Luxury Goods and Services

Luxury goods and services are, for the most part, completely useless to most characters. But someone will always find a use. They come in five grades of quality.

Poor goods and services occupy the lowest possible rung of the luxury sector. The services may endanger the user. Poor goods display shoddy workmanship and even worse materials. Most fall into the category of ‘cheap knock-offs’ barely worth the credits they cost.
Adequate goods and services provide a decent value for the buyer’s credits. Services at this quality level give exactly what they promise and no more. Goods display reasonable manufacturing practices and decent materials. These luxuries form the baseline of goods available to sentients.
Excellent goods and services generally cost more than most sentients can afford on a regular basis. Services at this quality level include a wide variety of amenities and extra touches designed to make the buyer more comfortable. Excellent goods display high-quality manufacturing techniques. Their creators make them from costly materials, even if a less expensive material would meet the need.
Exceptional goods and services focus exclusively on the concept of hedonistic need. Exceptional services focus on the ‘experience’ as much as the delivery of quality. Goods at this quality level look and feel good whether they add any additional functionality
or not.
The Noble level of luxury provides an unimaginable level of hedonism. Noble services provide for every possible desire or contingency. Noble goods seem to come, literally, from another world where good taste and beauty mean something radically different than they do to the rest of the species.

Ancient Trinkets

Distinct from alien artifacts in the sense that they…can’t really do anything, ‘ancient trinkets’ covers a radically different type of item: the vast hordes of broken or simply useless ancient junk various exploration groups sell to collectors in order to fund their expeditions.

Poor quality ancient trinkets cost around 75 credits per item and are more available than trinkets of higher quality. Regardless of what they once did, the items no longer have any useful function. These trinkets display considerable signs of wear: faded colours, scratching and breakage are not uncommon.
Adequate quality ancient trinkets cost around 100 credits per item. They are reasonably well-preserved, showing only modest signs of wear. These trinkets range from alien flatware to statuary and items that once might have worked but have long since fused into rubbish.
Excellent quality ancient trinkets cost around 500 credits per item. They have only superficial scratches, despite their lengthy stay away from regular maintenance. Collectors search out these items to refurbish them into exceptional quality items. Most of these items have some level of artistic merit, even if their original function bordered on the mundane.
Exceptional quality ancient trinkets cost around 1,000 credits each. They are extremely difficult to find. Most are sold in highly selective markets known only to a chosen few. These items displayfew, if any, signs of wear regardless of their age.
Common Ancient Trinkets: dolls, doorknobs, paintings, plumbing fixtures, statues, toys.

Botanicals

On a planet, especially one with a healthy ecosystem, finding a native plant presents few challenges. Anyone can walk out the door and pick up a bit of healthy organic matter. However, finding the right plant, or one from another world, presents considerably more difficulty. Plants with religious, emotional or just aesthetic value generally cost even more. The prices listed below present the cost of the plant while it is in season. It also assumes the plant is native to the character’s current location. If it is not, the character may choose to either buy synthetics (reducing the cost and the quality) or double the price with for light year between the character and the plant’s point of origin. Technology allows the creation of synthetic versions of nearly any organic botanical at will. However, the created items do not look or feel quite like those grown naturally. Reduce the quality of a synthetic by one step for the purpose of any effect (positive or negative) the organic might produce. Properly decorating a room with botanicals requires one bunch per 33 square meters and a Profession (Florist) check (DC 10).

Poor quality botanicals were badly treated during their growth and shipping. They wilt quickly no matter what the character does to keep them fresh. Poor quality botanicals cost five credits for a bunch or plant and cannot travel more than one day’s FTL travel from their point of origin before spoiling.
Adequate quality botanicals represent the baseline of botanical materials. Most adequate botanicals are still alive when purchased and can produce viable plants if properly taken care of. Adequate quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +1 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers.
Adequate quality botanicals cost ten credits for a bunch or plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them up to three day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
Excellent quality botanicals have exceptional color, structure or significance. They require careful handling to preserve their value. Excellent quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +2 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception skill check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers. Excellent quality botanicals often also have cultural or religious significance. Excellent quality botanicals cost 50 credits for a bunch or a plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them up to two day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
Exceptional quality botanicals stand at the pinnacle of the botanical world. Exquisitely beautiful, with a short blooming season and relatively short lifespan, these rare botanicals generally cannot be easily found. Characters searching for these flowers will find them quite difficult to find, although not impossible for seekers with the right connections. Exceptional quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +3 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers. Exceptional quality botanicals cost 100 credits for a bunch or a plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them up to three day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
Noble quality botanicals are extremely rare, perhaps only blooming once a year and only then under very specific circumstances modern science cannot duplicate. These flowers are typically only available to those who have direct connections with the producer. Noble quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +5 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers. Noble quality botanicals cost 1,000 credits for a bunch or a plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them for up to one day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
Example botanicals include: Roses, Lissonian Treeblooms

