Modern wealth systems?

[RangerWickett]

I hear complaints about the d20 Modern wealth system, but I like the point of the rules - namely that tracking dollars like we have to do day to day is boring. The d20 Modern Wealth system is fairly simple, and it only runs into problems when you're buying really expensive things. But does anyone have a better alternative, and if so, can you please tell me about it. My personal wealth rating now is atrocious, so I can't afford to buy game books. *grin*

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Well, the system starts to break down after about +25 or so.

One thing I suggest is that, after a certain point, convert the DCs to increments of 5 and then 10. If you've got somebody with a +40 bonus regularly buying DC 50 items, then there's no real point tracking anything below that, so move the numbers to something where the d20 roll is going to make a difference again.

I dunno. In my own games those sorts of numbers have NEVER come up. After a certain point stuff is more of a plot point. Either I want the PCs to have a battlecruiser, or I don't. So, I guess, no.

Mostly, though, you want to figure out a way to keep the +s from Wealth under +30 even if you shift the whole scale upwards by a little bit. To keep the randomization of the d20 as a major factor in purchases.

--fje

 

[hobgoblin]

there are some rules in d20 modern that reduce the users wealth score depending on what the person buys. so if someone buys a item that have a dc of 50 and have +40 wealth he will after the wealth have +38. given this is question how someone could build up something even close to +20 unless they are scavengers (selling of every gun, armor and cellphone the enemy have) or the gm have been realy sloppy with wealth rewards. both of these can impact a system like the one in d&d to, it takes experience with the system to know how much to give at any given moment.

 

[Klaus]

One might avoid some of these issues by using the optional "1 = -10/20 = +30" rule from the DMG. On the 20 = +30 side, I'd add an additional rule: if the Wealth loss from the purchase would lower your Wealth to below 0, you can't afford the purchase (this keeps a characetr with Wealth +1 from buying a DC 31 item).

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I dunno. It's sort of like D&D fighters at 20th level with +30 or better ABs on their first attack. Nobody seems to be complaining about that.

If I had somebody trying to play Ozymandias (from Watchmen) a la a 20th level PC who had a +30-+40 Wealth bonus or better, I would really just treat monetary concerns as a game plot point for them from then on out. They could provide regular equipment to the other PCs with no rolls or problems, I'd probably let them have a personal jet to fly everybody around on missions without asking for rolls. It's part of a lifestyle ... but I could think of some interesting things for a PC to do with that sort of Wealth bonus.

They're off in a trackless South American jungle and discover the cure for an alien plague in the form of 50,000 gallons of alien honey from a downed alien craft ... how do they get it home? THAT's a problem for one of the richest men in the world. "As you stumble out of the jungle dishevled, torn, dirty, and having lost all of the equipment you started with, including your wallet and all of your ID, you spot a port in the distance ... and an old dilapidated oil tanker, which looks like it's been tugged in to be scrapped." Two days of wheeling, dealing, trying to convince the local policia that not only are you not crazy, you're who you say you are and if you can JUST use a PHONE you can certainly get some money transfers set up to buy this beautiful tanker ... and while we wait they gather up every diver and welder in the surrounding countryside and start patching those holes ... because if we don't get that honey out of here in four days 80% of the world's population is going to go belly up like fish in a bowl.

Negatives, positives from role playing, etc etc. That's a roll for a game.

--fje

 

[Christopher Lambert]

I dunno. It's sort of like D&D fighters at 20th level with +30 or better ABs on their first attack. Nobody seems to be complaining about that.

Yes they do. The complaints usually center around lame AC values rather than the fighter's attack bonus, however.

 

[beverson]

One of the things I've thought about trying is a system that was in one of the Game Mechanics books (can't remember which one), and someone else posted something similar on either these boards or over at WotC. They broke wealth into 2 parts - on hand, represented by the wealth score as detailed in the core book, and credit. I don't have it with me for specifics, but it basically should keep the players from having huge amounts of wealth 'on hand'. Sure, they may have +30 in credit, but then they have to take the time to go get it, increasing the overall time for purchases, which can be a seriously limiting factor when time is of the essence.

 

[Dismas]

The Game Mechanics Modern Players Companion has the alternative wealth options, together with a sidebar from Stan! explaining why, in his view, the existing wealth system works.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Yes they do. The complaints usually center around lame AC values rather than the fighter's attack bonus, however.

AC definately doesn't scale as levels progress. At 1-3 level its easy to get armor and AC that's hittable only 10-20 percent of the time by creatures of appropriate CR. By 10th and 11th it's quite easy to fight creatures that only MISS 10-20% of the time.

This is why in the high-level D&D game I play in I play a low-AC grapple-monkey monk. Because the only effective defense at that point seems to be the 50% miss chance for people trying to strike into the grapple.

D20 Modern seems to have the opposite problem, where class Def bonuses keep going up and up while multiclassing keeps everybody's BAB down somewhere around 1/2 or 1/3.

(Which is why I don't mind incorporating more rules to make fights more dangerous in Modern. Gotta keep 'em on their toes somehow.)

--fje