until the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "084"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Obviate the Opposition",
									"page": 30,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 4, when you use your Read the Opposition feature and fail the check, you still learn one detail about the target creature, as chosen by the DM. Additionally, you can use Read the Opposition more than once on the same creature, but if you do so, you cannot use that feature again on the same creature until you finish a long rest.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be an Obviator?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"There's nothing that excites you more than a puzzle you can't immediately solve."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Your favorite saying is, \"All according to plan.\" Especially when you have no idea what's going on."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You have an entire room dedicated to notes and sketches connected by red yarn."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Your plans are so detailed that they have plans of their own."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You find the little details so much more interesting than... well, anything else."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You already had the chemical burns on your hands. Might as well make it official."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Methodical. Calculating. Brilliant. One day, you hope these words will apply to you."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. And if you're out to get them first."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "085"
								}
							],
							"id": "07c"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Occultant",
							"page": 30,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i Our next kill changes everything}."
									],
									"by": "Occultant divination"
								},
								"An occultant tracks the creatures and foes that a franchise has bested or killed, weighing them against the deeds the franchise has achieved. Using the eldritch abacus for which this position is named, an occultant measures the karmic coordinates of their franchise, hoping to gain portents of that which is yet to come.",
								"Like all occultants, you are a grim and enigmatic figure. Even your closest companions might be wary of the power you channel\u2014and nobody wears that aura of dark mystery like you do. You help advance your franchise by determining whether foes should live or die, prognosticating correctly (or at least authoritatively), keeping the rest of the party attuned to the importance of karma, and making the right calls on how best to \"clean up\" any incorrect readings or misunderstandings.",
								"{@b Noteworthy Occultants}: Talanatha Three-Coins",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Track kills; assess the value to the franchise of the living and the dead",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to intimidate a creature close to death, assess what disease or poison killed a creature, or explain what that dead body is doing under your bed at the inn.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Occultant",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, Read the Kill"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Eldritch Occultant, Bring Out Your Dead"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Bead of Instant Karma, Death's Omen"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Bead of Diverted Karma, Correct the Balance"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 31,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 occultant, you gain proficiency with one of the following of your choice: {@item cook's utensils|PHB}, {@item leatherworker's tools|PHB}, or {@item weaver's tools|PHB}.",
										"Head office also grants you the use of a tool kit for your chosen proficiency, a merchant's scale, five waterproof belt pouches in which to store creature parts or other tools, and a unique item known as an {@item occultant abacus|AI} (sometimes just referred to as an occultant), whose beads resemble tiny skulls.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/018-02-17.webp"
											},
											"width": 773,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										}
									],
									"id": "087"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Read the Kill",
									"page": 31,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 1, your {@item occultant abacus|AI} not only tracks your franchise's kills, it helps you determine the impact of those kills on the franchise's fate. Over a period of 1 minute, you can study a creature killed by someone in your franchise within the last 24 hours, then grant the character who slew it a {@dice d10}. Once within the next hour, that character can add the {@dice d10} to an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. If it's not clear who administered the killing blow, you grant this benefit to a random creature involved in the fight. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Tiefling Occultant (Paladin)",
											"page": 31,
											"entries": [
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Occultants know that the unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach comes from somewhere and has a purpose\u2014and nobody can measure out and use that purpose like they can. As Talanatha \"reads\" fallen foes, she charts her party's cosmic effects and can even try to smooth out the fabric of causality. As a tiefling, she often generates a kind of ambient unease in others, but she is always certain to account for this carefully, lest it bloom into \"the unforeseen\" that is the enemy of every enterprise."
													]
												}
											],
											"id": "089"
										},
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Ways to Read the Kill",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Reading"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Using a tiny bellows to pump one last breath into a corpse."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Reading the entrails with special reading-the-entrails glasses."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Burning a small piece of the body and looking for shapes in the smoke."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A cautious, reasoned, professional guesstimate."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Careful measurements. The distance between nostrils. The difference between the index finger and the middle finger. The elasticity of the ear lobe."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You take a long, careful look, and then decide based on which fellow franchisee has been nice to you lately."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "088"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Eldritch Occultant",
									"page": 31,
									"entries": [
										"Starting at rank 2, your {@item occultant abacus|AI} becomes an uncommon magic item that can track lives both eliminated and saved. While holding your {@i occultant abacus} within 5 feet of a creature killed within the past 24 hours, you can cast the {@spell augury} spell. The course of action you inquire about with the spell does not need to have any connection to the dead creature. This property of the {@item occultant abacus|AI} can't be used again until the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "08a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bring Out Your Dead",
									"page": 31,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 2, you regain the use of your Read the Kill feature after you finish a short or long rest.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/019-02-18.webp"
											},
											"title": "Occultant Abacus",
											"width": 858,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "08b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bead of Instant Karma",
									"page": 31,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, one of the beads on your {@item occultant abacus|AI}{@i} channels the power of instant karma, turning the {@i occultant abacus} into a rare magic item. As a reaction, you can target one creature you can see that is about to attempt an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, either granting advantage or imposing disadvantage on the roll. The bead crumbles to dust when used, reappearing on your {@item occultant abacus|AI} at the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "08c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Death's Omen",
									"page": 32,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 3, you gain the ability to read the grim portents of a creature's demise. As a bonus action, choose a creature you can see that is below its hit point maximum and make a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check. On a success, you determine whether this creature's immediate death would have neutral, negative, or positive ramifications for you and your franchise. If the ramifications are different for you and the franchise, you learn this as well."
									],
									"id": "08d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bead of Diverted Karma",
									"page": 32,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, one of the beads on your {@item occultant abacus|AI}{@i} allows you to divert karma to where it's needed, turning the {@item occultant abacus|AI} into a very rare magic item. While the bead is unused, you know automatically when any creature you can see is about to make an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw with disadvantage. When such a roll is made, you can use a reaction to grant a {@dice d10} to a different creature you can see. That creature can add the {@dice d10} to any ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes within the next minute. The bead crumbles to dust when used, reappearing on your {@item occultant abacus|AI} at the next dawn."
									],
									"id": "08e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Correct the Balance",
									"page": 32,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 4 occultant, you learn that sometimes the death of a creature has unintended consequences. Within seven days of a creature's death, you can use your {@item occultant abacus|AI} to divine ways to reverse or mitigate events resulting from that death. As an action, make a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Religion}) check. On a success, you learn the relevant information based on the nature of the creature and its place in the world.",
										"If you fail the check, this property of the {@i occultant abacus} can't be used again until the next dawn. If you succeed on the check, this property can't be used again until dawn seven days later.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"I don't really understand occultants, and to be honest, they scare the Abyss out of me."
											],
											"by": "{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}"
										},
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be an Occultant?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You believe in karmic balance, but hate the idea that \"balance\" means good and bad things can both happen to you. Good things happening to you and bad things happening to other people seems perfectly reasonable."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You love drinking tea and hate cleaning up, so pretending that the dregs in those dozens of empty cups are there to show ill omens and portents is a perfect cover."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You collected beads carved as skulls as a child. Nobody ever told you there was a career in that sort of thing."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You watched someone close to you die, and were overcome by the feeling that you should be making money off it somehow."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You've always owned a stuffed cat. You're not sure where it came from, but it's given you great career advice so far."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You've always worn a lot of black."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"You really wanted a job where you can hide a fog machine under the desk for dramatic effect during meetings."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"You have an obsession with death that clearly marks you for great things."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "08f"
								}
							],
							"id": "086"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Secretarian",
							"page": 32,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"{@i I've sold ice in Icewind Dale}."
									],
									"by": "Secretarian's boast"
								},
								"A secretarian's focus is on people\u2014and all the potential value that might be wrung out of them. Every person met outside a franchise is a potential customer to a secretarian, who does whatever they can to bring that relationship to fulfillment. A secretarian seeks always to promote their franchise and gain greater value than they give. They have the skills to negotiate with subemployees, temporary hirelings, seasonal staff, and other humanoid (usually) resources. When staff members have problems, the secretarian is the one who patiently listens (or at least pretends to) until everything calms down.",
								"As a secretarian, you are respected for having the fortitude to listen to both customers and coworkers without going insane. You help advance your franchise by keeping staff happy (enough), hiring competent (enough) workers, coming up with slogans and catchphrases, launching marketing schemes, and getting jingles and slogans stuck in customer's heads. And while your superiors don't officially condone undermining the branding efforts of other organizations, no one can argue with the effectiveness of that approach.",
								"{@b Noteworthy Secretarians}: Certainty Dran, Dunbar of Spreck",
								"{@b Essential Functions}: Extract information; assess the strengths and weaknesses of others",
								"{@b Position Proficiency}: In addition to the proficiencies noted below, you can add your proficiency bonus to an ability check to convince a suspicious crowd of your good (or at least non-evil) intentions, encourage franchise hirelings to work faster, or improvise a jingle extolling the virtues of your franchise.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "The Secretarian",
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"colLabels": [
										"Franchise Rank",
										"Features"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Proficiencies and Starting Equipment, {@item Sending Stone|AI}"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@item Portfolio Keeper|AI}, Rumor Mill"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Cards of Sending, Improved Rumor Mill"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Always Hiring, Charming Introduction"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Proficiencies and Starting Equipment",
									"page": 33,
									"entries": [
										"As a rank 1 secretarian, you gain proficiency with one of the following of your choice: gaming set, musical instrument, or {@item disguise kit|PHB}.",
										"Head office also grants you the use of a tool kit for your chosen proficiency, a collection of sales brochures, a set of business cards, a metal bell, and a {@item Fine Clothes|PHB|set of fine clothes}.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"My daughter Certainty created the secretarian role. Proved it out as a concept. I told her we didn't need them. I was wrong."
											],
											"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
										}
									],
									"id": "091"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Sending Stone",
									"page": 33,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 1, you are given use of an Acquisitions Incorporated {@item sending stone|AI}, an uncommon magic item that resembles a gemstone in a bold setting. It functions like a normal {@item Sending Stones||sending stone}, except that it has no matching stone and allows communication with Head Office, specific secretarians you know, and the secretarian nearest your location. You must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check to establish contact. Once the stone is successfully used, it can't be used again until the next dawn.",
										"Making contact with another secretarian assumes that they are in possession of their own {@item sending stone|AI}.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Quirks of Your Sending Stone",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Quirk"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"It's a flip stone."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"It gets great reception everywhere except in your headquarters."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"It sometimes picks up other magical conversations."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"It's the perfect size, shape, and weight to be used as a skipping stone."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"It heats up when you use it, to the extent that it once burned through your gloves."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"It has an obnoxious ringtone that you can't work out how to change."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"It fails to notify you of incoming messages except for a faint pulsating glow."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"It's voice activated, so that every time you talk to someone, it tries to send a message to someone else."
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/020-02-19.webp"
											},
											"width": 773,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Aviv Or"
										}
									],
									"id": "092"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Portfolio Keeper",
									"page": 33,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 2, you gain the use of a weathered leather pouch that is an uncommon magic item. The {@item portfolio keeper|AI} holds and organizes notes, brochures, and business cards bearing your contact information. It also has an inexhaustible supply of brochures related to your franchise's current branding scheme.",
										"When you meet someone for the first time, their details and a rough sketch are magically stored on a small parchment card in the {@item portfolio keeper|AI}. You can access the details of any such stored card as a bonus action.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Sun Elf Secretarian (Barbarian)",
											"page": 33,
											"entries": [
												{
													"type": "quote",
													"entries": [
														"Spreck isn't a real place, but Dunbar knows most people won't check. They'll see the \"of\" in there and think, \"Spreck, you say! Sounds fancy.\" Maintaining a protective patina of efficiency around himself, the franchise, and the larger organization is his specialty. Secretarians talk to each other more than they talk to their own party members. But that works out in the end, because the secretarian network's limitless perspectives mean that the network often knows more about franchisees than they do themselves."
													]
												}
											],
											"id": "094"
										}
									],
									"id": "093"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rumor Mill",
									"page": 34,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 2, whenever your franchise begins a major quest or mission, make a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill History}) check. On a success, you can learn up to three rumors related to creatures or organizations involved in the mission, which come to you through your {@item sending stone|AI}. These rumors reflect current or historical knowledge possessed by Acquisitions Incorporated or the organization's many contacts.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/021-02-20.webp"
											},
											"title": "Sending Stone",
											"width": 916,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Chris Walton"
										}
									],
									"id": "095"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cards of Sending",
									"page": 34,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, the power of your {@i portfolio keeper} becomes more potent, making it a rare magic item. When you give out a business card stored in your {@item portfolio keeper|AI}, you can choose to have the card allow its recipient to contact you through your {@item sending stone|AI} as if they had cast a {@spell sending} spell. A business card loses this power seven days after it has been given out, and no more than five cards can have this power at one time.",
										"You can also use your {@item sending stone|AI} to cast {@spell sending} and contact anyone who has one of your business cards. Once you use this feature of the stone, you cannot use it again until dawn seven days later."
									],
									"id": "096"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Improved Rumor Mill",
									"page": 34,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 3, when you use your Rumor Mill feature, the DM provides you with a sense of which parts of a particular rumor are inaccurate, if any. You do not necessarily learn the truth behind those false rumors."
									],
									"id": "097"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Always Hiring",
									"page": 34,
									"entries": [
										"At rank 4, you have little trouble finding the right people for the job. As an action, while in a populated area, you can make a DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check to locate an NPC who can provide a service immediately, no questions asked, for the standard fee (see \"{@book Services|PHB|5|Services}\" in chapter 5 of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}). On a successful check, information regarding the potential hire comes to you as supernatural insight, word of mouth, an advertisement blowing into your face, or a similarly convenient method. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.",
										"Hirelings acquired through this feature are in addition to any franchise staff. They can be invited to bolster existing staff or fill a sudden need, but they are not part of the baseline staff gained through a franchise's rank. Their pay is not covered by the franchise's normal costs."
									],
									"id": "098"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Charming Introduction",
									"page": 34,
									"entries": [
										"Also at rank 4, you are able to make a focused effort to keep a potential customer's attention. When you provide a humanoid with a business card from your {@item portfolio keeper|AI}, you can cast {@spell charm person} on them (save DC 15). The spell ends prematurely if the character loses the business card.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Why Be a Secretarian?",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Reason"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You believe that people shouldn't work harder; they should work smarter. And then they should work harder."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You've always yearned to be in the people business, because inanimate objects can't pay you."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Being able to hand out \"Employee of the Month\" stickers has been a life-long dream."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You believe that customer loyalty can't be bought, but that it can be rented at reasonable terms and rates."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Your habit of constantly telling other people how they can improve makes you a master of performance reviews."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You've always believed that the customer is satisfied when you say the customer is satisfied, and not a second before."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"You love the joy that other people get when you tell them what to do."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Buzzwords was your first language."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "099"
								}
							],
							"id": "090"
						}
					],
					"id": "045"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Franchise Tasks and Downtime",
					"page": 34,
					"entries": [
						"As talked about in the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB} and the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, downtime activities allow players and DMs to make the breaks between adventures into a compelling part of the campaign. In between the highlights of slogging through dungeons, infiltrating death cults, and being generally heroic, characters can practice professions, engage in research, create special items, and indulge other activities beyond adventuring.",
						"Because an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign is focused on the franchise, downtime is typically a big part of the game. (The adventure that makes up chapter 4 of this book, \"{@adventure The Orrery of the Wanderer|OoW|0},\" sets up downtime options between adventure episodes as a key component of the campaign.) But an Acq Inc campaign offers even more robust options for characters who want to get things done outside adventuring time, because the heroes of an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign have something that most adventurers don't\u2014a well-paid (okay, an occasionally paid) staff.",
						"In addition to the downtime activities characters undertake on their own, the hard-working subemployees and interns of a franchise can carry out orders and further the characters' goals through research, crafting, social encounters, and so forth. This lets the players direct behind-the-scenes activities even as the characters focus on the more rarefied pursuits of killing monsters and taking their stuff. Before your party sets out for the Fortress of Eternal Peril, an intern can be sent to research that magic book found in a previous adventure. Your majordomo might spend time currying favor with nobles as a means of expanding the franchise's reputation. And what could be more fun (for you) than to have the staff engage in a bit of dangerous criminal activity? If they're successful, the franchise gets the profits! And if they get caught, who are these people you barely know?",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Franchise Tasks in the Campaign",
							"page": 35,
							"entries": [
								"By allowing franchise tasks to take place not just during downtime but while the characters are adventuring, it's possible for players in an Acquisitions Incorporated game to try to push the pace of the campaign. Characters might try to avoid taking downtime of their own in favor of having franchise employees take care of all that boring not-adventuring stuff. But because an Acq Inc campaign makes great use of social encounters, research, and intrigue, players should be encouraged to not treat downtime as optional. Moreover, DMs can and will make use of rivalries and complications during franchise tasks to drag characters into that part of the game.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Between Adventures",
									"page": 35,
									"entries": [
										"Using the traditional approach to downtime, franchise tasks can be run at set break points during the campaign. When the characters return from adventuring, they take on some of the responsibility for bookkeeping, maintenance, long-term planning, and the like, making franchise staff available for other activities under the characters' guidance. In this model, characters and staff run downtime simultaneously between sessions of adventuring. This follows the standard approach of using downtime to advance the timeline of the campaign."
									],
									"id": "09c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ongoing Activities",
									"page": 35,
									"entries": [
										"A more wide-open approach to franchise tasks sees the characters direct those activities at any point during the campaign, alongside traditional adventuring. During any game session, the players can decide to focus on what the franchise staff are up to by setting assignments, giving orders, and making checks to determine the success of franchise tasks. If those tasks tie strongly into the adventure, franchise tasks can effectively become a fourth pillar of an Acquisitions Incorporated game, alongside exploration, social interaction, and combat."
									],
									"id": "09d"
								}
							],
							"id": "09b"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Selecting Franchise Tasks",
							"page": 35,
							"entries": [
								"Whether franchise tasks are undertaken during regular downtime or alongside other adventuring activities, a franchise's rank puts a hard limit on the number of tasks the franchise's staff can undertake. See the \"{@book Franchise Advancement|AI|1|Franchise Advancement}\" section earlier in this chapter. (This limit is only for franchise tasks undertaken by staff. The characters are free to undertake whatever downtime activities the DM allows, as normal.)",
								"For each available franchise task slot, players can allocate one or more staff members to a chosen franchise task. Those tasks can include any of the downtime activities in the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB} or the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, the new and revised downtime activities in {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE}, and the new activities in this section. When all of a franchise's task slots are filled, one of those tasks must be completed before staff can be allocated to a new franchise task. (The one exception to this rule is the running a franchise activity, presented later in this section. That activity must be performed by a franchise, but does not require that specific characters or staff members be allocated to it.)",
								"Staff allocated to a franchise task are no longer available for other needs, including other franchise tasks. Any costs or resources associated with a franchise task must be provided by the franchise (which is to say, by the characters).",
								"For example, a rank 2 franchise can undertake two concurrent franchise tasks. If the characters are setting out to explore the Swamp of Lingering Malaise, they might order their majordomo to send messages to various noble families while they're away, carrying out the sowing rumors activity from the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. The task follows the regular rules for that downtime activity, but is carried out by the majordomo. At the same time, the characters might send out another staff member to engage in the explore territory activity (a new activity detailed below).",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"You can't expect to get everything done yourself. Delegation is key. And the consequences for fumbling a simple task should be real, immediate, and serve as a lesson to others who serve you. No dessert for a tenday! That'll teach 'em."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "09e"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Making Task Checks",
							"page": 35,
							"entries": [
								"When a franchise task requires an ability check, a staff member can use their own ability check modifier to determine success. (This modifier might depend on the staff member's statistics, if an NPC, or it might be based on the franchise's rank. See the \"{@book Franchise Advancement|AI|1|Franchise Advancement}\" section.) Alternatively, the staff member can use the check modifier of a character overseeing the task and giving the staff member direction. This can encourage the characters to develop closer relationships with franchise staff through roleplaying, and keeps the players involved in staff-focused franchise tasks."
							],
							"id": "09f"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Franchise Tasks as Narrative",
							"page": 35,
							"entries": [
								"Franchise tasks can be an exciting, story-rich part of a gaming session. Over time, franchise tasks and character downtime activities can expand the story of a franchise and add depth to the characterizations of its NPC staff members. The successes, failures, and complications of franchise tasks might even become pivotal moments in the campaign.",
								"As with all aspects of an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, franchise tasks are about creating narrative. As such, to make those tasks a part of the campaign story, the DM and the players can work together to break tasks down into distinct scenes using the following guidelines.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Establish Goals",
									"page": 36,
									"entries": [
										"When the characters select a franchise task, the players share their goals for that task with the DM. Having clear motives helps establish the stakes and provides ideas that the DM can weave into the campaign story. The DM might work up a narrative based on the players' initial discussions, and might ask additional questions to help narrow down options.",
										"As an example, consider a group of characters whose franchise headquarters is a submersible ship, and whose staff are largely former pirates. While the characters head out for a mission on the mainland, they direct the ship's staff-member captain to surprise other vessels and liberate goods from them. The DM decides that such acts of piracy fit the shady business practice activity (introduced later in this section), and quickly sketches out a few ideas for the task."