Celebrations

It seems that work, poverty and the steady oppression of the common man have not changed much, or even been limited to humanity. Fortunately all sentients long ago developed finely-honed psychological mechanisms for finding joy and amusement amidst the sorrow. The most visible, and certainly the most entertaining, of these are the great celebrations people put on to mark momentous occasions. The price for a celebration includes catering, decorations, entertainment, event co-ordination and all associated religious or civil ceremonies. Participants in a celebration may either take active roles, with carefully scripted parts or passive roles in which they sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

Poor quality celebrations involve the cheapest possible food, drink, entertainment and events. The whole event, from beginning to end, displays both the participants’desire for a better life and their enjoyment of life. Entertainment at these parties often comes in the form of recorded entertainment programs played on a repeating loop. Poor celebrations cost 23 credits per person.
Adequate quality celebrations present decent food and liquor in an organised fashion around one or more important celebratory elements. The best that can be said about an adequate celebration is that it neither offends any of the guests nor breaks any of the rules of civilised behaviour. Those who attend such a celebration can expect to spend the next few hours in conversation with others, ignoring the background noise raised by the celebration’s activities. One element of the celebration may be of excellent or even exceptional quality. Adequate celebrations cost 30 credits per person.
Excellent quality celebrations display high quality food and liquor along with attention grabbing entertainment. These elements interweave with the celebration’s primary events, creating a memorable time for everyone involved The entertainment will almost always come from live performers. Decorations for this level of celebration typically cost hundreds, if not thousands, of credits. Excellent celebrations cost 150 credits per person.
Exceptional quality celebrations mark the pinnacle of what most people will see in their lifetimes. The event coordinator attends to every possible detail, making a memorable occasion for all involved. Waves of exquisitely prepared food wash against the celebrants as event after event flawlessly takes place. Even someone at the centre of the celebration (like a bride or groom at a wedding) is swept along like so much flotsam. Exceptional celebrations cost 300 credits per person.
Noble quality celebrations mark the greatest events of an era. State funerals, imperial weddings and other such events draw this level of effort. A whirl of exotic entertainments and expensive foods surrounds the celebrants, marred only occasionally by the presence of some pesky ritual. Noble celebrations cost 3000 credits per person.

When to use: Characters might purchase celebrations for any special occasion. Celebrations are traditional in most cultures at the four great life-changes: birth, marriage, childbirth and death.

Clothing

Despite the occasional nudist movement most sentient species, as a general rule, wear some form of covering. Being sentient, the moment they start creating something they make it an excuse to demonstrate their social superiority. With this trend came the concept of style as well as the idea of spending more than a year’s worth of income on a single suit of clothing. Each race has its own point of view about clothes, their own styles and their own methods of manufacture. Some cultures appear indifferent to the subtleties of fashion. Sociologists speculate that these cultures do not support enough choice based social differentiation to allow for the formation of style. All outfits come with sufficient clothing to cover the body as well as various culturally appropriate accessories. For example, a poor outfit for a one culture consists of a brown tunic and trousers of rough cloth with a tie belt and a pair of boots. These items remain fairly constant as the quality increases, eventually adding a
coat at the excellent level. When negotiating with a member of a culture that is indifferent to the subtleties of fashion the character does not suffer from any penalties or gain any bonuses due to low or high qualities of clothing respectively.

Poor clothing covers the body with little style or grace. The rough or cheaply manufactured cloth barely holds together. However, it is widely available and extremely easy on the bank account. This level of clothing comes in a variety of ‘stylish fashions,’ badly imitated from the fashions worn by the rich and famous. The colours are all slightly off, the cut wrong and the cloths barely fit. None of this bothers those who can just barely afford them. During negotiation a character wearing Poor clothing suffers a -1 penalty to his Persuasion checks. Vendors do not like dealing with people who do not have sufficient funds to pay for their wares. A poor outfit costs 40 credits.
Adequate clothing covers the body with a certain amount of style. Although still mass-produced these items are made of good cloth and cut so as to not fall quite so badly on the body. The primary problem with adequate clothing is that it wears out quickly; after one year of wear treat the outfit as poor quality clothing for the purpose of effects. When negotiating, Adequate clothing provides neither a bonus nor a penalty. An adequate outfit costs 50 credits.
Excellent clothing covers the body with fine-manufactured fabrics and a fair amount of tailored clothing. The base items making up an excellent outfit may have been manufactured but a professional tailor altered them to fit the wearer’s body more naturally. An excellent outfit will usually contain several layers of stylish clothing. One piece, usually the jacket or vest, is of exceptionally rich material. This item acts as the ensemble’s ‘centrepiece’. When negotiating Excellent clothing provides the character with a +1 bonus to his Persuasion checks. An excellent outfit costs 250 credits.
Exceptional clothing is not available off store racks. The character must stand for a fitting, purchase materials and wait for a tailor to fashion the clothes. This is the minimum level of clothing a noble or professional diplomat can safely wear in public or to functions. Even if the character himself has no sense of style the tailor will work with him to ensure he radiates self-assured confidence. An exceptional outfit can last for decades; true style may become outdated but it never looks bad. During negotiation Excellent clothing provides the character with a +2 bonus to his Persuasion checks. An exceptional outfit costs 500 credits.
Noble clothing is hand made for specific events. Each outfit can only be worn once; its rich symbolic meaning holds no power outside of the particular event it was meant for. The most skilled tailors in the galaxy make noble clothing of the rarest, finest materials. When negotiating Noble clothing provides a +4 bonus to Persuasion checks. A noble outfit costs at least 5,000 credits.

