Created Friday 02 August 2013

Money makes the galaxy go round. Some things haven’t changed over the centuries. Wealth is the blood of empires, and the Star-Drive setting provides vast fortunes for those who know how to seize them. The source of this wealth in the interstellar economy of the 26th century, a great, hulking beast, larger and stronger than ever before. In the last three decades, the Stellar Ring has shifted from a century of wartime economy con-trolled by the needs of government to a realm of healthy commerce, growing indus-try, and towering new business. Every character has a Wealth bonus that re-flects her buying power– a sort of composite of her income, credit, and savings. Your Wealth bonus serves as the basis of your Wealth check, which you use to purchase equipment and services for your character. Wealth is not a direct representation of a hero’s salary or how much money she has socked away in the bank. It isn’t even a reflec-tion of how rich the hero is. In fact, a rich character might have a low Wealth bonus if the character has been engaging in a lot of purchases lately. Likewise, a relatively poor character might amass a decent Wealth bo-nus by being frugal and saving for a rainy day. The Wealth bonus simply represents a hero’s buying power at a given time. YOUR WEALTH BONUS A newly created 1st-level hero’s wealth is +0, plus: 2d4 + Occupation Bonus + 1 for 1-4 rank in the Profession skill + Culture Bonus (if any) + Windfall feat Bonus (if taken) Over the course of play, a hero’s Wealth bonus will decrease as she purchases expensive items and increase as go up levels or com-pletes profitable business transactions. A hero’s Wealth bonus can never drop below +0, and there is no limit to how high it can climb. Since Wealth in advanced societies is an ab-stract concept, it’s sometimes difficult to de-termine how financially well off a hero is. To get a general sense of how financially solvent a hero is at any given time, consult the table below.

Wealth Bonus Financial Condition +0 Impoverished or in debt +1 to +4 Struggling +5 to +10 Middle class +11 to +15 Affluent +16 to +20 Wealthy +21 to +30 Rich +30 or higher Very rich

USING WEALTH You make a Wealth check to purchase things. This roll is made just like an attack roll or a saving throw. The higher the roll, the better. You’re trying to get a result that equals or ex-ceeds the purchase DC of the object or ser-vice in question. If you succeed, you can ac-quire the object or service. If you fail, the ob-ject or service is beyond your means at this time. To make a Wealth check for your char-acter, roll: 1d20 + your Wealth bonus. You can take 10 or 20 when making a Wealth check. Taking 20 multiplies the shop-ping time by 20. You can also try again after failing a Wealth check, but not until you’ve spent ad-ditional time shopping, usually a number of hours equal to the purchase DC of the object or service. During character creation, you can’t try again on a failed check until some time after play has begun (at the Gamemas-ter’s discretion). NEED A LOT OF STUFF? If you’re buying a bunch of stuff at once, such as at character creation, it’s best to start with a reasonable wish list of all the items you want. Then purchase everything with a purchase DC lower than your Wealth bonus and lower than purchase DC 15. These items won’t lower your Wealth. Then try to priori-tize the remaining items by higher purchase DC and importance and work down the list one at a time. SHOPPING TIME Common objects and services can generally be purchased in just the time it takes to go to an appropriate retail outlet or place of busi-ness. Buying less common items generally takes a number of hours equal to the pur-chase DC of the object or service, reflecting the time needed to locate the wanted materi-als and close the deal. Getting a license or buying an object with a restriction rating in-creases the time needed to make purchases, as described below. AID ANOTHER One hero can aid another in the purchase of an expensive good or service, as in a skill check (roll 1d20 + Wealth bonus, DC 10). If the attempt is successful, the character mak-ing the Wealth check gains a +2 bonus to the check. There is a cost, however; the character who provides the aid reduces her Wealth bonus by +1. LOSING WEALTH Any time a character purchases an object or service with a purchase DC higher than his Wealth bonus, or one with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, his Wealth bonus goes down. How much his Wealth bonus is reduced de-pends on how expensive the item is. The chart below shows the Wealth bonus de-crease for purchasing expensive items. Note that the Wealth decrease for purchasing an item with a DC over 15 is cumulative with the decrease for purchasing an item with a pur-chase DC above your Wealth bonus. For example when a hero with a Wealth bo-nus of +9 purchases an item with a purchase DC of 13, his Wealth bonus decreases by 1, since the item’s DC is 4 points higher than his Wealth bonus). If the item had a purchase DC of 22, the loss would be 1d6+1, since the item’s DC is both higher than 15 and it is 13 points higher than the hero’s Wealth bonus. A character’s Wealth bonus only goes down if the Wealth check is successful.

