Currency

From The Whereabouts

Currency

To give you a brief run down on what we've tried to do basically we've taken what White-wolf started with a basic, no hassle system and tried to make it a bit more involved. We hope not to effect the epicness of a character with little money, and therefore little desire to spend it, but to give a rich character more depth and epicness because money now has value. Its not nearly as cool to play a character with resources 5 if that doesn't mean anything, at the same time its fun to think of a poor thief creating a stockpile of silver and growing rich. This simply isn't very cool if infinite resources 1 loot doesn't ever add up to resources 2.

Silver

Silver is the type of currency most used throughout the threshold, it is a recent invention that is heavily supported by the guild. Its recent widespread use has made it a valid currency throughout most of creation and most Imperial's will accept silver though they may charge a small fee for the trouble of needing it converted back into Jade.

  • 1 Talent = 64 Pounds = 4 Dirhams = 1,600 Dinar

Resources

Income

X: You have no sustained lifestyle or steady income, you live off what you can make and do for yourself. You earn less than 5 Dinar/month.

1: You are without a doubt part of the lower class of society, you eat cheap meals of bread and watered down stew with water to drink on most days. You may also own a small pet and probably live in a small hut if you own property, you may own a shoddy suit of armor and a notched long knife. You earn at least 5 Dinar/month.

2: You have started to elevate yourself from the lower class, you eat a mixture of cheap and good meals including meat and alcohol several times a week. You have a wardrobe of peasant clothes and a single fine or fancy outfit for special occasions. You likely live in a small home or part of an apartment complex and stable and keep a poor quality riding animal, he may also own a light suit of armor and a weapon. You earn at least 25 Dinar/month.

3: You can no longer be mistaken as part of the lower class, almost certainly a property owner, you likely own a townhouse or a prosperous farm. You probably keep a small stable with a fine mount as well as a poorer quality back-up, you likely own a suit of armor and several weapons of choice. If you choose you may also have a single paid servant, such as a bodyguard, scribe, other personal assistant. Any resources 1 lifestyle purchase is considered a free part of your lifestyle, which would certainly include fine food for almost every meal. You have a wardrobe of fine and fancy clothes with a single suit of courtly clothes for more formal occasions. You earn at least 125 Dinar/month.

4: You are obviously wealthy and likely own both a townhouse and a country estate. You likely bear the finest arms money can buy as well as maintain a small stable of riding animals. You also likely own a small yacht and staff a dozen paid servants while dressing in a wardrobe of courtly clothing and royal clothing for special ceremonies. On top of this all resources 1 and 2 lifestyle purchases are considered free, which guarantees that you and any family always eat the finest meals. You earn at least 750 Dinar/month.

5: You are fabulously wealthy and claim ownership to a vast supply of riches. You likely own multiple estates including a mansion or castle, as well as at least one excellent ship; and you're every need is attended to by an army of 50 paid servants. You dress yourself in the finest clothes, owning a wardrobe of royal clothing as well as a single piece of royal jewelry (such as a gold crown or scepter). All resources 1-3 lifestyle purchases are considered free, which certainly means you and your extended family eat the finest meals on a daily basis. You earn at least 4,500 Dinar/month.

Money Sums

  • Large sums of money that a character obtains will certainly be handled differently than the resources system listed above. Dots of resources should only be awarded or allowed to be purchased if the character has a steady source of income, not simply finding a large sum of money one time. If a character comes across a single resources 5 amount of loot (about 3 talents of silver) he should keep track of how much money he spends for any purchases that are not 4 dots lower than the amount of loot he has. In the case of our example resources 1 purchases wouldn't warrant keeping track, but once that loot has been spent and diminished to a resources 4 amount of silver he must keep track of those resources 1 purchases.

  • In the case that a character comes across a large sum of money and he seeks to invest that sum of money so that it turns into a steady income the player should work out a system with the storyteller to accomplish this. Depending on the feel of the game the storyteller may want to allow a sum of money to only create a permanent income 2 dots lower than its rating. (For example a resources 5 amount of loot could be turned into a resources 3 income through the proper investments.) However, I suggest the storyteller make the character develop a plan and than make a bureaucracy roll to see how well his economic plans come into fruition. Perhaps a solar economic genius, through use of charms would be capable of turning that resources 5 sum of money into a resources 4 or 5 income. However, a character with little or no bureaucratic knowledge may only be able to turn that same resources 5 sum into an income of resources 1 or 2.

Costs

We've assembled a set of guidelines for the general price in silver of items given their resource dot cost.

  • 1) 4 - 20 Dinar
  • 2) 21 - 100 Dinar
  • 3) 101 - 625 Dinar
  • 4) 626 - 3,750 Dinar
  • 5) > 3,750 Dinar

For example: If a character desires to purchase a single dose of opium the price in dinar would be somewhere between 4 and 20 dinar because it is a resources 1 expanse.

