Kingdom Building

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." – Greek Proverb

For ambitious adventurers seeking power and influence beyond dungeon delving, Æther offers a robust kingdom-building system. Construct settlements, manage resources, and expand your domain into a thriving kingdom. This system focuses on strategic decisions and resource management, abstracting the complexities of individual settlers and soldiers.

Ruling a Kingdom:

Kingdom Sheet: Track your kingdom's statistics (Economy, Loyalty, Stability, Unrest, etc.) on a kingdom sheet (link to kingdom sheet template if available).

Leadership Roles: PCs and NPCs assume leadership roles, each providing unique benefits. See the Leadership Roles section below for details.

Build Points (BP): BP is the kingdom's currency, representing resources, labor, and materials. 1 BP is roughly equivalent to 4,000 gp, but direct conversion is not straightforward.

Consumption: The BP cost to maintain the kingdom each month. Equals the kingdom's Size (number of controlled hexes), modified by buildings and improvements.

Control DC: The base DC for kingdom checks (1d20 + relevant attribute + modifiers). DC = 20 + Size + total districts in all settlements + situational modifiers.

Kingdom Checks: Roll against Economy, Loyalty, or Stability, modified by Unrest and other factors.

Unrest: Reflects citizen dissatisfaction. Increases with negative kingdom attributes, high Consumption, and other problems. Subtracted from all kingdom checks. At 11+ Unrest, the kingdom loses hexes. At 20 Unrest, anarchy ensues.

Hexes: Land is divided into hexes (12 miles across, ~95 sq. miles). Claiming a hex increases kingdom Size.

Founding a Kingdom:

Found a Settlement: See the Founding a Settlement section below.

Choose Alignment: Determines initial kingdom attributes. See table below.

Alignment	Effect
Chaotic	+2 Loyalty
Evil	+2 Economy
Good	+2 Loyalty
Lawful	+2 Economy
Neutral	+2 Stability (twice if True Neutral)

Assign Leadership Roles: Choose leaders for the available roles.

Starting Treasury: If sponsored, start with around 50 BP. If starting independently, convert personal GP to BP at a potentially improved rate (see table below, GM discretion).

Kingdom Size	Price of 1 BP	Withdrawal Rate
1-25	1,000 gp	500 gp
26-50	2,000 gp	1,000 gp
51-100	3,000 gp	1,500 gp
101+	4,000 gp	2,000 gp

Kingdom Turn Sequence (1 month):

Upkeep Phase:

Determine Kingdom Stability: Roll a Stability check. Success reduces Unrest (or adds BP to Treasury if Unrest is 0). Failure increases Unrest.

Pay Consumption: Deduct Consumption from the Treasury. Negative Treasury increases Unrest.

Fill Magic Item Slots: Chance for vacant magic item slots in settlements to be filled.

Modify Unrest: Unrest increases by 1 for each negative kingdom attribute. Royal Enforcer can attempt to reduce Unrest. High Unrest leads to hex loss and anarchy.

Edict Phase:

Assign/Change Leadership: Fill vacant roles or reassign leaders.

Claim/Abandon Hexes: Spend 1 BP to claim an explored and cleared hex (increases Size). Abandoning a hex increases Unrest.

Build Terrain Improvements: Construct Farms, Roads, Mines, etc. Prepare hexes for settlements.

Create/Improve Settlements: Found new settlements or add buildings to existing ones.

Create Army Units: Manage your armies (see Mass Combat).

Issue Edicts: Set Taxation, Diplomacy, and other edict levels.

Income Phase:

Withdraw from Treasury: Convert BP to GP for personal use (increases Unrest). Each BP withdrawn grants 2,000 GP.

Deposit to Treasury: Donate personal wealth (up to 4,000 gp per BP).

Sell Expensive Items: Sell items worth over 4,000 gp in settlements (limited by settlement value, once per district per turn).

Collect Taxes: Economy check; result / 3 (rounded down) = BP added to Treasury.

Event Phase:

25% chance of a random event (75% if no event last turn).

GM-led events, independence, unification can also occur.

Losing Hexes:

Losing a hex (due to Unrest, conquest, etc.) removes benefits from improvements and makes settlements independent free cities. Losing connection to your capital can create a secondary territory with increased Unrest for its hexes. If reduced to 0 hexes, you must reclaim a hex and settlement on your next turn or lose the kingdom.

Founding a Settlement:

Choose Location: Select a cleared hex within your kingdom's territory.

Explore the Hex: Perform exploration activities to uncover potential resources and challenges.

Clear the Hex (If Necessary): Deal with monsters, hazards, or other obstacles.

Construct Basic Buildings: Start with a House and an Inn (minimum). Other buildings can be added later.

Leadership Roles (See Original Document for Full Details):

Each role provides specific benefits and penalties if left vacant. Example:

Ruler: Adds Charisma modifier to a kingdom attribute (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability). Without a Ruler, the kingdom cannot expand, and Unrest increases.

Remember that the GM has the final say and can adjust rules and events as needed for the campaign's narrative. For more in-depth information on specific mechanics (Edicts, Terrain Improvements, Buildings, Mass Combat, etc.), refer to the linked pages on this wiki. Good luck, your Majesty!