Contents
Managing Your Kingdom
Affairs of state take place on a monthly granularity. Each month the following happens (in the following order)
Upkeep
(This process is managed by the DM, and is presented for informational purposes only)
- Your kingdom makes a stability check against its Control DC. Success decreases the kingdom's unrest by 1. Failure by more than 5 increases the kingdom's unrest by 1.
- Deduct your kingdom's consumption from its treasury. If the kingdom's treasury is negative, unrest increases by 2.
- Magic items sold by structures in your kingdom's cities during the prior month are replaced with randomly selected magic items of equivalent quality.
- If your kingdom employs a Royal Assassin, its unrest decreases by 1. If your kingdom's unrest is 11 or higher, a randomly selected hex falls out of your kingdom's control. If the hex contains a town, the town leaves your kingdom (although it can be annexed back into your empire at a later date). Roads and farmlands in lost hexes are destroyed.
Reorganization
Your kingdom's leadership and edicts may be adjusted as desired once per month
Expansion
- Any hex that has been explored (i.e., mapped) can be claimed for your kingdom by paying 1 BP (note that doing so increases your kingdom's size, and thus its consumption). If the hex has a town in it, the town must be annexed: Your kingdom makes a stability check against its control DC. Failure indicates that upstarts within the town resist your annexation attempt and unrest in your kingdom increases by 2d4. The maximum number of hexes a kingdom can claim per month is limited by its size (see below). Hexes can be also abandoned at this point, although doing so increases unrest by 1, or by 4 if the abandoned hex contains a town. Roads and farmlands in abandoned hexes are destroyed.
- Preparations for a new city or the addition of a new district to an existing city can be started (note that doing either increases your kingdom's consumption once the city/district is ready). The cost of doing so, and the amount of time until the city/district is ready for construction varies with the dominant terrain of the hex (see below). Old structures can be destroyed at this point, if desired, and new structures may be built. The monthly rate at which a kingdom adds districts and/or structures is limited by its size (see below). Note that the first plot of houses you build each month does not count towards this limit.
- Roads can be built in a hex for 1 BP. Forest hexes cost 2 BP, and mountain and swamp hexes cost 4 BP. Constructing bridges doubles the cost of roads in a hex unless the hex already contains a bridge/bridge ruins and/or a ford (these can be claimed and repaired if necessary for free). Every 4 hexes with roads that your kingdom controls increase its economy score by 1 and every 8 hexes with roads that your kingdom controls increase its stability score by 1. (and having the longest road earns you 4 victory points)
- Grassland and hill hexes with roads in them can be developed into farmland for 2 BP and 4 BP respectively. Each hex of farmland that your kingdom controls reduces its consumption by 2 BP (although never to less than 0). A hex with a settlement cannot also contain farmland.
Finances
- You may deposit items and money into your kingdom's treasury. Items individually worth 4000 gp or less add 1 BP for every 4000 gp worth of items deposited. Items worth more than 4000 gp must be sold as if they were standard magic items. (See selling items, below).
- You may withdraw money from your kingdom's treasury for personal use at a rate of 2000 gp for every BP withdrawn. Doing so incurs the wrath of the people and unrest increases by 1. Furthermore, if your kingdom fails a loyalty check against its command DC, its unrest increases by the number of BP withdrawn.
- Items produced by the kingdom's cities can be sold off by making an economy check against a DC determined by the quality of the item. Minor items have a DC of 20 and earn the kingdom 2 BP if sold. Medium items have a DC of 35 and earn the kingdom 4 BP if sold. Major items have a DC of 50 and earn the kingdom 8 BP if sold. All sold items (whether to players or otherwise) are replaced with random items of the same quality next month. One sale may be attempted per district in the kingdom per month.
- Your kingdom makes an economy check against its command DC. Success increases the kingdom's treasury by a number of BP equal to the check result divided by 3.
Events
Certain events may occur each month, affecting your kingdom in different ways. Depending on the event, this can have an immediate impact on your kingdom, require your kingdom to make a check, or require direct intervention from the party.
