HONOR for Eladrin (high elf) characters

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All Eladrin characters start with a certain amount of honor. Those with family clans determine their starting honor by comparing their family's base honor to their ability scores. Other characters' base honor is determined by race, character class, and ability scores.

Gaining and Losing Honor
During the course of play a character's actions can cause him to gain or lose honor points. Some classes are more concerned than others with honor, and characters from those classes may gain or lose more honor for the same action than someone from another character class. These characters are considered "Honor bound." Being Honor bound can provide significant advantages in dealing with Honor-bound NPCs. No character can have more than 100 points of honor.

Honor points always are awarded by the DM. Players can make reasonable protests if they feel the DM overlooked something but the DM's judgment is final. Honor points are normally awarded at the end of an adventure. On long adventures, however, the DM can award honor points after a major encounter or deed or at the end of each game session.


Altering Family Honor
The actions of a single player character can affect the fortunes of his family clan for good or ill. Noble, heroic, and successful characters elevate their family name while craven, lying, and treacherous characters drag their family name down with them.
If a player character's honor is 10 points higher than his family's honor, the base honor of the family is increased by one point. The same thing happens at 20, 30, 40, etc., additional points. This bonus can be earned only once for each group of 10 points.
The bonus can be earned even if character already has as much honor as he can ever earn. In this case, honor awards are made only to determine whether the family's base honor increases. In other words, the character has reached his pinnacle but his deeds still reflect well upon his clan.
At the other end of the scale, any character who loses five or more points for a single action causes a loss of one honor point from his family's base honor. His shameful behavior has made a lasting blot on the family name.
In either case when a character changes the honor of his family, all other family members have their honor increased or decreased by the same amount as the family. Thus, the actions of family members can affect each other's honor. If a family's Honor drops below the minimum for a tier the clan honor will similarly fall.

Effects of Honor
If an eladrin character of the samurai or kensai (paladin) classes allows his honor to fall below  the minimum (20-charisma) , he loses his status as samurai or kensai. He has disadvantage on attack rolls with his ancestral weapons. Until he is able to atone for his misdeeds.

A character of any class whose honor falls below his family's base honor score incurs disadvantage on all NPC reaction rolls with members of the family. This negative modifier remains in effect until the character's honor again equals or exceeds the family's honor.

If a divine spell-caster (of the Elardin pantheon - Shukenga or paladin) ever has his Honor fall to zero they lose all ability to cast spells until they atone and restore their honor to their base level.

Should personal Honor ever reach 50 A character receives advantage on all NPC reaction rolls with his or allied clans.

Should personal Honor ever reach 75 A character would be recognized by the court of the throne of roses and could expect an appropriate boon.

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The Eight Virtues (Honor code)

Rectitude or Justice
Courage
Benevolence or Mercy
Politeness
Honesty and Sincerity
Honor
Loyalty
Character and Self-Control


Eladrin should behave according to an absolute moral standard, one that transcends logic. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. The difference between good and bad and between right and wrong are givens, not arguments subject to discussion or justification, and a warrior should know the difference.

Also note that relative honor is self evident to all Eladrin regardless of knowledge of infractions. Committing an infraction against the 8 virtues may not always be as significant mark as being accused of the offense (guilty or not.) Similarly while upholding the virtues is often its own reward, recognition (as long as its not sought) can be a boon to honor in itself.

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Individual families within a clan will have  a range of honor scores usually +/- 10 points from the base with families in a position of leadership within the clan having as much as a 25 point boost. Note that leadership families suffer double the typical penalties for dishonorable acts (as do samurai-devotees.)  A clan's / family honor score also marks its political influence and social position within Eladrin society. As a family's status within a clan falls so does the clan's overall (to a lesser extent) base honor score. Honor fluctuations can have significant ramifications in the political fortunes of Families and Clans. Main clans are listed below with motivations and base honor scores. Unlisted minor clans typically have an clan honor score of (20.)

Dragon (Ka'Athem)  Base Family Honor  (40)
The current emperor Ejlatian belongs to the Dragon clan. As his son was somewhat of an adventurer and was slain in a battle with a demonic spider (thus preventing his resurrection) the dragon Clan is currently in turmoil. Several minor clan lords are attempting to curry favor and perhaps supplant the clan by offering their daughters to the emperor (who seems to remains uninterested.)

Lion (Ry'lia) Base Family Honor (30)
The lion clan is known for its fierce warriors. The iconic Lion warrior shuns the Katana for the Naga maki (Tahl'ael.) The Lion clan currently is the muscle behind what power remains with the Dragon clan. While the old nobles of the clan hold this honored place in high esteem some of the younger clansmen wonder why the lion Clan itself is not the rulers of the Empire. Many of the younger nobles envision a day when the Eladrin once again rule all the near realms and await the ascension of the Ry'lia to the throne.

