Gear
Gear in Exalted is generally more abstract than in D&D or other systems you may be familiar with. Most of the issues of gear are abstracted into the Resources system.
Resources
The Resources Merit represents your abstract wealth. In Exalted, you do not track the discrete value of the items you possess. Instead, you consider their relative value to your lifestyle.
The Resources value of an item represents the highest socioeconomic class for which the item would be a significant burden. So, an item worth Resources •• would be a noteable burden for someone with the Resources •• Merit.
Small purchases are counted against your monthly income and only really matter the one time you buy them. Larger purchases are almost always financed – debt and the trade of debt is how humans managed wealth for most of history. If you are frequently making purchases at your exact Resources level, you probably do so by leveraging debt.
What Are Things Worth?
Resources –: Most basic and common goods cost Resources –. You are simply assumed to be able to buy as much of the basics as you need and makes sense in the story. Resources – is the category of “common goods.” This includes things like hunting knives, fishing spears, nets, common clothes, beer or wine, smoking tobacco, feed for a farm animal for one month, a simple meal at an inn, and so forth. Resources – is usually settled through barter rather than an exchange of currency.
Resources 1: Resources 1 is the category of goods that are uncommon purchases for the peasantry. These things are not necessarily rare or expensive; instead, these are the kind of things where you can say, “if someone buys these things regularly, they’re better off than most.” This category includes things like farm animals themselves, nicer clothes in interesting dyed colors, sake or opium, medicinal herbs, the short services of a mason or carpenter, a fine meal for a whole family, and so forth. Resources 1 purchases are more often than not resolved through barter, but some of the more ledger-minded might use cash.
Resources 2: Resources 2 is the category for goods that are the upper limit of what you might expect to find among the “common folk.” Very successful craftsmen and wealthy peasant leaders might be able to afford some of these things occasionally. This category is appropriate for fine riding horses, a small local manor, a closet of fine clothes, a fine vintage of wine, a skilled imported slave, and so forth. Resources 2 is appropriate for the families of wealthy peasants and the lower and middle tiers of the patriciate. Most deals in this category are settled in cash; a few at the upper edge of this category may be settled in smaller denominations of jade.
Resources 3: Resources 3 is the standard of living for your typical Dynast out and about in the world, and for the wealthier patrician families. Goods in this category are true luxuries: a closet of silk garments in the latest style, a well-bred exotic pet like an ox-dragon or a thieving lizard, a large yacht, the pay of the crew of that yacht in total for a couple months, or a sprawling townhouse in some lovely hills. This kind of luxury is standard for the Dynasty, desireable for the patriciate, and beyond the wildest dreams of the peasantry. Most transactions at this level will be large denominations of cash or, more typically, the regular denominations of jade.
Resources 4: Resources 4 is the category of the finer things in life. This category of goods are the ritzy luxuries that well-respected Dynasts can afford to show off; for most Dynasts, these are indulgences that require some kind of assistance, either from your House or a loan from your local Ragara. This is the category of family palaces, a closet of silk and jewels the size of a small home, a staff of the finest employees (not slaves), the respected former prince of a barbarian kingdom to serve as your personal secretary, the yearly wages of a cadre of mercenary bodyguards with a fearsome reputation, and so forth. Deals at this level are always in jade, and many are ledger transactions – so huge that no real money changes hands because of inconvenient it would be to transport.
Resources 5 Resources 5 is the level of queens and matriarchs. The goods valued at Resources 5 are rarely physical – if they are, they “ theEye of Gol Maa, the ancient fist-sized ruby set in the crown of the Queen of Than’ma before she was deposed,” that sort of thing. Most Resources 5 goods are abstract: raising a palace, building a city, decking yourself out in thread-of-jade and egg-sized jewels to rival the Empress, etc.