Kingdoms

Kingdom Building

Level	Control DC	Features
1	14	Charter, Government, Heartland, Leaders, Initial Proficiencies, Kingdom Size
2	15	Favored Land, Kingdom Feat
3	16	Skill Increase
4	18	Fine Living, Kingdom Feat
5	20	Ability Boosts, Ruin Resistance, Skill Increase
6	22	Kingdom Feat
7	23	Skill Increase
8	24	Kingdom Feat, Ruin Resistance
9	26	Skill Increase
10	27	Life of Luxury, Ability Boosts, Kingdom Feat
11	28	Ruin Resistance, Skill Increase
12	30	Kingdom Feat
13	31	Skill Increase
14	32	Kingdom Feat, Ruin Resistance
15	34	Ability Boosts, Skill Increase
16	35	Kingdom Feat
17	36	Ruin Resistance, Skill Increase
18	38	Kingdom Feat
19	39	Skill Increase
20	40	Envy of the World, Ability Boosts, Kingdom Feat, Ruin Resistance

Ability Scores

A kingdom has four ability scores: Culture, Economy, Loyalty, and Stability. These function like the ability scores of a character, providing modifiers on die rolls and checks. As the kingdom prospers and grows, these scores can increase. These ability scores directly affect the kingdoms Skills.

Culture

Culture measures the interest and dedication of your nation and its people to the arts and sciences, to religion and reason, and to the subjects that your society chooses to learn about and to teach. Are your people well-versed in rhetoric and philosophy? Do they value learning and research, music and dance? Do they embrace society in all its diverse splendor? If they do, your kingdom likely has a robust Culture score.

Economy

Economy measures the practical day-to-day workings of your society as it comes together to do the work of making and building, buying and selling. How industrious are your citizenry? Are they devoted to building more, higher, and better, trading in goods, services, and ideas? If so, your kingdom likely has a robust Economy score.

Loyalty

Loyalty measures the collective will, spirit, and sense of camaraderie the citizens of your nation possess. How much do they trust and depend on one another? How do they respond when you sound the call to arms or enact new laws? How do they react when other nations send spies or provocateurs into your lands to make trouble? If they support the kingdom’s leadership, the kingdom itself has a robust Loyalty score.

Stability

Stability measures the physical health and wellbeing of your nation. This includes its infrastructure and buildings, the welfare of its people, and how well things are protected and maintained under your rule. How carefully do you maintain your stores and reserves, repair things that are broken, and provide for the necessities of life? How quickly can you mobilize to shield your citizens from harm? A kingdom that can handle both prosperity and disaster efficiently and effectively has a robust Stability score.

Charter

Starting a new kingdom is a daunting challenge, requiring significant amounts of funding and support to get everything started. A charter granted by an established entity gives the kingdom a much-needed enhancement right at the start, typically manifesting as boosts to two of the kingdom’s ability scores and a flaw to a third score. In effect, a charter bolsters two aspects of a kingdom, but one other aspect is held back to the benefit of the charter’s holder.

CONQUEST

Your sponsors have conquered an area and its former leaders have been routed or even killed. This charter places you in charge of some portion of this conquered territory (or land abandoned by the defeated enemy) and commands you to hold and pacify it in the name of your patron. The people are particularly devoted and supportive of your rule (if partially out of fear), but the constant threat of potential war hinders the arts and makes it difficult for citizens to truly relax. If you opt for this charter, you are asked to set up your kingdom against the holder's enemies.

Ability Boosts +2 Loyalty, plus a free +2 ability boost
Ability Flaw -2 Culture

EXPANSION

Your patron places you in charge of a domain adjacent to already settled lands with the expectation that your nation will remain a strong ally. The greater support from your patron’s nation helps to bolster your own kingdom’s society, but this increased reliance means that fluctuations in your ally’s fortunes can impede your own kingdom’s security. If you select this charter, the holder expects you to remain strong allies.

Ability Boosts +2 Culture, plus a free +2 ability boost
Ability Flaw -2 Stability

EXPLORATION

Your sponsor wants you to explore, clear, and settle a wilderness area along the border of the sponsor’s own territory. Your charter helps to secure initial structures (or supplies to create them), at the cost of incurring financial debt.

Ability Boosts +2 Stability, plus a free +2 ability boost
Ability Flaw -2 Economy

GRANT

Your patron grants a large amount of funding and other resources without restriction on the nature of your kingdom’s development—but they do require you to employ many of their citizens and allies. Your nation’s wealth and supplies are secure, but a portion of your kingdom’s residents have split allegiances between your nation and that of your sponsor.

Ability Boosts +2 Economy, plus a free +2 ability boost
Ability Flaw -2 Loyalty

OPEN

If you would prefer to be truly free agents and trailblazers staking your own claim, you can simply choose an open charter with no restrictions—and no direct support. Not every group will be interested in the details of how a kingdom is built and managed.

