Status, Repute, Respect and Cadence



= I.                    Status, Repute and Respect =  There are several disparate concepts that should not be confused in Requiem: power, fame, and respect. Despite the fact that the term applied to Status 4 is “Respected”, and to Status 5 is “admired”, that does not mean that Status is the same as respect or admiration. No trait in a character sheet forces a PC to respect another. Repute represents fame, name recognition, in terms of simply being well known. It does not equate to power. Status equates to power, but again does not require respect. The Fame Merit applies only to the mortal world; Repute and Status in kindred organizations apply to the kindred world. Neither Repute nor Status have mechanical benefits; neither costs XP. Repute cannot be applied for; they must be granted by the appropriate ST to the characters they believe worthy of it. Repute is Low approval; Repute 3 is Mid approval; Repute 4 is High approval; and Repute 5 is Top approval. No test is required to know a character's Repute. Powerful characters who are known far and wide for their power may have both Status and Repute. Powerful, but little-known characters would have good Status but less Repute. This reflects that a character may be well-known, but within a group, that group knows the character no longer has the backing they once did; such a character may have a lower Status than Repute. Conversely, an up-and-coming character may have a higher Status than Repute, because those within the group know the character to be powerful, but that is not so well known outside the group as to generate Repute. Status in mortal organizations still has the same benefits and costs as outlined in standard rules.

 Example: Veronica Ventrue is an extremely fashionable kindred, known for being on the cutting edge of haute couture. Veronica has Repute; many kindred know her, but her fashion sense does not grant her power. Mikhael Mekhet is a clever Mekhet who knows the darkest secrets of many kindred in powerful positions, and is himself very capable. Mikhael has Status because he is skilled and capable, and because he can readily draw on the support of many other powerful people, but does not have Repute because he operate behind the scenes. Neither Veronica nor Mikhael can command the respect of those around them; no Merit allows that. That does not mean that either can be treated without respect and experience no consequences, though. Veronica can use her Repute to speak ill of someone to a very large audience, and Mikhael can call in favors from all over the nation to punish someone. So, while neither Repute nor Status force respect or require changes in how one plays one’s PC, they do offer information to help characters decide if they wish to show disrespect, or modify their behavior rather than face IC consequences.