Sunday, July 5, 2015

Clerics in my Traveller Universe

As priests have higher social standing at least in the Empire, it makes sense to use my popular revamped Nobles career tables to create a Priest career.
St Augustine
These tables assume that the priest is a Christian, ordained by the Orthodox Catholic Church. There are of course other religious groups IMTU, all of which do things differently.
The following assumes that a young man takes the priestly orders as his Traveller career.  Contrary to CT rules, an experienced PC can pursue ordination after completing a normal career, so not all Clerics start at age 22.

Skill Tables for a Clerical Career

Enlistment: 8+
DM of +2 if EDU 8+
Survival 4+
DM of +1 if INT 7+, -1 to -3 if home planet is anti-religious
Ordination: 6+ No DM
Elevation: 11+ No DM
Retention: 4+ No DM

Personal Development Table
Education Table
Service Skills Table
Advanced Education Table
+1 Intelligence
Recruiting
Leader Leader
+1 Education
Steward
Administration Recruiting
Carousing
Leader
Carousing Liaison
Jack of All Trades
Administration
Liaison Instruction
Leader
Vehicle
Streetwise Jack of All Trades
Streetwise
Medical
Instruction Computer
 Mustering Out Cash
+1 Intelligence 500
+1 Education 500
+1 Social Standing 1000
High Passage 2000
Travellers' Aid Society 4000
Icon 6000

Rank Table

Rank Title
0 Deacon
1 Priest
2 Archpriest/Abbot
3 Bishop
4 Archbishop
5 Metropolitan
6 Patriarch

Sacramentally, all ranks from Bishop upwards are equal, but their administrative functions differ. Also, the extent of their jurisdictions vary depending on the size of the world, its overall population and the numbers of the Faithful on a world.

Other notes:
Priests are not eligible for Retirement pay until age 42, or after 4 terms.  Note that the skill tables include no weapon skills at all, as Orthodox clergy are forbidden to use violence, at the risk of censure or loss of priestly rank.
An Abbot is the head of a monastery - most monks are not ordained. 

After rank 2, the player will have to do some explaining as to why his priestly character is jaunting around the galaxy as a Traveller; perhaps as an auxiliary bishop or missionary priest. Or perhaps he is assigned to a TAS station or a Mercy Ship.

2 comments:

  1. Very interesting! I wonder how a Monk career will look like.

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    Replies
    1. Have a look at Fr.Meffodi, my first Casual Encounter post, from last May. Many monks would come to the monastic life after a 'civilian' career, but once in the monastery, they tend to stay put. That's why I created the Brendanite order, to let them travel around.

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