3.6 ADVANTAGES AND SECRETS

Title
The table of titles is revised as follows:

On a roll of 20, roll 1D6: on a roll of 1-5, the character is a duke, on a roll of 6, the character is a prince. If the character is a prince, roll 1D6 again; on a roll of 1-2, the character's title is a courtesy title; roll 2d6+8 to determine the character's actual Social Rank and allowance.

A character receives Prince as a title; the second roll is a two, and the player rolls a five on 2D6 giving the character a beginning social rank of 11, equivalent to a viscount.

On a roll of 5-6, the character is a foreign prince, in the line of succession of a foreign fief.

Land
A character with the Nobleman background who takes the Land advantage and receives a country estate or chateau gains the title “sieur.” On a roll of 6+ on 1D6 (+1 if the land is a chateau), the character gains the title “seigneur”; this entitles the character to exercise the powers of a magistrate over the character’s land. A seigneur is Social Rank 9.

Member of an Order
Roll a D6 to determine to which type of order or club a character belongs. Gentlemen subtract one from the die roll; Noblemen add one to the die roll.

There are three additional advantages.

Heirloom
Any character may choose to own an heirloom. The heirloom is usually a special weapon (section 7.12 Special Weapons, p. 41), but may also be a horse, a hunting animal like a falcon or hound, or an exotic item (Parisian Adventures, pp 14-15). The heirloom is typically of exceptional quality. The heirloom is received at no cost to the character, but if it is damaged or lost, it is not replaced.

Good Name
Any character may choose to have a good name. The character with a good name comes from a distinguished family. Anyone the character meets who is likely to know of the character’s family and reputation will be favorably predisposed toward the character. A character with a Good Name recieves a + 1 on rolls for position and promotion. A character who acts ignominiously in the course of the game may sully his good name, losing this advantage at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

Member of a Guards Company
Any Gentleman or Nobleman may choose to be a member of a Guards company. The character gains admission to a company of the Guards of the maison militaire du roi. This advantage is required for a character who wishes to begin the game as a member of the King’s Musketeers, Cent-Suisse, Cardinal’s Guard, Chevau-légers, Scottish Guards, or other company, as specified in the house rules for section 5.32 The Royal Army (qv). A character without this advantage must be of gentle or noble birth and decorated on campaign to be permitted to roll for entry to a Guards or Horse Guards company.

There are two additional secrets.

Debt of Honor
Any character may choose a debt of honor. Characters who owe a debt of honor must repay a favor to an NPC. The nature of the favor, and the timing and means by which it must be repaid, are left to the player and the Gamemaster. Once the debt is repaid, this secret no longer applies to the character. (Note: Debit of Honor is to Favor as Secret Loyalty is to Contact, i.e., one-shot v. continuing.)

Ill Favored
Any character may choose to be ill favored. The ill favored character suffers from a poor reputation. Anyone the character meets who is likely to know the character’s reputation will be unfavorably predisposed toward the character. A character who is Ill Favored suffers a – 1 penalty on all rolls for position or promotion. A character who redeems his name and reputation over time may remove this secret, at the discretion of the Gamemaster.