Drugs

Hallucinogens, mood-alters and opiates remain as popular as ever. Drug use is not limited to any single social class or species, though some cultures seem to be immune to their lure. All drugs require a Constitution check (DC 10). Drugs require two checks to resist the effect. The first check occurs 1d4 rounds after the initial contact. The second check occurs 1d4 minutes after initial contact.

Drugs have the following basic effects, further modified by the product’s quality:
- Euphoria: The drug causes the user to feel pleasure or at least negate pain. Users generally experience this pleasure as sexual stimulation or as a mental ‘high‘. Euphoria allows the character to ignore penalties applied by confusion or pain. The character also suffers from a -4 penalty to all skill checks.
  - Example drugs: cocaine, opiates, metazine.
- Hallucinogen: The drug randomly stimulates the brain’s sensory areas, causing the user to sense things that simply do not exist. These hallucinations may take any form, from subtle alterations in the user’s environment to voices, visions of the dead or even complete sensory shutdown.
  - Example drugs: LSD, peyote.
- Intoxication: The drug causes its user to lose track of his environment. In effect, this acts as a tranquilliser. Even the lowest quality intoxicants deal a -5 penalty to Perception checks for their duration. This penalty increases by -3 for every quality level over poor of the drug.
  - Example drugs: DBZ, baler.
- Mood Alteration: The drug alters the user’s brain chemistry to cause a specific emotional reaction. This reaction remains regardless of the events occurring around the user for as long as he remains under the drugs effect. Most of these drugs promote feelings of sexual desire, although some chemists have produced drugs capable of inducing happiness, despair and even ennui. Characters under the influence of these drugs may ignore the effects of fear.
  - Example drugs: dance (jittery), laugh (amusement), death (despair).
- Memory Rip: The drug causes the user’s brain to randomly fire memories. These memories jumble together, causing the user to relive his life as it never happened. Characters under the influence of these drugs gain a +4 bonus to Knowledge skills but suffer a -4 penalty to all other skill checks or attack rolls they must make for the duration.
  - Example drugs: purple trip, flyer.
Drug quality causes the following secondary effects:
- Poor quality drugs are either poor rip-offs of more expensive products or drugs so dangerous that only the most desperate would try them. Taking one of these drugs produces the normal effect, but also requires the character to make a Constitution check (DC 15) or take 1d4 damage to a random ability score. Poor quality drugs stay in the user’s system for at least 2d6 hours. A single hit costs seven credits.
- Adequate quality drugs present only a modest danger to the user. When the character ingests a hit of these drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or take 1d4 damage to a random ability score. These drugs last for 1d6 hours, although the user will suffer from any penalties associated with the drug for 1d6 additional hours. A single hit costs roughly ten credits.
- Excellent quality drugs are refined to the point where they deliver a good high for the danger they present. When a character ingests a hit of these drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 7) or take one point of damage to a random ability score. The effects of these drugs last 1d8 hours, with the penalties lasting 1d4 additional hours after the benefits run down. A single hit costs at least 50 credits.
- Exceptional quality drugs are refined to a point of near-perfection. This makes them exceptionally potent and dangerous to use. When a character ingests a hit of these drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 10) or take 1d4 damage to a random ability score. The effects of these drugs last 2d6 hours, with the penalties lasting an additional 1d6 hours after the benefits run down. A single – hit of these carefully manufactured drugs costs at least 100 credits.
- Noble quality drugs come from the most sophisticated biochemical labs imaginable and are sold directly to the power elite. When a character ingests a hit of these powerful drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or take one point of damage to a random ability score. The effects of these drugs last for 2d6 hours. At the end of that time the penalties vanish as well. A single hit of these rare drugs costs at least 1,000 credits.

Entertainment Programs

Most people will only hire a professional entertainer once or twice in their life and go to see live entertainments fairly rarely. Instead, they purchase entertainment programs from central providers. These providers offer programs designed to cater to every taste. Over the centuries entertainment providers have worked hard to streamline the process of providing tailored programs to their customers. Characters can order entertainment anywhere, at any time, so long as they have access to a suitable display device and are connected to a suitable network. They may also tune into a variety of ‘free’ channels sponsored by governments or commercial interests.

