Magecoins and the Arcane Economy

Last night we had another playtest session for Untitled Vislae Project but only two players were able to make it. We ended up talking setting and design for a few hours instead of advancing any narrative, and I bounced some ideas off them about elements I was still undecided on. One topic we made some breakthroughs in is magecoins.

Magecoins (or formally, "mana coins") are a concept present in Invisible Sun, but like many of the great ideas in that game, I think they don't go quite far enough. Essentially magecoins exist to put a hard break between two different economies: the magical and the mundane. The idea is that the price of a sandwich can't usefully be compared to the value of something like say, a spell that returns people from the dead or allows time manipulation. Even infinite sandwiches would not be as valuable as spells like that, or so the logic goes. Rather than having all possible goods and services on the same value scale and purchasable with the same currency, IS puts a hard break between magical goods/services and everything else. Magic stuff is either bartered for or bought/sold for magecoins. Magecoins are the "secret" currency of vislae, and since you can only really get them by performing some sort of magic service for them or selling a magic item, typically only vislae have them since they are the only ones capable of performing magic services or creating magic items.

So, what's wrong with this system? Well the core idea of "secret wizard money" is interesting, but as written it introduces some strange assumptions and raises some important questions. For example, where does the value of magecoins come from? In IS, magecoins can be used to refresh a stat pool (basically giving you back points which are used to modify rolls). There are two types of coins, one which refreshes physical pools, and one which refreshes mental ones. No limits on this whatsoever are mentioned, but presumably doing this drains/disenchants the coins and removes their value. Given how easy it is to refresh pools through other means in IS and how strong the purchasing power of magecoins is, this seems like an incredibly wasteful way to use one.

So, that sort of answers the value question. But currency needs credibility and utility to be useful, not just value. Otherwise it's just a good like any other. Typically currencies get their credibility from some sort of authority that issues them. Who issues magecoins? How are they created? IS is no help here, simply saying that "no one knows where magecoins come from" (The Key, pg. 182). No more information is provided on this anywhere (even in the Secrets Envelope). So... are there a fixed amount in circulation? That's gonna be a bit awkward if you experience major population growth. And why are vislae even using these random coins that just sort of show up out of nowhere?

Now I hear you saying, "Invisible Sun isn't trying to model a realistic economy." Fair enough, but why mention the money at all then? It's like the setting gets excited about a cool idea for wizard money, tells us about the two different types of it which you now have to track, but gets bored halfway though and goes "and it comes from... I dunno, it's a mystery." Let's see if we can strengthen the idea a bit with a rework, and further some of our design goals in the process. We want to highlight the nature of vislae at any opportunity and underscore Order identities. This seems like a perfect chance.

Magecoins

Of the four vislae Orders, only two have what could be considered central governing bodies. The Vancian Order has its "Telemeric Court", and the Order of Goetica is a sort of oligarchy ruled by all the Ultima Mysterions, each the master of some aspect of the Order. The Order of Makers functions more like a loose guild with any broad standards decided by the whole community, and Weavers are more like a bunch of small, scattered sub communities that each operate differently and may not have hierarchies at all.

Following on from this, while Makers and Weavers certainly heavily influence vislae culture as a whole, the Vancian and Goetic Orders wield the most political influence and power as such, mainly due to the fact that they are simply more organized and speak with a more unified voice. As such, logistical and civic matters that affect all vislae tend to be influenced by these two Orders primarily. Currency is no exception. 

Vislae have a special currency called magecoins which can buy magic things, yes, but that's an oversimplification. That's how nons see it. Vislae can tell you that there are actually two competing currencies, Vancian denari and Goetic lucre. Either can be exchanged for magical goods and services, yes, but Vances will typically only accept denari and if you are working for a Vance that is what you'll be paid in. Goetics are slightly less restrictive as they (like the spirits they deal with) often accept payment in favors, vows, and esoteric things like your laugh or your good luck, but they don't recognize the value of denari at all, and if you want to pay in cash it typically needs to be lucre. Similarly, of you are working for a Goetic you will be paid in lucre (if you're paid at all, har har).

Makers are fond of barter and some Weavers cells forgo money entirely (some sort of hippie lifestyle thing), but both make frequent use of both denari and lucre and will pay you with whichever they have on hand.

But what are denari? What are lucre? Where do they come from?

Denari

Denari, sometimes called “mindcoins”, are small cubes of a dark but glossy metal, about the size of a marble. They are slightly magnetic, and adhere to other denari especially well, allowing them to be clicked together into larger cubes that will stay together in your pocket, or form neat stacks in a vault. Denari are essentially crystallized ambient magic. Denari can be created by any Vance, albeit slowly. A Vance may leave spaces in their spellmind intentionally blank. For every square that is left empty for an entire week, one denari will materialize in the Vance’s pocket at the end of that week. Vances call this process “mining”. One quarter of the denari mined (rounded up) are automatically sent straight to the Order’s coffers to cover student debt. This means that you must mine at least two denari at a time to make any profit. Since denari are crystallized power, they can be used to empower magic. Swallowing a denari causes it to melt into a sort of mercury-like substance in the stomach and grants a surge of power. Eating a denari grants a MD that may immediately used and is then discarded (even if it rolls 1-3). Doing this multiple days in a row or more than once a day risks denari poisoning (QUA saves) which causes insanity. Vancian denari carry an inherent sense of legitimacy that can be felt when holding one, and are impossible to counterfeit. The mining process taps into the shared Vancian hive mind and as such they cannot be mined by apostates. It is said that all denari are tracked and the Telemeric Court can tell who possesses each one in circulation and what they are being spent on, but the Vancian Order denies this.

