freak'in wealth system
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Masada
First Post
$50,000 is a Purchase DC of 31. Compare 31 to the players current wealth bonus and *add* an amount to it equal to what the player would have lost to purchase DC 31. This is essentially like "Selling an Item".
$25,000 is 29.
$100,000 is 34.
There's a chart for this in Rewards in the d20 Modern core rules. It's not in the SRD.
$25,000 is 29.
$100,000 is 34.
There's a chart for this in Rewards in the d20 Modern core rules. It's not in the SRD.
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
This is assuming 4 players.
The general way you do this is take the Cash Value, Divide by PCs, Subtract 3.
This is the "Sale Value DC". Determine how much the PC would have lost by PURCHASING an item of that DC and that's the Wealth Bonus they get for it.
There's no "Set Wealth Bonus" because your PCs may all have different Wealth scores and, therefore, X Dollars represents a different increase for each of them.
To demonstrate:
50,000 / 4 = 12,500 Dollars
12,000 = DC 26 (See Page 204)
26 - 3 = Sale Value DC 23
Okay. We'll say our PCs each have a Wealth Bonus of +10. We use sales rules (P. 91).
The DC is 15 or Higher (+1)
11-15 Points Higher than Current Wealth Bonus (+1d6)
Thus each PC gets a Wealth Bonus increase of +(1d6+1) points OR, to average, +4 Wealth Bonus.
It's a shade complicated at first, I'll admit, but it works nicely and keeps the whole thing running well. It gets simple quick if you keep a copy of the table on P. 204 and a copy of the table on P. 91 on hand.
For 24,000 ...
24,000 / 4 = 6,000
(P. 204) $6,000 = DC 23
23 - 3 = Sale Value DC 20
20 is higher than 15, and 10 more than their wealth so they each get a flat +2 Wealth Bonus increase. (1 + 1 = 2)
For 100,000k ...
100,000 / 4 = 25,000
$25,000 = DC 36
At Wealth +10 the 33 DC is
More than 15,
More than 16 over ...
Those are +1, +2d6 so everybody gets +(2d6+1) Wealth.
Hope that helps.
As you see, a flat amount of money isn't a flat wealth bonus because Wealth increase is dictated by the original Wealth score, so it changes.
((Mmm. Not sure, Masada. My method adjusts each PCs Wealth by their share of the loot. If you just look at the DC for the WHOLE amount for each PC its as if they EACH get 50k. Plus you're forgetting the -3 sales rule. It seems odd to take off 3, but I'm pretty sure this was the method advocated by the big dog over on Wizards' boards. It's because an infusion of pure cash doesn't change your purchasing power as directly as all that, I think. You use some to pay off debts, it increases your credit score, you have to hide some of it or pay taxes on it, and you can't carry 50k in cash with you wherever you go, etc etc.))
--fje
The general way you do this is take the Cash Value, Divide by PCs, Subtract 3.
This is the "Sale Value DC". Determine how much the PC would have lost by PURCHASING an item of that DC and that's the Wealth Bonus they get for it.
There's no "Set Wealth Bonus" because your PCs may all have different Wealth scores and, therefore, X Dollars represents a different increase for each of them.
To demonstrate:
50,000 / 4 = 12,500 Dollars
12,000 = DC 26 (See Page 204)
26 - 3 = Sale Value DC 23
Okay. We'll say our PCs each have a Wealth Bonus of +10. We use sales rules (P. 91).
The DC is 15 or Higher (+1)
11-15 Points Higher than Current Wealth Bonus (+1d6)
Thus each PC gets a Wealth Bonus increase of +(1d6+1) points OR, to average, +4 Wealth Bonus.
It's a shade complicated at first, I'll admit, but it works nicely and keeps the whole thing running well. It gets simple quick if you keep a copy of the table on P. 204 and a copy of the table on P. 91 on hand.
For 24,000 ...
24,000 / 4 = 6,000
(P. 204) $6,000 = DC 23
23 - 3 = Sale Value DC 20
20 is higher than 15, and 10 more than their wealth so they each get a flat +2 Wealth Bonus increase. (1 + 1 = 2)
For 100,000k ...
100,000 / 4 = 25,000
$25,000 = DC 36
At Wealth +10 the 33 DC is
More than 15,
More than 16 over ...
Those are +1, +2d6 so everybody gets +(2d6+1) Wealth.