One free +2 ability boost
Ability Flaw none

Government

The choice of government grants three boosts to the kingdom’s ability scores. Two boost specific abilities, while the third is a free boost that can be applied to any ability score other than the two that were specifically boosted. The government type also gives the kingdom the trained proficiency rank in two specific skills and grants a bonus Kingdom feat.

DESPOTISM

Your nation’s rule is centered around a single individual who seized or inherited command and whose authority is absolute. The ruler of this kingdom still retains advisors and assistants, but only when they obey the ruler’s whims.

Ability Boosts +2 Stability and Economy, plus a +2 free ability boost
Skill Proficiencies Intrigue and Warfare
Bonus Feat Crush Dissent

FEUDALISM

Your nation’s rule is vested in a dynastic royal family, though much of the real power is distributed among their vassals and fiefdoms.

Ability Boosts +2 Stability and Culture, plus a +2 free ability boost
Skill Proficiencies Defense and Trade
Bonus Feat Fortified Fiefs

OLIGARCHY

Your nation’s rule is determined by a council of influential leaders who make decisions for all others.

Ability Boosts +2 Loyalty and Economy, plus a free +2 ability boost
Skill Proficiencies Arts and Industry
Bonus Feat Insider Trading

REPUBLIC

Your nation draws its leadership from its own citizens. Elected representatives meet in parliamentary bodies to guide the nation.

Ability Boosts +2 Stability and Loyalty, plus a +2 free ability boost
Skill Proficiencies Engineering and Politics
Bonus Feat Pull Together

MAGOCRACY

Your nation is governed by those most skilled in magic, using their knowledge and power to determine the best ways to rule. While the type of magic wielded by the nation’s rulers can adjust its themes, the details below remain the same whether it’s arcane, divine, occult, primal, or any combination of the four.

Ability Boosts +2 Economy and Culture, plus a free +2 ability boost
Skill Proficiencies Folklore and Magic
Bonus Feat Practical Magic

YEOMANRY

Your nation is decentralized and relies on local leaders and citizens to handle government issues, sending representatives to each other as needed to deal with issues that concern more than one locality.

Ability Boosts +2 Loyalty and Culture, plus a free +2 ability boost
Skill Proficiencies Agriculture and Wilderness
Bonus Feat Muddle Through

Heartland

The heartland grants an additional boost to one of the kingdom’s ability scores based on a significant terrain feature present. If the area has more than one terrain feature, the PCs should choose only one of them to provide the boost.

FOREST OR SWAMP

Your nation begins in woodlands or swamplands, so there are no shortages in natural resources or wonders to bolster your citizens’ imagination and mood.

Ability Boost +2 Culture

HILL OR PLAIN

Your nation starts in an area that is easy to traverse. This is reflected in your citizens’ temperament; they appreciate that your choice makes their lives a bit easier.

Ability Boost +2 Loyalty

LAKE OR RIVER

By establishing your nation on the shores of a lake or river, you ensure a built-in mechanism for trade. Even before a road is built, merchants and travelers can reach your settlement with relative ease via boat.

Ability Boost +2 Economy

MOUNTAIN OR RUINS

Your nation is founded in the mountains or includes a significant ruined location, and it uses these natural or artificial features to bolster defense. Your citizens tend to be hale and hardy, if not stubborn to a fault.

Ability Boost +2 Stability

Leaders

All kingdoms have leaders who fill roles tending to the economy, defense, and health of its citizens. Each role grants the kingdom different benefits, provided a character—be it a PC or an NPC—takes up the mantle of serving in that role. A character can only fill one leadership role at a time, but it’s important to have all eight roles filled, for when a kingdom goes without a leader, problems arise. A leader's key ability lists the kingdom ability score that is most impacted by that leader. When this role is invested, all Kingdom skill checks that leader makes based on this ability gain a +1 status bonus. This bonus increases to +2 when the kingdom reaches 8th level, and then to +3 when the kingdom reaches 16th level.

RULER

The Ruler performs the kingdom’s most important ceremonies, is the kingdom’s chief diplomatic officer, serves as the signatory for all laws affecting the entire kingdom, pardons criminals when appropriate, and is responsible for appointing characters to all other high positions in the kingdom’s government.

Key Ability Loyalty
Vacancy Penalty –1 to all checks (this stacks with any other vacancy penalty gain 1d4 Unrest at the start of the Kingdom turn; Control DC increases by 2

COUNSELOR

The Counselor is a liaison between government and citizens. They study issues with academic analysis but also interpret the desires of the citizenry and present proclamations to the people in understandable ways. They also serve as an advisor to the other leaders, particularly to the Ruler.

Key Ability Culture
Vacancy Penalty –1 to all Culture-based checks

GENERAL

The General leads the kingdom’s military, heading its armies and managing subordinate military commanders. The General is responsible for looking after the needs of the kingdom’s military and directing them in times of war.

