SOC is sort of nebulous. :roll:
It’s not just how you behave but how you live, how rich you are, how well known you are etc.
You could be reduced to a dribbling idiot by INT damage and still remain "His Grace the Duke, Ruler of the subsector, Knight Commander of the noble order of the Arrow, Baron of Glamtry, First Lord Admiral of the 241 Sector Fleet etc etc". Please speak loudly when addressing him and we will get back to you later with the answers to any questions.
Dilettante (page 38-39)covers dropping SOC in passing due to now spending enough money of maintaining appearances suitable to your SOC.
A set of facial scars may lower the SOC of someone by a point or more in a society that is heavily into appearance or raise it a point if they were a Military veteran where the scars and medal would be a clear sign of having fought bravely. Or it may raise the SOC of a thug since he is now scarier than before and gets a slightly better service because he looks the sort to meet you in a dark alley and kill you if you don’t give him a good deal.
Dressing like a tramp (or Traveller) can lower your SOC temporarily, dressing in a Cr10,000 business suit and spending money like a drunken noble may temporarily raise your SOC. These would be area specific.
It doesn’t matter if you have SOC 15, staggering into the reception of a TAS with no ID, no one knowing you, dripping blood from a wound, two weeks of beard and smelling (and looking) like a tramp your effective SOC is going to be low. You may talk like a senior noble but you look like someone security should be throwing out.
SOC includes knowing how to behave at that level so not looking the part you can still act the part but so can con men. Looking richly dressed, ordering the best room, dropping large tips and then not knowing how to act lower your effective SOC. You need to both look the part and act the part unless they know you in which case your, ahem, eccentricities are overlooked.
Look at Dilettante from page 33 onwards for the official idea but for raising and lowering it. That is very situational. Depends on how much book keeping you want. An event that would lower SOC by one point in some areas may raise it by one in others. For example having gained a point of SOC for heroic actions in war is great on your side of the border, on the other side of the border where people had relatives you killed your SOC is going to drop.
Character creation also leads to the same thing with mustering out benefits’. Those Naval and Marine officers who get +2 SOC are benefiting from the Imperium’s respect for those services. Across the border dealing with the Zho, puppies or Solomani as captain of a free trader “Commander Flash Gordon Imperial Navy Retired” isn’t going to be anywhere as well regarded.
