of cities and kings

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OFCITIESANDKINGS

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CHAPTER1: KINGDOMRULES

This article presents rules for creating kingdoms and cities. Like characters, kingdoms use

sheets to track their statistics. See the appendix for a blank kingdom sheet. Use the rules described

in this chapter to fill in a kingdoms initial values.

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Creating a kingdom

Alignment: A kingdoms alignment affects its

statistics, so choose your kingdoms alignment

carefully. Lawful kingdoms gain a +2 bonus on

Economy checks. Chaotic kingdoms gain a +2

bonus on Loyalty checks. Good kingdoms gain a

+2 bonus on Loyalty checks. Evil kingdoms gain a

+2 bonus on Economy checks. Neutral kingdoms

gain a +2 bonus on Stability checks (a truly neutral

kingdom gains this bonus twice).

Size: Count the number of hexes your kingdom

comprises and record that number here. This

number affects a kingdoms Consumption and its

Control DC.

Control DC: A kingdoms Control DC is 20 +

its size; this value is the DC youll be rolling

against most often with your kingdoms Stability,

Economy, and Loyalty checks.

Population: Actual population numbers do not

factor into your kingdoms statistics, but it can be

fun to track the number anyway. A kingdoms

population is equal to its size 250 + the total

population of each of its cities.

Stability, Economy, and Loyalty: These three

values are analogous to saving throws. You make

Stability checks during a kingdoms Upkeep phase

to determine whether it remains secure. You make

Economy checks during a kingdoms Income

phase to determine how much its treasury

increases.

You make Loyalty checks to keep the public peace.

A kingdoms initial scores in all three of these

categories is 0 + the kingdoms alignment modifiers.

A natural 1 is always a failure for these checks, and

a natural 20 is always a success.

Unrest: A kingdoms Unrest value indicates how

rebellious its people are. A kingdoms Unrest score

is applied as a penalty on all Stability, Economy,

and Loyalty checks. If a kingdoms Unrest is above

10, it begins to lose control of hexes it has claimed.

If a kingdoms Unrest score

ever reaches 20, it falls into anarchy. While in

anarchy, a kingdom can take no action and treats

all Stability, Economy, and Loyalty check results as

0. Restoring order once a kingdom falls into anarchy

typically requires a number of quests and lengthy

adventures by the kingdoms would-be leadersif

your PCs kingdom falls into anarchy, you can either

assume the kingdom has fallen (as you might if all

of the PCs were slain in an encounter), or you can

simply let the PCs restart a new kingdom

elsewhere. Unrest can never go below 0

adjustments that would normally reduce Unrest

lower than 0 are wasted.

Consumption: A kingdoms prosperity ismeasured by the Build Points (abbreviated BP) in its

treasury, and its Consumption indicates how many

BP it costs to keep the kingdom functioning.

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If a kingdom is unable to pay its Consumption, its

Unrest increases by 2. A kingdoms Consumption is

equal to its size plus the number of city districts itcontains plus adjustments for Edicts minus 2 per

farmland.

Treasury: As your kingdom earns money, favors,

resources, and power, its Build Point total increases.

Normally a DM allows you begin with 50 BP in your

kingdoms treasury (this amount is usually bestowed

upon you by some higher ranking lords).

Special Resources: If your kingdom includes any

special resources (see below), record them here.

Leadership: Write in the names of the PCs or NPCs

filling each of the 11 leadership roles here, along with

their appropiate modifiers.

Ruling system

Note that for this article, its assumed that the PCs

kingdom is a monarchy, and thus its rulers are kings

and queens. While one could certainly further

customize and adapt these rules to allow for

different types of government, such rules are

beyond the scope of this article. Other possible

types of governement could be Republic (where the

ruler is voted by either the council or the people and

holds office for a number of years), Magocracy (the

rules are wizard, sorcerers or other arcane spell-

casters) or Theocracy (a religious ruler possibly

chosen by a cardinal of high ranking clerics or even

some divine power).

Special Resources

Some hexes do more than just add size to a

kingdomthey also add resources and impact a

kingdoms Stability, Economy, Loyalty, and other

elements.

Bridge: A bridge hex negates the cost increase

of building a road that crosses a river.

Building: If you establish a city in a hex at a

building location, you can incorporate the

building into the city as a free buildingthe

encounter indicates what type of building it

counts as. See section about Building Types for a

list of building types.

Cave: Caves can be used as defensive fallback

points, storage, or even guard posts or prisons. A

cave hex increases a kingdoms Stability by 1.

Landmarks: Landmarks are sites of greatpride, mystery, and wonder. They serve well to

bolster a kingdoms morale. A landmark hex

increases a kingdoms Loyalty by 1.

Road: A hex with a road in it allows for much

easier travel. For every four road hexes your

kingdom controls, the kingdoms Economy

increases by 1. For every eight road hexes your

kingdom controls, its Stability increases by 1.

Ruins: A ruin can be incorporated into a city as

a buildingdoing so halves the cost of the

building, as the ruin only needs to be repaired

rather than having to be built from the ground up.

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Towns: A town consists of an established

settlementclaiming a town hex is an excellent

way to add a fully functional city to a kingdom. In

order to claim a town hex peacefully, the annexing

kingdom must make a Stability check (DC =

Command DC). Failure indicates that radicals

and upstarts in the town increase your kingdoms

Unrest score by 2d4.

Resources: Resources include particularly

valuable sources of lumber, metal, gems, food, or

the like. A resource hex increases a kingdoms

Economy by 1 or even more for especially rare or

valuable resources.

Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a

shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used

to identify a kingdom. The design is a symbol

unique to an individual person, and to his family,

corporation, or state. These symbols are often used

as an insignia to seal and authenticate documents.

On the right side some examples for coat of arms

have been supplied for inspiration. Your kingdom

does not need to have a coat of arms, but it can add

a nice level of detail to the game.

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Kingdom EdictsEdicts (promotions, taxes, and festivals) increase

your kingdoms Stability, Economy, and Loyalty

scores. Promotions can include recruitments,advertisements, and even propaganda campaigns.

Taxes are payments gathered from a kingdoms

citizens to help pay for Consumption. Festivals,

which can also include parades and other public

events, can increase the kingdoms happiness and

loyalty.

PRomotion Edict

Promotion

Type

Stability

Bonus

Consumption

Increase

None -1

Token +1 1 BP

Standard +2 2 BP

Agressive +3 4 BP

Expansionist +4 8 BP This number is multiplied by ruler level.

Festivals

Amount Loyality

Bonus

Consumption

Increase

None -1

Yearly +1 1 BP

Quarterly +2 2 BP

Monthly +3 4 BP

Weekly +4 8 BP

This number is multiplied by ruler level.

The effect of each edict is determined by the ruler

level. The numbers shown in each table display the

ruler level for a Baron or Count. With the ruler levels

Duke and King the impact of each edict changes as

notified in the tables. For example a Duke with

Standard promotion edictwould gain +4 Stability and

gain 4 consumption increase. Some city buildings

such as the Cathedral can also affect edicts. Thedetails of this is described under each building in the

Building a City section.

