Services

Lodging prices are given per night, but paying for longer periods in advance can reduce this price. In general, you can find accommodations at half to one-quarter the listed price if you book in advance and pay for them in 30-day blocks. Most lodgings are designed for Medium or Small creatures able to survive in the local environment; prices for unusually large tenants or those in need of special atmosphere or gravity conditions run up to 10 times as much. Most lodgings have free access to unsecured sections of the local infosphere and basic entertainment options.

These services assume an individual or small group is hired legally in free-market conditions. Efforts to hire criminals, mercenaries, or businesses fall under the purview of the GM, though unskilled laborers can be hired relatively cheaply.

Most settlements of any significant size have public recharging stations for batteries and power cells. To recharge the full capacity of a spent battery or power cell takes 1 round per charge and costs half the price of the battery or cell. You can recharge a partially depleted battery or cell, but the price for doing so is the same as if it were fully spent. At the GM’s discretion, some larger starships might have onboard recharging stations. These might offer recharging at low or no cost, but they typically take 1 minute per charge to recharge a battery or power cell.

Travel prices assume transport at a typical, second-class, basic level of accommodation and assistance—for example, being assigned to common guest quarters on a starship (with six passengers per room), having an assigned seat on a grav-train, waiting a few minutes for a nearby robo-taxi to pick you up, and so on. More private and luxurious travel options normally exist, costing anywhere from two to 10 times as much. Starships in particular often have good and luxurious quarters that offer better accommodations (see the guest quarters expansion bay option on page 299 for more details on the amenities of each typical level of starship accommodations). Truly exceptional options exist for the ultrarich, which can cost 1,000 times as much as common travel.

Cheaper options are often also available, such as steerage transportation in a converted cargo hold, or standing-room-only cars for grav-train rides. These normally cost half to one-quarter the listed price, though at the GM’s discretion even cheaper options (possibly those illegally ignoring various safety laws) could exist.

It is sometimes possible to procure long-distance passage at reduced prices or even for free by providing a desired service for the transport provider. Taking on common jobs such as a guard, gunner, cook, entertainer, or porter can sometimes facilitate travel on a tight budget. The prices given also assume a Medium or Small creature with no need for special accommodations or environmental conditions different from those of the vessel used. Unusually large creatures or those that require different atmospheres, gravity levels, or light levels than the vessel transporting them can easily see the price double, triple, or more depending on the inconvenience and risks involved.