Prestige Rating

A character’s Prestige rating represents how prominent they are, either as an ally or enemy, and can influence how easy it is for the character to call in favors from their allies, or determine how much effort their enemies will put into defeating them. Most Prestige ratings range from 0 to 6, although some deities and extraplanar beings may have higher ratings.

Player characters start with a Prestige rating of 1. Each time a character enters a new tier of play at 5th, 11th, and 17th level their Prestige rating increases by 1. Additionally, characters may gain Prestige when acquiring a stronghold, and the Narrator may award Prestige when they accomplish great deeds during play. Finally, some class features may grant Prestige bonuses.

Additionally, Prestige determines how many followers a character can have at any one time. This number is equal to the character’s Prestige rating.

Prestige Center. A character’s Prestige rating distinguishes how widely known they are. If they travel beyond their home, the character may find that people do not know who they are. Prestige applies in an area whose size is determined by a character’s Prestige rating, starting from as small as a village to as large as an entire world. When creating a character, the player should work with the Narrator to determine where their Prestige is centered from. Often this will be the starting area of a campaign.

Prestige Check. To determine whether somebody has heard of a character, or to call in a favor (see below), the character makes a Prestige check by rolling 1d20 and adding their Prestige rating. The DC of a Prestige check is equal to 12 + double the tier of the region the character is in (or when extremely far from their Prestige Center, triple the tier). When outside the area described by their Prestige rating, the character has disadvantage .

For example, Zidi Wheatling, the “Halfling Titan”, has a Prestige rating of 5. She is known across the county for her great strength, and stories of how she beat a minotaur in an arm-wrestling match have become a regional legend. She has traveled all the way to the country’s capital (a tier 2 region) and seeks an audience with a wealthy noble. Zidi rolls a Prestige check with disadvantage , adding 5 to the roll (from her Prestige rating) against DC 16. Unfortunately the result is an 11—the noble has not heard of her and will not grant her an audience. Zidi has to find some other way to attract their attention!

Optional Rule: Calling In Favors

Most fantasy adventurers are free agents with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. Over the course of a campaign however, player characters may want to call in favors from a friendly baroness, the local police, or other power groups. Prestige provides a quick guideline of how much clout the party has, whether they’re calling in a mage to perform a ritual beyond their ken, or trying to get their hands on a rare battle wand before assaulting a criminal stronghold.

In addition to acting as a handy track of a character’s notoriety, Prestige can be used to call in favors. Use the following guidelines to determine the level of a favor. Calling in a favor normally takes 1d6 hours and requires a Prestige check. The party as a whole can call in one favor per day. As a default, favors can get people to help for up to half an hour. Any task that requires a few hours or more increases the level by 1, or if for a day or more by 2.

The favor ratings below are just guidelines. The Narrator can impose modifiers at their discretion, or state that certain favors are impossible.

Example Favors

Here are some sample favors.

Level 0 (Unknown). Urchins to watch a street. A scribe to look through documents or handle paperwork. A carriage-driver to provide discreet passage around a district.

Level 1 (Local). Audience with the guard captain. A ferry-man to give discreet passage around the city. A craftsman to make a custom mundane item (the character pays the normal price). A minor noble to bend the rules. A bard to tell a story.

Level 2 (Village). Audience with the mayor. A docker to create a distraction that might get them into trouble. A bard to spread a false tale that could have serious consequences. A major noble agreeing to converse for a few minutes.

Level 3 (Town). Audience with a minor noble. A gang of bandits to commit some crimes. A small group of concerned citizens to rally and protest somewhere.

Level 4 (City). A large crowd of protesters to block off a whole building or street. A temple’s acolytes to come out and use their skills for the common people. A ship captain to smuggle something.

Level 5 (Region). Audience with a powerful noble. A noble to take a stand for something that might cost them their position. A city-wide search for a missing person. A local celebrity to put on a private show.

Level 6 (Country). Audience with a monarch. A city-wide protest. A call for all citizens to take arms against a threat.

Level 7 (Continent). A national uprising against a tyrannical monarch. Royal pardon for a heinous crime. Borrow an artifact.

Level 8 (World). Coronation as a monarch.

Level 9 (Plane). Audience with a deity.

Level 10 (Multiverse). Audience with a pantheon.