Post by Dungeon Master on Sept 5, 2005 13:35:49 GMT -5
Optional Rule: Status from the World Book of Ansalon
The warrior son of a king is far different from the peasant hero
who leads her people to freedom. Though both are fighters, they are
separated by social status. Characters of Krynn may hold any social
status, ranging from the opulent and soft life of nobility to the
harsh and rigorous life of slavery.
Determining Social Status
To determine social status, roll percentile dice and consult the
following chart. Alternately, DMs may allow characters to choose
status depending on the character class and race (see below).
01-09: Slave
10-25: Peasant
26-50: Trades
51-65: Martial
66-75: Middle
76-85: Upper
86-95: Created nobility
96-98: Inherited nobility
99: Displaced royalty
00: Royalty
Character Class and Status: In Krynn, one will never encounter a
king-thief or a slave-cavalier. To avoid such strange combinations,
some character classes have status minimums or maximums.
Barbarian Warrior: Maximum is created nobility.
Bard: Maximum is created nobility.
Cavalier: Minimum is tradesman.
Knight of Solamnia: Minimum is peasant.
Thief: Maximum is created nobility.
Those characters in the commoner character class (blacksmiths,
leatherworking, etc.) must belong to the trades status. Race and
Status: Characters of any race can hold any social status among their
own people: gully dwarves have kings and Silvanesti have servants.
However, when a character ventures into human society, the human
penchant for prejudice, oppression, and exploitation asserts itself.
Therefore, until the humans of Krynn learn to transcend their own
shortsightedness, certain other races suffer social-status penalties
among them. When determining the social status of one of the following
races in human society, apply the listed penalty to the die roll:
Dark elf - 15
Elf - 10
Gnome - 7
Gully dwarf - 25
Half-elf - 15
Irda - 5
Kender - 15
Minotaur - 25
Conversely, humans who live among these races suffer the listed
penalty to their social status.
***
Social Status Descriptions
Royalty: The character is directly related to a national or
citystate monarch.
Advantages: The character starts out with triple starting money,
plus a choice of armor, shield, helmet, and two weapons. The PC also
receives two extra initial proficiency slots. He lives in opulence.
Fame and honor follow him wherever he goes.
Disadvantages: The character is plagued by fame and honor. He
cannot walk down the street without being recognized and all his
actions are mercilessly scrutinized.
The PC must reduce Con and Str by one point each to reflect the
soft and opulent life to which he is accustomed. After the character
has attained fifth level, Con and Str return to their original values.
The character's parents forbid him from certain adventures
because of their danger or distance from the home nation (any over 100
miles). Disobedience may cause the character to become displaced
royalty. Generally, the more the player relies on his royal blood, the
more demands and restrictions the DM should place on him. In extreme
situations, the character may even be tracked by assassins from rival
nations.
Displaced Royalty: The character is directly related to someone
who once was a ruler but no longer holds power. This category also
includes royalty characters who have been disowned or were
illegitimate.
Advantages: Character starts with double starting money and one
free weapon. Cavaliers, paladins, and people of noble rank recognize
the character, The living conditions vary greatly with the
circumstances of the displacement.
Disadvantages: The character and his family really have no power
anywhere. Those responsible for the displacement ' may seek to kill or
imprison the character. Many of those who recognize the character may
fault him for his family's loss of power.
Inherited Nobility: The character is, or is directly related to,
someone who holds a title and a land grant given by the nation's
rulers. Tribal chiefs and city rulers fall into this category.
Advantages: The PC starts with double starting money, the choice
of one weapon, and a horse. He also lives on an impressive estate.
Disadvantages: The character is expected to defer to those of
higher station. He may have responsibilities that tie him to a
particular geographical area.
Created Nobility: The character is, or is related to, someone
who has worked from upper status to achieve nobility. They do so by
becoming so rich and influential that rulers must acknowledge them.
These folk typically run merchant dynasties.
Advantages: Character starts with choice of a weapon and a
horse, half again the typical starting money, and the Reading/Writing
proficiency. He lives in a roomy manor house.
Disadvantages: Those of inherited nobility may snub the created
nobility. Those of lower status may resent the created nobility and
try to topple them.
Upper Status: This character has wealth but no title or special
land grant. Most are successful, well-established merchants or folk
from an ancient family line with ancestral land.
Advantages: The character starts with full allowable starting
money plus the choice of a weapon. He also has a comfortable house and
the Reading/Writing proficiency.
