Based on the 4th edition rules
Honor, Glory, and Status are measured in Ranks (0–10, or down to -10 for Status) and Points (0–9). When the Points are increased to 10, they roll over to 0 and the Rank increases by 1; and conversely, when the Points are reduced below 0, the Rank decreases by 1 and the points roll over to 9. The Rank and Points are usually expressed as X.Y. (E.g. 5.9 increases to 6.0.)
Honor is a measurement of proper behavior, obeying duty and Bushido. It is an "internal" quality, independent of perception or acknowledgement.
Strength of Honor: Characters can add their Honor Rank as a bonus to the total of any roll to resist the Intimidation or Temptation Skills, and to resist Fear effects.
Discerning Honor: Anyone can make a Lore: Bushido/AWA roll (TN 30) to discern the Honor Rank of another samurai.
The Honor Roll: Once per game session, when a character fails a Skill, Trait, Ring, or Spell Casting Roll, they can re-roll against the same TN, rolling and keeping their Honor Rank instead. If this re-roll fails, the character loses a full Honor Rank.
Various actions can cause a character to gain or lose Honor Points. These gains and losses depend on the character's Honor Rank.
| Honor Point Gains & Losses by Honor Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action | 0 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 5–6 | 7–8 | 9–10 |
| Accepting a bribe | 0 | 0 | -3 | -4 | -7 | -8 |
| Accepting responsibility for a superior’s shameful action | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Acknowledging a superior opponent | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Aiding a wounded enemy | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Being an accomplice to a heinous crime | -1 | -4 | -8 | -12 | -16 | -20 |
| Being an accomplice to a minor crime | 0 | -1 | -4 | -4 | -8 | -8 |
| Breach of etiquette, blasphemous | -1 | -6 | -10 | -10 | -16 | -20 |
| Breach of etiquette, major | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -6 | -6 |
| Breach of etiquette, minor | 0 | 0 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -2 |
| Disloyalty to lord, spouse, or superior | 0 | -2 | -6 | -10 | -14 | -18 |
| Duped into performing a criminal act | -1 | -4 | -8 | -12 | -16 | -18 |
| Duped into performing a disloyal act | 0 | -2 | -4 | -6 | -10 | -14 |
| Duped into performing a foolish act | 0 | -2 | -4 | -4 | -6 | -8 |
| Disobeying a lord’s command | 0 | -2 | -2 | -6 | -6 | -10 |
| Enduring an insult to your ancestors | 0 | -2 | -4 | -4 | -6 | -8 |
| Enduring an insult to yourself | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Enduring an insult to your family or clan | 0 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -4 | -4 |
| Facing a superior foe in the name of your family | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Fleeing from battle | 0 | -2 | -4 | -6 | -8 | -10 |
| Following orders despite personal misgivings | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -4 |
| Fulfilling a promise despite great personal cost | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Giving a truthful report at your own expense | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Lying to bolster your reputation | 0 | -2 | -4 | -6 | -8 | -10 |
| Manipulating another into dishonorable behavior | 0 | -2 | -4 | -6 | -8 | -10 |
| Politely ignoring another’s dishonorable behavior | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -2 |
| Protecting your clan/family/lord’s interest despite great risk to yourself | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Showing kindness to one beneath your station | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Showing sincere courtesy to enemies or rivals | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Using a Low Skill | 0 | -1 | -2 | -3 | -6 | -9 |
| Using false courtesy to gain advantage over an enemy | 0 | 0 | -2 | -6 | -10 | -10 |
Glory is a measure of fame and acknowledgement.
Gaining Glory: Glory is gained or lost based on acknowledgement. Deeds that do not become known cannot affect one's Glory.
Glory & Recognition: Recognizing an unfamiliar character by reputation is a Lore: Heraldry/INT roll (TN 50). The TN is reduced by the target's Glory Rank ×5.
Monks: Monks of the Brotherhood of Shinsei are set apart from normal society, and gain only half the Glory a samurai would.
Infamy is the dark reflection of Glory. Dishonorable or criminal actions can gain Infamy instead of Glory, in amounts similar to the Glory gains for the comparable actions. Add Glory and Infamy together for recognition.
Note that some high-Status characters have low Glory Rank, because they are not personally famous so much as they are known for their station. The Emperor is relatively hard to recognize without all the symbols and indicators of his status.
| Acknowledgement | Gain 1 Glory Rank if publicly acknowledged by someone of Status 7+ |
| Blood feud | Gain Glory Points = lower of opponent’s Status/Glory on avenging feud |
| Caught in a lie | Lose double the Glory gained by the act lied about |
| Completing a quest | Gain Glory Points = half Glory Rank of questgiver |
| Craftsmanship | Gain 1 Glory Point per Raise made creating the item |
| Defeat | Lose Glory Points = opponent’s Glory Rank (commander or duelist) |
| Duels | Gain Glory Points = 1/3 opponent’s Status/Glory (higher) for winning fairly |
| Family dishonor | Lose 1 Glory Rank if close relative commits act worthy of seppuku |
| Gifts | Gain Glory Points = superior’s Glory/Status Rank if given gift by them |
| Idleness | Lose 1 Glory Point per week without Glory gain |
| Indifference | Reduce Glory Gains by 1 point, increase losses by 2 points, if being ignored for poor behavior |
| Immortality | Gain Glory Points = Glory Rank of most prominent admirer if you inspire a work of art |
| Learning | Gain 1 Glory Rank on gaining an Insight Rank |
| Marriage | Lower-Glory spouse’s Rank increases to 1 below high-Glory spouse’s Rank |
| Public bragging | Gain 1 extra Glory Point on publicly bragging about recent Glory gain |
| Romance | Gain 1 Glory Point for publicly declaring love (without identifying the lover) |
| Skirmishes | Gain 1 Glory Point for defeating bandits, ronin, etc. |
| Status | Gain Glory equal to Status gained |
| Stealing credit | Gain Glory as per action being usurped |
| Warfare | Gain 3 Glory Points for surviving battle, 6 if on the winning side |
Status measures standing in the social hierarchy of the Empire. It generally only changes through explicit promotion and demotion.
Generally, someone of higher Status can command someone of lower Status if they are within the same "branch" of the hierarchy (e.g. the same clan or the same military legion). Commoners disobey samurai at their peril. However, countermanding the instructions of someone of higher Status may get you in trouble.