Poor quality entertainment programs have relatively low production values. These programs cost four credits per hour to download. Many are poorly put together ‘adult entertainment’ shows intended to amuse those with a variety of forbidden fetishes.
Adequate quality entertainment costs five credits per hour to download. These programs cover a wide range of topics in a manner varying between almost unwatchable to bearable with sufficient amounts of intoxicants. These shows are commonly dramas or comedies revolving around obscure culture points lost on all but the most involved viewer.
Excellent quality entertainment programs cost 25 credits per hour to download. These programs feature celebrities or named acts engaged in whatever activities made them famous.
Exceptional quality entertainment programs cost 50 credits per hour to download. These programs represent nearly the best that a specific cultural establishment can produce. Whatever their origin these programs are almost universally entertaining, spanning culture and time to provide entertainment for generations.

Evening Out

An evening out generally involves some form of entertainment, a meal and enough liquor to make everyone involved relaxed. A simple evening out generally does not cause much of a stir. A truly legendary night on the town though, involving any number of things best left unmentioned, could weigh on the character’s legal record for decades to come. At such times, friends in the diplomatic corps or in the security department become very important.

Poor evenings out usually consist of little more than a cheap meal and a walk in the local garden or park. The time out may be quite enjoyable if the company is good, but the actual expense is, fortunately, quite low. A poor evening out costs 38 credits per person
Adequate evenings out usually involve watching an entertainment program, having an adequate meal and sharing a cheap bottle with a friend. Such evenings out generally provide everyone involved with an excellent if not entirely memorable time. An adequate evening out costs 50 credits per person.
Excellent evenings out often involve live entertainment, a fancy dinner and the opportunity to meet important people in a relaxed setting. Restricted luxuries, including drugs, are available as part of the fee. Characters engaged in an excellent evening out can make a Gather Information check (DC 20) to learn where to find a single luminary, celebrity or other important person. An excellent evening out costs 250 credits per person.
Exceptional evenings out involve live entertainment, exceptional meals and debauchery of Roman proportions. Some cultures claim to regard such goingson as a regular ‘evening out‘, although even they must spend a bit of time recuperating from the excesses endured during such revelry. Characters engaged in an exceptional evening out may make a Persuasion check (DC 15) to spend an hour or two with a luminary or celebrity. This important person may not be coherent enough to be of much help though; he pursues the same activities as the characters. An exceptional evening out costs 500 credits per person.
Noble evenings out rival a Roman orgy in their splendour and debauchery. The revellers dine on cuisine unheard of by normal people then gorge their senses with sex, drugs and entertainment. Fortunately individuals who can afford this sort of thing routinely have enough lawyers and political clout that they will never come to trial. A noble evening out costs 5000 credits per person.

When to use: Characters may purchase this service either as a way to spend money, to have fun or to meet important people.

Furniture

Individual furnishings, including appliances, cost a considerable sum of money. This category covers things larger than a picture frame but not so large as to constitute an entire room including: tables, couches, large packs of pillows/meditation mats and various appliances. People generally buy furniture when they intend to stay in one place for a considerable length of time. Characters wishing to spend time in a furnished room are advised to either rent furniture (see Luxury Services below) or rent a furnished room (see Station Services, also below).

Poor quality furniture displays all of the signs of rapid, cheap manufacture by sentients with more haste than good sense. These cheap items generally look okay when purchased but quickly degrade. Just normal wear and tear reduces the item’s resale value to 10% of its initial purchase price within one month. The item has -1 hardness and -10% to its total hit points due to its shoddy construction. These items cost 150 credits. Poor quality furniture will not impress most characters, giving the owner a -2 penalty to Deception and Persuasion checks when dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room.
Adequate quality furniture is made of synthetic materials that hold together reasonably well. These serviceable items may have generic decorations intended to make them more aesthetically pleasing. These items provide no bonuses or penalties and cost 200 credits each.
Excellent quality furniture displays wealth, if not good taste. These furnishings contain expensive materials, reproductions of cultural art woven into their decorations and often semi-tasteful colour schemes designed to highlight their quality. Most of this furniture comes in the ‘latest style’, meaning it will look dated in a year or two. Furnishing an entire room in excellent quality items will impress most characters, giving the owner a +1 bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks when dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room. Excellent quality furnishings cost at least 1,000 credits each.
Exceptional quality furniture is made using traditional materials and craftsmanship, updated with the latest technological and ergonomic innovations. The designs for this category come from centuries of steady development rather than the whims of the moment. As such, an exceptional piece of furniture may be passed down for several generations before needing to be replaced due to wear. Furnishing an entire room with exceptional quality items gives the owner a +2 bonus to Deception and Persuasion checks when dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room. Exceptional quality furnishings cost at least 2,000 credits each.
Noble quality furniture is handmade by the most skilled artisans, using only the finest natural materials available. Each of these incredibly expensive items glows with the light only a craftsman’s love can give them. These heirloom quality items might last for centuries before finally retiring to a museum. Furnishing an entire room in noble quality items gives the owner a +4 bonus to Deception and Persuasion checks made while dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room. Noble quality furnishings cost at least 20,000 credits each.

Furniture weighs anywhere between 50 pounds and 1,000 pounds, depending on what it is and how it was made. Common items include: beds, chairs, desks, lamps, rugs pillows and tables.

