Mundane resources for rich character?

[wick]

I ran into an issue in a game I ran a few years ago where the clues lead our team to the water. None of us had a "bat boat/sub" , nor any other means to survive under water or travel effectively.  Now my character was very wealthy, so I figured to use the wealth to rent scuba gear and use my personal yacht that any filthy rich character should have. We ended up finding clues elsewhere but I was wondering what ways to simulate this ability to call on mundane equipment in a super heroic world.

 

-Being wealthy or possibly having fringe benefits with a group that may have the equipment would allow for short term use right?

 

-What about using that contact in the army to pick you up in a helicopter or fly you overseas or the coast guard to sail you to a watery location? 

 

-I could build a VPP and make up a few ideas to throw in there if I use those items off and on. Could be good for more long term use of an item if in the case above it had to turned into a sea going adventure, but may be a waste of points if VPP rarely used. 

 

I would think Fringe benefits, wealth, and contacts would be the cheaper choices but you wouldn't actually have constant access to items used often.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

[Nothere]

I wouldn't use the vvp. except for items you were going to use on a regular basis. As to renting scuba gear to look underwater once sure. It's the gun problem. You can't use a gun in superhero unless you pay points. But it a goon drops his gun, why can't you pick it up and use it. In the case of scuba gear you,ve already paid points. To me it's a question of number of uses. Rent scuba gear once for an adventure it's covered by wealth. Sail on your yacht to a plot point twice in 8 adventures wealth covers it. Use scuba 8 times in 3 your gonna need to start paying points.

[Lucius]

35 I Buy What I Need: Summon 32 200-point Hirelings, Vehicles, Bases , Expanded Class of Beings Anything or anyone that can be bought, hired, or rented (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Variable Advantage (+1 Advantages; Limited Group of Advantages; +1 3/4) (244 Active Points); Extra Time (Hours to Days to Weeks depending on what's being sought, -4), Arrives Under Own Power (or maybe you have to go to it, homes don't usually move for instance) (-1/2), Summoned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-1/2), Activation Roll 14- (Sometimes, what you want just isn't available; -1/2), Limited Power Real Money. The more often the power is used, the more likely it is to fail as the money runs low. (-1/2)

 

53 I Buy what I Need: Variable Power Pool, 50 base + 3 control cost, (75 Active Points); Extra Time (Hours to Days to Weeks depending on what's being sought, -4), Limited Special Effect Common SFX (Only what can be bought; -1/2), Activation Roll 14- (Sometimes what you want isn't available; -1/2), Limited Power Real Money: the more often the power is used, the more likely it is to fail (-1/2), Limited Power Complications: illegal purchases may get you arrested, valuable things may draw thieves, weird stuff gets reported in the media, etc (-1/4); all slots IIF Minimum (-1/4)

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says there's gotta be a cheaper way

[Greywind]

...and the required expenditures may lead Ras Al Ghul to figure out that Bruce Wayne is Batman.

[Rebar]

Buy a base with 0 Area? 

[drunkonduty]

I let wealthy characters buy things they could reasonably buy (or rent, etc.) But things bought with wealth are just ordinary everyday things; they get no special plot protection beyond a normal thing of their type. For instance: my players' characters are always using their mobile phones. I have no problem with that. But I have warned them that anything that is "shop bought" gets no special favours once the bad guys start doing their thing. So, for instance, if the bad guys let off an EMP or otherwise take down the phone network the phones stop working. The phones might get destroyed if the hero gets hit with a big attack and will almost certainly get destroyed if the hero is hit by a Area of Effect attack. This could be bad if the character is relying on the item - such as the SCUBA gear mentioned above.

 

Same sort of reasoning goes for hired people. They will only be as loyal as the pay cheque, the character's treatment and the situation make them. They also very likely to become endangered by super villain actions and thus becoming becoming ersatz DNPC's. 

 

In short - I let my players use the wealth but it I'm allowed to muck about with things as I feel works in any given situation.

[wick]

Also, there could be problems if you have a secret ID.  It can create a pattern pegging you to a location.  A  yacht is usually registered, or cars\ licensed. You going to file a flight plan with the control tower?  Serial numbers on lost items could be tracked.