Taxation Edict

Taxation

Level

Bonus Sales Taxation Penality

Minor Medium Major

None +2 Loyality

Light +1 Economy 1 BP 4 BP -1 Loyality

Normal +2 Economy 1 BP 4 BP 8 BP -2 Loyality

Heavy +3 Economy 1 BP 6 BP 12 BP -4 Loyality,

+1 Unrest on upkeep

Overwhelming +4 Economy 2 BP 8 BP 15 BP -8 Loyality,

+2 Unrest on upkeep

This Loyality and Economy modifier is multiplied by ruler level.

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Leadership Roles

A healthy kingdom has leaders filling a number of

different roles. Each leader grants the kingdom

different benefits; leaving a role unfilled can

penalize the kingdom.

In order for a Leadership role to grant its bonus,

the character in that particular role must spend at

least 1 week per month engaged in various

leadership duties (during which time the PCs must

be located within a hex that is part of their

kingdom). For this campaign, its best to have the

party pick the same week to dedicate to their

administrative duties so that all of the PCs are all

available for adventuring duty at the same time.

A single character can only occupy one leadership

role at a time.

RULER

The ruler is the primary leader of the kingdom.

Unlike the other leadership roles, a ruler uses one

of six distinct titles, depending on the current size

of the kingdom (see table below). The ruler rank

also determines how many buildings the ruler can

build, the amount of cities that can be founded, etc.

It also has a large impact on how the edicts affect

the whole kingdom.

Benefit A baron or baroness chooses one ofnations statistics (Economy, Loyalty, or

Stability) and modifies that score by a value

equal to the characters Charisma modifier. A

duke or duchess chooses two of these values to

modify. A king or queen modifies all three

values.

Ruler Rank

Kingdom

Size Title

New

Cities

New

Buildings

Hex

Claims Roads Farmlands

Edict

Multiplier

1-10 Baron/Baroness 1 1 1 1 1 x1

11-25 Count/Countess 1 2 2 2 1 x1

26-50 Duke/Duchess 1 3 3 3 2 x2

51-100 Viceroy 2 4 4 4 2 x2

101-200 King/Queen 3 8 8 6 3 x3

201+ Emperor/Empress 4 12 12 8 4 x4

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Vacancy Penalty A kingdom without a ruler

cannot claim new hexes, create farmlands,

build roads, or purchase city districts. IncreaseUnrest by 4 during each Upkeep phase in

which the kingdom has no ruler.

Special Two characters can fill this role if they

become married, in which case the two rulers

can jointly command the kingdom. Both rulers

apply their Charisma modifiers to the

kingdoms Stability, Economy, and Loyalty

checks as appropriate for their rank, and as

long as one of the two rulers is present for 1

week per month, they avoid the vacancy

penalty.

COUNCILOR

The councilor ensures that the will of the citizenry

is represented.

Benefit Increase Loyalty by a value equal to the

Councilors Wisdom or Charisma modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Decrease Loyalty by 2; the

kingdom cannot gain benefits from festivals.

Increase Unrest by 1 during each Upkeep

phase in which the kingdom has no Councilor.

GENERAL

The General commands the kingdoms armies and

is a public hero.

Benefit Increase Stability by a value equal to the

Generals Strength or Charisma modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Decrease Stability by 4.

GRAND DIPLOMAT

The Grand Diplomat oversees international

relations.

Benefit Increase Stability by a value equal to the

Grand Diplomats Intelligence or Charisma

modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Decrease Stability by 2; the

kingdom cannot issue Promotion Edicts.

HIGH PRIEST

The high priest guides the kingdoms religious

needs and growth.

Benefit Increase Stability by a value

equal to the High Priests Wisdom or Charisma

modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Decrease Stability and Loyalty

by 2. Increase Unrest by 1 during each Upkeepphase in which the kingdom has no High Priest.

MAGISTER

The Magister guides a kingdoms higher learning

and magic.

Benefit Increase Economy by a value equal to the

Magisters Intelligence or Charisma modifierVacancy Penalty Decrease Economy by 4.

MARSHAL

The Marshal leads the kingdoms defense and city

guards.

Benefit Increase Loyality by a value equal to the

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Marshals Dexterity or Strength modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Reduce Loyalty by 4 and

Stability by 2.

ROYAL ASSASSIN

The Royal Assassin can serve as a public

executioner, a headsman, or a shadowy assassin.

Benefit Increase Loyalty by a value equal to the

Royal Assassins Strength or Dexterity

modifier. Fear inspired by the RoyalAssassin reduces Unrest by 1 during each

Upkeep phase.

Vacancy Penalty A kingdom without a Royal

Assassin suffers no vacancy penalty.

SPYMASTER

The Spymaster observes the kingdomsunderworld and criminal elements and spies on

other kingdoms.

Benefit Increase Loyalty, Economy, or Stability

(Spymasters choice) by a value equal to the

Spymasters Dexterity or Intelligence modifier.

The Spymaster can change which value he

modifies during the kingdoms Improvement

phase (but only once per phase).

Vacancy Penalty Reduce Economy by 4 because

of out-of-control crime. Increase Unrest by 1

during each Upkeep phase in which the

kingdom has no Spymaster.

TREASURER

The Treasurer organizes tax collection, and

manages the treasury.


Treasurers Intelligence or Wisdom modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Reduce Economy by 4; the

kingdom cannot collect taxes.

HIGH PRIEST

The high priest guides the kingdoms religious

needs and growth.

Benefit Increase Stability by a value

equal to the High Priests Wisdom or Charisma

modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Decrease Stability and Loyalty

by 2. Increase Unrest by 1 during each Upkeep

phase in which the kingdom has no High Priest.

WARDEN

The Warden helps organize patrols and enforces

justice in rural and wilderness regions.


Wardens Constitution or Wisdom modifier.

Vacancy Penalty Reduce Stability by 2 andEconomy by 2.

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Building Cities

The greatest asset of any kingdom are its cities, for

it is here that the bulk of a kingdoms citizens live,

its armies train, its culture develops, and its future

is forged. The rules presented here are designed to

support the rules for kingdom building presented

in the first portion of this article and to give

players a visual representation of a city (the city

grid) they helped to build up from scratch.

Reading the Grid

The city grid consists of 36 city blocks, each

arranged into nine larger squares. Each block is

separated by alleys, while each square is separated

by streets. The nine squares themselves are in turn

bordered by four sideseach side represents a

border to the entire city district. A district border

can represent a city wall, a river, a lake or ocean

shore, a cliff, or merely the transition from one

city district into another. For larger cities, you can

prepare multiple districts sharing common

borders.As the PCs build structures and locations,

they can place cut-out representations of their

buildings into these city blocks, eventuallycreating a visual representation of their completed

city.

Preparing the site

Once you select a location for your city (which

must be in a hex you have explored and cleared),

you must pay to have the site cleared and prepared

to support the citys roads and buildings. The cost

and time required to clear space in various terrainsis detailed on the table below. Once you finish

preparing the site, decide which of the

districts borders are water (in the form of

riverbanks, lakeshores, or seashores) or land.

Record these choices at each border on your city

grid. In addition, adding a city district to a

kingdom increases its Consumption by 1.

Preparing a citydistrict site

Terrain Cost To

Prepare

Time to

Prepare

Forest 4 BP 2 months

Grassland 1 BP Immediate*

Hills 2 BP 1 month

Mountains 12 BP 4 months

Swamp 8 BP 3 months

The city grid in play

You can use your city grid to aid in resolving

encounters or adjusting kingdom or city statistics.

