Honor and Dishonor

The people of the Shou Empire place a strong emphasis on proper behavior and rigid restrictions that reflect a person’s worth in society. What an individual does for a living, their familial ancestry, their demeanor, their beliefs, all of these things have an impact on the honor that one is afforded.
One’s honor does not matter to all, however. Nor is everybody is viewed in terms of the Shou's honor-dishonor spectrum, either. Many individuals do not care about the honor of those they are dealing with, such as merchants. As a result, one’s placing on the honor-dishonor spectrum does not have any impact on their dealings, as per the discretion of the DM. Likewise, many individuals do not fall into the Shou's honor-dishonor spectrum. An individual from beyond the Wall of the Shou is not from the Shou Empire, and is not expected to behave as if they were from the Shou Empire, as per the discretion of the DM.
==Explanation and Effects==
The honor of an individual, or their lack thereof, is determined by their placing on the honor-dishonor spectrum. On the far right is ‘Honorable’. These are the individuals who are regarded as highly virtuous. On the mid-right is ‘Noble’. These individuals are regarded as virtuous. In the middle is ‘Neutral’. These individuals are not regarded as virtuous, nor are they regarded as lacking morals. On the mid-left is ‘Ignoble’. These individuals are regarded as lacking mortals. On the far left is ‘Dishonorable’. These individuals are regarded as having a complete lack of traditional morals.
===Honorable===
At the DM’s Disgression, an individual who is considered ‘Honorable’ is afforded the following statistics. The column on the left reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Honorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’, while the column on the right reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Dishonorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’:
+4 Bluff / -4 Bluff
+4 Diplomacy / -4 Diplomacy
+4 Gather Information / -4 Gather Information
+1 Will Save Bonus versus actions that would result in losing honor
===Noble===
At the DM’s Disgression, an individual who is considered ‘Noble’ is afforded the following statistics. The column on the left reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Honorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’, while the column on the right reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Dishonorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’:
+2 Bluff / -2 Bluff
+2 Diplomacy / -2 Diplomacy
+2 Gather Information / -2 Gather Information
===Neutral===
At the DM’s Disgression, an individual who is considered ‘Neutral’ is afforded no bonuses, nor is the individual given any penalties.
===Ignoble===
At the DM’s Disgression, an individual who is considered ‘Ignoble’ is afforded the following statistics. The column on the left reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Honorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’, while the column on the right reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Dishonorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’:
-2 Bluff / +2 Bluff
-2 Diplomacy / +2 Diplomacy
-2 Gather Information / +2 Gather Information
===Dishonorable===
At the DM’s Disgression, an individual who is considered ‘Dishonorable’ is afforded the following statistics. The column on the left reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Honorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’, while the column on the right reflect the bonuses an individual gains from those who are ‘Dishonorable’, ‘Ignoble’, and ‘Neutral’:
-4 Bluff / +4 Bluff
-4 Diplomacy / +4 Diplomacy
-4 Gather Information / +4 Gather Information
==Honorable and Dishonorable Acts==
===Honorable===
The following actions have a positive impact on the honor of an individual:
Avenging the death of a family member
Defeating an ancestral enemy
Saving the life of another
Leading a victorious force in battle
Completing a great quest
Dying a heroic death
Completing a task assigned by one’s superior
Fulfilling an oath
Repaying a debt
Granting a favor to another
Giving a gift to another
===Dishonorable===
The following actions have a negative impact on the honor of an individual:
Being accused or convicted of a crime
Breaking an oath
Losing a birthright
Refusing a contest or duel
Losing a contest, especially to an inferior opponent
Behaving rashly or improperly
Fleeing a fight
Committing an act in opposition to one’s orders
Entering into debt
Killing an unarmed or helpless foe
Overindulgence
Being taken prisoner
Committing treason
==Rules==
===Free-Form===
Free-Form Honor: Character development and interaction, and all of the nuances that spring up cannot be accurately detailed. As a result, it is up to the discretion of the DM to decide if a character is ‘Honorable’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Noble’, ‘Ignoble’, or ‘Dishonorable’. The DM should reference the above chart of actions that have positive and negative impacts on the honor of an individual, and make a ruling of the status of the honor of the character, based on his/her own judgment.
===Honor Points===
Honor Points: The amount of honor a character has is defined by the amount of Honor Points that he/she accrues. Depending on the amount of Honor Points that he/she has at a given time, the character is considered ‘Honorable’, ‘Noble’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Ignoble’, or ‘Dishonorable’.
Honorable: 25+
Noble: 11 to 25
Neutral: 10 to -10
Unnoble: -10 to -25
Dishonorable: -25+
The following acts affect a character's total Honor Points as follows:
Avenging the death of a family member: +4 Honor Points
Defeating an ancestral enemy: +5 Honor Points
Saving the life of another: +2 Honor Points
Leading a victorious force in battle: +5 Honor Points
Completing a great quest: +3 Honor Points
Dying a heroic death: +5 Honor Points
Completing a task assigned by one’s superior: +1 Honor Point
Fulfilling an oath: +1 Honor Point
Repaying a debt: +1 Honor Point
Granting a favor to another: +1 Honor Point
Giving a gift to another: +1 Honor Point
Showing compassion/mercy to a foe: +1 Honor Point
Humiliating an enemy: +2 Honor Points
Being humiliated by an enemy: -2 Honor Points
Being convicted of a crime: -2 Honor Points
Breaking an oath: -1 Honor Point
Losing a birthright: -5 Honor Points
Refusing a contest or duel: -3 Honor Points
Losing a contest, especially to an inferior opponent: -3 Honor Points
Behaving rashly or improperly: -1 Honor Point
Fleeing a fight: -2 Honor Points
Committing an act in opposition to one’s orders: -4 Honor Points
Entering into debt: -1 Honor Point
Killing an unarmed or helpless foe: -3 Honor Point
Overindulgence: -1 Honor Point
Being taken prisoner: -2 Honor Points
Committing treason: -5 Honor Points