Spiritual (or Astral) Rank

[Prince Charon]

Shamans and similar folk interact with spirits as the central part of their role, or perhaps the whole of it (at least in settings that have spirits or spirit-like entities, whatever their power source is). If those spirits have an organized hierarchy, it's possible that some shamans et al might be placed in that hierarchy themselves, thus potentially having Rank or Status that only matters to spirits (and the mortals that interact with them enough). In most cases, this probably involves having a Patron who gave you your Rank, and a Duty to said Patron.

The spirits themselves would also have ranks in such a setting, which would have a variety of effects even if your shaman doesn't (perhaps you have a spirit Contact with Rank 3 who gets promoted due to something you do for your Contact in-game, giving you access to greater favours... but also giving the spirit greater and stranger responsibilities).

How much the Rank costs depends on many factors, including campaign-specific ones, like how much the spirits are going to interact with mortal society beyond granting powers or causing trouble; treating the advantage as a variant of Courtesy Rank may be perfectly reasonable in some games, while others might need the full five points per level, for what is otherwise the same character (along with all the other reasons why Rank might not cost the same, of course). The number and names of the ranks would likewise vary depending on the types of spirits involves, and how they are organized (e.g. your Rank is respected by the spirits of the forest, but river and city spirits don't care in the slightest; likewise, Rank in the Summer Court may be a problem when you have to interact with the Winter Court, if diplomatic relations are breaking down - which may also bring your Duty to the Queen of Summer into the adventure).


Thoughts?