									],
									"id": "0a1"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Opening Scene",
									"page": 36,
									"entries": [
										"The DM describes the beginning of the task activity, setting the stage for the NPCs' actions. For the submersible headquarters discussed above, the DM might begin to describe how the ship leaves port in search of easy prey. The captain and crew are in a good mood. There's a storm in the area, but it doesn't threaten the submersible. The DM might ask the players to describe a few undertakings the crew can engage in to pass the time, or might even ask players to temporarily take on the roles of one or more staff members, helping to bring those NPCs to life through roleplaying."
									],
									"id": "0a2"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ability Check Scenes",
									"page": 36,
									"entries": [
										"For each ability check required by a franchise task, the DM describes what's happening, determines the applicable ability, and decides whether a skill or tool proficiency is appropriate (usually as suggested in the activity write-up). Whether the check is made by a staff member or the character who directed or set up the franchise task, a player makes the roll. The DM can encourage roleplaying by asking about what kind of guidance a character provided to the staff member, or what part of the staff member's background makes them good at the task at hand. The DM then describes successive scenes based on checks and roleplaying as the crew members locate a likely target ship and commence their attack."
									],
									"id": "0a3"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Concluding Scene",
									"page": 36,
									"entries": [
										"The DM determines the overall outcome for the franchise task, then narrates the outcome to wrap up that small part of the overall story. If the check for the activity indicates any degree of success, the DM describes how the franchise's pirates manage to grab some valuable cargo, in addition to other benefits as noted in the write-up for the shady business practice activity. With treasure aboard, the ship is ready for the characters' eventual return."
									],
									"id": "0a4"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ongoing Story",
									"page": 36,
									"entries": [
										"Rather than treating franchise tasks as isolated episodes, the DM can weave the story of one task into the next, and can tie franchise tasks into the overarching campaign. Doing so assigns importance to franchise tasks, and lets the players understand how the success or failure of those tasks might drive the campaign. Even after a specific franchise task has concluded, the DM can make notes for how that task might tie to future tasks. For the characters running the submersible franchise, the ship that fought off the franchise's pirates might remember a few details about the franchise crew. Or perhaps the plundered vessel belongs to a franchise rival, or even a foreign dignitary the characters will eventually meet, setting up a future plot twist.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Downtime Activities",
											"page": 36,
											"entries": [
												"This section introduces the following new downtime activities, all of which can be used as franchise tasks in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign: explore territory, franchise restructuring, headquarters modification, marketeering, philanthropic enterprise, running a franchise, scrutineering, shady business practice, schmoozing, team building.",
												"Other downtime activities can be found in the following books:",
												"{@book Player's Handbook|PHB} (chapter 8): {@book Crafting|PHB|8|Crafting}, {@book practicing a profession|PHB|8|Practicing a Profession}, {@book recuperating|PHB|8|Recuperating}, {@book research|PHB|8|Researching}, {@book training|PHB|8|Training}",
												"{@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} (chapter 6): {@book Building a stronghold|DMG|6|Building a Stronghold}, {@book carousing|DMG|6|Carousing}, {@book crafting a magic item|DMG|6|Crafting a Magic Item}, {@book gaining renown|DMG|6|Gaining Renown}, {@book performing sacred rites|DMG|6|Performing Sacred Rites}, {@book running a business|DMG|6|Running a Business}, {@book selling magic items|DMG|6|Selling Magic Items}, {@book sowing rumors|DMG|6|Sowing Rumors}, {@book training to gain levels|DMG|6|Training to Gain Levels}",
												"{@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE} (chapter 2): {@variantrule Downtime Activity: Buying a magic item|XGE|Buying a magic item}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: carousing|XGE|carousing}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: crafting an item|XGE|crafting an item}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: crime|XGE|crime}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: gambling|XGE|gambling}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: pit fighting|XGE|pit fighting}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: relaxation|XGE|relaxation}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: religious service|XGE|religious service}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: research|XGE|research}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: scribing a spell scroll|XGE|scribing a spell scroll}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: selling a magic item|XGE|selling a magic item}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: training|XGE|training}, {@variantrule Downtime Activity: work|XGE|work}"
											],
											"id": "0a6"
										}
									],
									"id": "0a5"
								}
							],
							"id": "0a0"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Complications and Rivals",
							"page": 36,
							"entries": [
								"The franchise and downtime activities introduced in this section all incorporate the idea that such activities can introduce ongoing complications to the campaign, and that anything a franchise's characters or employees do might bring the franchise into conflict with rivals.",
								"If you use {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE} in your games, you're probably already familiar with complications and rivals as part of downtime, but you don't need to own that book to make use of these ideas. Rather, just remember that an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign is always about story. Each time the characters engage in downtime or direct their staff in a franchise task, the players and the DM can think about how those tasks and activities might complicate the ongoing campaign narrative, and how the franchise's enemies\u2014or potential enemies\u2014might get caught up in those complications.",
								"When a complication or a rival comes into play during downtime or franchise activities, the DM determines the particulars. The activities presented at the end of this section all come with tables of possible complications, but the DM is free to come up with even more dastardly complications to suit the campaign.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Who's Watching?",
									"page": 37,
									"entries": [
										"An easy way to focus on complications and rivals in a campaign is to think about who might be paying attention to a franchise's activities. For example, a successful philanthropic enterprise (one of the new activities in this section) could draw the attention of a noble who begins to question the reputation and honesty of the characters running the franchise. Or the party might launch a marketeering campaign (another new activity), only to discover that their branding has an accidental resemblance to the logo of an assassins' guild. Complications are an excellent way to develop rich interactions between the setting and the characters. In an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, even the smallest actions can have unexpected (and, ideally, hilarious) consequences.",
										"Rivals represent any of the factions and organizations that can come into play during an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign. Rivals don't have to be villains or mortal enemies of the characters, though. Other Acq Inc franchises all compete with the characters' franchise, seeking to expand their own reach and impress Head Office. Governments, merchants, guilds, religious institutions, and noble families can all take notice as a franchise grows in power. And outside the characters' immediate sphere of influence, factions such as Dran Enterprises and the Six work dark plots that might make the characters targets for assimilation or destruction. (The plots of the Six and the operations of Dran Enterprises both play a part in the adventure \"{@adventure The Orrery of the Wanderer|OoW|0},\" chapter 4 of this book.)",
										"When a complication occurs during a downtime or franchise activity, the DM determines whether and how that complication connects to a rival. Certain complications might be caused by rivals, as when the orc army camping in the characters' territory is revealed to have been invited there by a competing franchise. Other complications might draw a rival in, as when a greedy noble decides they want a piece of the franchise's action.",
										"Rival NPCs can be worked up using the rules in chapter 4, \"{@book Creating Nonplayer Characters|DMG|-1}\" of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, incorporating schemes, methods, and weaknesses. If you use {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE} in your game, that book provides example rivals and talks about establishing a rival's goals, assets, and plans. See also the \"{@book Factions and Rivals|AI|2|Factions and Rivals}\" section in chapter 3 of this book for an introduction to some of the rival organizations that might appear in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign."
									],
									"id": "0a8"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Complications as Story",
									"page": 37,
									"entries": [
										"Complications and rivals make excellent adventure seeds. Whenever a complication or rival draws the interest of the players, the DM can make a note of that for future development. As the campaign progresses, the agendas of rivals change over time, just as the characters' goals and agendas change as a result of their franchise's success (or their efforts to stave off failure).",
										"The DM can decide how to invoke complications as the campaign story unfolds. Perhaps the characters were forced to slay an evil guard in a raid gone bad. Later, their majordomo engages in a little gambling as part of a franchise task... and finds the suspicious husband of the guard at their gaming table! Likewise, if a franchise has recently tangled with Dran Enterprises or opposed another Acq Inc franchise, the chance of a complication with either group likely goes up."
									],
									"id": "0a9"
								}
							],
							"id": "0a7"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Downtime and Franchise Activities",
							"page": 37,
							"entries": [
								"In addition to the downtime activities found in other books, characters and their franchise staff can undertake the new activities presented in this section, either as regular downtime activities or as franchise tasks that can be undertaken at any time. These activities reflect the central role of the franchise in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign.",
								"The length of time required for these new downtime or franchise activities varies, from a number of days to one workweek (5 days) or more. All the normal rules for downtime must be followed by the character or NPC undertaking the downtime or franchise activity, including spending 8 hours each day engaged in that activity for the day to count toward the activity's completion. The one exception to this rule is that any costs for a franchise activity are paid for by the characters, even if franchise staff are executing the task.",
								"Some downtime and franchise activities alter a franchise's monthly costs. See the \"{@book Franchise Advancement|AI|1|Franchise Advancement}\" section earlier in this chapter for how to determine a franchise's base monthly costs, and see the \"{@book Running a Franchise|AI|1|Running a Franchise}\" section below for more information on how that activity modifies the base cost.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"columns": 2,
									"items": [
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Explore Territory|AI|Explore Territory|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Franchise Restructuring|AI|Franchise Restructuring|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Headquarters Modification|AI|Headquarters Modification|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Marketeering|AI|Marketeering|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Philanthropic Enterprise|AI|Philanthropic Enterprise|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Running a Franchise|AI|Running a Franchise|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Scrutineering|AI|Scrutineering|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Shady Business Practice|AI|Shady Business Practice|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Schmoozing|AI|Schmoozing|AI}",
										"{@variantrule Downtime and Franchise Activity: Team Building|AI|Team Building|AI}"
									]
								}
							],
							"id": "0aa"
						}
					],
					"id": "09a"
				}
			],
			"id": "009"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 3: Player Options",
			"page": 47,
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "book/AI/024-03-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1500,
					"height": 1000,
					"credit": "Kris Straub"
				},
				"At Acquisitions Incorporated, no one ever asks, \"Should it be done?\" Instead they ask, \"How can it be done\u2014and then how do we turn what we've done into cold, hard cash?\" It's this kind of forward thinking that brings new power and magical understanding to the world\u2014and which keeps the Acq Inc humanoid resources team constantly on the lookout for new talent.",
				"Were you kicked out of your village for experimenting with powers no mortal should dare trifle with? Acquisitions Incorporated has a place for you on its team. Those pesky, gibbering voices that plague your sleep? Acq Inc allows employees to work all night if that fits their skill set. And if it was ordained at your birth by the seers and mystics that your destiny would one day see you bathe in the blood of your enemies, Acq Inc has no opinion on personal hygiene as long as the job gets done.",
				"The amazing diversity on display across the full range of Acquisitions Incorporated franchises and commercial operations epitomizes the all-inclusive nature of an Acq Inc campaign. No matter what your favorite type of character, there's something for you in this chapter. Or, if you like, you can engage with the entrepreneurial spirit of the campaign by using this material to inspire ideas of your own. Do you want to embrace the feel of Acq Inc right from the get-go? Consider one of the new backgrounds in this chapter, all with a special focus on commerce or Acquisitions Incorporated itself. Worried about whether a specific class or subclass has what it takes to make it in a cutthroat mercantile environment? We've got the advice and narrative options you need.",
				"This chapter also presents a new race inspired by the chaotic drive to achieve that underlies every Acq Inc campaign, as well as a number of spells with a decidedly financial flair. And finally, you'll get to meet some of the rival factions your characters will inevitably crash up against in the frenzied race for franchise success.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Backgrounds",
					"page": 47,
					"entries": [
						"Countless people come from loving, nurturing homes. Through hard work, clean living, and wise decisions, they excel at what they do. They live prosperous, respectable lives, leaving the world a better place than they found it.",
						"You're not one of them.",
						"Somewhere along the way, something went wrong. Maybe it was bad luck. Circumstances might have conspired to put you in an impossible situation. You could have Lady Fate's disfavor. Or you might be an incredible jackass. But whatever your circumstances, you are now entering a new phase of your life. The earning potential of an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise has given many wayward and lost souls a new lease on life. Those who scoffed at you or kicked you while you were down might soon be kissing up to you.",
						"And who knows? Being an incredible jackass could work in your favor!",
						{
							"type": "list",
							"columns": 2,
							"items": [
								"{@background Celebrity Adventurer's Scion|AI}",
								"{@background Failed Merchant|AI}",
								"{@background Gambler|AI}",
								"{@background Plaintiff|AI}",
								"{@background Rival Intern|AI}"
							]
						}
					],
					"id": "0dd"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Playing with Class",
					"page": 52,
					"entries": [
						"In the many fantasy worlds of Dungeons & Dragons, typical adventurers succeed by the dint of copious amounts of hard work, luck, natural talent, and extensive training. But then, who wants to play a typical adventurer? And who wants to merely succeed?",
						"Franchisees of Acquisitions Incorporated want to thrive. They want to dominate. They want to pillage lairs and loot the treasure that makes all their dreams come true. Whether it's unlocking the secrets of the multiverse, living in the soft and supple lap of luxury, holding sway over hordes of adoring followers, or maybe even helping people and saving lives, Acq Inc franchisees do everything grandly, epically, and with panache.",
						"Or if they fail and die horribly in the attempt, they do so with style.",
						"This section discusses how to subtly massage (or radically mutate) the feel of the standard character classes to make them the best possible fit for the chaotic and creative majesty of an Acquisitions Incorporated game. This includes both general advice on playing a character of a particular class, and thoughts on how some of the many subclasses for the game (including subclasses from {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE}) can be reframed for an Acq Inc campaign.",
						"Each class section offers up suggestions for adding detail and narrative flair to your character. Where tables are presented as part of those suggestions, you can choose or randomly select from the options presented therein, or use them as inspiration for your own stylish ideas. The effects noted on a table are always benign, and don't grant any benefit or impose any penalties.",
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Class Acts",
							"page": 54,
							"entries": [
								"In addition to a number of subclasses from the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}, this section makes reference to the following subclasses from {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE}:",
								"{@b Barbarian}: Path of the Ancestral Guardian, Path of the Zealot",
								"{@b Bard}: College of Glamour, College of Whispers",
								"{@b Druid}: Circle of Dreams, Circle of the Shepherd",
								"{@b Fighter}: Arcane Archer, Cavalier, Samurai",
								"{@b Monk}: Way of the Drunken Master, Way of the Kensei, Way of the Sun Soul",
								"{@b Paladin}: Oath of Conquest",
								"{@b Ranger}: Gloom Stalker, Horizon Walker, Monster Slayer",
								"{@b Rogue}: Mastermind, Scout, Swashbuckler",
								"{@b Sorcerer}: Divine Soul, Shadow Magic, Storm Sorcery",
								"{@b Warlock}: Celestial, Hexblade",
								"{@b Wizard}: War Magic"
							],
							"id": "0df"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Barbarian",
							"page": 52,
							"entries": [
								"{@i You don't need to be the smartest person in the room. You just need to be able to kill everyone else in the room, so you're the smartest person left}.",
								"Rage is overrated. Sure, being covered with the blood, sweat, saliva, and entrails of one's enemies might be fun from time to time, but the cleaning costs alone can eat up a big chunk of a franchise's profits. Running half-naked through grimy dungeons? Cathartic for sure. Hygienic? Not so much.",
								"Strength, endurance, and fighting don't necessarily have to come from unresolved childhood issues or a brooding, roiling well of anger. Primal instincts are valuable, but there are plenty of primal forces in the world\u2014including the unrestrained drive for wealth, power, and everything that comes with it.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/027-03-04.webp"
									},
									"title": "The Corporate Barbarian",
									"width": 773,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Kris Straub"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Barbarians in the Corporate World",
									"page": 53,
									"entries": [
										"For every CEO building up or bringing down businesses, it's a safe bet that there's a barbarian standing behind them. Often literally, with a large weapon in hand, and waiting for the order to go out and remove vital organs from another CEO. Corporate barbarians are the muscle behind the civil face of a franchise. It's not that they enjoy losing their composure and having to make other people's nice clothes all bloody, but some circumstances require carefully applied martial force. And others require the same thing, but with a lot less care."
									],
									"id": "0e1"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Sending a Clear Message",
									"page": 53,
									"entries": [
										"As a barbarian in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, you're not all about killing. Maiming and disfigurement are also a big part of the job. Permanently eliminating someone who owes your franchise money or who double-crossed you on a deal sends a short, clear message. But leaving them hobbling when they walk or incapable of eating without a team of specialists sends a glorious, evocative poem\u2014the kind of violent sonnet that resonates not just with the recipient, but with bystanders as well.",
										"To maximize the power of your intimidation, you need to make sure the world knows who's delivering it. That's why you employ a tool of your trade: the signature item. Whenever you're particularly proud of a completed project, you leave an item at the scene to claim the work as your own.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Signature Items",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Item"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A tooth from a previous victim, wrapped in a silk handkerchief"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A calling card with your name on it"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A quick charcoal sketch of your victim, done in your own hand"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Petals from your favorite flower"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Six drops of blood, either your own or someone else's"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A carved ivory die with an eye instead of a pip on the 1 face"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A copper coin bearing the likeness of a reaper"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A tiny vial containing a few drops of the homemade ale you're so proud of"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A riddle, joke, or verse"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"An IOU, accompanied by you taking something from the victim"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0e2"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Style Makes the Raider",
									"page": 53,
									"entries": [
										"Your savage kin of the wilds sport tattoos to celebrate their connection to their tribes or ancestors. They might wear fetishes or carry totems symbolizing their allegiance to ancestral spirits. That's cute and all, but you have your own style. Whether in the boardroom or on the battlefield, you announce your presence. When you stride into a fight, people say, \"There's a force to be reckoned with! And who does their tailoring?!\"",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Barbarian Style",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Style"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A fur-lined, double-breasted suit with a corporate logo on the pocket"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A hand-woven turban from a master tailor of Calimshan"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Soft leather boots with a notable personal symbol etched into the side"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A pair of suspenders made from the hide of a displacer beast"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A gold belt buckle depicting the Dwarvish rune for chaos"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A specially tailored belt pouch that you wear at the small of your back"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Stylish mirrored spectacles"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A specially dyed tunic containing all the colors of the rainbow in a swirled pattern"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"An overcoat with numerous pockets and leather patches on the elbows"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"Golden grillwork for your teeth, set with small gems that mark out ancient glyphs translating as \"Getting Paid\""
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0e3"
								}
							],
							"id": "0e0"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Walking a Different Path",
							"page": 54,
							"entries": [
								"Acquisitions Incorporated barbarians walk a different path than their kin of the wild lands. Or, more precisely, they walk familiar paths in unique and novel ways.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Path of the Ancestral Guardian",
									"page": 54,
									"entries": [
										"Rather than calling upon the spirits of your ancestors, you are in communion with the franchise executives and corporate raiders who have traveled your path before. These paragons of commerce still exist in the spirit world, bemoaning their losses and looking to balance their debts in the afterlife by providing guidance to others. Sometimes these spirits appear as officious clerks reminding you of expense accounts and budgets. Other times, they are fellow heavies and knee breakers who died in the line of duty, sarcastically calling out your mistakes in a misguided effort to be of assistance.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Spirit Guardian"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A half-orc enforcer called Joey Plantain, missing his right arm"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A disgraced tax collector named Nibbin Clutchquill"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"An overly enthusiastic morale liaison called Apricot Reese"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A grumpy dwarf carriage driver nicknamed Bolt"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A pair of identical twin circus performers called Stella and Bella"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"An elf bodyguard known as Mistress Leafwind"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0e5"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Path of the Totem Warrior",
									"page": 54,
									"entries": [
										"Unlike your wilder cousins, your connection to the spirit world is a little less woodsy and a little more civilized. However, that doesn't mean you still can't invoke the power of a totem creature when you need it. Rather than calling upon the bear, eagle, or wolf as your totem, you might gain the same features by calling upon more urban creatures.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"colLabels": [
												"Totem Animal",
												"Urban Replacements"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"Bear",
													"Otyugh, giant spider"
												],
												[
													"Eagle",
													"Crow, flying snake"
												],
												[
													"Wolf",
													"Giant rat, giant fire beetle"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0e6"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Path of the Zealot",
									"page": 54,
									"entries": [
										"You might not be particularly faithful, but your dedication to your job can easily be mistaken for a kind of religious zeal. For long years, that dedication has been a force that guides you, granting you abilities beyond those of other skilled warriors. Rather than worshiping Tempus or Bane, Gruumsh or Tyr, you instead bow down before the altar of your own superiority, channeling your ego to drive your franchise's success.",
										{
											"type": "quote",
											"entries": [
												"Seeming a \"square peg\" for the task at first glance, a barbarian might be an excellent choice, as they would destroy both the round hole and their own corners in the attempt to serve. It would be neat to see if this worked outside of an analogy."
											],
											"by": "{@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI}"
										}
									],
									"id": "0e7"
								}
							],
							"id": "0e4"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Bard",
							"page": 54,
							"entries": [
								"{@i There is nothing I would like to do more than explain to you why I'm standing here with stolen goods and my rapier sticking out of this still-warm corpse, officer. I assure you, I have a completely reasonable and plausible explanation}.",
								"Singing songs and strumming lutes might be fine for most bards. Who doesn't like a rousing shanty now and then? But standing in a crowded tavern playing for copper pieces tossed by commoners isn't for everyone\u2014and it certainly isn't for bards in the Acq Inc world. The power and magic tied up in the voice of a franchise bard is meant for greater things. More profitable things.",
								"Adventuring and commerce are where the true lessons of life are learned, and your bardic magic guarantees your mastery of those lessons. Your love of music has shown you that the world of commerce is a finely tuned instrument in its own right\u2014and you're just the one to pluck it.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Master of One Trade: Awesomeness",
									"page": 54,
									"entries": [
										"As a bard, you're known as the go-to figure when things need to get done. Your tremendous array of skills and abilities mean that you're often the first one called upon to do the hard jobs. And if you're going to do something difficult, you might as well do it with panache. Since most of your franchise compatriots likely think \"panache\" is some kind of elven delicacy, it's all the more impressive.",
										"Jumping a small pit? Land with the flourish of a world-class gymnast! Slaying a kobold? Take it down with a legendary oath, and no one will realize that an asthmatic farmhand could have done the same thing with a rusty sickle. Running across a room? Use {@spell prestidigitation} to blow your hair back, making it look like you have the speed and grace of Corellon themself."