Furniture Rental

Many travellers who ply the spacelanes stop for a few weeks in search of a future from time to time. Those who find one often find they spend weeks, even months, ‘on the road’. Though they have a residence, they spend most of their lives out among the stars. Characters in this situation find that it often makes sense to rent furniture from one of the rental or consignment vendors rather than buying it outright. It costs less in the short term to rent rooms full of furniture than it does to buy a single decent piece.
When a character sets up an account with a rental vendor he may choose to establish a ‘rental profile’. This profile contains a list of all of the character’s desired rental items, along with his preferences regarding colours and decoration schemes. When the character schedules his arrival to the station, he can also flag the vendor to deliver the items in his profile to his room. If he has items in storage (see station storage below) he can have items delivered from it as well. Given at least one day’s warning, the rental vendor can make it look as if the character never left his ‘apartment‘.
Characters pay for furniture rental by room by week.
Quarters in most stations contain at most two rooms, or three counting the bathroom. Quarters on colonies, or on homeworlds, can be a bit more extensive. If the character lives in large quarters furniture rental quickly becomes cost-intensive over any meaningful length of time. The bonuses and penalties for rental furniture apply to everyone except members of ascetic cultures.

Poor furniture rental services provide a minimal level of furnishings. This generally consists of tables, chairs and a bed. They also provide a freestanding screen to divide the room and a single chest of drawers or other storage unit. The furnishings have seen better days. Most bear the scars of heavy use. At least one item per room was broken and inexpertly repaired. Characters with this level of furnishing suffer a -3 circumstance penalty to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone to their room for business negotiations. Poor furniture rental costs 10 credits per day.
Adequate furniture rental services provide a level of comfort in addition to serviceability. The items rented generally include good beds, tables, chairs, some decorative items like pillows, some cooking equipment and a handful of trinkets. Where a poorly furnished room looks shoddy, an adequately furnished room looks like someplace a person might spend a few months in comfort. The
furnishings look somewhat worn but do not have any structural damage. Characters with this level of furnishing suffer a -1 circumstance penalty to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone to their room for business negotiations. Adequate furniture rental costs 14 credits per day.
Excellent furniture rental services provide quality furnishings at reasonable prices. Every furnished room contains several expensive pieces coordinated by a professional designer so they work together. Each room will have sufficient amenities in addition to a handful of luxury items. Some excellent furnishing contracts also include a ‘consumables’ provision, wherein the company provides the renter with a bottle or two of liquor and various consumable room supplies in addition to the furniture. Characters with this level of furnishing gain a +1 circumstance bonus to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone into their room for business negotiations. Excellent furniture rental costs 71 credits per day.
Exceptional furniture rental services provide high quality furnishings for a steep price. These service providers employ professional interior decorators that coordinate the room to meet the client‘s tastes. Contracts at this level also include a daily cleaning and laundry service. All also include a basic consumables contract, freeing the character from the need to purchase his own adequate meal materials. Characters with this level of furnishing gain a +2 circumstance bonus to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone into their room for business negotiations. Exceptional furniture rental costs 143 credits per day.
Noble furniture rental services provide both beautiful furniture and basic personal services including cleaning, cooking and laundry. A room appointed in this fashion contains masterpieces of modern design as well as classical pieces invoking a more decadent age. In some cases the furniture in these rooms is specially designated as ‘belonging to the renters. None of the company’s other
customers will ever use the items, preventing them from sustaining damage while the renter travels or has no need of them. Characters with this level of furnishing gain a +3 circumstance bonus to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone into their room for business negotiations. Noble furniture rental costs 1429 credits per day.

When to use: Characters can use this service when they do not want to purchase furniture or pay the exorbitant prices associated with renting adequate furnished quarters.

Liquor

One theory of the development of civilisation posits that all intelligent races, aside from a few, share a single common influence: some form of intoxicating beverage (alcohol for carbon-based creatures similar to humans). Those who support it point to the evidence of ancient brewing found in the earliest ruins of almost every space-capable civilisation. Archaeologists will debate the truth of such things long after everyone else lies face down, no longer able to think or move thanks to imbibing their beverage of choice. Every race in the known galaxy with the exception of a few produces thousands of different kinds of liquors. Bottles of substances with every imaginable taste travel the interstellar trade routes in volumes dwarfing everything but gun running. Attempting to build a catalogue of even the most commonly available beverages would consume a book the size of most 20th century human telephone books. Ingesting more than one or two glasses of any beverage requires the character to make a Constiution check (DC 5). Success gives the character a +1 bonus to Strength and Constitution and a -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom. If the character fails the saving throw he suffers the penalty
but does not gain the bonus. When the character imbibes more before the first effect wears of he must make a second Constitution check (DC 10). Success grants an additional bonus of +1 to Strength and Constitution. If the character succeeds or fails he gains an additional -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom (total penalty -2). Every drink after this second save requires an additional Constiution check (DC 10). Success allows the character to stay conscious. Each drink deals an additional -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom. These effects last for a length of time determined by the quality of the delivery mechanism.

