[Banestorm] Fleshing-out the Armsmen's Guild

[phayman53]

One of the guilds that is obviously advantageous for a adventurer in Yrth to belong to is the Armsmen's Guild. Obviously this would not be appropriate for every adventure or adventurer, but it does make great sense for some. However, I feel like it is unclear exactly how to put membership in the Armsmen's Guild on a character sheet. Specifically, how do mechanically model the effects of being in the Armsmen's Guild, especially in terms of Social Engineering and Social Engineering: Pulling Rank. So, here is my idea and I would welcome feedback:

Armsman Guild Rank, 4 points/level:

Armsman Guild Rank includes Nominal Hierarchical Position With Title, 1/level; Typical Resources, 1/level; Dominance, 0/level; and Legitimacy, 2/level. The Armsman's Guild is considered the place to find reputable mercenaries who are trustworthy and law-abiding. As a result of this, membership in the Armsman's Guild requires at least Code of Honor (Stay's Bought) [-5] and a Minor Vow [-5] to follow local laws in regard to legitimate use of force and respect for private property, as well as to only take paid mercenary duties through the guild if there is a local chapter (this results in a 5% fee being paid to the guild). Higher levels of Code of Honor (such as Soldier's or Chivalry) are also acceptable.

Less scrupulous member do exist who lack the mandatory disadvantages, instead they have a -10 point secret. Should the secret be exposed and the perpetrator convicted by a jury of guildsmen, the perpetrator is expelled from the guild and branded on the forehead. This will result in the loss of guild rank and Enemy (Medium Organization of Similar Powered People, Rival, 6) [-7], Reputation -3 (Unscrupulous Mercenary, Almost Everyone but People looking for Unscrupulous Mercenaries (x2/3), Always) [-10], and the reduction of appearance by 1 level (usually -4 points), plus the perk "Known Unscrupulous Mercenary" [1], which means people looking for someone willing to do dirty work are more likely to approach you than an average fighter. Additionally, legal issues may result, though this is not always the case.

The Guild is the equivalent of a 15 point organization because of the local and semi-independent nature of the chapters. Ranks are: Apprentice (Rank 0), Journeyman (Rank 1), Master (Rank 2), and Grand Master (Rank 3). Apprentices are not allowed to take contracts without someone of at least Journeyman rank joining each Apprentice on the job. However, as soon as an Apprentice successfully completes a job with honor in which there was combat they are promoted to Journeyman. Alternately, completing 5 short or one long contract successfully in which no fighting occurred can result in promotion to Journeyman after the Apprentice successfully demonstrates martial capability to a Guild Master.

Grand Masters are elected regionally from Guild Masters and meet occasionally to discuss guild policy and make sure local guilds are not violating their mandates. Other than that, however, they have very little actual authority.

EDIT: Specifically looking for thoughts and price/level of rank, the Code of Honor and Vow requirement, and the consequences of having the alternate secret exposed. However, I would welcome any other thoughts a critiques.