A DIVINE TREASURY OF FERENGI CHARACTER OPTIONS Credits: Written by Steven A. Cook Special thanks to Brian K for suggestions, rules bashing and contribution of the Material River Evangelist and Executive Courier professional packages. Please send all inquiries and comments to Steve at [email protected] This document is not for retail sale, and no copyright infringements are intended. The Star Trek® Role Playing Game™ is published by Decipher, Inc. Star Trek® is a trademark of Paramount Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved. “’Welcome to our home. Please place your metaphorically seen as a great flowing river comprised imprint on the legal waivers and deposit your of material acquisitions. If wanting gains dominance admission fee in the box by the door. Remember, over having—or vice versa—then the great river churns my house is my house [cringe].’ and overflows, becoming dangerously unstable. And as the river goes, so does society. Instability is not ‘As are its contents.’” prosperous in the long term. Family Business, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine®. A Ferengi in financial trouble often finds himself tossed to the shores of the great river by a wave The easily duped pirate, the swindling merchant, the of inflation. Similarly, he might run aground on a shoal power hungry DaiMon, the cowardly gunrunner—all of hardship and have to swim to safety. Finding his way are Ferengi stereotypes seen repeatedly on the various back onto the river requires a Ferengi to seek financial Star Trek® shows. They are useful to the Narrator as consolidation, a realigning of his investments, the adversaries and enemies, but are they decent player selling of his property, or even a loan. character archetypes? Probably not. Not until Star To stay afloat on the river, a Ferengi carefully Trek: Deep Space Nine® did we see well-developed navigates by balancing profit and loss, acquisition and characters on screen worthy of the moniker “Player liquidation, while also keeping an eye out for Character.” opportunities farther along the river’s course. One who This article expands the options available to deftly navigates the great river can, in effect, steer the players desiring to create Ferengi characters for the Star river’s course toward opportunity. The skilled Trek Roleplaying Game™. Included are expansions to Ferengi—one with the “lobes for business”—earns the Ferengi species description covering eras, providing great prosperity, and a second chance to pursue profit in sample characters, and introducing a new species the afterlife. ability; new personal and professional development packages; a liquidator elite profession; new edges and The Divine Treasury flaws; and two pieces of Ferengi technology, the locator bomb and energy whip. The Divine Treasury is the sacred palace of the Ferengi afterlife. The walls, furnishings and doors—and Update to Ferengi Species Description everything else—are made of gold-pressed latinum. A sign above the entrance to the Divine Treasury reads: Add the following section to the Ferengi species “Please have your profit-and-loss statement ready for description found on pages 36-37 of the Player’s inspection before entering the Divine Treasury.” Guide. When a Ferengi dies, his spirit goes before the Registrar of the Divine Treasury, who decides whether Profit, the Material Continuum, and the the Ferengi deserves to enter. This involves much cringing, bribery, and obsequious groveling. If the Afterlife Registrar is impressed by the Ferengi’s actions, he is allowed to enter the Divine Treasury. Profit is at the core of Ferengi culture. Something isn’t Once inside, the Ferengi bids on a new life worth doing unless there is profit to be made. To the under the supervision of the Blessed Exchequer and Ferengi mind, why would you give away something for Celestial Auctioneers. If the Ferengi has acquired free when you could charge a price for it, and therefore enough profit in life, he pays for a new one and is gain something you didn’t have—a profit. For Ferengi, reborn, earning the chance to gain yet more profit. If the this is just the way life and the universe works. Greater Ferengi did not earn enough profit, his bid fails and his profit equals greater life—and a greater afterlife. spirit is banished from the Divine Treasury and locked in the Vault of Eternal Destitution forever. The Great Material Continuum Thus, a Ferengi gets only once chance at a profitable afterlife. A prosperous Ferengi gains a The Great Material Continuum governs all aspects of second life, and if he earns enough profit again, a third, Ferengi life. This belief system posits that all societies and even a fourth. Ferengi myth purports that the exist in alternating states of having and wanting, and is richest, most powerful