The year is 495. On May 22, King Uther Pendragon, strapped to his horse, led his army of Logres to surprise and slaughter the Saxons who were led by Kings Octa and Eosa at the Battle of St. Albans. As the victorious Britons were celebrating, a treacherous Saxon, masquerading as a doctor, poisoned the water. The king and most the reigning nobility died. Anarchy now reigns as noblemen kill each other to seize positions of power vacated by the mass death of the lords.
Player characters (PCs) begin as young squires between 17 to 19 years of age who were at the battle of St. Albans with the responsibility for their knight’s weapons, armor, horse, and funeral. They all have inherited one of the Salisbury manors from their deceased father, brother, uncle, or cousin who died from their battle wounds or poison.
After the loss of several knights at the Battle of St. Albans and Earl Roderick of Salisbury, who was also poisoned with his king, the county of Salisbury is in a fragile state. Earl Roderick’s widow Lady Ellen of Salisbury attempts to rule as a regent for her ten year old son Robert, the heir to Salisbury. Sir Amig and Sir Leo, who are the marshal and constable of Salisbury respectively, plan to knight the PCs before traditional requirement of 20 years of age to bolster their thinned ranks.
SETTING & CULTURE:
This campaign is an adaptation to Pathfinder of the Pendragon RPG by Greg Stafford which is an translation of the Authurian legends from Mallory, etc. It is as much about the time of the Angevin Empire as about the last Romans in Britain.
Sizes of Settlements = Pathfinder equivalent
Village (fewer than 100 inhabitants) = Village or Hamlet
Town (between 200 to 2,000 inhabitants) = Small Town
Large Town (between 2,000 to 5,000 inhabitants) = Large Town
City (between 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants) = Small City
Great City (at least 10,000 inhabitants) = Large City
RECENT HISTORY:
495 – Battle of St. Albans and current year
493 – Octa and Eosa, the Saxon Kings, escape prison and begin a rebellion. Uther is taken ill and cannot leave his bed.
492 – Cornwall is conquered by Uther. King Uther marries Igraine.
491 – Duke Gorlois of Conrwall rebels against King Uther, and a new civil war begins.
490 – Kings Octa and Eosa, with more Saxons, land in Britain to help their kinsmen but are defeated in battle and captured.
488 – King Uther wars against the Franks on the continent
486 – King Clovis of the Franks conquers Soissons, the last Roman province in the west.
485 – New Saxons from the continent seize Essex
484 – Saxons besiege Eburacum. Uther is defeated in battle, but at Mt. Damen he attacks at night and wins.
483 – High King Aillill of Ireland is killed.
480 - Menevia is seized by Irish who are led by King Guillomaur and Saxons who are led by Pascent, the son of Vortigern. Aurelius Ambrosius is poisoned and dies. His brother, Uther Pendragon, leads the army, defeats the invaders, and is crowned king.
478 – A British fleet, led by Aurelius Ambrosius, attacks the Frisians on the continent, establishing peace for a time.
477 – King Aelle, with more Saxons from the continent, lands and seizes Sussex.
CAST OF NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS:
Sir Roderick, Earl of Salisbury - born 450 died 495.
Lady Ellen, Countess of Salisbury - born 461
Lady Jenna, daughter of Countess of Salisbury - born 477
Robert, heir of Salisbury - born 485
The following classes are unavailable: Alchemist, Antipaladin, Gunslinger, Monk, Ninja, Samurai, and Summoner.
A spell-caster must be either Pagan or Christian
A divine spell-caster can be either Pagan or Christian
An arcane spell-caster can only be Pagan
Non-spell casters can be Pagan, Christian, both, or neither. The median, mean, and majority of commoners are Celtic Christian (see the definitions in the Christian Church description) with tremendous respect for Paganism.
MAGIC
No magic items are available for purchase.
No magic item creation feats are allowed.
No Conjuration spells or spell-like abilities function.
No Evocation spells or spell-like abilities function.
Positive Channeling and Lay on Hands can only cure Vigor
EQUIPMENT
No alchemical items are available.