									],
									"id": "0e9"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cutting Wit and Wicked Barbs",
									"page": 55,
									"entries": [
										"When others pick on you about being a bard, you need only remind them that you and you alone have the power to insult creatures to death. Just the other day, your harsh word about a goblin's haircut caused it to keel over, bleeding from its ears. But with such great power comes the great responsibility\u2014of not being lame. When you use your spells and class features to denigrate your enemies into an early grave, you need to have a number of tried and true zingers at hand to add the perfect insult to the ultimate injury.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Insults to Die For",
											"colLabels": [
												"d20",
												"Insult"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Did your mother have any children who lived?"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Who dressed you, a grimlock?"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You smell like a hell hound's hindquarters."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You're as helpful as a halfling."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Let me guess. You're a self-taught wizard?"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Your personality has all the warmth of a winter wolf."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"You're the loveliest hag in the coven."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"You're not the sharpest piercer in the cave."
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Aren't you a little short for a giant?"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"Truly, your intellect is as deep as a {@spell Tenser's floating disk}."
												],
												[
													"11",
													"Did you wake up in a troglodyte den this morning, or is that how you normally smell?"
												],
												[
													"12",
													"You must have been sick the day they taught fighting at warrior school."
												],
												[
													"13",
													"Gruumsh must have closed his eye when he created you."
												],
												[
													"14",
													"I can see you, but where's the dragon that pooped you out?"
												],
												[
													"15",
													"You've got all the good sense of a mind flayer's last meal."
												],
												[
													"16",
													"You don't know a beholder from a gas spore."
												],
												[
													"17",
													"I suspected you'd fallen out of the idiot tree, but I didn't know you were dragged through Stupid Forest afterward."
												],
												[
													"18",
													"There's nothing about your looks that a full-face helmet wouldn't improve."
												],
												[
													"19",
													"You're about as useful as an orc horde at a tea party."
												],
												[
													"20",
													"I've seen better-looking faces on a gibbering mouther."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0ea"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Wrong Kind of People",
									"page": 55,
									"entries": [
										"While being the most impressive member of the party can be beneficial, it does come with some drawbacks. Attention and renown make others fear and respect you for sure, but that renown eventually draws sworn enemies to you whose sole purpose is your downfall. And no matter how fast you eliminate or convert one of those enemies, it's only a matter of time before another one takes their place.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Notable Enemies",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Enemy"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A guard captain who was fired for failing to catch you after you flouted the law"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A former master bard whose songs you stole and knowledge you plundered"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A lesser noble who you double-crossed in a brilliant scheme"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A fallen paladin who you tricked into breaking their oath"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A leader of another adventuring party who blames you for their downfall"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A former adventuring partner who you cut loose because of their lack of skill"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"The master of a powerful guild whose wares you were involved in pilfering"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A government official who you tricked into providing secrets"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A former tavern owner who lost their business when you implicated them in a scheme they weren't actually involved in"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"A moneylender who you inadvertently bankrupted"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0eb"
								}
							],
							"id": "0e8"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Transferring Colleges",
							"page": 55,
							"entries": [
								"The loose association of minstrels and masters that was your bard college helps to define your knowledge and skills. Still, no matter what your original collegiate connections, as a bard in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, you now focus that learning into your own personal school of business.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "College of Glamour",
									"page": 55,
									"entries": [
										"The lessons taught by the College of Glamour are right in your wheelhouse. Being able to make friends and influence people is the bread and butter of your profession. Rather than ply this trade in public squares and seedy alehouses, however, you have trained yourself to deliver your speeches in boardrooms and guildhalls. It's all about convincing people to see your side of an issue\u2014then motivating them to do exactly what you want."
									],
									"id": "0ed"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "College of Lore",
									"page": 55,
									"entries": [
										"Some people swear by a well-rounded liberal-arts education. But the lore you seek out is a little more useful in its application. Knowing the capital cities of all the nations of the world might be nice on trivia night down at the tavern. But knowing the identity and location of a dozen nobles' illegitimate children carries a little more utility in the adventuring world."
									],
									"id": "0ee"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "College of Whispers",
									"page": 55,
									"entries": [
										"The College of Whispers teaches a skill set that's attractive in terms of its power, but which can be incredibly off-putting to anyone with any moral compass. Thankfully, that'll never be a problem for you. The ability to mess with others' minds is a skill that needs to be used cautiously and wisely. Otherwise, you'll never gain the much-needed trust that's part and parcel of being an effective business leader."
									],
									"id": "0ef"
								}
							],
							"id": "0ec"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Cleric",
							"page": 56,
							"entries": [
								"{@i I have faith in the power of the marketplace, and I see a lot of nonbelievers out there with money to spend}.",
								"If you think wading through scores of undead in a haunted crypt or channeling divine power to keep your party alive gets the adrenaline flowing, you should try keeping the peace at a corporate board meeting. Or managing the hostile takeover of a rival. Try negotiating merchandising rights. It's not for the faint of heart.",
								"Thankfully, your business acumen draws on insight that's literally out of this world. As an emissary of divine will, you possess the guiding wisdom that every franchise needs, and the knowledge that your business plans are always the best ones. Because the gods would never let you down, right?",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Name a more iconic profession. I'll wait."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Have Faith in Diversification",
									"page": 56,
									"entries": [
										"Despite their supposed wisdom, many common clerics fail to grasp the simple concept of using the best tool for the job. To the devoted priest of Tempus, every problem is just begging to be solved by a formal declaration of war. A cleric of Bane has never met a minion they couldn't wait to kick around. Lathander's clerics are all sunshine and happiness, even when they should be hiding in dark places to avoid danger.",
										"As a cleric in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, you'll carefully choose your deity so that the domains of your divine patron synergize seamlessly with the goals of your franchise. But at the same time, you understand that the greatest thing about the gods is their prolificacy. With so many deities in so many pantheons, all of them have their own stock to sell. As such, even though you have your own personal favorite, you've also learned the value of diversifying your divine portfolio, keeping an array of holy symbols and icons on hand for any occasion."
									],
									"id": "0f1"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Divine Deals",
									"page": 56,
									"entries": [
										"From the most notable nobles to the most humble members of the working class, everyone needs faith and spiritual guidance. And what better way to teach the value of faith to others than to make sure the value of faith is measured in gp. In addition to your franchise's regular operations, you always keep a sideline going in religious paraphernalia, selling specialized signature items to select markets. By showing the world that faith is your business, you can ensure that business is always booming.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Relics of Faith",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Relic"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Saint's-thighbone walking stick (50 gp)"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Do-it-yourself indulgence kit (10 gp)"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Holy-water-brewed ale (20 gp)"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Deva wing-feather bookmark (10 gp)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Deity-autographed holy symbol (100 gp)"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Scratch-and-sniff icon (5 gp)"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Planetar shaving set (15 gp)"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Unexpurgated holy texts with all the really naughty bits (10 gp)"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0f2"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Clerical Routine",
									"page": 56,
									"entries": [
										"You might pray for your spells each day at dawn, by the dark of the moon, or whenever the fighter kicks you awake to tell you your long rest is done, get healing already! Either way, it's good to incorporate a regular ritual into your daily devotions.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Meditative Rituals",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Ritual"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Fifteen minutes of deity-mandated calisthenics"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Handwriting a detailed agenda for the next 24 hours"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Sitting in silence for 15 minutes, while screaming \"Shut up!\" at anyone who makes noise"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Sleep another hour; your deity says it's fine"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Burning incense and lighting a candle on a makeshift altar while you recite your vows"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Practicing battle forms and stances"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Creating a new likeness of your deity out of whatever materials you have on hand"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Drinking a lot of wine (sacramental, of course)"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0f3"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Ways of Faith",
									"page": 56,
									"entries": [
										"Every cleric has a uniquely personal connection to their deity. You are no exception, though you like to think you bring your own special flair to the relationship, and vice versa.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Relationship with Your Deity",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Relationship"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Your deity possesses you and speaks through your lips, and you need someone else to take notes."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You see your deity's signs in the movements of creatures, the changing weather, the shapes of buildings, other stuff."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"In secret, you curse the burden your deity has placed on you."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You wonder often if you're worthy of your deity's gifts."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You're convinced your deity isn't all-knowing, because they clearly have no idea what you really get up to."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Your deity gives you power and you give them glory\u2014at any cost."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Those other clerics don't love your deity like you do."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"You were raised religious, but you only really go to church on the high holidays."
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Your deity's grace gives you peace. Their anger drives your fury."
												],
												[
													"10",
													"You've got buyer's remorse, and you're wondering if this is really the deity for you."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "0f4"
								}
							],
							"id": "0f0"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Acquisition as a Holy Chore",
							"page": 56,
							"entries": [
								"Faerûn is full of pantheons and deities, some of more relevance and power than others. All those deities and their servants can be found in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, but a few select gods, goddesses, and otherworldly powers might play a larger role.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Abbathor",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"This dwarven deity of greed gets a bad rap. Because seriously, greed is just another form of the fundamental urge for survival. If gold is power and power is life, then the more gold you accumulate, the better and longer your life will be. Why is it that people who have money and power are admired and respected, yet people who stop at nothing to attain money and power are \"avaricious\" or \"materialistic\" or \"felons\"? Abbathor might be looked down upon and called evil for the lengths his followers sometimes go to in the pursuit of wealth, but the power he represents is the end goal of many an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise."
									],
									"id": "0f6"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Asmodeus",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"When they coined the phrase \"making a deal with the devil,\" this is the devil they were talking about. The Lords of the Nine Hells are the original CEOs of some of the multiverse's most profitable megacorporations, and Asmodeus is their master. If you want a model for efficiency and motivation in an organization, look no further than the infernal expanse of Nessus. You want to talk about a perfect sales pitch and a diabolically intricate contract? Asmodeus has you covered. Many civilized nations don't even count worshiping Asmodeus as a crime, unless you get into those nasty side trips of humanoid sacrifice and the like. But as long as you remain cognizant of not wanting to throw away potential customers that way, how much risk of going down that path could there be?"
									],
									"id": "0f7"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Jergal",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"Death is a serious business. Literally. Jergal is a lesser deity who works alongside Kelemvor, the god of the dead. But whereas Kelemvor sees to the more metaphysical side of death, Jergal sees to the details. Where did sweet Nana want to be buried? What rites did your dearly departed love want performed? And how much of a donation to the church will you be making to see those things done? As an Acquisitions Incorporated cleric devoted to Jergal, you understand that there are only two sure things in this world: death, and getting paid to do something with the body."
									],
									"id": "0f8"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Lliira",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"The Lady of Joy brings merriment, happiness, and fun to the world. And there's nothing people will pay more for than merriment, happiness, and fun. As a cleric worshiping Lliira, you open yourself up to become a vessel for the goddess's joy\u2014for a price, of course. Because surely, if joy sustains the soul just as food sustains the body, then there's nothing wrong with making a bit of profit from happiness."
									],
									"id": "0f9"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mask",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"The Master of All Thieves is an important deity for Acquisitions Incorporated characters to be aware of. Mask is the god of acquisition, after all, and governs the secrets that any successful Acq Inc franchise will be dealing in. Whether personal, professional, or business-related, secrets are an important component of gaining leverage over others. Moreover, your successful franchise will eventually have many secrets of its own that you desperately need to keep quiet."
									],
									"id": "0fa"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Oghma",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"Everyone knows the adage that knowledge is power, but no one believes it more than the worshipers of Oghma. As a follower of the god of inspiration, invention, and knowledge, you seek knowledge for its own sake. But as a member of Acquisitions Incorporated, you understand further that knowledge is just the first component of any business plan, and that turning knowledge into power requires a consistent amount of the follow-up action that your franchise is famous for."
									],
									"id": "0fb"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Sune",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"The wise know that people are defined by their desires as much as anything else, and the Princess of Passion is the patron of desires. In the battle of logic versus passion, it's passion that guides mortals and gods more often than not. As an Acquisitions Incorporated cleric of Sune, your intimate understanding of passion\u2014or, better yet, your skill at manipulating the passions of others\u2014can be a huge boon to the operation of a successful franchise."
									],
									"id": "0fc"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Tymora",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"Luck is a lady tonight! And, as it turns out, every night. The goddess of fortune is known as Lady Luck, and every adventurer knows the importance of keeping luck on their side. As a pragmatic Acq Inc cleric of Tymora, you know that only stupid people ask the rhetorical question, \"Would you rather be lucky or good at something?\" Because no matter how good you are, you'll eventually have the bad luck of facing off against someone who's a whole lot better. When that happens, good luck is the only thing that's going to save you."
									],
									"id": "0fd"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Waukeen",
									"page": 57,
									"entries": [
										"The Coinmaiden is the de facto patron of anyone who trades goods or services for payment. And thankfully, her relative ambivalence toward the laws underlying fair trade and honoring deals makes Waukeen a perfect fit for an Acquisitions Incorporated cleric. Regardless of your best intentions, ensuring the success of your franchise means eventually having to gingerly step across some ethical or moral line. Or having to hide the fact that your franchise companions have been busy erasing the line completely."
									],
									"id": "0fe"
								}
							],
							"id": "0f5"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Druid",
							"page": 57,
							"entries": [
								"{@i My plan for creating an intern tier consisting of nothing but giant ants should allow us to increase productivity by 37 percent. Who's with me}?",
								"At first glance, druids might not seem the best fit for an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, with its frequent forays into urban settings and its focus on treasure procurement and business considerations. But the primal power wielded by druids reflects the relentless cycles of nature, which in turn make a remarkably prescient model for business. Growth and stagnation. Boom and bust. It's all there, writ large in the passage of the seasons and the ancient dance of bigger creatures consuming smaller creatures. And let's face it, those smaller creatures probably had it coming to them.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Druids are natural-born leaders. We are beasts of war and shepherds of balance. People might underestimate you for your \"simple\" ways, but your teeth will find their flesh all the same. Not that I condone eating your party members, of course. Only when absolutely necessary."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Walnut Dankgrass|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Nature's Envoy",
									"page": 58,
									"entries": [
										"Some of the most lucrative ruins and monster lairs happen to be located inconveniently in the uncivilized wilds of the world. As an Acquisitions Incorporated druid, your specialty is getting your party into and out of such areas with maximum profit and minimum bloodshed. (Well, your blood anyway.) When a veritable army of natural things that want to eat you stands between your franchise and profit, you're the one the other party members are looking to for guidance.",
										"Almost as importantly, every adventuring group bent on exploiting the natural world to gain resources and power needs a conservation expert to tell them when they've gone too far. After all, only fools would destroy their environment in the name of vast profits. Right?"
									],
									"id": "100"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Running Wild",
									"page": 58,
									"entries": [
										"Branding is everything. Whenever you take on a wild shape form, you do so with a unique bit of personal style that lets folks know you're a beast to be reckoned with.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Distinguishing Features of Wild Shape",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Feature"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Your pelt is rich hues of gold and silver so bright that they reflect light."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"When you take wild shape form, it's a painful, squelchy process that usually leaves your fellow adventurers queasy."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Your wild shape forms all wear an identical ceremonial bracelet on one limb, decorated with teeth."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A dark patch on your body is recognizable as the silhouette of {@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You always have twigs, leaves, and other refuse tangled in your fur or hair."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"When you switch back to your normal form, one hand always manages to retain its fur or feathers for a short while."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "101"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Nature in Unlikely Places",
									"page": 58,
									"entries": [
										"Even the most urban of locations feature sites of natural beauty and primal energy. You quickly become familiar with all such locations in the towns and cities you frequent, making them places for prayer, meditation, and arboreal solace. In addition to hanging out in parks or arboretums (or creating parks and arboretums in vacant lots when no one's looking), you might also be called upon to tend to struggling foliage or sick animals, eliminate threats to natural spaces, or serve as a font of horticultural and biological lore to folk in the area.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Urban Sanctuaries",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Sanctuary"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A cemetery that acts as a de facto park"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A museum hosting rare plants and animals from other lands"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A swampy patch, unsuitable for building, teeming with marsh flora and fauna"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A large copse containing the habitats of tree-dwelling animals"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A community garden whose bounty is shared by local residents"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A ruined section of the city that has been reclaimed by nature"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A zoo overseen by a strange but powerful fellow druid"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A private park that charges a fee for entrance, ensuring that only the wealthy can enjoy its serenity"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A nature reserve stocked with scared and confused animals that are hunted for sport"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"A business that grows and harvests rare and exotic plants and animals for creating magical and mundane products"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "102"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Steward of Nature",
									"page": 58,
									"entries": [
										"Though you might split your franchise life between the rural and the urban worlds, you never forget the wilderness where you came from. Because you've brought a piece of that wilderness with you. An unusual creature that came under your care when you were younger remains a part of your life, whether because you've decided you're the only person who can properly look after it, or vice versa.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Creatures to Care For",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Creature"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A carnivorous plant with a taste for fine foods"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A colony of bees whose hive once hung from a tree in your homeland"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A seven-legged pygmy giant spider once used as a pixie's mount"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A baby death dog that shows no evil tendencies (yet)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"An orphaned owlbear cub-chick with a never-ending cold"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"An unhatched silvery egg that is ice-cold to the touch"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A very small, very old awakened shrub"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A grouchy badger that lives under your bed"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A feral cat that thinks it's much tougher than it is"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"A friendly stirge that nests in your backpack and drinks only fruit juice"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "103"
								}
							],
							"id": "0ff"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Closing the Circles",
							"page": 58,
							"entries": [
								"Though many druid circles are inspired by and focused on the natural world, even the most woodsy circles can fit into an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign with surprising ease.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Circle of Dreams",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"Normally, druids who come from the Circle of Dreams have a connection to the dreamy lands of the Feywild. As an Acquisitions Incorporated druid, you maintain this connection and expand it, embracing the marketing potential of dreams and positive energy. This effluence of radiance and light is meant to be harnessed, shaped, and shared with as many people as possible. And if they're willing to pay for that sharing, so much the better."
									],
									"id": "105"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Circle of the Land",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"Any organization that wants to make an imprint on the world needs to employ an environmental consultant, ensuring that they're engaging with the land in a sustainable and efficient manner. As a druid of the Circle of the Land, your role in your franchise makes extensive use of your knowledge of nature. Your expertise ensures that the exploits of the franchise don't disturb nature\u2014and just as importantly, prevent nature from disturbing the franchise."
									],
									"id": "106"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Circle of the Moon",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"Circle of the Moon druids are known for the myriad animal forms they wear, but those forms need not tie you to the wilderness. In rat form, you can slip past the sentries of a well-guarded guildhall to secure trade secrets. On a risky urban operation, you can adopt the form of a pigeon or an alley cat to be your party's chief scout and spy. And in a pinch, your most combat-focused animal forms make you an excellent hand at black ops, able to infiltrate, extricate, or eradicate with equal verve."
									],
									"id": "107"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Circle of the Shepherd",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"The world is a dangerous place, and the innocent always need champions to keep the figurative and literal wolves at bay. Others in your circle focus on protecting the helpless creatures of the wild from natural and unnatural threats. But your vow of protection extends to the common folk as well, recognizing that they are just as much a part of the natural world\u2014and are often just as scared and helpless as any creature left to the mercy of that world."
									],
									"id": "108"
								}
							],
							"id": "104"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Fighter",
							"page": 59,
							"entries": [
								"{@i The best thing about blood money is that it spends just as readily as any other kind of money}.",
								"Some fight to slake bloodlust. Others fight for the thrill of besting an enemy. Some fight for a code, a faith, or an ideal. But a true pragmatist fights only for coin, understanding that battle is a means to an end and not an end in itself. A fighter in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign often fights for money above all else, whether focusing on a primary role as a combat specialist or providing martial backup for the franchise as needs be.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mission Accomplished",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"Whether your intention is to end a target's threat or simply deliver a message (violently or otherwise), those around you can take comfort in knowing that when you take on a job, the job gets done. When your franchise loses its direction or collective nerve, you stand tall with the power of your convictions and an even more powerful assortment of weapons to keep things on track. If that sometimes inspires a need to crack some rival skulls, that's just the way of war. And if those skulls sometimes turn out to belong to people on your own side of the ledger, well, that's just business.",
										"You are anything but reckless, however, recognizing the effort that goes into doing a job right. Berserkers flailing about the battlefield and challenging all comers have a certain amount of flamboyance, sure. But you can't spend the coin you've been promised for a job if the job leaves you dead."
