Land Grants, Titles and PCs


Lost Omens Campaign Setting General Discussion

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This may not be the best place to ask this, but I didn't see any place better. My question is kind of world general (any world). In the game I am running I am thinking of giving the PCs, at the completion of the current adventure they are doing (and I will continue the game beyond this adventure) rewarding them with a land grant and titles. I have tried to research this and have found very little useful information. How would you handle coontinuing the adventures after the PCs get this? How would you handle the PCs and thier lands and titles? Any help, and advice would be appreciated.


rhalwarlock wrote:
This may not be the best place to ask this, but I didn't see any place better. My question is kind of world general (any world). In the game I am running I am thinking of giving the PCs, at the completion of the current adventure they are doing (and I will continue the game beyond this adventure) rewarding them with a land grant and titles. I have tried to research this and have found very little useful information. How would you handle coontinuing the adventures after the PCs get this? How would you handle the PCs and thier lands and titles? Any help, and advice would be appreciated.

PCs getting a stronghold of their own is a great thing from a roleplaying standpoint. It really allows for strong character development on the behalf of the characters. I have used this sort of thing before. The king granted one of the characters in our group the title of lord. He bequeathed the PC with the lands and castle of a knight who had actually become one of the campaign's villains (the PCs had slain him in a previous adventure).

Similarly, you could do this sort of thing by having the old master who taught the party wizard pass away, leaving his tower and lands to them in his will.

A rogue could take over the remains of the thieve's guild after the guildmaster is revealed to be a wererat.

Clerics could rise to the point in the area (and often do) of being the most closely connected person to their deity. Perhaps they are named high priest and have a temple from which they can preside.

A lot of good tips for this can be found in The Stronghold Builder's Guidebook. Other tips for this sort of thing can be found in Power of Faerun. There's a lot of ways to do this. It can be a great campaign enriching experience, if done correctly.

Liberty's Edge

I've found these two links quite helpful for quick stats.

Population Demographics D&D
Medieval Demographics Generator

They might help you with the rough sketch and then you can spend more time working on flavor.


Land was very common as a reward up until the twentieth century. It was plentiful and usually ultimately beneficial to the local Lord or King to give it as a reward. Since it was often undeveloped and unpopulated (at least with those loyal to the sovereign), giving it to a loyal follower would mean it would be developed and settled. Thus, providing more revenue for the lord in the form of taxes and expanding his influence.

It can give the players a "home" to return to and store their loot. It's also great for GMs to launch adventures from or around.

I would follow these guidelines and adjust for your campaign:

* Keep the land grants small, like a few acres. As they prove their loyalty and go up in levels, the rewards get bigger.

* Either make it undeveloped (ie full of monsters) or maybe a small farm.

* If a farm, it could come with peasants or serfs. It would become the PC's duty to protect them.

* If the king/noble is unscrupulous, he might be trying to offload a "white elephant" of swampland or haunted ruins.

Liberty's Edge

Do a bit of research on various historical figures who had noble titles of one sort or other or were knights and yet still spent many years as wandering mercenaries.
Let them hire a seneschal, assure them that property reasonably increases in value providing a proper inheritance, and let them continue roaming the world, smiting monsters and all that, with a neat title tagged on their name as they go their way.

Liberty's Edge

What kind of adventuring does your group fancy?

You can do the knight errant thing as Sam suggested,
or you could give them a ship like "Sir" Francis Drake and let them scoot around in it.
You could give them an Earldom to hold that borders the bleaklands on the edge of civilization where orc and ogre pay homage to unseen masters.
Depends on what you do best, and what they like best.


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Here is something that a PC in one of my campaigns once earned for service to the local ruler...

Spoiler:

Manor of Iaronwell, Holding of Nygoto Dal’Kimba

Before the Long Winter Iarondwell was a small manor in Chajista Dell on the Ilassis River. The holding consisted of:
*A small fortified manor house of the chateau style with a large eating hall and kitchen. There is a bake house, stables, a dairy barn, creamery, buttery, and a dovecote.
*Manor village with a smithy, lumberyard, and a pottery works.
*Pastures (usually for dairy cattle).
*A woodcutters’ settlement.
*A charcoal burners’ settlement.

