Currency
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
- Fine or Fancy Clothes
- Courtly Clothing (silk)
- Royal Raiment (cloth of gold studded with gems)
- Noble Jewelry (electrum and pinhead-size gems)
- Royal Jewelry (gold and pea-sized gems)
- Imperial Jewelry (orichalcum and pigeon's-egg sixed gems)
Slaves and Animals
- Unskilled Slave
- Skilled Slave (healthy, smart, Craft 3)
- Concubine (Skilled, attractive, disease free)
- Keep for a slave for a year
- Domestic Animal (Camel, horse, ox, or yeddim)
- Fine Camel/Horse (War or Racing)
- Elephant or Mammoth
- Fodder for a camel/horse for a month
- Fodder for a yeddim for a month
- Fodder for an elephant for a month
- Stabling and keep for a work horse (per week)
- Stabling and keep for a fine horse (per week)
- Stabling and keep for an elephant (per week)
- Saddle and Tack (Basic)
- Saddle and Tack (Lavishly Decorated)
- Howdah
- Fine Simhata
- Fine Claw Strider
- Meat for a claw strider for a month
- Stabling and keep for a claw strider (per week)
- Fine small exotic pet
- Food for a small exotic pet for a month
Property and Ships
- Buy an estate
- Build a country villa or townhouse
- Staff a country villa or townhouse for a month
- Furnish a townhouse or villa
- Furnish a posh townhouse or villa
- Build a grand palace
- Staff a grand palace for a month
- Furnish a grand palace (meager)
- Furnish a grand palace (posh)
- Lavish feast for two dozen
- Grand banquet for 200
- Erect a manse (rating 1-3)
- Erect a manse (rating 4-5)
- Passage across the Inland Sea
- Buy a yacht or ship
- Crew and provender for a ship for a month
- Crew and provender for a yacht for a month
- Rent a crack mercenary company for a month
- Rent a mercenary army for a month
- Raise a new legion
- Keep a legion armed, fed, paid, & in the field for a year
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.