Wealth and Money
| Credit Score | Loan | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | - | $0 |
| 1 | $10,000 | $250 +250 |
| 2 | $10,000 | $500 |
| 3 | $10,000 | $750 |
| 4 | $10,000 | $1000 |
| 5 | $10,000 | $1250 |
| 6 | $50,000 | $1500 |
| 7 | $50,000 | $1750 |
| 8 | $50,000 | $2000 |
| 9 | $50,000 | $2250 |
| 10 | $50,000 | $2500 |
| 11 | $120,000 | $3000 +500 |
| 12 | $120,000 | $3500 |
| 13 | $120,000 | $4000 |
| 14 | $120,000 | $4500 |
| 15 | $120,000 | $5000 |
| 16 | $250,000 | $5500 |
| 17 | $250,000 | $6000 |
| 18 | $250,000 | $6500 |
| 19 | $250,000 | $7000 |
| 20 | $250,000 | $7500 |
| 21 | $500,000 | $8500 +1000 |
| 22 | $500,000 | $9500 |
| 23 | $500,000 | $10500 |
| 24 | $500,000 | $11500 |
| 25 | $500,000 | $12500 |
| 26 | $1,000,000 | $13500 |
| 27 | $1,000,000 | $14500 |
| 28 | $1,000,000 | $15500 |
| 29 | $1,000,000 | $16500 |
| 30 | $1,000,000 | $17500 |
| 31 | $2,5000,000 | $19000 +1500 |
| 32 | $2,5000,000 | $20500 |
| 33 | $2,5000,000 | $22000 |
| 34 | $2,5000,000 | $23500 |
| 35 | $2,5000,000 | $25000 |
| 36 | $6,500,000 | $26500 |
| 37 | $6,500,000 | $28000 |
| 38 | $6,500,000 | $29500 |
| 39 | $6,500,000 | $31000 |
| 40 | $6,500,000 | $32500 |
| 41 | $10,000,000 | $34500 +2000 |
| 42 | $10,000,000 | $36500 |
The exchange of goods and services can grow complicated as civilizations advance. It started with the simple barter system and evolved into Credit and Debt with banks and so on. All before advanced technologies such as electronic transfers, cryptocurrency, etc...
This wealth system is an attempt to simplify money and wealth management while still representing some of the complexities of our modern and possibly future economy, without compromising gameplay or storytelling.
Most players may only need to review the Basic Rules. Advanced Rules are only there for more complicated purchases if the GM and/or Characters wish to role-play buying equipment, such as ships that may cost vastly more than what they have on hand. As well as how additional sources of income come into play.
Basic Rules
ISC (Credits)
ISC is simply the amount of wealth a Character has to freely and immediately spend. All things revolve around the ISC, which is short for Inter-Stellar Credits, also generically referred to as Credits. Credits are the official currency used galaxy-wide, and characters will use them to buy items while adventuring. Characters gain credits through their Profession as well as adventuring.
Lore: One of the biggest things the Jove brought to the Milky Way was a way to be an intermediary for trade. No longer did alien Civilizations exchange resources through rare-material trade; instead, they used modern concepts of money and credit. The Jove set up a banking system that connected across the galaxy using state-of-the-art quantum-entanglement communication systems. The Interstellar Ledger of Wealth is the foundation of the bank. An advanced public ledger that uses powerful encryption systems monitored by all who wish to participate. There is no exclusive member within the bank who makes the public accountable to themselves. Almost all civilizations recognized ISC (or just Credits for short) as a valid form of currency. Some governments have even converted their local currency into ISC/Credits.
There are other currencies that are local to Civilization. Sometimes that currency is recognized by neighboring Civilizations. However, the details of other currencies and their value should be left to the GM and the story being told. As for most Characters's traveling around the Ring of Life within the Milky Way Credits are all that is needed.
Credit Score
Credit Score determines how much debt a Character can get into, or in other words, how much they can spend on 'big ticket' items. Character's spend points of their Credit Score to buy extra big items such as Space Ships.
The starting Credit Score is determined by the Profession a Character has, as well as any Ranks they have in their Profession Skill. A Profession will have a 'Credit Rating Range'. Start with the lowest number in that range and then add the Character's Wisdom, then any additional Ranks from their Profession Skill, and that is their starting Credit Score.
Budget
Budget determines how much a Character makes in ISC in one month while working in their Profession. The Character has to have had time to work their profession, so if they are off adventuring, then they have not earned money from their Budget.
