Do different Castes have different numbers of children?

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    • Do different Castes have different numbers of children?

      So...Just a Random thought I had about actual Historical Times, considering when infant mortality was much higher and lower classes working the land had many children for that reason is it a likely bet that the Peasant Caste will have more children on average then all higher castes? One of the adventures provided on this forum has a High Caste Jackal with two children, of course this Nobleman is also a Widower so it could be possible he might have had more children if his wife hadn't gone to dance on the edge of heaven

      Which brings up another question, how acceptable is remarriage in Dardunah? I know Medieval Europe the Church took a dim view of remarriage (The Mythological Gryphon was said the never take another mate if it's mate died to illustrate the church's view on this) Concubines and Courtesans exist how appropriate is it to have a kid with one?
    • Excellent question, I would answer it in the following way....First of all there is no hard line in the rules determining the number of children possible for a single mother to have in this game, the same as there is great variety in the human world based upon culture and the time period in question... During earlier times in earth's many civilizations the number of children born varied a considerable amount. The same would be true on the world of SHARD. Which leaves us with many options, to choose from, I myself like to use the general premise which is used to govern magic to handle questions of an abstract nature such as this.... and that is that it could be a combination of all the different things you can imagine depending on circumstances and your imagination as a GAME MASTER... Just as magic has loose general ideas about what is possible, so it could be with the ultimate blessing of the DEVA, which could arguably be a healthy long life span and the gift of children to carry on your name in the world for which no one weeps.
      So let us consider the following.
      The world of SHARD is considerably different than the world of ancient Europe being that in other cultures it is not seen as taboo to have multiple wives. So I would say that in addition to having concubines and courtesans it would be possible to have multiple wives perhaps with their own ranking system ie.... titles such as First Wife, Second Wife ect... This would open many possible role playing scenarios which could involve intrigues associated with the inner workings of a house as well as the constant struggle by the wives to ensure that their children were well placed with respect to claim the highest possible position. This type of thing happens with-in the pages of many of the Holy books on our own world such as the bible and other older religious texts, and could be included in the fiction of the game as well....
      As for the numbers of children one possible good rule of thumb is to consider the number of children born to an actual animal in nature and the number which humans commonly give birth to and find a number somewhere between the two to settle upon as the average size of a family based upon the animal type in question per wife. I would imaging that rabbits or animals with shorter lifespans or those known for their ability to reproduce might be capable of having more children than animals such as elephants or longer life span creatures like turtles. This option takes into account the relative rarity of certain types of animals when compared to the overall populations.... In the end consider game balance and what makes the most sense for the type of world you wish to have. I for one love the flexible nature of the SHARD world in that many of these types of choices are left to the GAME MASTER to imagine and invoke as they see fit.
      However..... The simplest way to handle the situation, would be to give the animals a number of children similar to what would be possible for a human, since by doing this it prevents any complications which could arise due to the coupling of different types of animals such as a horse and a mouse. The rules clearly state that the offspring would have an equal chance of being either a horse or a mouse or more specifically that of either of the parents, with a small percentage chance of being an animal from farther down the family line. So as you can see this whole thing could become quite complex if we were to allow ourselves to become overly concerned with it. For that very reason along with game balance I might suggest that the animals be viewed as human with respect to the number of children they might reproduce. In the end it could be a mix of both of these ideas depending upon the time you might wish to put into the dynamics of the family and the game you wish to run.
      I look forward to Scott's words on this matter as I may be entirely wrong on my assumptions. But until we get word from him I think the safest thing is to have a combination of all possible realities at your disposal as a game master because this gives the world an added level of mystery which could be explained as the simple unfathomable will of the DEVAH as they direct the affairs and ultimate destiny of their children from the edges of heaven.