Destroyed Blocks: If an event destroys one or

more blocks, the devastation causes +1 Unrest per

destroyed block. The cost to build the replacement

structure is halved if the replacement is the same

type of structure as the one that preceded the

destruction.

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City Grid Scale: Although combat encounters in

a city should still be played out normally, you

might need to determine how long it takes forsomeone to travel from one location to another in

the city in the case of multiple encounters. In this

case, treat each city block as if it were a 750-foot

squarethis means that an entire city district is

about 1 square mile in size.

Base valueWhen using these rules to build a settlement, the

citys base value (seePathfinder RPG Core

Rulebook, pages 460461) starts at 200 gp. It

increases as you construct certain buildings, like

shops and marketplaces.

Building a cityOnce youve prepared your city district, you can

start to build. The placement of buildings in your

district is left to you, but two-block and four-block

structures cannot be split up (although they can

span streets). When you decide to place a building,

you can use the cut-out icon for the appropriate

type of structure and affix the building whereyou wish in your city grid. It takes 1 month to

construct a building, no matter what size the

building isits benefits apply immediately.

Population: A citys population is equal to the

number of completed blocks within its districts

70. A city grid that has all 36 blocks filled with

buildings has a population of 2520.

Defensive Modifier: A citys Defensive

Modifier can be increased by building certain

structures (such as city walls) and has an impact onmass combat. Keep track of your citys Defensive

Modifier, but until the city is attacked by an

invading army this value is not used.

Base Value: The base value associated with a

city built in this manner is tied not to its size but

rather to the number of Economy-based buildings

it has. Each such building, whether its a shop,

tavern, or brothel, increases a citys base value.

Any magic item equal to or lower than this base

value in cost is available for purchase 75% of the

timethis check may be made again every month

(as new stock comes and goes). Any nonmagical

item from the equipment chapter in thePathfinder

RPG Core Rulebookis always available if its cost

is lower than the citys base value. Cities with

multiple districts add the individual base values of

each district together to determine the entire citys

base value, with an upper limit of 16,000 gp per

city.

Magic Item Availability: A certain number of

more powerful and valuable magic items are

available for purchase in any city, although these

items tend to be of a somewhat random nature as

new items are found or created and enter the

economy. As with base value, a communitys size

does not influence the number of magic items

above base value that are available for purchase.

Instead, these items become available as certain

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buildings (like academies or magic shops) are

added to a city. Whenever such a building is

added to a city, place an X in one of the boxes

next to the appropriate item category to indicate

that the city has gained a slot in that category.

During every Upkeep phase, randomly roll a

magic item of the appropriate category for each

empty slot. After it is generated, a magic item

remains on the market until it is purchased.

Alternatively, once per Income phase, a kingdom

can make Economy checks to try to sell items;

once the item is sold, its slot remains empty until

the next Upkeep phase.

BUILDING WITH MAGIC AID

At the GMs whim, using construction magic

(such as a lyre of building or spells like fabricateor wall of stone) can reduce the cost of a

buildings BP by 2 (minimum of 0 BP). This is a

one-time reduction, regardless of the amount of

magic used.

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BUILDING TYPES

Adding buildings to a city is one of the most

efficient ways to enhance your kingdomsstatistics, as each block of buildings added to a city

in your kingdom grants a specific bonus. The

appendix presents icons for 31 one-block

buildings, eight two-block buildings, and four four-

block buildings.

Descriptions of each of these buildings, as well as

the bonuses it provides once its added to a city, are

listed below. The buildings BP cost and any

prerequisite buildings that must be built first are

listed in parentheses after its name. The buildings

benefit to the city and kingdom once it is

constructed is listed last in italics. If a building

affects Unrest, it does so only once, when it is first

constructed. A fair amount of additional residential

structures are common amid most one- and two-

block structures.

Academy (52 BP): An institution of higher

learning that can focus on any area of knowledge

or education, including magic.Halves cost of

Casters Tower, Library, and Magic Shop in same

city; 3 minor items, 2 medium items; Economy +2,

Loyalty +2.

Alchemist (18 BP; requires 1 house): Thelaboratory and home of a creator of potions,

poisons, and alchemical items. City base value

+1,000 gp; 1 minor item; Economy +1.

Arena (40 BP): A large public structure for

competitions, demonstrations, team sports, or

bloodsports.Halves cost of Garrison or Theater in

same city; halves Consumption increase penalty

for festival edicts; Stability +4; limit one per city.

Barracks (12 BP): A building to house city

guards, militia, and military forces.Defense

Modifier +2; Unrest 1; Allows training of

Regular Armies.

Black Market (50 BP; requires 2 houses):

A number of shops with secret and usually illegal

or dangerous wares. City base value +2,000; 2

minor items, 1 medium item, 1 major item;

Economy +2, Stability +1; Unrest +1.

Brewery (6 BP):A building for beermaking,winemaking, or similar use. Loyalty +1, Stability

+1.

Brothel (4 BP; requires 1 house):A place topay for companionship of any sort.Economy +1,

Loyalty +2; Unrest +1; +1 Morale for armies

raised in this city (does not stack).

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Casters Tower (30 BP):The home andlaboratory for a spellcaster. 3 minor items, 2

medium items; Economy +1, Loyalty +1.

Castle (54 BP): The home of the citys leader or

the heart of its defenses.Halves cost of Noble Villa

or Town Hall in same city; Economy +2, Loyalty

+2, Stability +2; Defense Modifier +8;

Unrest 4; limit one per city.

Cathedral (58 BP): The focal point of the citys

religion and spiritual leadership. Halves cost of

Temple or Academy in same city; halves

Consumption increase penalty for promotion

edicts; 3 minor items, 2 medium items; Loyalty

+4; Unrest 4; limit one per city.

City Wall (8 BP):City walls do not occupy a

city blockrather, purchasing a city wall fortifies

one of a districts four outer borders. A city wall

cannot be built on a water border. Defense

Modifier +4; Unrest 2.

Dump (4 BP): A centralized place to dispose of

refuse.Loyalty +1, Stability +1; limit one per city.

Exotic Craftsman (10 BP; requires 1

mansion):

The workshop and home of an exotic craftsman,

such as a creator of magic items, a tinker, afireworks maker, or a glassblower. 1 minor item;

Loyalty +1, Stability +1.

Garrison (28 BP): A large building to house

armies, train guards, and recruit militia.Halves

cost of City Wall, Granary, and Jail in same city;

Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Unrest 2.

Granary (12 BP):A place to store grain and

food. Loyalty +1, Stability +1; halves

Consumption cost for armies garrisoned in this

city.

Graveyard (4 BP): A plot of land to honor and

bury the dead. Loyalty +1; limit one per district.

Guildhall (34 BP; requires 1 house):A large

building that serves as headquarters for a guild or

similar organization. City base value +1,000 gp;

halves cost of Pier, Stable, and Tradesman in same

city; Economy +2, Loyalty +2.

Herbalist (10 BP; requires 1 house): The

workshop and home of a gardener, healer,

poisoner, or creator of potions. 1 minor item;

Loyalty +1, Stability +1.

House (3 BP): A number of mid-sized houses

for citizens. Houses serve as prerequisites for many

other buildings. The first house you build during

any Improvement Phase does not count against the

total number of buildings you can build during the

phase. Unrest 1.