Poor quality liquor burns the throat as it goes down. Whatever taste the manufacturers claim these substances possess, in reality they all taste foul. However, nothing quite matches them when one wishes to get drunk fast. The bonuses for imbibing these caustic concoctions last for one hour, but the penalties last for 20 hours. The DC of the Constitution check to gain a positive effect from one of these drinks is increased by +2. On the positive side, a bottle of this rot-gut only costs seven or eight credits. A single drink costs a credit. This quality of product is available in the seediest bars and onboard spacecraft where liquor is, strictly speaking, forbidden.
- Examples: Rotgut
Adequate quality liquor can be tasted by something other than a carrion-eater without inducing nausea. The bonuses for imbibing adequate liquor last for four hours. The penalties persist for 12 hours. This is the normal quality for the ‘drinking public’. A bottle of these beverages costs approximately ten credits; – a single drink costs two credits.
- Examples: Crappy American beer.
Excellent quality liquor displays considerable flavour as well as potency. The bonuses for imbibing excellent liquor last for three hours. The penalties persist for ten hours. Excellent quality beverages are the norm at diplomatic functions and high-class celebrations. A single bottle costs five credits. 50 credits; a drink costs five credits.
- Examples: Microbrew beer
Exceptional quality liquor is the finest beverage a race will ship. These complex liquors have deep flavours, significant bite and a finish that leaves the drinker wanting more. The bonuses for imbibing excellent liquor last for four hours. The penalties persist for 18. A single bottle costs 100 credits; a drink costs ten credits.
- Examples: Maker’s Mark
Noble quality liquor never ships far from its point of origin. Instead, connoisseurs gather around it, hoping to sample a single drink so they can tell their children about the experience. These drinks grace the tables of Emperors and Presidents. The bonuses from imbibing noble quality beverages last for six hours. The penalties persist for six hours. A single bottle of these rare liquors costs at least 1,000 credits; a single drink costs 100 credits.
- Examples: 100-year old scotch, 80-year old cognac, small-batch high quality stuff

Live Entertainment

Performers from around the galaxy long ago realised if they waited around for private contracts they would starve to death. Instead they organised large-scale public performances and charged people for the privilege of seeing them. Purchasing a ticket to live entertainment gives the character a seat in a show’s audience. For the duration, the character has the opportunity to watch the performance or others in the audience. Performances are typically scheduled weeks or months in advance. Characters may purchase tickets to all but the most popular shows up to the day before the performance. Shows typically run for three months per quality level before closing down. Most shows stage two to three performances each week.

Poor quality performances fail on every level. The performers play woodenly, the props fail to work or involve the audience and the themes presented have no connection to the audience’s needs. Every character in the audience must make a Wisdom check (DC 10) or suffer a -1 penalty to all Wisdom-based skill checks the next day due to their disappointment and distraction. Tickets to poor live entertainment cost 37 credits each for as long as the thing runs.
Adequate quality performances neither excite nor disappoint. They are technically correct. The performers hit their marks without much spirit. At the end of the performance the viewers were suitably entertained. Tickets to adequate live entertainment cost 50 credits each.
Excellent quality performances have a spark and sparkle that adequate performances lack. They might not be as technically accomplished as an adequate performance but they more than make up for any problems with good acting. Characters in the audience must make a Wisdom check (DC 10) to look away from the performance. Those that do not look away find any mind-affecting penalty they suffer from suppressed for the next hour. Tickets to excellent live entertainment cost 250 credits.
Exceptional quality performances are remarkable synergies of talent, technology and spirit capable of sweeping the audience away from their mundane worlds for a few hours. All of the performers do not have to be perfect, but they do have to perform with all of their heart and soul. Characters in the audience must make a Wisdom check (DC 15) to look away from the performance. Those that do not look away find any mind-affecting penalty they suffer from suppressed for the next day. Tickets for exceptional live entertainment cost 500 credits each.
Noble quality performances cannot be commanded; the combination of talent, technology and vision required to put one on occurs spontaneously or not at all. Characters cannot buy tickets to see this quality of performance. Instead, any performance has a 1% chance per show of transcending its own boundaries and becoming ‘noble’. Everyone in the audience feels the transition and for the next day gains a +1 luck bonus to all skill checks.

Meal Materials

Most families in the galaxy attempt to prepare their own meals at least five nights a week. Even the meanest rooms come with some means of storing and preparing food. Characters who fix their own food often find they get better meals, at considerably cheaper prices, than what they can get from the commissary or cafeteria. Of course, some also find they simply have no knack for cooking. The costs below assume the character buys culturally appropriate goods. Buying materials originating outside of the culture costs double the listed prices, and sometimes requires lead time and shipping costs as well. Similarly characters on board a ship, space station or colony without agriculture must spend double the normal price to purchase non-synthetic meal materials. These factors stack: nonsynthetic materials from a different culture cost three times as much as regular materials of the same quality. Synthetic materials always count as being one quality level lower than their purchase price when determining their effects. Materials born of vats and ordered proteins never taste like those kissed by true winds and a blazing sun. If the characters have a room or some form of long-term cold storage they may keep meal materials for up to a week. Characters with access to a freezer (Low-level housing for lifestyles, Type C quarters, or any vehicle with a galley) can freeze materials for up to two months.
Preparing a meal takes between thirty minutes and six hours. The techniques for cooking range from simple boiling to complex, multi-step heating and cooling techniques designed to change the material’s chemical composition.