Hope that helps.
As you see, a flat amount of money isn't a flat wealth bonus because Wealth increase is dictated by the original Wealth score, so it changes.
((Mmm. Not sure, Masada. My method adjusts each PCs Wealth by their share of the loot. If you just look at the DC for the WHOLE amount for each PC its as if they EACH get 50k. Plus you're forgetting the -3 sales rule. It seems odd to take off 3, but I'm pretty sure this was the method advocated by the big dog over on Wizards' boards. It's because an infusion of pure cash doesn't change your purchasing power as directly as all that, I think. You use some to pay off debts, it increases your credit score, you have to hide some of it or pay taxes on it, and you can't carry 50k in cash with you wherever you go, etc etc.))
--fje
Last edited:
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
'Course that's the EASY way to say it ... :\
--fje
--fje
genjitsugaming
First Post
Very Nearly
Heap is nearly right; only thing is, since money's face value doesn't change no matter how many times it changes hands, there's no -3 penalty to the effective purchase DC. (I don't have the book handy just at the moment, so maybe there's some statement to the contrary, but the whole reason for the "subtract 3" part of the process is that you can rarely resell something for the same price you paid for it.) The process, therefore, runs like this:
Determine how much each of the $50,000 (or whatever) each character receives. If four PCs divide it equally, each gets $12,500. If they give it all to one guy so he can go buy them a car, apply the entire $50,000 to that one character and ignore the others.
For each PC who received some of the cash, determine the equivalent purchase DC of that value. $50,000 has already been stated as 31, and I'm assuming that's right since I don't have the book handy; $12,500 has a lower value, I'm guessing purchase DC 24 or so, but again I don't have my book handy. That PC's wealth bonus increases by the same amount that it would decrease if the character purchased something with that DC; +1 if the resulting DC exceeds the character's wealth bonus by 1-10 points, +1d6 if it exceeds the character's Wealth bonus by 11-15 points, and +2d6 if it exceeds the wealth bonus by 16 or more. The character gains an additional +1 wealth increase if the money amount equates to a purchase DC of 15 or higher (he or she gains this +1 increase even if the DC of the reqard is less than or equal to his wealth bonus).
So, if two characters split a $100,000 dollar reward ($50,000 each), and one has a wealth bonus of +22 and the other has a wealth bonus of 12, the first one's wealth bonus increases by +2 (+1 for being 9 points over his wealth bonus, and +1 for being over 15), and the second character's wealth bonus increases by +2d6+1 (2d6 for being 16 or more points higher than her wealth bonus, and 1 for being over DC 15).
The wealth system is great for dealing with the complexities of modern finance in a simple way, but it's not nearly so much fun to say, "He gives you a suitcase full of money with a purchase DC of 23."
NF
Heap is nearly right; only thing is, since money's face value doesn't change no matter how many times it changes hands, there's no -3 penalty to the effective purchase DC. (I don't have the book handy just at the moment, so maybe there's some statement to the contrary, but the whole reason for the "subtract 3" part of the process is that you can rarely resell something for the same price you paid for it.) The process, therefore, runs like this:
Determine how much each of the $50,000 (or whatever) each character receives. If four PCs divide it equally, each gets $12,500. If they give it all to one guy so he can go buy them a car, apply the entire $50,000 to that one character and ignore the others.
For each PC who received some of the cash, determine the equivalent purchase DC of that value. $50,000 has already been stated as 31, and I'm assuming that's right since I don't have the book handy; $12,500 has a lower value, I'm guessing purchase DC 24 or so, but again I don't have my book handy. That PC's wealth bonus increases by the same amount that it would decrease if the character purchased something with that DC; +1 if the resulting DC exceeds the character's wealth bonus by 1-10 points, +1d6 if it exceeds the character's Wealth bonus by 11-15 points, and +2d6 if it exceeds the wealth bonus by 16 or more. The character gains an additional +1 wealth increase if the money amount equates to a purchase DC of 15 or higher (he or she gains this +1 increase even if the DC of the reqard is less than or equal to his wealth bonus).
So, if two characters split a $100,000 dollar reward ($50,000 each), and one has a wealth bonus of +22 and the other has a wealth bonus of 12, the first one's wealth bonus increases by +2 (+1 for being 9 points over his wealth bonus, and +1 for being over 15), and the second character's wealth bonus increases by +2d6+1 (2d6 for being 16 or more points higher than her wealth bonus, and 1 for being over DC 15).
