Party Roles in Kingmaker

[Mosaic]

Inspired by one of the other threads, I've created some "Party Roles" for the players/characters in my upcoming Kingmaker Campaign. They are meant to add realistic responsibilities to a group of explorers (a la Louis and Clark) and offer the party some minor perks. Here is a rough draft of my ideas. Primary roles are much more important and would be like one per character. Characters could also pick up a secondary role or two, depending on the workload. Please help me fine tune them. Suggestions and critiques are welcome. Thanks.

[Two other notes: I'm giving players 2 extra skill points to start with - 1 for a Knowledge and 1 for a Craft/Profession - and I'm lowering the base XP for exploring a hex to 50 XP unless characters map it and chronicle their exploits.]

Questions:
1) I've given every role a personal bonus for the character doing the job, and a party bonus. At first I tried to stay away from giving skill bonuses to the skill they probably already have to do the job in the first place, but then I couldn't think of anything else. Does that make sense, or should I just give the Medic a bonus to Heal checks and the Cook a bonus to Prof (cook)? [Personal bonuses are usually 'always on' and most party bonuses require a weekly skill check with one of their relevant skills.]
2) Some of my personal bonus aren't that personal; they tend to benefit the party. I'd love to get some other ideas for better personal benefits.
3) I couldn't think of a party benefit to having a Mage, other than having an arcane spell caster. Help.

Primary Roles (must be filled; players actually keep records)

Artist
- Role: Maintain a visual record of the party’s discoveries and exploits.
- Possible Skills: Craft (visual arts), Profession (artist)
- Personal bonus: +1 on Perception checks
- Party bonus: Art can be sold at Oleg’s for X gp/hex fully explored (DC 15 = 5 gp, DC 20 = 10 gp, DC 25 = 25 gp, DC 30 = 100 gp, DC 40 = 500).

Cartographer
- Role: Maintain a map of the party’s explorations and, later, of the towns and other improvements in their kingdom.
- Possible Skills: Craft (maps), Profession (cartographer)
- Personal bonus: +1 on Knowledge (geography) and Knowledge (local) checks
- Party bonus: +25 XP per hex fully explored, plus can sell maps at Oleg’s for X gp/hex fully explored (DC 15 = 10 gp, DC 20 = 20 gp, DC 25 = 50 gp, DC 30 = 100 gp, DC 40 = 500).

Chronicler
- Role: Maintain a written record of the party’s discoveries and exploits.
- Possible Skills: Craft (essay/story), Profession (writer), Profession (scribe)
- Personal bonus: +1 on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (nobility) checks
- Party bonus: +25 XP per hex fully explored, plus can sell tales of their adventures to visiting bards at Oleg’s for for X gp/hex fully explored (DC 15 = 5 gp, DC 20 = 10 gp, DC 25 = 25 gp, DC 30 = 100 gp, DC 40 = 500).

Treasurer
- Role: Keep track of the party’s funds, sell treasure acquired during adventures, and run the party’s payroll
- Possible Skills: Knowledge (mathematics), Profession (clerk)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Appraise checks; once a week the treasurer can produce 1d6 x 10 gp. This is free money and does not need to be accounted for or paid back; it represents the treasure’s ability budget the party’s money during the expedition.
- Party Bonus: Successful DC 15 skill check means the party can sell treasure for an additional 10% (normally 60% rather than 50% of list value)

Quartermaster
- Role: Purchase supplies for the party and monitor their use and distribution.
- Possible Skills: Knowledge (local), Profession (innkeeper)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Appraise checks; once a week, given 10 minutes and access to the party’s supplies, the quartermaster can find almost anything. He or she may “find” any one mundane tool or item costing no more than 99 gp. This item must be paid for must pay by someone – either the character or the party – as it is assumed that it was actually purchased beforehand.
- Party Bonus: Successful DC 15 skill check per shopping trip means the party can “purchase” mundane gear at a 10% discount. As the designated purchaser, the quartermaster is assumed to have contacts and is able to get good deals due to buying in bulk.

Secondary Roles (would be nice to have them filled, but not necessary; in-character work only)

Animal Handler
- Role: Care for the party’s animals.
- Possible Skills: Handle Animals, Profession (farmer), Profession (stable keeper)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Handle Animal checks with any of the party’s animals, including animal companions but excluding familiars.
- Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check grants Endurance-lite (+2 version of the Endurance feat due to good care) and +1 saves vs. disease and poison for all the party’s animals, including animal companions but excluding familiars.

