16 — Trade and Professions — Economic System (5e / 2024)

Status: Rev 001 — Core trade + deep layer skeleton + six profession modules Dependencies: 11_Natural_Resources (07_World; 21 resources, 8 regions, value/density data), 10_World_Foundations (07_World; geography, fractured power), Sea Travel (route/Alarm), Naval Combat (monster hunting/escape) Language: English | System: D&D 5e 2024

0. DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

In this world, trade is sea-first, and this isn't a preference but a fact imposed by geography. The four small continents and Continent V are on the open sea; even the interior of the main continent is divided by the Catastrophe's wounds (inland seas, chasms, dead zones). Therefore:

• Sea = primary trade: Everything intercontinental and long-distance flows by sea. High value, high risk, high reward.
• Land = secondary trade: Within a region/continent, through corridors the wounded terrain allows, local and low-volume.

The economy reflects the world's fractured power theme: no one has every resource, and what one has lies on the other side of the sea. This makes trade mandatory and a natural part of adventuring.

Depth approach — layered: The core system (supply-demand-price, simple formula) works at every table. On top of it, an optional Deep Layer (price fluctuation, processability) can be added — it opens up merchant-focused campaigns and stays closed for adventure-focused ones. This is the "data is Normal, depth is a layer" principle.

1. CORE PRICE SYSTEM

Every resource has two price layers: a universal base (how valuable the resource is at its core) and a local price (how abundant or scarce it is in that region). The heart of trade is the gap between these two.

1.1 Base Price

Base price is derived from the resource's strategic value (1–5) and tier (Abundant/Rare/Unique):

`` Base Price = (Strategic Value ^ 1.6) × 10 × Tier Multiplier ``

The exponent (^1.6) makes high-value resources disproportionately expensive — a resource with value 5 is worth far more than double a value-2 one (adamantine ≫ iron). This is realistic: unique goods create a luxury market.

Example: Iron (value 2, Abundant) → 2^1.6 × 10 × 1.0 ≈ 30 gold/unit base. Arcane Crystal (value 5, Unique) → 5^1.6 × 10 × 2.2 ≈ 300 gold/unit base.

1.2 Local Price (Supply Multiplier)

The base price converts to a local price according to the region's density (0–100) for that resource:

`` Local Price = Base Price × Local Supply Multiplier Local Supply Multiplier = 2.0 (density 0 — not present in the region, import price) = max(0.65, 1.5 − density/100 × 0.9) (density > 0) ``

In other words: an abundant resource (density ~100) drops the local price to ×0.65 (cheap), a scarce resource (density ~10) raises it to ×1.4 (expensive), and a resource that doesn't exist at all carries an import price of ×2.0.

Example: Adamantine is abundant on the Separate Continent (density 60) → cheap there (~×0.96). It doesn't exist on the Main Continent (density 0) → ×2.0 import there. A merchant buys it on the Separate Continent and hauls it to the Main Continent.

1.3 Profit = Price Difference, Balanced by Three Constraints

Raw profit is the gap between buying cheap and selling dear. But three natural constraints keep this from being exploitable (each closes a different loophole):

Validated balance (fully simulated with JSON data): With these three constraints, the average return on investment (ROI) per voyage is ~52% — right in the middle of the 30–60% target band. The most profitable goods are high-value/distant/risky ones (Arcane Crystal, Adamantine: ROI ~90-104% but requires ~22,000+ capital and ~25% risk). Cheap goods (fish) yield low ROI — suited to local trade, not worth intercontinental hauling. The economy behaves "fairly": distance+danger is rewarded, capital+risk is penalized.

Critical measure — ROI, not margin: Even if goods appear to carry a 100% margin, once the capital tied up to buy that cargo and the hauling risk are factored in, real return drops. There's no "free money"; profit is proportional to capital tied up and risk taken.

1.4 Anomalies = Outside Trade

Anomaly Essence and Explosive Anomaly are outside the normal trade system. These are forbidden, corrupting-to-the-user, high-risk resources (see 11_Natural_Resources). They are not sold on the open market — they are the subject of the Smuggling profession (§3.5). This is a correct split both mathematically (otherwise they break the economy) and lore-wise (contraband).