This is often used as an 'in-between' mechanic. A way of stating what the Character is doing and what they got for it, while not on the main adventure or story. For example, the GM could state that it has been 3 months with nothing new happening for the Characters in their story. So the Players can say that their Characters were doing what they normally do during this downtime. And they earned 3 months' worth of their Budget.
Character Sheet
Editing Character Sheet: Credits show how much money a Character has on them. Their wealth is shown on the second page of the Character sheet, near the bottom, underneath the items section. This section has three parts: (Credit Score/Budget/ISC). At level one, all 3 of these things are determined by a character's Profession.
Starting Wealth
To determine starting wealth or ISC the Player must first pick a Profession for the Character. Visit the Professions page. The Profession will have a Starting Bonus Income. The Player may also add 1 month's worth of their Budget.
To determine starting Credit Score look at the picked Profession it will have a Credit Rating Range section. Pick the lowest number in that range, then add the Character's Wisdom modifier. Then add and any Ranks in the Profession skill. This is their total Credit Score.
Lastly, to determine the Budget, review the table titled 'Credit Score to Load and Budget amount' to the right.
Buying Stuff
Most items have a set price based on Credits. Such as Neural Computer Link for $2500 credits. The Player can see how many credits the Character has on hand. If the Character has enough Credits, they subtract that amount from their wealth and get the item.
The primary thing is simply the number of credits. If a character has $10,000 ISK then they can buy $10,000 worth of something.
Bargaining/Appraising/Hageling
Items normally have a set value, and that is it. The Characters should know and expect that if they walk into a store, the price on the tag is simply non-negotiable. However, the Player can have a Character attempt to 'appraise' an item's value using Knowledge/Craft skills. If it is a gadget or another piece of technology, they can use their tech score as a Knowledge Skill to appraise an item and see if they are being ripped off.
If a character finds themselves in a situation where they may bargain, they can use the Diplomacy skill as described to bargain for it.
Tech Level
Most items have a technology level associated with them. Especially Weapons and Armor. This can be used to restrict which items are available in a given location. A GM, for example, could say that a particular store only contains Tech Level 1 and 2 Weapons. Or this general store specializes in only high-priced Tech 4 equipment.
A GM can sell an item at a higher-tech level than specified. There are rules for this in Weapons and Armor. For General Equipment, however, there are no 'up teching' rules. The GM is free to apply a minor bonus, such as doubling an item's usage, and so on. However, the price is always x2 for each increase in Tech level.
Procure Difficulty
| Level | Extra Cost | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Level 0 | %0 | The item should be common and can be found with little difficulty in stores as long as it's in the same tech level. |
| Level 1 | %10 | The item is not common, however, usually not illegal. It could be found in larger stores and cities, popular places of trade, or places that specialize in having it. |
| Level 2 | %20 | Possibly a controlled substance or object. The characters will likely have to work to find the item. Sometimes it can be illegal. You will have to go to places known to have it. It will be rare to see it anywhere else. |
| Level 3 | %50 | Likely restricted to only military or special fields of study or experimental. Almost always illegal or simply extremely rare and probably unknown to the average person unless the character is familiar with the items field. |
| Level 4 | X2 | Highly unlikely to be found anywhere except in hidden markets. Dangerous in some societies to be caught having the item, either because of its illegality or social stigma. |
| Level 5 | X3 | Usually not for sale precious items. Or extremely illegal or both. If it's not highly illegal, then it is a niche item that few people would ever know about. Possibly one of a kind. |
This mechanic helps convey to the Player how difficult it would be for a Character to obtain an item. Each item, piece of equipment, weapon, or armor in the game should have a Procure Difficult already attached. By default, prices are not adjusted for Procure Difficulty. It is up to the GM to determine if part of the difficulty of acquiring the item is due to cost. If not specified, the default Procure Difficulty is 0.
The GM can adjust the Procure Difficulty as they see fit. Many factors can affect an item's Procure Difficulty. To the right is a table with examples of what each level can mean. The levels are more like a guideline or scale to easily communicate the difficulty of procuring any item in the game to other players.
There are 6 levels of difficulty 0 through 5. Although it doesn't always concern the item's legality, it merely concerns how difficult it is to obtain and/or how dangerous it would be to be caught with it. Zero is the easiest and means that the item is not illegal and is fairly common. 5 means that it is usually illegal or 1 of a kind. This also carries severe consequences if caught buying, selling, or being in possession of it.
