Profit Factor 

 
“A thief is only a thief by virtue of having restrained his larceny to 
a lesser plateau. Steal more and he would be hailed a Lord-captain, 
granted a Warrant, and sent out to the Halo Stars.” 
 
–Captain Alembid of the ​Dominus Kalimidae 
 
 
A Rogue Trader’s wealth and power are vast indeed, stretching across the stars 
themselves. In a Rogue Trader’s time, even the least of the dynasties will touch 
dozens of worlds and shape the fate of their civilisations, transforming the lives of 
millions and altering the fortunes of entire star systems. Even in a galactic empire 
that sprawls across tens of thousands of light years, a Rogue Trader has power that 
only a handful of humanity can imagine.  
 
To represent this mighty wealth and influence, the Rogue Trader game uses Profit 
Factor. This value, more than anything else, is a measure of the Explorers’ rising or 
failing fortunes. As the PCs’ Profit Factor grows so to will their access to rare and 
powerful items, unique retainers, and exclusive organisations. Beyond personal 
power, Profit Factor also maps the rise of the Explorers’ dynasty and over time will 
allow them to acquire legions of elite warriors, sprawling solar settlements, and 
even the favour of Imperial Adeptus. 
 
Profit Factor does not, however, represent any one thing, but rather is a 
combination of all the aspects of wealth and power at the Explorers’ command. 
This means that Profit Factor is all at once the amount of coins in their coffers, 
their standing in Imperial society, and their complex web of loans, favours, and 
debts. As such, Profit Factor is used whenever the Rogue Trader wishes to exert the 
power of his dynasty or expand his dominion within the Imperium. In this section, 
we will cover the two most common uses of Profit Factor— 
 
 
 
Acquisition and Influence: 
 
Acquisition:​ Profit Factor is used by the Explorers to determine which equipment, 
resources, and rights they may acquire and maintain. 
 
Influence​: Profit Factor can also be used by the Explorers to influence Imperial 
society, call in favours, and enforce loyalty among their followers. 
 
 
Starting Profit Factor 
 
D10 roll Profit  Ship Example  
Factor Points  
 
 
1 60 30 Although the dynasty does not command a 
powerful starship, it possesses great 
resources. 
2-3 50 40 A good ship and a wealthy purse promise 
great things for this dynasty. 
4-7 40 50 The Rogue Trader dynasty is a gresh, new 
player on the galactic stage, garnering 
attention both fair and foul. 
8-9 30 60 A dynasty whose power is on the wane, 
but may yet recover. 
10 20 70 The Rogue Trader dynasty was once a great 
and powerful flame, now only a glimmer of  
its former glory. 
 
Profit Factor Examples 
 
5  Hive Gang, Outcast Sect 
10 Common Labour Guild, Struggling Merchant House 
15  Manufactory Combine, Weak Hive Guild 
20  Minor Ministorum Sect, Hab Collective 
25  Hive Guild, Merchant House, Disgraced Subsector Noble House 
30 Powerful Hive Guild, Impoverished Noble, Outcast Rogue 
Trader 
40  Planetary Noble, Planetary Merchant House, Lesser Rogue 
Trader, Weak Imperial Governor 
50 Greater Planetary Noble of a Wealthy World, Lesser Inquisitor, 
Cartel of Free Traders 
70  Wealthy Rogue Trader 
90  The Machenko Dynasty, Scion of a Great House of the Calixis 
Sector 
100  Legendary Rogue Trader, Lesser Navis Nobilite House,  
Potentate of the Navis Nobilite 
120  Great Houses of the Calixis Sector, Lord Inquisitor 
130  Great House Krin, Illustrious Navis Nobilite House, 
Lord-Sector Hax, High Archmagi of the Lathes 
150+ The Mightiest of Imperial Organisations and Rulers 
 
 
Gaining and Losing Profit Factor 
 
Profit Factor rises and falls as a result of the actions of the Explorers. There are 
three things that affect Profit Factor: 
 
Awards, Endeavours, and Misfortunes. 
 
Awards​: These are a bonus that the GM gives the Explorers as a reward for their 
actions during play—in much the same way as Experience Points. Awards only ever 
raise the Explorers’ Profit Factor by a single point. 
 