Key Ability Stability Vacancy Penalty –4 to Warfare activities

EMISSARY

The Emissary keeps state secrets, oversees clandestine intrigues, and deals with criminal elements within the kingdom. They manage foreign policy and interactions with other kingdoms, as well as the interactions of political organizations and power brokers at home. Whether or not your emissary is a public figure or someone who manipulates events behind the scenes, their role in the kingdom remains the same.

Key Ability Loyalty
Vacancy Penalty –1 to all Loyalty-based checks

MAGISTER

The Magister is in charge of all things magical in the kingdom, attending to how the supernatural affects ordinary citizens. They promote higher learning in the arts of magic, whether arcane, divine, occult, or primal. They oversee any aspects of governmental bureaucracy in which magic can be of service to the kingdom’s needs and interests.

Key Ability Culture
Vacancy Penalty –4 to Warfare activities

TREASURER

The Treasurer monitors the kingdom’s funds and the state of business and industry, as well as the citizens’ confidence in the economy and the growth of the nation’s manufacturing capacity. They work to ensure a fair market for all, investigate those who take advantage of the system, and handle taxation issues.

Key Ability Economy
Vacancy Penalty –1 to all Economy-based checks

VICEROY

The Viceroy plans and implements the kingdom’s expansion and development, both in its territories and its settlements. They manage the infrastructure of the nation, overseeing major capital improvements and growing the networks that connect the hinterlands with the cities at the nation’s heart, helping keep the kingdom moving and growing.

Key Ability Economy
Vacancy Penalty –1 to Stability-based checks

WARDEN

The Warden monitors the safety, security, and overall health of the kingdom, its lands, and its borders. They manage scouts and patrols in the countryside, respond to local threats and menaces as needed, and oversee the kingdom’s overall defense and health.

Key Ability Stability
Vacancy Penalty –4 to all activities outside your immediate settlements

Initial Proficiencies

Choose 4 Skills to become trained in for your kingdom.

Kingdom Size

Your kingdom size determines four things; your Lots, Storage, Consumption, and Resource Die. Lots are the spaces available to build structures, storage is the space available to store each of your commodities, consumption is how much food is needed for your kingdom, and resource die affects things you can do on your kingdom turns.

You start with 4 lots, increased to 16 at 6th level, 24 at 11th level, 36 at 16th level, and 40 at 20th level.
You start with 4 storage, increased to 8 at 6th level, 12 at 11th level, 16 at 16th level, and 20 at 20th level.
You start with a 1 consumption rate, increased to 2 at 6th level, 4 at 11th level, 6 at 16th level, and 8 at 20th level.
Your resource die starts at a d4, increased to d6 at 6th level, d8 at 11th level, d10 at 16th level, and d12 at 20th level.

Favored Land

The lands within your territory are easier for your armies to operate in. You may take a second Warfare activity during the Warfare phase as long as it takes place within your territory.

Kingdom Feat

At 2nd level, and then every 2 levels thereafter, the kingdom gains a feat from the Kingdom Feats page.

SKILL INCREASE

At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, your kingdom gains a skill increase. You can use this to increase your rank to trained in one skill in which your kingdom is untrained, or to increase your rank to expert in one skill in which your kingdom is trained. Starting at 7th level, you can use your skill increases to increase your kingdom’s proficiency to master in a skill in which your kingdom is already an expert. Beginning at 15th level, you can use them to increase your proficiency to legendary in a skill in which your kingdom is already a master.

FINE LIVING

At 4th level, your people celebrate by indulging you with feasts and finery. All PCs associated with the kingdom enjoy a Fine standard of living at no cost whenever they’re in the kingdom. Any PCs in hostile wilderness, a monster-filled dungeon, or otherwise cut off from their citizens must provide their own sustenance as usual even if they are within the boundaries of their kingdom.

ABILITY BOOSTS

At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you boost two different kingdom ability scores. You can use these ability boosts to increase your kingdom’s ability scores above 18. Boosting an ability score increases it by 2 if it starts out below 18, or by 1 if it’s already 18 or above.

RUIN RESISTANCE

At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, your kingdom becomes more resistant to Ruin. Choose one of the four Ruin categories and reduce its penalties by 1.

LIFE OF LUXURY

At 10th level, your people lavish you with every creature comfort. This is identical to Fine Living, but all PC leaders enjoy an Extravagant standard of living at no cost whenever they’re in the kingdom.

ENVY OF THE WORLD

At 20th level, your kingdom is one of the world’s prominent nations. The first time in a Kingdom turn when your kingdom would gain Unrest or Ruin, ignore that increase. You can ignore additional increases to Unrest or Ruin later in the same turn as well, but you must spend a Fame or Infamy point each time you do so.