Alternity Social Status

Chapter 7 of the Gamemaster Guide very briefly outlines a level-based system for Social Status.  Unfortunately, Table G25 rarely produces a full range of satisfying starting scores for characters, and Table G26 does not clarify distinct differences between varying levels in Authority, Wealth, and Fame.  These optional rules attempt to clarify and expand upon Social Status.  A character has a rating in each of the three categories ranging from 0-20.  Level 0 translates as absolutely no standing in that area:  a character with Level 0 cannot attempt any skill checks whatsoever involving that particular social aspect.  However, only the most unimportant, inconsequential beginner (or a social pariah, like a prisoner or slave) would have a Level 0 rating in any of the Social Status categories; most beginning characters should range from Level 1-5 in each category, advancing to Level 6-10 as they gain more standing.  Ratings above Level 10 should be reserved for veteran characters who can exert influence on a much broader scale (leading a company, or directing many field teams, or commanding hundreds of soldiers).

Why bother with a system like this?  In some campaigns focused around clear-cut military missions and combat-only action scenes, a detailed Social Status system is unnecessary.  However, in political-intrigue campaigns it becomes much more useful.  This system is a tool for any Gamemaster with a player who says, "You know, my character is a high-ranking ambassador--that should be enough for him to be allowed inside that building."  Now you have a rating and a skill check modifier to see if indeed that ambassador is important enough.  The Social Status system also gives characters another way to improve and advance that does not involve achievement points, new super weapons, or high-powered skills.
 

*  The bonus or penalty applies to any social skill check in which the character's rank within the organization (corporate, governmental, or military) is a factor.  For example, an Administration skill check to request a promotion or a particular job assignment, or an Interaction skill check to order a lower-ranking person to assist with a certain task.
 

*  The "usable relative cost" is designed to function with the optional Alternity Economic System.  This is a comparative reflection of how much purchasing power the character has access to at any given time.  It may or may not be "every month" (GM discretion), but it should be a significant passage of time (otherwise a character with a high level of Wealth could make an acquisition skill check to buy a new high-powered vehicle or weapon in between every adventure).  The descriptions also refer to wealth in 1999 currency, which may differ with your futuristic campaign setting (in a future world of hyperinflation, even the poorest workers might be "millionaires" and it takes a million dollars just to order a pizza).  Unless you intend for the characters in your campaign to buy and equip their own starships, it is highly recommended that you keep their Wealth levels to 10 or less.
 

*  The bonus or penalty applies to any social skill check in which the character's social reputation or visibility is a factor.  This generally is only a consideration when the character is trying to move within a social setting based on his reputation--for example, an Interaction skill check to get invited to a big party or to gain admittance into an exclusive club.  "Friends" is a very loose term which also includes contacts, work associates, colleagues, and social hangers-on.  For example, the social circle of an enlisted soldier might only include his platoon of a few dozen men (Fame 2), but the social network of a senior military chief-of-staff might include hundreds of fellow officers, thousands of common soldiers who recognize his name, plus many politicians who attend military functions and meetings (Fame 14); the military officer's fame might get him an invitation to a formal political dinner or admittance into a secretive military facility, but it probably would not get him backstage after a concert to meet the singing star.  The city/limited area/national/planetary/global/interstellar distinctions depend on the campaign setting--in PL 5 (and probably PL 6), use "city" for a major metropolitan area, use "limited area" for a state or province, use "national" for a country, and "global" for fame across the entire world; in PL 7 or higher, use "city" for a major population center, use "limited area" for a particular region (e.g., a continent) or professional field (e.g., Steven Hawking would be a top celebrity in the field of science), use "planetary" for fame across one world, and use "interstellar" for fame that reaches across many star systems.  Free contacts can be Information Contacts, Resource Contacts, or Expert Contacts, but they must relate to the character's source of Fame.
 

Table G25:  Starting Social Status:  The table on page 106 of the Gamemaster Guide can be used as a guideline for generating starting numbers for new characters.  However, it is generally better to consider the background and task assignment for each character in your gaming group when assigning Social Status levels--just because Table G25 states that a Combat Spec gets +4 Authority and a Soldier gets +2 does not mean you must give Authority 6 (a "mid-grade sergeant") to such a character in your gaming group.  As for the modifiers for Perks and Flaws, take them with a grain of salt--you may not want to have Good Luck increase Fame, or you may decide to allow Good Looks to increase it (or Poor Looks to lower it), or you may wish to allow Perks and Flaws to modify Social Status only in certain situations and not all the time.  Keep in mind the Allegiance bonus of +2/+1/+1:  this can be used to temporarily increase a character's Social Status levels when carrying out a properly assigned job within an organization (for example, a character might indeed get a temporary +2 Authority bonus when giving a command to a subordinate officially assigned to his department, but that bonus would not apply if he called up another branch of the company and tried to order them to do something for him).
 

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