Brudewollen
First Post
Hi all, been a maybe six months or more since I posted here. Good to be back.
Maybe this has been tackled elsewhere or been brought up before, but I was thinking that maybe social standing might be appropriately tackled as a feat, albeit one that can only be taken during character creation. Being the son of a noble can be quite advantageous, giving one certain entre into social circles not otherwise possible and maybe doubling the PCs starting money (or some such thing). It would likely also offer continued benefits as the family is likely to support their scion in various endeavors throughout his/her career. It can clearly be a great advantage, but like all feats shouldn't be taken too far. If a DM is very generous he might even give the PC an NPC retainer or two (of course the PC would have to feed and shelter the poor packbearer/bodyguard, not always easy at 1st level).
I tend to run a very political and social game and I found my Clerics where, by virtue of their class, higher members of their society - essentially young, petty nobles. Paladins, of course, have the assumption of Nobility built into their class, as well. Not everyone plays this way, but in my game I've tried to replicate certain realities of social stratification as much as possible. I used to have players roll to see what station they started at, which was fun, but not in keeping with 3rd Edition, I always thought.
One argument against using a Feat rule to affect one's station is that it's not a power of the character as other feats are, but a distinction given to the character by dint of his birth. One could counter that by saying that in the medieval point of view, one's station in society is ordained by God (or the Gods, as the case may be). Thus the fact that he's a noble is because he is divinely suited to such a role.
Has anyone else published a system where Feats could be used to determine social rank? I'm even considering letting people take two feats at character generation to start as high nobles, sons and daughters of powerful fiefdoms (they would get even more money, support, etc.) For those races/classes that don't offer 2 or more feats at 1st (basically any non-human fighter) who want High Nobility, they would have to reserve their 3rd level Feat for High Nobility. A condition that could not change once the game begins. This latter rule I'm not so sure I like, but it's been tossing around my brain all day.
Maybe this has been tackled elsewhere or been brought up before, but I was thinking that maybe social standing might be appropriately tackled as a feat, albeit one that can only be taken during character creation. Being the son of a noble can be quite advantageous, giving one certain entre into social circles not otherwise possible and maybe doubling the PCs starting money (or some such thing). It would likely also offer continued benefits as the family is likely to support their scion in various endeavors throughout his/her career. It can clearly be a great advantage, but like all feats shouldn't be taken too far. If a DM is very generous he might even give the PC an NPC retainer or two (of course the PC would have to feed and shelter the poor packbearer/bodyguard, not always easy at 1st level).
I tend to run a very political and social game and I found my Clerics where, by virtue of their class, higher members of their society - essentially young, petty nobles. Paladins, of course, have the assumption of Nobility built into their class, as well. Not everyone plays this way, but in my game I've tried to replicate certain realities of social stratification as much as possible. I used to have players roll to see what station they started at, which was fun, but not in keeping with 3rd Edition, I always thought.
One argument against using a Feat rule to affect one's station is that it's not a power of the character as other feats are, but a distinction given to the character by dint of his birth. One could counter that by saying that in the medieval point of view, one's station in society is ordained by God (or the Gods, as the case may be). Thus the fact that he's a noble is because he is divinely suited to such a role.
Has anyone else published a system where Feats could be used to determine social rank? I'm even considering letting people take two feats at character generation to start as high nobles, sons and daughters of powerful fiefdoms (they would get even more money, support, etc.) For those races/classes that don't offer 2 or more feats at 1st (basically any non-human fighter) who want High Nobility, they would have to reserve their 3rd level Feat for High Nobility. A condition that could not change once the game begins. This latter rule I'm not so sure I like, but it's been tossing around my brain all day.