2. LAND TRADE (Secondary)

Land trade uses the same price formula but differs in three respects:

• Local and low-volume: It operates within a continent/region; it doesn't move goods intercontinentally.
• Wounded terrain limit: The main continent's inland seas, chasms, and dead zones cut land routes. A land route between two regions doesn't always exist — sometimes crossing an inland sea (a short sea hop) is required.
• Low risk, low reward: Land routes aren't as dangerous as sea routes (no storms, few pirates), but capacity is also lower (caravan < ship). Result: stable but low ROI. Suited to local merchants and entry level.

Land-sea bridge: A good's full journey can be mixed — caravan from the interior to a port (land), ship from the port to a distant continent (sea), caravan from the port to an inland market (land). Each leg is calculated with its own risk/capacity.

3. PROFESSION MODULES

3.0 Common Skeleton

All six professions share the same economic skeleton: produce/acquire → move to where it's valued → sell. They differ along three axes:

• Risk-Reward Ladder: A ranking from safe/low-profit to risky/high-profit.
• Reputation: Repeated work in a profession builds "reputation" → better opportunities, higher rewards, lower entry barriers. (The mechanical skeleton is here; reputation thresholds are [POST-LORE].)
• License: Some professions require authority permission (bounty hunting, the inverse of smuggling). The license's mechanics are here; who grants it is [POST-LORE — once power centers are defined].

Risk-Reward Ladder (core six professions):

3.1 Hauling (Charter) — Entry Profession

You carry someone else's goods/passengers instead of your own, in exchange for a fixed fee. Requires no capital (unlike trade, you don't need to buy goods) — making it ideal entry work for a poor starting party.

• Reward: Fixed fee based on distance and cargo/passenger value (profit risk is the client's, not yours).
• Risk: Delivery guarantee — if cargo is lost/a passenger dies, loss of reputation and fee, debt of compensation.
• Reputation effect: A reliable hauler gets more valuable contracts, VIP passengers.

3.2 Fishing — Sea Farming

Low-risk, stable resource production. Fish & Seafood (value 2) is gathered and sold on the local market.

• Reward: Low but reliable. Bountiful waters (Continent V, density 85) yield high output.
• Risk: Low — weather, occasional sea monster (depending on the fishing grounds).
• Upper tier: Pearl/coral/deep-sea gathering — the luxury variant of fishing (valuable seafood, deeper/riskier waters). Opens as reputation rises.
• Link: The goods it produces enter core trade.

3.3 Salvage — Wreck Diving

Extracting goods from sunken ships, from wrecks left after naval combat. The natural successor to Sea Travel's "Sunken Wreck" event and post-Naval Combat wrecks.

• Reward: Variable — sometimes empty, sometimes treasure (lost cargo, magic items). High variance.
• Risk: Deep-water hazards, wreck shifting, sea monsters, rival divers.
• Link: Naval Combat (combat → wreck → loot chain) + Sea Travel wreck events.

3.4 Monster Hunting — High Risk/Reward

Hunting sea monsters and selling their parts (Monster Parts, value 4) as goods.

• Reward: High. Monster Parts are valuable spell/craft components; rare monster = rare part.
• Risk: High. The hunted monster is resolved with the Naval Combat system (file 15); the monster's CR determines the danger.
• Link: Naval Combat (ship vs. creature) + Monster compendium (09*, which monster in which water by habitat/tier). Bigger game (named monsters) as reputation rises.

3.5 Smuggling — Trade's Dark Twin

Hauling forbidden goods (Anomaly Essence, cursed items, contraband). The only route for high-value resources excluded from core trade.

• Reward: Very high — goods like anomalies carry far higher margins than normal trade (because they're forbidden).
• Risk: Authority. Getting caught = penalty, confiscation of goods, imprisonment. Ties into the Alarm system: smuggling raises the Authority Alarm (see Sea Travel §5A); at high Alarm, the navy/customs comes after you.
• License: An inverse license — you're not a legitimate merchant, not getting caught is your job. Forged papers, bribes, secret routes.

3.6 Bounty Hunting — Licensed Target Hunting

Different from the others: the resource isn't "goods" but a target (a pirate, a fugitive, a wanted person). Reward = the bounty on the target's head.