Status after the Long Winter: The roof of the manor was almost entirely destroyed and there was massive damage to the interior rooms. The out buildings are in good shape but in need of minor repairs. The dovecote is in poor shape. The manor village is in good shape, though none of the tools associated with any of the crafts are present. All the dairy cows were consumed during the Long Winter. The village was abandoned during the Long Winter and a number of undead moved in.

Current Status: Iarondwell has had a slight revival. A number of people have moved into the village, about half of them are original inhabitants, half are new comers. There is some tension between the new comers and original residents—while the older inhabitants generally took up their old residences, the new comers moved into whatever buildings were in good shape and not occupied. Most of the new comers came from Beldan and are Orodradi. They are all of the Viponan religious sect (Orthodox). So beyond everything else there is religious tension among the manor folk. The woodcutters’ and charcoal burners’ are unoccupied. The dairy cows brought from Beldan are faring very well. The dairymen are prospering, but beyond the local area they don’t have much of a market for their wares. The river is thick with salmon and trout. The woodlands abound with game.

Financial Status: The amount of revenue generated or debt owed on Iarondwell Manor is calculated twice a year based on a Leadership check.
DC 5: The manor is in serious trouble. PC must pay 10d6 to cover maintenance, taxes, wages, and various other expenses at the manor. Failure to pay indicates the manor has been sold to cover debts owed.
DC 10: The manor did not do well. PC must pay 5d6 to cover maintenance, taxes, wages and various other expenses at the manor.
DC 15: Manor is holding steady. Income and debt are even.
DC 20: Manor is making a small profit. PC earns 2d6gd.
DC 25: Manor is making an average profit. PC earns 5d6gd.
DC 30: Manor is making a large profit. PC earns 10d6gd.
DC 40+: Manor is making huge profits. PC earns 20d6gd.

Adjustments to DC:
+1 for every 5gd spent.
+1 per 4 ranks of Profession/Herdsman or Profession/Merchant
+1 per 4 ranks of Knowledge/Local/Pfinnashire
+1 per 4 ranks of Knowledge/Nobility & Royalty
+1 per level of Noble

Leadership check is based on CHA modifier and the modifiers below. Characters without the leadership feat suffer a -5 to Leadership checks.

Adjustments to Leadership checks:
*Great renown: +2
*Fairness and generosity: +1
*Special power: +1
*Failure: -1
*Aloofness: -1
*Cruelty: -2
*No Leadership feat: -5


I'm fairly certain I have at least one other example in my files.

CJ


The above land grant was part of the character earning a title.

Here are the details for his title.

Spoiler:

Let it be known that on this day, the 11th day of Thirdmonth in the 20th Year of the reign of Sinudaros, King of Pendar, the good and just noble lord...

Nygoto of gen Kimba

is elevated to the noble rank of Dalinos with all the privileges and honors due that rank. He may henceforth style himself Nygoto Dal’Kimba as is the custom of the Pendari nobles. In accordance with this rank, Lord Dal’Kimba is granted lands within the County of Maldan. The lands granted to Lord Dal’Kimba shall compromise the manors of Choljan and Iarondwell; and the villages of Lissilya, Adurlan, and Madaysaer. These lands are granted to Lord Dal’Kimba for the duration of his own life and the lives of his heirs and descendants so long as they serve the County of Maldan and the Crown of Pendar.

Being Sheriff is a test of Leadership that requires an investment in time and energy. The Sheriff is charged with keeping the King’s and Count’s peace, collecting taxes, and sitting in judgment on cases brought before the Shire Court. Twice a year, at Midsummer and Midwinter, the Sheriff needs to make a Leadership check in order to determine the state of his Shire and ascertain if any personal profit was generated. Leadership check is based on CHA modifier and the modifiers below. Characters without the leadership feat suffer a -5 to Leadership checks.

Adjustments to State of the Shire Leadership roll:
+1 per 100gd spent
+1 per 4 ranks of Profession/Farmer or Profession/Merchant
+1 per 4 ranks of Knowledge/Local/Pfinnashire
+1 per 4 ranks of Knowledge/Nobility & Royalty
+1 per level of Noble
+1 for every 30 TU’s spent focused on being Sheriff.

