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 if 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.
Illegal
The object is illegal in all but specific, highly regulated circumstances.
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 Restricted Objects 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 and 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 person's 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 license fee is given as a percentage of the licensed object's base cost.
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. If you succeed on the Gather Information check, you find a black market merchant who has 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 and wait some time for the item to become available.