 

 

A villain  who is a hacker or employs one can hack your cell phone and activate your GPS,speaker phone, recording features, call records etc...and that is well within real world capabilities.  Even a heroic level villain could exploit cell phone use much less a techno marvel super genius villain. How does the bad guy know or ever move, where we are, my secret ID, and who my DNPC's are (Palm to face)? This tactic may cut it  with low level thugs but really not much more than a gagsta or biker gang and even those may surprise you.

[Tasha]

I ran into an issue in a game I ran a few years ago where the clues lead our team to the water. None of us had a "bat boat/sub" , nor any other means to survive under water or travel effectively.  Now my character was very wealthy, so I figured to use the wealth to rent scuba gear and use my personal yacht that any filthy rich character should have. We ended up finding clues elsewhere but I was wondering what ways to simulate this ability to call on mundane equipment in a super heroic world.

 

-Being wealthy or possibly having fringe benefits with a group that may have the equipment would allow for short term use right?

 

-What about using that contact in the army to pick you up in a helicopter or fly you overseas or the coast guard to sail you to a watery location? 

 

-I could build a VPP and make up a few ideas to throw in there if I use those items off and on. Could be good for more long term use of an item if in the case above it had to turned into a sea going adventure, but may be a waste of points if VPP rarely used. 

 

I would think Fringe benefits, wealth, and contacts would be the cheaper choices but you wouldn't actually have constant access to items used often.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Honestly, for mundane stuff like buying a rich person's sub or yacht. Plane tickets for the Group. Or using your Contacts to get you aboard that Military transport. Wealth gets you stuff that can be purchased at the store and non military stuff. So You could buy that Motorcycle to use for your undercover operation against the Gangs, but if you want to keep using it and not get it trashed. It should be purchased with character points. Same as a Gun. If you pick up a goon's gun you could fire it and use it for the combat. If you want to use it after that, you should spend character points for it.

 

So One off stuff is what using the Perks are all about. When they become something that the Heroine always uses in game, then they should pay points. If they want custom items that are better than mundane items of the same type, then points must be spent. Otherwise it's one of those things that the GM should just let go and not worry too much about.

 

Picky GM's tend to ruin the fun in their games by being jerks about little stuff. Don't be that GM

[L. Marcus]

"I just bought the airline.

 

... It seemed neater."

[Tasha]

"I just bought the airline.

 

... It seemed neater."

That would be a case where I would allow the PC to fly free for a few game sessions. I would request they buy a 14- (or higher)contact with the airline to simulate their ability to nearly always be able to get tickets.

[phoenix240]

I let wealthy characters buy things they could reasonably buy (or rent, etc.) But things bought with wealth are just ordinary everyday things; they get no special plot protection beyond a normal thing of their type. For instance: my players' characters are always using their mobile phones. I have no problem with that. But I have warned them that anything that is "shop bought" gets no special favours once the bad guys start doing their thing. So, for instance, if the bad guys let off an EMP or otherwise take down the phone network the phones stop working. The phones might get destroyed if the hero gets hit with a big attack and will almost certainly get destroyed if the hero is hit by a Area of Effect attack. This could be bad if the character is relying on the item - such as the SCUBA gear mentioned above.

 

Same sort of reasoning goes for hired people. They will only be as loyal as the pay cheque, the character's treatment and the situation make them. They also very likely to become endangered by super villain actions and thus becoming becoming ersatz DNPC's. 

 

In short - I let my players use the wealth but it I'm allowed to muck about with things as I feel works in any given situation.

 

This is what I do too. Mundane items also come with certain limitations like taking more damage and being less versatile than items paid for with points, basically they function more "realistically". Its partly a narrative thing and partly due to being made from commonly available technology.

[Conjureman]

If someone pays points for wealth, it should have some in game useful application.  I wouldn't make someone pay both points for the wealth perk AND points for some kind of purchasing power VPP.  In earlier versions of Champions, wealth was specifically addressed as an optional rule for super hero campaigns specifically because the rule of "pay points for everything" makes the wealth expenditure a pretty expensive choice for something that is just a bit of character background.