Blacksmith
- Role: Maintain the party’s equipment, especially arms and armor.
- Possible Skills: Craft (bows), Craft (weapons), Craft (armor), Profession (blacksmith)
- Personal Bonus: Due to the expedition’s resources, the cost of crafting mundane items is 1/4 rather than 1/3 of the finished item’s price.
- Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check earns +2 hp for all the party’s mundane equipment, and any item with the Broken condition is automatically repaired within 24 hours.

Chaplain
- Role: See to the party’s spiritual needs.
- Possible Skills: Knowledge (religion)
- Personal Bonus: 1 free scroll (1 spell, at highest level the chaplain can cast), chosen each time the chaplain levels up.
- Party Bonus: DC 15 skill check grants divine protection spells (Bless, Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith) cast by the party chaplain on party members last for 1 additional minute; skill check is per spell.

Cook
- Role: Keep the party fed.
- Possible Skills: Profession (cook), Profession (baker), Profession (brewer)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Fortitude saves
- Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check earns Endurance-lite (+2 version of the Endurance feat due to good health) for everyone in the party.

Diplomat/Spokesperson
- Role: Act as the “face” for the party – make first contact with potentially friendly persons and negotiate contracts.
- Possible Skills: Diplomacy, Sense Motive, should speak several languages.
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Will saves
- Party Bonus: Diplomat adds +2 to Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks when negotiating on the party’s behalf.

Mage
- Role: Keep an eye out for magic – both treasure and dangers.
- Possible Skills: Craft (alchemy), Knowledge (arcane), Spellcraft, should be able to cast Detect Magic, Read Magic
- Personal Bonus: 1 free scroll (1 spell, at highest level the mage can cast), chosen each time the mage levels up.
- Party Bonus: ???

Medic
- Role: Keep the party healthy
- Possible Skills: Heal, Profession (herbalist), Profession (surgeon)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Heal checks.
- Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check to grant party members +1 hp/level; DC 15 skill check once/week to refill the party’s Healer’s Kit for free.

Naturalist
- Role: Document the flora and fauna observed by the party, and offer insight into natural hazards
- Possible Skills: Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Profession (herbalist)
- Personal Bonus: + 1 on Survival checks
- Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check to grant party members +1 on Fort saves vs. diseases and poison; DC 15 skill check once/week to refill the party’s Healer’s Kit for free.

[psionichamster]

Rather than give out in game rewards to my players, I am using these kind of opportunities to bring them "behind the screen" a bit.

To that end, we have:

Cartographer: Draws maps, responsible for telling us where party is and where stuff is. Also instrumental in determining travel times (pre-trip)

Chronicler: Keeps the IG journal of activities, along with quests, names, and decisions by the party. Also keeps the calendar.

Naturalist: Helps to identify all the flora/fauna of the area, keeps track of kinds of critters killed/encountered, helps set up and break down minis at the table.

City Planner: In charge of the math behind city-building turns. Has the final vote in ties for decisions regarding city funds or whatnot.

Treasurer: handles the treasure the party collects, disburses shares to the party, and assists city planner and chronicler when needed.

Assistant DM: In charge of tracking the party's food and adventuring supplies, but also takes initiative, hunts down obscure rules, helps with table set up.

And then there's me, the DM.

so far, it's worked great, and the off-table talk, plots, and schemes have really brought this AP to life for our group.

[Alienmastermind]

STOLEN. :D

Can't wait to present this to my group.

Dan

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

I like what You've done. And i'm glad the party roles are seeing some use. Something to note. The naturalist will see a lot of use and makes keeping track of monsters and encounters much easier.

[Grendel Todd]

I really like this - pity I'm hip-deep in KM2 & it would be hard to nail them back into such roles this far along. That being said, I wonder how such a system could be applied to the Kingdom management roles? I've been looking for more to develop the posts each character has in government, and this kind of setup looks like a very good way to help players get more of a feel for their jobs and responsibilities.

[laymank]

I love MOSAIC's idea of additional roles for party members. I think I may add this to my campaign group as well, though we are using Warhammer Fantasy 3rd edition rules but playing in the Pathfinder setting.

