City Watch of Waterdeep
The City Watch serves as Waterdeep’s police force, patrol¬ling the city and ensuring the well-being of its inhabitants.
The City Watch serves as Waterdeep’s police force, patrol¬ling the city and ensuring the well-being of its inhabitants. In addition to arresting those who break the laws, Watch patrols often assist passersby with heavy loads, give direc¬tions, search for lost children, provide basic medical aid, and referee verbal disputes.
The commander of the watch is Captain Sharindra Havalondur (hard-bitten longtime veteran of the Watch, a Chondathan female of several scars, a flat gruff voice, and infinite cynicism), who reports to Laeral. Her senior commanders are Grand Civilar Oerkur Vibrul, Mage Civilar Xorone of the Libram, and Senior Armsmaster Belarkyn Vanjelar.
Each ward is commanded by a ward civilar and has a number of guard posts, each commanded by a senior civilar.
Each patrol is commanded by a civilar, who reports to the local senior civilar. There is also one skulk (made up of a half-dozen rangers and rogues) per ward commanded by a Senior Skulk, and one arcanum (made up of a half-dozen sorcerers and wizards) per ward commanded by a Senior Watch-Wizard.
Base of Operations: Palace (C76).
City Watch (Expansive Government): AL LN, N, LG; 40,000 gp resource limit; Membership 1,600; Mixed (humans 1,020, shield dwarves 160, lightfoot halflings 130, half-elves 110, elves [all kinds] 80, half-orcs 55, gnomes [all kinds] 35, others 10 Salary 5 gp/month.
The watch has access to the armories ($75 and C76) of the guard, the Palace (C75), and the wall-towers. All on-duty members can enter any building or area in the city without hindrance or warning and can search any person, place, or container at will, unless specifically forbidden by a Lord.
Traditionally, certain areas are lightly patrolled, such as the docks, and others are heavily patrolled, such as the City of the Dead. If a watch patrol encounters a major disturbance, they will blow the distinctive “trembling” note horns they carry on their belts to summon aid, and one member of the patrol will immediately run to the nearest guard tower or guard post to spread the word, usually summoning additional aid from the guard of necessary.
If a watch patrol makes an arrest, two members of the patrol immediately escort the captive to a Magister, while the others continue patrolling. The watch prefers to disarm and capture suspects who do not surrender, but, in cases of great danger, lethal force is authorized. Afterward, speak with dead spells are employed on the dead to determine the truth and then resurrec¬tion spells are paid for by the city if necessary.
Patrols pass along main streets once between bells, and vary their routes often. Dockside, "red-light," and known frequent-theft areas receive around five patrols per bell, as do known "bad" taverns and inns. Temples are policed lightly, because clergy are assumed to police their own grounds and buildings. (The term "hour" is unknown in the Realms, but temple bells strike more or less in unison, an hour apart.) Watch patrols are on foot but can call horsedrawn watch prison carts to carry off prisoners or confiscated goods.
All watch patrols are armed and carry more than one "watch horn." These nonmagical signal horns are used to blow various -- and slightly altered, from time to time -- patterns of calls, to do one of the following:
• Summon watch reinforcements
• Summon City Guard aid
• Summon Watchful Order aid
• Summon "duty healers" (priests lent by various city temples)
• Proclaim that an alert or search is now ended
• Proclaim that someone has been found
• Warn fellow watch members away from a dangerous spot or delicate situation
To outsiders, "watchmen" (a term that some use for both genders, sometimes with "lady" added to the front if referring to a female watchman) come in three sorts: "patrolman" (male) or "patroljan" (female), "captain" (any officer controlling a patrol) and "commander" (any officer of higher rank). Many folk call every watch member "officer," just to be safe.
Watch members actually hold these ranks, from lowest to highest:
blade,
sword or "armar" (equivalent to a sergeant),
swordcaptain (patrol leader),
rorden (in charge of a watchpost or barracks, or either five or six patrols),
orsar (envoy to guilds, citizen groups, noble families; also serves as prisoner escorts and in honor guards),
guardsword (duty head for shifts patrolling the city docks and gates),
commander ("officer of the shift"),
watchlord (the administrative and disciplinary heads of the watch, usually three or four officers who hold special titles personally bestowed on them by Piergeiron).
The Captain of the Watch holds sway over all of these.
The watch also has special offices (such as jailer, armorer, and horsemaster) that are held in addition to ranks.
"Civilar" is a term applied to all ranks from swordcaptains up through orsar.
Swordcaptains and higher always wear uniforms or (rarely) armor with uniform tabards, and any watch member may wear helms, gauntlets, and leather armor if they (or a superior officer) deems it necessary. A watch member doesn't have the right to order an inferior watch member not to wear armor.
Blade: diagonal slash (lower left to upper right)
Sword: diagonal slash (upper left to lower right)
Swordcaptain and Armar: X shape (crossed diagonal slashes)
Rorden: horizontal dagger (hilt on left)
Orsar: vertical open human right hand, fingers uppermost and palm showing
Guardsword: two horizontal swords, upper one with hilt right, lower one with hilt left
All higher ranks: two staring eyes, horizontal sword beneath them (hilt on left)
Rank badges take the form of tabards; thanks to widespread counterfeiting, pins are no longer used except on ceremonial occasions. By rank, these badges are as follows (all are encircled by an oval line sculpted into a rolling wave at the bottom and the peak of Mount Waterdeep at the top):
• Blade: diagonal slash (lower left to upper right)
• Sword: diagonal slash (upper left to lower right)
• Swordcaptain: X shape (crossed diagonal slashes)
• Rorden: horizontal dagger (hilt on left)
• Orsar: vertical open human right hand, fingers uppermost and palm showing
• Guardsword: two horizontal swords, upper one with hilt right, lower one with hilt left
• All higher ranks: two staring eyes, horizontal sword beneath them (hilt on left)
Members of the watch enjoy a wide but legally undefined immunity from most Waterdhavian laws while exercising their duties. They can appeal any sentence uttered against them by any Black Robe (magistrate) to the Lords of Waterdeep, which in practice means Piergeiron -- who has been very lenient with watch members of long service and good character.
On the other hand, watch members hate "bad" watch members and will hound a suspected bad apple until they flee the city, agree to all investigations, or clearly establish their innocence. Watch members found guilty of crimes or misbehavior are often fined by the watch as well as punished under law. Conversely, distinguished service often earns handsome retirement bonuses from the Lords (sometimes even outlying land or in-city buildings).
Most Waterdhavians grumble at the watch, but obey them, because the watch is seen as fair (if often thick-headed) and helpful as well as jack-booted. (They'll unhesitatingly search for missing children, safeguard broken-open shops or scared persons, and so on.)