State of the Shire:
DC 5: The Shire is not doing well. The peasantry is revolting. Bandits roam the wilds preying upon innocent folk. Brigands plague the roadways.
DC 10: The Shire is in poor shape. There is despondency and restlessness. Turmoil lurks just under the surface and there is dissension and strife.
DC 15: The Shire fairs well.
DC 20: The Shire is doing slightly above average.
DC 25: The Shire is prospering.
DC 30: The Shire is exceeding all expectations. There is joy in the Shire and the sheriff is well liked and respected.

The Shire is not doing well. The chances of making a profit are actually fairly high under these circumstances: Leadership check DC15 for 10d6gd of profit. However the chances that individuals higher up the feudal food-chain might find desire to intercede are also good: Leadership check DC15 to avoid scrutiny. Scrutiny is bad. Scrutiny means a trip to the Citadel and possibly some time in the Executive Suite at the Goal. For each half-year the Shire is in this state the DC to avoid scrutiny increases by 1.
The Shire is in poor shape. The chances of making a profit are not good when the shire is in this condition: Leadership check DC20 for 5d6gd of profit. The chances of coming under scrutiny are fairly slim: Leadership check DC5. Scrutiny in this case means very little. The powers higher in the food chain are displeased but not overly concerned.
The Shire fairs well. It is not easy to make a profit under these conditions: Leadership check DC25 for 5d6gd of profit..
There is no chance of scrutiny; there is a slight chance of positive notice: Leadership check DC25. Positive notice means possible favor at Court.
The Shire is doing slightly above average. There is a better than average chance of making profit under these conditions: Leadership check DC15 for 5d6 of profit.
There is a chance of positive notice: Leadership check DC20.
The Shire is prospering. There is a good chance of making a profit under these conditions: Leadership check DC15 for 10d6 profit.
There is a good chance of positive notice: Leadership check DC15.
The Shire is exceeding all expectations. There is an excellent chance of making a profit under these conditions: Leadership check DC12 for 20d6 profit.
There is a very good chance of positive notice: Leadership check DC12.

Due to neglect over the Long Winter there is a -5 penalty applied to the State of the Shire until further notice.

Adjustments to Leadership checks:
Great renown: +2
Fairness and generosity: +1
Special power: +1
Failure: -1
Aloofness: -1
Cruelty: -2
No Leadership feat: -5

This campaign used TU's (Time Units) as a way of keeping track how much time a given PC could spend during a given calendar year in activities. Adventuring required "spending" time (or time units). It was just a mechanic for keeping track of things like training, crafting, and earning a normal living.

This campaign also used a silver piece economy, so 1gd (gold domar/coin) was a fairly large amount of money.

CJ


Of course closely related to being granted lands, is to interact with the feudal order by taking service.

Here is an example of a Service Oath and the benefits it bestows.

Spoiler:

This certifies that the Midwrathe character

<insert name>

has of his or her own free will pledged...

Service to Countess Vaisya Szasti e’bar’Voldar

It is right that those who offer to us unbroken fidelity should be protected by our aid. And since the aforementioned, a faithful one of ours, by the favor of the Eronem, coming here in our steading with his arms, has seen fit to swear trust and fidelity to us in our hand, therefore we decree and command by the present precept that for the future such and such above mentioned be counted with the number of our service. And if anyone perchance should presume to kill him, let him know that he will be judged guilty of his wergild of 100 silver pfennings.

In accordance with this pledge and oath, the above named character is now in service to Her Grace, Lady Vaisya Szasti e’bar’Voldar, the Countess of Maldan, as a:

Man-at-Arms

This service carries with it a troth of one day of duty out of every four (90 TU’s per year). While engaged in the Countess’s service the character should be clad in her Livery.

While engaged in Countess Vaisya’s service the character is entitled to meals and accommodations at the Citadel of Er&#337;dkarmazsin, or any fief held in direct fealty by the Countess or her chosen vassals. Further the character may draw upon the armoury and stores of the Citadel as is necessary for the performance of duties. The character may also be afforded payment for whatever duties and in whatever amount the Countess or her chosen representative deems appropriate.

While in service to Countess Vaisya the character has access to instruction in the following skills: Bluff, Craft (Atilliator, Armourer, and Weaponsmith), Handle Animal, Healing, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty), Literacy, Profession (Boater, Clerk, Coachman, Cook, Engineer, Herald, Lawyer, Sapper, Siege Engineer, or Soldier), Riding (Horses), Sense Motive, Speak Language (Sardrinné & Pendrinné), and Swim. The character has access to the Fighter player character class and the Warrior non-player character classes from the System Reference Document. All feats, skills, and classes to which the character has access must still be learned (requiring time).

