Optional Rule: Status (TotL)

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The warrior son of a king is far different from the peasant hero who leads her people to freedom. Though both are fighters, they are separated by social status. Characters of Krynn may hold any social status, ranging from the opulent and soft life of nobility to the harsh and rigorous life of slavery.
==Determining Social Status==
To determine social status, roll percentile dice and consult the following chart. Alternately, DMs may allow characters to choose status depending on the character class and race (see below).
: 01-09: Slave
: 10-25: Peasant
: 26-50: Trades
: 51-65: Martial
: 66-75: Middle
: 76-85: Upper
: 86-95: Created nobility
: 96-98: Inherited nobility
: 99: Displaced royalty
: 00: Royalty
Character Class and Status: In Krynn, one will never encounter a king-thief or a slave-cavalier. To avoid such strange combinations, some character classes have status minimums or maximums.
: Barbarian Warrior: Maximum is created nobility.
: Bard: Maximum is created nobility.
: Cavalier: Minimum is tradesman.
: Knight of Solamnia: Minimum is peasant.
: Thief: Maximum is created nobility.
Those characters in the commoner character class (blacksmiths, leatherworking, etc.) must belong to the trades status.
Race and Status: Characters of any race can hold any social status among their own people: gully dwarves have kings and Silvanesti have servants. However, when a character ventures into human society, the human penchant for prejudice, oppression, and exploitation asserts itself. Therefore, until the humans of Krynn learn to transcend their own short-sightedness, certain other races suffer social-status penalties among them. When determining the social status of one of the following races in human society, apply the listed penalty to the die roll:
: Dark elf –15
: Elf –10
: Gnome –7
: Gully dwarf –25
: Half-elf –15
: lrda –5
: Kender –15
: Minotaur –25
Conversely, humans who live among these races suffer the listed penalty to their social status.
==Social Status Descriptions==
===Royalty===
The character is directly related to a national or city-state monarch. 
Advantages: The character starts out with triple starting money, plus a choice of armor, shield, helmet, and two weapons. The PC also receives two extra initial proficiency slots. He lives in opulence. Fame and honor follow him wherever he goes.
Disadvantages: The character is plagued by fame and honor. He cannot walk down the street without being recognized 95 and all his actions are mercilessly scrutinized.
The PC must reduce Con and Str by one point each to reflect the soft and opulent life to which he is accustomed. After the character has attained fifth level, Con and Str return to their original values.
The character's parents forbid him from certain adventures because of their danger or distance from the home nation (any over 100 miles). Disobedience may cause the character to become displaced royalty. Generally, the more the player relies on his royal blood, the more demands and restrictions the DM should place on him. In extreme situations, the character may even be tracked by assassins from rival nations.
===Displaced Royalty===
The character is directly related to someone who once was a ruler but no longer holds power. This category also includes royalty characters who have been disowned or were illegitimate.
Advantages: Character starts with double starting money and one free weapon. Cavaliers, paladins, and people of noble rank recognize the character. The living conditions vary greatly with the circumstances of the displacement.
Disadvantages: The character and his family really have no power anywhere. Those responsible for the displacement may seek to kill or imprison the character. Many of those who recognize the character may fault him for his family's loss of power. 
===Inherited Nobility===
The character is, or is directly related to, someone who holds a title and a land grant given by the nation's rulers. Tribal chiefs and city rulers fall into this category. 
Advantages: The PC starts with double starting money, the choice of one weapon, and a horse. He also lives on an impressive estate.
Disadvantages: The character is expected to defer to those of higher station. He may have responsibilities that tie him to a particular geographical area.
===Created Nobility===
The character is, or is related to, someone who has worked from upper status to achieve nobility. They do so by becoming so rich and influential that rulers must acknowledge them. These folk typically run merchant dynasties.
Advantages: Character starts with choice of a weapon and a horse, half again the typical starting money, and the Reading/Writing proficiency. He lives in a roomy manor house.
Disadvantages: Those of inherited nobility may snub the created nobility. Those of lower status may resent the created nobility and try to topple them.
===Upper Status===
This character has wealth but no title or special land grant. Most are successful, well-established merchants or folk from an ancient family line with ancestral land.
Advantages: The character starts with full allowable starting money plus the choice of a weapon. He also has a comfortable house and the Reading/Writing proficiency.
Disadvantages: The character and his extended family may be subject to intrigue by similarly ranked families vying for favor or created nobility status.
===Middle Status===
This character comes from a comfortable family. They cannot afford extravagance, but neither do they starve. Most normal merchants fall into this category.
Advantages: The character starts with a free weapon, a clean house, and the Reading/Writing proficiency.
Disadvantages: Middle status folk occupy a slippery position. If business improves, they may ascend to upper status; if business declines, they may descend to poverty.
===Martial Status===
The character is, or is directly related to, a person who makes a living through military work. Such folk are typically mercenaries or fighters in a nation's army or navy.
Advantages: The PC starts with one extra weapon proficiency, a free weapon, and an extra point of Con to represent the ruggedness of this lot.
Disadvantages: Those of the martial class are notorious for being boisterous, brutish, and disruptive. Because they believe that most anything can be settled with a fight, others shy away from them. Also, those who belong to the martial status are continually relocating to the most dangerous sections of the world.
===Trades Status===
This character is, or is related to, a person who makes a living by the sweat of his labor-be it blacksmithing, leatherworking, sailing, fishing, trapping, or a multitude of other tasks.
Advantages: The PC receives one free nonweapon proficiency from the General category. Also, the character is spared from performing the mind-numbing tasks reserved for peasants and slaves.
Disadvantages: The PC must work very hard to maintain his social position so as not to descend into the peasant status.
===Peasant===
This unskilled individual works hard and lives at subsistence level. Tenant farmers, shepherds, bandits, brigands, nomads, and pirates are considered to come from peasant stock.
Advantages: These people are the least tied down of any social status. Because they have nothing, they have nothing to lose. Furthermore, they share their lot with most of the folk on Krynn. Many a great hero has arisen from peasant stock.
Disadvantages: Character starts with no more than half the normal starting money and often is very destitute. This condition inspires many to leave their farms to seek fortune and glory.
===Slaves===
These PCs had been captured and sold by raiders or forced to work in servitude to repay debts. As roleplaying begins, the character has either escaped captivity or earned his freedom.
Advantages: The PC receives one free nonweapon proficiency from the General category (to reflect the tasks he performed) and a dagger.
Disadvantages: The character starts with no money. If the character is an escaped slave, he is being hunted.