Inn (10 BP; requires 1 house): A place for

visitors to spend the night. City base value +500

gp; Economy +1, Loyalty +1.

Jail (14 BP): A fortified structure for housingcriminals. Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Unrest 2.

Library (6 BP): A large building containing

books, often presided over by a sage or other

scholar. Economy +1, Loyalty +1.

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Luxury Store (28 BP; requires 1 mansion): A

shop that specializes in expensive wares and

luxuries. City base value +2,000 gp; 2 minor items

Magic Shop (68 BP; requires 2 houses): A

shop that specializes in magic items and spells.

City base value +2,000 gp; 4 minor items, 2

medium items, 1 major item; Economy +1.

Mansion (10 BP): A single huge manor housing

a rich family and its servants. Requirement for

many luxury buildings. Stability +1.

Market (48 BP; requires 2 houses): An open

area for mercantile pursuits, traveling merchants,

and bargain hunters. City base value +2,000 gp;

halves cost of Black Market, Inn,

and Shop in same city; 2 minor items; Economy

+2, Stability +2.

Mill (6 BP; must be next to a water border):

A building used to cut lumber or grind grain.

Economy +1, Stability +1.

Monument (6 BP): A monument can be a statue

of a city founder, a bell tower, a large tomb, or a

public display of art.Loyalty +3; Unrest 1.

Noble Villa (24 BP): A sprawling manor with

luxurious grounds that houses a noble.Halves cost

of Exotic Craftsman, Luxury Store, and Mansion insame city; Economy +1, Loyalty +1, Stability +1.

Park (4 BP): A plot of land set aside for its

natural beauty.Loyalty +1; Unrest 1.

Piers (16 BP; must be adjacent to a water

border): Warehouses and workshops for docking

ships and handling cargo and passengers. City base

value +1,000 gp; +1 Economy, +1 Stability.

Shop (8 BP; requires 1 house): A general store.

City base value +500 gp; Economy +1.

Shrine (8 BP): A small shrine or similar holy

site. 1 minor item; Loyalty +1; Unrest 1.

Smith (6 BP): An armor smith, blacksmith, or

weapon smith.Economy +1, Stability +1.

Stable (10 BP; must be adjacent to 1 house):

A structure for housing or selling horses and other

mounts. City base value +500 gp; Economy +1,

Loyalty +1.

Tannery (6 BP; cannot be adjacent to a

house): A structure that prepares hides and leather.

Economy +1, Stability +1.

Tavern (12 BP; requires 1 house): An eatery or

drinking establishment. City base value +500 gp;

Economy +1, Loyalty +1.

Temple (32 BP): A large place of worship

dedicated to a deity.Halves cost of Graveyard,

Monument, and Shrine in same city; 2 minor

items; Loyalty +2, Stability +2; Unrest 2.

Tenement (1 BP): A staggering number of low-

rent, cheap housing units. Tenements count as

houses for the purpose of fulfilling building

requirements, but building too many tenements canincrease a kingdoms Unrest quickly. You can build

a house over an existing tenement for 2 BP. Unrest

+2.

Theater (24 BP): A venue for providing

entertainment such as plays, operas, concerts, and

the like.Halves cost of Brothel, Park, and Tavern

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in same city; Economy +2, Stability +2.

Town Hall (22 BP): A public venue for town

meetings and repository for town records.Halves

cost of Barracks, Dump, and Watchtower in same

city; reduces penality for changing edicts in this

city; Economy +1, Loyalty +1, Stability +1.

Tradesman (10 BP; requires 1 house): A

shopfront for a tradesman, such as a baker, butcher,

candle maker, cooper, or rope maker. City base

value +500 gp; +1 Economy, +1 Stability.

Watchtower (6 BP): A tall structure that serves

as a guard post and landmark. +1 Stability; +2

Defense Modifier; Unrest 1.

Waterfront (90 BP; must be adjacent to

a water border): A port for arrival and

departure when traveling by water, facilities

for building ships, and a center of

commerce. City base value +4,000 gp;

3 minor items, 2 medium items,

1 major item; halves cost of

Guildhall and Market in same city,

halves Loyalty penalty for tax edicts;

Economy +4; limit one per city.

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RULING A KINGDOM

Like a player characters stat block, a kingdoms

stat block continues to evolve and grow as the

kingdom expands, gathers more resources,

purchases upgrades, and suffers defeats and

setbacks. As the kingdom grows, the PCs will

need to deal with a host of situations, all of which

can further influence the kingdoms stat block.

A kingdoms growth occurs during four phases,

which represent a month in total. When the PCs

establish a kingdom, you should pick a day of

each month to resolve that kingdoms growth and

fortunesits best to set this as the last day of

each month, so that any accomplishments the PCs

have made during that month can impact that

months growth. One thing to decide early on is

who makes kingdom rolls. The obvious choice is

for the Ruler to roll the dice, as this adds a feeling

of command to that players role. You can also

assign each roll to a specific leaderfor

example, the Treasurer might make Economy

checks and the Warden may wish to make all

checks having to do with events under her

command. Ultimately, since a kingdom

is shared by all the players, it doesnt matter who

makes the kingdoms Economy, Loyalty, and

Stability checks, but assigning them can be fun

nonetheless.

UPKEEP PHASE

During a kingdoms Upkeep phase, take the

following actions. If your kingdom currently

controls 0 hexes, skip this phase and proceed to

the Improvement phase.

Step 1Determine Kingdom Stability:

Make a Stability check against your Command

DC to determine your kingdoms level of

security for the month. If you make the check,

reduce your kingdoms Unrest by 1 (if your

Unrest is at 0, gain 1 BP as a result of surplus

goods and services). If you fail this check by 5

or more, increase Unrest by 2.

Step 2Pay Consumption: Deduct your

kingdoms Consumption from the kingdoms

Treasury BP. If you arent able to pay for the

months Consumption, your kingdoms BP

drops into the negative. Every time you end

an Upkeep phase with negative BP in your

Treasury, your kingdoms Unrest increases by 2.

Step 3Fill Vacant Magic Item Slots: If

there are any vacant magic item slots in any

cities, randomly roll new items to fill these slots.

Step 4Unrest: If the kingdoms Unrest is

11 or higher, it loses one hex chosen by the

kingdoms leaders. Any improvements in that

hex (farmlands and roads) are lost and

must be rebuilt after the hex is reclaimed. Any

settlements in that hex become towns that must

be annexed if they are to be reclaimed into the

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kingdom (see page 56). Finally, if the kingdom

employs a Royal Assassin, reduce your total

Unrest by 1 at the end of this phase.

IMPROVEMENTS PHASE

During a kingdoms Improvement phase, take the

following actions. The number of improvements

you can make during a single phase is limited by

your kingdoms size; see the Improvements per

Month table for these limits.

Step 1Select Leadership: Assign leaders to

any vacant leadership roles. Leaders must be PCs

or closely allied NPCs. You can change leaders as

often as you want with no impact on your nations

statistics (apart from changing what bonuses

apply, as the ability scores of leaders differ);

reallocating roles allows you to give every player

a chance to play the role of ruler if you wish.