[Mosaic]

laymank wrote:

I love MOSAIC's idea of additional roles for party members. I think I may add this to my campaign group as well, though we are using Warhammer Fantasy 3rd edition rules but playing in the Pathfinder setting.

Just my take on DM_aka_Dudemeister's idea. But thanks. Anyone have any critiques?

[CalebTGordan]

Yes, I am bringing this back to life. I took this idea and changed it a bit. I added required skills, so the PCs have a little more of a reason to be in those positions. I also added expected player tasks, so that the players understand what needs to be done to gain the bonuses.

Here is what I came up with:

Leader
- Role: Make the big decisions and guide the party.
- Required Skills: Diplomacy, or two Knowledge skills
- Personal bonus: +1 on Perception checks
- Party bonus: 1/day the bonus gained through aiding can be doubled.
- Expected Player Task: To keep the group focused and on task. They are also given the power of counting as two people when the party needs to make a choice. This role is not permission to be a jerk to others and the GM can reassign or remove this role if it becomes a problem.

Cartographer
- Role: Maintain a map of the party’s explorations and, later, of the towns and other improvements in their kingdom.
- Required Skills: Craft (maps) or Profession (cartographer)
- Personal bonus: +1 on Knowledge (geography) and Knowledge (local) checks
- Party bonus: +25 XP per hex fully explored. The party also gains 25gp for each hex they explore due to selling the maps they create.
- Expected Player Task: Keep some sort of map of what the party has explored. This could as simple or complex as the player wishes, but it must also be legible and readable.

Chronicler
- Role: Maintain a written record of the party’s discoveries and exploits.
- Required Skills: Craft (essay/story), Profession (writer), or Profession (scribe)
- Personal bonus: +1 on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (nobility) checks
- Party bonus: +25 XP per hex fully explored. 1/day reroll a knowledge check.
- Expected Player Task: Keep a written record of the games. This can be a simple or complex as the player desires but they must keep track of NPCs, major events, and locations at the very least. They are also in charge of keeping track of what day, month, and year it is in the game.

Treasurer
- Role: Keep track of the party’s funds, sell treasure acquired during adventures, and run the party’s payroll
- Required Skills: Appraise or Profession (clerk)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Appraise checks, +2 on Spellcraft to identify magic items.
- Party Bonus: Whenever the party sells treasure the selling price is 10% higher. This includes minor magic items but not medium or major. This also doesn't count for items created by the party.
- Expected Player Task: They must keep a record of all discovered loot. This record can be as complex or simple as the player desires, but must include how much wealth the party has in coins, art, and gems, and what items the party has but hasn’t distributed to the individual party members.

Quartermaster
- Role: Purchase supplies for the party and monitor their use and distribution.
- Required Skills: Knowledge (local) or Profession (merchant)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Appraise checks, Bonus feat: Well Prepared, even if they don’t meet the requirements for the feat. The money that pays for items gained through the feat comes from the party’s shared wealth. This bonus feat uses the survival skill instead of the slight of hand skill.
- Party Bonus: The party buys all equipment with a 10% discount, this includes minor magic items, but not medium or major.
- Expected Player Task: Handle the inventory of the parties shared equipment. This includes buying anything that the party is going to need but share among the members. None of the items in this inventory are owned by any one party member, but are shared by all. Magic items like wands or magical containers could be included. The quartermaster is not expected to carry this inventory, but they are expected to know who is holding what.

[CalebTGordan]

Secondary Roles (would be nice to have them filled, but not necessary; in-character work only)

Animal Handler
- Role: Care for the party’s animals.
- Required Skills: Handle Animals, Profession (farmer), or Profession (trainer)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Handle Animal checks.
- Party Bonus: Horses are considered to be war trained. If war trained, riders gain a +1 ride bonus.

Blacksmith
- Role: Maintain the party’s equipment, especially arms and armor.
- Required Skills: Any Craft
- Personal Bonus: Due to the expedition’s resources, the cost of crafting mundane items is 1/4 rather than 1/3 of the finished item’s price.
- Party Bonus: Any item with the Broken condition is automatically repaired within 24 hours.

Cook
- Role: Keep the party fed.
- Required Skills: Profession (cook), Profession (baker), or Profession (brewer)
- Personal Bonus: +2 to survival checks to find food. Food is always tasty and filling.
- Party Bonus: Party members heal 1 additional hit point for a full nights sleep, or an additional 2 points for a full day of bed rest.

