Feb 9, 2023 11:34 pm
Wealth
Wealth represents your total spending power, including cash on hand, salary, credit and so forth.
Backgrounds provide your Base Wealth. To this you add one-half the ranks in the highest ranked Professional Skill of your Occupation, and a +2 bonus for each Improved Feat you selected. Finally, add any miscellaneous modifiers such as bonuses for Perks and Feats. This represents your character’s starting Wealth.
As you play, your Wealth will rise and fall as you buy things, gain more skill ranks and Feats in your chosen Occupation, and as your character finds or is paid Wealth Awards.
Tracking Equipment
Nearly anything that isn’t illegal is readily available provided one has the money to buy it. As a result, even people on limited incomes might own vast arrays of stuff. Keeping track of everything a hero owns is well beyond the scope of these rules. Instead, it is assumed that characters can buy—or that they already have—anything they need as long as it comports with their Wealth level, as long as it isn't restricted.
That doesn’t mean that a hero always has everything they need on their person when they need it. Rather, players should note the things their characters carry and consider useful on a day-to-day basis, and any restricted items they store elsewhere. This includes any items their characters own that they are likely to take with them into a dangerous situation...however, see everyday stuff below
Everyday Stuff
These collections of "stuff" include items that are either common or especially useful. You can simply note that you have one or more of these collections or detail all the contents individually; the entries below offer suggestions you can tailor to your liking. Some contents may be restricted as appropriate for your Wealth Level, these restrictions are listed in parenthesis.
Bag Stuff. A purse, messenger bag, satchel, or small backpack lets you prepare for life’s adventures with items slightly too big for pockets, such as: a book, a laptop, a PDA, or a handheld gaming device and games, (Affluent+), ring of keys, makeup and/or lip balm, mints or gum, emergency toiletries, tissues, a pen, a small notebook, a mobile phone (Comfortable+), headphones and a discman (Struggling+) or an mp3 player (Doing well+), medication, lotion or sunscreen bottle, a water bottle, hand sanitizer, an energy bar, and sunglasses.
Car Stuff. Cars and other vehicles naturally become repositories for useful items: Car manual, Insurance and registration papers, Road Atlas & Maps or a GPS device (Affluent+), Cell phone charger (Comfortable+), CDs or cassettes, Umbrella, Trash bag, paper, pens, spare change, a spare tire, a tire iron, a small toolkit, a radio, road flares, a first aid kit, snacks, tissues, napkins, a bottle of water, hand soap, a utility knife, batteries, random bags, sunglasses, a map of the local area,
Pocket Stuff. Pockets don’t hold much, but they might contain: a mobile phone (Comfortable+), a Wallet containing cash, credit cards, a library card and identification, mint or gum, keys, a pocketknife/tool, change, and lip balm.
House Stuff. Houses contain many things, and while this list is not exhaustive, and may vary depending on the individual household's needs and personal preferences, they average American household in 2003 might contain, based on Lifestyle:
Struggling+: Personal mementos, picture albums, important documents, decorative knick-knacks, a Television, a Landline telephone, Coffee maker, a Stereo system and tapes or cds, a Refrigerator, an Oven, a Toaster, an Iron and ironing board, a Hair dryer, a Clock radio
Comfortable+: A computer, a Blender, Telephone answering machine, A Vacuum cleaner, a VCR and/or DVD player with VHS tapes and/or DVDs, a video game console, a Dishwasher, a Washer and dryer, a Microwave and an Outdoor grill
Basic Tool Training
Basic tools and weapons are commonplace and fairly easy to use. For tools and other forms of equipment, everyone is considered proficient with the items listed as 'stuff', even if they can't afford them. While not everyone is proficient at fighting, most characters know how to use basic weapons; those who don't only lack it due to a disadvantage. Despite their simple nature, basic weapons are still potentially deadly.
Purchases
Your character can either afford something or they can’t. If an item is less than your character’s Wealth, and doesn't have any kind of restriction, you can possess as many of them as you want. It’s a common item for your Wealth level. If an item is equal to your Wealth score, or below it but with a restriction, you can possess one of those items. Similarly, selling an item of equal to or lower than your Wealth level will never provide a bonus to your Wealth no matter how many you sell.
If you buy or sell an item with a cost higher than your Wealth, or gain a monetary award, your Wealth Score will change. How large of a change will depend on the difference between your Wealth and the cost of the item/monetary award amount (see chart below). You cannot purchase something that is over twenty points higher than your Wealth score. Be careful! Purchasing items higher than your Wealth score can cause your character to go into the red quite fast!