									],
									"id": "10a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Keeping them Guessing",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"No combat tactic is too down-and-dirty when your life and the welfare of your franchise are on the line. Smart fighters use any means necessary to gain the edge in battle, whether those tricks were learned from a long-gone drill instructor, first used by an opponent against you, or an original tactic perfected by long hours of training.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Martial Tricks",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Trick"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You are an expert at pretending you've been injured to the point where you can't possibly go on. By goading foes to finish you off, you keep your allies safe as you reveal how much fight you still have in you."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You always keep a small pouch of salt or sand at your belt. If you can blind an opponent, even momentarily, you can usually end a fight quickly."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You fight with your off hand at the start of a battle, so that your opponent sets their defenses and attacks to one side. Then you quickly switch hands at the most opportune moment, making your foe wonder what other tricks you might play."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Swearing, name-calling, political satire\u2014you do it all. You make use of a range of down-and-dirty fighting epithets that would make an ogre barbarian blush."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You constantly converse with your opponents during the battle, doing whatever you can to distract them or get into their heads. It's surprising how many combatants enter a fight not knowing whether their boots have come untied."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You have a belt pouch specially made to release ball bearings or caltrops in the thick of the fight, forcing your enemies to avoid those hazards while fending off your blows."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "10b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Wielding the Best",
									"page": 59,
									"entries": [
										"It might seem ridiculous to say that your weapon, armor, or shield is your best friend and most stalwart companion\u2014but you'll take that risk. If you had to choose between entering a battle without your favorite combat gear or without the party's bard, Singy McLuteface can sit this one out. You and your equipment have got this.",
										"Your piece of signature equipment is more than a tool that has never let you down. It lets others know who you are on the battlefield. Even when your features are obscured by the blood of the fallen, the dust of a well-trodden arena, or the fog of war, allies and enemies alike take notice when you stalk the battlefield.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Signature Equipment",
											"colLabels": [
												"d12",
												"Equipment"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Handcrafted arrows whose heads bear the mark of a lightning bolt, and which give a distinctive whistle when fired"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A shield made from the shell of a giant turtle"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A matching shortsword and dagger, decorated to look like the upper and lower jaws of a carnivorous dinosaur"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A battleaxe with its head shaped like the flowing hair of a dwarf warrior"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A suit of armor made from the discarded chitin of giant arthropods"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A pair of boots fashioned to look like the paws of a large feline"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A sword whose pommel is shaped in the form of a hand, so that you shake the hand when you wield it"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A hammer forged to resemble a giant's fist on one side and a dragon's head on the other"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A helmet shaped like the head of a hare, with tiny diamonds for eyes"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"A bow carved with images of the phases of the moon"
												],
												[
													"11",
													"A dagger with a handle made of bone, etched with worn and unreadable runes"
												],
												[
													"12",
													"A backpack made from the leather and fur of a skunk"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "10c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Victory Is Yours",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"When the battle is done, enemies and allies alike stare in awe at the sight of your personal ritual of celebration.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Victory Celebration",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Celebration"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A finely honed, well-choreographed dance"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Ale! And then more ale!"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Seizing a trophy from a vanquished foe"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Composing a poem extolling your valiant combat prowess"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Adding a commemorative square to your battle quilt"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Adding a decorative stencil to your favorite weapon or armor"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Paying the town crier to proclaim your victory"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Commissioning a painting of the battle"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Praising surviving enemies for a job well done, no hard feelings"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"There is no time to celebrate, for your war is eternal!"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "10d"
								}
							],
							"id": "109"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Breaking the Archetypes",
							"page": 60,
							"entries": [
								"To the uninitiated, fighters are the simpletons of the adventuring world, flailing away with their weapons while taking repeated blows to the head. But those folk know precious little about the specialties and subtleties of this class. Many flavors of fighter exist in the world, and all can fit into an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise in their own way.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Arcane Archer",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"Those elves really know how to bring the hurt from a distance, don't they? Fortunately for the arrow-slinging world, they were willing to share their arcane archery knowledge with friends, and now every Acq Inc franchise can have its very own magical cannon! As an arcane archer, you're incredibly useful during those tense discussions when someone needs to be able to whistle, and then moments later, arrows appear out of nowhere to stick out of the ground between the feet of the people they're talking to. Roll that next check to negotiate with advantage!"
									],
									"id": "10f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Battle Master",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"As a battle master involved with an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, you understand that your maneuvers might not do as much damage as the focused attacks of a less subtle fighter. But the needs of a franchise often call for subtlety and precision over simply busting heads. Add in your knowledge of the more cerebral aspects of combat, including all-important insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy, and it's clear why you make a great addition to any franchise."
									],
									"id": "110"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cavalier",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"An Acquisitions Incorporated franchise is a heady mix of adventuring and business, and both those pursuits require travel. Who better to lead a long road journey than an experienced cavalier with a reliable mount? As a cavalier, you're one of the best warriors around for protecting less hardy allies, even off your mount, making you a mobile fighter, a team player, and a valiant protector."
									],
									"id": "111"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Champion",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"Accepting the wisdom of the old adage \"Sometimes less is more\" is an excellent way to go broke. Because less is less, obviously. Just look at the balance sheet. But there's one exception to that nonrule that can make a big difference in the successful operation of a franchise\u2014the focused, no-frills approach to combat of the champion fighter. As a champion, you quickly master your role within your franchise, because that role is simple. Lift heavy things. Stand in front of monsters. Hit them till they drop."
									],
									"id": "112"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Eldritch Knight",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"Fighter? Wizard? Why not both?! If a franchise's recruiting efforts result in a party lacking either fighting or magical ability\u2014or, Tymora forbid, both\u2014you make a great addition to the team as an eldritch knight. Your focus on abjuration and evocation ensures that your fighting style is supported by magic that can either defend allies or deal massive damage to your foes. And if your franchise operation runs true to form, you'll have plenty of opportunity for both."
									],
									"id": "113"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Samurai",
									"page": 60,
									"entries": [
										"Even if samurai are rare in the lands where Acquisitions Incorporated offers franchise opportunities, their fighting spirit makes them invaluable additions to any franchise\u2014especially if that spirit encompasses the fight for profits. As a samurai, your impressive combat skills are matched by your social grace and wisdom, providing a boon to your franchise's standing in the community. Any franchise could do worse than having you as its public face\u2014especially when your sense of quiet resolve is needed to quietly resolve some unexpected business disaster."
									],
									"id": "114"
								}
							],
							"id": "10e"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Monk",
							"page": 61,
							"entries": [
								"{@i Some call the unseen energy flowing through all things \"ki.\" I call it the invisible hand of the marketplace. Now let's negotiate your surrender}.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/028-03-05.webp"
									},
									"title": "The Business Of Applied Ki",
									"width": 773,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Kris Straub"
								},
								"Ki is a magical energy that fills the space between all things in the multiverse. Monks tap into that energy through spiritual and martial training, meditation, and contemplation. And punching and kicking. And more punching and kicking. And maybe a head-butt for good measure.",
								"Monks in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign find a way to integrate a typical ascetic life with the grandeur, majesty, and over-the-top business focus of their franchise. History (real and fantasy) has shown that monasteries don't always shy away from engaging in profitable enterprises. As such, your Acquisitions Incorporated monk likely brings their old monastery's entrepreneurial spirit with them\u2014along with new ideas to energize that spirit even more.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"In my experience, hiring a monk skilled in the art of peaceful arbitration is the only way to attempt to defuse the rather concussive methods of negotiation employed by many Acquisitions Incorporated franchisees. And if it comes to it, a monk will at least ensure that the concussions are fairly distributed."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Stances for Success",
									"page": 61,
									"entries": [
										"Part of your martial training as a monk sees you adopting a variety of stances during combat. These stances help focus your mind, confuse your enemies, and relieve that strain on your lower back.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Subtle Stances",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Stance"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Incontinent Elder\u2014Standing straight, knees together (excellent for surviving those long queues)"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Addled Adder\u2014Lying flat on the ground (perfect when attempting to hide)"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Ponderous Pudding\u2014Collapsed in a heap (useful when trying to disguise yourself as a drunken fool)"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Frightened Gnome\u2014Curled in the fetal position (excellent when about to take a lot of damage)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Ambitious Student\u2014Standing with one armed raised (useful when trying to be seen)"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Boisterous Brewmaster\u2014Hand raised as if making a toast (excellent at preventing being slapped)"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Hardy Harpy\u2014Arms flapping wildly while singing (inspires people to leave you alone, and good for cooling off on hot days)"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Broken Bridge\u2014Face down on the ground with knees bent and posterior up (reduces visibility to foes in front, and makes a useful ramp for allies to jump off)"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "116"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "By the Book",
									"page": 61,
									"entries": [
										"The writings of famous monks of the past sometimes become holy texts that come to define entire monastic traditions. The monks of your monastery have dedicated their training and their lives to the insight gleaned from an ancient monastic tome.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Ancient Tomes",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Tome"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"{@i Gambling with the Gods}"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"{@i Plowshares into Swords}"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"{@i The Poetry of Flumphism}"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"{@i Monsters are People Too}"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"{@i Oracles of the Future}"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"{@i The Sociable Hermit}"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"{@i The Enigma of Air}"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"{@i The Compendium of Limitless Space}"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"{@i The Organic Sun and Moon Cookbook}"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"{@i Life is Endless Calamities, What Are You Going to Do About It}?"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "117"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ascetic Business Practices",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"Plenty of monasteries turn out business-minded monks. After all, it's not money that's the root of all evil; it's the love of money. So if you just like money\u2014you know, as a friend\u2014then it's all good! Many Acq Inc franchises actively try to recruit monks into entrepreneurship, knowing of their reputation for versatility both in and out of combat. If you hail from a particularly profitable monastery, you won't need to be convinced of the benefits of a well-run business\u2014you'll already be on board.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Commercial Monasteries",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Monastery"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Monastery of the Eternal Spirits (legendary distillers)"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"House of the Upright Arches (creators of quality footwear)"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Dome of the Curious Quill (makers of parchment, ink, and writing quills)"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Crystal Bastion (makers of crystal goblets and ornaments)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Monastery Actuary (underwriters of reasonably priced insurance policies)"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"House of Hot Ki (delicious barbecue take-out)"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Sage's Retreat (custom research services)"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Monastery of the Wayward Grape (vintners of fine wines)"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Spider's House Retreat (drow trainers of giant spiders as mounts and companions)"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"Hall of Mysteries (investigators for hire)"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "118"
								}
							],
							"id": "115"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Nontraditional Traditions",
							"page": 62,
							"entries": [
								"The diversity of monk traditions makes those traditions different from each other in abilities as well as in attitude. And since an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise runs mostly on attitude, it's important for the philosophy of a monk's monastic tradition to mesh with the philosophy of the franchise.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Way of Shadow",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"Monks following the Way of Shadow fill an important role in an Acq Inc franchise: that of an infiltrator. As a shadow monk, you're likely more adept than even a rogue at moving around without being seen, slipping into dangerous places unnoticed, and getting away with no one the wiser as to what you've stolen. And it's a safe bet that your fellow franchisees will quickly learn to search the shadows before they say something they don't want you to hear."
									],
									"id": "11a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Way of the Drunken Master",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"The most dangerous adventurer in the room is the one that no one knows is an adventurer. As a monk who follows the Way of the Drunken Master, you excel at keeping your true threat level under wraps. Your ability to literally spend days hanging out at the tavern and never be noticed makes you a valuable addition to any franchise that needs to keep its collective eyes and ears on happenings in town. Plus, you're a guaranteed riot at company parties!"
									],
									"id": "11b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Way of the Four Elements",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"Most enemies who take on a monk expect to get a few punches or kicks for their trouble. So when flames, cold, and thunder come streaking toward them instead, they'll never know what hit them. As a monk of the Way of the Four Elements, you combine the striking power of a typical monk with the versatility of a wizard. Especially in a franchise without a dedicated combat spellcaster, your elemental affinity comes in handy."
									],
									"id": "11c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Way of the Kensei",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"Monks following the Way of the Kensei often appear to care more about their weapons than they care about the people around them. Because they do. As a monk following that tradition, you make a perfect fit for a martial-focused franchise. Your skill with weapons makes you an asset in combat, and your practical knowledge makes trading in arms a natural sideline. For you, battle is business and business is always booming."
									],
									"id": "11d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Way of the Open Hand",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"It's always nice to have someone in a franchise who can slap an enemy so hard that they shrivel up and die several days after the characters have left town and arranged their alibis. As a monk following the Way of the Open Hand, you know that others think of you as a mysterious figure. You might sit by yourself for hours on end, humming strangely. You might say weird things that you expect others to treat as great wisdom. Frankly, as long as your fellow franchisees can count on you to break skulls when necessary, you can probably get away with anything."
									],
									"id": "11e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Way of the Sun Soul",
									"page": 62,
									"entries": [
										"Many benevolent monks have a reputation for being all punching and sunshine. As a Sun Soul monk, you epitomize this reputation. Except for the benevolent part. Whenever a fight is in need of area-effect damage, your fellow franchise members understand that you're their best friend in the world. And if your reputation for exploding in anger (literally) makes for easier negotiations with suppliers and business rivals, so much the better."
									],
									"id": "11f"
								}
							],
							"id": "119"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Paladin",
							"page": 62,
							"entries": [
								"{@i My companions did what!? The screams could be heard from how far away}!?",
								"When many hear \"paladin,\" they can't help but envision a knight in shining armor, helping innocent people in distress and living a life of utmost virtue and chastity. Yawn. In the world of Acquisitions Incorporated, at least some small part of a paladin's dedication is focused on the code of business. Morals and ethics are all good. But an Acq Inc paladin knows that nothing puts food on the plates of the poor and roofs over the heads of the dispossessed better than cold, hard cash.",
								"And virtue and chastity are more guidelines than rules anyway. Right?",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Stand up as straight as possible. Being a paladin is mostly about posture, and most people don't realize that. Evil drow slouch, but in this house, we are turgid to the point of discomfort!"
									],
									"by": "{@creature Donaar Blit'zen|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/029-03-06.webp"
									},
									"title": "The Paladin as Fixer",
									"width": 773,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Kris Straub"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Personnel Bodyguard",
									"page": 63,
									"entries": [
										"All life is sacred. Well, some lives are sacred. Okay, fine. The people you protect are sacred. On certain days, everyone else is negotiable. As an Acquisitions Incorporated paladin, you are dedicated to the protection of your fellow franchisees out of loyalty and duty\u2014and because you can't earn all that sweet coin on your own.",
										"In your role as the party's bodyguard, your unmatched training and sense of honor drive you to take untold risks as you put others' lives before your own. Your heavy armor is as fearsome as your heavy morals, and your healing ability, bonuses to saving throws, and lack of fear create a trifecta of comfort. Your natural leadership role also comes into play, as the squishier members of your party come to rely on your presence and protection."
									],
									"id": "121"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Things Best Left Unsaid",
									"page": 63,
									"entries": [
										"Every character has a few private matters they'd rather not share, but the truth-and-honesty stakes usually aren't as high for others as they are for a paladin. If there's any extra drama in your life, chances are it stems from a terrible secret in your background that you need to constantly struggle to keep. What'll happen if your friends and allies learn of your dark past? How might a sadistic DM put pressure on you throughout the unfolding story to keep your secret at all costs?",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Terrible Secrets",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Secret"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Before taking your paladin oath, you accidentally publicly humiliated a good friend. You have sworn to make it up to them, despite them wanting nothing to do with you."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You took another person's identity to escape the law in your younger days\u2014and quickly came to realize that this person was far cooler than the real you. If anyone finds out your true identity, your reputation will suffer."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You were the child of nobles who were found guilty of stealing vast sums from their subjects. If your identity is discovered, you might be hunted down. But you might also be in line for a massive inheritance."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You once belonged to an organization that was eventually banned because a typo in its name made it appear seditious. If anyone discovers this, you run the risk of being mistaken for an enemy of the realm."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You made a deal with a fiendish creature to escape trouble or save another character's life. Emissaries of this fiend appear occasionally to tell you that the paperwork regarding the debt you owe is temporarily lost, but they're working on it."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You owe an enormous amount of money to a forgetful and amoral person. So far, that person has made no sign of wanting you to repay the debt, and you have no idea what to do about that."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "122"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Fixer of Problems",
									"page": 63,
									"entries": [
										"When problems arise as a result of your franchise's operations\u2014and clearly through no fault of your own\u2014you fix those problems as only you can. You excel at remaining calm and attacking each challenge logically and deliberately. Especially comforting to your teammates is your insistence on using a witty catchphrase to raise their spirits in the midst of the greatest danger. Your companions take great pride in your catchphrase, even if they're too shy to admit it.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Legendary Catchphrases",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Catchphrase"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Looks like this is the end. So let's go back to the beginning."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"There's only one way out of this pickle, and that's by breaking a few jars!"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Looks like trouble has some vacation time coming up. So let's book it a nice inn."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"We've got a real game of cat and mouse here... so it's time to eat some cheese."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Is that all I've got?!"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"It's always darkest before the dawn, except when the moon is full. So let's moon!"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"We might be beaten, but we're not beaten! Because \"beaten\" means different things in both those contexts!"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"\"Surrender\" is my middle name, but it was a family thing and I never use it!"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "123"
								}
							],
							"id": "120"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Sowing Your Oaths",
							"page": 64,
							"entries": [
								"The oath that you take (or break) as a paladin defines your character as a center of moral authority in the world. And that works just fine in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, albeit with a few minor adjustments.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Oath of Conquest",
									"page": 64,
									"entries": [
										"Most paladins who take the Oath of Conquest consider martial subjugation the ultimate form of defeat for an enemy. You have a wider view, though, and are able to embrace monetary or business-related conquest as equally fulfilling activities. Is a business rival really all that different from a rampaging dragon? Both are dangerous and antisocial, and both sit on a hoard of wealth that could be yours if you're brave enough to take it."
									],
									"id": "125"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Oath of Devotion",
									"page": 64,
									"entries": [
										"As a paladin devoted to the ideals of order and justice, you're in a perfect position to guide your franchise to great ends\u2014even as you make an excellent foil for the less-savory plans of your fellow franchisees. Your insistence on dealing with business partners fairly, honoring legally signed contracts, and promoting the general welfare of the world helps you cement your franchise's reputation as a group worth dealing with. It might just take a little bit of convincing for your fellow party members to see things your way."
									],
									"id": "126"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Oath of Vengeance",
									"page": 64,
									"entries": [
										"The fury brought to bear by an Oath of Vengeance paladin fits well into most Acquisitions Incorporated campaigns. Those who break contracts, renege on deals, fail to repay debts, or otherwise break their word can expect a visit from you in your role as the executor of vengeance. And if your fellow franchisees can make a bit of profit by picking up the pieces when your job is done, then everyone's happy."
									],
									"id": "127"
								}
							],
							"id": "124"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ranger",
							"page": 64,
							"entries": [
								"{@i All that is gold does not glitter. But frankly, if you've got the choice, take the glittering gold every time. That nonshiny stuff loses a ton of resale value}.",
								"Loving nature, exploring the wilderness, companioning with animals: most people wouldn't view these things as obvious assets for the rough-and-tumble business of running an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise. But most people are wrong about everything. Few Acq Inc franchises set their roots or undertake all their business in urban areas. As such, countless adventures will call a franchise into the wilds, where a qualified ranger makes the difference between forlorn failure and fabulous success. Even when a franchise engages in commerce in the cities and towns of the realm, a ranger's keen senses, sharp blades, and flesh-seeking arrows will never find lack of use.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Rangers like to work alone, but it is convenient when others are around to draw the arrows to themselves."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Môrgæn|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Control of the Market",
									"page": 64,
									"entries": [
										"The notion of being a defender is core to your identity as a ranger. As a member of Acquisitions Incorporated, you channel your natural proclivity for protectiveness into a razor-sharp focus on the franchise. Pure profit is never an end in and of itself, but whatever deep-seated personal goals you only ever talk about in the dead of night over a dying fire, those goals need financing.",
										"Your role as a defender and a controller of problems makes you a natural leader for sure. Your sense of selflessness and integrity can help shape and guide the more unscrupulous business plans of your allies. Likewise, the other members of your franchise might panic when that crate of {@item Figurine of Wondrous Power||figurines of wondrous power} you acquired turns out to all be self-activating obsidian steeds. But you have the steady nerves and earnest resolve to revert and revise any pear-shaped plans."
									],
									"id": "129"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Animals are Everywhere",
									"page": 64,
									"entries": [
										"The balance of nature is no less strong within civilization than it is in the wilds, and the streets and sewers of towns and cities are their own thriving ecosystem. As a ranger who spends part of your time in urban settings, you quickly learn to seek out the companionship of some of the many beasts that inhabit those settings.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Urban Beast Friends",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Beast"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Rat"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Pigeon"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Skunk"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Crow"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Raccoon"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Possum"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Snake"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Toad"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Giant beetle"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"Lizard"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "12a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "No Weapons Allowed",
									"page": 64,
									"entries": [
										"Your instinctive ability to blend into the natural background has applications even outside the wilderness. During business meetings with rivals or attempts to play nice with the nobility, being forbidden from carrying weapons doesn't slow you down. Whether you channel your enemies' impending destruction through mundane equipment, thoughtful gifts, or a packed lunch, you and your improvised weapons are always ready for action.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Disguised Weapons",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Object (Improvised Weapon)"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"The roasted drumstick of a huge bird (greatclub; longsword if a shard of bone is broken off)"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A long loaf of stale bread (mace)"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A musical instrument missing all but one string (shortbow)"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A racket used in a popular sport (handaxe, battleaxe)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A metal-tipped crutch (greatsword, spear)"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A large bottle of wine (mace, shortsword if shattered)"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "12b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Places to Go",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"As you do those rangery things you do, you've had the opportunity to travel to many exotic and exciting locales. But there's one place you just keep coming back to.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Points of Interest",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Point of Interest"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A secret cove a few hours' north of town that is a known meeting spot for pirates."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A sewer system underneath the local guardhouse."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"The quaint settlement where you grew up, and where you send most of what you earn adventuring."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A caravan of merchants and sellswords that follows a regular route across the land."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A temple built to honor a dark god, long abandoned."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"The final resting place of the ranger who trained you."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"The shady market known as Gort Jorkle's Afflicted Finery, openly and proudly selling the most illegal things imaginable."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"An unnamed hill where a ruined tower appears at midnight, then vanishes again at dawn."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "12c"
								}
							],
							"id": "128"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "A Wide Range of Talents",
							"page": 65,
							"entries": [
								"No matter whether a ranger ranges in the crowded city streets, the trackless wilderness, or the most desolate and confounding planes, all ranger archetypes can find a place in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Beast Master",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"Any Beast Master understands that a beast companion is far more diligent, friendly, and reliable than most people. This might be doubly true in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, where if you fall in combat, your companion isn't going to assess the resale value of your gear versus the cost of the {@item potion of healing} it'll take to revive you. Even in an urban setting, a beast companion makes a solid ally, serving as a guard or a scout when you're skulking around places you shouldn't be."
