Abstract Wealth Debt/Independent income house rules

[Servanous]

Hello all

Thought these might be helpful

Abstract wealth has refresh rates for different levels of purchases. Debt slows this refresh rate, independent income speeds it up.

The levels of purchases are

Expensive purchases can penalize the wealth score for months at a time or even deplete wealth.

Normal purchases can penalize the wealth score for a month at a time.

Cheap purchases can penalize the character’s wealth score for a week.

Trivial purchases don’t penalize the character’s wealth score.

Debt costs negative five points per level (max four levels). Each level causes the character to skip one refresh week per month. That means Cheap purchases take longer to recharge each month. If the character has four levels of debt the monthly refresh for normal and expensive purchases only happens every other month, and the Cheap purchases only refresh at the beginning of the Next month. To maintain debt payments the character must pay his threshold each month. Failure to pay has consequences. At higher levels of debt most of this goes to interest on the original loan.

Independent income costs five points per level (max four levels). Each level counts as an extra week per month for refresh on Cheap purchases. If the character has four levels of independent income this counts as an extra monthly refresh on Normal and Expensive purchases. If the character has enough independent income to cover expenses, working might not be necessary.

[RGTraynor]

Mm, I'd disagree with the assessment. Wealth levels explicitly allow for consonant lifestyles, as long as you work the minimum amount to maintain those levels. Even expensive purchases should be considered within those lifestyles; buying a new car, for instance, is just something many people do when they need one. Doing so shouldn't "penalize the wealth score," unless it's part of a pattern of purchases above and beyond reasonable lifestyle standards. (I shouldn't need to be buying a new car every year, for instance.)

At this point, I don't even bother with dinging my players for purchases made within the scope of the PCs' lifestyles. If Elaina the wizard -- that's Princess Elaina of the imperial family, Grand Master of the capital's chantry of the College of Mages, with the Very Wealthy advantage, wants to drop thirty gold sovereigns on her upcoming winter wardrobe, followed by taking her son and three of his friends AND her personal bodyguards to a fancy dinner at the finest restaurant in town, followed by an evening at the Royal Concert Hall, I don't worry about bookkeeping.

[kirbwarrior]

Pyramid #3-44 p30 has something similar to this, I'd definitely check it out. It even uses similar terminology you used.

[mr beer]

Originally Posted by RGTraynor

Mm, I'd disagree with the assessment. Wealth levels explicitly allow for consonant lifestyles, as long as you work the minimum amount to maintain those levels. Even expensive purchases should be considered within those lifestyles; buying a new car, for instance, is just something many people do when they need one. Doing so shouldn't "penalize the wealth score," unless it's part of a pattern of purchases above and beyond reasonable lifestyle standards. (I shouldn't need to be buying a new car every year, for instance.)

At this point, I don't even bother with dinging my players for purchases made within the scope of the PCs' lifestyles. If Elaina the wizard -- that's Princess Elaina of the imperial family, Grand Master of the capital's chantry of the College of Mages, with the Very Wealthy advantage, wants to drop thirty gold sovereigns on her upcoming winter wardrobe, followed by taking her son and three of his friends AND her personal bodyguards to a fancy dinner at the finest restaurant in town, followed by an evening at the Royal Concert Hall, I don't worry about bookkeeping.

Agree with all this but I assume the system OP is outlining would scale definitions of Expensive, Normal, Cheap and Trivial with wealth level. So I'd guess that dinner for 12 at a fancy restaurant is trivial for the Very Wealthy and Expensive for Average wealth.

[Anthony]

My preference for handling debt and independent income is "a typical character needs to work 160 hours per month to maintain wealth and status. Each level of independent income reduces this by 10%, each level of debt increases it by 10%".

[jacobmuller]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

Pyramid #3-44 p30 has something similar to this, I'd definitely check it out. It even uses similar terminology you used.

I thought it was a good suggestion for an alternate form of the pyramid article and Servanus had just forgotten to refer to it.
Good idea either way.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Anthony

My preference for handling debt and independent income is "a typical character needs to work 160 hours per month to maintain wealth and status. Each level of independent income reduces this by 10%, each level of debt increases it by 10%".

I really like this variant. It definitely works well for Independent Income, but I think it would need to be worth either more points or have a smaller percentage for debt because even 240 hours would be nuts.

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

I thought it was a good suggestion for an alternate form of the pyramid article and Servanus had just forgotten to refer to it.
Good idea either way.

Ah that makes sense.

[madhossion]

So, if you buy expensive things, it can lower your wealth score for a few months or even take it all away. Regular purchases lower the score for a month, cheap purchases for a week, and small purchases don't affect it at all. That's like apps that pay you real money without investment. Btw, what do you think about them?