CJ


Another Service Oath from/for a character with a bit more Norse to him...

Spoiler:

Let it be known to all that I am Bjarné, son of Fjarli, grandson of the mighty Gnärli Redshirt – the renowned slayer of dire halibut and feared for the great strength of his drinking.  I have come from unfair imprisonment in fell copper mines; fought against the foulest of monsters including loathsome bloodsucking stirges, vampires and their undead minions, as well as ice lizards, devil dogs, wolves, hydra, and countless monkeys. At long last, I have returned to free fair Renoga from the clutch of vampiric invaders, assist in restoring civilization and honor to Maldan, and make the finest boots ever worn by noble Azuri. This I would do in the name of Her Grace, the gracious Countess of Maldan, for whom I pledge my life, my honor, and my sword, should she deem me worthy.

Her Grace accepts that a mighty man in byrnie are you, of proven bravery, bold in battle. Into Her war-band come you, to serve as warrior and counsel wise words.

I, Bjarné, make this oath: that I shall be in the forefront of fierce battle, forging ahead with my liege and friend, coming to the war-call carrying my weapons; and when no battle causes the war-horn to blow, I shall not forget the ring-giver’s generosity, but will offer wise counsel as I may. And though I had liefer lay down my life than see harm come to my liege, still should the poisoned point or aged edge strike Her down, then I shall not flee a single footlength from the field, but rather shall advance into the enemy army, slaying as I might, to avenge the protector of my people. And by the Three-Who-Are-One, may this sword smite me upon which my hand rests, may my own edge twist and turn against me should I fail to keep this oath.

Her Grace has heard your oath, as have All-Of-The-Above. Hear you then Her vow to you: with red gold shall She gift you, granting good gifts as you merit, round rings rolling from Her hand to yours; among Her huscarls shall you sit in the sumbel, with sweet mead strong filling your stoup; if to the lawcourt you are called, in legal tangles twisted and tied, then She and all Her huscarls and kin shall stand as oath-helpers if you should need this; and finally, Her sword shall stand between you and your enemies, Her strength and Her war-band beside you boldly, for bare is brotherless back. May Saint Kirnalt, Patron of Our Folk witness Her words, let Saint Bona hold Her faithful, may Saint Amas make Her tireless in the pursuit of this oath, and may Saint Aven hallow this vow.

In accordance with this pledge and oath, the above named character is now accepted into service to Her Grace, Lady Vaisya Szasti e’bar’Voldar, the Countess of Maldan as

Man-at-Arms

...and granted the Right to Bear Martial Arms and Metal Armour. This service carries with it a troth of one day of duty out of every four (90 TU’s per year). Whenever bearing arms in the service of Her Grace, the character shall wear Her Livery.

While engaged in Her Grace’s service the character is entitled to meals and accommodations at the Crimson Citadel in Renoga. As a member of Her Grace’s huscarls the character may draw from the armoury stores a chain byrnie, shield, helm, two long spears, and a missile weapon of the character’s choice. The character may also be afforded payment for whatever duties and in whatever amount the Countess deems appropriate.

While in service to Her Grace the character has access to instruction in the following skills: Bluff, Climb, Craft (Armourer, Bowyer/Fletcher, Weaponsmith), Diplomacy, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty), Profession (Sapper or Soldier), Ride, Sense Motive, and Speak Language (Pendrinné, Sardrinné). If illiterate the character may learn to Read and Write. All feats, skills, and classes to which the character has access must still be learned (requiring time).

CJ

RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

Funnily, I just came across and was flipping through my old "Test of the Warlords" module this weekend, and was thinking it would be a great concept for the final acts of a successful campaign.

http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/w/wizardsOfTheCoast/byProductType/roleplay ingGames/dungeonsDragons/classicDAndD/adventures/v5748btpy7muu&source=s earch

I think it was primarily TSR's attempt to make a module that showcased the dominion and mass combat rules in the Companion boxed set. It would require a fair amount of conversion these days, but it still has a lot of neat ideas and background for getting PCs into their own dominions, with the land grab to start, and all sorts of ensuing conflicts and dramas.

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