Charts
{|border=1
Terrain Type||Cost to Prepare||Time to Prepare
|- |Forest||4 BP||2 Months |- |Grassland||1 BP||Immediately Available (But counts towards montly limit) |- |Hill||2 BP||1 Month |- |Mountain||12 BP||4 Months |- |Swamp||8 BP||3 Months |}
{|border=1
Kingdom Size||City districts in progress||New buildings||Hexes claimed||Roads built||Farmlands established
|- |1-10||1||1||1||1||1 |- |11-25||1||2||2||2||1 |- |26-50||1||5||3||3||2 |- |51-100||2||10||4||4||2 |- |101-200||3||20||8||6||3 |- |201+||4||No Limit||12||8||4 |}
Kingdom Statistics
- Stability, Economy, and Loyalty: These three values are analogous to a character's saving throws. Stability checks affect your kingdom's ability to react to emergencies (fires, bandits, etc...). Economy checks affect your kingdom's ability to earn money. Loyalty checks affect your ability to keep the public peace. Each of these checks is typically made against your kingdom's Control DC (see below).
- Alignment: The alignment of a kingdom is chosen when the kingdom is founded. It provides bonuses as follows: Lawful and/or Evil kingdoms gain a +2 bonus on Economy checks, Chaotic and/or Good kingdoms gain a +2 bonus on Loyalty checks, and Neutral kingdoms gain a +2 bonus on Stability checks. These bonuses are applied once for each alignment axis (i.e., a Lawful Good kingdom would have a +2 bonus to Economy and Loyalty, while a True Neutral Kingdom would have a +4 bonus on Stability).
- Size: A kingdom's size is equal to the number of hexes it controls. Each kingdom starts out with one hex, the location of it's first city.
- Control DC: A kingdom's Control DC (against which most Stability, Economy, and Loyalty checks are made) is equal to 20 + its size.
- Population: A kingdom's population is equal to its 250 * its size plus the populations of each of its cities.
- Unrest: Unrest indicates dissatisfaction and dissension among the populace. A kingdom's unrest score is applied as a penalty to Stability, Economy and Loyalty checks. When a kingdom reaches an unrest score of 10, it begins to lose territory. When a kingdom reaches an unrest score of 20, it falls into anarchy.
- Treasury: Kingdoms rely on a variety of resources to support themselves. Money, favors, resources, and power can all be called upon to support a kingdom. Rather than make these resources explicit, a kingdom's treasury is expressed in terms of an abstract measure called Build Points (BP). Each BP corresponds to approximately 4000 gp worth of resources.
- Consumption: This is the cost of maintaining your kingdom. A kingdom's consumption is measured in BP per month. If a kingdom is unable to pay its consumption in a given month, its unrest increases by 2. A kingdom's consumption is equal to its size plus the number of city districts it controls. Edicts (discussed below) can alter a kingdom's consumption.
- Special Resources: Kingdoms may gain control of hexes that provide them with special benefits (e.g., gold mines). These (and their effect on your kingdom) should be noted.
Edicts
Rather than dealing with your kingdom's laws in explicit gory detail, you indicate your attitude towards them in terms of three high-level edicts. These edicts may be changed at-will once per month.
Promotions
Recruitments, advertisements, and propaganda campaigns. {|border=1
Type||Stability Bonus||Consumption Increase
|- |None||-1||n/a |- |Token||+1||+1 BP |- |Standard||+2||+2 BP |- |Aggressive||+3||+4 BP |- |Expansionist||+4||+8 BP |}
Taxation
Payments gathered from a kingdom's citizens. {|border=1
Level||Economy Bonus||Loyalty Penalty
|- |None||+0||+1 |- |Light||+1||-1 |- |Normal||+2||-2 |- |Heavy||+3||-4 |- |Overwhelming||+4||-8 |}
Festivals
including parades and public events {|border=1
per Year||Loyalty Bonus||Consumption Increase
|- |None||-1||n/a |- |1||+1||1 BP |- |6||+2||2 BP |- |12||+3||4 BP |- |24||+4||8 BP |}
Leadership Roles
Each kingdom has individuals filling a number of different roles. Each leader grants a number of different benefits to the kingdom, and not having a leader in a particular role can penalize the kingdom. The character (player or non player) engaged in a particular leadership role must spend at least 1 week out of each month engaged in leadership duties.
- Ruler: The ruler adds his or her charisma to one, two, or three of the kingdom's base statistics (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability), depending on the kingdom's size. The ruler of a kingdom of size 1-20 chooses one statistic, the ruler of a kingdom of size 21 to 80 chooses two, and the ruler of a larger kingdom affects all three statistics. A kingdom without a ruler cannot claim new hexes, create farmlands, build roads, or purchase city districts. Unrest increases by 4 for every month a kingdom is without a ruler. It is possible for two characters to fill this role if they become married. The charisma scores of both leaders affect the kingdom's statistics.
