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| Artwork by Louis Glanzman |
Credits
Everything has a price in the perilous worlds of Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells. However, this game chooses a more abstract approach to the bookkeeping of expenditures and credits. Thus, every character has a Credits score (and the standard value of it is 2) and when they are purchasing something, be it an item or a service, they make a Credit Roll. This consists of rolling a d6 and obtaining a value equal to or under the current Credits score. A success means the purchase was made without much problem. A failure, however, means the buyer didn’t have enough resources, and now his Credits score is reduced by one point until the end of the adventure. This sounds simple, but things can get more complicated.
Credits Modifiers
When a item is more valuable, a modifier might be added to the Credit Roll, making it more difficult to purchase it. These modifiers are determined by the Overlord and are based on the rarity, quality, legality and general disposition of the seller toward his clients. A quick way to determine the Credit Roll modifier for each purchase is looking at each of these elements and putting them into scale. When trying to purchase a Flame Thrower the Overlord would impose a +3 modifier to the roll (+1 for rarity, legality and disposition, as it's somewhat rare, illegal and the seller has no relation to the characters).
Credit Points
During their adventures, characters will acquire money and goods that are translated in Credit Points by the system. This allows the Overlord to present players will all sorts of goods and currency, representing the many ways trade is made in the Universe without the bookkeeping of actually calculating the exact value of each one. All he needs to do is assign a abstract Credit Poits score. Usually, mundane goods will have between 1 and 5 Credit Points, while more sophisticated and rare items could range from 6 to even 20 or more points! The Overlord can use the same criteria used for calculating the Credit Roll modifier to evaluate the item’s value.
Spending Credit Points
Before making a Credit Roll, a buyer may opt to spend Credit Points to add the amount spent to his Credits score. This represents an influx in monetary power coming from sales and negotiations with the items represented by those Credit Points. Then, he makes the Credit Roll applying all the normal modifiers. A successful roll means the goods and credits were exchanged, but a failure results in not only not getting the item, but discovering the merchandise the buyer had to spend for the purchase wasn’t worth what he believed it was. The Credit Points spent are loss, unless the player chooses to make a Luck Roll to save half of the points spent.
After escaping from that amorphous terror in the derelict, Kaylia rushed to the nearest seedy smuggler’s space port. She needed to refill her ship’s fuel tank and possibly replace her heavy ballistic overall. According to her calculations, the merchandising she took from the derelict totaled 6 Credit Points. The Overlord decides the modifier for the Credit Roll for the fuel will be just +1, it’s not especially rare, but it’s in high demand. Having a Credits score of 2, Kaylia decides to spend 2 Credit Points to take his score temporarily to 4 before the roll. She gets a 2 and with the +1 modifiers, the result is 3, below her current score. That means she sold some of the salvaged goods she took from the derelict and refueled her starship. Now it was time to see if she could buy another Heavy Ballistic Overall, a medium armor. Analyzing the purchase, the Overlord judges it will have a +3 modifier to the Credit Roll (it’s not rare, but it’s illegal, it’s of good quality and the seller knows people need this to survive). Having a Credits score of 2, she spends the last 4 Credit Points to attempt the roll. This takes her Credits score to 6, meaning the has to roll 3 or less to make the purchase, but she rolled a 5. Not only she did not buy her new armor, but she lost the 4 remaining Credit Points. She could try making a Luck Roll, but she decides not to trust her Luck at this time.
Where did my Credits go?
Credits come and go in Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells. Player characters are adventurers in search for the next big score, a place where they can find a good life and escape the terrible life under the tyranny of the Galactic Overlords. They do not hold onto their wealth like hoarders, they try to make the most of their life and enjoy it while it last before the Void closes in.
This is reflected in the game by the automatic reduction of Credit Points between adventures. Before the start of the each adventure, every player character loses 1d6 Credit Points due to various reasons. Players are encouraged to come up with their own reasoning for this reduction (possible adding ideas and adventure hooks the Overlord can use during the campaign) or they can roll on the following table.
d20
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Where did my Credits go?
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1
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You threw an enormous party, indulging yourself with booze, drugs and other vices and pleasures. However, upon waking up, you find a chip implanted in your neck. A voice sounds in your head. She says she will deactivate the chip if you perform a mission. What’s the task you are assigned to?
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2
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You gambled your credits at the Golden Gauntlet station and now has a debt with the ruler of the place, Dharius the Golden. But he has a proposition to settle your debt. What is it?
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3
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Criminals beat you up and stole your credits, but not before giving away the fact that they knew your name and where you were going. Someone set you up. Why?
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4
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Servants of a Galactic Overlord caught you with illegal goods, but you made a deal you couldn’t refuse to escape with your life. Now you are working for the enemy. What do you need to do?
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5
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Tricked by a con artist, you gave away your Credits. Now you seek revenge. How did he trick you?
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6
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Celebrating your latest accomplishments in a seedy space bar, you are drugged and pass out. When you wake up, you find out your Credits are gone, as well as an important object you were carrying. What was it?
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7
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Betting on yourself in a competition you were sure you couldn’t be bested, you lose to someone you never thought could defeat you. Who did that? Did she cheat?
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8
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Accused of cheating in a game of chance in a space cassino, you have your goods confiscated and got banned. You think someone set you up. Who did this?
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9
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A bounty hunter found you, but you negotiated your freedom for your Credits. Who is hunting you? And why?
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10
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The Death Guard of the local Galactic Overlord found you and you had to abandon your possessions. Why are they after you?
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11
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You paid for a good time in a seedy spaceport but it turned out you Credits were invalidated. Now you got someone very angry with you and a debt to pay. What are they going to do to you if they catch you?
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12
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After a night of drugs and rock’ n roll you wake up aboard a strange ship. Apparently you hired this crew to take you to a distant planet in search of a legendary treasure. What is it?
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13
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During a party in a strange planet you accidentally accepts a marriage proposal. To get out of this mess you had to get a big present to your spouse's family. However, they didn’t forgive you, they seek revenge. What will they do to you?
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14
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An strange alien with a peaceful voice convinces you to purchase an ancient artifact. However, after a few days, it vanishes. Where did it go?
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15
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You show up to a meeting with a potential patron but discover it was just a distraction. Returning to your ship, you find the place ransacked. Who did this?
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16
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You are not sure how this happened, but you joined a secret society and had to give them a lot of Credits. What are they up to?
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17
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You received a message from an old rival. He is blackmailing you. He knows your darkest secret. what did you do?
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18
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A distant relatives shows up asking for money and he knew exactly how to get it from you. Why does he need the Credits for?
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19
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While traveling through the stars, a cosmic tempest hits you ship and you lose a good part of your cargo. Apparently the storm was created by something or someone. Who is behind this?
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20
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You spend your last few Credits to acquire a holographic star map that supposedly leads to a relic of the an old civilization. What is this relic?
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