Disadvantages: The character and his extended family may be
subject to intrigue by similarly ranked families vying for favor or
created nobility status.
Middle Status: This character comes from a comfortable family.
They cannot afford extravagance, but neither do they starve. Most
normal merchants fall into this category.
Advantages: The character starts with a free weapon, a clean
house, and the Reading/Writing proficiency.
Disadvantages: Middle status folk occupy a slippery position. If
business improves, they may ascend to upper status; if business
declines, they may descend to poverty.
Martial-Status: The character is, or is directly related to, a
person who makes a living through military work. Such folk are
typically mercenaries or fighters in a nation's army or navy.
Advantages: The PC starts with one extra weapon proficiency, a
free weapon, and an extra point of Con to represent the ruggedness of
this lot.
Disadvantages: Those of the martial class are notorious for
being boisterous, brutish, and disruptive. Because they believe that
most anything can be settled with a fight, others shy away from them.
Also, those who belong to the martial status are continually
relocating to the most dangerous sections of the world.
Trades Status: This character is, or is related to, a person who
makes a living by the sweat of his labor -- be it blacksmithing,
leather working, sailing, fishing, trapping, or a multitude of other
tasks.
Advantages: The PC receives one free nonweapon proficiency from
the General category. Also, the character is spared from performing
the mind-numbing tasks reserved for peasants and slaves.
Disadvantages: The PC must work very hard to maintain his social
position so as not to descend into the peasant status.
Peasant: This unskilled individual works hard and lives at
subsistence level. Tenant farmers, shepherds, bandits, brigands,
nomads, and pirates are considered to come from peasant stock.
Advantages: These people are the least tied down of any social
status. Because they have nothing, they have nothing to lose.
Furthermore, they share their lot with most of the folk on Krynn. Many
a great hero has arisen from peasant stock.
Disadvantages: Character starts with no more than half the
normal starting money and often is very destitute. This condition
inspires many to leave their farms to seek fortune and glory.
Slaves: These PCs had been captured and sold by raiders or
forced to work in servitude to repay debts. As roleplaying begins, the
character has either escaped captivity or earned his freedom.
Advantages: The PC receives one free nonweapon proficiency from
the General category (to reflect the tasks he performed) and a dagger.
Disadvantages: The character starts with no money. If the
character is an escaped slave, he is being hunted.
***
The warrior son of a king is far different from the peasant hero
who leads her people to freedom. Though both are fighters, they are
separated by social status. Characters of Krynn may hold any social
status, ranging from the opulent and soft life of nobility to the
harsh and rigorous life of slavery.
Determining Social Status
To determine social status, roll percentile dice and consult the
following chart. Alternately, DMs may allow characters to choose
status depending on the character class and race (see below).
01-09: Slave
10-25: Peasant
26-50: Trades
51-65: Martial
66-75: Middle
76-85: Upper
86-95: Created nobility
96-98: Inherited nobility
99: Displaced royalty
00: Royalty
Character Class and Status: In Krynn, one will never encounter a
king-thief or a slave-cavalier. To avoid such strange combinations,
some character classes have status minimums or maximums.
Barbarian Warrior: Maximum is created nobility.
Bard: Maximum is created nobility.
Cavalier: Minimum is tradesman.
Knight of Solamnia: Minimum is peasant.
Thief: Maximum is created nobility.
Those characters in the commoner character class (blacksmiths,
leatherworking, etc.) must belong to the trades status. Race and
Status: Characters of any race can hold any social status among their
own people: gully dwarves have kings and Silvanesti have servants.
However, when a character ventures into human society, the human
penchant for prejudice, oppression, and exploitation asserts itself.
Therefore, until the humans of Krynn learn to transcend their own
shortsightedness, certain other races suffer social-status penalties
among them. When determining the social status of one of the following
races in human society, apply the listed penalty to the die roll:
Dark elf - 15
Elf - 10
Gnome - 7
Gully dwarf - 25
Half-elf - 15
Irda - 5
Kender - 15
Minotaur - 25
Conversely, humans who live among these races suffer the listed
penalty to their social status.
***
Social Status Descriptions
Royalty: The character is directly related to a national or
citystate monarch.
Advantages: The character starts out with triple starting money,
plus a choice of armor, shield, helmet, and two weapons. The PC also
receives two extra initial proficiency slots. He lives in opulence.
Fame and honor follow him wherever he goes.
Disadvantages: The character is plagued by fame and honor. He
cannot walk down the street without being recognized and all his
actions are mercilessly scrutinized.