Persons arrested by the watch are often taken to holding cells in the city wall towers, but the main lockup is a level of ironbar cells in the "dungeons" of Castle Waterdeep, with dangerous prisoners being handed over to the Guard for imprisonment in caverns inside Mount Waterdeep.
the Watch was reformed (to remove any corrupt members loyal to Neverember, Cazondur, the Xanathar, or other ‘independent interests,’ though these reasons were never made public, the Lords merely announcing they were “seeking efficiencies” to keep costs down so taxes would not have to be raised) with some ranks disappearing and others being transferred (with their incumbents) into the split-off-again City Guard When the dust settled, some veteran Watch members had been promoted, some were gone (in a few cases, into prison; in others, into permanent exile), and a handful had been demoted. Civilars are now expected to keep discipline and see to training for Watch officers active in their wards, and to be the experts on their wards for any other Watch officers who may need their knowledge, regardless of rank; they aren’t expected to be detectives (a few senior Watch officers hold special titles/offices, and their work is to solve murders, trace conspiracies and complex criminal gang plots, and investigate Watch officers)
Authority Figures:
Captain: Sharindra Havalondur Senior Armsmaster: Belarkyn Vanjelar.Important Characters:
Requirements: You must spend 30 hours per tenday on dutyUniform
The uniform of the Watch is a doublet of leather armor studded with iron rings, under an overshirt of green, black, and gold. Members of the Watch are armed with light steel shields, clubs, daggers, and short swords.SAMPLE WATCH PATROL (EL 6)
A watch street patrol consists of four members: a civilar (cap¬tain or lieutenant), an armar (sergeant), and two watchmen or watchwomen. Civilar (Captain): Human rogue 1/fighter 3 Armar (Sergeant): Human rogue 1/fighter 1: Watchman or Watchwoman: Human expert 1/warrior 1:Know Thy Watch
Waterdeep has both a standing army (the City Guard) and a police force (the City Watch). Though they often work together, the average Waterdhavian or visitor to the city will most often come into contact with watch street patrols, and see the Guard only at city gates, manning the walls or boarding ships for harbor inspections, and overhead on griffonback. Down the years, watch patrols have exhibited a variety of ranks, uniforms, and strengths, because the watch experiments continually with tactics, equipment, and ways of achieving two impossibly conflicting aims: to sometimes catch miscreants by surprising them with persons they don't identify as watch officers; and to usually reassure citizens and enable them to cry for ready aid by allowing them to readily identify watch officers from afar, on sight, due to distinctive uniforms (and at night, distinctive lanterns and the like).Uniforms
Swordcaptains and higher always wear uniforms or (rarely) armor with uniform tabards, and any watch member may wear helms, gauntlets, and leather armor if they (or a superior officer) deems it necessary. A watch member doesn't have the right to order an inferior watch member not to wear armor. Rank badges take the form of tabards; thanks to widespread counterfeiting, pins are no longer used except on ceremonial occasions. By rank, these badges are as follows (all are encircled by an oval line sculpted into a rolling wave at the bottom and the peak of Mount Waterdeep at the top):Watch Sundries
Watch members inevitably become experts in particular neighborhoods, but in the last two decades the watch has made an effort to rotate patrol duties, mixing "area veterans" with watch members from other parts of the city, so every watch officer at least knows the street layout (and places of treacherous footing, poor visibility, or particular ambush danger) of the entire city. Policing the sewers is now the duty of the City Guard, and the watch rarely enter them except when pursuing suspects or discovering sewer tunnels that connect with building cellars. Every veteran watch member knows at least the heads and heirs of all Waterdhavian noble families by sight, plus the persistent troublemakers among the nobility. Many know most of the guildmaster's faces, too.Forms of Address
Watch members customarily address male citizens as "goodsirs," except for persons they know to be Waterdhavian nobility, whom they call "gentlesirs." Mixed-gender groups of folk that include known nobles are called "gentles," and if the watch members don't recognize any nobles in the mob, they'll use the word "citizens" (even if they know many of them to be visitors). Non-noble women are "goodwives" unless young, whereupon they become "goodlasses." Young males are usually called "jacks" or "my jacks" (as in: "What befalls? Hold and deliver truth, my jacks!") "Hold!" (which means "Freeze!") and "Down arms!" (which means "Drop your weapons!") and "Talk truth!" (which means "Answer me!") are frequent watch commands. When watch members address officers of superior rank, the word "sir" is the all-purpose formal address. "Sorn" is an added term of respect, somewhere between "trusted" and "worthy" in meaning, and is applied thus: "Sorn sir." "Sorn" is also used in the other direction (by higher ranks addressing lower), but instead of "sir," it's added (or not added, if the speaker is grumpy or disapproving or merely bored) to the word "trusty." In most daily situations (such as in barracks or on the streets, not in front of a Lord or Palace official or at a nobles' revel), watch officers tend to ignore rank formalities when their ranks are similar. A watch patrol leader would think something was wrong, or she was being mocked, if members of her own patrol started calling her "sir" or "sorn sir," and so would a senior commander, if officers one rank lower than him did the same thing. This is due in part to the practice, now almost universal in the watch, of carefully being very formal and polite when you think your superior is making a mistake, or breaking the rules, or just being an ox-haunch (behaving like a jackass): in other words, clearly indicating your disapproval by tone and excessive formality without actually saying a single word of disagreement. The watch places far more importance on diligent behavior while on duty (and springing to the aid of, or showing thoughtfulness toward, one's fellow watch officers) than on matters of etiquette. There's little or no discipline (beyond a sharp comment) for missing a salute or stumbling over another officer's title; the watch prides itself on being "family" (albeit a gruff, ungentle "slap-on-the-back, mock-one's-fellows" family) and not "a bunch of sniff-nosed, post-headed warriors."Salutes
Members of the City Guard salute often, usually with a raised weapon, but watch members seldom do so. Some little-used formal and ceremonial salutes exist, but the most common watch salute performed indicates respect for someone's judgment, prowess at arms, or bravery. The saluter draws to attention, looks at the person to be honored, and while doing so, sharply raps the hilt of a sheathed weapon (usually a belt dagger) with one closed fist. To any watch superior, a watch member salutes by tapping his temple smartly with an upraised, vertical forefinger. The replying salute to an inferior is identical only if the superior officer desires to convey profound respect or gratitude. Otherwise, the superior officer bends the left arm (at the elbow) up and across in front of her, turning that hand edgewise-on with fingers and thumb together ("a karate chop"), and strikes it gently, down from above, with the outside of her right hand, similarly bent but formed into a fist. (The fist "bounces" off the fingers of the other hand, after striking just once.) A covert salute from a watch member to another officer (used in exaggerated, not-trying-to-hide form by officers not certain of the rank of the person they're saluting): Put the heel of the horizontal right hand on one's own belt, then swing fingers together in a single "tap" against the belt (as if patting one's own belly). If this is immediately followed by a move to scratch one's own left shoulder, it means: "Hi, there! I've got trouble, big trouble, and need you to stay and confer with me. Contrive to get close to me in some non-obvious manner, so we can talk."Pay