Diplomat/Spokesperson
- Role: Act as the “face” for the party – make first contact with potentially friendly persons and negotiate contracts.
- Required Skills: Diplomacy and must speak two languages besides common.
- Personal Bonus: +1 to Diplomacy, +1 to Linguistics
- Party Bonus: 1/day a diplomacy check may be rolled twice and the best result taken.

Medic
- Role: Keep the party healthy
- Required Skills: Heal, Profession (herbalist), or Profession (surgeon)
- Personal Bonus: +1 on Heal checks.
- Party Bonus: 1/day the amount of HP healed from treating deadly wounds is doubled. You may choose to use this bonus after you roll your heal check.

Naturalist
- Role: Document the flora and fauna observed by the party, and offer insight into natural hazards
- Required Skills: Knowledge (nature), or Profession (herbalist)
- Personal Bonus: +2 on Survival checks to find food.
- Party Bonus: Treating deadly wounds only needs one use of the healer’s kit. 1/day poison can be neutralized.

[Lee Hanna]

I was thinking of something not so grand, but including a role for someone to track NPCs-- enemies, friends, or otherwise.

[CalebTGordan]

Lee Hanna wrote:

I was thinking of something not so grand, but including a role for someone to track NPCs-- enemies, friends, or otherwise.

That is the Chronicler's job. They are to at least keep track of NPC, major events, and locations.

[miniaturepeddler]

My other group just started this AP, and since I had been playing this with Brian for a year now, I was surprised when this GM did not use this system.

This addition does add an additional fun factor, and I hadn't realized it until I began playing the same AP without it. :)

[Mosaic]

Thanks. ;)

[CommandoDude]

Remove Mage altogether. It's not a role for a party, it's just a title. A spellcaster IS a mage, being a mage does not in of itself benefit the party except for providing spellcasting. It amounts to doing nothing that the spellcaster would not already be doing and thus is pointless.

Change Treasurer to Knowledge Engineering (there is no Knowledge mathematics)

Also, instead of giving the knowledge skills a flat bonus, give them as class skills. A bonus to those checks is the same as no bonus at all if you don't have it as a class skill. (You can't make knowledge checks unless you have it as a class skill).

[Irbis]

CommandoDude wrote:

Also, instead of giving the knowledge skills a flat bonus, give them as class skills. A bonus to those checks is the same as no bonus at all if you don't have it as a class skill. (You can't make knowledge checks unless you have it as a class skill).

Whether you can use knowledge skills has absolutely nothing to do with class skills- a class skill only means you get a bonus of 3 if you train them. Knowledge skills however cannot be used untrained (except if the DC does not exceed 10 or you can research it). So untrained usage might be allowed in addition to the bonus, so everyone can use the role boni, but characters who already have it as a class skill would still be better.

[FreebieKL]

Here's my take on the roles. I have allowed my players to take an additional optional role as well as divide up the required roles.

Cartographer (required)
Role: Maintain a map of the party’s explorations and, later, of the towns and other improvements in their kingdom.

Task: Update the party map on the Wildlands site.

Skills required: Craft (maps)

Tools of the trade: Artisans tools (cartographers kit), otherwise -2 on craft check. Masterwork tools give a +2 to the check.

Materials required: Parchment (2cp), Ink (8sp), both used up by the craft attempt. A DC check of natural 1 and the map is ruined, the materials wasted. A DC check of natural 20 and it is a work of art, double its value.

Personal bonus: +1 on Knowledge (geography) and Survival (knows the location of the nearest water, shelter etc.) checks.

Story awards: Completing a map of the kingdom 1000xp

Party bonus: +25 XP per hex fully explored, plus can sell maps at Oleg’s for 1/2 the DC check result x 1sp per hex explored (or city hex mapped), reflecting the quality and accuracy of the map.

Chronicler (required)
Role: Maintain a written record of the party’s discoveries and exploits.

Task: Update the party chronicle on the Wildlands site.

Skills required : Profession (scribe)

Tools of the trade: Goose quill (1cp) . Using a quill from a magical beast grants a +2 bonus on the Profession check.

Materials required: Paper (4cp), Ink (8sp)

Personal bonus: +1 on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) checks.

