RESTRICTED ITEMS

Some objects require licenses to own or operate, or are restricted to qualifying organizations or individuals.  In such cases, a character must pay a license fee to own the object legally.  A license fee is a separate expense, purchased in addition to the object to which it applies.

The four restriction ratings are as follows:

Licensed: The owner must obtain a license to own or operate the object legally. Generally, the license is not expensive, and obtaining it has few any additional legal requirements.

Restricted: Only specifically qualified individuals or organizations are technically allowed to own the object, However, the real obstacles to ownership are time and money; anyone with sufficient patience and cash can eventually acquire the necessary license.

Military: The object is sold primarily to legitimate police and military organizations.  A military rating is essentially the same as restricted (see above), except that manufacturers and dealers are generally under tight government scrutiny and are therefore especially wary of selling to private individuals.  A member of the TAAF is considered to have a Military-grade license for any Military-grade gear they are issued, but the gear cannot be carried while off-duty.

Illegal: The object is illegal in all but specific, highly regulated circumstances.  A member of the TAAF is considered to have a an Illegal-grade license for any Illegal-grade gear they are issued, but the gear cannot be carried while off-duty.

Alien Tech: “Alien Tech” is a catchall category instead of a rating.  This means that the item is not easily located outside of its the culture that manufactures it.  As such, it exists in a gray area outside of the standard regulations.

 

GETTING A LICENSE

To get a license, you must pay the fee required to file the application.  The amount of the fee is a percentage of the object’s normal cost, as listed in the table below.  Once you’ve paid the fee, make a Knowledge (bureaucracy) check against the DC listed in the Skill DC column. You can’t take 10 or take 20 on this check.  On a success, your license is approved  will be available to you in a number of days as listed in the ‘Time Required’ column.  On a failure, you spend a number of days as listed in the Time Required column, but you are not granted the license and your application fee is lost.  You may try again as often as you like if you have the time and credits to do so.

Whether you succeed or fail on your Knowledge (bureaucracy) check, your request is recorded in public records. The more restricted the license, the more in-depth the background check required, and this leaves an increasingly detailed electronic trail for others to follow.

You can choose to secure a license through illicit means.  If you want to bribe an official, make a Persuasion check instead of a Knowledge (bureaucracy) check.  If you want to fabricate a false Identity or steal another persons

Identity, make a Deception check instead of a Knowledge (bureaucracy) check.  If either of these checks fails by 5 or more, the local authorities are alerted to your activities.

Restriction Rating	License Fee	Black Market Cost	Skill DC	Time Required
Licensed	5%	X2	10	1 day
Restricted	10%	X3	15	2 days
Military	20%	X4	20	5 days
Illegal	50%	X5	25	10 days

 

THE BLACK MARKET

Almost anything is available on the black market. However, you must make a Gather Information check to locate a black market merchant who has the object you seek.  The DC of the check is listed in the Skill DC column of table above, and the GM may apply a bonus or penalty to the check depending on the circumstances.  (For example, attempting to locate a black market on Earth is usually a DC 5 above the listed DC, whereas locating one on a more backwater area like Vesta is at the listed DC.  The farther you get from the ‘long arm of the law,’ the easier it is to locate a black market merchant, but it is also less likely that you will find the item you are looking for (which is up to the GM).)

If you succeed or the Gather Information check, you find a black market merchant who might have access to the item you seek.  If you fail, you can try again later.  If you fail by 5 or more, someone notices you’ve been asking questions and comes to capture, interrogate, or silence you.

Once you find someone who can get the item for you, you’ll have to pay two, three, four, or five times the Item’s normal price (as listed in the Black Market Cost Column of the table above) and wait some time for the item to become available (as listed in the Time Required column)