• Reward: Target-based. The more dangerous/important the wanted person, the higher the reward.
• Risk: Variable — depends on the target. Hunting a pirate captain can turn into Naval Combat.
• License: Mandatory. A bounty hunter does the authority's work; hunting without a license = lawlessness (you become the wanted one). The authority granting the license is [POST-LORE].
• Link: Alarm/Authority system (the inverse role of the smuggler/pirate — you become the authority's arm) + Naval Combat (if the target resists).

4. DEEP LAYER — SKELETON (Optional, with [POST-LORE] content)

This layer makes the economy feel "alive" for merchant-focused campaigns. Its mathematical skeleton is defined here; content (exact price tables, demand maps) will be filled in once lore is settled. Adventure-focused tables can leave this layer off — the core system works fully without it.

4.1 Price Fluctuation

In the core system, prices are fixed (value+density). In the deep layer, prices move with events and time:

`` Fluctuating Price = Local Price × Fluctuation Multiplier Fluctuation Multiplier = 1.0 ± (event effect + season effect + random variance) ``

• Event effect: War, famine, Alarm, celebration moves prices (war → weapons/metal get more expensive; famine → food gets more expensive). Sea Travel event tables and Alarm feed into this.
• Season effect: Some goods are seasonal (fish, harvest). [POST-LORE — calendar/season system].
• Random variance: Small ±10-15% noise (gives the market a living feel).

Skeleton ready, multiplier ranges will be calibrated [POST-LORE].

4.2 Processability Gate (Fourth Constraint)

The layer that carries the world's fractured power theme into the economy: raw resource is cheap/low-profit, processed goods are expensive/high-profit — but only certain regions can process them.

`` Processed Price = Raw Price × Processing Multiplier (2–4x) ``

• Raw iron is cheap; steel/weapons are expensive — but only regions with processing capacity produce steel.
• No one has both the raw resource and the processing capacity → trade is mandatory (consistent with the theme).
• The processing map (which region processes what) is [POST-LORE — once power centers are defined]. Likely higher-magic/more-developed regions process more (tied to the access pyramid).

4.3 Reputation and License Thresholds

Numeric thresholds for profession reputation levels and license mechanics (how many successful jobs = next reputation tier, license cost/conditions). The skeleton is in §3.0; the numbers are [POST-LORE].

5. INTEGRATION MAP WITH EXISTING SYSTEMS

The economic system doesn't stand alone — it ties four systems into one organism:

6. REVISION HISTORY

• Rev 001 — Core trade system built and fully simulated with JSON source data. Price formula (base = value^1.6 × tier; local = density multiplier) and the three constraints (capacity, saturation, distance-risk) validated: average voyage ROI ~52% (within the 30-60% target band). Two design decisions emerged from simulation: (1) Anomaly resources were removed from normal trade — their raw margin shot up to 214% and broke the economy, and they're already forbidden in lore; moved to the Smuggling profession. (2) The real balancing lever turned out to be capacity (absolute profit cap), not margin — cutting margin would have made cheap goods unprofitable; limiting volume is both realistic and tied to ship stats (file 14 via 04_Equipment). Land trade was defined as a secondary layer. Six profession modules (Hauling, Fishing, Salvage, Monster Hunting, Smuggling, Bounty Hunting) were built on a common skeleton + risk-reward ladder + reputation + license axis, each tied to an existing system. The deep layer (price fluctuation, processability) was defined as a mathematical skeleton; content marked [POST-LORE].

7. OPEN ISSUES / NEXT SESSION

• [POST-LORE] Price fluctuation calibration: Event/season multiplier ranges (once power centers + calendar are defined).
• [POST-LORE] Processability map: Which region processes what (once power centers are defined; tied to the access pyramid).
• [POST-LORE] Reputation/license thresholds: How many jobs = reputation tier, license cost, the authorities granting licenses.
• Profession deepening: Concrete task/event tables, special equipment, progression rewards for each profession.
• Cartography profession: Exploration/mapmaking (poles, Continent V) — a post-lore expansion candidate.
• Currency & scale: Prices are currently abstract "gold units"; a world-specific currency/scale system could be added.
• Guilds/merchant organizations: Institutions controlling trade (tied to power centers).