Vertical Integration

7th-level Procurement & Resourcing

Casting Time: 1 action, contingent on successful Headcount Approval and Discovery checks for every acquired link (a Supply Chain Audit)
Range/Area: Special; every vendor or supplier relationship currently under a Conjure Contractor or Three Bids and a Buy arrangement with your organization
Components: V, S, M (a capital expenditure budget, consumed; an acquisition agreement per target, consumed)
Duration: Permanent
Classes: COO, VP of Operations, Chief Procurement Officer

You conjure ownership of one or more organizations currently supplying goods or services to you, converting each from an external vendor into a wholly owned subsidiary. Each acquired organization’s Contractors automatically Convert into full-time employees of your organization at no further cost, and any Lead Time previously imposed by that link in the chain is eliminated.

This spell does not eliminate the underlying costs of production, staffing, and maintenance the vendor was previously absorbing; it only moves those costs onto your own balance sheet, where they show up as a permanent increase to your organization’s Amortized Loss rather than as a line-item expense.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8th level or higher, you may target one additional link in the supply chain for each slot level above 7th.

Flavor: “By bringing manufacturing in-house, we expect to reduce costs and improve quality control.” — investor call transcript, eighteen months before the first quality control incident