Step 2Claim Hexes: Each hex on the maps

of normally measures 12 miles across, and the

PCs kingdom must be built hex by hex. To claim

a hex, you must explore it and clear it of monsters

or dangerous hazards; the hex must also be

adjacent to a hex that is already part of the

kingdom (with the exception of the first

hex, which can be anywhere). At this point, you

can claim the hex as part of the kingdom by

spending 1 BP. Increase your kingdoms size (and

thus its Consumption) by 1 for each hex you

claim. You can abandon a hex to reduce your

kingdoms Size. Doing so increases Unrest by 1

(or by 4, if the abandoned hex contained a city).

Step 3Establish and Improve Cities:

Prepare land for city districts and then purchasenew buildings for your kingdoms cities. The

buildings adjustments to your nation

apply immediately. You can also destroy

buildings at this time in order to clear a space to

build something new; if you destroy a building,

dont forget to remove its benefits from your

kingdoms statistics!

Step 4Build Roads: Roads have an

immediate initial cost but over the long term can

pay for the investment handsomely. It costs 1

BP to build a road though a hex. This cost

increases to 2 BP in forests and to 4 BP in

swamps and mountains. If the road crosses a

river, a bridge must be builtthis doubles the

roads cost.

Step 5Establish Farmlands: You can

develop any grassland or hill hex that contains

roads into farmlands to help sustain your

kingdoms Consumption. It costs 2 BP to

designate a grassland hex as farmland and 4 BP

to designate a hill hex as farmland. You cannot

build a city on a farmland hex. Every farmland

hex in your kingdom reduces your Consumption

by 2 BP.

Step 6Edicts: Pick or adjust your edict

levels as you wish. Everytime an edict changes

you gain 1 Unrest for every city that does not

have a City Hall because of political friction.

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INCOME PHASE

During a kingdoms Income phase, take the

following actions.

Step 1Deposits: You can add funds to a

kingdoms treasury by donating coins, gems,

jewelry, weapons, armor, magic items, and other

valuables you find while adventuring. For every

full 4,000 gp in value of the deposit, increase your

kingdoms BP by 1. Items that individually

cost more than 4,000 gp must be sold as detailed

under Step 3 below.

Step 2Withdrawals: You can also withdraw

funds from the kingdoms treasury, but doing so

runs the risk of annoying the citizens. Each time

you withdraw funds, the kingdoms Unrest

increases by 1 per BP withdrawn. In addition, you

must make a Loyalty check (DC = Command DC

+ number of BP being withdrawn); a failure

causes your kingdom to gain additional Unrest

equal to the total BP withdrawn. Each BP

withdrawn in this manner converts into 2,000 gp.

Step 3Sell Valuable Items: You can attempt

to sell items that cost more than 4,000 gp through

your citys markets to bolster your kingdoms

Treasury; these can be items you recover during

an adventure or they can be magic items currently

held by any of your cities. To sell these items,

make an Economy check (DC 10 +1 per 1,000 gp

value of the item). A failed check indicates the

item doesnt sell. Success indicates that the

item sells and you can increase your kingdoms

treasury. For magical items you donate, you

gain 1 BP per 4,000 gp value of the itemdonated. For items sold by the shop owners of

the city, you gain BP depending on your

taxation level. See Edicts for more details. You

can make one Economy check per city district

during each Income phase.

Step 4Generate Income: Make an

Economy check against your Command DC at

the end of your Income phase. If youre

successful, divide your result by 5 (dropping

any fractions) and increase your Treasurys BP

by that amount.

EVENT PHASE

During a kingdoms Event phase, roll once on

the Kingdom Events table to determine if an

event occurs. Adventure-specific kingdom

events can also occur during this phase. Once

youve determined what kind of event occurs (if

any), simply follow the rules for each event to

determine how the event impacts the PCs

kingdom or cities. Chance of an Event: Theres

a 25% chance that a random event occurs during

an Event phase. This chance increases

to 75% if no event occurred in the previous

Event phase.

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KINGDOM EVENTS

Listed below are numerous events that can occur

during an Event phase. Some events are listed as

continuous eventstheir effects continue

through every Event phase until the events are

resolved by making the appropriate check during

an Event phase. Harmful events can be lessenedor negated with a successful Economy, Loyalty,

or Stability check, as indicated by the event. The

DC of these checks is equal to the kingdom

Command DC (20 + kingdom size).

Kingdom Events

d% Event

1-3 Assassination Attempt

4-12 Bandit Activity

13-17 Disaster

18-23 Economic Boom

24-28 Feud

29-33 Food Shortage

34-38 Food Surplus

39-43 Good Weather

44-48 Monster Attack

49-53 Natural Blessing

54-59 Outstanding Success

60-62 Plague

63-65 Political Calm

66-69 Public Scandal

70-73 Sensational Crime74-79 New Vassals

80-83 Visiting Celebrity

84-88 Treasury Theft

89-93 Promising Trader

94-98 Resource Shortage

99-100 Rebellion

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Assassination Attempt: One of your leaders

(determined randomly) is the target of an

assassination attempt. If the target is a PC, youshould play out the attempt, using an assassin of a

CR equal to the targeted PCs level + 1. If the

target is an NPC, you can simply make a Stability

check to negate the attempt. If the leader is

assassinated, the nation gains 1d6 Unrest points

and immediately suffers the penalties for not

having a leader in that role until the role is filled

during a subsequent Improvement phase.

Bandit Activity (continuous): Bandits are

preying upon those who travel through your

kingdom. Make a Stability check. If you succeed,

your kingdoms defenses stop the banditry before

it causes problems. If you fail, the bandits reduce

your kingdoms Treasury total by 1d6 BP (each

time you roll a 6, reroll that die and add the result

to the total).

Disaster: A fire, storm, earthquake, flood,

sabotage, or other disaster strikes! Roll 1d6on a

result of 15, the disaster is localized and affects

only 1d4 city blocks in one city. On a 6, the

disaster is widespread and affects 1d6 city blocks

in each of your kingdoms cities. Make a Stability

check for each affected city blockevery failure

results in that city blocks destruction (this

Stability check represents your kingdoms ability

to prepare for or react to the disaster as much as it

represents the structures ability to withstand

damage).

Economic Boom: Trade is booming in your

kingdom! Increase your Treasury by 1d6 BP (each

time you roll a 6, reroll that die and add the resultto the total).

Feud: Nobles in your cities are bickering.

Unless you can smooth over ruffled feathers with a

Loyalty check, the feud increases Unrest by 1d6.

Food Shortage: Spoilage, treachery, or simple

bad luck have resulted in a food shortage this

month. If you fail a Stability check, your

Consumption is tripled during the next Upkeep

phase. If you own a granary, the consumption

increase is only doubled instead of tripled.

Food Surplus: Farmers produce an unexpected

windfall! Your Consumption is halved during the

next Upkeep phase. If you own a granary you also

gain 1d4 BP.

Good Weather: Good weather raises spirits and

productivity. You gain a +4 bonus on Loyalty

checks until your next Event phase.

Monster Attack (continuous): A monster (or

group of monsters) attacks the kingdompick a

hex the PCs have claimed to determine which hex

the monster is active in. You can determine the

type of monster by rolling on a wandering monster

table until you get a result of CR 7 or higher. If the

PCs dont set out to defeat the monster or

monsters, a Stability check removes the threat. If

the monster is not defeated, Unrest increases by 4.