A watch member receives 25 gp upon joining, plus a free uniform, a pair of boots, training, and (one) weapon. If dismissed without completing training, all must be returned except 12 gp. Thereafter the watch member receives free room and board at assigned watch barracks (bunk, small beer, simple fare, bath access, weapon oil; need not be accepted, or can be taken up only on a casual "feel like it tonight" basis), plus 5 sp per day (active duty or not), plus 4 sp per patrol (normally only one patrol per day per watch person, the day normally being divided into three slightly-overlapping shifts/patrols). Officers receive the same 5 sp rate, but 5 sp, 7 sp, or 1 gp per patrol, depending on rank. The watch member also receives one replacement uniform, a pair of boots, and an additional weapon per year; others must be paid for out of salary. (Additional weapons and gear are often issued "for free" out of armory lockups for patrol use, but must be returned or replaced.)Ranks of the Watch
Members of the City Watch held the following ranks: Rank Title Patrolperson Blade[3], Patrolman[1] or Watchman/Watchwoman[2] Corporal Sword or Armar[3] Sergeant Amlar[1] or Swordcaptain[2] Lieutenant Rorden[3] Captain Civilar[1][2] or Orsar[3] Major Guardsword[3] Colonel Commander[3] Major General Watchlord[3] Lieutenant General Captain of the Watch[3] General Commander of the Watch[3] Watch members actually hold the following ranks. There are several "groups" of rankings: Watchmen are the rank-and-file, Civilars are field leadership, and Officers are administrative leadership, coordinating the efforts of the Watch on a larger scale. The Ranks here are part of membership in the Lords' Alliance Faction.Watchmen
Blade: Rank 1.The lowest rank, generally applied to new and raw recruits. Every blade is given a sword-ranked partner who teaches him or her the ropes. Sword: Rank 2.The average rank of watchman. Most blades become swords after a year or two of service. Armar: Rank 3.Senior watchmen and the seconds to patrol civilars; the equivalent of a sergeant. Though some swords rise quickly to the position of armar due to sheer leadership and performance of duty, most don't qualify until they've been part of the Watch for a decade or so. Watch-Wizard: A few patrols in each ward are assigned a wizard of the Magists & Protectors as a fifth watchman. Due to this, many watchmen refer to watch-wizards as "fifth-men" or just "fifths". Though assigned to individual guardposts and thus under the authority of that rorden for that shift, watch-wizards answer to the Arcane Watchlord directly.Civilars
Swordcaptain:Rank 4+ The lowest rank of civilar, swordcaptains are in charge of Watch patrols (which generally consist of the swordcaptain, an armar as his second and a pair of watchmen). Rorden: Rank 5+. Rordens are given command over a barracks or a watchpost. Barracks rordens ensure that order is kept in the barracks, and oversees the administrative staff that keep it running. Watchpost rordens are in charge of the four to six patrols who are in their charge during their shift. Orsar: Rank 5+. Particularly charismatic and patient civilars may be made orsars, who act as envoys to the guilds, citizen groups and noble families, acting as their liaisons with the rest of the Watch's organizational structure. If nobles are arrested, an orsar is called to do the interviewing, and either escort them home afterwards, or to be the ones to travel to that noble's family villa to alert the family as to what has happened. Orsars also act as prisoner escorts and serve in honor guards. They have a reputation as always being pristinely presentable and mannerly. Guardsword: Rank 6+. The Dock Ward requires a little more than the standard "handful of patrols operating from a watchpost" set-up. To handle the chaos of that district (and to deal with the needs of any other Ward should tragedy or large areas of violence occur), the Watch maintains guardsword civilars, who act as commanders of multiple patrols in the field. They are generally accompanied by their own patrol-group of armars, which may include an orsar if they are likely to be dealing extensively with the guilds or nobles.Officers
Wardsman:Rank 7+. Referred to sometimes as the "officer of the shift", wardsmen are the Watch officers who are in charge of all the guardposts and patrols of a given Ward. There are six Wardsmen on duty at any given time in their Ward. Watchlords:The watchlords head up entire sections of the Watch. There are four Watchlords. Wards Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Wards Watchlord is in command of the Wardsmen, and is thus the acting head of the patrol watchmen. In some official documents, the Wards Watchlord is referred to as the "Grand Civilar". Notary Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Notary Watchlord oversses the administrative functions of the Watch. He is the head of its small army of clerks and bureaucrats. It is the Notary Watchlord who remains abreast of the Lords' Edicts, and changes to the city's laws, and ensures that the other Watchlords know to educate and update those in their command. Whip Watchlord (Rank 12+): The Whip Watchlord oversees discipline in the Watch. Those who break the Watch's codes are turned over to him for punishment. The Whip's responsibility is also the internal policing within the Watch, and he oversees several patrols of specialized swordcaptains and armars who function as investigators. He also has the right to requisition as many watch-wizards to augment his investigations as is needful. The Whip Watchman is also in charge of the city dungeons, and its small army of jailors. Vault Watchlord (Rank 12+): The Vault Watchlord oversees the financial well-being of the Watch. He prepares budgets, oversees a handful of clerks who tend to the rents, purchases and other payment of coin for goods and bursars who pay the watchmen directly, and is responsible for the security of the Watch Vault itself, where the Watch's coin and other valuable goods are kept. The Vault Watchlord also oversees the Watch's various armorers, stablemasters and the like. Arcane Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Arcane Watchlord - sometimes called the "Mage Civilar" - oversees the assignment of the Watch-wizards. In the instances where the Watch requires aid from friendly temples, the Arcane Watchlord acts as liaison to those temples. The Arcane Watchlord also technically acts as orsar for the purpose of interaction with any of Waterdeep's many powerful and noted mages. Thief-Taker Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Thief-Taker is responsible for the recruitment and oversight of the Thief-Takers of Waterdeep's Watch, those (hopefully) former thieves who work the rooftops and shadows. They use their former skills to track and trap other thieves - particularly burglars and others of that ilk - using their own abilities to give pursuit and eventually capture of rooftop men and cunning rogues. The Thief-Taker's job is a hard one - not only must he manage the work of those independent sorts under his aegis, but he must also watch them carefully for signs of betrayal. Too much trust in them often spells disaster for his reputation, but not enough alienates those who work under him. Senior Armsmaster: This office, which stands above that of the Watchlords, answering only to the Captain and Commander directly, is in charge of the weaponry and equipment the Watch needs, submitting requisitions for repairs and purchases to the Notary Watchlord, and acting as commander for the armories. He is also responsible for the training of new recruits, and his immediate subordinates are called "armsmen" - watchmen of armar status who help maintain and run the armories, and do the actual training of recruits per his orders. Officers of the Day: Any Rank. Every day, four watchmen from all ranks of the Watch are chosen to act as the Officers of the Day. These watchmen act as the messengers and aides-de-camp for the Captain of the Watch. In addition to fulfilling the administrative and grunt requirements the Captain requires assistants with, this position also allows the Captain to meet and work with watchmen he might not ordinarily ever meet otherwise. In this way, he finds the best and the brightest of the lower ranks, and can ensure they rise to their potential. Captain of the Watch: Rank 15+. The Captain is the functional leader of the Watch. Although he does answer to the Commander personally, the successful running of the Watch is left to the Captain's skill and discretion. Champion of the Open Lord: Rank 15+. It is given to the Watch to provide the Champion of the Open Lord, the person who acts as his direct bodyguard and champion should violence become necessary. Though sometimes members of the Watch proper do fulfill this role, more often than not the position is filled by an adventurer or similar sort, specially hired for it. Commander of the Watch: Rank 25. The Commander of the Watch is the Open Lord of Waterdeep.Legal Status