Endeavours​: Unlike Awards, Endeavours are major undertakings by the PCs, 
involving such tasks as settling worlds, mining star systems, and charting warp 
routes. Endeavours are the main way in which Profit Factor is increased, and 
completing a substantial Endeavour can significantly raise the group’s score. 
 
Misfortunes​: Profit Factor is not normally expended when it is used—it represents 
wealth and power far too great to be dented by the purchase of simple equipment or 
by commanding the favour of local merchants. It can, however, be reduced by 
Misfortunes. These are events that inevitably befall the Explorers through the 
course of their adventures and enterprises and need to be countered by Awards and 
Endeavours or dealt with as required. 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Acquisition 
 
Perhaps the most important aspect of Profit Factor is Acquisition. This is the 
means by which the Explorers purchase new equipment, resources, and retainers. 
This can cover almost anything, from boltguns to boarding torpedoes, and is at the 
heart of the expansion of their dynasty. While part of the Rogue Trader’s dynasty, 
all the Explorers “share” the group’s Profit Factor—reflecting their intertwined 
destinies and dependence on the wealth of the dynasty. Typically, this means that 
all of the Explorers have the same level of access to personal equipment and 
services. However, in rare cases individual levels of access might be higher or lower 
depending on certain Talents, Skills, and Gear.  
 
When an individual Explorer, or the group as a whole, wants to buy a new item or 
commandeer a new resource, he must make an Acquisition Test. This is a 
Negotiation (Presence)​ test. This Test is modified based on the acquisition’s 
Rarity, Craftsmanship, and Scale. Success means the acquisition has been secured, 
while failure means the Explorer must wait until later to try again. Such is the 
wealth and power of even a fledgling Rogue Trader, however, that all but the rarest 
and most powerful of personal weapons and armour will be within his grasp. 
 
Acquisition Tests 
 
Base difficulty: R
​ arity of the item the Explorer wishes to procure.  
Modifiers: ​Craftsmanship  
- Poor: - 1 Rarity 
- Average 
- Good: +2 Rarity 
- Best: +3 Rarity 
Combined Acquisition: ​Compare the two items you wish to purchase. The one with 
the higher Rarity sets the base difficulty. Add +1 Setback for each additional 
component/modification/addon thereafter.  
 
 
 
Modifier based on Profit Factor: 
 
0-5:  Add 1 failure to the Acquisition test result and Upgrade the difficulty. 
5-20:  Add 1 failure to the Acquisition test result  
21-40:  Remove 0 failure from Acquisition test result.  
41-60:  Remove 1 failure from Acquisition test result.  
61-80:  Remove 2 failure from Acquisition test result.  
81-100:  Remove 3 failure from Acquisition test result.  
101-120:  Remove 4 failure from Acquisition test result.  
120-150: Remove 5 failure from Acquisition test result.  
151+:  Remove 6 failure from Acquisition test result. 
 
 
Unscrupulous Traders 
 
Acquisition Modifiers assume that the merchant or trader that the Explorers are 
dealing with is giving them a fair price based on the item’s true value. This is not 
always the case, and in some instances a trader may pass on goods at greatly 
increased—or in some rare cases reduced—prices. The GM can represent this by 
Upgrading the Difficulty of the Acquisition test. For their part, Explorers can use 
Cool (Presence)​ or V
​ igilance (Willpower) t​ o gauge an item’s true Acquisition 
Modifier. 
 
Commerce and Acquisition  
 
In addition to using his dynasty’s raw wealth, an Explorer can also employ 
personal Skills to try to improve prices, outwit traders, and ease mercantile 
transactions. An Explorer may use the ​Negotiation (Presence) s
​ kill to improve his 
Profit Factor prior to making an Acquisition Test. This is a contest of the Explorer’s 
Negotiation v
​ ersus the N
​ egotiation​ or ​Cool (Presence) ​Skill of the person or 
organisation he is trading with. For each ​SUCCESS ​the Explorer beats his opponent, 
he may increase his Profit Factor by 2 points. For each F
​ AILURE ​by which his 
opponent beats him, however, he must decrease his Profit Factor by 2. Both 
increases and decreases to Profit Factor only apply to a single Acquisition Test 
made immediately with that trader. 
This use of Skills works both ways, and when the Explorers deal with canny 
merchants, the GM may force them to make a contest of ​Negotiation S
​ kills even if 
they don’t want to. 
 
