Supervisor Caste
The sophont species known to humans as the Kraken have a highly organized social structure with three distinct castes. Menials occupy the lowest tier and are responsible for performing much of the physical labor and drudge work required to keep any civilization going. The middle caste, commonly referred to by humans as the Techno caste, encompasses all those who perform functions that require some skill or advanced training. Leadership, innovation, and decision making are the purview of the highest caste in Kraken society: the Supervisors.
As a consequence of their employment situations, Supervisors are typically quite well off financially. They tend to live in large, tastefully (for Kraken) decorated homes. They have opportunities to travel - even among the stars. Assuming they are not merely Techno crew of a starship, Krakens that are encountered on worlds outside their sphere of influence are likely to be vacationing Supervisors. (One exception to this might be the abundance of Kraken "Art Technos" who have abandoned their homeworld in search of "appreciation" among sophont species other than their own. Kraken techno musicians are almost commonplace in the Borderspace.)
Supervisor Responsibilities and Privileges
Members of the Supervisor caste are, by consequence of their training and achievements, universally in positions of leadership, control, and power within the Kraken sphere of influence. They fill the top tiers of government, corporate, and military life, or are recognized and respected experts in their fields of study.As a consequence of their employment situations, Supervisors are typically quite well off financially. They tend to live in large, tastefully (for Kraken) decorated homes. They have opportunities to travel - even among the stars. Assuming they are not merely Techno crew of a starship, Krakens that are encountered on worlds outside their sphere of influence are likely to be vacationing Supervisors. (One exception to this might be the abundance of Kraken "Art Technos" who have abandoned their homeworld in search of "appreciation" among sophont species other than their own. Kraken techno musicians are almost commonplace in the Borderspace.)
Social Mobility in Kraken Society
Caste membership is not a birthright in Kraken society; one's caste is determined by one's usefulness to Kraken society as a whole. Any Kraken whose education grants them at least functional expertise in any "skilled field" (i.e. Admin, Advocate, Animals, Art, Astrogation, Broker, Diplomat, Electronics, Engineer, Leadership, Mechanic, Medic, Navigation, Profession, Science, or Tactics) will find themselves in at least the Techno caste; sufficient achievement will raise them to Supervisor status. Likewise, a Kraken born to the advantages of high caste that does not take advantage of these will find themselves in a lower caste as they set out on their own.Gamemaster Notes
The SOC attribute for Kraken characters and NPCs is an indication of caste. A SOC of 9+ is indicative of Supervisor status; a score between 5 and 8 describes a member of the Techno caste, and scores of 4 and below indicate Menials. Kraken social standing is not rigid, however, and can be changed based on achieving certain levels of expertise in various Skills. Social standing and caste membership are not true birthrights, either, but ones parentage (and thus the access one's family has to educational resources and advancement potentials) can make it easier for a Kraken youth to attain higher caste status.
When creating a Kraken Player Character or NPC, determine initial (potential) SOC when rolling initial attributes as normal. That score is used throughout the "career terms" portion of character generation. At the end of character generation, check the conditions listed below to determine how to adjust the SOC attribute score. Two notable exceptions to this rule: If, during character creation, the character enters either the Prisoner or Drifter career, their SOC is immediately reduced to 4 for the duration of character generation. (Upon completion of character creation, the conditions below may permit it to be raised again.)
Achieving expertise level 3 in any of the following Skills raises a Kraken's SOC to 9 if it is currently lower: Admin, Advocate, Broker, Diplomat, Medic, Profession (any non-physical), Science (any), Tactics (any). Subsequent increases in any of these skills increases SOC by an additional +1 per level.
Reaching expertise level 2 in the Leadership skill automatically raises a Kraken's SOC attribute to 10 (A) if it is currently lower.
Achieving expertise level 3 in Leadership raises SOC to 12 (C). Increases beyond 3 add an additional SOC +1 per level.
Gaining Officer Rank 5 in any of the Military professions (Army, Marines, Navy) automatically raises a Kraken's SOC attribute to 10 (A) if it is currently lower.
Reaching Officer Rank 6 raises SOC to 12 (C).
Kraken SOC increases do not "stack"; each skill or rank is considered individually; the resulting SOC is determined by the highest skill or rank contributor to standing increase.br]
A Kraken who has not achieved one of these conditions, but had rolled a SOC of 9 or higher has that SOC adjusted to a maximum of 8. (This can be raised again if a player character successfully completes in-game training.
Any higher caste Kraken convicted of a crime is automatically downgraded to a SOC of 4, placing them into the Menial Caste where they will remain regardless of future training. (A Kraken "born into" the Menial Caste can, however, rise out of this class by achieving one of the training conditions set forth above - even if they had been convicted of a crime.)
When creating a Kraken Player Character or NPC, determine initial (potential) SOC when rolling initial attributes as normal. That score is used throughout the "career terms" portion of character generation. At the end of character generation, check the conditions listed below to determine how to adjust the SOC attribute score. Two notable exceptions to this rule: If, during character creation, the character enters either the Prisoner or Drifter career, their SOC is immediately reduced to 4 for the duration of character generation. (Upon completion of character creation, the conditions below may permit it to be raised again.)
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