- Councilor: The councilor ensures that the will of the citizenry is represented. The councilor adds his or her wisdom or charisma modifier to the kingdom's loyalty score. A kingdom without a councilor suffers a -2 penalty to loyalty, and the kingdom can not gain benefits from festivals. Unrest increases by 1 for every month a kingdom is without a councilor.
- General: The general commands the kingdom's armies and is a public hero. The general adds his or her strength or charisma modifier to the kingdom's stability score. A kingdom without a general suffers a -4 penalty to stability.
- Grand Diplomat: The grand diplomat oversees international relations. The grand diplomat adds his or her intelligence or charisma modifier to the kingdom's stability score. A kingdom without a grand diplomat suffers a -2 penalty to stability, and cannot issue promotion edicts.
- High Priest: The high priest guides the kingdom's religious needs and growth. The high priest adds his or her wisdom or charisma modifier to the kingdom's stability score. A kingdom without a high priest suffers a -2 penalty to stability and loyalty. Unrest increases by 1 for every month a kingdom is without a high priest.
- Magister: The magister guides a kingdom's higher learning and magic. The magister adds his or her intelligence or charisma modifier to the kingdom's economy score. A kingdom without a magister suffers a -4 penalty to economy.
- Marshal: The marshal helps organize patrols and enforces justice in rural areas and wilderness regions. The marshal adds his or her dexterity or wisdom modifier to the kingdom's economy score. A kingdom without a magister suffers a -4 penalty to economy.
- Royal Assassin: The royal assassin can serve as a public executioner, a headsman, or a shadowy assassin. The royal assassin adds his or her strength or dexterity modifier to the kingdom's loyalty score and decreases the kingdom's unrest at the rate of 1 per month. A kingdom without a royal assassin suffers no adverse effects.
- Spymaster: The spymaster observes the kingdom's underworld and criminal elements and spies on other kingdoms. The spymaster adds his or her dexterity or intelligence modifier to any one of the kingdom's statistics (the spymaster's choice). A kingdom without a spymaster suffers a -4 penalty to economy (due to out-of-control crime), and unrest increases at a rate of 1 per month.
- Treasurer: The treasurer organizes tax collection and manages the treasury. The treasurer adds his or her intelligence or wisdom modifier to the kingdom's economy score. A kingdom without a treasurer suffers a -4 penalty to economy and cannot collect taxes.
- Warden: The warden leads the kingdom's defense and city guards. The warden adds his or her strength or constitution modifier to the kingdom's loyalty score. A kingdom without a warden suffers a -4 penalty to loyalty, and a -2 penalty to stability.
City Statistics
Each city consists of one or more districts, each composed of nine blocks of four plots each (for a total of 36 plots per district). The district's four borders can (depending on the terrain where the city is built) be water or land borders. A city's statistics are as follows:
- Population: A city's population consists of 250 people per occupied plot. An entirely occupied district houses 9,000 people.
- Defense Modifier: A city's defense modifier affects mass combats that take place within the city (rules for mass combats will be provided at a later date).
- Base Value: A city's base value determines the availability of itemry. Items priced at a city's base value or less are available in a city during any given month 75% of the time. A city's base value starts at 200 gp, and increases as economy-related structures are constructed.
- Magic Item Availability: Certain structures provide a city with a rotating stock of magic items available for immediate purchase. See below.
Buildings
Once a district is established, structures can be freely constructed. All structures take one month to construct, cost the listed amount, and provide the indicated benefits. Structures that must be adjacent to a plot of housing must be on the same block as the house. Structures that take multiple plots can not be built across plots in different blocks. Some structures affect unrest. These adjustments are applied only once, when the structure is first built, and can not reduce unrest to below 0.
- Academy (52 BP; 2 plots): An institution of higher learning that can focus on any area of knowledge or education, including magic. Halves cost of Caster's Tower, Library, and Magic Shop in same city; 3 minor items, 2 medium items [arcane scrolls, potions, or wands]; Economy +2, Loyalty +2.
- Alchemist (18 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): The laboratory and home of a creator of potions, poisons, and alchemical items. City base value +1,000 gp; 1 minor item [any potion]; Economy +1.
- Arena (40 BP; 4 plots): A large public structure for competitions, demonstrations, team sports, or bloodsports. Halves cost of Garrison or Theater in same city; halves Consumption increase penalty for festival edicts; Stability +4; limit one per city.