The GM may also allow the use of the ​Leadership (Presence)​, ​Charm (Presence)​, 
Deception (Cunning) o
​ r ​Coercion (Willpower) ​Skills to be used in place of 
Commerce should the situation seem appropriate. These should be used rarely, 
however, and always specific to the person or organisation being traded with. 
 
Upkeep Tests 
 
Even after the Explorers have acquired an item, it may still be a drain on the 
resources of the dynasty—requiring fuel to run, dues to be paid, or careful 
maintenance and repair. At certain times (see below), the GM may require the 
Explorers to make an Upkeep Test to see if they lose their acquisition or it is 
diminished or degraded in some way. An Upkeep Test functions in the same way as 
an A
​ cquisition ​Test, using all the same modifiers and factors involved in acquiring 
the original item—in effect, the Explorers are acquiring the item or resource again. 
If they pass the Test, then their acquisition is unaffected, otherwise they have 
encountered a shortfall in funds or a waning of favour or influence and must 
choose one of the following options: 
 
● Discard the item or resource:​ The Explorers cannot use the acquisition until 
it is repaired, reloaded, or purchased anew. An acquisition lost in this way 
cannot be reacquired until the Explorers’ Profit Factor increases. 
● Downgrade the item or resource: T
​ he acquisition’s Craftsmanship is 
reduced by one level (i.e., Best to Good, Good to Common, etc.). If the 
acquisition is already of Poor Craftsmanship, then this option may not be 
selected. 
● Downsize the item or resource:​ The acquisition’s Scale is reduced by one 
level (i.e., Major to Standard, Minor to Trivial, etc.). If the acquisition is 
already of Negligible Scale, then this option may not be selected. 
● Overstretch Profit Factor:​ The Explorers incur a +
​ 1 Setback die ​penalty to all 
Acquisition Tests until either the Explorers’ Profit Factor increases or they 
choose to discard, downgrade, or downsize the acquisition. 
 
When to Make an Upkeep Test 
 
The GM can require the Explorers to make Upkeep Tests whenever they suffer a 
reduction in their fortunes or commit to a massive expenditure of wealth. He can 
also call on them to make a Test when an item is at risk of damage or destruction. 
Some examples of when the GM can require the Explorers to make an Upkeep Test 
include: 
 
● When an acquisition is expended, damaged, or destroyed:​ Such as a suit of 
armour worn by an Explorer that suffers massive damage, a planetary 
settlement bombarded from orbit, or a supply of rare ammunition used 
excessively. 
● When a rival or adversary attacks the Explorers’ holdings or tries to steal 
their goods or retainers:​ Such as a mass kidnapping of crewmen on shore 
leave or when a treacherous adept is skimming off their profits for ship 
repairs, leading to the forfeiting of valuable components. 
● When fate plays a hand in the Explorers’ dynasty.​ Such as when a hired 
mercenary company with divided loyalties gets a better offer or there is a 
system-wide plague that threatens the Explorers’ local promethium 
suppliers. Ultimately, it is up to the GM to decide when the Explorers should 
make Upkeep Tests, and he should use them as a tool to both remind the PCs 
that their worldly possession can be tenuous and that there are often 
consequences for their actions. 
 
 
 
 
 
(To be Worked On) 
 
Scale 
 
Starship components 
 
Influence  
 
Negotiation vs Negotiation check, modified by the Profit factor. Each success adds 
an ADV to all social checks vs the person or organization you are trying to 
influence. Each failure adds a THR.  
 
Endeavours 
 
Lesser:​ Increase PF by 1 or 2 pts.  
Greater: B
​ y 3 or 4. 
Grand:​ By 5+. 
 
Achievement Point Rewards: 
 
Difficulty Points Awarded 
Easy 10 
Routine  30 
Ordinary 50 
Challenging 100 
Difficult 150 
Hard 200 
Very hard 300 
 
Same as in Rogue Trader as the Achievement Points are just a fiddly guideline as to 
how difficult an Endeavour is. 
 
Misfortunes 
 
As per the Rogue Trader rules. Mainly fluff, so no mechanics needed.