I have two PCs (in a Kingmaker-like game) who are looking for brides. I am using many of the kingdom/building rules to put a campaign element around a set of converted D&D 1e modules. It is fun
However, two of my characters are currently looking for potential brides - and I want them to have a choice. And I know can get very predictable when I write a lot of NPCs at once. So any thoughts or ideas that might help spawn something different would be good.
It is a strange campaign - it that we only get together once per year - and then play solidly for a weekend so the Pcs will use a (sort of) mail order bride system :) The Bride can be CR2 at the very most!
PC1: Is a Dwarf (Fighter Rogue) who has recently come into possession of a nice hill that already has tunnels rooms and all sorts. It wasn't made by Dwarves (Obviously) but now he intends to do it up. He works for the local nobles and is seen to be a 'rising star'. There are two wealthy dwarven families locally - one runs a brewery and the other runs an Inn. There are a couple of more traditional Dwarven Mine holds within travel distance. One high up in the mountains, the other as part of a lowland, coastal multi-racial setting.
PC2: Ia a human Mage/Cleric of Nethys. Scion of an old noble family, he has just been given title to a nice lakeside villa (a couple of miles from the nearest town). He too works for the local rulers and is seen to have potential (what PC isn't?). He has two wealth aunts on the look out for suitable candidates. One group of people who are influential locally are the 1/2-elf children of an CG eleven priest of Desna. They are all half-siblings (or varying ages) with different mothers.
Dwarven brides:
- Pirate Queen, retired after losing an eye. Has an eye patch covering the glass eye (magical arcane eye ideal for keeping tabs on wayward husbands and those intent on stealing her booty). She has a lust for life and finds the rivers and lakes of the River Kingdoms a less innately dangerous environment. She will press for a waterfront and proper maritime traditions inspired by hers truly, of course. Rum and rum-derived cuisine preferred. Expert 1/Swashbuckler 3.
- Owlbear huntress (aspiring), complete with bear armor, long sturdy spears, a high-powered crossbow and a fondness for bear traps. When she gets angry, she sets a bear trap at her door. If she's nice, she sets it outside of the door. Bear-like temperament. 3rd level Fighter or appropriately themed Hunter/Ranger.
Thanks Guys.
I am afraid a Chelaxian Noble is a bit too grand, and a bit too high fantasy, for the little mountain stronghold we are using in lieu of the Stolen Lands.
However, the Pirate Queen inspired :-
Daisy Knotley – daughter of a good friend of Aunt Ophelia. While most girls her age were fascinated by Horses, Daisy was fascinated by the lake, and spent much of her time sailing and fishing. When she was old enough, Daisy headed down to the sea to try he hand on the ‘Big Waters’ as she called them. Now, a few years later, she is back. 25-30 years old, with a bit of a limp and a very self-assured manner – Aunt Ophelia is sure that she will be able to keep the staff in line without resorting to her cutlass.
(Probably Aristocrat 3)
He also has met "a homely young lady with a quiet, competent air" (expert) and a "Travelling Entertainer - Tall, light olive skin, dark hair, green eyes - Exotic" (Bard/expert) - to give him a bit of variety :)
On to the dwarf next - and while an owl bear huntress doesn't quite work in this setting - I can see a female dwarf with a long boar spear ....
*grin* Some of those will come out again when I get to the same place with my current online players. But that worked so well last time, I thought I would try the same sort of thing again :)
This time, I am looking for something a little less aristocratic, and a bit more prosaic for an occasional Kingmaker-esque game.
Have you seen this thread?
Thanks RobRendell - I hadn't seen that thread - but it looks like it could help me with some seed ideas :)
Lee Hanna - Thank you. I use the base concepts described in the bolg when I run 'regular' games. In my RPoL Kingmaker (for example) I have two characters planning a marriage, a female PC who has set her cap at a minor local noble, and another who is 'flirting' with every good looking male NPC she finds. And we aren't yet out of book 1!
But this particular request is for a once-a-year game - where the players have difficulty remembering their character names between sessions, let alone love interests :)
I know that the Kingmaker AP isn't what you're running, but maybe this will provide inspiration. In my campaign, I invented a fey NPC with the intention that she be a potential bride for the ruler. One of the fey that the PCs encountered did a favor for the PCs, and one day she calls in that favor by wanting to arrange a marriage between the ruler (this has to happen earlyish in the PCs rule, before the Ruler becomes attractive to too many other prospects) and her younger "cousin" (the fey calling in the favor considers most non-bestial fey her cousins). My PCs are on friendly terms with House Medvyed (a noble house in Brevoy with fey roots) who are for the marriage, and, surprisingly, one of the more level-headed NPC rulers points out that whether they like it or not, the PCs' territory does cover lands that the fey call home. This marriage could provide legitimacy in their eyes to this government that suddenly rose above them.
The Ruler PC has the option to decline, of course, but there would be repercussions from a friendly noble house, a friendly fey whom they've worked with in the past, and the fey population at large. It's assumed that the Ruler will accept this arranged marriage.
At first the NPC is shy or somewhat aloof, but they gradually begin to display qualities that the Ruler admires. Additionally, there's a planned encounter later in my campaign where the PCs finish a series of encounters overwhelmed by a horde of hostile fey. During this time, the bride has been rallying a counterforce and shows up with this force at the last minute to give the PCs a fighting chance.
The intent is to make the bride a worthwhile NPC, not just an NPC to fill the Consort rulership position.
Thanks, Androstre :) It is a nice idea, but unfortunately doesn't fit the format of this particular game, where we only get together once a year. When we do play the 'banter' between players and characters get quite intense (most of them don't see each other between games) - so long introductions don't work. We can barely remember what happened in the previous session without reading the blog write up :) These are pretty much mail order brides - who will act as NPC Steward for their domains rather than particularly useful NPCs.
I run a second Kingmaker type game on RPoL (Which is a play by post site) where there is scope for a different type of interaction between players and NPCs. On there, I have so many NPCs that I give the players the opportunity run them. I love watching the interaction between an adventuring PC and an NPC being played by one of the other players as they negotiate around the price of a saddle (for example).