The wealth system is great for dealing with the complexities of modern finance in a simple way, but it's not nearly so much fun to say, "He gives you a suitcase full of money with a purchase DC of 23."
NF
genjitsugaming
First Post
Or doing it the other way...
Charles Ryan also answers this question in one of his first "Bullet Points" articles on the WotC website, although he goes at it in a very different way: he answers the question, "if someone gives the PCs a suitcase of money with enough lucre in it to give them all a +3 wealth increase, how much money was in the suitcase?"
The article can be found at:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/bp/20030304a
Merry Gaming
NF
Charles Ryan also answers this question in one of his first "Bullet Points" articles on the WotC website, although he goes at it in a very different way: he answers the question, "if someone gives the PCs a suitcase of money with enough lucre in it to give them all a +3 wealth increase, how much money was in the suitcase?"
The article can be found at:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/bp/20030304a
Merry Gaming
NF
genjitsugaming
First Post
Dammit, I need to wait a minute before I post...
I just thought of one other approach depending on your GMing style.
DISCLAIMER: The following system was worked out in about 30 seconds, without actually considering too many of the ramifications or the practicality of its use, and may have severe design problems or lend itself to abuse at the hands of unscrupulous players. The poster assumes no liability for game-breaking twitches that result from the unconsidered use of this mechanic, and will ignore posts that flame him out for suggesting something so stupid that even your senile great-grand-relative who doesn't even know what D&D is wouldn't recommend it.
END DISCLAIMER
If a character receives a big cash reward and wants to IMMEDIATELY put it towards some sort of big purchase (such as buying a car etc.), you might keep things simple by subtracting the purchase DC equivalent of the received cash award from the purchase DC of the the item or service that they buy, and resolving the wealth check according to the remaining DC. So if a character gets a some of money equivalent to a DC 20 purchase, and wants to buy something with a purchase DC of 29, resolve the purchase as if the DC were 9. If he would rather buy something with a DC of 13, he gains wealth as if his award were worth a purchase DC of 7.
I would not advocate this in cases where the character wants several items, or plans on keeping the money for a little while or depositing it into a bank account etc. It is only suggested as a shorthand to limit the amount of math done when someone who gets a pile of money immediately wants to turn around and buy something huge.
I just thought of one other approach depending on your GMing style.
DISCLAIMER: The following system was worked out in about 30 seconds, without actually considering too many of the ramifications or the practicality of its use, and may have severe design problems or lend itself to abuse at the hands of unscrupulous players. The poster assumes no liability for game-breaking twitches that result from the unconsidered use of this mechanic, and will ignore posts that flame him out for suggesting something so stupid that even your senile great-grand-relative who doesn't even know what D&D is wouldn't recommend it.
END DISCLAIMER
If a character receives a big cash reward and wants to IMMEDIATELY put it towards some sort of big purchase (such as buying a car etc.), you might keep things simple by subtracting the purchase DC equivalent of the received cash award from the purchase DC of the the item or service that they buy, and resolving the wealth check according to the remaining DC. So if a character gets a some of money equivalent to a DC 20 purchase, and wants to buy something with a purchase DC of 29, resolve the purchase as if the DC were 9. If he would rather buy something with a DC of 13, he gains wealth as if his award were worth a purchase DC of 7.
I would not advocate this in cases where the character wants several items, or plans on keeping the money for a little while or depositing it into a bank account etc. It is only suggested as a shorthand to limit the amount of math done when someone who gets a pile of money immediately wants to turn around and buy something huge.
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
Genjitsu,
Well, IIRC what I posted I pulled from a Q and A thread Charles answered on the boards, but I can't recall if that was before or after that particular Bullet Point article, and I don't feel like searching the boards for what'll probably end up being a mis-remembered bit of info.
At any rate, this is the system I use for determining Wealth Score change for pre-established dollar amounts as opposed to coming up with amounts for pre-established Wealth Score changes.
--fje
Well, IIRC what I posted I pulled from a Q and A thread Charles answered on the boards, but I can't recall if that was before or after that particular Bullet Point article, and I don't feel like searching the boards for what'll probably end up being a mis-remembered bit of info.
At any rate, this is the system I use for determining Wealth Score change for pre-established dollar amounts as opposed to coming up with amounts for pre-established Wealth Score changes.
--fje
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