									],
									"id": "12e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Gloom Stalker",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"Gloom Stalkers are often best known for their work in the Underdark, but shadows are shadows wherever they occur. As a Gloom Stalker ranger, you find solace and refuge in dark alleys, dimly lit back rooms, and the shadowy corners of any corporate boardroom. Moreover, your expertise as a skulker and an ambush predator fits right in with most franchise business models."
									],
									"id": "12f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Horizon Walker",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"Every Acquisitions Incorporated franchise needs to be ready to travel at a moment's notice, with franchisees always rushing headlong into the next amazing opportunity. As a Horizon Walker, you're a master of travel, blazing trails into unknown realms by passing through the even-more-unknown realms of the planes. Whatever path your franchise walks, your combat and magical skill helps ensure a safe journey for you and your companions. Moreover, the unknown reaches of the world are the best places to find new resources, and no one knows more about the unknown than you do."
									],
									"id": "130"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Hunter",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"Whether in the wilds, in the cities, or in the wide expanses in between, your specialized combat training as a Hunter ranger makes you a stalwart defender of your franchise and your party. On a mission, you take a lead role in dispensing with threats. In a social encounter, you stand at the back of the room and look dangerous. Just focus on a bit of sensitivity training to counter your predator's instincts and you can be the definitive Acquisitions Incorporated employee\u2014looking smart in a business suit one day, and hacking up enemies the next."
									],
									"id": "131"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Monster Slayer",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"The nightmare creatures that haunt the world are more of a threat to an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise than they are to other people. Because frankly, other people have less to lose. Sometimes monsters guard vast amounts of treasure just waiting for acquisition. Other times, they're in the employ of a business rival looking to acquire your wealth, your blood, or your soul. No matter how dark the adventure gets, your role as a Monster Slayer makes you the best offense and defense against whatever stands in your franchise's path to success."
									],
									"id": "132"
								}
							],
							"id": "12d"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Rogue",
							"page": 65,
							"entries": [
								"{@i I know you went through all those documents pretty quickly. And now you're probably asking yourself, \"Wait... did I sign six addenda or only five?\" So you've got to ask yourself one question. \"Do I feel properly contractually represented?\" Well? Do you, punk}?",
								"A rogue is often the backbone of any successful adventuring party, providing an ample amount of martial prowess, a diverse skill set, and a pat on the back for a job well done (with or without a dagger in it). In an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, a rogue's talents are even more in demand. Not only is the rogue the first one into the dragon's lair and the last one out (after securing away the choicest bits of treasure first), but their keen eye for details and their practiced social skills make them equally invaluable in the boardrooms, the taprooms, and the back alleys where business gets done.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Personally, I feel that \"rogue\" is a little misleading as a term. It implies that those of us who follow a more... eclectic path toward life can all be grouped into a single category. That works with most other professions because they're good at one thing. But me? I'm good at everything.You need someone to sweet-talk the town guard? I'm your guy. Impersonate the governor? Easy peasy. Hit the streets for intel? Throw a dinner party? Engage in a clandestine property reassignment? Done and done. And if someone's giving you trouble? Well, let's just say they'll be no trouble to me."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Viari|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Corporate Espionage",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"In the world of Acquisitions Incorporated, dangers are as likely to be contractual as physical. Avoiding a trap's pressure plate in a dungeon is good. Avoiding an awkward social situation might be even more important. Explosive runes warding a treasure chest go off once, maybe no one spotted them, big deal. But a rogue who notices a carefully worded legal trap in a contract can save their franchise from lasting harm\u2014and a rogue who can insert such details into someone else's contract is worth their weight in performance bonuses."
									],
									"id": "134"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Sign of Success",
									"page": 65,
									"entries": [
										"Every rogue has a story about that one big score. With enough ales and a bit of prompting, you can easily be convinced to tell the tale, highlighting all the drama and derring-do. But the tale is so much better for the telling if you can highlight it with visual aids.",
										"You carry a trophy from that big score, which you pull out when the occasion demands or when you need a reminder of your own skill and luck. Sure, if anyone found the item on you, there's a good chance you could be arrested and convicted of the crime that procured it. But that's part of the excitement, right?",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Favorite Trophies",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Trophy"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"The handkerchief of a noble's paramour, with their initials sewn into it as well as the date and the place the gift was given. Perfect blackmail fodder."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A silver goblet from the kitchens of a castle in a wealthy land. It still smells of the wonderful burgundy that was in it when you stole it."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A gold-tipped fountain pen stolen from the breast pocket of a royal wizard."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A piece of intricately woven curtain you had to cut to escape a mayor's manor after stealing their valuables."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A gray cat with white feet, once the pet of a rich merchant's spoiled child. She almost blew your cover. Now she knows when to keep quiet, and she's great at catching mice."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A small statue of a ballerina, broken off from a marble fountain in a city from which you're now banned."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A serpentine lapel pin set with tiny diamonds, which you slipped off the chest of a noble whose fete you finessed your way into."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"The solid-gold hammer holy symbol of that one rude blacksmith who refused to fix your sword."
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A full potion bottle from the temple of Oghma, marked \"Drink in case of emergency.\" So far, no one has dared you to drink it."
												],
												[
													"10",
													"A cracked mirror from a mystic's tower, which sometimes shows you a glint of another realm in one of its shards."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "135"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Old Business Ties",
									"page": 66,
									"entries": [
										"Many rogues learn their initial skill set through the school of necessity, forced to steal or kill to survive. More advanced talents, however, are generally taught through one of the many criminal guilds that crop up in towns and cities throughout the land. As an Acquisitions Incorporated rogue, you definitely left your guild in order to join a franchise, for no rogue can serve two masters. At least not officially.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Former Guilds",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Guild"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"The Tumble Dumplings, an all-halfling guild whose cover identities are acrobats"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"The Char Hawks, whose front operation is a well-known cleaning service"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"The Flattering Butchers, known for their sales of discount meat of unknown provenance"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"The Profane Pilferers, who leave lewd calling cards at the scenes of their crimes"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"The Undead Rangers, whose cover is that they have nothing to do with rangers or the undead"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"The Loyalists, ironically known for breaking contracts at an alarming rate"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"The Robust Vultures, who make use of flying magic for specialty jobs"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"The Quick and the Fred, who all use \"Fred\" as an alias"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "136"
								}
							],
							"id": "133"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Rogues of a Different Feather",
							"page": 66,
							"entries": [
								"Each of the many archetypes of the rogue offers a variety of features that can prove a boon to any Acquisitions Incorporated franchise. You might enjoy making a scene, or you might prefer to pass unseen. You might eliminate your foes in the most public way possible, or prefer to deal with all problems behind closed (and preferably soundproofed) doors. Either way, your talents make you the invaluable linchpin of your franchise's operations.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Arcane Trickster",
									"page": 66,
									"entries": [
										"What does an adventurer who has all the tricks of a rogue need? Even trickier magic! As a rogue of the Arcane Trickster archetype, you supplement your dexterous abilities with spellcasting derring-do. Especially against competitors and enemies who don't know the full extent of your abilities, you make a most daunting foe."
									],
									"id": "138"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Assassin",
									"page": 66,
									"entries": [
										"Working as an assassin within an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise can be rewarding. Because even as good as the rest of your franchise mates are at killing things, you take that art to the next level. Your top-notch infiltration and disguise skills mean that you'll always be keeping busy. But if you're one of those \"You know too much, I have to kill you now, it doesn't matter that I was only asking for directions\"-type assassins, you might find that your inherent bloodlust needs to be focused to the subtle enterprises undertaken by the best franchises. So keep calm. Or if you can't, at least keep the killing quiet."
									],
									"id": "139"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Inquisitive",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"As an inquisitive, your eye for detail and insightful demeanor complement the skills of the more martial members of an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise. Your powers of deduction make it clear that you're the obvious choice to lead your franchise, and you are an able operative in the field as you provide valuable information for ongoing operations. You also have a knack for finding weaknesses in enemies\u2014not only in combat, but in a rival's business plans as well."
									],
									"id": "13a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mastermind",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"Planning, tactics, misdirection, intrigue, sneak attack: it's like the rogue mastermind was specifically built for an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign. Your formidable social skills translate perfectly well from the street to the boardroom, and your ability to read your foes and rivals clearly makes you the best choice for franchise leader. Unfortunately, your equally practiced ability to read your allies means you'll know which of them see themselves as leader. Good thing that's a problem you're perfectly equipped to handle."
									],
									"id": "13b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Scout",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"Though many scouts are more comfortable in the wild, the lessons you've learned in the wilderness offer a surprising amount of utility when you're working in cities and towns. Whenever the party needs to go out and engage in some acquisition work, you're at the front of the group, literally and figuratively. Your skills in survival and ensnarement translate nicely to the civilized world, where it's just as much of a challenge to ambush a competitor's caravan as it is to deal with a goblin raiding party."
									],
									"id": "13c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Swashbuckler",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"The one-on-one fighting style of a swashbuckler is a perfect fit for the stylish bravado that befits an Acq Inc franchise. Your mobility, audacity, and charm offer versatility in any number of situations, from infiltration, to theft, to fleeing the city guards when the infiltration and theft goes bad. Moreover, your social skills make you equally effective in and out of combat. However, your love of showing off means that you might have to work at not turning every social encounter into a combat encounter just because you can."
									],
									"id": "13d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Thief",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"For most people, to be called a thief is among the gravest of insults. For an Acquisitions Incorporated rogue, it's a compliment. You're able to look out for yourself in combat, but are smart enough to instead style yourself as the expert who gets out of trouble just as easily as the rest of the party gets into it. Whether you're picking locks at speed on the way out of a noble's estate or mastering the operation of a strange magic device before it burns your headquarters to the ground, your fellow franchise members always know how lucky they are to have you around. And with your special skills, you'll be able to make sure they show their appreciation financially\u2014whether they know it or not."
									],
									"id": "13e"
								}
							],
							"id": "137"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Sorcerer",
							"page": 67,
							"entries": [
								"{@i Yes, that's a fine idea. We should totally put that to a vote. Hey, that's weird\u2014my hands are starting to glow. Is anyone else seeing that}?",
								"A sorcerer's use of magic runs the range from chaotic to catastrophic\u2014which suits the style of many Acquisitions Incorporated franchises alarmingly well. When a loud and emphatic marketing statement needs to be made using magic, trust a sorcerer to do the talking. And with natural charisma powering their magic, a sorcerer also makes a good public face for a franchise, with their darker or more chaotic tendencies either hidden or amplified depending on need.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Burden of Leadership",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"Your natural charisma makes you the obvious choice to be the leader of your franchise. Others look to you constantly for inspiration, even if they're afraid to show it. And that's a good fit for you, because if you can tell others what to do and have them listen to you, it's easier to give the most dangerous frontline tasks to them while you cast from the back and reap the rewards.",
										"With great profit comes great responsibility, however, and it's important to let the other members of your franchise know that they have a place where their opinions matter. It's a place beneath you, sure, but good ideas often trickle upward. It's surprising how often a suggestion made by an underling turns out to be exactly what you were planning on thinking all along. And your understanding of chaos tells you it's easier by far to deal with the so-called law when you have a strong team at your back. Or, even better, at your front, so they're the ones drawing attention to themselves if things go bad."
									],
									"id": "140"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Focusing with Flair",
									"page": 67,
									"entries": [
										"All sorcerers rely on an arcane focus through which they channel their magic, but traditional focuses lack a singular style. Staffs, orbs, wands, blah, blah. You like to do things differently.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Unusual Arcane Focuses",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Focus"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A stuffed weasel with fake diamonds for eyes"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A rare gold coin that sparkles as you cast"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A copper belt buckle created in your own likeness"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A pair of silver spectacles whose lenses change color based on the school of spell you're casting"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"A well-preserved sausage that smells delicious to you and any other creature nearby"
												],
												[
													"6",
													"A gold harmonica that cranks out a dramatic tune when you cast"
												],
												[
													"7",
													"A shrunken gnome head that blinks and sticks its tongue out occasionally"
												],
												[
													"8",
													"A polo mallet carved in the shape of the tarrasque"
												],
												[
													"9",
													"A flask of liquid that changes color each time you cast"
												],
												[
													"10",
													"The antler stub of a peryton, decorated with nymph hair and pixie dust"
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "141"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Personal Magic",
									"page": 68,
									"entries": [
										"When you cast a spell, you go all in, channeling that magic through body and soul. Often, leftover magic from a casting manifests as a residual effect that can build up over repeated uses of your spells and cantrips. Some residual effects are subtle. Others are obvious to the point of distraction. But any such effect might eventually become a kind of spellcasting signature, ensuring that everyone knows the tenor of your magic as well as they know your name.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Residual Magic",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Effect"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"A smell just slightly less noxious than troglodyte musk wafts off you from time to time."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"At random, your voice shifts three octaves higher or lower than normal."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Your hair changes color for 1 hour. If you don't have hair, you grow silver hair that lasts for 1 hour, then falls out."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"At random, your speech and movement suggest that you are blind drunk."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Your eyes glow for 1 minute, cycling intermittently through red, blue, and green."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Sometimes when you deal damage to a creature, a disembodied voice near you shouts out, \"Boo yah!\""
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Blood momentarily drips from your ears and eyes."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Your fingernails grow out to gnarled talons. This new growth falls off after 10 minutes or if you touch something."
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Intermittently, any somatic components for spells you cast take the form of violent coughing."
												],
												[
													"10",
													"For 1 minute, you are 6 inches shorter or taller than normal."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "142"
								}
							],
							"id": "13f"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Origins Make the Sorcerer",
							"page": 68,
							"entries": [
								"Each sorcerer draws their power from different sources, based on their lineage or their connection to the multiverse. Your own lineage defines much about your place in the world and your approach to magic, and can help you establish your connection to your Acquisitions Incorporated franchise.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Divine Soul",
									"page": 68,
									"entries": [
										"As a divine soul, you have a special place in your franchise. Just as with the child of a wealthy business owner or an heir to a noble throne, your lineage and breeding demand respect, and it's your job to make sure your franchise mates understand that. Your success is ordained by the gods themselves, and you embrace that destiny by mastering the ways of business and adventuring, becoming the best you can be."
									],
									"id": "144"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Draconic Bloodline",
									"page": 68,
									"entries": [
										"You know those people who seem to just automatically succeed at everything they do, tearing through life like it might be cheap parchment? Of course you do\u2014because you are one. As the scion of mighty dragons, you are the master of everything you set your mind to. Adventuring, espionage, taking credit for your franchise's success\u2014you do it all. And if you ever find yourself out of your depth, you're quick to establish that you're not actually out of your depth at all. You've totally got this!"
									],
									"id": "145"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Shadow Magic",
									"page": 68,
									"entries": [
										"As a shadow sorcerer, your mysterious connection to the Shadowfell makes you a master of social encounters. The sinister laugh, the glowing eyes\u2014nothing makes a clutch negotiation session go quicker. And when negotiations reach an impasse, your connection to the shadow world makes you a valuable tool for spying, infiltration, security, and, of course, killing."
									],
									"id": "146"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Storm Sorcery",
									"page": 68,
									"entries": [
										"Harnessing the energy of wind and lightning makes you great fun in combat. But as a storm sorcerer, you have even greater utility when your franchise travels overland or across water for business, as you shield allies and important cargo from inclement or dangerous weather. And sure, those allies harp sometimes about your occasional bouts of rage and your proclivity for blowing things up first and asking questions later. But you take it all in stride, because it's not like you have a temper or anything."
									],
									"id": "147"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Wild Magic",
									"page": 68,
									"entries": [
										"In business, an element of unpredictability is the best means of keeping your franchise one step ahead of the competition\u2014and nobody brings unpredictability like you do. Business plans and long-term strategies are all good, and kudos to your teammates for all their hard work on that stuff. But when a plan needs subtle refinement based on unexpected developments in the marketplace, you're the one who'll thoughtfully tear that plan up, burn it to ash, and just wing it."
									],
									"id": "148"
								}
							],
							"id": "143"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Warlock",
							"page": 68,
							"entries": [
								"{@i No, you don't understand. My magic exists outside of any known reality. I wield the power of an entity that dwells beyond space and time. Clearly, none of the profits created by that magic are taxable in this realm}.",
								"A warlock can be an authoritative asset to an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, as their known association with powerful otherworldly forces makes for a great starting point in tough business negotiations. Likewise, a warlock's pact is the definitive binding contract, providing a unique insight into matters of debt and obligation.",
								"The only thing you need to watch out for is making sure your work-life balance is in order. You want to be seen by your staff as the suave, fashionable master of your franchise's occult services, not the creepy weirdo with the glowing eyes always chuckling maniacally to yourself. As convenient as it might seem, remember that interns are not automatically potential sacrifices. Always check the individual contract first.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"A diligent, results-minded individual is contracted to perform services for a higher-up, in exchange for career advancement. Have I described the perfect employee, or a warlock? Yes."
									],
									"by": "{@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Eldritch Affectations",
									"page": 69,
									"entries": [
										"Being beholden to a strange, otherworldly entity gives you a certain style that none can match. Sometimes this style takes the form of an interesting quirk that makes you the memorable master of the dark arts you are.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Otherworldly Quirks",
											"colLabels": [
												"d10",
												"Quirk"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Every meal you eat must involve copious amounts of raw onions."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"When you are in a stressful situation, you shout every fourth word you speak."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You have a second set of ears that emerge and retract whenever you are actively listening."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You can't bear to touch anything valuable without wearing gloves."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"When you wash or bathe, anything less than uncomfortably hot water feels cold to you."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You have to slap some creature roughly before you can get a good night's sleep."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"You're just not comfortable unless your clothing features garishly contrasting colors or patterns."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"When you cast a spell, the verbal or somatic component must involve a mild obscenity."
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Your hair grows so quickly that you must cut it during every short or long rest."
												],
												[
													"10",
													"When people call you by your correct name, you constantly admonish them by telling them your correct name."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "14a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Master of Idiom",
									"page": 69,
									"entries": [
										"As a warlock, you bring every dark aspect of your dark path and darker calling to bear darkly on your franchise's operations. Wrapping yourself in mysterious defensive power or tagging an enemy in the face with {@spell eldritch blast} are just as valuable for corporate espionage as for tomb raiding.",
										"How you present yourself to the world at large is often a subtle reflection of your patron. Being a member of an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise means you have no trouble wearing suitable business apparel to make the right impression. But whether that stylish suit is made from fine Calimshan silk or the flayed skin of fiends is totally up to you."
									],
									"id": "14b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Marketing Is Everything",
									"page": 69,
									"entries": [
										"There's an old Luskan saying: \"They could sell water to a sahuagin and it would come back for a refill.\" And that's you in a nutshell\u2014using the connections of your pact to sell your skills, your services, and your legend. The right people need to hear about you, and the wrong people need to be completely unaware of your existence. A good motto for yourself (and your franchise, if the other characters are worthy) can be the difference between wasted days in endless taverns waiting for opportunities, and constantly filling your {@item bag of holding} with the sweetest loot.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Cool Mottos",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Motto"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"\"I don't break even; I get even.\""
												],
												[
													"2",
													"\"I'm the prophet of profit, and I've got a prediction for success.\""
												],
												[
													"3",
													"\"Victory is the finest perfume, and I smell delightful.\""
												],
												[
													"4",
													"\"Your treasure is my business.\""
												],
												[
													"5",
													"\"To err is human, so I'm not.\""
												],
												[
													"6",
													"\"I get the job done rather than thinking up fancy mottos.\""
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "book/AI/030-03-07.webp"
											},
											"title": "A Warlock's Otherworldy Office",
											"width": 2125,
											"height": 1000,
											"credit": "Kris Straub"
										}
									],
									"id": "14c"
								}
							],
							"id": "149"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Robust Patronage",
							"page": 69,
							"entries": [
								"No matter what your pact, the process of binding yourself to power has prepared you well for life in an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise. Gathering secret information from the operatives of rival organizations, a bit of well-timed sabotage on some manufacturing equipment, or intimidating contractors into turning their backs on a rival are all regular business for an Acq Inc warlock.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Standard Dark Spellcaster Franchise Rules",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"No summoning circles in the bathroom.",
												"No \"tentacle talk\" during mealtimes.",
												"You must wear a gag at bedtime. That constant screaming makes it hard for everyone else to fall asleep.",
												"Other party members' rations are for their own consumption, not for sacrificing to dark forces.",
												"No more declaring, \"The sacrament is complete!\" at the conclusion of every meeting.",
												"The bloodstained robes are not an anytime outfit.",
												"The illusion of eyes on every wall in the headquarters was scary once. Now knock it off."
