Variable Independent Income

[PiperHolmes]

Hello all. I'm afraid I've failed my Research (GURPS) roll.

Where can I find a reference to how I might model an Advantage whose result is based on the Degree of Success, that normally doesn't have this requirement?

For instance, if I wanted to model a stock investor who had Independent Income, but the result of that month's income is based on a Skill or IQ roll?

The Requires Attribute [-10%] or Skill [-5%] roll would seem appropriate for say, a monthly IQ or Market Analysis roll, but that's all or nothing. I was wanting to model how some months the investor may do better or worse than others. Thanks!

[ravenfish]

I don't know about turning it into a margin-of-success based advantage (if it were handled in the manner of a job roll, it would need to be an enhancement rather than a limitation, since you will presumably be basing it on a skill you have raised above 10 and therefore will usually have a positive margin of success and an increased rather than decreased income), but, if randomization is all you desire, it would be easy enough to divide income by 10* and then multiply it by 3d each month (or divide it by seven and multiply it by 2d, or whatever), keeping the average nearly the same but creating variance. Were I your GM, I would permit this modification as a zero-point feature, in the spirit of converting adds to dice.

*strictly speaking, dividing it by 10.5 would be fairer, but that would be a good deal more math for very little difference.

EDIT: If you are determined to bring success rolls into it, you could buy X levels of Independent Income unmodified, and Y levels of Independent Income with Requires Skill Roll, gaining the effect of X+Y levels on a success and only X levels on a failure.

[PiperHolmes]

Right. I was thinking the level of Independent Income established the 'top end'.

So say, having Independent Income 5, with a Market Analysis of 15. While it's possible he could roll a crit success, he'd still be capped at a DoS of 5.

Obviously if he rolled a 16, 17, or 18 then he gets nothing that month. Might possibly lose some money too.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by PiperHolmes

Right. I was thinking the level of Independent Income established the 'top end'.

So say, having Independent Income 5, with a Market Analysis of 15. While it's possible he could roll a crit success, he'd still be capped at a DoS of 5.

Obviously if he rolled a 16, 17, or 18 then he gets nothing that month. Might possibly lose some money too.

Hmmm.. I still can't think of anything that mimics that exactly, but what about this?

Buy all levels of Independent Income with Requires Skill Roll* or Requires Attribute Roll, but roll for each level separately rather than making a single roll for the entire advantage, gaining the effect of as many levels as you have successes. The effect seems close to what you want: each month, you get the effect of between 0 and [purchased] levels of Independent Income, with higher skill making a greater level more likely. It has the disadvantage of requiring additional rolls, but since you only do them once per month, you may not find this too much of a problem.

*Note that, per Power-ups 8 p.17, Requires Skill Roll has the same cost as Requires Attribute Roll assuming the skill is not of Easy difficulty.

[PiperHolmes]

That would do it. Be kind of a pain in the keister, but works in a pinch. ;)

[PiperHolmes]

That also raises an intriguing idea, if I wanted to take on incrementing levels of Hard to Use on each level of Independent Income/Requires Market Analysis roll.

I mean, a straight roll against a Market Analysis (assuming no modifiers to base skill) of 15 means half the time, that character with Independent Income 5 would get the full amount. Reducing the roll means he'd often get the first level, and probably the second, but increasingly less likely the 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Obviously we're talking about a 1 pt, leveled advantage. The discounts aren't a big deal, but it makes the character concept a bit more 'realistic'.

[Alonsua]

Originally Posted by PiperHolmes

Hello all. I'm afraid I've failed my Research (GURPS) roll.

I would advice towards using the increase resources rules from Boardroom and Curia, if you are the company CEO, those rules fit wonderfully to receive variable compensations.

We can do a play test if you want.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by PiperHolmes

Obviously we're talking about a 1 pt, leveled advantage. The discounts aren't a big deal, but it makes the character concept a bit more 'realistic'.

You could also just declare that "this is how Independent Income works now" and not bother with Limitations. Unless the PC is on a tigh point budget and is looking to scrape points....

[Stormcrow]

Independent income that depends on a skill roll. Isn't that just a "job"?

Sure, in the real world it doesn't involve formal employment, but that's just a background detail to GURPS. In GURPS a job is an activity you perform with some kind of skill that generates income. Independent Income is income that you don't to spend time on or make a skill roll.

[PiperHolmes]

I would advice towards using the increase resources rules from Boardroom and Curia, if you are the company CEO, those rules fit wonderfully to receive variable compensations.

We can do a play test if you want.

Thanks, I'll download that supplement and take a gander.

You could also just declare that "this is how Independent Income works now" and not bother with Limitations. Unless the PC is on a tigh point budget and is looking to scrape points....

Nah, the points thing isn't important. I think it's more that I cut my teeth on third edition, with the freelance job rules, and I'm just hardwired to think that way now. ;)