No heavy armors or Breastplate are available, yet.
Obviously, no firearms.
The following weapons are available: any axe, any bow, any mace, any spear, club, dagger, gauntlets, javelin, light crossbow, lance, longsword, quarterstaff, and shortsword.
Other weapons and armor will be available in later years.
ADDITIONAL VARIANT RULES
We are also using the following variant rules:
Hero Points Honor using the Code of Chivalry
Retraining during Winter Phase
Contacts
After losing 100% HP & 100% Constitution score one is dying
After losing 10 HP beyond 100% HP & 100% Constitution score one is dead
CHARACTER CREATION:
CLASSES
PCs will be knights and must begin with martial weapon proficiency and medium armor proficiency limiting the starting classes to the following: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Cavalier and Magus who takes medium armor proficiency feat. When directed by their lord, they will be obligated to fight from horseback with a shield and at least medium armor.
After 1st level, you can build your characters as you want. However, see the Changes to the Game Mechanics section before you finalize your character concept.
ONLY HUMAN
PCs must be human.
GENDER
Pendragon RPG provides for female characters, but it requires a significant inclusion of modern values, which I would like to avoid. Let me put it to you this way: if a female character has a concept, background, and submission that I like as much as another male character. I will select the male character.
ABILITY SCORES
PCs can place the following six scores how they want: 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, and 10
TRAITS
PCs can take two traits. Besides Paizo-published traits, PCs can create their own trait with the game mechanic benefit of making a skill a class skill with a +1 trait bonus. PCs can take a third trait if they also take a Paizo-published drawback.
SKILLS
PCs will be knights, i.e. mounted warriors, so pay attention to Ride and Handle Animal. Knights are nobles who hunt and attend courts, so pay attention to Survival, Diplomacy, and Knowledge (nobility).
LANGUAGES
The following languages are available: Cymric, Frankish, Irish, Pictish, Roman, and Saxon. PCs receive Cymric for free. Knights like most everyone except Christian clergy are illiterate. With each Int bonus, one can be choose to be literate in one language or select another language to speak. PCs can learn to read another language with a skill rank in Linguistics.
ALIGNMENT
There is Evil in Pendragon taking the form of demons, evil enchanters, and people who have sold their soul to the devil. Both Pagan and Christian can be Good or Evil. PCs must not be Evil. Alignment is your commitment of how you plan to role-play the character. Being Lawful consistently conforms to the norms of society. Playing Good consistently behaves mercifully, generously, and charitably. Chivalry is currently not popular, but it will be popular within a generation.
STARTING EQUIPMENT
PCs begin with the following: hide armor with gauntlets, a lance, a shield, a longsword, a dagger, a courtier’s outfit, a combat-trained light horse, a common riding kit, and their starting class kit.
WINTER PHASE RULES:
Increase your age by one
Reduce value of your best suit of clothing by half
Roll (1d20) survival of any extra animals beyond companions and one horse: 1-2 animal dies or must be put down, 3-20 animal is healthy.
If you want to marry below your station as vassal knight (handmaid of the countess, servant, seamstress of merchant, or sister of a knight who is not at least a vassal knight, you will get perfunctory permission to wed from your lord at Winter’s Court. Roll (1d6) x100 gp for a dowry and x1 Glory
If you want to marry at your station or higher, succeed in a Diplomacy check DC 20. If successful, roll a d20 for me to determine who she is.
COPING WITH CASTLES An army Need friends and/or money for mercenaries
Challenge the lord directly Try to provoke him, but he may not fight
Challenge the lord indirectly Raid his land. Set up a toll. You might get a bad reputation, ie. Honor will decrease.
Subterfuge Kidnap some close to the lord to force him to fight, ie. Honor will decrease.
Violate hospitality Convince you are friendly, then attack him after you have promised not to attack, ie. Honor will decrease.
Bribe someone inside Find a disgruntled member household. Can they be trusted?
Convince someone to help for love Seduce a daughter or servant enough to overcome their loyalty to the lord
Rely on chance Maybe the porter thinks you look like someone he knows or the gate is left open.
