12-02-2010, 10:21 PM | #31 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Medford, MA
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
I basically agree with you 100%...except for one point
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Why? Let me quote B266 what you get at: "Status 5: A large mansion on an estate, one or two smaller town- houses, an executive jet, a yacht, a small fleet of cars, and dozens of functionaries (often including a team of bodyguards)." All of those things, especially that team of bodyguards, which the book says you get as part of your Status 5 life, will easily be useful in a fight, disaster, or other crises. So...I'm totally with you. I don't think the PC would be able to get things with the 80% that aren't normal for that PCs status...but, especially at higher status levels, what normal people are going to have are very often going to be really useful in fights, disasters and other crises. |
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12-02-2010, 10:35 PM | #32 | |
Never Been Pretty
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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12-02-2010, 10:52 PM | #33 | |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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I think that note in Fantasy was intended to clarify, not contradict. I'm not going to make a player figure out how much more money it costs to have a family, and I'm certainly not going to penalize someone for the deeper characterization. If a person of your Status is expected to support a family in your society, then CoL should cover them. If it can feed cows and pay servants, it can feed and clothe your kids too. Last edited by sir_pudding; 12-02-2010 at 10:59 PM. |
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12-02-2010, 10:58 PM | #34 | |
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: France
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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But you will risk loosing it and having to pay it again... After the car chase rather than before... And it is not a car especially made to take part in a car chase. Just an ordinary one. Even a wealthy character doesn't own a car specifically made for a car chase or a fight. He usually owns a fancy car, a sport car, a luxurious car, and even several of them, but not an armor car with camouflage and hidden weapons inside, for instance... If the player wants such a car, he can afford it... But he has to pay it with the 20% of his starting wealth (which is not really a problem). Likewise, a very high status character can have a team of bodyguards. But these bodyguards are professional bodyguards, not comrades in arms. They will protect the character (and even risk their life for him), but they won't do everything the character wants (attacking the foes, entering in his repair during night, etc.). They will respect the law and call the police. They can even try to prevent the character to do some things and, then, become blocking rather than helping: "No, Sir, we can't let you go there! It is too dangerous... And don't do that, please. It's illegal. Your father told us to protect you, even from yourself." Brief, they are not friends. Friends have a point cost. This is exactly what Sir Pudding wrote - in my humble opinion. When it comes from the 80% of the starting wealth, the GM choose what it is exactly. Not the player. The player might choose some features (my car is red, for instance). But just the cosmetic ones. And, when it is a NPC, the GM controls it... As an ordinary professional making his ordinary job. |
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12-03-2010, 01:38 AM | #35 | |
Never Been Pretty
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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12-03-2010, 01:46 AM | #36 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
Literary (okay, TV/movie) example:
Speed Racer's car, the Mach 5, was a standard convertible when it was introduced. As such, it was part of his 80%. Then he (or his father, or the CIB - it all depends on which version you prefer) went and modified it for cross-country rally races. When this happened, it went from "just another fancy car on the road" to "adventuring gear". I daresay, since it could be replaced by Racer Motors, that it would have made the shift to Signature Gear. Does this help?
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12-03-2010, 07:32 AM | #37 | |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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After all, if you're attacking your rival and dealing with his status/wealth expected professional ex-SEAL bodyguards, when your rival attacks you he'll have to be dealing with your ex-SEAL bodyguards. |
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12-03-2010, 02:46 PM | #38 | |
Join Date: Sep 2010
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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12-03-2010, 04:17 PM | #39 | ||
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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If we just think about bodyguards in the real world, all of the high status people with really famous bodyguards (US Secret Service, Helvetian Pike) don't pay for them out of pocket, but get them as part of the job. So yeah if nearly everybody in your class hires ex-SEALS as bodyguards you do to. OTOH if they hire regular goons, then unless you go out of your way to hire SEALS you have goons too. It doesn't matter if you are a superhero, or a software magnate. Crime lords, mad scientists, and heads of state don't have to pay for security with CoL, but rather get it through Rank or Allies. Quote:
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12-03-2010, 04:30 PM | #40 | ||
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
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Re: Starting Wealth, What cost of Living gets you, and Cost of a Sedan
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After all, ex-SEALs need jobs too, and it pays better to work as a bodyguard than as a deputy sheriff. Quote:
It's the kids which eat into our disposable income, which is why DINKs have so much more of it than those of us married with children. |
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