Members of the watch enjoy a wide but legally undefined immunity from most Waterdhavian laws while exercising their duties. They can appeal any sentence uttered against them by any Black Robe (magistrate) to the Lords of Waterdeep, which in practice means Piergeiron -- who has been very lenient with watch members of long service and good character. On the other hand, watch members hate "bad" watch members and will hound a suspected bad apple until they flee the city, agree to all investigations, or clearly establish their innocence. Watch members found guilty of crimes or misbehavior are often fined by the watch as well as punished under law. Conversely, distinguished service often earns handsome retirement bonuses from the Lords (sometimes even outlying land or in-city buildings). Most Waterdhavians grumble at the watch, but obey them, because the watch is seen as fair (if often thick-headed) and helpful as well as jack-booted. (They'll unhesitatingly search for missing children, safeguard broken-open shops or scared persons, and so on.) Persons arrested by the watch are often taken to holding cells in the city wall towers, but the main lockup is a level of ironbar cells in the "dungeons" of Castle Waterdeep, with dangerous prisoners being handed over to the Guard for imprisonment in caverns inside Mount Waterdeep.Watch Sundries
Watch members inevitably become experts in particular neighborhoods, but in the last two decades the watch has made an effort to rotate patrol duties, mixing "area veterans" with watch members from other parts of the city, so every watch officer at least knows the street layout (and places of treacherous footing, poor visibility, or particular ambush danger) of the entire city. Policing the sewers is now the duty of the City Guard, and the watch rarely enter them except when pursuing suspects or discovering sewer tunnels that connect with building cellars. Every veteran watch member knows at least the heads and heirs of all Waterdhavian noble families by sight, plus the persistent troublemakers among the nobility. Many know most of the guildmaster's faces, too.Salutes
Members of the City Guard salute often, usually with a raised weapon, but watch members seldom do so. Some little-used formal and ceremonial salutes exist, but the most common watch salute performed indicates respect for someone's judgment, prowess at arms, or bravery. The saluter draws to attention, looks at the person to be honored, and while doing so, sharply raps the hilt of a sheathed weapon (usually a belt dagger) with one closed fist. To any watch superior, a watch member salutes by tapping his temple smartly with an upraised, vertical forefinger. The replying salute to an inferior is identical only if the superior officer desires to convey profound respect or gratitude. Otherwise, the superior officer bends the left arm (at the elbow) up and across in front of her, turning that hand edgewise-on with fingers and thumb together ("a karate chop"), and strikes it gently, down from above, with the outside of her right hand, similarly bent but formed into a fist. (The fist "bounces" off the fingers of the other hand, after striking just once.) A covert salute from a watch member to another officer (used in exaggerated, not-trying-to-hide form by officers not certain of the rank of the person they're saluting): Put the heel of the horizontal right hand on one's own belt, then swing fingers together in a single "tap" against the belt (as if patting one's own belly). If this is immediately followed by a move to scratch one's own left shoulder, it means: "Hi, there! I've got trouble, big trouble, and need you to stay and confer with me. Contrive to get close to me in some non-obvious manner, so we can talk."Pay
A watch member receives 25 gp upon joining, plus a free uniform, a pair of boots, training, and (one) weapon. If dismissed without completing training, all must be returned except 12 gp. Thereafter the watch member receives free room and board at assigned watch barracks (bunk, small beer, simple fare, bath access, weapon oil; need not be accepted, or can be taken up only on a casual "feel like it tonight" basis), plus 5 sp per day (active duty or not), plus 4 sp per patrol (normally only one patrol per day per watch person, the day normally being divided into three slightly-overlapping shifts/patrols). Officers receive the same 5 sp rate, but 5 sp, 7 sp, or 1 gp per patrol, depending on rank. The watch member also receives one replacement uniform, a pair of boots, and an additional weapon per year; others must be paid for out of salary. (Additional weapons and gear are often issued "for free" out of armory lockups for patrol use, but must be returned or replaced.)Known Watch
Commander of the Watch: , Open Lord of Waterdeep (Palace) Champion of the Open Lord: Captain of the Watch: (Castle Waterdeep • 3rd Floor) Senior Armsmater: (Castle Waterdeep • 3rd Floor)Watchlords
Notary Watchlord: (Castle Waterdeep • 4th Floor) Whip Watchlord: (Castle Waterdeep • 3rd Floor) Vault Watchlord: (Castle Waterdeep • 4th Floor) Arcane Watchlord: (Castle Waterdeep • 4th Floor) Wards Watchlord: (Castle Waterdeep • 3rd Floor) Thief-Taker Watchlord: (Castle Waterdeep • 5th Floor) The City Watch of Waterdeep served as the police force within the city.Tactics
When within the walls of Waterdeep, the City Watch typically patrolled in groups of four, with two patrolmen, one armar, and one civilar. Джерело: <http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/City_Watch_(Waterdeep)>CITYWATCH
The City Guard patrols the roads leading to the Water- deep, watch the walls, guard civic structures, and pro¬tect magisters, so they will be the first soldiers you see in service to the city. But the streets are policed by an altogether different force: The City Watch. The similar-ities of their names confuses newcomers, so I offer this handy mnemonic, “The Guard guards the walls while the Watch watches all.” You can recognize any member of the City Watch by their green-and-goldenrod doublets and tall steel hel¬mets. Each typically carries a long truncheon, dagger, and buckler. Since most citizens in Waterdeep go about unarmed, these tools prove more than ample deterrent to criminal activity in their presence. They do not carry crossbows or other weapons to attack at range, but run-ning from the Watch—while a time-honored tradition for local miscreants—rarely works out for newcomers to the city. I guarantee that the Watch know the streets they pa¬trol and the area’s residents better than you even should you live in Waterdeep for ten seasons. The City Watch works out of various inconspicuous watchposts throughout the city. These buildings are often off the main thoroughfares, tucked away in small courtyards or cross streets. One can be recognized by the green and gold lanterns outside them, lit even during the day with continual flame spells. Each watchpost serves as mustering place, organizational headquarters, and short-term jail (usually for just a handful of indi-viduals and only until a magister is summoned or the miscreant is escorted to one). From here small squads head out on daily and nightly rounds of city streets, or to special protective or investigative assignments. While a mere pair might discretely patrol in the Castle Ward, gangs of eight walk the Dock Ward, increasing to as many as a dozen at night. Watch members who spot trouble they can’t handle blow shrill tin whistles to sum-mon more of their members, an act that often serves to alert citizens. City Watch members follow a strict code of conduct that makes them one of the most trusted police forces outside of the paladin-patrolled Elturgard. So long as you do not engage in what appears to be unlawful behavior, you can expect to be left unmolested by the Watch.Watchful Order of agists & Protectors
Waterdeep has one more-or-less compulsory guild. Expect to be questioned at the gate or when you register with a magister about your ability to cast spells. Spellcasters who intend to stay in the city for any length of time will be required to register with the city and strongly encouraged to join the Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors. Members of the Watchful Order are the only ones allowed to manufacture magical goods or sell such goods or services in the city. Such sales of goods and services are subject to approval by a magister, from whom licenses can be purchased for continued trade. Members of the Watchful Order are also expected to render service to the city when called upon, acting as defacto members of the City Watch or City Guard when called upon to do so. A Watchful Order member can expect to be dragooned whenever magic is used to perpetrate a crime in the city. Those with useful spells can also expect to be tapped for service during fires, mass casualties, or other non-magical disasters. In practice, the Guard almost never calls upon members, and the Watch tends to knock on the doors of only the most civically minded and reliable spellcasters for help in solving crime. Thus, the rest of the guild’s function is to police one another’s behavior. Members of the Watchful Order form a more-or-less-sociable association in the city as they work together to keep i on any spellcasters who opt not to join their guild. Any havoc caused by an individual spellcaster in Waterdeep risks drawing the wrath of the Lords of Waterdeep upon all, so it behooves the Watchful Order to watch all and keep order. WATCH TALK Members of the City Watch employ a sort of slang in deal¬ing with the public. As a visitor it behooves you to know what they mean. “What befalls?” means “Someone tell me what's go¬ing on here.” “Hold!” means “Don't move a muscle.” “Down arms!” means “Drop your weapons.” “Talk truth!” means “Answer me” or “Tell the whole story.” “My jack,” or “My jacks” means that the Watch member suspects the individual or group of being involved in crimi¬nal activity. That person is not yet accused of anything, but the phrase serves to put that person and others in earshot “on notice.” “Robes” references a blackrobes—in otherwords, a magister. If a Watch member says something like, “Do we need robes here?” take that as a threat.City Watch
