The Adult Life Bonus

[Darkfather]

The adult life bonus is a running tally taken during character creation that can tell at a glance where you should be (assuming you do not screw something up) on the pecking order of society. So if you roll a Forlorn Royalty (+44 Adult Life Bonus) you are probably more use to living with a silver spook than a Kodraki Tribal fresh from the edges of the Vastness. The primary use of this is on the Adult Occupation table (6.0 of the Adventurer's Forge) where the Kodraki who rolls a 10 becomes a smuggler while the Forlorn Royalty is a squire - either the highest rank of the Intendent class or the lowest rank of the Noble class, depending on how you look at it. There is no other character creation advantage, the royalty may turn out to be a penniless bum and a grifter, while the smuggler may end up being quite wealthy - such things happen.

The adult life bonus can be used in game, so it is worth remembering. In a class driven society the low born Kodraki can enter any pub on the dock side that thinks he can pay the fare, but the royal pretender might be a different matter. The smuggler though will look shabby at a great noble banquet, but even a broken down royal will be afforded some deference when they appear - even if it is only admission and a seat at the back table.

In the future some archetypes will have Adult Occupation requirements.

In all there are a lot more commoners than people on the pinnacle, at least in Total Eclipse.