Wealth
Wealth is abstracted into categories. Your wealth is a measure of your your income.
All characters start at a Wealth of 3 unless there are background contingencies set up to allow a higher or lower wealth status.
At Character creation, a player may decide if they are living above or below their character wealth.
- When a player is living below their means ease any Wealth checks.
- When a player is living above their means hinder any Wealth checks.
| Quality of Life | Bonus/Penalty |
|---|---|
| Above Means | -1 |
| At Means | 0 |
| Below Means | +1 |
| At the end of any quest/mission/arc a character may roll a wealth check hindered by one step to see if they increase their wealth. If successful the player should define how that happened. |
You may purchase any item without a roll if it is under you wealth value.
To purchase something that is at or above your wealth value, you can make a Level 3 plus each level above your wealth value Wealth check.
- reduce your wealth by 1
- OR you may apply an "in debt" tag to your character sheet.
If a character is in debt they may not purchase anything at or above their wealth value.
An in debt character makes two rolls per session until the debt is cleared.
- at the beginning to see if the debt is trying to be collected
- at the end to try to clear the debt
If a character is in debt at the end of a session they did not acquire the in debt tag, they must roll a wealth check hindered by two steps to see if they are still in debt.
At the beginning of a session when you have a character in debt. Roll a hindered wealth check to see if the debt will be attempted to be collected this session. Use the following table to determine the result
| d20 | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fail, and | Collectors come knocking and they come looking for blood (Combat encounter) |
| 2 to DC-6 | Fail, but | Collectors come knocking but are understanding |
| DC-5 to DC-1 | Success, but | Collectors offer an alternative payment method -- do this for me, and I'll let you off (Negotiations) |
| DC to DC+4 | Success | -- |
| DC+5 + | Success, and | Collectors are feeling generous. Instead of hindered by two wealth check, hinder your check at the end of the session by 1 to see if you clear your debt. |
When selling items found in your adventures, if the item is at or below your wealth value roll a hindered wealth check to see if you can sell the item. If successful add +1 to your overall wealth value. You may sell the item at above your current wealth value with out a roll to increase your wealth by 1.
The table below describes what each level of Wealth typically has. Living above your means means you have either housing or transportation that is above your Wealth Value. Living below your means means you have either housing or transportation below what is normal form your wealth level. Having both below or above does not raise or lower your bonus/penalty by more than 1.
| Level | DC | Description | Housing | Transportation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | Indebt/Student/Child | Homeless/Living at Home/Dorms | Bus Pass/Bike |
| 1 | 3 | Barely Making Ends Meet | Shared rented apartment | Bike/Junker Vehicle |
| 2 | 6 | Getting By | Small studio apartment | Used economy car |
| 3 | 9 | Comfortable | Decent apartment or small home | Reliable car |
| 4 | 12 | Well-Off | Large home or upscale condo | Luxury car |
| 5 | 15 | Wealthy | Mansion or multiple properties | High-end sports car |
| 6 | 18 | Stupid Rich | Many houses and estates | Private airplane |
Cost
Most items will have a Cost level and not an exact amount. You can use the chart below for real world (or from other sources) to determine what the items cost will be here.
| Level | DC | Description | Dollars/Credits | Gold/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | Free | $0 | 0 gold |
| 1 | 3 | Inexpensive | $0 - $100 | 0 - 10 gold |
| 2 | 6 | Moderate | $101 - $1,000 | 11 - 100 gold |
| 3 | 9 | Expensive | $1,001 - $10,000 | 101 - 1,000 gold |
| 4 | 12 | Very Expensive | $10,001 - $100,000 | 1,001 - 10,000 gold |
| 5 | 15 | Exorbitant | $100,001 - $1,000,000 | 10,001 - 100,000 gold |
| 6 | 18 | Priceless | $1,000,001+ | 100,001+ gold or Unique |
You want to purchase a new fangled smartphone. A smart phone is an Expensive item and your wealth is 3. So you need to roll to see if you can successfully purchase it.
You roll against a level 3 plus zero since it is not above your wealth score. Rolling a 12 you pass the check and purchase the cell phone. Your wealth is decreased by 1 or you can take on debt to purchase the item.
Income
Every player character should have enough income to survive with their base expenses. Your income is your base Wealth value. For the most part the income shouldn't change unless there are in game reasons for it to do so.