Lucre

Lucre are perfectly round coins that are about the size of an American silver dollar but sit heavier in the hand than expected. They are encrusted in runes which shift and make the eye water if stared at directly. Lucre are the material essence of money itself. Goetics get them in varying amounts by bargaining with Indigo spirits known as “Mouths of Greed”. Mouths of Greed can be summoned like any other Indigo entity, and materialize as horse sized disembodied mouths floating in space and smiling, always smiling a toothy smile. The Mouth does not stick around like a typical summon, but will ask the Goetic for something it values. If proffered, it eats the offering, and then vomits forth a random amount of lucre based on how much of the requested offering was provided (be capricious with this, but if you must use a formula, 1d6 x sacks of matching offerings works fine). The offerings requested are random but always quixotic. Tossing in lucre always works in place of an offering, but it is random whether you will get back more lucre than you put in (the Mouths love a gamble). Mouths of Greed can be attacked and will vomit out d20 lucre before disappearing if they suffer critical damage, but this is like mugging your banker and they will remember (they are all extensions of the same entity). Mouths of Greed summoned after that will refuse to deal with you unless you make amends with a large or especially rare offering in exchange for no lucre.

Mouth of Greed

CER: 10, QUA: 15, HP: 15
d10 bite

Curse of Destitution: As an action, Greed Mouths can inflict a curse on your finances (SOR save to resist). Your financial investments will always turn out poorly now, you will be the target of theft and fraud to an uncanny degree, and you will be tempted to make risky financial gambles whenever the opportunity presents itself (QUA save in such situations). Can only be removed by curse breaking magic or large charitable contributions.

This Greed Mouth wants:

1. Cheeses
2. Blood
3. Exotic meats
4. Stones from monuments
5. Denari
6. Keys
7. Eyes
8. Fungi
9. Dreams
10. Birds

Some Goetics have reported that specific Mouths will tend to ask for the same sort of thing, and trade names with other Goetics, jealously guarding them when they find one that wants things they can easily offer. This is by no means a proven rule though, and the rumors of “money printers” that just ask for things like sand and books are widely dismissed as Goetic myths. Lucre have the special property of being able to purchase immaterial or abstract things, enabling otherwise impossible transactions. If someone pays you lucre for your laugh and you consent to the sale verbally or in writing, accepting the lucre will magically transfer your laugh to them. You can no longer laugh. They have it. They can laugh like you did if they wish, or maybe they will resell it. As such, lucre are often used by strange traders and valued by many spiritual beings.

Denari and lucre represent the relative power and influence of the Vancian and Goetic Orders, and as such their purchasing power shifts over time. Sometimes denari are more valuable, and sometimes lucre are. As Vances make themselves more useful and influential to the Invisible Church as a whole, people are dealing with them more often, and thus the strength of the denari increases. Likewise with Goetics. Mechanically, this is represented by assessing the progress of the Vancian and Goetic Orders at regular intervals. More frequent intervals will make the economy seem more volatile, and longer ones will make it seem more stable. Just do it whenever seems appropriate. Once each in game year works fine for most cases. Give the each of the two Orders a score from 1-6 for how well they advanced their agenda and became more influential that year. Roll a d6 if you want to randomize this. Whichever Order has the higher number did better for themselves that year, and their currency is stronger. One coin in their currency is worth the difference between the two numbers of the other currency.

Obviously this does not account for inflation, just the relative values of denari and lucre in relation to each other. To model the shifting prices of goods, just decide how many magecoins something costs at the moment a character wants to buy it, modified by whatever factors seem relevant. That is how many magecoins of the stronger currency you need. If you are paying with the weaker currency you will need more (by whatever factor currently divides the two currencies).

Example:

The Goetic Order has had a very solid year, its members taking the credit for the discovery of a new half-world and publicly resolving a sizable outbreak of a memetic virus. The Warden decides that amounts to a 5. The Vancian Order has had a comparably weak year, suffering major damage to campus in a knife storm, and losing face in a regrettably public incident where a 5th degree member denounced the order and committed apostasy. The Warden gives then a 2. This means that lucre is now the more valuable currency, and one lucre equals 3 (5-2) denari. A PC in this economy goes to buy a blank spellbook and the Warden decides it costs 3 magecoins, a bit more expensive than usual due to Spine Stitcher Union strikes. The PC can either pay 3 lucre or 9 denari for the spellbook.

Benefits of having variable currency

It represents the divisions that exist among vislae, and tacitly asks players to pick a side. Do you save up denari, lucre, or a balance of both? Which Order are you betting on? It also allows players to affect the world in ways that will be felt and seem far reaching. Were you instrumental in shifting the balance of power this year? The currency you were rewarded with for that is now probably worth more. Also, you are probably beginning to gain the attention of the Orders, for better or worse.

Takeaways

• From the perspective of nons, vislae have special magic money for magic things
• It's actually two currencies, Vancian denari and Goetic lucre
• denari come from Vance minds
• they can be consumed for temporary MD but are poisonous in high doses
• lucre come from "Mouths of Greed", Indigo spirits that look like big maws
• they can purchase impossible things
• some years denari are stronger and some years lucre are
• Vances have a way to reliably trade time for magecoins (like bonds and money market investments)
• Goetics have a way to unreliably trade magecoins for magecoins (like stock investments)

Acknowledgements and disclaimer

I am not an economist and you should make no investment or financial decisions based on any of the concepts in this post. I barely know how money works.

Thanks to Gamma#3680 (Gallin's player) and Rage#8679 (Bron's player) for helping flesh out these concepts. Also thanks to Martin for his Spells is Gold post which inspired me to do some thinking on the vislae economy in the first place.