This seems like a good place to ask:

Once upon a time, I had a FASA sourcebook on the Klingons. There were rules in there for determining honor. There was a table, IIRC, and an example that showed how the First Officer of a large ship could actually lose honor by getting a promotion to Captain of a smaller ship (or rather, how an angry Captain could harm his honor by promoting him).
I'd really like to see those rules again, if anyone who has them is interested in sharing.