[D20 Modern] What happened to making money?

[Trainz@work]

I work in a canadian musical instruments store. A mexican Fender Strat costs $700.00. If you buy the parts to make the guitar yourself (a very complicated and crafty undertaking), it would cost over $1000.00 in parts. Minumum. That is, if you buy the body and neck pre-made. If you don't, it takes you a lot of time and machinery to make them. Well over $2000.00 in this case.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Kreynolds - perhaps you should suggest to your enterprising player that he pick up an appropriate profession skill if he wishes to make money? And possibly institute a house rule which says that players may make profession checks at times other than when they gain a level (say once a month, or year or something you feel is right).

That'll represent the character's ability to actually make money performing his craft (which typically has little to do with the actual workmanship).

And remember - in the modern world, it is typically difficult to impossible to actually make something from scratch for a lower price than the mass-produced version will sell for. That's a generalisation that works practically across-the-board.

If you're talking about 'higher quality' and 'custom made' items, you might want to consider the advanced class which handles those things.

 

[D-rock]

I agree that in the modern age that factorys mass producing items lets them make it much cheaper than if you could make it yourself. Its not the same as D&D where everything is made by artisans. The exceptions I would make would be if the item you made wasn't commonly availible or if the item you made was of much higher quality than a commonly availible item. Or maybe if you had a high reputation in the field you were making the item in(art for example). Then I might let somebody purchase the materials for the same amount as it would cost to construct the original product, but let you sell it for a lot more.

 

[kreynolds]

Kreynolds - perhaps you should suggest to your enterprising player that he pick up an appropriate profession skill if he wishes to make money?

He's got it, and he's maxed out his ranks in it as well.

And possibly institute a house rule which says that players may make profession checks at times other than when they gain a level (say once a month, or year or something you feel is right).

Well, what I'm thinking about doing is a general once-a-month or once-a-business period (every quarter) profession check to see how his business is doing (when he gets one). The better it does, the better his wealth. My games rarely skip over a month of downtime, if even a single week, so this would actually be quite condusive. The better his business, the better his wealth. If his business fades a bit (from a bad profession check that month) his wealth takes a small hit.

Basically, I just want to take the abstract (but oh so lovely, so don't get me wrong) wealth system and take a tiny little step forward with it. I don't know. Something I've been kicking around.

 

[Mistwell]

How about one of two houserules: 5 or more ranks in a craft skill adds a +2 synergy bonus to your profession checks; or you can make a craft check instead of a profession check when you gain a level, and have that craft check count as if it were a profession check.