So trying to tackle handling Honor in Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting for Pathfinder, I'm stealing some L5R ideas, this is what I'm looking at.
Social Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive should be affected by one's Honor Score. Since character level + 3 if class skill is the highest score achieved with normal skill points, and since a 20th level character is the normal maximum character level in Core Pathfinder, a comparative score for Honor should be between 0 and 25 points (added two for exemplary levels of honor and to make the math work better.)
If I divide 25 by increments of 5, then 5 ranks are achieved. Using L5R for reference, Rank 0 is Honorless, Rank 1 is Untrustworthy, Rank 2 is Expected, Rank 3 is Exceptional and Rank 4 is Above Reproach. Each rank is divided into 5 degrees.
Since Kaidan is designed using the Caste system, and everyone begins in the Commoner Caste, one's character begins the game with 6 points of honor, the beginning Rank 1: Untrustworthy, as a starting character is an unknown, regarding Honor. Samurai begin the game as Rank 2: Expected with 11 points of Honor.
There are five ways honor comes up in the game:
1. Your Honor Rank Score grants a bonus to Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive checks, thus Rank 1: Untrustworthy grants a +1 bonus.
2. Once per day, you can reroll a failed social skill check, by using your Honor Score instead, thus a Rank 1 PC has a score between 11 to 15 to use instead of a Diplomacy, Intimidate or Sense Motive check. This is an Honor Roll. A failed reroll results in loss of honor up to 5 points.
3. Test of Honor - using in special circumstances where an act would normally result in a loss of honor. This doesn't mean one can do a dishonorable act and get away with it, rather if in a situation such as being untruthful to protect your lord, you must roll a test of honor, or lose honor ranks.
4. Committing those various (TBD) acts that increase or decrease honor.
5. Combat situations in defending your honor, your family, lord or emperor's honor granting your rank as a bonus to hit and damage.
Thoughts and critiques, possible suggestions on how else honor could affect a character?
GP
PS: I'm also considering a Reputation Score, based on the same mechanic of 25 points and 5 ranks.
Perhaps Ranks should be named rather than numbered. I was trying to make the math relationship to the Rank score to make things easier, but I agee one who is honorless or untrustworthy should gain penalties to Diplomacy. Only if one is doing what is expected should gain no penalties.
That makes sense.
Perhaps honor that affects diplomacy, etc. as a bonus use the degrees above the base Rank 2, thus 6 points of Honor (which is Rank 2 + 1 degree) grants a +1 bonus. This means a truly honorable person Rank 3 or 4 grants a major bonus based on honor score. Rank 3 = 11+ points of honor grant +1 and each honor point above this improves the bonus by +1.
One thing to note, asked of me on another forum. Reputation is perception, but honor is cosmic. Though most everyone sees themselves as honorable, this does not necessarily reflect accumulated honor and how it affects their actions through the mechanic of the score on their sheet.
One other point, perhaps your family's and your noble lord's honor score might affect your honor score, but only minimally. Say your family is considered Untrustworthy (Rank: 1) grants a negative 1 penalty to your honor score. Your lord's honor would affect you the same. As personal honor should be able to exceed one's family's and lord's honor.
This could also mean your honor affects your family's and lord's honor as well. Mechanically by rank instead of your specific score. So if your family is Rank 1, and if you are Rank 2, this grants your family a +1 honor point score (or 1 degree) of your family's honor.
There are probably arcane/divine tests that can measure a person's honor.
GP
Idk if this would really work but you could add a spell called "detect honor" and have it work similarly to detect alignment. I like this idea though, I've also thought about adding a reputation aspect to my games but I've never been able to figure out how I should do it.
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Idk if this would really work but you could add a spell called "detect honor" and have it work similarly to detect alignment. I like this idea though, I've also thought about adding a reputation aspect to my games but I've never been able to figure out how I should do it.
If honor is as important, it should be a skill to know a person's honor. Maybe Knowledge nobility/local depending on the person.
Here is a twist. Maybe honor ranks should Be secret to the player. Some people who think they are honorable may not be. Maybe a skill to figure out your own honor. Some people are very aware of how their action affect Thieu surrounding's. Other may not know how dishonorable until their lord call for their head.