Poor quality meal materials are just this side of spoiled. They may be too old, have been kept at too high a temperature or simply made of inferior quality materials. Whatever the cause, meals made with these materials will sustain life but not taste terribly appetising. When a character prepares a meal with these materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 10). If he fails his guests must make a Constiution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next hour due to nausea. If he rolls a natural 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude saving throws during the next hour. Poor quality materials cost three credits per person per meal.
Adequate quality meal materials show reasonable amounts of care in their processing and presentation. Their treatment renders them somewhat bland but not impossible to eat. Meals made with adequate materials generally taste good enough to eat without inducing the nausea associated with poorer quality materials. When a character prepares a meal with these materials he may make a Profession (cook) check. If he rolls a natural one his guests must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next hour due to nausea. If he succeeds his guests may make a Concentration check (DC 20) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +1 bonus to further Concentration checks for the next hour. If he rolls a natural 19 or 20 his guests receive a + I bonus to their Fortitude saving throws during the next hour. Adequate quality materials cost four credits per person per meal.
Excellent quality meal materials are either quite fresh or extremely well-packaged. They retain most of their natural flavour, texture and colour. These materials almost burst with flavour, although people used to adequate materials may find the natural taste of food quite strange. Whenever a character prepares a meal with these materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 15). If he rolls a natural one his guests must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next hour due to nausea. If he succeeds his guests may make a Wisdom check (DC 10) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +2 bonus to further Wisdom checks and Will defensefor the next hour. If he rolls a natural 18 to 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude defense during the next hour. Excellent quality materials cost 20 credits per person per meal.
Exceptional quality meal materials taste like they just came out of the field, or in the case of things like pasta carry a regional flavour all of their own. Characters who have never eaten a meal fixed with this level of materials express shock at the amount of flavour present in food, above and beyond heavy-handed seasoning. When a character prepares a meal with exceptional materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 15). If he succeeds his guests may make a Wisdom check (DC 5) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +2 bonus to further Wisdom checks and Willpower defense for the next hour. If he rolls a natural 17 to 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude defense during the next hour. Exceptional quality materials cost 40 credits per person per meal. Characters may reduce this to five credits per person per meal if they have the opportunity to shop at local farms buying in-season crops.
Noble quality meal materials are always fresh, regardless of the season or the mountains of credits needed to make them so. These materials may be limited to a single region or even a single farm, but those willing to pay any price can dine on them every evening if they so choose. When a character prepares a meal with noble materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 20). If he succeeds his guests may make a Wisdom check (DC 5) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +3 bonus to further Wisdom checks and Willpower defense for the next hour. If he rolls a natural 16 to 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude defense during the next hour. Imperial quality materials cost 400 credits per person per meal. Characters may not reduce this cost by shopping at local markets.

Prepared Meals

For many sentients the flavour and pleasure of a homecooked meal simply do not compare with the time it takes to make one. In the hurried world of work and play, they would rather have someone else to make a meal for them. Alternately, they may regard eating a prepared meal as a special treat, something they do in order to relieve the daily grind associated with food preparation. Vendors providing prepared meals of every imaginable quality level make up roughly 30% of all retail stores on most civilised worlds. Even in the poorest parts of the galaxy people set up shop to make a snack or a meal for their fellow sentients. Characters may buy prepared meals from stalls, mobile carts or restaurants the size of an imperial palace. The location and expense of the decor does not seem to have a positive or negative impact on the quality of the provided meal. The price of a prepared meal varies based on both the type of meal and its quality. The chart below provides a general price guide, these prices may also be used to determine the cost of catering:

Quality Level	Snack	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner/Main Meal
Poor	1 credit	2 credits	4 credits	6 credits
Adequate	1 credit	3 credits	6 credits	12 credits
Excellent	2 credits	5 credits	8 credits	16 credits
Exceptional	10 credits	15 credits	20 credits	40 credits
Noble	20 credits	30 credits	40 credits	120 credits