Purchase DC Wealth Decrease 15 or higher 1 point 1-10 points higher than current Wealth bonus 1 point 11-15 points higher than current Wealth bonus 1d6 points 16+ points higher than current Wealth bonus 2d6 points

GAINING WEALTH The pursuit of the almighty Concord dollar may be your character’s passion or a neces-sary evil, but everybody needs money to get along in the worlds of the 26th century. Especially when buying expensive objects a hero may find his Wealth bonus dropping precipitously. Fortunately, there are several ways for Wealth bonus to not only recover, but to increase. PROFESSION CHECK Every time a hero gains a level, he makes a Profession check (if the character has no ranks in the skill, this is a Wisdom check). The DC is equal to the character’s current Wealth bonus. If the check succeeds, the hero’s Wealth bonus increases. If the check suc-ceeds by less than 5, the hero’s Wealth bonus increases by 1 point. If it succeeds by 5 or more, his Wealth bonus increases by 1 point for every 5 points by which his Profession check exceeded the DC.. WEALTH AWARDS Adventuring frequently results in heroes’ find-ing (or otherwise obtaining) such goodies as anonymous cred sticks (see currency, below), jewels, and other valuables. Some heroes even receive rewards from grateful people or organizations, or payment from employers. These are translated into Wealth awards, usu-ally given at the end of an adventure or mis-sion. When a team of heroes receive a Wealth award, it should be split as evenly as possible between them. Thus, when a team of four get an award of +4, they each gain a +1 in-crease to their Wealth bonuses. SELLING STUFF The sale of incidental, inexpensive items found over the course of adventuring is gen-erally lumped together into general Wealth awards, as noted above. The big stuff, how-ever, and items already owned by characters are dealt with more specifically. And poten-tially, more lucratively. A pre-owned item that is undamaged and in working order generally has a sale value equal to the object’s normal purchase DC (as if purchased new) minus 3. At the GM’s dis-cretion, the sale price may be more or less de-pending on demand for the item or other considerations. For newly constructed items and goods such as trade commodities, there is no decrease in the sale value from the base purchase DC.. Those who travel between star systems have the opportunity to make real profits by ac-quiring goods in markets where they are common (and therefore cheaper) and selling them in markets where the demand is higher. Once the sale price is determined, the Wealth increase from selling an object works just like the decrease from purchasing, only in re-verse. Thus, if a character with a Wealth bo-nus of +9 sells an item with a sale value of 23, her Wealth bonus would increase by 1d6+1 (1d6 for a sale price 14 higher than her Wealth bonus, +1 for the fact that the cost is over 15). CURRENCY AND BANKING Though each stellar nation (and many inde-pendent planets and systems) issued their own currency in the past, the Concord dollar now reigns supreme. Even on the Verge, the Galactic Concord has set aggressive timeta-bles for the conversion of all planetary econo-mies to convert to the Concord dollar. Other currencies do still exist, most notable the Rigunmor Star Consortium’s guilder (valued at 100 guilders to 1 Concord dollar), but virtu-ally all economies accept the Concord dollar and convert it at very favorable rates in those cases where there is a local currency. The Galactic Bank, one of the administrative bureaucracies of the Galactic Concord, is the central that controls the flow of currency into the interstellar economy. The Concord dollar is purely electronic. Finan-cial networks, overseen by the Galactic Bank, account for, track, and transfer funds com-pletely virtually. A bioelectric scan is the standard means confirming money and ac-cessing accounts. To transfer money, a citizen simply confirms her bioelectric signature with a merchant, bank, or financial institution and authorizes the move. Sophisticated megabit encryption protects the banking community from fraud and other disasters. The vast distances between stars complicate banking and the timely transfer of these funds, however, and citizens in the 26th century can find themselves financial limited as they travel. Typically, the traveler transfers funds in advance via a drivespace communi-cation relay. To buy and sell in systems without a drivesat relay, an individual can carry a 3D crystal that contains the same data as a drivespace trans-fer. The 3D crystal (sometimes referred to as a cred stick) can be protected by its owner’s bioelectric signature, and is heavily encrypt-ed. Funds from a 3D crystal can be accessed di-rectly by banks, financial institutions and properly equipped merchants. For greater security, however, it is usually prudent to simply take the crystal to a bank or other insti-tution and set up a new account locally in any system in which a character intends to stay for more than a few days. One of the greatest advantages (and to some eyes– disadvantages) of this system is that virtually all transactions are very carefully tracked and recorded. While the Galactic Bank protects the confidentiality of all trans-actions very strenuously by both legal and security measures, there are always those who wish to keep certain transactions espe-cially confidential. For these people, and for those who travel beyond the reach of tradi-tional financial institutions, some banks and other institutions offer anonymous 3D crys-tals. Anonymous cred sticks contain only a verified transaction number for a specific Wealth bo-nus worth of funds. Most banks only issue anonymous 3D crystals for customers well known to them, and then for a fee. In order to purchase an anonymous cred stick, the purchaser decreases her Wealth bonus as though she had succeeded at a Wealth check equal to the cred stick’s Wealth bonus +11. When making a purchase with an anony-mous 3D crystal, however, the Wealth check is always made by taking 10. The +1 Wealth discrepancy represents the fee for the 3D crystal. Once purchased, an anonymous cred stick is considered a separate Wealth bonus from the character’s. It can increase and de-crease just like the character’s own Wealth bonus, from Wealth awards, purchases, sales and other transactions. Anonymous cred sticks never increase due to Profession checks, however, as these represent increases to a character’s actual Wealth, which remains safely tucked away in the Galactic Bank’s sys-tems. When the need for an anonymous cred stick is over, it can be re-deposited into the character’s main account. The resulting change to the character’s actual Wealth works just as though the character had sold an item with a sale price equal to the 3D crys-tal’s current Wealth bonus.