The City Watch serves as Waterdeep's police force, patrolling the city and ensuring the well-being of its inhabitants. In addition to arresting those who break the laws, Watch patrols often assign passersby with heavy loads, give directions, search for lost children, provide basic medical aid, and referee verbal disputes. The commander of the watch is Captain Rulathon, who reports to Piergeiron. His senior commanders are Grand Civilar Derek Windsfire (NG male half-moon elf fighter 11), Mage Civilar Thyriellentha, and Senior Armsmaster Helve Urtrace. Each ward is commanded by a ward civilar and has a number of guard posts, each commanded by a senior civilar. Each patrol is commanded, by a civilar, who reports to the local senior civilar. There is also one skulk (made up of a half-dozen rangers and rogues) per ward commanded by a Senior Skulk, and one arcanum (made up of a half-dozen sorcerers and wizards) per ward commanded by a Senior Watch-Wizard. Base of Operations: Piergeiron's Palace. City Watch (Expansive Government): AL LN, N, LG; 40000 gp resource limit; Membership 1,600; Mixed (humans 1,020, shield dwarves 160, lightfoot halflings 130, half-elves 110, elves [all kinds] 80, half-orcs 55, gnomes [all kinds] 35, others 10 Salary 5 gp/month.. Requirements: You must spend 30 hours per tenday on duty. Favored in Guild Fringe Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks and Intimidate checks when dealing with any resident of Waterdeep in Waterdeep. The uniform of the Watch is a doublet of leather armor studded with iron rings, under an overshirt of green, black, and gold. Members of the Watch are armed with light steel shields, clubs, daggers, and short swords. The watch has access to the armories of the guard, the Palace, and the wall-towers. All on-duty members can enter any building or area in the city without hindrance or warning and can search any person, place, or container at will, unless specifically forbidden by a Lord. Traditionally, certain areas are lightly patrolled, such as the docks, and others are heavily patrolled, such as the City of the Dead. If a watch patrol encounters a major disturbance, they will blow the distinctive "trembling" note horns they carry on their belts to summon aid, and one member of the patrol will immediately run to the nearest guard tower or guard post to spread the word, usually summoning additional aid from the guard of necessary. If a watch patrol makes an arrest, two members of the patrol immediately escort the captive to a Magister, while the others continue patrolling. The watch prefers to disarm and capture suspects who do not surrender, but, in cases of great danger, lethal force is authorized. Afterward, speak with dead spells are employed on the dead to determine the truth and then resurrection spells are paid for by the city if necessary.Sample Watch Patrol (EL 6)
A watch street patrol consists of four members: a civilar (captain or lieutenant), an armar (sergeant), and two watchmen or watchwomen. Civilar (Captain): Human rogue 1/fighter 3: CR 4; Medium humanoid; HD 1d6+2 plus 3d10+6; hp 30; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15, touch 9, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +3; Grp +6; Atk +8 melee (1d6+4/19-20, +1 short sword) or +7 melee (1d6+3, masterwork club SA sneak attack +1d6; SQ trapfinding; AL varies; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 16, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10. Skills and Feats: Climb +4, Diplomacy +4, Gather Information +4, Heal +4, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (local Waterdeep) +5, Listen 4, Ride +3, Search +5, Sense Motive +5, Spot +6, Use Rope +3; Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (short sword). Languages: Chondathan, Common, Illuskan Sneak Attack (Ex): A civilar deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on any successful attack against flat-footed or flanked targets, or against a target that has been denied its Dexterity bonus for any reason. This damage also applies to ranged attacks against targets up to 30 feet away. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernible anatomies, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are all immune to sneak attacks. A civilar can choose to deliver nonlethal damage with his sneak attack, but only when using a weapon designed for that purpose, such as a sap (blackjack). Trapfinding (Ex): A civilar can find, disarm, or bypass traps with a DC of 20 or higher. He can use the Searchskill to find, and the Disable Device skill to disarm, magic traps (DC 25 + the level of the spell used to create it). If his Disable Device result exceeds the trap's DC by 10 or more, he discovers how to bypass the trap without triggering or disarming it. Possessions: +1 chain shirt, light steel shield, +2 short sword, masterwork club, amulet of the watch*, potion of cure light wounds. Armar (Sergeant): Human rogue 1/fighter 1: CR 2; Medium humanoid;. HD 1d6+2 plus 1d10+2 plus 3; hp 18; Init 4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk +5 melee (1d6+2/19-20, masterwork short sword) or +4 melee (1d6+2, masterwork club SA sneak attack +1d6; SQ trapfinding; AL varies; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10. Skills and Feats: Climb +5, Gather Information +4, Heal +2, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (local Waterdeep) +3, Listen +5, Search +3, Sense Motive +5, Spot +5; Improved Initiative; Toughness, Weapon Focus (short sword) 5. Languages: Chondathan, Common. Sneak Attack (Ex): An armar deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on any successful attack against flat-footed or flanked targets, or against a target that has been denied its Dexterity bonus for any reason. This damage also applies to ranged attacks against targets up to 30 feet away. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernible anatomies, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are all immune to sneak attacks. An armar can choose to deliver nonlethal damage with his sneak attack, but only when using a weapon designed for that purpose, such as a sap (blackjack). Trapfinding (Ex): An armar can find, disarm, or bypass traps with a DC of 20 or higher. He can use the Search skill to find, and the Disable Device skill to disarm, magic traps (DC 25 + the level of the spell used to create it). If his Disable Device result exceeds the trap's DC by 10 or more, he discovers how to bypass the trap without triggering or disarming it. Possessions: +1 studded leather armor, light steel shield, masterwork short sword, masterwork club, potion of cure light wounds, oil of bless weapon, oil of magic weapon. Watchman or Watchwoman: Human expert 1/warrior 1: CR 1; Medium humanoid; HD 1d6 plus 1d8 plus 3; hp 11; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk +3 melee (1d6+1/19-20, masterwork short sword) or +3 melee (1d6+1, masterwork club AL varies; SW Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +3; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 8. Skills and Feats: Climb +4, Intimidate +3, Jump +2, Listen +5, Knowledge (local Waterdeep) +3, Sense Motive +5, Spot +5; Improved Initiative, Toughness. Possessions: Masterwork studded leather armor, light steel shield, masterwork short sword, masterwork club, potion of cure light wounds, oil of magic weapon.Know Thy Watch