Poor quality prepared meals use inferior products and poor cooking techniques. They provide a reasonable level of sustenance without a large probability of contracting diseases. Each time a character eats one of these meals he must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next 24 hours.
Adequate quality prepared meals use adequate materials and decent cooking methods. These meals provide sustenance without offending good taste. Eating an adequate meal provides neither bonuses nor penalties.
Excellent quality prepared meals use adequate to excellent ingredients and well-applied cooking methods. Most excellent meals involve at least four courses, although some may go as high as five or six. These meals provide not only sustenance but a degree of pleasure as well. If the character succeeds at a Perception skill check (DC 20) when he offers to buy another character a meal he gains a +2 circumstance bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks targeting the other character. This bonus lasts for the duration of the meal.
Exceptional quality prepared meals use excellent or exceptional ingredients and excellent cooking techniques. These meals typically involve at least four courses, although they may have up to eight separate dishes. If the character succeeds at a Perception check (DC 20) when he offers to buy another character a meal he gains a +3 circumstance bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks targeting the other character. This bonus applies during the meal and for one hour after its conclusion.
Noble quality prepared meals are only available from the most exclusive restaurants or in the homes of the power elite. These meals are elaborate affairs taking days to set up and up to six hours to completely consume. They involve only the finest ingredients prepared by the most skilled chefs in the galaxy. If the character succeeds at a Perception check (DC 15) when he offers to buy another character a meal he gains a +2 circumstance bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks targeting the other character. This bonus applies during the meal and for one day after
its conclusion.

Trinkets

These decorations range from knobs on the tops of bedposts to elaborate mirrors and abstract sculptures. Rather than create a huge list of everything from picture frames to building-sized sculptures, all of these items are referred to as ‘trinkets’. In order to find out the starting price for a trinket refer to the table below. Items made of particularly valuable materials (e.g. diamonds) may cost as much as ten times the amount listed above. Trinkets with exceptional cultural significance (e.g. originals of famous masterpieces) generally cost at least twenty times the listed value.

Size	Poor	Adequate	Excellent	Exceptional	Noble
Fine	4 credits	5 credits	25 credits	50 credits	500 credits
Diminutive	15 credits	20 credits	100 credits	200 credits	2000 credits
Tiny	30 credits	40 credits	200 credits	400 credits	4000 credits
Small	90 credits	120 credits	600 credits	1200 credits	12000 credits
Medium	1800 credits	2400 credits	12000 credits	24000 credits	240000 credits
Large	3600 credits	4800 credits	24000 credits	48000 credits	480000 credits
Huge	7200 credits	9600 credits	48000 credits	96000 credits	960000 credits
Gargantuan	14400 credits	19200 credits	96000 credits	192000 credits	1920000 credits
Colossal	28800 credits	38400 credits	192000	384000 credits	3840000 credits

Poor quality trinkets are made of shoddy materials. If manufactured, they are in terrible shape. If handmade, they display little, if any, craftsmanship. Poor quality trinkets may, at the Games Master’s option, sell as adequate or even excellent quality trinkets if they become part of a fad.
Adequate quality trinkets consist of decent materials put together in a way that does not cause the creator shame. They have simple decorations and a least a minimal level of aesthetic value not tied to a cultural fad.
Excellent quality trinkets consist of expensive materials put together with care and precision. They usually have intricate designs and decorations. Most jewellery is of excellent or better quality.
Exceptional quality trinkets contain rare and expensive materials worked using the most sophisticated artistic skills a culture possesses. They may not be masterpieces but they display a consistent level of superior craftsmanship.
Noble quality trinkets are masterpieces, moments of artistic brilliance that cannot be easily duplicated. Characters will probably never have an opportunity to purchase a noble level trinket, though they may be commissioned to steal one.

Vacation (excluding travel costs)

The grinding misery of daily life and work, even for those at the highest levels of society, requires occasional relief. For many sentients this relief comes daily in the form of liquor. Most sentients also dream of a time when they can, if just for a few days, set aside the demands of their society to just relax. Such dreams bear fruit on ‘vacations.’ During a vacation the sentient travels to some place removed from his day-to-day life. There he lives at a slightly higher standard of living than he can usually sustain, relaxing for a moment into the fantasy of a better life. Once rested he returns to the daily grind with a new ‘spring’in his step.

Poor vacations cover poor quality food and lodging as well as inexpensive entertainments. The trip provides the purchaser with a good number of memories, both good and bad. Poor vacations cost 300 credits per day.
Adequate vacations cover adequate quality food and lodgings. Services provided during the vacation allow a family to split up or stay together as they wish. They typically involve excellent or even exceptional entertainments, as well as the occasional excellent meal. Adequate vacations cost 400 credits per day.
Excellent vacations provide the purchaser with incredible lodgings and meals, all carefully calculated to be far more than an even a hungry family could eat. Every possible need is carefully considered then covered by courteous staff. Entertainment fills every waking moment, although the buyer may retreat to a well-appointed private room to avoid it if he so desires. Excellent vacations cost 2000 credits per day.
Exceptional vacations provide a wealth and opulence unimaginable by most people. These vacations allow the wealthy to briefly experience the lifestyle lived by their nominal betters. The staff often pretend to be virtual slaves, putting on an act worthy of the greatest stages. Exceptional vacations cost 4000 credits per day.
Noble vacations rarely come into the public view. These individuals have the best of everything. They can command private performances from the most notable acts, shut down entire planets to be their pleasure preserves or violate every standard of ethical conduct with no repercussions. Noble vacations cost an unfathomable 40000 credits per day.

When to use: Characters may buy vacations when they wish to blow off some steam or reward themselves for a job well done. Alternately, vacations make excellent cover stories for agents who need a reason to travel.

Worlds That Might Have Been