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Running A Charter

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 43
Running a charter plays out as month-long “charter turns.” Each turn consists of three phases: Upkeep, Projects, and Event. A charter turn plays out at the end of each in-game month after all other adventures and missions have been resolved.

During this month, one PC must take the week-long downtime activity Perform Administrative Duties (page 45). The PC who takes this activity can change from month to month, and that PC can perform other downtime activities as time allows. Perform Administrative Duties follows the same rules as other downtime activities (Starfinder Character Operations Manual 150). If no PC takes this downtime activity, the charter skips the Resource Collection and Choose Projects steps of the charter turn. A charter without Resource Units (RU) likely gains Unrest and is especially vulnerable to events.

Other downtime activities can be taken to assist the charter; see Charter Downtime Activities on page 44 for downtime activities related to charters. A character taking a charter downtime activity—including Perform Administrative Duties—must be physically present in the charter while the performing the activity, and these activities are all resolved during the Upkeep phase of the charter turn.

Upkeep Phase

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 43
During the Upkeep phase, you gather resources, pay upkeep, resolve charter downtime activities, and adjust Unrest.

Step 1: Resource Collection

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 43
Determine how many Resource Units you have this turn by rolling your Settlement Die (or Dice, if you have more than one settlement) and any Resource Dice you’ve gained, then including any bonuses or penalties. If you had any unspent Resource Units from last turn, add those to your Resource Units for this turn.

Step 2: Charter Downtime Activities

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 43
PCs who have taken charter downtime activities during the month—such as Perform Administrative Duties—resolve those activities at this time. Doing so might require spending Resource Units; see page 44 for a list of these activities.

Step 3: Pay Upkeep

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
Your settlements require supplies and funding, a number of Resource Units equal to your charter’s size; spend this amount of Resource Units now to prevent Unrest. If you can’t—or choose not to—spend these Resource Units, increase Unrest by 1d4.
Special: Skip this step on the first charter turn.

Step 4: Adjust Unrest

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
Your charter begins the first charter turn with an Unrest score of 0. If downtime activities or events have increased or decreased Unrest, make those adjustments now.

If your charter’s Unrest is 10 or higher after making these adjustments, there’s a 50% chance your charter loses one of the hexes you’ve claimed. The PCs choose which hex is lost. See Using the Map on page 43 for more information.

If your charter’s Unrest is 20 or higher after making these adjustments, the charter falls into anarchy. While in anarchy, you skip the Choose Projects step and each of your charter trait scores are treated as 1 lower for the purpose of resolving events.

Projects Phase

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
During the Projects phase, you decide on your charter’s next projects, which can include expanding your charter’s territory, increasing its production abilities, or constructing an advanced project. Many projects must be assigned to a specific location on your map; these projects have “hex” or “settlement” listed in project requirements. A project with the hex requirement must be assigned to a specific hex that isn’t a settlement. Unless otherwise noted, a hex can contain only one “hex” project. A project with the settlement requirement must be assigned to a specific settlement. A settlement can contain multiple settlement projects, but only one of each specific project. Projects with the requirement of “charter” don’t need to be assigned a location; your charter can benefit from multiple charter project as long as your charter exists, but your charter can have only one of each specific project. Other projects might have other location requirements or special rules.

Step 1: Choose Projects

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
Select up to two charter projects, one of which can be an advanced project. Basic projects are detailed on page 46, while advanced projects are listed on pages 46–47. You can choose any projects with listed prerequisites met by your charter. (Note: such prerequisites include Traits and Requirements in the table on pages 46–47.) Then, spend the listed amount of Resource Units. You can’t choose a project for which you don’t have enough Resource Units. Finally, adjust your charter’s trait scores as indicated in each project’s entry, and make any other changes to your charter’s details as indicated.

Event Phase

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
In the Event phase, a random event might affect your charter or a single settlement or hex within your charter.

Step 1: Check For An Event

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
There’s a 15% chance a charter event occurs each turn. If no event occurred on the previous charter turn, increase the chance for an event this turn by 15%, to a maximum of 90%. Once an event occurs, the percentage chance resets to 15% for the following turn. If an event occurs, roll a d20 and check the Event Table on page 48 to see what event occurs.

Step 2: Event Resolution

Source Starfinder #40: Planetfall pg. 44
Most events ask you to compare one of your charter’s traits to a Threshold Number. Generally, if your charter doesn’t meet the Threshold Number, it takes a temporary penalty, but if the charter rises to the challenge, it will see a benefit. In some cases, events can present opportunities for the PCs to deal with a situation not covered in these rules. These events are described on pages 48–49.

Archives of Nethys

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