The GM can add the difficulty number to rolls associated with bluff/diplomacy/intimidate or any other skill/ability check that has to do with acquiring it. If you walk into a shoddy shop in a small, unpopular space station, you likely won't find a Proc Diff 4 or 5 item, and probably not even a 3 unless they specialize in it, and then they'll likely charge an arm and a leg for it.
Below is a chart with a few basic scenarios to help get an idea of what can increase an item's Procure Difficulty.
| Scenario | Difficulty increase | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal | +2 | The item is considered illegal by the society from which the player is attempting to purchase it. |
| Highly Illegal | +4 | The item is considered highly illegal, meaning that the punishment for being associated with it can be extremely severe. |
| Controlled Substance | +1 | The item is controlled by the local government and is slated to be purchased only by qualified persons. |
| MasterWorked | +1 | The item is constructed with better-than-normal materials, making it more valuable and rare. |
| Off World Merch | +1/2 | This means the item was not manufactured on the planet/space-station the character is attempting to buy it on. However, the degree of difficulty increase depends on how far away the item is and how easy it is for that society to travel that distance. A Tech Level 4 civilization can easily traverse a much larger range, and thus the item would have to be in a very, very distant solar system. |
| Ancient Alien Tech | +2/4 | Looking for ancient tech? It may be hard. Depending on whether you are looking for it on the planet it originated from or some other location. |
| Taboo Item | +1 | You are looking for something that the society you are in finds distasteful or perhaps superstitious about. |
| Ancient Artifact | +1/- | An acient statue or old painting. The ritual artifact of a long-lost civilization. The Proc Diff can increase at the GM's discretion. |
Advanced Rules
Budget
A budget is a static number linked to the Player's Credit Score. The Budget is like a bucket that gets refilled every month for the Character. But the bucket itself is the same size.
The Character must be actively doing their job in the game. During the job only qualifies if they spend at least 6-8+ hours 4 too 5+ days and/or at least 35 hours in a week. Another situation would be if there is 'downtime' between adventuring and the Player wishes for the Character to be doing their Profession.
To determine if the Character gets their budget and the amount, the Player must roll a Profession skill check, DC 20. For every 5 roll misses, you lose 25% of the Budget. For every +5, gain a 5% bonus. If they lose part or all of the budget, an excuse could be that they got sick, fired, or had some other story. Same for if the Character gets a bonus.
- Optional Rule
- The GM can also use this opportunity to provide a roleplaying bonus in the form of a free Skill Point to spend on ranking up the Profession. For example, if the player rolls a natural 20 or if the DC is beaten by +10 or so on.
Loans
| Credit Score Range | Loan Amount | Time In Years |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | - | - |
| 1 - 5 | $10,000 | 1-2y |
| 6 - 10 | $50,000 | 2-4y |
| 11 - 15 | $120,000 | 4-10y |
| 16 - 20 | $250,000 | 15-30y |
| 21 - 25 | $500,000 | 30y |
| 26 - 30 | $1,000,000 | 30y |
| 31 - 35 | $2,5000,000 | 30-45y |
| 36 - 40 | $6,500,000 | 30-45y |
| 41 - 45 | $10,000,000 | 45y |
| 46 - 50 | $20,000,000 | 45y |
| 51 - 59 | $45,000,000 | 45-60y |
| 60 - 69 | $100,000,000 | 45-60y |
| 70 - 79 | $250,000,000 | 60y |
| 80 - 89 | $500,000,000 | 60y |
| 90 - 99 | 1,000,000,000 | 60+y |
| 100+ | 1+ Billion | 100+y |
Buying something that you can not normally afford via a Loan is one of the defining things of modern society. A Future Path hero will also need to make large purchases, sometimes much bigger than they can normally afford. They can accomplish this by getting Loans. Loans reduce your total Credit Score. A character's Credit Score determines the amount of a loan one can get.
Loans are not permanent adjustments to Credit. However, they do last a while. The GM can have some say in how long the loan's time frame is. The Player can attempt to get a better Time by rolling 1d20 + Int or 1d20 + Cha against a DC15 to lower the loan below the minimum amount of time. Another option is to take another -1 hit to the Credit Score, since you are attempting to pay off the loan faster. Each -1 reduces the time by 10%. Normally, however, the length is so long that, from the campaign's perspective, this adjustment is permanent.
The table to the right, titled 'Credit Score and Loan Size,' shows the loan amounts per credit score.
A Character gets ISC for each Credit Point. For example, if a Character has a Credit score of 7 then if they take 1 point of their score they can get a loan of $50,000. The Character now has a Credit Score of 6, and their Budget has been updated to reflect the lower monthly income.
