Wealth Rules

Mutants & Masterminds, like the comics, doesnt pay much attention to money. A characters wealth has little or
no impact on the game. It is mainly for background color and whatever advantages the G sees fit to provide
based on the !enefit advantage. "owever, some may prefer to keep track of character wealth and resources in
more detail, in which case the following system may be used.
#very character has a Wealth rank which reflects buying power$a composite of income, credit rating, and
savings. A characters Wealth serves as the basis for a Wealth check, used to purchase goods and services.
Wealth Bonus
A characters base Wealth rank is %. &he !enefit 'Wealth( advantage 'see the M&M Heros Handbook, page %)(
increases Wealth by * per rank. +ecreases to base Wealth grant power points, similar to decreasing an ability, -
point for Wealth *, ) points for Wealth .. /ver the course of play, your Wealth rank may decrease as you
purchase e0pensive items.
A characters Wealth rank can never fall below ., and there is no limit to how high Wealth rank can climb. If your
Wealth is ., you dont have the buying power to purchase any item or service with a purchase +1 of -. or
higher, and you cant make routine Wealth checks 'any spending is significant for you(.
. Impoverished
-2* 3truggling
42-. iddle class
--2-4 Affluent
-52). Wealthy
)-26. Rich
6- or higher 7ilthy rich
Making Purchases
Wealth rank reflects buying power. #very item and service has a purchase +ifficulty 1lass based on how
e0pensive and hard to get it is. &o purchase something, make a Wealth check against the purchase +1. As a
general guideline, e8uipment purchase +1 e8uals -. 9 the e8uipments point cost. &he G sets the Wealth
check +1 for any particular purchase, using the e0amples given here as guidelines.
7lashlight *
Restaurant meal *
1ommon household item *:4
1asual clothing %
1ell phone ;
<rofessional services -. 9 skill rank
Weapon -. 9 point cost
#0pensive clothing -):-4
&ool kit -6
ticket -*
=ew computer ))
=ew automobile )%
"ouse 6.
ansion 65
The Wealth Check
A Wealth check is a d). roll plus your current Wealth rank. Wealth rank is fluid> it increases as you gain Wealth
and decreases as you make purchases.
If you succeed on the Wealth check, you purchase the item. If you fail, you cant afford the item at this time.
?ou can make a routine Wealth check, @ust like any other routine check 'see M&M Heros Handbook, page -6(.
&his means you can automatically purchase any item with a +1 e8ual or less than your Wealth 9-..
If you purchase an item with a purchase +1 higher than your current Wealth rank, your rank decreases by -
point for every 4 points the purchase +1 e0ceeds your current Wealth rank '- point for -24 points higher, )
points for 52-. points higher, etc.(. Aost Wealth rank returns at a rate of - point per month.
?ou can try again if you fail a Wealth check, but not until your character has spent an additional number of hours
shopping e8ual to the purchase +1 of the ob@ect or service, looking around for a better deal.
Shopping and Time
!uying less common items generally takes a number of hours e8ual to the purchase +1 of the item, reflecting
the time needed to locate the item and close the deal. Getting a license or buying a legally restricted item may
also increase the time needed to make purchases.
Financial Aid
?ou can help someone else purchase an item by making a +1 -. Wealth check, @ust like a team check. If the
attempt is successful, you provide the purchaser with a 9) bonus on their Wealth check, 94 for three or more
degrees of success. If you assist a Wealth check for an item with a purchase +1 higher than your current Wealth
rank, it decreases as normal.
Wealth and Inventing
Gamemasters may wish to add a Wealth check to the inventing process 'M&M Heros Handbook, page -4;(.
/nce the inventor has come up with a design for the device, make a Wealth check to obtain the necessary
components 'purchase +1 B devices point cost(. A failed check means you cant afford the materials. 3pending
a hero point to @ury:rig the device out of materials at hand allows you to skip the Wealth check.
&his re8uirement for inventing e0plains why so many villains look to steal the components they needC
Money Talks
Wealth can be 8uite influential. &o reflect this, the G might wish to allow Wealth rank to substitute for an
interaction skill bonus like +eception, <ersuasion, or even Intimidation in situations where the characters wealth
and influence can be brought to bear, either through bribery, more subtle shows of wealth, or Dcharitable
donations.E
Example: Hieronymus King is fabulously wealthy (Wealth +30! When negotiating with "ertain balky go#ernment
offi"ials, Mr! King makes it "lear he "an "om$ensate them for their trouble! %he &M de"ides to use Kings Wealth
rank in $la"e of his 'ersuasion bonus, allowing him to seal the deal (ui"kly and easily!
Alternately, instead of substituting Wealth rank for a skill bonus, you can choose to treat Wealth as providing a
circumstance bonus to the relevant skill check, much like a team check.