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "14e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Archfey",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"Many folk think of the fey as mysterious sylvan creatures that occasionally get up to harmless pranks. As a warlock of the Archfey, you know better\u2014and are perfectly suited to lay the truth down whenever you can. You and your magic exemplify the duality of light and dark, and your motivations are often as inscrutable as those of your fey master. This can be an advantage when rivals are trying to suss out your plans. But it can be frustrating when allies start harping about, \"What are you up to?\", and \"Why won't you talk to us?\", and \"Why did you kill those people?\" Just tell them anything. It keeps them happy."
									],
									"id": "14f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Celestial",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"As a warlock of the Celestial, you meld the powerful magic of your class with the heavenly attitude of the Upper Planes. Your light-infused, radiant-based power makes it easy to establish trust among franchise mates and customers alike. That false sense of security then comes in handy whenever it's necessary to remind people that being good doesn't necessarily mean being lawful\u2014and that even being lawful leaves a lot of wiggle room."
									],
									"id": "150"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Fiend",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"When people speak of doing deals with the darkness, you know just what they're talking about. As a warlock of the Fiend, you have a ton of experience walking the fine line between light and shadow. Or, you know, walking the shadow but being pretty sure the light is over there somewhere. As such, you're the perfect person to take point when your franchise needs to get down and dirty to succeed."
									],
									"id": "151"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Great Old One",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"Everybody's met that one mind-addled poet at the end of the bar spouting all kinds of nonsense. But only you can really appreciate the truth of what they're talking about. As a warlock of the Great Old One, you harness the power of unreality and madness for the benefit of your franchise. You are known for consistently offering up plans and advice that go outside the box. Way, way outside. And when your plans turn to profit, your franchise partners are thankfully there to take care of all that balance-sheet-and-coffer practical stuff. You're more about the big insane ideas, really."
									],
									"id": "152"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Hexblade",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"As a warlock of the Hexblade, you dwell always within the realm of the disturbing and the unknown. But wow, is it worth it. Your ability to focus power through your weapons makes you a perfect franchise enforcer. Your aptitude for cursing, hexes, and dark magic makes you a skilled negotiator. And your ability to create spectral interns makes you a personnel manager's dream."
									],
									"id": "153"
								}
							],
							"id": "14d"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Wizard",
							"page": 70,
							"entries": [
								"{@i Yes, I can get you inside that vault. I can locate that secret treasure you're all hyped up about. I can get you out with no collateral damage. I'm fine if you care less about the \"no collateral damage\" thing. Now let's get down to business}.",
								"The utility that a wizard brings to an Acquisitions Incorporated operation is obvious to franchise members, staff, clients, and rivals alike. Defensive spells, arcane travel rituals, eldritch utility magic\u2014a wizard does it all. Plus, they'll blow things up when needed. And not surprisingly, things in an Acq Inc campaign need to get blown up a lot.",
								"It's easy to make the case that arcane magic is the most valuable component in any franchise business plan or strategic road map. And as a wizard, you're the premium vendor of advantageous arcane services. Just make sure that staff and intern contracts have strong language regarding the risk of friendly fire. But in the small print, way down there at the bottom.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"No wizard will ever take offense to a polite round of applause from the rest of the party after a particularly well-crafted spell."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}"
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/031-03-08.webp"
									},
									"title": "The Magic of Money",
									"width": 773,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Kris Straub"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Eldritch Utility",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"Though wizard encompasses a single class, the study of arcane magic lends itself to a broad range of specialization. As such, it's not enough to simply dedicate yourself to being the best wizard you can be. It's about figuring out which wizardly path best addresses your franchise's potential needs.",
										"Enchanters and illusionists in the service of a franchise can boggle the minds of enemies and allies. Transmuters, conjurers, and necromancers ensure that franchise members always have the right tool or monster for the job. Abjurers and diviners can help avoid catastrophic events before they happen. And evokers and war mages? No one needs to be reminded of the simple yet devastating majesty of a {@spell fireball} spell. Well, they don't need to be reminded more than once."
									],
									"id": "155"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Nightmare Magic",
									"page": 70,
									"entries": [
										"Your use of magic is always clean and precise. Still, tapping directly into the Weave to reshape reality or burn it to the ground has an eventual effect on the mind, and your sleep is often haunted by a recurring nightmare whose indelible images you cannot shake.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Lingering Nightmares",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Nightmare"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You stand atop a cliff as an apocalyptic sea monster emerges and begins painting the world around you with a brush in each tentacle. You cannot escape its attention, but wake up just before you are recolored."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You dream about walking on pieces of paper, each of which is scribed with the word \"eggshells.\" This is written in multiple languages, some of which you can't read."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You are giving the most important presentation of your career, and the magic you are using to create an impressive visual display has gone haywire. It now displays an illusory image of you wearing nothing but a strategically placed scarf."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A franchise staff member has gained a huge inheritance and retired. A note signed by you indicates that you withdrew the same huge amount of cash from company accounts the day before, but you have no memory of doing so."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You feel the pleasant tickling of feathers, then look up to find a cockatrice preening on your chest."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"All your pockets have been torn open, but you can't stop placing valuable objects in them. Each time an object falls out of a pocket, you pick it up, then put it in a pocket again."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "156"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Learning from the Best",
									"page": 71,
									"entries": [
										"Over the long years of study it took you to become a wizard, the arcane master you studied under left an indelible mark on you. Possibly a physical one. Kind or cruel, exacting or eccentric, this teacher shaped you during your apprentice days in profound and probably disturbing ways. Whether a typical mage wearing a pointy hat and dwelling in a remote tower, a bespectacled bookworm lurking in a dusty library, or an eldritch maniac with personal habits you're not comfortable talking about, your master made you the wizard you are today.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Arcane Masters",
											"colLabels": [
												"d8",
												"Master"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"text-center col-2",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Philia Fjor, a half-elf abjurer who baked cupcakes that functioned as potions."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Oghhga, a mute half-orc diviner who beat her unsuccessful students to death with rocks."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Impler Rickys, a gnome transmuter who lived under a bridge and worked for candied beets and honey peanuts."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Dame Melna Rothburntonberryville, a 238-year-old elf croquet player and evoker, and hero of the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth Troll Wars. (She was out on maternity leave during the fourth.)"
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Fernstern Drockburn, a deep gnome ventriloquist and conjurer, and his \"dummy\" Vinceroy, an imp familiar in a puppet suit."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Loa Hatt, a tiefling illusionist and cobbler, whose rumored dealings with devils led to many jokes about fixing soles while destroying souls."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"Reni the Hare, a halfling enchanter with an odd fondness for carrots. You ate a lot of carrots as an apprentice. You don't much like carrots anymore."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Sylvester Delague, a human necromancer whose greatest possession was a portrait painted by an ex-student, said to capture his green eyes perfectly. In truth, Sylvester was color-blind, and the portrait's eyes are bloodshot red. No one ever told him."
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"id": "157"
								}
							],
							"id": "154"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Matriculating from the Schools of Magic",
							"page": 71,
							"entries": [
								"With so many schools of magic available to wizards, each type of specialization brings a different set of skills and strengths to a franchise. Your chosen school can help define your role in the business, as well as your fellow franchise members' expectations for you.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Abjuration",
									"page": 71,
									"entries": [
										"Protective magic is often underappreciated by the members of the lesser character classes, with their focus on dealing the most damage in the flashiest way possible. But in an Acquisitions Incorporated franchise, where property and real estate need protection as much as the party members, your role as an abjurer is always greatly appreciated. Just don't make the rookie mistake of protecting everybody else before you take care of yourself and the goods. And if you need to reserve some spell slots before the rest of the party has been made sufficiently invulnerable? Hey, that's what potions are for."
									],
									"id": "159"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Conjuration",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"The ability to make something from nothing is the greatest business plan ever developed\u2014and that plan has your name all over it. As a conjurer, your utility to your franchise knows no bounds, whether you're creating the right tool for the job, summoning creatures for scouting or guard duty, or using {@spell dimension door} to slip away from a deal gone bad. The hard part of that last one is always figuring out which of your franchise mates you'll bring with you. Who's been particularly nice to you lately?"
									],
									"id": "15a"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Divination",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"Seers and soothsayers abound in the world, but most ply their trade only to take advantage of the credulous and the desperate. You possess the true gift of the diviner, able to tap into the flow of time to read portents of the future. Your divinations help negate the risks for your franchise, whether in business deals or dangerous treasure extractions. And sure, working on the credulous and the desperate is sometimes part of the plan. But when you do it, it's done with professional flare."
									],
									"id": "15b"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Enchantment",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"Trust. Community outreach. Social awareness. These things are important to every business, and as an enchanter, it's your job to ensure that your Acquisitions Incorporated franchise is synonymous with these concepts. Whether they're actually present in the franchise or not. When it comes down to it, having friends is an equally valuable asset in adventuring and business, and being able to turn enemies, rivals, and angry mobs into friends even for a short while can make a difference."
									],
									"id": "15c"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Evocation",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"As an evoker, you understand the wisdom of the adage, \"Speak softly and carry a big wand.\" As a member of Acquisitions Incorporated, you also know that the speaking softly part is entirely optional, contractually speaking. When your franchise needs firepower, you bring the damage and spread it in flashy, dramatic fashion. This works out great in the dungeon, and sometimes even at outdoor social events that don't feature a lot of flammable buildings nearby. In the boardroom or the council chamber, your skills are likely in less demand, but just knowing you're there can help keep the noble or the business magnate across the table fully engaged. Because as long as you are there, they know they're safe from having you burning their holdings to the ground."
									],
									"id": "15d"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Illusion",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"Success in business, as in combat, can often hinge on split-second decisions. As an illusionist, you have mastered the art of confounding the senses, leaving enemies, rivals, and customers uncertain as to what's real and what isn't. Once you convince those around you that they can't trust what they see or hear, that's a perfect opportunity to give them your preferred version of what's going on. Whether it's obscuring contracts, concealing incursions, or manifesting imaginary staff members to take the fall for your partners' misdeeds, your magic helps put the best possible illusory face on your franchise."
									],
									"id": "15e"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Necromancy",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"As a necromancer, you've always had an easy time making friends. Hah! That's hilarious because your friends are undead. But not everyone else in your franchise sees the lighter side of your magical craft. Clearly, the labor-to-paid-benefits ratio of undead interns can't be beat, but you need to be cognizant of the potential public-relations nightmare of franchise-branded zombies running amok. Still, if things get bad, there's nothing like a general marketing campaign reminding local folk that necromancy means {@spell raise dead}. Even if you can't cast it."
									],
									"id": "15f"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Transmutation",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"As a transmuter, you practice one of the most subtle forms of magic\u2014the transfiguration of one material substance into another. But let's be honest, your role in your franchise is going to be mostly about combat and ability buffs, and, \"Hey, why haven't you learned how to turn lead into gold yet?\" You take it in stride, though, because you understand that the long game is entirely about you. This franchise needs to be transformed from a chaotic mishmash of dysfunctional personalities and clashing goals into a well-tuned engine of commerce. And no one does transformation quite like you do."
									],
									"id": "160"
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "War Magic",
									"page": 72,
									"entries": [
										"Success in business requires prudent caution and take-charge offense in equal measure. As a war mage, your focus on abjuration and evocation is thus a good fit for success. Many war mages feel it their duty to waste their lives (sometimes literally) on the battlefield. But you specialize in the more subtle conflicts of the marketplace, where you can take your skills to a whole new level. You cast spells under pressure, never blinking in the face of death or financial ruin. And when it's necessary, you can blow up an adversary like nobody's business. Just make sure your franchise's collateral damage insurance is all up to date."
									],
									"id": "161"
								}
							],
							"id": "158"
						}
					],
					"id": "0de"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "New Race: Verdan",
					"page": 72,
					"entries": [
						"See the races page for more information on the {@race Verdan|AI}."
					],
					"id": "162"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "New Spells",
					"page": 74,
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/033-03-10.webp"
							},
							"width": 773,
							"height": 1000,
							"credit": "Kris Straub"
						},
						"Magic is power and power is profit\u2014which makes spellcasting just another part of the expansive business model of Acquisitions Incorporated. Magical research and development is a big part of day-to-day operations at Head Office, whose spellcasting staff toil day in and day out to come up with the very latest in eldritch improvements.",
						"Many of their developments remain closely guarded secrets, known only to the company's highest-ranking employees, and ready to be whipped out at a suitably dramatic moment. But every once in a while, a unique spell makes its way through the ranks of the company's casters and into the world at large. Some of these spells are alterations of old classics, while others bend the magical energy of the multiverse in new and exciting ways.",
						{
							"type": "quote",
							"entries": [
								"I don't do magic. I am magic."
							],
							"by": "{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}"
						},
						{
							"type": "list",
							"columns": 2,
							"items": [
								"{@spell Distort Value|AI}",
								"{@spell Fast Friends|AI}",
								"{@spell Gift of Gab|AI}",
								"{@spell Incite Greed|AI}",
								"{@spell Jim's Glowing Coin|AI}",
								"{@spell Jim's Magic Missile|AI}",
								"{@spell Motivational Speech|AI}"
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Royalty Component",
							"page": 76,
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI}'s unique brand of spellcasting mixes arcane expertise with a particular kind of pecuniary fervor. New spells originally developed by Jim spawned a new type of spell component, which has since spread to other spells created by employees and franchisees of Acquisitions Incorporated: the royalty component.",
								"To cast a spell that employs a royalty component (including using a {@item spell scroll} or other magic item that stores such a spell), a caster must have sufficient funds on their person. The cost of the casting is set by the caster who creates the spell, but is typically 1 gp per spell slot level. When the spell is cast, the royalty is magically transported to a coffer or other object designated by the creating spellcaster. This payment is made whether the caster using the spell is aware of the royalty component or not. If the caster does not have sufficient funds, the spell is not lost but it cannot be cast.",
								"Though many casters have tried to circumvent the royalty component, none have ever fully succeeded. However, it is said that a character can attempt a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check while casting a spell with a royalty component. With a successful check, the payment is taken from a random creature within 10 feet of the caster, without that creature's knowledge."
							],
							"id": "164"
						}
					],
					"id": "163"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Factions and Rivals",
					"page": 77,
					"entries": [
						"Other books detail the many power groups and factions that operate in Faerûn and the Sword Coast (including the {@book Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide|SCAG}). But a number of new factions and entrepreneurial enterprises are central to an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign\u2014starting with the group that an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign is actually named after.",
						{
							"type": "quote",
							"entries": [
								"At Acquisitions Incorporated, you inquire\u2014and we acquire™. For more than a decade, other people have had things you've really wanted, and we've gone over there to get those things even if they didn't want us to do that. Typically, they don't. But we don't work for them, we work for you™. We've acquired it all, but we specialize in staffs, gems, and storied weapons of great lineage. We do apply a reasonable surtax for rods, because rods. It's been a problem. This is Acq Inc in a nutshell: Defenses negotiable. Merchandise plentiful. Franchises available."
							],
							"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Acquisitions Incorporated",
							"page": 77,
							"entries": [
								"Sometimes a group of heroes comes together in a way that changes the paradigm forever. A group so magnificent, so powerful, so larcenous, that adventuring has never been the same since. For years now, that group has been Acquisitions Incorporated.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/034-glyph-ai.webp"
									},
									"maxWidth": 160,
									"width": 679,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Francisco Villasenor"
								},
								"The brainchild of company founder Ominifis Hereward Dran, Acq Inc has consistently maintained a position at the bleeding edge of adventuring technology, processes, and marketing. The staff of Acquisitions Incorporated, including the company's highly varied roster of inexpensive interns, engage in all aspects of adventuring. Salvage, infiltration, legally sanctioned life shortening, property redistribution, protection, removing protection, merchandising\u2014Acq Inc does it all.",
								"As Acquisitions Incorporated has grown, so too have the opportunities provided by that organization to neophyte adventurers looking for an advantage in the rough-and-tumble world of professional dungeoneering. From its humble beginnings in the basement of the Silver Unicorn Inn in Fallcrest, Acq Inc has become the only place to intern, boasting franchise opportunities that can propel struggling adventurers into the big leagues."
							],
							"id": "166"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dran Enterprises",
							"page": 77,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/035-glyph-dran.webp"
									},
									"maxWidth": 160,
									"width": 772,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Dora Litterell"
								},
								"Dran Enterprises is the biggest rival of Acquisitions Incorporated\u2014and has the strongest possible connection to that august organization. Founded by a false version of {@creature Auspicia Dran|AI} ({@creature Omin Dran|AI|Omin Dran's} sister, claimed by the creature known as the Wandering Crypt), Dran Enterprises has a well-established goal of wanting to take over Acquisitions Incorporated at any cost, even as the organization profits from the endeavors of Acq Inc employees and associates. Dran Enterprises' strategy for accomplishing this goal is built around providing adventuring services even more ruthlessly and efficiently than Acq Inc. Hostile takeovers, brutal rounds of downsizing, corporate espionage, and highly unethical behavior are just the most obvious of the company's many tools.",
								"With the death of the false Auspicia, Dran Enterprises was taken over by Omin's other sister, {@creature Portentia Dran|AI|Portentia}, who had operated in the shadows of the organization for some time beforehand. Certain personal secrets no doubt drive Portentia's single-minded focus for Dran Enterprises, but those have yet to be revealed. (To most people, at least. DMs can check out appendix A for more information.) In the meantime, the organization focuses on besting Acquisitions Incorporated at its own game while growing ever more powerful\u2014and eventually reaching the point where a corporate takeover of Acq Inc can no longer be thwarted.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"They say acquisition is a family business, and it's certainly true for those of my house. I hadn't seen my sister, {@creature Auspicia Dran|AI}, for years. Decades, in fact. And then out of nowhere, she returns with fresh branding and despicably evil backing, trying to acquire Acquisitions Incorporated. Being acquired ourselves is definitely not on brand, and I have definitely refused this offer. But I would like to know what the dental plans are like at Dran Enterprises, for a completely separate and unrelated reason."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "167"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Noble Knife",
							"page": 78,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/036-glyph-noble-knife.webp"
									},
									"maxWidth": 160,
									"width": 481,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Gavin Greco"
								},
								"The Noble Knife is a somewhat mysterious organization known for its high level of engagement with the cultures and societies within which its members work. Having made such engagements, the loyalists of the Noble Knife are watchful for signs of leaders and power brokers making the first transition to tyranny\u2014at which point, those newly minted tyrants are quickly assassinated for the greater good. The organization doesn't \"take jobs\" as such. Rather, its leadership assesses the moral and political landscape of the realm and selects targets thusly.",
								"The Noble Knife is named for its members' weapon of choice for their trademark deed. Similar to an {@item arrow of slaying}, a {@i noble knife} is a weapon whose magic is focused on killing a specific individual. The crafting of a {@i noble knife} is undertaken by a collective of artisans, and requires a range of exotic materials and components. Additionally, the act of creation takes twenty or more years off the lead artisan's life. It goes without saying that the Noble Knife is chock full of true believers.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Members of the Noble Knife are said to be able to carve their symbol into surfaces and \"pry\" reality in such a way that they can hide in it or escape through it. Though that seems pretty suspect if you ask me. They often work in pairs, with an assassin or observer paired with a \"tame mimic.\" Those mimics can take any object shape, as is normal for their abnormal kind, but are also able to transform into strange dogs that say \"woof.\" Not that they bark. They say \"woof\" like a person would. Unless you were a member of the faction, you'd almost never see two teams in the same place at the same time\u2014unless they had been given opposite tasks for some reason. If that's the case, get out of there quick, because whatever happens next isn't going to be pleasant."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "168"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Silver Sliver",
							"page": 78,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/037-glyph-silver-sliver.webp"
									},
									"maxWidth": 160,
									"width": 987,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Dora Litterell"
								},
								"In a world driven by gold, magic, and power, organizations that fly in the face of all three of those things are hard to understand. Doing good and seeking justice is all well and fine. But if there's no money changing hands, how do you measure the value of the work?",
								"The Silver Sliver exemplifies what goes wrong when good people fail to grasp the complexities of the world. They go around wearing masks, acting all heroically willy-nilly, righting wrongs and defending the weak... for no profit whatsoever! That brand of zealotry is dangerous, because you can't trust anyone who won't sometimes do a dishonest day's work for an honest day's wage.",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"I feel like making your company's name a tongue twister is a bold move in this marketplace. I wouldn't have done that. I've told the Silver Sliver on multiple occasions that I'm available for consulting on things like this. No response, though. The organization is said to be headed up by someone named Glimmr Violente: a woman devoted to not just the cause of justice in the abstract, but the literal application of justice via a scimitar. Her band of true believers do the whole shiny mask thing and don't charge for their services... which is another thing I wouldn't do."