If your kingdoms Unrest is 5 or higher, the hex the

monster dwells in becomes unclaimed at this time

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(this is in addition to losing control of hexes during

Upkeep due to high Unrest).

Natural Blessing: A natural event, such as a

bloom of rare and beautiful wildflowers or good

omens in the stars, raises your kingdoms morale.

You gain a +4 bonus on Stability checks until your

next Event phase.

Outstanding Success: One of your kingdoms

citizens creates an artistic masterpiece, constructs a

particularly impressive building, or otherwise

brings fame to your kingdom. You gain 1d6 BP

and a +4 bonus on Economy checks until your next

Event phase. Reduce Unrest by 2.

Plague (continuous): A deadly contagion strikes

your kingdom! Choose a hex containing a city in

your kingdomthis is where the plague strikes. If

you control no cities, treat this as if no event had

been rolled. Otherwise, make a Stability check to

curtail the plagues spread. If you fail, increase

Unrest by 1d6 and reduce your treasury by 1d6 BP.

A plague-stricken city cannot build new structures.

Political Calm: A sudden absence of political

machinations coincides with an increase in public

approval. Reduce Unrest by 6.

Public Scandal: One of your leaders isimplicated in a crime or an embarrassing situation,

such as an affair with another leaders spouse. If

you fail a Loyalty check, increase Unrest by 2 and

suffer a 4 penalty on all Loyalty checks until your

next Event phase.

Sensational Crime (continuous): A serial

killer, arsonist, flamboyant thief, or daring bandit

plagues your kingdom. Make a Stability check to

catch the criminal; otherwise increase Unrest by 2.

New Vassals: A small group of indigenous

creatures joins your kingdom and submits to your

rule. Reduce Unrest by 2 and gain 1d6 BP (each

time you roll a 6, reroll that die and add the result

to the total).

Visiting Celebrity: A celebrity from elsewhere

on Golarion visits your kingdom, causing a sudden

influx of visitors and spending. Increase the

Treasury by 2d6 BP (each time you roll a 6, reroll

that die and add its results to the total).

Treasury Theft: Someone in the council has

been stealing from the treasury! This could even be

the Treasurer himself unless she is a PC. Roll 2d6

and lose this amount of BP. A Loyality roll finds

the thief and allows a roll of 2d6 to regain BP (any

BP lost means the thief spent or has hidden it, and

BP gained might be values confiscated or a fine).

If the thief is discovered he loses his position on

the council, causing a vacancy until next turn.

Promising Trader: A merchant, trader or

inventor has some promising ideas for a trade routeor some other investment. The only thing he

requires is 3 BP. If the players pay this amount,

there is a 80% chance the investment fails or the

trader simply runs away with the money. If this

does not happen however, the players gain 4d6 BP.

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Resource Shortage (continuous): There is an

lack of raw and manufactured resources in the

region. Only towns with lumber mills can buildbuildings. In addition only towns with a

blacksmith and granary can produce armies. At the

end of every month (excluding this one) you can

try a Stability roll to remove this event.

Rebellion: Some rebellious upstarts like nobles,

peasants or a band of thugs don't like the way the

kingdom is run and have gathered people to their

cause. The rebellion causes 2d4 Unrest. A

successful Loyality roll halves the Unrest gained.

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CHAPTER2: MASSCOMBAT

The following rules present a fast-play method to resolve large-scale combats involving the

clashing of armies. They arent intended to accurately represent complex wars or provide a

highly-tactical simulation of the samebut they are intended to be fun! Using these rules the PCs

will be faced with multiple situations where theyll need an army at their command, but in the end,

these rules should not dominate your gamethe bulk of the adventure remains focused on traditional,

smaller-scale adventuring and interaction with the PCs themselves.

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ARMY STATS

You cant f ight a war without armies. What

follow are notes on how to read army stat blocks.

Name and CR: The armys name is presented

first, along with its Challenge Rating (CR). To

determine an armys CR, simply adjust the CR of

an individual member of that group by the

appropriate modifier depending on the armys

size, as shown on the Army Sizes table. If, after

modifiers apply, the groups CR is lower than 1,

it does not count as an armyadd more troops

until you reach a CR of 1. If an army is cavalry,

the armys CR is set by the higher of the riders or

mounts CR score.

XP: This lists the XP awarded for defeating the

army.

Alignment, Size, and Type: An armys

alignment has no effect on its statistics and is

essentially just a convenient way to summarize its

attitude with two letters. The armys size

determines not only how many individual units

exist in the army, but also the armys Challenge

Rating. The armys type is defined by the natureof its individual soldiers. An army must be made

up of identical creatures.

HP: An armys hit points equal its CR the

average hp from the HD type of the armys units

(3.5 for d6 HD, 4.5 for d8, 5.5 for d10, and 6.5 for

d12). If an army is composed of units with

multiple HD (such as the case of multiclassed

characters, monsters with class levels, or

cavalry), use the lowest HD type. Drop any

fractions from the final total. Note that only

damage from other armies can reduce an armys

hptreat individual creatures who attack an

army as a fine-sized army.

Defense and Offense: These entries list an

armys Defense Value (this is always a static

number used to resist an attack) and its Offense

Modifier (this is always a modifier thats applied

to a d20 roll during an attack). If the group has

ranged capability, it is indicated here. The

armys Defense Value (DV) is equal to its CR +

10. The armys Offense Modifier (OM) is equal

to its CR.

Tactics and Resources: Armies learn tactics

and gain resources as they grow more seasoned

from battles.

Special Abilities: Any special abilities the

army has.

Speed: This number indicates how many 12-

mile hexes the army traverses in a days march.

Marching through difficult terrain halves the

armys speed. Use Table 7 6 on page 172 of the

Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebookto determine the

armys speed, based on the speed of its

individual members.

Morale: An armys morale is a modifier

ranging from 4 (the minimum) to +4 (the

maximum). Morale can be further modified by

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the armys leader or other factors. A new armys

starting morale is +0.

Consumption: Consumption lists how manyBuild Points an army consumes each week,

representing the cost to feed, hydrate, arm, train,

care for, and pay the soldiers. An armys

consumption is equal to its CR divided by 2

(minimum of 1; consumption can be further

modified by tactics). You must pay the armys

consumption value at the start of each week it

is active. Each week you fail to pay an armys

consumption, reduce its morale by 2 points. If this

penalty results in a morale of 5 or lower, the

army disbands.

Leader: This line lists the armys leader and

her charisma modifier.

Army Sizes

Army Size Number of Soldiers CR

Fine 1 Base -8

Diminutive 10 Base -6

Tiny 25 Base -4

Small 50 Base -2

Medium 100 Base

Large 200 Base +2

Huge 500 Base +4

Gargantuan 1000 Base +6

Colossal 2000 Base +8

TACTICS

Each time an army wins a battle, you can

attempt a Loyalty check against your nations

Control DC. If you succeed, your army learns a

new tactic. An army can know a number of

tactics equal to half its CR. When a battle

begins, the army must select one tactic to use for

that battle.

Cautious Combat: Your army fights

cautiously in order to maintain morale. 2 OM,

+2 on all Morale checks.

Cavalry Experts: The army must have the

mount resource to use this tactic. +2 OM against

armies that arent mounted.

Defensive Wall: The army fights defensively,

taking actions to protect their fellow soldiers as

needed. 2 OM, +2 DV.