Crane (Sum' Elea) Base Family Honor (30)
The Clan of the Crane are unwilling subjects of the Dragon Clan though they recognize their authority begrudgingly. Some twelve generations ago the Crane clan were the rulers of the Eladrin. Due to political maneuvering and some mark on the honor of the clan, The Dragon clan ascended to the throne and ushered in the Throne of roses. Crane strongholds were in the now sunken kingdom and they previously controlled many key trade routes. Crane lands are now mostly confined to the Feywild though they refuse to abandon all of the prime as a prophesy once told to children of the Crane that in fifteen generations a “lost blood” (a term for a member of the noble caste who form some reason lost their station) of the Crane will rise to the throne. It is commonly believed by Clan oracles that the only place where the prophesy may come to fruition is on the prime and so several families of the clan retain (or try to expand) their holdings in the near realm.

Phoenix (Khan'eyant) Base Family Honor (25)
Although they maintain a small presence in the city of Krys (as do all clans out of necessity) the Clan of the Phoenix in concentrated in a few lonely citadels in the west on the foothills of the Worldspine mountains. The phoenix clan maintains trade relationships with the Sultans land across the desert which lies to the west of the World-spine. The travel route is lengthy and difficult which minimizes its trade impact. Still the Phoenix clan has access to all manner of goods rarely seen in the east.

Mantis (Ky'erma liante) Base Family Honor (35)
The Champions of the commoners is the unofficial motto of the Mantis clan or “Ky'erma liante” While all each clan is divided among castes the Mantis treat all commoners (even commoners of other peaceful races) with respect and in this way have come to be regarded as wise councilors to throne. Still other clans regard their attitude with disdain believing it weakens the legitimacy of the emperor or at least the caste system. The Mantis are also employed as ambassadors to other governments and even tribes of the plainsmen. Some members of the Mantis clan are said to be dabblers in the
shamanistic practices of the barbarians themselves though this is considered by most to be an unrefined attack on the integrity of the clan.

Lotus ( Serin'lote) Base Family Honor (30)
The great philosophers of the clans come from the lotus clan. While many clans look to the past greatness of the empire, the Lotus clan believes that they will prosper only by embracing all just races. The ancestor's of the lotus clan are said to be the most powerful of all the spirits though they are also the most disinterested in restoring the greatness of the empire. The lotus are close allies of the Crane clan. The Lotus clan are the oracles among the Eladrin and their position as a major clan of nobles is unquestioned even though they maintain few strongholds and have almost no commoners to conscript in times of war.

Fox (Rusco) Base Family Honor (25)
Renown of their horsemanship, the fox clan aspires to be more than a clan of tax collectors and bandit catchers. The Fox clan is jealous of the position of the Lion clan though their arrogance is too great to admit it. The leaders of the clan are shrewd bargainers and though they would never be merchants (or salesmen) themselves they have been made wealthy “protecting” caravans to and from Krys.

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Here is a general guideline for honor scores impacts. ((adapted from Oriental Adventures Advanced D&D)

HONOR AWARDS
All Characters Points awarded
Accused of crime (innocent or not) -4
Acquiring property +1
Building a stronghold +3 (per level)
Avenging murder of family member +5
Banished -5
Being taken prisoner -10 *
Breaking an oath -4*
Completing a great deed +5
Convicted of crime -10
Defeating an ancestral enemy + 2 *
Defeating a superior opponent - 1
Defeating monsters + 1 per (CR-2 solo only)
Fulfills an oath + 2
Fulfills family debt + 7
Giving a gift of value to NPC + 1
Granting a favor to NPC + 1
Heroic death +10
Losing a birthright -5 *
Losing a contest -1
Losing to inferior opponent -2
Making item of quality +1
Marrying into higher birth rank family +1
Murder of a family member -3
Rash or improper social behavior -2
Reaching name level +2
Refusing a contest -2
Requesting a favor -2
Saving the life of another at great risk +5
Serving a powerful lord +2 *
Treason -30
Winning a contest -1
Killing a prisoner/ helpless -2

(*double for honor bound)

Shukenja
Healing, curing, or restoring NPCs +1
Removing a curse +1
Taking life -3
Allowing damage to occur to lifeforce -5

Wizard
Crafting a magic item +3
Researching a New spell +5

Honor bound
Entering into debt (Borrowing anything) -3
Fleeing a fight -10
Forming an alliance with an NPC group + 1
Gaining a court proficiency +1
Leading a losing force in battle -4
Leading a victorious force in battle + 3
Losing item of quality -5
Losing magical item -10
Refusing one's lord -3
Taking a bribe -1
Taking prisoners + 1
Using a dishonorable weapon -2
Refusing a duel vs. NPC -5
Losing a duel vs. NPC -3
Overindulgence in food or drink -2
Victorious against overwhelming odds +3
Winning a duel vs. NPC +1
Telling a mistruth -2
Employing a disguise -1
Attacking from Stealth -2

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