- Barracks (12 BP): A building to house city guards, militia, and military forces. Defense Modifier +2; Unrest –1.
- Black Market (50 BP; must be adjacent to 2 houses): A number of shops with secret and usually illegal or dangerous wares. City base value +2,000; 2 minor items, 1 medium item, 1 major item [any]; Economy +2, Stability +1; Unrest +1.
- Brewery (6 BP): A building for beermaking, winemaking, or similar use. Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- Brothel (4 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): A place to pay for companionship of any sort. Economy +1, Loyalty +2; Unrest +1.
- Caster's Tower (30 BP): The home and laboratory for a spellcaster. 3 minor items, 2 medium items [any arcane, scrolls and pick 1]; Economy +1, Loyalty +1.
- Castle (54 BP; 4 plots): The home of the city's leader or the heart of its defenses. Halves cost of Noble Villa or Town Hall in same city; Economy +2, Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Defense Modifier +8; Unrest –4; limit one per city.
- Cathedral (58 BP; 4 plots): The focal point of the city's religion and spiritual leadership. Halves cost of Temple or Academy in same city; halves Consumption increase penalty for promotion edicts; 3 minor items, 2 medium items [any divine, pick 3]; Loyalty +4; Unrest –4; limit one per city.
- City Wall (8 BP): City walls do not occupy a plot— rather, purchasing a city wall fortifies one of a district's four outer borders. A city wall cannot be built on a water border. Defense Modifier +4; Unrest –2.
- Dump (4 BP): A centralized place to dispose of refuse. Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- Exotic Craftsman (10 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): The workshop and home of an exotic craftsman, such as a creator of magic items, a tinker, a fireworks maker, or a glassblower. 1 minor item[any, pick 1]; Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- Garrison (28 BP; 2 plots): A large building to house armies, train guards, and recruit militia. Halves cost of City Wall, Granary, and Jail in same city; Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Unrest –2.
- Granary (12 BP): A place to store grain and food. Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- Graveyard (4 BP): A plot of land to honor and bury the dead. Economy +1, Loyalty +1.
- Guildhall (34 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house; 2 plots): A large building that serves as headquarters for a guild or similar organization. City base value +1,000 gp; halves cost of Pier, Stable, and Tradesman in same city; Economy +2, Loyalty +2.
- Herbalist (10 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): The workshop and home of a gardener, healer, poisoner, or creator of potions. 1 minor item [any potion]; Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- House (3 BP): A number of mid-sized houses for citizens. Houses serve as prerequisites for many other buildings. The first house you build during any month does not count against the total number of buildings you can build during that month. Unrest –1.
- Inn (10 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): A place for visitors to spend the night. City base value +500 gp; Economy +1, Loyalty +1.
- Jail (14 BP): A fortified structure for housing criminals. Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Unrest –2.
- Library (6 BP): A large building containing books, often presided over by a sage or other scholar. Economy +1, Loyalty +1.
- Luxury Store (28 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): A shop that specializes in expensive wares and luxuries. City base value +2,000 gp; 2 minor items [any armor, weapon, ring, staff, wand or wondrous item]; Economy +1.
- Magic Shop (68 BP; must be adjacent to 2 houses): A shop that specializes in magic items and spells. City base value +2,000 gp; 4 minor items, 2 medium items, 1 major item [any scroll, wand, staff, or wondrous item]; Economy +1.
- Mansion (10 BP): A single huge manor housing a rich family and its servants. Stability +1.
- Market (48 BP; must be adjacent to 2 houses; 2 plots): An open area for mercantile pursuits, traveling merchants, and bargain hunters. City base value +2,000 gp; halves cost of Black Market, Inn, and Shop in same city; 2 minor items [any armor, weapon, ring, staff, wand or wondrous item]; Economy +2, Stability +2.
- Mill (6 BP; must be next to a water border): A building used to cut lumber or grind grain. Economy +1, Stability +1.
- Monument (6 BP): A monument can be a statue of a city founder, a bell tower, a large tomb, or a public display of art. Loyalty +3; Unrest –1.
- Noble Villa (24 BP; 2 plots): A sprawling manor with luxurious grounds that houses a noble. Halves cost of Exotic Craftsman, Luxury Store, and Mansion in same city; Economy +1, Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- Park (4 BP): A plot of land set aside for its natural beauty. Loyalty +1; Unrest –1.
- Piers (16 BP; must be adjacent to a water border): Warehouses and workshops for docking ships and handling cargo and passengers. City base value +1,000 gp; +1 Economy, +1 Stability.