Spellbreaker: You adopt tactics to disrupt

spellcasting. Against armies with spellcasting

ability, you gain +4 DV.

Taunt: You are skilled at taunting the enemy,

provoking stupid mistakes and overconf idence

in battle. T he enemy must make a Morale check

(DC = 10 + your armys CR) at the start of each

round to avoid taking a 2 penalty to DV and

OM for the round. Once the enemy makes two

consecutive Morale checks against your taunt, it

is immune to this tactic for the remainder of the

battle.

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Dirty Fighters: An army that fights dirty uses

trickery and unfair tactics to gain an advantage at

the start of a battle. +6 OM on f irst round of the

melee phase .

Expert Flankers: The army is skilled at

surrounding the foe and distracting them, at the

cost of spreading out too much and increasing its

vulnerability.+2 OM, 2 DV.

False Retreat: Once per battle, your army can

make a false retreat, luring the enemy deeper into

your territory. On the round you make a false

retreat, you cannot make an Offense check. On

the round after a False Retreat, you gain +6 OM

and +6 DV.

Hold the Line: Your army focuses on total

defense of the battlefield. +4 DV, 4 OM.

Relentless Brutality: You throw caution to the

wind and attack with savage and gory vigor. +4

OM, 4 DV.

Siegebreaker: You target the enemys siege

engines in an attempt to destroy them. Each time

you damage an enemy army in melee, you may

make a second Offense check. If this second

check is successful, you destroy one of the enemy

armys siege engines. This tactic has no effect onarmies without siege engines.

Sniper Support: An army must have ranged

capability to use this tactic. Each round you

successfully damage an army with an Offense

check, you inflict an additional 2 points of

damage from archers held in reserve.

RESOURCES

Resources must be purchased with BP before an

army can be outfitted with them.Mounts (BP = Mounts CR): The army is

mounted on horses or other war-trained animals.

Increase DV and OM by +2. If your army uses

mounts that are more powerful than the soldiers

themselves, your armys CR (and all derived

scores) might increase.

Improved Weapons (5 BP): The army is

armed with masterwork weapons (increase OM

by +1). For 10 times the BP cost, you can

instead outfit the army with magic weapons

(increase OM by +2).

Improved Armor (3 BP): The army is armed

with masterwork armor (increase DV by +1).

For f ive times the BP cost, you can instead

outfit the army with magic armor (increase DV

by +2).

Healing Potions (10 BP): Each soldier is

equipped with several healing potions. At any

point during a battle (but no more than twice per

battle), you can order your soldiers to drink their

potionsthey cannot make an Offense check

this round, but they regain hit points equal to

twice their CR.

Ranged Weapons (2 BP): Your soldiers are

equipped with ranged weapons (such as

crossbows or bows). Your army gains ranged

capability.

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Siege Engines (15 BP per engine): Your army

includes catapults, trebuchets, ballistae, rams, and

other siege engines designed to break down

fortifications. Increase OM by +2 (regardless of

the total number of siege engines you control);

each round of the melee phase, reduce the

enemys bonus to DV from fortifications by 1d4

points per siege engine your army controls.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Most armies also possess special abilities that

they can use during a battle, or that provide

constant bonuses. You can use the following

special abilities as inspirations to generate

additional army abilities of your own.

Breath Weapon: The army gains ranged

capability, and inflicts +1d4 points of damage on

every successful hit against an enemy army.of a battle.

Fear: An army that uses a fear attack forces the

enemy army to make a Morale check (DC = 10 +

attacking armys CR) or be unable to make an

Offense check in the next round. If an army fails a

Morale check from fear in a round when it cant

make an Offense check due to fear, the army

flees.

Mobility Advantage: If the creatures in an

army have unusual mobility (such as flight,

swimming, climbing, burrowing, teleportation,

and so on) that actually gives an advantage in the

battle, increase that armys DV by +1. If all

armies possess the same mobility options, this

advantage does not apply.

Construct/Plant/Undead: These armies

always make Morale checks, but can never

change their strategy from normal.

Energy Drain: An army that can energy

drain reduces its enemys OV and DV by 1 each

time it damages them. This reduction vanishes

after 24 hours.

Fast Healing/Regeneration: Fast healing

and regeneration allow an armys hit points to

recover in the same way that they restore hit

points for individual creatures. A regenerating

army that is reduced to 0 hit points is still

considered defeated, assuming the victors can

move among the defeated creatures and finish

them off.

Poison/Bleed/Burn: When a poison-using

army damages an enemy army, the army takes

an automatic 1d6 points of damage on the round

immediately following any round it took

damage from the poison army. This ability can

also apply

to armies that use bleed or burn attacks.

Rock Throwing: An army that can throw

rocks gains ranged capability and inf licts +4damage during the Ranged phase.

Signif icant Defense: If an armys

component creatures possess a significant

defense (such as powerful damage reduction,

incorporeality, or numerous immunities and/

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or resistances), increase its DV by +10, but only

when it f ights against an army that would have a

significantly diff icult time overcoming the armys

signif icant defense. In some cases, you might

even wish to rule that an army is simply

undefeatable by an enemy army because of its

defensesbut you should never pit the

PCs against such an army.

Paralysis: If an army can paralyze foes, each

time it damages an enemy the armys DV is

reduced by 1. This reduction vanishes at the end

of a battle.

Spell Resistance: If an armys units have

spell resistance, they gain a +6 bonus to their DV

against armies that have the Spellcasting ability.

Spellcasting: If an armys units can use magic

(either from spell-like abilities or actual

spellcasting), it gains a bonus to its DV and OM

equal to the level of the highest-level spell its

individual units can cast. In addition, if any

of its offensive spells have a range of greater than

touch, the army gains ranged capability and can

attack during the Ranged phase.

RUNNING MASS COMBAT

Since an armys strength is represented by a CR

score, you can balance armies against each other

using the guidelines for CR in thePathfinder

RPG Core Rulebook. For example, two CR 9

armies should make for a relatively even battle,

but so would a CR 9 army against three CR 6

armies.

BATTLE PHASES

Mass combat generally takes place over the

course of three battle phasesthe Tactics Phase,the Ranged Phase, and the Melee Phase. A phase

does not denote a specific passage of time,

leaving you as the GM the latitude to determine

how long any mass combat takes to resolve.

Tactics Phase: During the Tactics phase, each

army selects which of its tactics it will use

during the battle.

Ranged Phase: The Ranged phase typically

asts for 1 round, although the battlefields shape

and other conditions can extend this duration.

During this phase, any army with Ranged

capability makes an attack against an enemy

army. Armies without Ranged capability cannot

attack during this phase.

Melee Phase: The Melee phase begins as the

armies involved finally clashthis phase

continues until one army is defeated.

MASS COMBAT QUICKREFERENCE

The following summarizes the key rolls in mass

combat.Offense Check = d20 + OM

Damage = Offense check result defending

armys DV

Morale Check = d20 + leaders Cha mod +

morale score

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THE BATTLEFIELD

In most mass combats, the battlef ield shouldnt

impact either army. But sometimes a battlefieldcan decide the outcome of a war.

Advantageous Terrain: Generally, if one army

occupies a position of superiority (such as being

atop a hill, wedged in a narrow canyon, or

protected by a deep river along one flank), the

defending army gains a +2 bonus to its DV.