Anonymous Transactions A hero with a Wealth bonus of +15 “purchases” an anonymous cred stick with a +10 Wealth bonus. Her real Wealth bonus is decreased as though she had succeeded at a Wealth check against a purchase DC of 21. Thus, her real Wealth is reduced by +2 (+1 for a purchase DC of 15 or greater, +1 because the purchase DC is 6 greater than her real Wealth). While she retains the 3D crystal, any purchases she makes with it are treated as though her Wealth bonus were +10, and all of her Wealth checks are made by taking 10. Any decreases or increases to Wealth are ap-plied to the cred stick, not to her real Wealth. When she is done traveling in the remote reaches, her anonymous cred stick has been reduced to a bonus of +3. Re-depositing the-se funds into her real Wealth would actually have no affect, as the crystal’s Wealth bonus is less than her real one and less than 15. While this may seem like a loss, keep in mind that the character has paid for purchases and services during her travels that have not af-fected her real Wealth at all.

WEALTH AND MONEY When making purchases that represent many different components (such as a starship or robot), it can be necessary to determine the cost in Concord Dollars of the individual com-ponents and then total that cash value to de-termine a purchase DC. The chart above al-lows this by assigning a value, in Concord Dollars, to purchase DCs. While the chart can be seen as a rough guide to the cash value of a particular purchase DC, it is important to remember that this only an approximation made for use in particular circumstances.

LOANS Anyone who wants to buy a spaceship or funs a colony needs a great deal of money– hundreds of thousands or even millions of Concord dollars. If you don’t have the funds (and not many do), you need to approach a bank for a loan. Banks won’t lend money to just anyone– only individuals with proven employment records are eligible, but any cor-porate merchant can secure a loan. A corsair or an outlaw will need to find another source of funds.

In exchange for the loan, the bank requires that the debtor sign a contract detailing how the loan will be repaid. Typical repayment plans last five, ten, or twenty years; the inter-est rate depends on the length of the loan, the debtor’s credit status, the bank’s per-ceived risk, and the collateral. Normally the plan requires quarterly payments on the debt. If the payments fall behind, the bank seizes the assets purchased with the loan, and pos-sibly other assets as well. In many places (including the Rigunmor Star Consortium), a defaulting debtor suffers criminal prosecution and punishment, up to and including the debtor’s enslavement (only in the Star Con-sortium). By signing the note and failing to repay the debt, the debtor relinquishes any rights to appeal, much like a criminal who jumps bail. APPLYING FOR A LOAN Loan application is a complex and time-consuming process. It generally takes a num-ber of hours equal to twice the purchase DC of the loan to complete this process. The first thing the character needs to decide is how much Wealth she is prepared to invest in the initial down payment. The more Wealth the applicant is willing to put down up front, the better disposed the bank is to-ward the loan. In order to determine the down payment, first convert the purchase DC of the amount of money to be borrowed into cash, using the table on the previous page. Most loans demand a down payment of 5% to 20%, depending on the credit of the bor-rower. Determine the cash amount of the down payment and covert it to a purchase DC for the down payment, then make a nor-mal Wealth check. The down payment is sub-tracted from the loan amount, and then the loan is converted back to a purchase DC, rounded down. The interest rate of the loan represents the bank’s profit. Interest rate is directly added to the final purchase DC of the loan (and thus to the principle of the loan). All banks require a minimum interest rate of +1 Wealth, but the applicant can improve her chances of getting a loan by agreeing to a higher rate. Normally, interest rates only go as high as +3, but for a particularly risky loan the bank may demand even higher rates. Once the time has been spent and the terms agreed upon, the would-be debtor makes a Credit check against the final purchase DC of the loan. The Credit check is similar to a Wealth check, but it takes a number of other factors into account. It is always made as though taking 20. The base total of the Credit check is equal to: (20) + Wealth bonus + Reputation + Charac-ter Level + Charisma bonus + Credit Rating. Credit Rating is determined by the factors de-tailed on the chart below: The final purchase DC of the loan equals: (Cash borrowed –Down Payment, converted to purchase DC) + Interest Rate