A single Loan cannot exceed 3 points of Credit. A Character cannot take more than 3 points out of their Credit for a Loan or Loans in a 6 month time period of gameplay. A Character cannot have a negative Credit Score.
Additional Sources of Income
Bonus: While on the job, your employer may recognize your good work and give you a bonus. This may be a reward that the GM gives a player. Or the player may roll a Profession skill check and get a natural 20. The bonus can be anything the GM considers fair. However, a quick calculation would be to take the player's Credit Score minus 3 and use that Budget value as the bonus. If you cannot go down 3 ranks because it would end up at 0 or a negative number, then you can simply use 1 or $250 as the bonus.
Rewards: This is likely to actually be the most common source of income for most characters. When a character completes a task or favor for someone, they may want to compensate them for their time. Doing a mission will likely also provide some finical compensation. This normally is only in the form of ISC. However, one possible reward from a patron may be a new source of income. This would take the form of a Credit Score increase and a subsequent improvement to the Budget.
Of course, rewards may also take the form of sellable items.
Stock Market: The Stock Market can be confusing and is massively complex. Depending on the campaign setting, the GM doesn't need to bother with it. In the official Campaign setting for Future Path the Galaxy does have a Galatic Market Trading system that depends on the Interstellar Ledger of Wealth. Characters can choose to role-play investing in this market system as part of a story. Perhaps a way to get inside some corporation, or simply as a means of getting a quick buck.
There are two types of trading a Player can do in the Market. Short Term Investments and Long Term Investments. The difference is the DC rating and where the profits, if any, actually go. To invest you will need ISC. If the Player invests in Short Term then the DC is 20 and the check is "1d20 + Wisdom Mod". The profits go directly into the Player's Bonus Income and appear within a month of in-game time. Long-Term investments, on the other hand, have a DC of 15, and the check is "1d20 + Wisdom Mod". The profits are in the form of an increase in the Character's Credit Score. The Long-Term Investment must be at least 3 times the Player's Budget.
How much profit goes to your Bonus Income from a Short Term Investment? How much is your credit raised from a Long Term Investment? This depends on how well you beat the DC. Below are two tables that explain.
| Roll Check Outcome | Bonus Income |
|---|---|
| 20 (after Mod) | Break even |
| 20 (Natural) | Investment + 100% |
| 21 - 25 | Investment + 20% |
| 26 - 30 | Investment + 50% |
| 31 - 35 | Investment + 100% |
| 36+ | Investment + 200% |
| Roll Check Outcome | Bonus Income |
|---|---|
| 15 - 20 | Break even no bonus |
| 20 (Natural) | +1 Credit Score |
| 21 - 30 | +1 Credit Score |
| 31 - 40 | +2 Credit Score |
- NOTE
- You can only make one investment a month. Although you may have a talent/feat that can increase that amount.
Gambling: Gambling has the risk of causing debt and thus can subtract from the Character's Credit Score. The Gambling has a DC 25 and a check of 1d20 + Charisma. If you fail the check with a 1, you get 1 subtracted from your credit score. If the Player simply fails, the Character gets no money back. Beat it by less than 5, and the Character gets their bet back. If the Player beats it by more than 5, you get what you gambled back +10%. The Character gets +10% for every 5 points the DC is beaten. If you get a natural 20, you get a +100%.
If the Character is gambling against other Characters, then this is an opposing Charisma check.
Customized Income: Any source of steady wealth that is legal can be translated as an increase to your credit score. The Player may have an anonymous supporter of her work, who provides donations monthly, as an example. The bonus to credit is calculated by determining how much it takes to reach the next Credit level, subtracting that amount from the extra income, and adding a level to your credit. Keep doing this until you can no longer increase your credit. For example, if a Player has a credit level of 9 and is receiving $1000 a month from an anonymous supporter. To calculate the player's new credit score, you take the amount required to reach level 10, which is $250, and subtract it from $1000, resulting in $750. You now have $750 a month and a credit level of 10. You can repeat this again, but you will now need to subtract $500 from the remaining $750 to go from level 10 to level 11. Now the Player has a credit score of 11 and $250 extra income or Bonus income. She cannot go up any more levels because $250 is not enough to go from level 11 to level 12.
Why is that important if all that means is your Budget is higher, which it technically is anyway. Loaning power. The Player went from the 6 - 10 range to 11 - 15 range and is now able to qualify for a larger purchase.