Overspending
After the first item, each item with a cost higher than your Wealth Score that you buy in a week is purchased as if your Wealth was reduced by 1d10. This is cumulative, meaning you end up temporarily stretching your finances too thin. So the first item you buy in a week uses your normal Wealth, the second item is compared to your Wealth –1d10, a third item to your Wealth –2d10, and so forth. This penalty is temporary. However, if this would cause your effective Wealth score to go to 0 or below, your finances take a real hit, and your Wealth Score is reduced by 1d4, and you are unable to purchase anything, including the item that caused the setback, for a number of weeks equal to the number of d10s you ending up rolling overall (in the previous example, that would be 3 weeks). Otherwise, your Wealth score recovers from this temporary setback if you don't purchase anything that is higher than your normal Wealth Score for a number of weeks equal to the number of d10s you last rolled (using the previous example, that would be 2 weeks). It should be noted that this can still occur if someone steals your character's identity!
Wealth Representations, Lifestyle, and Housing
The following table can be used to see what kind of lifestyle your character is able to afford, and what their housing situation probably is.
Wealth represents your total spending power, including cash on hand, salary, credit and so forth.
Backgrounds provide your Base Wealth. To this you add one-half the ranks in the highest ranked Professional Skill of your Occupation, and a +2 bonus for each Improved Feat you selected. Finally, add any miscellaneous modifiers such as bonuses for Perks and Feats. This represents your character’s starting Wealth.
As you play, your Wealth will rise and fall as you buy things, gain more skill ranks and Feats in your chosen Occupation, and as your character finds or is paid Wealth Awards.
Tracking Equipment
Nearly anything that isn’t illegal is readily available provided one has the money to buy it. As a result, even people on limited incomes might own vast arrays of stuff. Keeping track of everything a hero owns is well beyond the scope of these rules. Instead, it is assumed that characters can buy—or that they already have—anything they need as long as it comports with their Wealth level, as long as it isn't restricted.
That doesn’t mean that a hero always has everything they need on their person when they need it. Rather, players should note the things their characters carry and consider useful on a day-to-day basis, and any restricted items they store elsewhere. This includes any items their characters own that they are likely to take with them into a dangerous situation...however, see everyday stuff below
Everyday Stuff
These collections of "stuff" include items that are either common or especially useful. You can simply note that you have one or more of these collections or detail all the contents individually; the entries below offer suggestions you can tailor to your liking. Some contents may be restricted as appropriate for your Wealth Level, these restrictions are listed in parenthesis.
Bag Stuff. A purse, messenger bag, satchel, or small backpack lets you prepare for life’s adventures with items slightly too big for pockets, such as: a book, a laptop, a PDA, or a handheld gaming device and games, (Affluent+), ring of keys, makeup and/or lip balm, mints or gum, emergency toiletries, tissues, a pen, a small notebook, a mobile phone (Comfortable+), headphones and a discman (Struggling+) or an mp3 player (Doing well+), medication, lotion or sunscreen bottle, a water bottle, hand sanitizer, an energy bar, and sunglasses.
Car Stuff. Cars and other vehicles naturally become repositories for useful items: Car manual, Insurance and registration papers, Road Atlas & Maps or a GPS device (Affluent+), Cell phone charger (Comfortable+), CDs or cassettes, Umbrella, Trash bag, paper, pens, spare change, a spare tire, a tire iron, a small toolkit, a radio, road flares, a first aid kit, snacks, tissues, napkins, a bottle of water, hand soap, a utility knife, batteries, random bags, sunglasses, a map of the local area,
Pocket Stuff. Pockets don’t hold much, but they might contain: a mobile phone (Comfortable+), a Wallet containing cash, credit cards, a library card and identification, mint or gum, keys, a pocketknife/tool, change, and lip balm.
House Stuff. Houses contain many things, and while this list is not exhaustive, and may vary depending on the individual household's needs and personal preferences, they average American household in 2003 might contain, based on Lifestyle:
Struggling+: Personal mementos, picture albums, important documents, decorative knick-knacks, a Television, a Landline telephone, Coffee maker, a Stereo system and tapes or cds, a Refrigerator, an Oven, a Toaster, an Iron and ironing board, a Hair dryer, a Clock radio
Comfortable+: A computer, a Blender, Telephone answering machine, A Vacuum cleaner, a VCR and/or DVD player with VHS tapes and/or DVDs, a video game console, a Dishwasher, a Washer and dryer, a Microwave and an Outdoor grill
Basic Tool Training
Basic tools and weapons are commonplace and fairly easy to use. For tools and other forms of equipment, everyone is considered proficient with the items listed as 'stuff', even if they can't afford them. While not everyone is proficient at fighting, most characters know how to use basic weapons; those who don't only lack it due to a disadvantage. Despite their simple nature, basic weapons are still potentially deadly.