Ambush: In order to attempt to ambush an

army, the entire ambushing army must have

concealment. The ambusher makes an Offense

check against the armys DVif successful, the

battle begins but the defending army does not get

to act during the tactics phase. Otherwise, the

battle proceeds normally.

Battlefield Advantage: If an army is particularly

familiar with a battlefield, it gains a +2 bonus to

both DV and OM.

Fortifications: An army located in a

fortification adds the fortif ications Defense score

to its DV. A citys Defense is determined by the

types of buildings it contains, as detailed in

Chapter 1. If you arent using these rules, a

typical fortification increases DV by +8.

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STRATEGY

Each round during the melee phase, an armys

commander must select a strategy from one of five options on the strategy track. Strategies adjust

the armys DV, OM, and damage modifier.

Adjusting an armys strategy one step in either

direction is automatic; if the leader wants to adjust

strategy more than that in 1 round, he must make a

DC 20 Morale check. If he succeeds, the armys

strategy changes to the desired level, but if he fails,

the armys current strategy doesnt change at all.

STRATEGY TRACK

Strategy DV OM Damage

Defensive +4 -4 -6

Cautious +2 -2 -3

Standard +0 +0 +0

Agressive -2 +2 +3

Reckless -4 +4 +6

MULTIPLE ARMIES

These rules can also serve in battles where

multiple armies clash. In such battles, when you

make your Offense check, you choose which

enemy armies youre attacking and apply damage

appropriatelyyou can change targets each round

as you wishthese rules dont take into account

complexities such as movement or location, after

all!

ATTACKING AND TAKINGDAMAGE

In mass combat, it doesnt matter who goes first,

since in the game its assumed that all attacks

happen simultaneously Each army makes an

Offense check by rolling 1d20 and adding its total

OM. This result is then compared to the target

armys DV.

Attackers Offense check equal to or less than

defenders DV: Attacker fails to damage the

defending army.

Attackers Offense check greater than

defenders DV: The attacking army inflicts

damage on the defending army equal to the result

of the attacking armys Offense check minus the

defending armys DV.

Natural 20: If you roll a natural 20 on your

Offense check, you automatically deal damage to

the army, even if the result of the roll is lower than

the enemy armys DV.

Natural 1: If you roll a natural 1 on your

Offense check, your army cannot make an Offense

Check during the following round.

ROUTIf at any point an armys hit points are reduced to a

number equal to or less than its CR, it immediately

flees unless its commander can make a DC 15

Morale check. If this check fails, the army scatters

and retreats from battle. When an army flees thusly,

the enemy can make one final Offense check to get

a parting shot before the army escapes.

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VICTORY AND DEFEAT

An army is victorious once all of its enemy armies

are destroyed or flee the battlef ield.Victory: A victorious armys hit points remain

at the level they were at when the battle ended

(minimum value equal to the armys CR). Make a

Loyalty check against your kingdoms Control DC

if you are successful, your army gains a new

Tactic. Every time an army gains a new Tactic,

its morale goes up by 1 (maximum of +4).

Rout: The armys hit points reset to a number

equal to the armys CR, and its morale decreases

by 1. Before this army can f ight again, you must

make a successful Loyalty check against your

nations Control DC during your nations Upkeep

phase.

Defeated Army: Although there are certainly a

few survivors if an army is reduced to 0 hit points,

those few survivors are so demoralized and

wounded that the army cannot recover. It must be

replaced with a new army. Every time an army is

defeated, reduce the kingdoms Stability,

Economy, and Loyalty by 2.

RECOVERYAn inactive army heals back to its full hit points

after a single month, but often, youll need to

restore your army to full fighting potential much

more quickly. Each day that an army spends at rest

(no movement and no battle), it heals hit points

equal to its CR. Once per day you can also restore

an additional amount of hit points to an army by

making a successful Loyalty Check against your

nations Command DC. With a successful check,

your army heals an additional amount of hit points

equal to its CR.

PLAYER CHARACTERS INBATTLES

As an option, you can have the PCs face battles of

their own just before or even during a battle inwhich one of their armies clashes with the enemy.

For example, the PCs might attack an evil

necromancer and fight their way through his tower

to confront and defeat him while their army battles

the undead horde outside. Alternatively, the Pcs

could use a few potent spells (such as control

water, earthquake, cloudkill, and so on) to adjust

the battlefield condition to their favor. These

possibilities allow the PCs to use their characters to

directly affect the outcome of a battle without

actually forcing the characters to sit out on an

adventure opportunity by personally commanding

an army.If the PCs win their battle or dramatically

affect the battlef ield with magic, increase their

armys DV and OM by +4 . If the PCs lose their

battle, penalize their armys DV and all OM rolls

by 4 . At your discretion, the PCs failure or

victory can have other effects on their army as well,

such as granting temporary bonus

tactics or starting the war with adjustments to one

sides hit points.

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SAMPLE ARMIES

The availability of armies for conscription by the

PCs depends upon their acts and successes in theiradventure to this point. You can also allow your

players to customize their own armies, using the

rules above to build whatever type of army they

want (subject to GM approval, of course!). None

of these armies have a starting morale listed, since

that depends on the result of a Loyalty check when

the army is first conscripted.

PALTRY MILITIA CR 1

Medium army of humans (warrior 3)

COMBAT

hp 5; DV 11; OM +1

LOGISTICS

Speed 2; Consumption 1

Prerequisite Kingdom size 1 or higher

REGULAR MILITIA CR 5

Huge army of humans (warrior 3)

COMBAT

hp 27; DV 15; OM + 5

LOGISTICS



ENORMOUS MILITIA CR 9

Colossal army of humans (warrior 3)

COMBAT

hp 49; DV 19; OM + 9

LOGISTICS



REGULAR ARMY CR 7

Gargantuan army of humans (fighter 2)

COMBAT

hp 38; DV 17; OM + 7

LOGISTICS


Prerequisite Kingdom size of 100 or higher

KOBOLD SKIRMISHERS CR 4

Gargantuan army of kobolds (warrior 1)

COMBAT

hp 22; DV 14; OM + 4

Tactics Dirty Fighters

LOGISTICS


Prerequisite Allied with kobolds

CENTAUR OUTRIDERS CR 7

Huge army of centaurs

COMBAT

hp 38; DV 17; OM + 7, ranged

Tactics Cavalry Experts

Resources Ranged Weapons

Special Abilities Always treated as if mounted

LOGISTICS


Prerequisite Allied with centaurs

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BOGGARD SWARM CR 8

Gargantuan army of boggards

COMBAT

hp 36; DV 18; OM + 8

Tactics Expert Flankers

Resources Healing Potions

Special Abilities Mobility Advantage (swamps

only)

LOGISTICS

Speed 1 (unaffected by swamps); Consumption 14

Prerequisite Must have allied with boggards

GHIZ MERCENARIES CR 6

Large army of Humans (fighter 4)

COMBAT

hp 33; DV 16; OM + 7

Tactics Hold the Line

Resources Improved Weapons

LOGISTICS


Prerequisite Must pay consumption or army

immediately disbands or joins the enemy (if they

are willing to pay instead!)

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APPENDIX

This section contains the kingdom sheet and various graphical representations of city buildings. You can print

any of these for personal use only and is copyrighted by Pazio Publishing.

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of cities and kings

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