CREDIT RATING Credit Factor Adjustment Per debt previously defaulted on -10 Verifiable income source +3 Collateral equal to DC +5 Collateral greater than DC +10 Collateral 5 less than the DC +2 5 year loan +10 10 year loan +5 Interest rate +2 +3 Interest rate +3 or more +5 Trustworthy feat +2 Applying in native culture +2 Per 5% down payment +1

LOAN PAYMENTS Loan payments are generally made quarterly. The payment is made by making a Wealth check against a purchase DC, just like buying an item. The purchase DC of the payment is deter-mined by the final purchase DC of the loan and the length of the loan. Covert the final purchase DC of the loan to cash, then divide by the number of payments (years x 4). Con-vert the cash value of a payment to a pur-chase DC (always rounding up) and that’s the quarterly loan payment. Debtors who want to repay their loans quick-ly can do so by simply adding to their quar-terly payments or making extra payments. The cash value of additional payments is subtracted directly from the principal of the loan, and when the total over payment reaches the cash value of a payment, one payment is subtracted. To completely pay a loan off, determine re-maining balance by subtracting the cash val-ue of payments made from the cash value of the original principal. You can take 20 on loan payments and pay-offs. CORPORATIONS AND FREE TRADERS Interstellar corporations are galaxy-spanning conglomerates with interests spread over thousands of light-years. Typical corporate divisions include advertising, consumer ser-vices, sentient resources, marketing, market research, merchant relations, operations, pro-duction, research and development, sales, security, and transportation. As a company grows and develops, in must issue stock and pay dividends, protect equity and market share, and outwit the competition. For the independent trader, business is much simpler– at least in principle. Traders operate under the same theory as other businesses: buy low, sell high. Put bluntly, independents fill their holds with cheap goods from one star system and carry them to another system where the going price is significantly higher. Of course, free traders often discover that their lives are not so simple. Merchants may be willing to cheat, swindle or scam a free trader, where they would be less likely to do so to a trader with the full weight of a mega-corporation or a government behind her. Most free traders turn a profit despite quirky local complications and the risks of the fron-tiers of explored space. In fact, most operate there because the large corporations have yet to move in a destroy a small trader’s chance to prosper. Without a controlling organization, free trad-ers sometimes band together in guilds. Oper-ating together, guild members share infor-mation about prices– their most important function. They also update their members on dangerous situations, emerging markets, and other opportunities for profit. Typically, the guild charges a membership fee for its ser-vices, including acting as a reference for ac-complished traders. Some guilds expand over time, becoming corporations and issuing stock. When independent trader profits become tru-ly lucrative, the demand for working capital becomes high. For a trader to make $100,000 transporting technical equipment, she must have millions of dollars to buy the equipment in the first place. Most traders have neither the capital nor the collateral to secure such loans. Many are still paying off the loan on their driveship, so many free traders work un-der contract. Rather than purchasing goods themselves, free traders take a contract from someone else. Usually the price is set on both ends, and the free trader gets a certain per-centage of the profits– about 10% plus ex-penses. It’s never as lucrative as working for yourself, but many traders rely on contracts when times are tough. INFOTRADING Buying and selling data is a tricky business reserved for those with plenty of resources for and a shrewd understanding of the value of knowledge. Those who make a living sell-ing information are known as data mer-chants. These merchants carry data either in special ship computers, on encrypted and bi-olocked 3Ds, or in secure internal nanocom-puters. Basically, data merchants are intelli-gence agents and couriers who operate with-out the protection of a central agency; they sell information as others sell industrialized parts. The easiest part of infotrading involves selling information, carrying messages, and deliver-ing news to the frontier. Without drivespace relays, frontier planets rely on driveships to carry libraries, financial records, and calls for economic and military assistance. These are the core businesses of data merchants. Sim-ple data delivery can’t generally provide a living for dealers with small ships, so most data merchants also carry normal cargo. It’s a tricky business. Information joins food-stuffs as one of the few commodities in the galaxy that grows stale and useless over time. Holding information too long can be just as disastrous as holding out for a few more dol-lars. SELLING PASSAGE A trader with a ship has one other commodi-ty that she can carry from system to system: passengers. On the Verge, people pay to ride aboard trade vessels or freighters heading in the right direction. This isn’t luxury service; the quarters are barely adequate, the service is nonexistent, and the food consists of what-ever the ship’s cook puts on the table. How-ever, it’s an economical way to travel. Rates rise as the quality of the accommoda-tions improves. Aboard a ship equipped with luxury passenger suites, a passenger pays quite a premium to travel in style.