Waterdeep has both a standing army (the City Guard) and a police force (the City Watch). Though they often work together, the average Waterdhavian or visitor to the city will most often come into contact with watch street patrols, and see the Guard only at city gates, manning the walls or boarding ships for harbor inspections, and overhead on griffonback. Down the years, watch patrols have exhibited a variety of ranks, uniforms, and strengths, because the watch experiments continually with tactics, equipment, and ways of achieving two impossibly conflicting aims: to sometimes catch miscreants by surprising them with persons they don't identify as watch officers; and to usually reassure citizens and enable them to cry for ready aid by allowing them to readily identify watch officers from afar, on sight, due to distinctive uniforms (and at night, distinctive lanterns and the like). Patrols pass along main streets once between bells, and vary their routes often. Dockside, "red-light," and known frequent-theft areas receive around five patrols per bell, as do known "bad" taverns and inns. Temples are policed lightly, because clergy are assumed to police their own grounds and buildings. (The term "hour" is unknown in the Realms, but temple bells strike more or less in unison, an hour apart.) Watch patrols are on foot but can call horsedrawn watch prison carts to carry off prisoners or confiscated goods. All watch patrols are armed and carry more than one "watch horn." These nonmagical signal horns are used to blow various -- and slightly altered, from time to time -- patterns of calls, to do one of the following: • Summon watch reinforcements • Summon City Guard aid • Summon Watchful Order aid • Summon "duty healers" (priests lent by various city temples) • Proclaim that an alert or search is now ended • Proclaim that someone has been found • Warn fellow watch members away from a dangerous spot or delicate situation To outsiders, "watchmen" (a term that some use for both genders, so a shopkeeper may be heard saying: "And then the lady watchman come running, sir, and strike me blind if she didn't . . .") come in three sorts: "patrolman" (male) or "patroljan" (female), "captain" (any officer controlling a patrol) and "commander" (any officer of higher rank). Many folk call every watch member "officer," just to be safe. Watch members actually hold these ranks, from lowest to highest: blade, sword or "armar" (equivalent to a sergeant), swordcaptain (patrol leader), rorden (in charge of a watchpost or barracks, or either five or six patrols), orsar (envoy to guilds, citizen groups, noble families; also serves as prisoner escorts and in honor guards), guardsword (duty head for shifts patrolling the city docks and gates), commander ("officer of the shift"), and watchlord (the administrative and disciplinary heads of the watch, usually three or four officers who hold special titles personally bestowed on them by Piergeiron). The Captain of the Watch holds sway over all of these. The watch also has special offices (such as jailer, armorer, and horsemaster) that are held in addition to ranks. "Civilar" is a term applied to all ranks from swordcaptains up through orsar. Swordcaptains and higher always wear uniforms or (rarely) armor with uniform tabards, and any watch member may wear helms, gauntlets, and leather armor if they (or a superior officer) deems it necessary. A watch member doesn't have the right to order an inferior watch member not to wear armor. Rank badges take the form of tabards; thanks to widespread counterfeiting, pins are no longer used except on ceremonial occasions. By rank, these badges are as follows (all are encircled by an oval line sculpted into a rolling wave at the bottom and the peak of Mount Waterdeep at the top): • Blade: diagonal slash (lower left to upper right) • Sword: diagonal slash (upper left to lower right) • Swordcaptain: X shape (crossed diagonal slashes) • Rorden: horizontal dagger (hilt on left) • Orsar: vertical open human right hand, fingers uppermost and palm showing • Guardsword: two horizontal swords, upper one with hilt right, lower one with hilt left • All higher ranks: two staring eyes, horizontal sword beneath them (hilt on left) Members of the watch enjoy a wide but legally undefined immunity from most Waterdhavian laws while exercising their duties. They can appeal any sentence uttered against them by any Black Robe (magistrate) to the Lords of Waterdeep, which in practice means Piergeiron -- who has been very lenient with watch members of long service and good character. On the other hand, watch members hate "bad" watch members and will hound a suspected bad apple until they flee the city, agree to all investigations, or clearly establish their innocence. Watch members found guilty of crimes or misbehavior are often fined by the watch as well as punished under law. Conversely, distinguished service often earns handsome retirement bonuses from the Lords (sometimes even outlying land or in-city buildings). Most Waterdhavians grumble at the watch, but obey them, because the watch is seen as fair (if often thick-headed) and helpful as well as jack-booted. (They'll unhesitatingly search for missing children, safeguard broken-open shops or scared persons, and so on.) Persons arrested by the watch are often taken to holding cells in the city wall towers, but the main lockup is a level of ironbar cells in the "dungeons" of Castle Waterdeep, with dangerous prisoners being handed over to the Guard for imprisonment in caverns inside Mount Waterdeep. Джерело: <http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/lore/citywatch1.shtml> Watch Sundries Watch members inevitably become experts in particular neighborhoods, but in the last two decades the watch has made an effort to rotate patrol duties, mixing "area veterans" with watch members from other parts of the city, so every watch officer at least knows the street layout (and places of treacherous footing, poor visibility, or particular ambush danger) of the entire city. Policing the sewers is now the duty of the City Guard, and the watch rarely enter them except when pursuing suspects or discovering sewer tunnels that connect with building cellars. Every veteran watch member knows at least the heads and heirs of all Waterdhavian noble families by sight, plus the persistent troublemakers among the nobility. Many know most of the guildmaster's faces, too.The Watch of Waterdeep
Cities tend to have more polite and disciplined, but sometimes markedly less effective, law of¬ficers than smaller communities do. Perhaps the best of these police forces is the famous Watch of Waterdeep, some details of which follow. These points can be used as a model for Watch behavior elsewhere. Waterdhavian Watch officers always wear uniforms when on patrol, and carry both weap¬ons and horns with which to summon aid. Aid is usually in the form of other Watch patrols, but specific horn calls can summon Watchful Order magists or soldiers from Waterdeep’s small stand¬ing army, the City Guard, as well. (The City Guard operates much as the Watch does, with differences and exceptions noted in the following material.) Members of the Watch customarily address male citizens as “goodsir,” except for persons they know to be Waterdhavian nobility, whom they call “gentlesir.” Every veteran Watch officer knows at least the top people and the heirs of all Waterdhavian noble families on sight, plus the troublemakers. Mixed-gender noble groups are addressed as “gentles.” Commoner women are “goodwives” unless young, whereupon they become “goodlasses.” Young commoner men are usually called “jacks” or “my jacks,” as in: “What befalls? Hold and de¬liver truth, my jacks!” “Hold!” meaning “Freeze,” “Down arms!” meaning “Drop your weapons,” and “Talk truth!” meaning “Answer me” are frequent Watch commands. When Watchmen address officers of supe¬rior rank, “sir” is the all-purpose formal form of address. “Sorn” is an added term of respect, somewhere between “trusted” and “worthy” in meaning, and is applied thus: “Sorn sir.” “Sorn” is also used by higher ranks addressing lower ranks, but instead of “sir,” it’s added (or not added, if the speaker is grumpy or disapproving or merely bored) before the word “trusty.” In most daily situations, when not in front of a lord or palace official, Watch officers tend to ig¬nore rank formalities when their ranks are similar. A Watch patrol leader would think something was wrong, or he was being mocked, if members of his own patrol started calling him “sir” or “sorn sir,” and so would a senior commander, if officers one rank lower than him did the same thing. This is due in part to the practice, almost universal in the Watch, of carefully being very formal and polite when you think your superior is making a mistake, breaking the rules, or just being an “ox-haunch” (behaving like a jackass). In other words, members of the Watch clearly indicate their dis¬approval by tone and excessive formality without actually saying a single word of disagreement. It’s important to note that the Watch places far more