License

1 point

It’s normally assumed that in the course of learning the
skill(s) for a regulated activity – Law if you represent others in
court, Physician if you practice medicine, Piloting if you fly,
etc. – you earn any necessary license. In some settings, though,
licenses carry modest social benefits that qualify as perks. The
GM should add up the following elements:
• Courtesy Rank [1/level] if the profession has Rank.
• Cultural Familiarity [1] if ordinary people have -3 to influ-
ence or impersonate those in the profession.
• Debt 1 [-1] if there are professional dues.
• Duty (6 or less; Involuntary; Nonhazardous) [-2] if there’s
periodic testing of skills.
• Enemy (Small group; Watcher; 6 or less) [-1] if the profes-
sional association has an aggressive oversight committee.
• Favor [1] if the licensee gets one legal “bailout” (once
used, he’s on probation).
• Independent Income 1 [1] if the profession enjoys cash
incentives or tax breaks.
• Quirk-level Code of Honor (Professional) [-1] or Vow [-1]
if the profession takes “honor” seriously.
• Trivial Reputation (below) [1] if the profession is well-
regarded in some quarters.
A positive total merits a License perk. The actual sum isn’t
important – the benefits overlap and are rarely worth more
than 1 point all told. What matters is that the License is basi-
cally advantageous.
Example: Pilots might get Courtesy Rank 3 (“Captain”) [3];
Debt 1 (Dues) [-1]; Duty (Yearly test) [-2]; and Favor (Lawyer
will be provided in the event of serious accident) [1]. “Pilot’s
License” is therefore a perk.
License is unnecessary if you’re already buying Status to
represent membership in a prestigious profession. A new grad-
uate from med school might need Medical License [1] in some
settings, but an established doctor with Status 1 [5] wouldn’t.
Some perks make excellent
rewards for successful adventures.