Purchases
Your character can either afford something or they can’t. If an item is less than your character’s Wealth, and doesn't have any kind of restriction, you can possess as many of them as you want. It’s a common item for your Wealth level. If an item is equal to your Wealth score, or below it but with a restriction, you can possess one of those items. Similarly, selling an item of equal to or lower than your Wealth level will never provide a bonus to your Wealth no matter how many you sell.
If you buy or sell an item with a cost higher than your Wealth, or gain a monetary award, your Wealth Score will change. How large of a change will depend on the difference between your Wealth and the cost of the item/monetary award amount (see chart below). You cannot purchase something that is over twenty points higher than your Wealth score. Be careful! Purchasing items higher than your Wealth score can cause your character to go into the red quite fast!
Overspending
After the first item, each item with a cost higher than your Wealth Score that you buy in a week is purchased as if your Wealth was reduced by 1d10. This is cumulative, meaning you end up temporarily stretching your finances too thin. So the first item you buy in a week uses your normal Wealth, the second item is compared to your Wealth –1d10, a third item to your Wealth –2d10, and so forth. This penalty is temporary. However, if this would cause your effective Wealth score to go to 0 or below, your finances take a real hit, and your Wealth Score is reduced by 1d4, and you are unable to purchase anything, including the item that caused the setback, for a number of weeks equal to the number of d10s you ending up rolling overall (in the previous example, that would be 3 weeks). Otherwise, your Wealth score recovers from this temporary setback if you don't purchase anything that is higher than your normal Wealth Score for a number of weeks equal to the number of d10s you last rolled (using the previous example, that would be 2 weeks). It should be noted that this can still occur if someone steals your character's identity!
Wealth Difference | Wealth Modifier |
0 | 0 |
1-3 | +/-1d2 |
4-6 | +/-1d4 |
7-9 | +/-1d8 |
10-12 | +/-2d10 |
13-15 | +/-4d10 |
16-18 | +/-6d10 |
19, 20 | +/-8d10 |
Wealth Representations, Lifestyle, and Housing
The following table can be used to see what kind of lifestyle your character is able to afford, and what their housing situation probably is.
Wealth Score | Lifestyle | Description | Housing |
5 or lower | Impoverished | You are nearly penniless, owning nothing more than what you carry with you. | A bed at a shelter, a tiny room at a Boarding house, an extended stay motel room, your parent's house, a friend's couch, a tent, squatting on abandoned property, a drug den, a counterculture house |
6-15 | Struggling | You are considered poor, having only minimal income, meager shelter, and modest possessions. Your transportation is unreliable, and you are likely in debt. | Studio apartment in a bad neighborhood, a dorm room, a dated camper, a shanty boat |
16-25 | Comfortable | You are in the upper-lower class, lower-middle-class, likely renting a large apartment, townhome, or small house with modest furnishings and driving a reliable car. You likely have some debt but are managing it. | Small house or large apartment/townhome, typical mobile home, a float house |
26-35 | Doing well | You are dead center of the middle class. You may very well own your own residence, or you might even be renting a condo. Money might be tight at times, but the debt you have is intentional, likely tied up in multiple investments, and you might even own more than one vehicle | Standard house, Condo, top of line mobile home, a standard house boat, Schooner, Dockominium |
36-45 | Affluent | You are in the upper-middle-income range. You likely own a designer home and one or more luxury vehicles. Your finances are secure and any debt you have is less than the assets you own. | Designer Home, Small Ranch, Luxury Condo, Deluxe Mobile Home, Luxury House Boat, Luxury Dockominium, Small Yacht |
46-55 | Wealthy | You are modestly wealthy. As long as you don’t spend extravagantly, you don’t need to worry about money. You have a large home, one or more nice vehicles, conveniences that anyone might wish for, and significant savings. | A Mansion, Large Ranch, A luxury extended-stay hotel, top floor luxury condominium, a Yacht |
56-60 | Lavish | You are a multimillionaire, probably owning more than one home, multiple vehicles, a yacht, and whatever other luxuries you desire. You have extensive assets and savings, which might include owning one or more businesses. | An estate, a Large Yacht |
60+ | Opulent | You are filthy rich, enjoying all the benefits of being a billionaire owning and profiting from some huge corporation or massive financial enterprise. | A castle, a nuclear bunker, anywhere you want |