Ferengi throughout history—the Grand Nagi—are sometimes actually reincarnations of a Profit of 0—a lobe-challenged fool of uninspiring Gint, the first Nagus and creator of the Rules of potential and influence (with horrible taste in literature). Acquisition. Encounters Vault of Eternal Destitution The Ferengi are one of the most well traveled species in An afterlife in the Vault of Eternal Destitution is the the galaxy. Ferenginar, the Ferengi homeworld, is worst possible fate. Every Ferengi banished to the Vault located in the Bajor sector, and Ferengi are most often becomes the property of a Vault Auditor. The Auditors encountered in this region of space. Ferengi also travel form a council called the Regulation Committee, which throughout the Alpha and Beta quadrants, especially is lead by the Desecrated Auditor—the most powerful along the valuable trade routes near Cardassian and and influential Auditor. The Committee oversees every Federation space. They commonly ply their wares in the aspect of business and life in the Vault. These policies, Gamma Quadrant too, although traders have focused on known as the Laws of Destitution, are harsh. systems near the Idran end of the Bajoran wormhole. The Auditors charge outrageous accommodation Reports indicate that entrepreneurs have even found expenses, high income taxes, service charges, and their way to the Delta Quadrant, likely via unstable strictly regulate transactions. Painstaking financial wormholes or other similar phenomena. audits and fines await Ferengi who break the Laws. Though it is possible, few Ferengi ever manage to bribe Ferengi Free Trader their Auditor to overlook transgressions. Fewer still gain enough wealth to buy the title of Auditor and get to The Ferengi free trader travels the spacelanes own slaves themselves. throughout the galaxy, seeking opportunities for profit. To scare their children into behaving, Ferengi He could be a shifty thief out to bilk unsuspecting mothers recite stories of the Demons of Despair. The locals of their valuables or an honest (as honest as demons are evil spirits from the Vault of Eternal Ferengi get) trader dealing Vulcan mocha beans at a Destitution—Ferengi who were generous and modest price (as modest as Ferengi prices get). He may charitable, unconcerned with profit, or otherwise have his own ship and crew or he could be part of a heretical. Legends say that the demons take shadowy merchant consortium. forms and escape the Vault for a time, stealing latinum and other valuables from miscreant children. Profession: Merchant Elite Profession: Free Trader Species Ability: Ferengi Profit Margin Advancements: 15 Attributes: Agl 8 (+1), Int 12* (+3), Per 10 (+2), Prs Profit is the driving force of Ferengi culture. All 10* (+2), Str 5 (+0), Vit 6 (+0) Ferengi seek it—whether it’s latinum, property, Reactions: Quik +2, Savv +3*, Stam +0, Will +2 jewelry, starships, or other material possessions. The Defense: 8 more profit a Ferengi has, the greater he is respected— Health: 6 and envied—by his peers. Also greater is his chance of Courage: 3 influencing fellow Ferengi. Renown: 3 [Renown was assigned to NPC, not gained Ferengi characters have a Profit Margin score through advancements] (or simply Profit) which gains them enhanced benefits Species Abilities: Bonus Edge (Skill Focus), Eye for and is based on Renown. When making Influence, Profit, Four-lobed Brain, Head for Numbers, Lobes for Intimidate, Negotiate, and Persuade tests involving Business, Profit Margin (3) other Ferengi, a character automatically gains his full Personal Development: Mercantile Upbringing Renown modifier to the skill test. No recognition test is Professional Development: Trader required. For instance, Nilva, the chairman of Slug-O- Cola, probably has a Profit of at least 8 or 10—marking him with high favor and influence. Conversely, Blog, a Ferengi who publishes Pakled love poetry, probably has [The simple version of the skills detail, including Species Abilities: Bonus Edge (Skill Focus), Eye for *only* actual skill levels] Profit, Four-lobed Brain, Head for Numbers, Lobes for Skills: Business, Profit Margin (2) Appraise +5 (Antiques) Personal Development: Bankrupt Family* Armed Combat: Simple +1 Professional Development: Corporate Espionage Athletics +3 Agent* Computer Use +3 *New packages, see this article Enterprise: Administration +2 Enterprise: Business +6 [The simple version of the skills detail, including Influence +6 *only* actual skill levels] Inquire +5 (Fraternize) Skills: Knowledge: Culture +6 (Ferengi) Appraise +4 Knowledge: History +6 (Ferengi) Armed Combat: Simple +2 Knowledge: Specific World +6 (Ferenginar) Computer Use +5 (Invasion)(Sabotage) Language: Federation Standard +3 Conceal +3 (Cache) Language: Ferengi +4 Enterprise: Streetwise +4 Negotiate