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "169"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Six",
							"page": 78,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/038-glyph-the-six.webp"
									},
									"maxWidth": 160,
									"width": 690,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Francisco Villasenor"
								},
								"Any successful adventuring party makes enemies along the way. Defeated foes, unhappy or jealous allies, disillusioned associates or hirelings\u2014it's a long list. And a group as storied and reckless as Acquisitions Incorporated was always destined to break more than a few eggs while making their delicious brand of adventuring omelet.",
								"The Six is a group of just such enemies\u2014characters who were left hurt, underappreciated, or even dead in the wake of Acq Inc's magnificent achievements. Whether the Six are really six, or fewer, or more, remains to be seen. The organization's primary public goal appears to be revenge in the form of the downfall of {@creature Omin Dran|AI} and Acquisitions Incorporated, but who or what is truly behind the group\u2014and what other sinister vendettas they might cling to\u2014remains a mystery. Still, there's a good chance it's got something to do with destroying the world by unleashing the power of the Far Realm. (Sorry; \"Spoilers!\")",
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"The Six are a new player on the scene, which, to me, implies inexperience. Do you want to entrust your next acquisition to an agile new team? Actually, don't answer that. They have some kind of beef with Acquisitions Incorporated. I know that because they hand out pamphlets with my face on them, and there's one of those circles with the slash through it. Seems bad. Also, there's something about their logo I don't like... but I can't put my finger on it. People are saying they're weird and gross, and who am I to say otherwise?"
									],
									"by": "{@creature Omin Dran|AI}"
								}
							],
							"id": "16a"
						}
					],
					"id": "165"
				}
			],
			"id": "0dc"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 4: The Orrery of the Wanderer",
			"page": 79,
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "inset",
					"name": "No Players Allowed",
					"page": 79,
					"entries": [
						"This part of the book is for the DM only. If you're planning to run through the adventure as a player, stop reading now! Unless you want to keep going, that is. Because seriously, it's not like anyone's going to stop you. After all, information is power\u2014in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, and in life. Maybe you having a bit of an inside track is just what this adventure needs to make it really pop, and to keep the DM from getting all, \"Ooh, look at me! I'm the one with the secrets!\" I mean, can you believe how smug they are? It's like they're just begging you to turn the page..."
					],
					"id": "0ac"
				},
				"{@note See {@adventure The Orrery of the Wanderer|OOW} adventure.}"
			],
			"id": "0ab"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix A: Acq Inc",
			"page": 196,
			"entries": [
				"This section details some of the notable NPCs who can play a part in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Omin Dran",
					"page": 196,
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "quote",
							"entries": [
								"My duty, first and foremost, is to my shareholders. And I am the only shareholder."
							]
						},
						"{@creature Omin Dran|AI|Ominifis Hereward Dran} spent his formative years in the small waystop of Red Larch, where his mother, Prophetess, ran a popular inn and restaurant. In the brief periods of respite afforded by working the family business, Omin and his sisters, Auspicia and Portentia, were wont to wander the hills and trails around town, dreaming of adventure. But adventure of the wrong kind came calling for the trio one day, when an underground ruin they had often explored\u2014actually a creature called the Wandering Crypt\u2014took Auspicia from the world.",
						"{@creature Omin Dran|AI} built the organization called Acquisitions Incorporated to facilitate and expand his quest to find his true sister, at least in part. For despite his unprecedented success in establishing the market for franchised adventuring across the Sword Coast and beyond, Omin's full measure eludes most people. He is known to be a worshiper of Tymora, ruthless in matters of business, feckless in matters of love, and hopeless in games of chance. Omin is also often accused of being one of the Masked Lords of Waterdeep, though this bit of fancy earns little more than a chuckle in response. And even if the rumor were true, Omin would never leverage such a position for greater financial gain and power. Because that would be wrong...",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/099-636953233676878157.webp"
							},
							"width": 350,
							"height": 413,
							"credit": "Mike Krahulik"
						}
					],
					"id": "16c"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Jim Darkmagic",
					"page": 197,
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "quote",
							"entries": [
								"Have a magical day!"
							]
						},
						"{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI|James Winifred Darkmagic III} is the scion of a mysterious, multiplanar wizarding family. Jim's arcane pedigree has long preceded him, incorporating equally healthy amounts of magical training and innate eldritch prowess. However, despite a natural talent that could have allowed him to make a name for himself as a court wizard, or perhaps \"that strange old man in the village,\" Jim's original penchant was not for the magic of scroll or spell, but for the stage.",
						"As an entertainer and purveyor of the \"{@creature Jim Darkmagic|AI} Experience,\" the legendary mage can often be found in markets and town squares, performing feats of mundane legerdemain. The renown he has earned for these feats is nearly equaled by the reputation that follows him as chief arcanist (and occasional arsonist) for Acquisitions Incorporated. And although his skills as an adventurer and real wizard remain highly sought after, Jim looks forward to a well-earned retirement, at which point he hopes to become a \"real wizard\"\u2014by which he means a fake wizard\u2014full time.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/100-636953234295220419.webp"
							},
							"width": 349,
							"height": 452,
							"credit": "Mike Krahulik"
						}
					],
					"id": "16d"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Viari",
					"page": 198,
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "quote",
							"entries": [
								"I know a story about that..."
							]
						},
						"A product of life on a small-town farm, the rogue known as {@creature Viari|AI} carries fond memories of those childhood days and his loving family. (Well, except for that thing where his parents insist on thinking of his older brother as the successful one.) But he can be quick to show self-consciousness when talking of where he came from, and he never speaks of the name he bore in that former life.",
						"After quickly rising in the ranks of Acquisitions Incorporated since joining that august team, {@creature Viari|AI} has come to head what's known as the organization's Stabbing Department. A potent threat in both dueling and earnest debate, he demonstrates an equal flair for planning and forethought, mad combat moves (involving leaping off high places whenever possible), and dark vengeance.",
						"{@creature Viari|AI}'s career as an adventurer was nearly cut short during a battle of which the bards still sing. Unleashing a devastating attack with the aptly named {@i Apocalypse Dagger}, the rogue destroyed a giant single-handedly\u2014and lost his arm in the process. Although {@creature Viari|AI} was made bodily whole again in an equally dramatic magical fashion, some of those closest to him have noticed that those miraculous events weigh on him still, perhaps suggesting consequences that only he foresees.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/101-636953234689653377.webp"
							},
							"width": 400,
							"height": 517,
							"credit": "Mike Krahulik"
						}
					],
					"id": "16e"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Môrgæn",
					"page": 199,
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "quote",
							"entries": [
								"If I had wanted to kill, I would have killed."
							]
						},
						"The ranger {@creature Môrgæn|AI} is a renowned tracker and hunter, able to pinpoint-target foes at any range, then vanish into the woods with no one the wiser. Her legendary ability with the longbow and the custom arrows she crafts instills fear into the hearts of her many enemies\u2014and more than a few of her coworkers. Famously, she is the only member of Acquisitions Incorporated known to be paid in advance, lest a missed invoice lead to dire repercussions.",
						"A child of the forest, {@creature Môrgæn|AI} defends the natural world with singular ferocity and an impressive rate of sustained fire. Her core philosophy is that one should shoot first and then ask no questions later. Because what's the point of asking questions when the person you've shot first is already dead? Still, when the situation calls for it, this protector of the woodlands is equally at home on missions of subterfuge and social interaction in the big city, provided her well-known love of ale, wine, and other intoxicants doesn't get the better of her.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/102-636953235030230409.webp"
							},
							"width": 380,
							"height": 491,
							"credit": "Nurse Normal"
						}
					],
					"id": "16f"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Flabbergast",
					"page": 200,
					"entries": [
						"Not much is known of the mysterious and aloof majordomo of Acquisitions Incorporated Head Office, the mage known as {@creature Flabbergast|AI}. It's said that he hails from Neverwinter, and that his wealthy family helped erect and carve the famous Dolphin Bridge in that city. Although he detests physical labor, {@creature Flabbergast|AI} is a bit of a bridge builder in his own way, always striving to bring people together and flexing his diplomatic muscles. A pacifist bureaucrat, he abhors violence, and rarely puts his magical prowess on display.",
						"One thing that is known (though it's seldom spoken of) is that {@creature Flabbergast|AI} once worked for Dran Enterprises, and specifically for {@creature Portentia Dran|AI}. He carries a certain amount of guilt around being complicit in certain Dran Enterprises' dealings, and helped Acquisitions Incorporated on the side even before taking up an official role with the company. Though Head Office certainly trusts him, others might wonder where his true loyalties lie.",
						"{@creature Flabbergast|AI}'s familiar, Mister Snibbly, uses the {@creature cat} stat block.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/103-636953235648001537.webp"
							},
							"width": 400,
							"height": 517,
							"credit": "Nurse Normal"
						}
					],
					"id": "170"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "The \"C\" Team",
					"page": 200,
					"entries": [
						"The Acquisitions Incorporated \"C\" Team is an up-and-coming adventuring franchise whose members have proven themselves able to handle the most dire threats\u2014and equally able to fully capitalize on the resultant marketing opportunities. Tales of the group's adventures are well known across the North and the Sword Coast. But less well known to many is that the \"C\" team did not come together by mere chance.",
						"{@creature Walnut Dankgrass|AI}, {@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI}, {@creature Donaar Blit'zen|AI}, and {@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI} were all hand-selected for membership in Acquisitions Incorporated by founder {@creature Omin Dran|AI}, based on an experience he'd had as a young man. Upon entering a creature called the Wandering Crypt, Omin saw a vision of the heroes who would deliver his sister from that same creature years hence\u2014and later created the \"C\" Team as a manifestation of his lifelong goal of seeing {@creature Auspicia Dran|AI} returned to the world.",
						"The \"C\" team is headquartered in the small town of Red Larch, residing at the Dran & Courtier inn. The fact that the proprietor of this inn is one Prophetess \"Propha\" Dran, mother of {@creature Omin Dran|AI}, is entirely coincidental but a totally excellent strategic and cost-saving move.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Donaar Blit'zen",
							"page": 200,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Everybody cooooool out!"
									]
								},
								"The hulking dragonborn decisionist of the \"C\" Team, {@creature Donaar Blit'zen|AI} is an icon of brash confidence and warrior chill. He is known for his furious skill in battle, and for his propensity to fall asleep as soon as a fight is done (as well as countless other inopportune times). More immediately notable is the unique physical trait that all members of his clan bear\u2014a stylish tail that is rare and often considered a deformity among dragonborn.",
								"As with his tail, an odd quirk of heritage makes Donaar's acid breath more of a signature vomiting, giving rise to a driving paranoia that this regurgitation might damage his teeth. As testaments to his obsession with dental hygiene, Donaar named his greatsword Toothbrush and calls his whip Floss. He carries an actual toothbrush (named Percival) and actual floss at all times.",
								"Those who know Donaar quickly come to recognize that the braggadocio that defines him involves a certain amount of artifice. When the young dragonborn left his clan and family to adventure in foreign climes, he realized that doing so provided the perfect opportunity to reinvent himself for folk who had no idea what he was once like. As such, Donaar has learned that no amount of bravado and compensation is too much\u2014provided he leaves no openings for strangers to call him on it. By the same token, strangers quickly come to realize that reinforcing Donaar's self-congratulating sense of draconic entitlement makes it remarkably easy to win his favor.",
								"Despite his easily massaged vanity, the dragonborn sometimes shows the occasional streak of selflessness. Most notably, Donaar serves in his off-hours as part-time godfather to a young dragonborn named Chronaar, who had inadvertently imprinted on Donaar as a parental figure while he watched over her while she was in her egg.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/104-636953236705926018.webp"
									},
									"width": 400,
									"height": 517,
									"credit": "Nurse Normal"
								}
							],
							"id": "172"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "K'thriss Drow'b",
							"page": 202,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"All things are divided into meat and mouths\u2014but even a mouth is just meat."
									]
								},
								"The drow warlock {@creature K'thriss Drow'b|AI} cuts a dashing figure as the worldly representative of the Ur\u2014a ravenous, inscrutable, and largely indifferent elder entity from beyond reality. Tapped into this dark power, the \"C\" Team's hoardsperson sees all existence as a puzzle to unlock, and he is obsessed by the essential lack of meaning and purpose in the structures of so-called \"reality.\" Still, all things considered, he is most often polite and affable. Because after a long adventuring career, he understands that he can't afford to make more enemies.",
								"Given his blue skin tone, rumors suggest that K'thriss is of mixed heritage, but no one knows for sure. As a young and doubting adherent of Lolth, he stumbled upon fragments of a relic known as the Black Altar, exposing him to their infinite truths and shocking the drow's hair jet-black. His matching \"beard\" is actually a slow-growing colony of inert spores that K'thriss believes makes him look distinguished. Possessed of alarming and asymmetric crystalline eyes, he often wears a blindfold to spare others his visage, seeing through the eyes of his familiar while he does.",
								"Tentacles play a big part in K'thriss's spellcasting, whether wrenching him through the sky when he uses magic to fly, or manifesting in dark, suckered form when he casts spells such as {@spell thorn whip}. And when enemies hear K'thriss whisper the deep truths of the Ur\u2014typically something about how on a geologic time scale, everyone's desires are meaningless\u2014they remember it.",
								"K'thriss's familiar, Ligotti, is a semisapient remnant of a tentacle attack, spawned by the warlock's intercessor patron god. Though entirely alien to the material plane (and often appearing in the form of a staff), Ligotti uses the stat block of a {@creature poisonous snake} with these changes:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"It has an Intelligence score of {@ability int 12}.",
										"It has telepathy out to a range of 30 feet."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/105-636953237219335109.webp"
									},
									"width": 400,
									"height": 517,
									"credit": "Nurse Normal"
								}
							],
							"id": "173"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Rosie Beestinger",
							"page": 203,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"Well, I have this jar of eyeballs..."
									]
								},
								"Weighing in at just under 30 pounds and with a grandmotherly demeanor befitting her advanced age, {@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI} is easily mistaken for someone on the wrong side of the \"aggressor/victim\" relationship. But this is a mix-up that few people make more than once. Patient and studious, Rosie has schooled more than one malcontent with what the halfling refers to as \"the sauce\"\u2014a whirlwind of kicks and punches to one or the other haunches that can inspire even the toughest half-orc to sprint toward anyplace Rosie isn't. As an increasing number of folk hear the tales of her prowess, the \"C\" Team cartographer's fame among her fellow halflings has become nothing short of legendary. Still, this adoration might be augmented by the sheer number of halflings related to Rosie. She has a daunting number of natural and adopted children, many of whom have followed their mother along the adventuring career track.",
								"Rosie's goals have always been more complex than merely seeking after adventure. She has long sought for ultimate meaning in the stars, and to seek justification for her belief that her bonds to her expansive family are reflected in the endless movements and intricate patterns of the sky. However, the Beestinger clan has a less metaphysical reputation in the eyes of many people, as constantly swirling rumors attempt to connect the family to various and nefarious halfling criminal enterprises. Naturally, Rosie knows nothing about any of that. Sure, her nickname is \"Grandmother Night,\" but that probably doesn't mean anything.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/106-636953238397675166.webp"
									},
									"width": 319,
									"height": 413,
									"credit": "Nurse Normal"
								}
							],
							"id": "174"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Walnut Dankgrass",
							"page": 204,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "quote",
									"entries": [
										"The war ever rages."
									]
								},
								"Growing up in an all-female clan of druids, healers, and rangers, {@creature Walnut Dankgrass|AI} was drawn to the role of protector from her earliest years. Dedicated to Mielikki, the matriarchal clan known as the Enclave Panax Anima defended the unspoiled wild by word and blade (with the latter option more prevalent by far). But when tragedy struck the enclave, Walnut's clan was destroyed to the last\u2014leaving her with nothing but the all-consuming desire to seek out and destroy those responsible.",
								"As a guardian of the wild, Walnut has long held an antipathy toward civilization and anything urban. However, understanding that civilization was the source of the evil that destroyed her people, she makes the city her home now. She embraces her role as the \"C\" Team's documancer, knowing that the city's power\u2014and its weaknesses\u2014can be fully gleaned only from within.",
								"Walnut distrusts most folk she meets, except for those whose bearing reflects the matriarchal structure she was once part of. No matter what shape her struggles take, she knows instinctively that her beliefs are right and true\u2014and that she will follow those beliefs to the bitter end.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/107-636953238721182878.webp"
									},
									"width": 400,
									"height": 517,
									"credit": "Nurse Normal"
								}
							],
							"id": "175"
						}
					],
					"id": "171"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "The \"B\" Team",
					"page": 205,
					"entries": [
						"Though its exploits are not as well known as those of fellow franchisees the \"C\" Team, the Acquisitions Incorporated \"B\" Team has a solid reputation for getting things done. Often traveling together in the guise of a musical group, the team is best known for its \"whatever, wherever, whenever\" mission statement and a predilection for extreme violence. (If you meet any of its members, don't talk about the vampires. Just don't.)",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/108-appendix-a-10.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Phoenix Anvil|AI}, {@creature Oak Truestrike|AI}, {@creature Brahma Lutier|AI}, And {@creature Pendragon Beestinger|AI}",
							"width": 1545,
							"height": 1000,
							"credit": "Chris Walton"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Brahma Lutier",
							"page": 205,
							"entries": [
								"Formally a former member of the \"B\" Team, {@creature Brahma Lutier|AI} is a gifted cartographer, spy, and troubadour. Tutored in at least the latter of those vocations by Audra Courtier (wife of Propha Dran and co-owner of the Dran & Courtier inn of Red Larch), Brahma's specialty is a song of domination that is legendarily difficult to resist.",
								"Her retirement is said to be connected to a falling out with husband {@creature Oak Truestrike|AI}, and Brahma has been operating as a solo agent for some time now. Known for a personality that is murderous and cheery in equal part, she utilizes an instrument of dragonborn design in combat. Known as a war lute, this unique item comes replete with hidden storage and powerful weaponry."
							],
							"id": "177"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Oak Truestrike",
							"page": 205,
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Oak Truestrike|AI} is the \"B\" Team's decisionist\u2014and, depending on who you talk to, a reincarnated demigod. (It's a long story.) Those who know him acknowledge his confidence, his arrogance, and his odd ability to engage with others by somehow saying exactly what each listener wants to hear. Whether this is some subtle magical ability or simply grifter's charm, he makes good use of it either way.",
								"Oak becomes a radically different person with each of his reincarnations, flipping between neutral good and neutral evil. His memories of past lives have been fractured by his many deaths, but he spends each new life accounting for the previous life in a karmic-ledger kind of way. His current incarnation embraces the good side. Mostly. Except for that occasional toxic bitterness. Oh, and the misanthropy. Actually, if you end up hating this guy, it's probably not your fault."
							],
							"id": "178"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Pendragon Beestinger",
							"page": 207,
							"entries": [
								"Able arcanist {@creature Pendragon Beestinger|AI} took over as \"B\" Team cartographer after {@creature Brahma Lutier|AI} left the group. In fact, his first assignment was to assist in the team's attempts to apprehend the wandering bard. An adopted child of the \"C\" Team's {@creature Rosie Beestinger|AI}, Pendragon is his mother's foil in almost every way\u2014including his goal of wanting to mainstream some of the family's rumored criminal interests. Pendragon has, in fact, attempted to kill his mother\u2014and been killed himself in the process. Despite his having been resurrected at Rosie's request, things remain cool between the two.",
								"Pendragon was kicked out of wizarding school as a result of the dark rumors following the Beestinger clan. Now a self-taught mage, he specializes in making use of the dangerous spells and weird trinkets he often comes across in his role as a kind of arcane archaeologist. Seeking out the family feeling that an adventuring group provides keeps him in the \"B\" Team, even if that unfortunately comes with {@creature Oak Truestrike|AI} as a kind of father figure."
							],
							"id": "179"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Phoenix Anvil",
							"page": 207,
							"entries": [
								"The \"B\" Team hoardsperson, {@creature Phoenix Anvil|AI} is a servant of Waukeen and a soft-spoken sort. Really soft. Like, he talks so infrequently that even he might not recognize his own voice. Phoenix comes from the streets, where he grew up a fighter until a job sweeping the steps of a small temple of Waukeen showed him a new path. His hunger for coin as an adventurer is thus guided by his knowledge of what it is to do without.",
								"More of an object individual than a people person, Phoenix is obsessively dedicated to the franchise's assets and accounts. Thankfully, he includes his fellow members among those assets, making him fiercely loyal. However, {@creature Oak Truestrike|AI} is the only team member he's ever really warmed to, which doesn't do either of them any good."
							],
							"id": "17a"
						}
					],
					"id": "176"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "House Dran",
					"page": 207,
					"entries": [
						"As the renowned head of Acquisitions Incorporated and totally not a Masked Lord of Waterdeep, {@creature Omin Dran|AI} sometimes seems the epitome of the self-made humanoid. But those who know the story of Omin's rise to power know the importance of his family to that story\u2014and the complicated relationships that continue to bind Acquisitions Incorporated to the women of House Dran.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "book/AI/109-appendix-a-11.webp"
							},
							"title": "Portentia, Prophetess, And {@creature Auspicia Dran|AI}",
							"width": 2333,
							"height": 1000,
							"credit": "Nurse Normal"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Auspicia Dran",
							"page": 207,
							"entries": [
								"The youngest sister of {@creature Omin Dran|AI}, the half-elf {@creature Auspicia Dran|AI} had her life torn apart as a child when she was seized by a mysterious creature called the Wandering Crypt. Having spent long years in a kind of dark dream within the crypt, she was saved in the end by her brother Omin's tireless efforts and the valor of his handpicked \"C\" Team. Now returned safely to the world\u2014and with the false Auspicia of the crypt's creation slain\u2014she focuses on trying to discover her own identity and to work through the ongoing complications arising from her ordeal.",
								"When Auspicia emerged from the Wandering Crypt, she carried within her a growing level of psionic power. She can't help but read others' minds, but finds that wearing a diamond earring helps tamp that unwitting ability down. This magic has also left her connected to the crypt in a way she doesn't understand, even as it grants her occasional memories of others still trapped there and an awareness of faraway places. In combat, she manifests an instinctive knowledge of events before they happen, often making use of this ability to bring a fight to a standstill that encourages parley. But she has only just begun to explore her full precognitive potential."
