Honor Points

"Honor lies in honest toil" - Grover Cleveland

In Æther, the Honor system is a framework that reflects a character's reputation and standing within their society. It's a dynamic measure that ranges from 0 to 100, where a score of 0 indicates a person perceived as utterly dishonorable and untrustworthy, while a score of 100 signifies a legendary figure of impeccable reputation. This system isn't directly tied to a character's alignment or fame but rather gauges their loyalty, trustworthiness, and fairness. It is influenced by a character's adherence to a specific code of conduct, which varies based on cultural and societal norms.

Honor Points:

• NPC Base Honor Points: An NPC's base Honor Points is equal to their Challenge Rating (CR) × 5. The Game Master (GM) may modify this based on the NPC's actions and adherence to their societal code.
• PC Base Honor Points: A PC's starting Honor Points are equal to their Charisma score + their character level. This score is adjusted whenever the PC's level or Charisma score permanently changes. It is also dynamically affected by in-game events.

Gaining and Losing Honor:

Honor fluctuates based on a character's actions and decisions, which are interpreted through the lens of their chosen honor code. Some actions affect the entire party, while others impact only the individual character. Witnesses are essential for Honor changes to take effect, as word of the deeds must spread.

General Honor Events:

Event	Honor Points
Complete a CR-appropriate Adventure Path	+10
Complete a noble task for an honorable NPC (50+ Honor) secretly	+2
Roll 30+ on a Craft (art/masterwork) check (once/month)	+2
Roll 30+ on a Diplomacy/Intimidate check (once/month)	+2
Roll 30+ on a Perform check (once/month)	+2
Complete a CR-appropriate adventure	+1
Craft a powerful magic item (+1/40,000 gp of item's price)	+1
Destroy an evil/dangerous magic item (+1/40,000 gp)	+1
Party overcomes a challenging encounter (CR >= APL +3)	+1
Willingly break a tenet of your honor code	-2
Party flees an easy combat challenge (CR < APL)	-3
Slander someone with higher Honor	-4
Party loses an easy combat challenge (CR < APL)	-5
Commit treason/betray an honorable lord	-10
Cause the death of an honorable ally/protected person	-20

Specific Honor Codes: The game includes various honor codes, each with unique tenets and associated actions that modify Honor. Examples include: Chivalric Code, Criminal Code, Political Code, Samurai Code, and Tribal Code. Each code has its own table of events that grant or deduct Honor points. Refer to the original document for the complete tables for each specific honor code.

Spending Honor:

Once per game session, you can spend Honor Points to gain temporary advantages like favors, gifts, loans, or skill bonuses. The cost in Honor Points is determined by the GM based on the significance of the advantage. Attempting to spend more Honor Points than you possess reduces your Honor to 0 and grants no benefit.

Consequences of Losing Honor:

Reaching 0 Honor imposes a -2 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based checks. It can also lead to repercussions within honor-bound organizations and damage relationships with NPCs who value honor. Players can renounce their honor code, losing all Honor Points and associated benefits, but avoiding the penalties of 0 Honor. However, this can severely damage their reputation with those who adhere to the renounced code.