Wealth is an entirely optional measure in T3 games. It doesn't really take a measure of wealth to play action adventures. Even if this system is a bit abstract, it may still be too much of a hassle for many games.
Use of Wealth
Wealth is mainly of use as a measure of the degree of luxury a character can afford. Wealthy people can wallow in the perks of their status, going through fancy cars and clothes like toilet paper. When it comes to useful gear and services, wealth is only a scenario hook to get these things - instead of persuading a mad scientist to build a gizmo, a wealthy character can hire him. The resultant gizmo still requires an Items schtick, however.
Buck
T3 is designed to work in a lot of different worlds with different currencies. We need an abstract measure of value. This is called the Basic Unit of Currency, or BUC, mostly referred to as the buck. One buck is sufficient for a family to sustain themselves for one week. This assumes that one person provides the income and the rest do what they can to make the money last, and is a subsistence level only.
A buck is roughly equivalent to $10, 10, 100 sek or ¥1000. In DnD it is one gold piece.
Note that the currencies of poor nations are usually undervalued, so a buck from a poor country can usually be purchased for a much lower value that its actual purchasing power. Conversely, items imported to a poor region from a rich and industrialized region might be very expensive. These factors are not taken into account here - GMs will have to decide upon the effect of local currency.
Net Worth
Wealth in T3 is based around the concept on Net Worth. This is a characters credit rating. For most player characters, this will be the same as their total wealth. For NPCs, it is more often a measure of their yearly income, be it salary, pension, land rent, stock dividends or whatever.
Under this system, a character can spend 1% of their net worth on purchases without affecting their wealth. This sets the limit on weekly living expenses, but also for what is a minor purchase. Anything that costs less than this amount can be considered a trivial expense. Expenses beyond this are major, and deducted from your net worth.
This should not be taken to ludicrous excesses. Spending 1% of your net worth might be a minor expense, but doing it a hundred times still leaves you destitute. GMs who care about such things might reduce your net worth if you make more than ten such purchases a month.
Investments
Not all expenditures are deducted from Net Worth. Some can be considered investments, and continue to contribute to net worth. This includes anything that can generate an income or contribute to your upkeep. Purchasing a house won't reduce your net worth, nor will investments in your business, professional tools, or other income-generating investments.
Where Does the Money Come From?
So, you spend 1% of your net worth every week on upkeep - isn't that 50% of your net worth in a year? True, it is. But if you work, you are also considered to earn money between game sessions.
At the end of each year, you should come to an agreement with your game master on whether your character worked that year, and what their relevant skill for the year was. Below is a list of T3 skills and typical occupations.
| Skill | Typical Professions |
|---|---|
| Deceit | Businessman, Con artist, Gambler, Shopkeeper |
| Drive | Driver, Pilot, Seaman |
| FixIt | Mechanic, Technician, Technical scientist |
| Gunnery | Soldier, Navy, Air Force |
| Guns | Assassin, Security guard, Soldier, Athletic |
| Intimidation | Bouncer, Enforcer, Lawyer, Judge, Policeman, Repo man |
| Intrusion | Burglar, Security specialist, Ranger |
| Investigation | Civil servant, Detective, Journalist, Police officer |
| Leadership | Manager, Officer, Gang Leader |
| Martial Arts | Athlete, Enforcer, Security Guard, Ganger |
| Medicine | Doctor, Medical scientist, Nurse, Therapist |
| Powers | Enforcer |
| Scholar | Scholar, Author, Scientist, Secretary |
| Seduction | Actor, Model, Performance artist |
| Shaping | Composer, Netrunner, Visionary, Visual artist |
| Sorcery | Magician, Medium, Priest |
If you can be said to have worked in the preceding year, make a skill roll, otherwise make a Fortune roll. Multiply your Action Result and your Net Worth, and divide by ten. The final result is your net worth for the following year. If times have been bad, there may be a penalty on this roll; the reverse applies if times have been exceptional.
The end result is that skilled workers advance in wealth, while spendthrifts generally become poorer and poorer. But work can be decidedly different things for different people - a socialite heiress can work while attending parties and keeping her social circle intact, while a semi-retired computer nerd living off his investments can work' without ever leaving home, merely by managing his stocks online. Not working can be because you are a dedicated spendthrift, or because you have been too busy adventuring.
If you have GreenThumb, you get to make a roll to improve your fortune every month instead of every year, and you always at least break even. Also, should your wealth level fall below your Fortune, you will make some discovery or windfall that immediately raised your wealth level to equal your Fortune.