Different Forms of Wealth There are several other kinds of character wealth not totaled into the assets when trading for character points. But they can still represent important aspects of a character’s financial status.

Land and Holdings

In many medieval societies, land is the clearest measure of a character’s wealth. Large holdings will often include obligations for taxes from those who live on the land. At the same time, a character such as a knight who owns an estate of his own will likely owe some type of fealty to a higher lord, who will in turn owe loyalty to a king.

Although the taxes levied (and owed) by such a character will probably be measured in gold pieces, the land and buildings themselves exist as they are. Any attempt to render their worth into coinage will be only vaguely accurate, at best.

In addition, any kind of estate or holding will require maintenance of its buildings and lands, as well as the hiring and feeding of a potentially very large staff of servants to perform a variety of tasks.

The specifics of these costs are beyond the scope of this book (See The Castle Guide for more information). Players should be aware that owning lands is not simply a matter of gaining a piece of property for their characters and then sitting back and watching the money roll in.

Titles

Titles of nobility can signify wealth in several different ways. Occasionally, a title will include a straightforward annual salary in gold pieces. More often it will entitle the owner to a certain amount of tax revenue, based on those who labor under the titled character’s protection. It is even possible that the gaining of a title may cost a character money, depending on the deeds and needs of the titled character and his liege.

Sometimes a title will include the right to own an estate (see Land and Holdings above). Even if an estate is not included, a newly titled character may be forced to purchase an appropriate piece of property to do justice to his exalted rank.

Partnerships

A character who owns a shop or other business—or who has contributed money to the owner of such an establishment—has a form of wealth represented by the business. This includes the building where the shop is located, as well as the material goods within. Some examples include the clay, potter’s wheel, and finished crockery in a potter’s shop, and barrels of ale and foodstuffs for an inn.

The business itself is often an intangible, but nevertheless very real, aspect of a character’s wealth. If “Blutar’s Place” establishes a reputation in a city as a friendly inn for mercenaries, even if the building burns down and is rebuilt in a new location, chances are good that the mercenaries will find it and keep coming back. (Of course, if they’re the ones who burned it down in the first place, the owners might want to try and upgrade their clientele!)

This type of asset is most likely to occur in a Middle Ages or later campaign setting.

Debts

Debts can be owed in exchange for value or services provided by one character to another. Indeed, for a transient adventurer, being owed money and/or services by others is not a bad way to maintain wealth.

For example, Blutar the fighter drives a pack of bullies out of a comfortable inn. The innkeeper, in gratitude, awards Blutar the best room in the place—and free food and drink—whenever he is in town. Because of this debt, Blutar, even when he’s broke, can live pretty high on the hog.

Of course, characters need to take some care about their debtors. Someone who gets a lot of cash as a loan might suddenly decide to relocate, and then the debt is no good. Or, our aforementioned tavern owner might get sick of Blutar’s apparently insatiable appetite and find an even better fighter to drive Blutar out of the inn—so much for the debt.

Still, if a character goes through the campaign world frequently helping others with service and treasure, he stands a much greater chance of finding others willing to help him in times of need.

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