Clothing and Jewelry

  • Peasant Clothes: 10 Dinar
  • Fine or Fancy Clothes: 50 Dinar
  • Courtly Clothing (silk): 300 Dnar
  • Royal Raiment (cloth of gold studded with gems): 1,500 Dinar
  • Noble Jewelry (electrum and pinhead-size gems): 400 Dinar
  • Royal Jewelry (gold and pea-sized gems): 2,000 Dinar
  • Imperial Jewelry (orichalcum and pigeon's-egg sixed gems): 5,000 Dinar

Slaves and Animals

  • Unskilled Slave: 75 Dinar
  • Skilled Slave (healthy, smart, Craft 3): 450 Dinar
  • Concubine (Skilled, attractive, disease free): 1,600 Dinar
  • Keep for a slave for a year: 60 Dinar
  • Domestic Animal (Camel, horse, ox, or yeddim): 50 Dinar
  • Fine Camel/Horse (War or Racing): 250 Dinar
  • Elephant or Mammoth: 400 Dinar
  • Fodder for a camel/horse for a month: 5 Dinar
  • Fodder for a yeddim for a month: 25 Dinar
  • Fodder for an elephant for a month: 25 Dinar
  • Stabling and keep for a work horse (per week): 25 Dinar
  • Stabling and keep for a fine horse (per week): 125 Dinar
  • Stabling and keep for an elephant (per week): 175 Dinar
  • Saddle and Tack (Basic): 30 Dinar
  • Saddle and Tack (Lavishly Decorated): 150 Dinar
  • Howdah: 300 Dinar
  • Fine Simhata: 1,600 Dinar
  • Meat for a Simhata for a month: 300 Dinar
  • Stabling and keep for a Simhata (per week): 200 Dinar
  • Saddle and tack (basic for Simhata): 75 Dinar
  • Fine Claw Strider: 500 Dinar
  • Meat for a claw strider for a month: 60 Dinar
  • Stabling and keep for a claw strider (per week): 125 Dinar
  • Fine small exotic pet: 250 Dinar
  • Food for a small exotic pet for a month: 21 Dinar

Property and Ships

  • Buy an estate: 3,000 Dinar
  • Build a country villa or townhouse: 3,500 Dinar
  • Staff a country villa or townhouse for a month: 350 Dinar
  • Furnish a townhouse or villa: 500 Dinar
  • Furnish a posh townhouse or villa: 1,000 Dinar
  • Build a grand palace: 7 Talents
  • Staff a grand palace for a month: 700 Dinar
  • Furnish a grand palace (meager): 2,400 Dinar
  • Furnish a grand palace (posh): 4,800 Dinar
  • Lavish feast for two dozen: 300 Dinar
  • Grand banquet for 200: 2,500 Dinar
  • Erect a manse (rating 1-3): 3,500 Dinar
  • Erect a manse (rating 4-5): 6 Talents
  • Passage across the Inland Sea: 70 Dinar
  • Buy a Yacht or Ship: 2,000 Dinar
  • Crew and provender for a ship for a month: 900 Dinar
  • Crew and provender for a yacht for a month: 550 Dinar
  • Rent a crack mercenary company for a month: 3,200 Dinar
  • Rent a mercenary army for a month: 3,600 Dinar
  • Raise a new legion: 3,500 Dinar
  • Keep a legion armed, fed, paid, & in the field for a year: 3,600 Dinar

Guild and Business Expanses

  • Initial dues to join the Guild
  • Cheap caravan
  • Small caravan
  • Dozen-wagon caravan
  • Caravan of two dozen wagons, 100 guards and hangers-on
  • Caravan of 100 wagons traveling for half a year or more

Realm Expenses

  • Price of Commission
    • Field Command
    • Legionary Command
  • Donatives necessary to be named an Imperial prefect
  • Donatives necessary to be named an Imperial satrap
  • Donatives necessary to have a child accepted at a good school (per annum)
  • Dragon-Blooded salon for a couple of dozen
  • Dowry for a mortal family marrying into a Dynastic house

Common Drugs

  • Coca leaves
  • Cocaine
  • Heroin
  • Maiden tea
  • Marijuana
  • Opium
  • Qat

Equipment

Weapons


Armor


Superior Equipment

  • Fine equipment doubles the cost of a normal item, exceptional equipment moves the cost up a resources range, and perfect equipment moves it up 2 resources ranges. For example: A short sword that normally costs 7 dinar would cost 14 dinar for a fine one, 25 dinar for an exceptional one, and 110 for a perfect one.