The PC must reduce Con and Str by one point each to reflect the
soft and opulent life to which he is accustomed. After the character
has attained fifth level, Con and Str return to their original values.
The character's parents forbid him from certain adventures
because of their danger or distance from the home nation (any over 100
miles). Disobedience may cause the character to become displaced
royalty. Generally, the more the player relies on his royal blood, the
more demands and restrictions the DM should place on him. In extreme
situations, the character may even be tracked by assassins from rival
nations.
Displaced Royalty: The character is directly related to someone
who once was a ruler but no longer holds power. This category also
includes royalty characters who have been disowned or were
illegitimate.
Advantages: Character starts with double starting money and one
free weapon. Cavaliers, paladins, and people of noble rank recognize
the character, The living conditions vary greatly with the
circumstances of the displacement.
Disadvantages: The character and his family really have no power
anywhere. Those responsible for the displacement ' may seek to kill or
imprison the character. Many of those who recognize the character may
fault him for his family's loss of power.
Inherited Nobility: The character is, or is directly related to,
someone who holds a title and a land grant given by the nation's
rulers. Tribal chiefs and city rulers fall into this category.
Advantages: The PC starts with double starting money, the choice
of one weapon, and a horse. He also lives on an impressive estate.
Disadvantages: The character is expected to defer to those of
higher station. He may have responsibilities that tie him to a
particular geographical area.
Created Nobility: The character is, or is related to, someone
who has worked from upper status to achieve nobility. They do so by
becoming so rich and influential that rulers must acknowledge them.
These folk typically run merchant dynasties.
Advantages: Character starts with choice of a weapon and a
horse, half again the typical starting money, and the Reading/Writing
proficiency. He lives in a roomy manor house.
Disadvantages: Those of inherited nobility may snub the created
nobility. Those of lower status may resent the created nobility and
try to topple them.
Upper Status: This character has wealth but no title or special
land grant. Most are successful, well-established merchants or folk
from an ancient family line with ancestral land.
Advantages: The character starts with full allowable starting
money plus the choice of a weapon. He also has a comfortable house and
the Reading/Writing proficiency.
Disadvantages: The character and his extended family may be
subject to intrigue by similarly ranked families vying for favor or
created nobility status.
Middle Status: This character comes from a comfortable family.
They cannot afford extravagance, but neither do they starve. Most
normal merchants fall into this category.
Advantages: The character starts with a free weapon, a clean
house, and the Reading/Writing proficiency.
Disadvantages: Middle status folk occupy a slippery position. If
business improves, they may ascend to upper status; if business
declines, they may descend to poverty.
Martial-Status: The character is, or is directly related to, a
person who makes a living through military work. Such folk are
typically mercenaries or fighters in a nation's army or navy.
Advantages: The PC starts with one extra weapon proficiency, a
free weapon, and an extra point of Con to represent the ruggedness of
this lot.
Disadvantages: Those of the martial class are notorious for
being boisterous, brutish, and disruptive. Because they believe that
most anything can be settled with a fight, others shy away from them.
Also, those who belong to the martial status are continually
relocating to the most dangerous sections of the world.
Trades Status: This character is, or is related to, a person who
makes a living by the sweat of his labor -- be it blacksmithing,
leather working, sailing, fishing, trapping, or a multitude of other
tasks.
Advantages: The PC receives one free nonweapon proficiency from
the General category. Also, the character is spared from performing
the mind-numbing tasks reserved for peasants and slaves.
Disadvantages: The PC must work very hard to maintain his social
position so as not to descend into the peasant status.
Peasant: This unskilled individual works hard and lives at
subsistence level. Tenant farmers, shepherds, bandits, brigands,
nomads, and pirates are considered to come from peasant stock.
Advantages: These people are the least tied down of any social
status. Because they have nothing, they have nothing to lose.
Furthermore, they share their lot with most of the folk on Krynn. Many
a great hero has arisen from peasant stock.
Disadvantages: Character starts with no more than half the
normal starting money and often is very destitute. This condition
inspires many to leave their farms to seek fortune and glory.
Slaves: These PCs had been captured and sold by raiders or
forced to work in servitude to repay debts. As roleplaying begins, the
character has either escaped captivity or earned his freedom.
Advantages: The PC receives one free nonweapon proficiency from
the General category (to reflect the tasks he performed) and a dagger.
Disadvantages: The character starts with no money. If the
character is an escaped slave, he is being hunted.
***