Wealth

Wealth

Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his or her buying power—a composite of income, credit rating, and savings. A character’s Wealth bonus serves as the basis of the character’s Wealth check, which is used to purchase equipment and services for the character.

Wealth Bonus

A character starts with a Wealth bonus dependent on their background.

Over the course of play, the hero’s Wealth bonus will decrease as the hero purchases expensive items and increase as the hero gains levels.

A character’s Wealth bonus can never fall below +0, and there is no limit to how high the Wealth bonus can climb.

Since Wealth is an abstract concept, it’s sometimes difficult to determine how financially well off a character is. A rough analogue for wealth is as follows:

• +0 Impoverished

• +1 to +4 Struggling

• +5 to +10 Working Class

• +11 to +15 Middle Class

• +16 to +20 Affluent

• +21 to +25 Wealthy (Millionaires)

• +26 to +30 Rich (Multimillionaires)

• +31 and Higher Billionaires

Wealth Checks

Wealth checks are used to determine what characters can afford and what gear they might reasonably have access to. Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his or her buying power. Every object and service has a purchase DC. To purchase an object, make a Wealth check against the purchase DC.

A Wealth check is a d20 roll plus a character’s current Wealth bonus. The Wealth bonus is fluid. It in­creases as a character gains Wealth and decreases as the character makes purchases.

If the character succeeds on the Wealth check, the character gains the object. If the character fails, he or she can’t afford the object at the time.

If the character’s current Wealth bonus is equal to or greater than the DC, the character automatically succeeds.

If the character successfully purchases an object or service with a purchase DC that’s higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, the character’s Wealth bonus decreases.

Shopping and Time

Buying less common objects generally takes a number of hours equal to the purchase DC of the object or service, reflecting the time needed to locate the wanted materials and close the deal. Getting a license or buying an object with a restriction rating increases the time needed to make purchases.

Taking 10 and Taking 20

A character can usually take 10 or take 20 when making a Wealth check. Taking 20 requires 20 times as long as normal.

Also, there is a penalty for spending beyond a character’s means. Whenever a character buys an object that has a purchase DC higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, the character’s Wealth bonus decreases (see below).

Aid Another

One other character can make an aid another attempt to help a character purchase an object or service. If the attempt is successful, that character provides the purchaser with a +2 bonus on his or her Wealth check. The character who provides the aid reduces his or her Wealth bonus by 1.

Losing Wealth

Any time a character purchases an object or service with a purchase DC higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, or one with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the character’s Wealth bonus goes down. How much the Wealth bonus is reduced depends on how expensive the object is.

• DC 15 or Higher Reduce Wealth by 1

• DC 1-10 Points Higher than Current Wealth  Reduce Wealth by 1

• DC 11-15 Points Higher than Current Wealth Reduce Wealth by 1d6

• DC 16-20 Points Higher than Current Wealth Reduce Wealth by 2d6

• DC 21+ Points Higher than Current Wealth Reduce Wealth by 3d6

Gaining Wealth

A character’s Wealth bonus recovers as the character advances.

During downtime between adventures, a character will usually be awarded a stipend by their faction. 

When checking to see if you gain wealth, make an Allegiance check against a DC equal to your current wealth value, with the following results.