Story award: Completing the 'Tales of the founding of a Kingdom' 1000xp

Party bonus: +25 XP per encounter completed, plus can sell tales of their adventures to visiting bards at Oleg’s for 1/2 the DC check x 1sp per encounter(or kingdom event), reflecting the excitement and drama of the tale.

Treasurer (required)
Role: Keep track of the party’s funds, sell treasure acquired during adventures, and run the party’s payroll

Task: Update the party loot log on the Wildlands site taking away living costs (see CR p405) and restock costs (see below), maintain the Kingdom record, make Stability checks

Useful skills: Appraise

Tools of the trade: Merchant's scale (2sp). A Magnifying glass (10gp) grants a +2 on Appraise checks. Note a spellcaster with a raven familiar gets a +3 check to appraise!

Personal Bonus: +1 on Appraise checks; once a week

Story award: Establish the Treasury and founding the capital city and Bank (22BP): Halves cost of Guildhall, market and waterfront in the same city; Economy+2, Stability+1. 1000xp

Party Bonus: Successful DC 15 skill check means the party can sell treasure for an additional 10% (normally it's vale in the loer coinage denomination than its original price)

Quartermaster (required)
Role: Purchase supplies for the party and monitor their use and distribution.

Task: Update the character sheets between adventures, assuming party in town or have access to resource, to ensure all consumables restocked. Present the 'bill' for restocking to the treasurer.

Useful skills: Diplomacy for bargaining.

Personal Bonus: A successful DC15 check reveals a rumour. A successful DC 20 check uncovers a masterwork item for sale, if the party wish to purchase it. A successful DC 30 check uncovers a magical item for sale.

Party Bonus: A successful DC15 check results in a 10% discount on the restocking bill.

Naturalist (optional)
Role: Document the flora and fauna observed by the party, and offer insight into natural hazards

Task: Record the creatures and unusual plants encountered on the Wildlands site.

Useful skills (at least one is required) : Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Profession (herbalist)

Tools of the trade: Goose quill (1cp) . Using a quill from a magical beast grants a +2 bonus on the Profession check.

Materials required: Paper (4cp), Ink (8sp)

Personal Bonus: + 1 on Knowledge (nature) and identifying a monster's abilities and weaknesses.
Party Bonus: +25xp bonus per creature logged with special abilities and weaknesses known.; DC 15 skill check once/week to refill the party’s Healer’s Kit for free.

Animal Handler (optional)
Role: Care for the party’s animals.

Task: Pass the animal care bill to the treasurer.

Required Skills: Handle Animals

Required materials : Stabling cost 5cp/day/animal feed 5cp/day/animal

Personal Bonus: +1 on Handle Animal checks with any of the party’s animals, including animal companions but excluding familiars.

Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check grants Endurance-lite (+2 version of the Endurance feat due to good care) for all the party’s animals, including animal companions but excluding familiars.

Blacksmith/Bowyer (optional)

Role: Maintain the party’s equipment, especially arms and armor.

Task: inform Quartermaster of any savings

Required Skills (one of): Craft (bows), Craft (weapons), Craft (armor), Profession (blacksmith)

Personal Bonus: +1 on Endurance checks reflecting the hard work and conditioning as a result.

Party Bonus: Weekly DC 15 skill check earns +2 hp for all the party’s equipment for that week. Also with successful DC check (see craft table CR p93) any broken item can be repaired for 1/5th the original cost of the item and arrows/bolts restocked for 1/3rd normal price.

Chaplain/Magister
Role: See to the party’s spiritual needs/magical protection

Task: Make the appropriate sacrifices/prayers to maintain the Gods blessings/ study magic items acquired and check for malignant spells in effect

Required Skills: Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft

Personal Bonus: +1 on either Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft checks

Party Bonus: DC 15 skill check grants each player a minor blessing, usable on the next adventure, to grant a +1 bonus to any d20 roll./DC 15 + item's spellcaster level identifies magical properties of any acquired magic items and a further DC15 checks grants PC's a +1 bonus to any save spells or magical effects during the next adventure.

[Chuckbab]

Sorry to wake a dead post, but here's a role I like to use in all my campaigns.

The Tactician
He keeps track of the initiative rolls (for both the PCs and the enemies) and call the turns during battle. He also takes note of any lingering effect (poisons, conditions like stunned...).

Basically, he does what a combat manager software would do, without the need for a computer at hand.