Appraise (Apath)

This skill is used to manage a shop, mercantile emporium, and to invest in caravans and ship cargoes.

Manage a Shop

Make a roll each month with a DC based on the value of the shop. For each point of margin, the indicated profit is made. This profit can be realized in money or invested, increasing the value of the shop. If the DC is matched exactly or fails by less than 5, the shop breaks even. If the roll fails by more than 5, the shop makes a loss based on the margin of failure (there is no rebate for the first 4 points here, a loss is always at least 5 times the profit value); this loss must either come out of the owner of the shop's pocket or reduces the value of the shop.

Shop Value	DC	Profit per point of margin
1 gp	5	1 cp
10 gp	10	1 sp
100 gp	15	1gp
1,000 gp	20	10 gp
x10	+5	x10gp

Supercargo

Cargo is generally sold in lots of 10 tons (40 horse-loads, 10 wagon-loads, or 10 tonnes of ship's cargo capacity) and costs 1,000 gp to purchase. The value of the cargo increases as it is transported; goods that are easy to produce in one locale command a better price when exported to a locale where it is hard to produce.