- Shop (8 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): A general store. City base value +500 gp; Economy +1.
- Shrine (8 BP): A small shrine or similar holy site. 1 minor item [any divine, pick 1]; Loyalty +1; Unrest –1.
- Smith (6 BP): An armor smith, blacksmith, or weapon smith. Economy +1, Stability +1.
- Stable (10 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): A structure for housing or selling horses and other mounts. City base value +500 gp; Economy +1, Loyalty +1.
- Tannery (6 BP; cannot be adjacent to a house): A structure that prepares hides and leather. Economy +1, Stability +1.
- Tavern (12 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): An eatery or drinking establishment. City base value +500 gp; Economy +1, Loyalty +1.
- Temple (32 BP; 2 plots): A large place of worship dedicated to a deity. Halves cost of Graveyard, Monument, and Shrine in same city; 2 minor items [any divine, pick 2]; Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Unrest –2.
- Tenement (1 BP): A staggering number of low-rent, cheap housing units. Tenements count as houses for the purpose of fulfilling building requirements, but building too many tenements can increase a kingdom's Unrest quickly. You can build a house over an existing tenement for 2 BP. Unrest +2.
- Theater (24 BP; 2 plots): A venue for providing entertainment such as plays, operas, concerts, and the like. Halves cost of Brothel, Park, and Tavern in same city; Economy +2, Stability +2.
- Town Hall (22 BP; 2 plots): A public venue for town meetings and repository for town records. Halves cost of Barracks, Dump, and Watchtower in same city; Economy +1, Loyalty +1, Stability +1.
- Tradesman (10 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house): A shopfront for a tradesman, such as a baker, butcher, candle maker, cooper, or rope maker. City base value +500 gp; +1 Economy, +1 Stability.
- Watchtower (6 BP): A tall structure that serves as a guard post and landmark. +1 Stability; +2 Defense Modifier; Unrest –1.
- Waterfront (90 BP; must be adjacent to a water border; 4 plots): A port for arrival and departure when traveling by water, facilities for building ships, and a center of commerce. City base value +4,000 gp; 3 minor items, 2 medium items, 1 major item [any weapon, armor, ring, wand, or wondrous item]; halves cost of Guildhall and Market in same city, halves Loyalty penalty for tax edicts; Economy +4; limit one per city.
Magic Item Availability
(House Rule)
Certain structures produce magic items. Normally, items produced are consumed within the city, sent out for trade, or made available to the party as part of a city's normal economy. However, every such structure will have surplus, or particularly extraordinary stock that changes on a monthly basis. This is represented by item slots, minor, medium, and major, possessed by every magic-item-producing structure.
Every structure produces one or more types of magic itemry: Armor, Weapons, Potions, Rings, Scrolls, Staves, Wands, or Wondrous Items, each arcane, divine, or both (as listed next to the magic item slots in the structure's description). For some structures, these items are selected when the structure is first constructed. Every structure produces items of the corresponding type at the beginning of each month. By the end of each month, the items may be sold (one per city district per month) to gain BP, or purchased by the party as follows:
Armor, Weapons, Rings, Wands, Staves, Wondrous Items, or similar items with a market price below the city's base value, this represents surplus stock. Up to two instances of the item may be purchased for 10% below standard price. Items with a market price above the city's base value are available for immediate purchase. In either case, the item is replaced at the end of the month if any were purchased.
Scrolls or Potions always represent surplus stock. Up to ten instances of the item may be purchased for 25% below standard price. Regardless of how many are purchased, the item is replaced at the end of the month.
Instead of producing items at one structure during any given month, you may spend 1 BP to change one of the types of items that the structure produces to any other type of magic item that this type of structure can produce.
Expenses
(House Rule)
Items can be purchased for kingdom use pending DM approval at an exchange rate of 4000 gp for 1 BP. Approved items include:
- Table of Silent Image (1 BP)
- Single-stat items for non-player city officials (Item must be crafted by the party or purchased locally; +2 item - 1BP)
PC Support
(House Rule)
In addition to the one week per month that PCs are required to fulfill their leadership roles, they may spend additional time supporting the construction of their kingdom. A PC who spends the remainder of the month may use the time working to benefit the kingdom. With DM approval, the character may take actions to gain benefits along the lines of one of the following:
- +2 BP
- Half of an Extra Building Built
- Progress towards a permanent boost to one of the kingdom stats
