Social class and crime & punishment

 Part One of "Sphere of the Indefatigable Adjudicator" AKA the Ready Ref Rewrite

Social classes 

Roll 3d6 to determine social class

3 to 7 Untouchable - Criminals, bandits, serfs, slaves, subhumans/humanoids/mutants, exogens. Aren't considered citizens and possess few social rights. Certain professions also fall into this category: beggars, gongfarmers, gladiators, corpse collectors, tanners, butchers, coal burners, people who work with radioactive chemicals. Class 0.

8 to 12 Common folk - Common rabble, plebians, and laborers. Peasants, potters, fishers. Expected to carry a dirk as sign of their freeman status.

Recieves 1 vote in elections. Expected wage: 50-100 septims/year. Class 1.

13 - 15 Optimate - The economic middle class. Those who possess specialized skills considered to be prestigious. Merchants, philosophers, scribes, musicians, lawyers, doctors, master-class guildsmen, low-level magicians; skilled trades, the highly educated. 

Recieves 5 votes in public elections. Expected wage: 500 septims/year. Class 2.

16, 17 Armiger - The warrior class. Highest attainable outside of birth or magic. Cavalry, generals, knights. Must abide by strict code of chivalry, honor, and ethics. 

Recieves 15 votes in public elections. Expected wage: 2,000 septims/year. Class 3.

18 Exultant - those of noble birth, patricians, senators, archons, priests. Also includes sorcerers of exceptional skill. 

Recieves 25 votes in public elections. Expected wage: 10,000+ septims/year. Class 4.

Special classes

Elves and dwarves are treated on a different social class scale due to exclusion from normal human society.

Dwarves are generally treated as honorary Optimates because of their association with merchantry and skilled trades. If a dwarf performs a trade of low prestige (barkeep, porter, underling) they'll be associated as a plebian, but with a mixture of pity and disgust. Dwarves are not allowed to vote or hold office and tend to keep to themselves. In human cities they tend to live together in ghettos organized by trade and clan affiliation. These areas are generally near guild districts, docks, or poor towns.

Elves on the other hand are treated as a mix of untouchable and exultant; fear, reference, transcendence and disgust. Elves are considered exogens: those born off-world, and thus are strictly outsiders. However, due to their association with magic, mystery, and advanced technology are frequently given deference.

A party that travels with an elf with stick out like a sore thumb. Everywhere they go people will gawk and point. At best the elf will receive treatment on level with a noble guest or high priest, at worst open mouthed gibbering and white knuckle horror, disdain, and mistreatment

Elves have difficulty passing as human. They do not look human: they are either very tall or quite short, extremely thin, with exotic, almost inhuman features. Huge almond shaped eyes, knife-like noses, wide mouths which are formed by a overly wide and abrupt slash across their face. Elves tend to interact with human objects with confusion and curiosity, and are almost completely oblivious to human social customs, with short attention spans and childlike wonderment.

If an elf has lived with humans for a very long time they may have adopted physical features and customs more readily acceptable to humans, but this masquerade can quickly vanish if the elf's attention breaks.

Crime and punishment

Chance of conviction = 75% + ((social class of plaintiff - social class of defendant) x5%)

Crime against protected class of people = +10%

Crime against persecuted class of people = -10%

Crime was especially heinous or subject taboo: +35 %

Self-defense = -30%

Plaintiff is governing body = +25%

Evidence:

Controversial +/- 5% per

Substantial +/- 10% per

Witnesses:

+ / - Social class of witness x10% each

Bribing judge:

5% per 100 septims, +5% per social class

Punishments

Mild crimes

1 - 6. Fine, 1d10 x10 gold pieces.

7. Amputation of: 1. Hand 2. Eye 3. Tongue 4. Nose 5. Ear 6. Foot

8. Breaking of 1. Arm 2. Leg 3. Skull 4. Both arms 5. Both legs 6. Teeth

9. 1d4 x10 lashes

10. Imprisonment, 2d10 months

11. Imprisonment, 1d6 years

12. Pillory or stocks, 2d6 hours x number of past offences

Felonies

1. Drop from 1d6 x10 feet

2. Clasped between two panes of thick glass and dipped in honey, left 2 weeks

3. Iron shoes, year and a day

4. Chained in water d12 weeks, up to 1. Knees 2. Waist 3. Chest 4. Neck 5. Overhead, permitted breathing apparatus 6. Ibid, no breathing apparatus

5. Plucking a stone from boiling water.

6. Gibetting, d12 months

7. Tied into a sack with a live baboon and thrown into river

8. Placed into copper plated solarium and hoisted into sky, d6+1 days

Severe crimes

1. Sealed in a cyst in the earth for 1,000 years.

2. Fed to lions

3. Returned to infancy and raised by 1. Wolves 2. A brutal family 3. A dwarf 4. Slavers 5. A vindictive wizard 6. Elves

4. Raised from the dead to be slaughtered again in a brutal way every day for a year and a day

5. Soul sealed to be used in artifact enchantment or undead servant or sold to a daemon

6. Inserted into the anus of a blue whale

7. Entombed alive

8. Placed inside a tree and kept alive (barely) so that the tree grows around you.