importance on diligent behavior while on duty than on matters of etiquette. There’s little or no discipline (beyond a sharp comment) for missing a salute or stumbling over another officer’s title. The Watch prides itself on being family—albeit a gruff, ungentle “slap-on-the- back, mock-one’s-fellows” family—and not what one Masked Lord once publicly called the City Guard: “a bunch of sniff-nosed, post-headed warriors.” Watch patrols in the streets of the city are eight to twelve persons strong. The smaller patrols are used in North Ward and Sea Ward, whereas Dock Ward and South Ward patrols are always a dozen strong. Inside the palace and the City of the Dead, patrols of pairs and trios are the norm. Whenever trouble is known or expected, pa¬trols will be enlarged as well as reinforced by “duty” Watchful Order magists and volunteering local priests. If the Watch is operating in an area that can be overlooked from a readily accessible publicly owned vantage point, extra Watch officers will be stationed on high to watch the movements of suspects and Watch patrols, directing the Watch by means of horn blasts and messengers. Good vantage points include the battlements of Castle Waterdeep, any wall tower, the balconies of the palace, the roofs of barracks, and the roofs of the surprisingly large array of city-owned (and seized for unpaid taxes, but not yet resold) buildings. In daylight, griffonback riders of the City Guard help perform this function if a riot or chase is developing. Salutes: Gestures of Respect The City Guard salutes often, usually with a raised weapon, but Watchmen seldom do so. There are some little-used formal and cer¬emonial salutes, but the most common salute performed by a Waterdhavian Watch officer is done to indicate respect for someone’s judgment, prowess at arms, or bravery. It’s accomplished by drawing to attention, looking at the person to be honored, and, while doing so, sharply rapping the hilt of a sheathed weapon (usually a belt dagger) with one closed fist. To any of superior rank within the Watch, a Watchman salutes by tapping his temple smartly with an upraised, vertical forefinger. The reply (the salute to an inferior) is identical if the superior officer desires to convey profound respect or gratitude. Otherwise, the superior offi¬cer bends both arms at the elbow and holds them in front of him. The right hand he curls into a fist. The left he holds flat with the fingers pressed together, the pinkie side facing downward, in what we might call a karate chop. Then he takes his right fist and lowers it to strike the fingers of his left hand gently. The fist touches just once, bouncing off the fingers. In sharp contrast, members of the City Guard of Waterdeep, militia, and hired mercenaries for¬mally fighting for the city salute all the time. This act is typically done by raising an upright, vertical sword toward the person being saluted. Another common salute, almost always used when ad¬dressing officers of superior rank, is executed by touching the fist gripping the sword to one’s fore¬head, then moving it outward a few inches toward the person being saluted. This movement also serves as a covert salute between Watchmen, used in an exaggerated, not-trying-to-hide way by officers who are not certain of the rank of the person they’re salut¬ing. This salute starts with one’s right hand held at belt level, with the palm facing one’s stomach and the fingers pointed toward the belt buckle. The heel of the hand should touch the belt. Then, the fingers come together and tap the belt once, as if patting one’s own belly. If this gesture is im¬mediately followed by a move to scratch one’s own left shoulder, it’s really a covert signal that means “Hi, there! I’ve got trouble, big trouble, and need you to stay and confer with me. Contrive to get close to me in some unobtrusive manner, so we can talk.” If the scratching is at waist level rather than on the left shoulder, it means “Get out of here right now, but don’t make an obvious exit. I’ll catch up to you and explain.” Salary and Other Benefits The Watch gives a soldier 25 gp upon joining, plus a free uniform, a pair of boots, training, and one weapon. If a member of the Watch is dis¬missed without completing training, everything must be returned except for 12 gp. After a soldier is mustered in, free room and board is assigned to him or her at a Watch bar¬racks. This benefit includes a bunk, a small beer, simple meal fare, bath access, and weapon oil. This room and board need not be accepted—and it can be taken on a casual “feel like it tonight” basis. In addition, members of the Watch get 1 gp per day, whether they are on active duty or not, plus 4 sp per patrol. The day is divided into three slightly overlapping shifts, and normally each Watch member is responsible for only one shift per day. Officers receive the same 1 gp a day, but they also take in 5 sp, 7 sp, or 1 gp per patrol, de¬pending on rank. A replacement uniform, replacement boots, and an additional weapon are given to each member of the Watch once per year. All other uniforms, boots, and weapons must be paid for out of one’s salary. Additional weapons and gear are often issued free of charge out of the armory for use during patrols, but this gear and weaponry must be returned or replaced. Conduct and Misconduct Watch members found guilty of crimes or mis¬behavior are often fined by the Watch as well as punished under law. Dismissal and imprison¬ment apply to the most egregious offenses. On the other extreme, distinguished service often earns handsome retirement bonuses from the Lords, sometimes even including pieces of outlying land or an in-city building. Uniforms, Old and New Both the Guard and the Watch have worn a variety of uniforms over the years, and senior members who desire to wear their older uniforms are usually allowed to do so, even if the garb is of a different style. Thus, several uniforms can be in use at the same time, in the same patrol. Since the mid-1300s DR onward, the City Guard’s dress uniform has been silver plate armor with black cloaks and boots, silver helms, and breastplates decorated with the arms of Water¬deep. Above the arms is a horizontal row of small right-hand gauntlets, fingers pointed upward. These gauntlets denote rank: one for trusty, two for vigilant, and so on. A long gauntlet clutching a drawn sword is used for ranks of commander and higher. The Watch wears a suit of chainmail with a blue surcoat emblazed with a simplified version of the “crescent moon reflected in the water” arms of Waterdeep on the breast and back—a crest more commonly known as the double moon. Members additionally wear helms, armored boots, leather weapon belts and baldrics, and leather gauntlets. If heavy fighting is expected, they might borrow City Guard plate mail, but they would never wear never their black cloaks along with it. Occasionally Watch lads or lasses will be sent undercover. In these cases, they will wear plain, well-worn leather armor (“jacks”), leather boots, and leather breeches of a variety of hues (and usually mismatched). In a barracks, one might see a member of the Watch in “undress” uniform. This consists of a “grayweave” (cotton, dyed gray) tunic that extends to the wrists, ankle-length grayweave breeches, and a white surcoat emblazoned on the breast with a gray, right-hand gauntlet with the fingers pointed up and the arms of Waterdeep stitched in black on the palm.the Watch was reformed (to remove any corrupt members loyal to Neverember, Cazondur, the Xanathar, or other ‘independent interests,’ though these reasons were never made public, the Lords merely announcing they were “seeking efficiencies” to keep costs down so taxes would not have to be raised) with some ranks disappearing and others being transferred (with their incumbents) into the split-off-again City Guard When the dust settled, some veteran Watch members had been promoted, some were gone (in a few cases, into prison; in others, into permanent exile), and a handful had been demoted. Civilars are now expected to keep discipline and see to training for Watch officers active in their wards, and to be the experts on their wards for any other Watch officers who may need their knowledge, regardless of rank; they aren’t expected to be detectives (a few senior Watch officers hold special titles/offices, and their work is to solve murders, trace conspiracies and complex criminal gang plots, and investigate Watch officers)
Структура
Ranks of the Watch
Watch members actually hold the following ranks. There are several "groups" of rankings: Watchmen are the rank-and-file, Civilars are field leadership, and Officers are administrative leadership, coordinating the efforts of the Watch on a larger scale. The Ranks here are part of membership in the Lords' Alliance Faction.