							],
							"id": "17c"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Portentia Dran",
							"page": 207,
							"entries": [
								"Now the owner and driving force behind Dran Enterprises\u2014perhaps Acquisitions Incorporated's most notable rival in the adventuring-for-profit-and-power biz\u2014{@creature Portentia Dran|AI} is more than she appears to be. Quite literally. The person known as Portentia is actually a changeling, who took the place of the real Portentia before her fifth year.",
								"The changeling Portentia can affect a range of disguises, and has spent long years engaged in a mission of manipulating the members of the Dran family. Years ago, it was Portentia who tricked her sister Auspicia into exploring the depths of the Wandering Crypt. And she would have been successful in arranging for Omin to be claimed by that creature as well if he hadn't fled immediately in search of a weapon to aid his captured sister.",
								"Whether in combat or social encounters, Portentia shifts frequently between different forms and mindsets, only some of which are fully humanoid. She fights to maim, with a cruel combat style that emphasizes surprise and painful instruction. She is willing to affect any appearance or attitude to achieve her goals. But what those goals are\u2014for herself and Dran Enterprises alike\u2014remain a secret known only to her."
							],
							"id": "17d"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Prophetess Dran",
							"page": 208,
							"entries": [
								"The elf matriarch of the Dran clan, {@creature Prophetess Dran|AI|Prophetess} is a retired paladin of Tymora who now runs the inn known as the Dran & Courtier. Formerly owned by her parents (and once called the Omindran), the inn has been a central feature of the village of Red Larch since before there was a Red Larch.",
								"Prophetess spent long years haunted by the fate of her daughter, Auspicia. She never fully believed Omin's stories about the strange creature that had seized his sister, then created a false Auspicia in her stead. Having long attempted to simply make her peace with the loss, she was overwhelmed by the real Auspicia's dramatic and unexpected return to the world. Through all that time and currently, Prophetess has maintained a challenging relationship with her faith.",
								"Though retired from active service to her deity, Prophetess can call on her spells and abilities in times of need, and remains in constant practice with Confessor, her maul. At her core, she believes that the gods help those who help themselves, and that people have a responsibility to their community. A practical sort who prefers to do things on her own, she doesn't like to fuss with prayer if she doesn't need to, as if bothering Tymora with trifles might seem rude.",
								"{@creature Prophetess Dran|AI|Prophetess} uses the {@creature priest} stat block with the following changes:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"She is lawful good.",
										"She has Strength 14.",
										"She wears breastplate (AC 14).",
										"She has the following attack: {@b Maul}. {@i Melee Weapon Attack}: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. {@i Hit}: 9 ({@dice 2d6 + 2}) bludgeoning damage.",
										"She has these racial traits: Prophetess has advantage on saving throws against being {@condition charmed}, and magic can't put her to sleep. She has {@sense darkvision} out to a range of 60 feet. She speaks Common and Elvish."
									]
								}
							],
							"id": "17e"
						}
					],
					"id": "17b"
				}
			],
			"id": "16b"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix B: Monsters",
			"page": 209,
			"entries": [
				"This appendix details a few creatures that have roles to play in this adventure, and which can play an ongoing part in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign.",
				{
					"type": "list",
					"columns": 2,
					"items": [
						"{@creature Chaos Quadrapod|AI}",
						"{@creature Clockwork Dragon|AI}",
						"{@creature Deep Crow|AI}",
						"{@creature Ancient Deep Crow|AI}",
						"{@creature Keg Robot|AI}",
						"{@creature Splugoth the Returned|AI}"
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Iconic Faction Features",
					"page": 214,
					"entries": [
						"An Acquisitions Incorporated campaign frequently pits the characters against rival franchises and enemy factions. This section provides iconic features that can be added to any monster or NPC stat block to make that stat block representative of a specific faction, allowing employees of organizations such as Dran Enterprises or the Six to show off specific training or tactics endemic to those organizations.",
						"Not all monsters or NPCs in the employ of a faction need to have faction features. Lower-ranked members of an organization might have only one iconic feature, with that feature replacing some other aspect of their stat block. Faction leaders and specialist field operatives might have all the iconic features, in addition to the regular features of their stat block. Each set of iconic faction features comes with a list of NPCs that work well as members of that faction, but those are only suggestions.",
						"Many faction features increase the relative challenge of a creature, and thus can increase the threat level of an encounter. Be especially aware of this if you add faction features to multiple foes in a combat encounter, and think about decreasing the number of foes to keep the encounter balanced.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Dran Enterprises Employee",
							"page": 214,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic employee of Dran Enterprises has two goals over and above all others: serve Dran Enterprises loyally, and prove the superiority of Dran Enterprises over Acquisitions Incorporated. Enemy franchises are to be undermined, defeated, and acquired at any cost.",
								"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Bandit captain}, {@creature guard}, {@creature veteran} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature bard|VGM}, {@creature swashbuckler|VGM}, {@creature transmuter|VGM}, {@creature warlock of the archfey|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Corporate Focus",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"The creature has advantage on saving throws against being {@condition charmed}, and has advantage on Wisdom or Charisma checks made as part of a contest."
											],
											"id": "183"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Freeze Assets (1/Day)",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"The next time this creature hits with an attack, it can use a bonus action to cause the target of the attack to make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is {@condition paralyzed} until the start of its next turn."
											],
											"id": "184"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Hostile Takeover (1/Day)",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"When a visible attacker within 15 feet of this creature makes an attack roll, this creature uses its reaction to force the attacker to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. Unless the save succeeds, this creature forces the attack roll to be rerolled against a different target of its choice (other than the attacker) that is within the attack's range."
											],
											"id": "185"
										}
									],
									"id": "182"
								}
							],
							"id": "181"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Noble Knife Agent",
							"page": 214,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/113-appendix-b-04.webp"
									},
									"title": "Agent Of The Noble Knife",
									"width": 647,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Chris Walton"
								},
								"The iconic Noble Knife agent sees Acquisitions Incorporated as just another power-hungry group inevitably getting in the way of their own order's principled stand against tyranny. And maybe a few of the higher-ups in Acq Inc need to be looked at a little more closely in that regard.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Acolyte}, {@creature mage}, {@creature spy}, {@creature thug} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature archer|VGM}, {@creature enchanter|VGM}, {@creature swashbuckler|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Noble Strike (1/Day)",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"The next time this creature hits with an attack, it can use a bonus action to cause the target of the attack to become {@condition frightened}. An affected target can make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success."
											],
											"id": "188"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Ready to Fight",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"This creature has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that is {@status surprised}."
											],
											"id": "189"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Reality Slip (1/Day)",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"As a reaction when this creature is hit by an attack, it can move up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks, then can make one melee weapon attack."
											],
											"id": "18a"
										}
									],
									"id": "187"
								}
							],
							"id": "186"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Zealot of the Silver Sliver",
							"page": 214,
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "book/AI/114-appendix-b-05.webp"
									},
									"title": "Silver Sliver Zealot",
									"width": 726,
									"height": 1000,
									"credit": "Chris Walton"
								},
								"The iconic zealot of the Silver Sliver is guided by a desire for justice and good, but appears to have no grasp of business or market forces. Zealots hide behind their masks as they carry out their pro bono heroics, and chastise other hard-working adventurers at every opportunity.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Berserker}, {@creature knight}, {@creature priest} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature diviner|VGM}, {@creature war priest|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Touch of the Mask (1/Day)",
											"page": 214,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, this creature thrusts a mask into the face of another creature within 5 feet of it, forcing that creature to make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the target is {@condition stunned} until the end of its next turn. A creature that has no face, or whose face is fully covered by a mask or helmet, is immune to this effect."
											],
											"id": "18d"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "True Believer (1/Day)",
											"page": 215,
											"entries": [
												"As a reaction when this creature fails a saving throw against being {@condition charmed}, it can reroll the saving throw."
											],
											"id": "18e"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Zealot's Justice (1/Day)",
											"page": 215,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, this creature unleashes a cacophony of platitudes that can leave others reeling. Each creature of its choice within 30 feet of it that can hear it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be {@condition restrained}. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success."
											],
											"id": "18f"
										}
									],
									"id": "18c"
								}
							],
							"id": "18b"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Affiliate of the Six",
							"page": 215,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic affiliate of the Six aims not to acquire rival franchises, but to destroy them completely. Affiliates of the Six love to toy with their foes, revealing the full extent of their evil only as they prepare to eradicate those foes.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Bandit captain}, {@creature berserker}, {@creature cultist}, {@creature cult fanatic} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature blackguard|VGM}, {@creature conjurer|VGM}, {@creature illusionist|VGM}, {@creature warlock of the great old one|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Glimpse of the Beyond (1/Day)",
											"page": 215,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, this creature provides a glimpse into its true nature by extolling the madness of the Far Realm. Each creature within 30 feet of this creature that can see and hear it must succeed on a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw or be {@condition blinded}. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success."
											],
											"id": "192"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Something Feels Off (1/Day)",
											"page": 215,
											"entries": [
												"When a visible attacker within 5 feet of this creature makes an attack roll against it, it can use its reaction to unleash a pulse of distracting otherworldly power, imposing disadvantage on the attack roll."
											],
											"id": "193"
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Touch of Madness",
											"page": 215,
											"entries": [
												"This creature has advantage on saving throws against being {@condition charmed} or {@condition frightened}."
											],
											"id": "194"
										}
									],
									"id": "191"
								}
							],
							"id": "190"
						}
					],
					"id": "180"
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Iconic Franchise Features",
					"page": 215,
					"entries": [
						"The line between competitors and enemies can be razor thin in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, and franchise members will often find themselves bumping heads with the members of other Acq Inc franchises. Things might even get rough sometimes. It's just business.",
						"The following iconic features can be added to NPC or monster stat blocks to represent company positions similar to those of the characters. These features are inspired by the company positions in chapter 2 but are intended only for quick use in combat encounters, and thus do not recreate all of a position's features in NPC form. DMs creating NPCs who have company positions can use additional position features from chapter 2 for those NPCs as desired.",
						"Other factions such as the Six or Dran Enterprises have employees that take on company positions similar to those adopted by members of Acq Inc. These features can be used for members of those factions as well, either on their own or added to the faction features from the previous section.",
						"A monster or NPC that has a company position always carries the special items granted by that position (a cartographer's {@item spyglass of clairvoyance|AI} and {@item cartographer's map case|AI}, a hoardsperson's {@item living loot satchel|AI}, and so forth). As normal, these items do not function for anyone else, and will be actively sought out by the organization that owns them if they are lost or stolen.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Cartographer",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic cartographer makes a point of knowing the position of every member of their team, understanding the layout of their immediate area and the location of any exits or escape routes.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Acolyte}, {@creature druid}, {@creature guard}, {@creature scout}, {@creature spy} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature archer|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Map of Shortcuts (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, the cartographer produces a map from its {@item cartographer's map case|AI} that shows useful shortcuts in the immediate area and then vanishes. Each creature of the cartographer's choice that can see the map can take the {@action Dash} or {@action Disengage} action as a bonus action on its next turn."
											],
											"id": "198"
										}
									],
									"id": "197"
								}
							],
							"id": "196"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Decisionist",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic decisionist constantly polls allies and foes during the ongoing battle, getting a read on what everyone thinks, and then explaining how they're all completely wrong.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Bandit captain}, {@creature knight}, {@creature scout} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature archer|VGM}, {@creature enchanter|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Better Odds (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, this creature flips its {@item coin of decisionry|AI} to determine the best course of action, choosing a number of creatures that can see and hear it. Each of the target creatures (in addition to this creature) rolls a {@dice d4} and adds the number rolled to the next ability check, saving throw, or attack roll it makes."
											],
											"id": "19b"
										}
									],
									"id": "19a"
								}
							],
							"id": "199"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Documancer",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"An iconic documancer acts with the authority of their organization. Documancers constantly speak in legalese, referencing obscure reasons why opponents will fail or should surrender.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Acolyte}, {@creature mage}, {@creature priest}, {@creature veteran} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature bard|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Scroll Service (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, the documancer draws a {@item spell scroll} from its {@item documancy satchel|AI}. The scroll contains a spell of up to 3rd level of the documancer's choice. Only the documancer can use the scroll, which vanishes after 1 minute."
											],
											"id": "19e"
										}
									],
									"id": "19d"
								}
							],
							"id": "19c"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Hoardsperson",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic hoardsperson flaunts their wealth, knowing that foes are daunted by that which they have failed to earn.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Bandit captain}, {@creature gladiator} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature master thief|VGM}, {@creature swashbuckler|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "That Thing You Need (3/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"The hoardsperson pulls one item of its choice from the {@item living loot satchel|AI}. This can be any item found on the {@book Adventuring Gear table|PHB|5|Adventuring Gear} in chapter 5, \"{@book Equipment|PHB|5},\" of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}. The item must be worth no more than 15 gp."
											],
											"id": "1a1"
										}
									],
									"id": "1a0"
								}
							],
							"id": "19f"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Loremonger",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic loremonger trades in information, even when locked down in battle. A loremonger constantly tries to goad foes into revealing plans and secrets.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Cult fanatic}, {@creature druid}, {@creature mage}, {@creature priest} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature bard|VGM}, {@creature enchanter|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Whispered Encyclopedia (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"When a visible creature within 20 feet of the loremonger makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, the loremonger can use its reaction to impose disadvantage on the roll."
											],
											"id": "1a4"
										}
									],
									"id": "1a3"
								}
							],
							"id": "1a2"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Obviator",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic obviator sees foes as obstacles worthy of respect. Obviators engage in repartee, testing the minds and skills of their opponents as their own strategy is deployed.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Assassin}, {@creature gladiator}, {@creature priest} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature martial arts adept|VGM}, {@creature swashbuckler|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Read the Opposition (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"As a bonus action, the obviator chooses one other creature it can see, then relays information about the target's tactics to all creatures that can hear this creature. Until the end of the target creature's next turn, attack rolls and contested ability checks made against the target are made with advantage."
											],
											"id": "1a7"
										}
									],
									"id": "1a6"
								}
							],
							"id": "1a5"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Occultant",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic occultant believes that every action changes the world around them, requiring a proper reaction. Occultants attempt to inspire fear in their foes with dire prognostications and mysterious portents.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Berserker}, {@creature druid}, {@creature gladiator}, {@creature knight}, and {@creature tribal warrior} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature diviner|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Bead of Instant Karma (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"When a creature the occultant can see makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, the occultant can use its reaction to give its choice of advantage or disadvantage to the roll."
											],
											"id": "1aa"
										}
									],
									"id": "1a9"
								}
							],
							"id": "1a8"
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Iconic Secretarian",
							"page": 216,
							"entries": [
								"The iconic secretarian treats their foes like customers, offering deals they shouldn't refuse and inviting them to switch allegiances for greater profit and security.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"style": "list-hang-notitle",
									"items": [
										"{@b Recommended NPCs}: {@creature Acolyte}, {@creature berserker}, {@creature knight}, {@creature noble}, and {@creature priest} ({@book Monster Manual|MM}); {@creature bard|VGM}, {@creature warlock of the archfey|VGM} ({@book Volo's Guide to Monsters|VGM})"
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Charming Introduction (1/Day)",
											"page": 216,
											"entries": [
												"As an action, the secretarian hands a business card from its {@item portfolio keeper|AI} to a creature within 5 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be {@condition charmed} by the secretarian, as if under the effect of the {@spell charm person} spell."
											],
											"id": "1ad"
										}
									],
									"id": "1ac"
								}
							],
							"id": "1ab"
						}
					],
					"id": "195"
				}
			],
			"id": "17f"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix C: Vehicles",
			"page": 217,
			"entries": [
				"Franchisees in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign might gain access to\u2014or find themselves under attack from\u2014either of the unique vehicles in this section. Both are created and loaned out by Head Office, sometimes even at reasonable rates.",
				{
					"type": "list",
					"columns": 2,
					"items": [
						"{@vehicle Battle Balloon|AI}",
						"{@vehicle Mechanical Beholder|AI}"
					]
				}
			],
			"id": "1ae"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix D: Orrery and Components",
			"page": 220,
			"entries": [
				"This section details the artifact known as the {@item Orrery of the Wanderer|AI} and its six magic clockwork components, all of which are central to the adventure in {@adventure chapter 4|OoW|0}.",
				{
					"type": "list",
					"columns": 4,
					"items": [
						"{@item Orrery of the Wanderer|AI}",
						"{@item Chronolometer|AI}",
						"{@item Dimensional Loop|AI}",
						"{@item Far Gear|AI}",
						"{@item Rotor of Return|AI}",
						"{@item Timepiece of Travel|AI}",
						"{@item Wheel of Stars|AI}"
					]
				}
			],
			"id": "1af"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix E: Trinkets",
			"page": 222,
			"entries": [
				"See the items page for the full list of {@item Trinket|AI|trinkets}."
			],
			"id": "1b0"
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Credits",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "list",
					"style": "list-hang-notitle",
					"items": [
						"This book was a collaboration between Wizards of the Coast and Penny Arcade. Members of the Wizards of the Coast team are marked with an asterisk.",
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Creative Directors:",
							"entry": "Jerry Holkins, Elyssa Grant, Scott Fitzgerald Gray"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Designers:",
							"entry": "Shawn Merwin, Teos Abadía, Jerry Holkins, Scott Fitzgerald Gray"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Producers:",
							"entry": "Elyssa Grant, Dan Tovar*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Associate Producer:",
							"entry": "Bill Benham*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Development:",
							"entry": "Shawn Merwin, Teos Abadía, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Chris S. Sims, Ben Petrisor*, Jeremy Crawford*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Lead Editor:",
							"entry": "Scott Fitzgerald Gray"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Editors:",
							"entry": "Michele Carter, Chris S. Sims, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, F. Wesley Schneider*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Indexing:",
							"entry": "Lyz Liddell"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Art Directors:",
							"entry": "Mike Krahulik, Francisco Villaseñor, Shauna Narciso,* Kate Irwin*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Additional Art Direction:",
							"entry": "Jerry Holkins, Elyssa Grant, Scott Fitzgerald Gray"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Graphic Designers:",
							"entry": "Amy T. Falcone, Emi Tanji,* Trish Yochum*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Cover Illustrator:",
							"entry": "Mike Krahulik"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Interior Illustrators:",
							"entry": "Dabe Alan, Joy Ang, Darren M. A. Calvert, Daarken, Michele Giorgi, Gavin Greco, Leesha Hannigan, Tyler Jacobson, Nicholas Kay, Julian Kok, Dora Litterell, Nurse Normal, Aviv Or, Klaus Pillon, Carmen Sinek, Kris Straub, Kim Van Deun, Francisco Villaseñor, Chris Walton"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Cartographers:",
							"entry": "Jared Blando, Jason Engle, Robert Lazzaretti, Ben Reece, Mike Schley"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Additional Design:",
							"entry": "Luke Lancaster, Zac Naoum"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Additional Flavor Text Writers:",
							"entry": "Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik, Patrick Rothfuss, Morgan Webb, Amy T. Falcone, Kate Welch, Ryan Hartman, Kris Straub, Luke Lancaster"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Production Services:",
							"entry": "Cynda Callaway,* Jefferson Dunlap,* David Gershman*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Brand and Marketing:",
							"entry": "Ryan Hartman, Elyssa Grant, Greg Tito,* Cate Olsen, Anna Vo,* Stride PR, 360 PR*"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Additional Penny Arcade Team Members:",
							"entry": "Mike Buland, David Coffman, Beth Damis, Patrick Groome, Jeff Kalles, Lidija Piper, Joshua Price, Laura Stringer"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "*Additional D&D Team Members:",
							"entry": "Bart Carroll, Pelham Greene, Adam Lee, Ari Levitch, Christopher Lindsay, Shelly Mazzanoble, Mike Mearls, Christopher Perkins, Satine Phoenix, Hilary Ross, Liz Schuh, Nathan Stewart, Greg Tito, Kate Welch, Richard Whitters, Shawn Wood"
						},
						{
							"type": "item",
							"name": "Full Acquisitions Incorporated Cast:",
							"entry": "Jerry Holkins as Ominifis Hereward \"Omin\" Dran, Mike Krahulik as James Winifred \"Jim\" Darkmagic III, Patrick Rothfuss as Viari, Morgan Webb as Môrgæn, WWE Superstar Xavier Woods as Bobby Zimeruski, Wil Wheaton as Aeofel Elhromane, Amy T. Falcone as Walnut Dankgrass, Ryan Hartman as Donaar Blit'zen, Kate Welch as Rosie Beestinger, Kris Straub as K'thriss Drow'b, Scott Kurtz as Binwin Bronzebottom, Holly Conrad as Strix Beestinger, Anna Prosser as Evelyn Marthain; with Dungeon Masters Jeremy Crawford and Christopher Perkins"
						}
					]
				}
			],
			"id": "0ad"
		}
	]
}