Elders don't have to generate income. Their wisdom and experience more than compensates!
> > Not many Orlanthi men make it to elder status.
> And one per household is more than enough, if they're
> not going to do anything.
They don't have to "do" anything - they are elders. And certainly less than one per household on average. Someone who makes it to age 60 is going to be supposed by his entire bloodline - and is a resource for that entire bloodline.
> > I'm not sure you have a good idea the sort of
> > immense prestige and
> > authority an elder has in pre-modern societies. An
> > old man is
> > impressive to his family simply because he has
> > survived to old age. Anyone over 60 years old ....
>
> Is about 20 years older than the men under discussion.
> What has this "elder" been doing for the last 20
> years? If it amounts to boasting about what he did
> aged 15-40, he's a useless drone. Sack him.
Men continue working through middle age. My grandfathers (and uncle) were farmers and they continue working on the farm until old age. They were assisted by their children and by farmhands (aka cottars). That's what most Orlanthi do.
Warriors are usually dead by 40. Dead or important thanes.
> But the feats are what show what each affinity is
> capable of. "This sort of thing" - and if "this sort
> of thing" has little or no practical value, then you
> won't be augmenting practical things with that
> affinity. "Making" sounds good, until you look at the
> sample feats. "Acclaim Chieftain, Bless New Building,
> Bless Tools, Oversee Marriage ritual, Work Hard". Well
> "bless tools" sounds handy, as does "work hard", but
> the rest won't put beans in the pot.
The feats show what Roderick or Greg or John thought might be examples of what that affinity might be used to do. And very few people would rely upon their individual magic to put beans in the pot. That's for extraordinary folk, holy folk, and heroes.
Jeff
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