Watchmen
Blade: Rank 1. The lowest rank, generally applied to new and raw recruits. Every blade is given a sword-ranked partner who teaches him or her the ropes. Sword: Rank 2. The average rank of watchman. Most blades become swords after a year or two of service. Armar: Rank 3. Senior watchmen and the seconds to patrol civilars; the equivalent of a sergeant. Though some swords rise quickly to the position of armar due to sheer leadership and performance of duty, most don't qualify until they've been part of the Watch for a decade or so. Watch-Wizard: A few patrols in each ward are assigned a wizard of the Magists & Protectors as a fifth watchman. Due to this, many watchmen refer to watch-wizards as "fifth-men" or just "fifths". Though assigned to individual guardposts and thus under the authority of that rorden for that shift, watch-wizards answer to the Arcane Watchlord directly.Civilars
Swordcaptain: Rank 4+ The lowest rank of civilar, swordcaptains are in charge of Watch patrols (which generally consist of the swordcaptain, an armar as his second and a pair of watchmen). Rorden: Rank 5+. Rordens are given command over a barracks or a watchpost. Barracks rordens ensure that order is kept in the barracks, and oversees the administrative staff that keep it running. Watchpost rordens are in charge of the four to six patrols who are in their charge during their shift. Orsar: Rank 5+. Particularly charismatic and patient civilars may be made orsars, who act as envoys to the guilds, citizen groups and noble families, acting as their liaisons with the rest of the Watch's organizational structure. If nobles are arrested, an orsar is called to do the interviewing, and either escort them home afterwards, or to be the ones to travel to that noble's family villa to alert the family as to what has happened. Orsars also act as prisoner escorts and serve in honor guards. They have a reputation as always being pristinely presentable and mannerly. Guardsword: Rank 6+. The Dock Ward requires a little more than the standard "handful of patrols operating from a watchpost" set-up. To handle the chaos of that district (and to deal with the needs of any other Ward should tragedy or large areas of violence occur), the Watch maintains guardsword civilars, who act as commanders of multiple patrols in the field. They are generally accompanied by their own patrol-group of armars, which may include an orsar if they are likely to be dealing extensively with the guilds or nobles.Officers
Wardsman: Rank 7+. Referred to sometimes as the "officer of the shift", wardsmen are the Watch officers who are in charge of all the guardposts and patrols of a given Ward. There are six Wardsmen on duty at any given time in their Ward. Watchlords: The watchlords head up entire sections of the Watch. There are four Watchlords. Wards Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Wards Watchlord is in command of the Wardsmen, and is thus the acting head of the patrol watchmen. In some official documents, the Wards Watchlord is referred to as the "Grand Civilar". Notary Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Notary Watchlord oversses the administrative functions of the Watch. He is the head of its small army of clerks and bureaucrats. It is the Notary Watchlord who remains abreast of the Lords' Edicts, and changes to the city's laws, and ensures that the other Watchlords know to educate and update those in their command. Whip Watchlord (Rank 12+): The Whip Watchlord oversees discipline in the Watch. Those who break the Watch's codes are turned over to him for punishment. The Whip's responsibility is also the internal policing within the Watch, and he oversees several patrols of specialized swordcaptains and armars who function as investigators. He also has the right to requisition as many watch-wizards to augment his investigations as is needful. The Whip Watchman is also in charge of the city dungeons, and its small army of jailors. Vault Watchlord (Rank 12+): The Vault Watchlord oversees the financial well-being of the Watch. He prepares budgets, oversees a handful of clerks who tend to the rents, purchases and other payment of coin for goods and bursars who pay the watchmen directly, and is responsible for the security of the Watch Vault itself, where the Watch's coin and other valuable goods are kept. The Vault Watchlord also oversees the Watch's various armorers, stablemasters and the like. Arcane Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Arcane Watchlord - sometimes called the "Mage Civilar" - oversees the assignment of the Watch-wizards. In the instances where the Watch requires aid from friendly temples, the Arcane Watchlord acts as liaison to those temples. The Arcane Watchlord also technically acts as orsar for the purpose of interaction with any of Waterdeep's many powerful and noted mages. Thief-Taker Watchlord (Rank 10+): The Thief-Taker is responsible for the recruitment and oversight of the Thief-Takers of Waterdeep's Watch, those (hopefully) former thieves who work the rooftops and shadows. They use their former skills to track and trap other thieves - particularly burglars and others of that ilk - using their own abilities to give pursuit and eventually capture of rooftop men and cunning rogues. The Thief-Taker's job is a hard one - not only must he manage the work of those independent sorts under his aegis, but he must also watch them carefully for signs of betrayal. Too much trust in them often spells disaster for his reputation, but not enough alienates those who work under him. Senior Armsmaster: This office, which stands above that of the Watchlords, answering only to the Captain and Commander directly, is in charge of the weaponry and equipment the Watch needs, submitting requisitions for repairs and purchases to the Notary Watchlord, and acting as commander for the armories. He is also responsible for the training of new recruits, and his immediate subordinates are called "armsmen" - watchmen of armar status who help maintain and run the armories, and do the actual training of recruits per his orders. Officers of the Day: Any Rank. Every day, four watchmen from all ranks of the Watch are chosen to act as the Officers of the Day. These watchmen act as the messengers and aides-de-camp for the Captain of the Watch. In addition to fulfilling the administrative and grunt requirements the Captain requires assistants with, this position also allows the Captain to meet and work with watchmen he might not ordinarily ever meet otherwise. In this way, he finds the best and the brightest of the lower ranks, and can ensure they rise to their potential. Captain of the Watch: Rank 15+. The Captain is the functional leader of the Watch. Although he does answer to the Commander personally, the successful running of the Watch is left to the Captain's skill and discretion. Champion of the Open Lord: Rank 15+. It is given to the Watch to provide the Champion of the Open Lord, the person who acts as his direct bodyguard and champion should violence become necessary. Though sometimes members of the Watch proper do fulfill this role, more often than not the position is filled by an adventurer or similar sort, specially hired for it. Commander of the Watch: Rank 25. The Commander of the Watch is the Open Lord of Waterdeep.Если вы хотите что то добавить или присоединится к команде редакторов - пишите комментарии
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Тип
Government, Law Enforcement
Уровень подготовки
Professional
Уровень ветеранства
Experienced
Место
Контролируемые территории
Известные участники
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