Bonus Material

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Dough

(Upbringing + (Insight +Charm/2))

Sometimes within the confines of a session, the players will need to buy something, bribe an official or otherwise engage in some form of financial contest of strength. While Pulp Era has Gimmicks and Faults that handle the extreme cases of wealth or poverty, day-to-day transactions were overlooked during the developmental process.

To address this issue, we have included the optional rule of Dough, a new statistic which addresses a character's financial well-being. Dough is determined initially by consulting the Upbringing Table to discover the player's starting level of Dough.

Dough is calculated by adding the character's Upbringing to his Insight plus Charm divided by two. Upbringing is detailed below.

Upbringing

Destitute
1
Dirt Poor
2
Middle Class
3
Well Off
4
Silver Spoon
5

Option: An alternative is to Marry Into Dough (Looks + Charm). While a popular method for women the practice is not limited to them and many a wealthy heiress also found herself courted by men wanting to improve their station.

Looks

Ugly as Sin
1
Homely
2
Nothing to Write Home About
3
Good Looking
4
Head Turner
5

This is modified by adding a modifier equal to the average of the character's Insight plus Charm to represent the influence of fortune and shrewd money management on the character's finances.

Finally, the following Gimmicks and Faults may also modify a character's fortunes as indicated below:

Other Modifiers

Celebrity
Var.
Patronage
+1
Resources
+1
Wealth
+3
Easy Come, Easy Go
+10 to -10
Hard Luck Case
-2
Washed Up
-1
Debt
Var.
Bare Cupboards
-1

When the player wishes for his character to purchase something, or otherwise exercise his monetary might, first the GM determines the value of the good or service the player is trying to acquire; this provides the base difficulty of the task. This is further modified by assessing modifiers for Availability and Legality. Finally, the player adds or subtracts his Dough score from the difficulty to determine the final number.

Once the final task difficulty has been established, the player rolls 1d20 against a situationally appropriate Common task or Aptitude.

Affordability

Worthless
2
 Cup of Coffee, Dive, Shoeshine, Flophouse
Dirt Cheap
5
 Pack of Smokes, One-Star Restaurant, home cooking, Barber, Cheap Apartment
Affordable
10
 Wristwatch, Two-Star Restaurant, Housekeeper, Suburban Home
Pricy
15
 Sports Car, Three-Star Restaurant, eating out, Accountant, Town House
Expensive
20
 Tailored Suits, Four-Star Restaurant, Famous Lawyer, Beach House
Priceless
30
 Ming Vase, Five-Star Restaurant, Famous Courtesan, Mansion

Availability

Plentiful
+1
 Found practically anywhere
Common
0
 Available at the corner store, most places
Average
-1
 Specialty shops, typical town or city
Uncommon
-2
 One or two dealers, large town or city
Rarified
-2
 By arrangement only, big city
Exotic
-5
 Only available in one locale

Legality

Legal
+1
 Typewriter, Pocketknife, Telescope
Lawful
0
 Handgun, Automobile, Airplane
Questionable
-1
 Lock Picks, Tommy Gun, Dynamite
Illegal
-2
 Heroin, Military Weapons, Slaves

Note: All of these traits are subject to change based on the setting. For example, sale of Alcohol is Illegal during Prohibition, but perfectly Legal during the Roaring Twenties and World War II. Dime Novels may be Plentiful in the gritty streets of 30's New York, but a Rarified cultural treasure in a bombed out post-apocalyptic future. Consult your GM before making assumptions.

Should the adjusted difficulty be lower than the Dough score, the purchase should be automatic; similarly, these rules do not supersede Gimmicks such as Resources, Patronage or Wealth.

In future supplemental materials both on the website and in print, we will include sample equipment, services and resources with pre-determined values for ease of GM and player usage. New equipment and services will eventually be found in the Sarge's Closet section of the website.

Some quick examples

Pack of Cards Aff: Worthless Avail: Plentiful and Legal
A basic deck of 52 unmarked playing cards ready for use featuring any of a variety of backings. Variants: Marked Cards (adds +1 to +5 to games of chance): Change Legality to Questionable and Availability to Uncommon; Racy Cards (cards with pictures off nekkid women on them): Change Legality to Lawful and Availability to Average.
Hotel Room Aff: Dirt Cheap Avail: Common and Legal
A room with a bed and (maybe) a bath for a night. Variants: Flophouse (watch out for bedbugs): Change Affordability to Worthless; The Ritz (Only the best for messier): Change Affordability to Expensive and Availability to Uncommon.
Native Porter Aff: Dirt Cheap Avail: Uncommon and Legal
When traveling the world looking for fame and adventure, who has time to carry their own luggage and gear? If you're in Africa, Spain, or even South America these brave young men will carry trunks, baskets, and other sundries through the hottest deserts, the darkest jungles, and the most treacherous mountainous terrain, all for prices that would be laughable in the States. Variants: Native Guide (A native knowledgeable about the people and customs of the area visited, who happens to speak fluent English): Change Affordability to Affordable; Tour Guide (Usually a non-native whose job is to escort tours through more hospitable lands): Change Affordability to Pricy.

Fine Cigar Aff: Affordable Avail: Uncommon and Legal
Nothing compliments a night on the town like a fine hand-rolled Cuban or Arabian Cigar. No gentleman is caught dead without one. Variants: Dog-End (Usually picked out of the trash by hoboes): Change Affordability to Worthless and Availability to Common; Dime Store Stogie (Buy 'em by the box.): Change Affordability to Dirt Cheap and Availability to Common.

Shave and a Haircut Aff: Dirt Cheap Avail: Plentiful and Legal
Got a night out with some dame who likes her man to look slick? The old blood and bandages is just a short walk away, and the barber knows just how to turn that mop of yours into something worthy of the six-bit fee. Variants: Styling and Manicure (For the ladies): Change Affordability to Affordable and Availability to Common; Basic Bowl (Drop a bowl on your head and let dad at you with the scissors): Change Affordability to Worthless.

Saturday Matinee Aff: Dirt Cheap Avail: Average and Legal
Need some romance in your life? A cheap thrill to take your mind off a week's load of woes? Then come on down to the Bijou and plop your dime on the counter because the Saturday Matinee is just what you need; two serials, four cartoons, and the feature presentation, what more can you ask for? Variants: Night at the Opera (High class entertainment for the well-heeled crowd): Change Affordability to Pricy and Availability to Rarified; Back Alley Boxing Match (Two palookas beating the snot out of each other for your entertainment): Change Affordability to Dirt Cheap and Availability to Plentiful and Questionable.

Private Detective Aff: Affordable Avail: Uncommon and Lawful
Think you dame is looking for her kicks elsewhere? Need to have that sleazy guy followed for a few days? A Private Detective is what you need, but he don't come cheap; the regular fee plus expenses. Variants: Pinkerton Man (The best the Agency can provide): Change Affordability to Pricy and Availability to Legal; Shady Jim (This guy doesn't mind breaking a few laws to get what you want): Change Affordability to Dirt Cheap and Availability to Questionable.

 
Pulp Era is copyright 2004 by Chapter-13 Press. All original material on this site is the intellectual property of Chapter-13 Press copyright 2004 unless otherwise noted.