RangerWickett
Legend
How much should a nuclear weapon cost in D20 Modern? Obviously it's illegal to buy one, but what would the black market Purchase DC be? I'm trying to compare it to some of the magic items, which seem ridiculously expensive.
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Purchase DC for a Nuke?
- Thread starter RangerWickett
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RangerWickett
Legend
Obviously. But, I mean, does anyone know what the going price for a thermonuclear device is? Sure, you've got to deal with the terrorists and the FBI and the geek mafia, but that's assuming you even have enough money to buy the durned thing.
Len
Prodigal Member
Is there enough of a market for nukes in your world for there go be a going price?RangerWickett said:
If there's only one nuke for sale you'd be competing against governments, as Arpad said, and I think the purchase DC would be 60+.
If there is a black market for nukes then it's up to you to figure out the going price.
Falkus
Explorer
Obviously. But, I mean, does anyone know what the going price for a thermonuclear device is? Sure, you've got to deal with the terrorists and the FBI and the geek mafia, but that's assuming you even have enough money to buy the durned thing.
There is no going price, nuclear weapons don't come with a price tag for the black market. At the very least, fifty to a hundred million dollars.
There is no going price, nuclear weapons don't come with a price tag for the black market. At the very least, fifty to a hundred million dollars.
Nuclear Platypus
First Post
The size of the device and who's selling it should make a difference. Something big would obviously cost more like a single warhead off a multiple warhead device would be cheaper and after the Soviet Union shattered, it's doubtful any of their nukes were expensive since it was quick cash for them.
Is it a dirty bomb or an actual bomb?
Not exactly the best source but was a price ever mentioned in Broken Arrow? Ditto for Peacemaker or Sum of All Fears?
Is it a dirty bomb or an actual bomb?
Not exactly the best source but was a price ever mentioned in Broken Arrow? Ditto for Peacemaker or Sum of All Fears?
Committed Hero
Hero
If you mean in real world I assume you would have to ask the DoE.
Depends, are you asking for the going price for just the nuke, or do you want to include all the bribes, payoffs, donations to retirement funds, transport costs, and other miscellania that goes along with finding a nuke and moving it to the place you want to use it?
How big a nuke do you want? A tacnuke (a few tens of kilotons) costs a great deal less than a big stratigic nuke (a few megatons).
If you just want one weath check, I'd go with Arpad's suggestion, and start with DC 60.
If you want a more detailed answer, I'll assume a current world, post-cold war. A couple of dozen DC 20-30 bribe checks to find the device, A DC 45 check to buy it, plus another set of a dozen or more DC30-40 checks to transport it to where ever they want to use it.
In a world where the cold war is still active, I'd reduce the inital bribes by 10, increase the cost to DC50 and reduce the transport costs by 5 to 10.
In a world where a hot war is ongoing (say Armageddon 2089) I'd make it even easier.
Contrast this with the effort to build one of their own. From scratch. Most of the information is publicly available from a good university library. Obtaining fissile material is relatively cheap (DC 10-20 or so), though it may take some time to refine. You probably can't get a device with a yeild over a few kilotons this way. But much cheaper than buying an existing one. And requires a little knowledge. See The Manhattan Project for an example.
More references: * The Curve of binding energy by John McPhee. An older book describing how easy it would be for terrorists to build their own bomb.
* The Radioactive Boy Scout, an account of a young lad who builds his own atomic reactor. In his back yard.
How big a nuke do you want? A tacnuke (a few tens of kilotons) costs a great deal less than a big stratigic nuke (a few megatons).
If you just want one weath check, I'd go with Arpad's suggestion, and start with DC 60.
If you want a more detailed answer, I'll assume a current world, post-cold war. A couple of dozen DC 20-30 bribe checks to find the device, A DC 45 check to buy it, plus another set of a dozen or more DC30-40 checks to transport it to where ever they want to use it.
In a world where the cold war is still active, I'd reduce the inital bribes by 10, increase the cost to DC50 and reduce the transport costs by 5 to 10.
In a world where a hot war is ongoing (say Armageddon 2089) I'd make it even easier.
Contrast this with the effort to build one of their own. From scratch. Most of the information is publicly available from a good university library. Obtaining fissile material is relatively cheap (DC 10-20 or so), though it may take some time to refine. You probably can't get a device with a yeild over a few kilotons this way. But much cheaper than buying an existing one. And requires a little knowledge. See The Manhattan Project for an example.
More references: * The Curve of binding energy by John McPhee. An older book describing how easy it would be for terrorists to build their own bomb.
* The Radioactive Boy Scout, an account of a young lad who builds his own atomic reactor. In his back yard.
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Other factors need to be considered as well. Mainly, who is doing the selling? Someone who stole the nuke and wants to get rid of it before he gets caught? It would be cheaper then. Are you buying it from a rogue government (particularly in Russian territories) or warlord?
That will be lots of paranoia because they are more law enforcement out there than there are people trying to buy nukes for personal whatever. You've got at least a 50/50 chance, or worst, that whoever you are talking is FBI/CIA/UN/MOSSAD etc. The thing may be worth millions and millions, but that doesn't mean that you'll get that much for it. So the price of a nuke could vary wildly from situation to situation.
Politics/business could play into it as well. Say you are buying from a russian country that is trying to make a run in the world wide oil market. If you are buying a nuke from these guys and tell them that you plan to use it in the middle east, they might give it to you cheaper because turmoil there would help out their oil business.
The black market is extremely fluid and hot properties like nukes can really put a wierd spin on things. Of course you can also do the timed honored "movie" auction.
Where whoever is selling the nuke gets a bunch of buyers together and holds an auction. In this case whoever bids the highest determines how much the nuke is worth.
That will be lots of paranoia because they are more law enforcement out there than there are people trying to buy nukes for personal whatever. You've got at least a 50/50 chance, or worst, that whoever you are talking is FBI/CIA/UN/MOSSAD etc. The thing may be worth millions and millions, but that doesn't mean that you'll get that much for it. So the price of a nuke could vary wildly from situation to situation.
Politics/business could play into it as well. Say you are buying from a russian country that is trying to make a run in the world wide oil market. If you are buying a nuke from these guys and tell them that you plan to use it in the middle east, they might give it to you cheaper because turmoil there would help out their oil business.
The black market is extremely fluid and hot properties like nukes can really put a wierd spin on things. Of course you can also do the timed honored "movie" auction.
Where whoever is selling the nuke gets a bunch of buyers together and holds an auction. In this case whoever bids the highest determines how much the nuke is worth.
