SOCIAL HIERARCHY
Every culture has a defined social hierarchy which determines a character’s relative worth in society. In broad terms, this hierarchy is formed of certain social archetypes which are assigned a social standing.
Marginal Class (outside social norms)
Characters from a society’s marginal class are nominally part of that society but as outsiders looking in; typically, Lower Low (LL) SS.
Laborer Class
In most societies laborers form the lowest social classes as those with wealth and privilege maintain it making it difficult for lower classes to advance. Laborers offer society little more than man-power, with little specialization, training, or knowledge required. Usually laborers are SS 1-6.
Professional Class
Professionals offer society a specialized knowledge or function that requires special training and education to acquire. Professionals can range from SS 5-12.
Privileged Class
A society’s privileged class usually has power and a high concentration of the available wealth. SS of the privileged ranges from 11-17.
Ruling Class
The ruling class controls the authority in a society. Often it has power and wealth as well. The main difference between the ruling class and the privileged class is this vested authority. Not all societies possess a ruling class but in any society that does, the ruling agency derives from it. SS from 13-19 is common.
Ruling Agency
The ruling agency is the individual or group that directly controls the authority of a society. In a society with a ruling class, the ruling agency comes from that class. In societies without a ruling class, the ruling agency derives from a different class (often privileged). SS is 18-20.
FAMILY
A character’s family determines, in a large part, his social standing and potential vocation. Within the macrocosm of society, the family serves as a microcosm.
Legitimacy
Legitimate, illegitimate (acknowledged), and illegitimate (unacknowledged)
Orientation
Embrace, refuse, select, suppress, consider, and abstain
Sibling Rank
Inheritor, penultimate, and non-inheritor
Family Renown
Favorable/Unfavorable
Family Standing
Favorite, Good, Average, Poor, Black Sheep
CULTURAL HERITAGE
PRIMITIVE
Primitive cultures are typified by hunter-gatherer societies and small tribal societies. Technology and worker specialization are minimal. Most males are warriors, most females are commoners. Adepts are the common caster class. Very few other specialized classes are common, though exceptional individuals might qualify as fighters, berserkers, rangers, druids, or sorcerers. Due to the limited social structure, there are no aristocrats or nobles. Also, due to the lack of specialization and technology, there are very few experts.
• Survival is always a class skill for this character.
• Proficiency with all simple weapons.
NOMADIC
Nomadic societies revolve around the clan or family, with constant movement common. Often these cultures revolve around a specific animal mount. Complex and involved politics are possible, but laws are rarely more then tradition. Most males are warriors, most females commoners. Some worker specialization and technology exists, making experts not uncommon. Some aristocrats or nobles might exist, but they would be rare. Anyone that can ride can fight.
• Survival is always a class skill for this character.
• Proficiency with all simple weapons and martial weapons common to the culture.
• Riding is always a class skill in societies that use them. If not Riding, some other form of transport is generally used, and that would qualify as a class skill.
BARBARIAN
Barbaric cultures are just beginning to stratify society based on job specialization and social prerogative. They build cities, use technology, and have a simplified set of codified laws. Experts, commoners, aristocrats and other classes are more common with worker and social specialization.
CIVILIZED
Civilized cultures are characterized by complex social divisions and strata as defined by job specialization and social prerogative. Large bureaucracies can exist for no other reason then their own existence and perpetuation. Typically, a small group controls the resources of the majority of the society.
DECADENT
This is a culture past its prime, but still powerful. The society has withdrawn its attention from external matters to internal ones. Power, prestige, wealth, and favors occupy the time of the privileged, while the under-classes become more oppressed.
DEGENERATE
This is a culture that lives in the ruins of a previously great society. While technology and worker specialization might exist still, there is no advancement or innovation as all knowledge is learned through rote and superstition.
DEVELOPING
This is a culture that is recovering from degeneracy or regression, or stepping up from barbarism. Technology and innovation are exciting and welcomed.
DYNAMIC
This is a culture at its peak. New innovations and technology are constantly evolving and are expected and welcomed.
REGRESSIVE
A regressive culture has lost many of the innovations and technologies it once had. This can be due to war, government, social restrictions, or some other interference. Most regressive cultures have some strong social mores regarding behavior and what is acceptable.
STAGNANT
A stagnant culture is happy with what it has and resists outside interference or change.
