Post by Gandalf on May 26, 2021 10:42:40 GMT -5
This will be a thread for the proposed rule changes for this iteration, which will eventually be edited into the existing rule thread. Feel free to post comments, ideas or feedback below to the additions as they are added.
Character Rules:
(Some small changes to heritage and bloodlines)
Heritage:
Lowborn: You were born to a family of muck-swilling, swineherding, bowl o' brown eating common folk, and spent your youth owning little more than the shirt on your back. You are looked down upon by the nobles for your lack of airs and graces, but you survived through the Long Night the hard way, without the safety of steel or castle walls. You are as tough as old boots. +1 resilience, +1 intelligence.
Highborn Bastard: Bottom of the noble-born ladder, you at least had the good fortune of your mother's family name or your father's good nature sparing you a life on the streets. Spat out by the highborn world, bastards are usually ambitious and vindictive as a result - the bastards conceived during the hard times of winter even more so. Very little is handed to you, unlike your trueborn kin, and so you have become accustomed to taking it for yourself. +1 charisma, +1 resilience.
Noble-Born: A son or daughter of one of the noble houses, you were raised by a good family behind thick castle walls, and you were fortunate enough to survive winter as a result. Despite the impertinence of the peasantry, the aristocracy still take their rightful place as the lords and masters of the land, with you among them. You have been raised since birth to lead your people in war and peace. +1 authority.
Blue Blooded: You are a son or daughter of one of the greatest houses of the realm, with a bloodline that can be traced back to the ancient kings that ruled before the dragons came. You look down on your social inferiors with a deserved arrogance reserved only for those families that command seas of coin and legions of men. Even in this new world, the great houses are still worthy of respect, and you intend to ensure that it remains so. +2 authority.
Profession: (replaces bloodlines)
Cleric: You serve none but the Gods, and your skills as a preacher carry their message to the masses. You are likely an adept public speaker, able to hold a crowd in rapt attention. You are also likely to be able to read and write, which is no small skill in these troubled times. +1 authority, +1 intelligence.
Merchant: You are a coin counter, a member of a local guild in one of the towns and cities of Westeros. You have a talent for making money, and are capable of making use of it in the name of your patron, whoever they may be. +2 intelligence.
Firebrand: You are a rabble-rouser, likely a lowborn peasant or cleric with ideas above their station. Despite being able to cause trouble, you are also rather adept at avoiding the consequences, quickly moving on before events spin out of your control. +1 charisma, +2 incitement rolls.
Mercenary: A down and dirty warrior, selling their sword for coin. You have fought under a hundred banners in a hundred conflicts, and you know how to kill a man as good as any. You also know where to find likeminded individuals who would bloody their blades for a cheap whore and a tankard of ale. +1 resilience, +10% discount to mercenary recruitment and a boost to mercenary rolls.
Warlord: You are a leader of men, having cobbled together your own band of sellswords and cutthroats and risen above your station by the strength of your sword arm. The true challenge will be keeping your ill-gotten gains, but a lifetime of warfare has made you more cunning than your enemies give you credit. +1 authority, boost to levy and mercenary rolls.
Knight: You are a sworn sword, either in the service of a noble or the Gods. Above the common mercenary rabble by virtue of your name and horse, you make your fortune either in real warfare or the tournaments of the noble born. +1 resilience, +2 tournament rolls.
Nobleman: You are a landowner, a Lord, a leader of men. You were raised from birth to take your place at the pinnacle of society, and your forte is the high politicking of your peers and the art of war. +1 authority, +1 charisma.
Social Pariah: You are a social outlier; a woman that wields a sword, for example, or one that roams the land peddling ointments and petty sorcery. Deviating from the established order takes a certain strength of character, as well as surviving the consequences. -1 charisma, +1 resilience, +1 intelligence
Matriarch: You are the matriarch of the household; a mother, wife, or even a widow. While war is the province of men, women have no less of a decisive role in noble life, and their efforts to ensure the household run smoothly often go unnoticed. They are formidable in their own right, and are responsible for rearing the next generation of nobility. +1 resilience, +1 charisma.
New Careers:
There are many alternatives to the life of a noble. These are currently being fleshed out, and are still in the trial stage. They may be subject to large amounts of change.
Mercenary Captain:
Mercenary Captains lead the numerous free companies that sell their swords to the highest bidder, taking on contracts from lords great and small for coin.
Captains begin their career in command of 200 armed men (100 light infantry, 75 heavy infantry, 20 light cavalry, 5 heavy cavalry). Several times a year, they may request a recruitment roll, determining how many men will come and fight under their banner. The range and modifiers of this roll are conducted at moderator discretion. A mercenary roll costs 500 dragons each time, matching the passive annual income of the company. Therefore, in order to continue to recruit more men, the mercenary captain must try to seek employment from other player characters.
Merchant Guildsman:
(I assume those wanting to play a merchant enjoy the money aspect of RP games, so it might become a bit more minmax than the life of feudal lord)
Merchant Guildsmen are based in the cities and towns of Westeros, and are in complete control of the commerce and finance of the kingdoms. Since the collapse of feudal authority and the decline in population that resulted from the Long Winter, the kingdoms have only become more reliant on the emerging merchant class to secure a supply of food and trade goods.
Merchants begin with a base amount of 500 dragons per annum, and so to supplement this they can invest their money into certain ventures or perform certain services for their noble-born clientele.
There are two possible paths for a merchant to travel down and purchase upgrades into. These paths are exclusive; more than one cannot be chosen at any point, nor can they be changed without considerable expense.
Banker:
Level 1: Costs 500 Dragons. Yields 1000 dragons per annum. Allows the establishment of a safehouse, where houses or individuals can hold their assets in 'trust'. Should their home fall to the enemy, whatever monies or assets they hold will be safe, so long as the safehouse is secure. A banker can charge for this privilege, as well as loan money at interest to those in need of it. A safehouse can hold a maximum of 5000 dragons. Safehouses have no legal protection.
Level 2: Costs 2000 Dragons. Yields 4000 Dragons per annum. Allows the establishment of a bank, which can hold up to 20,000 dragons. A bank also holds legal protection in the city it is established - protection which must be secured from the relevant authority before it is founded (such as the Hightowers in Oldtown, for instance). This protection prevents any thefts or breaches without serious consequence.
Level 3: Costs 20,000 dragons, yields 15,000 dragons per annum. Establishes a network of banks in the cities of Westeros, essentially rendering a client's assets and funds unreachable by rivals. Can hold up to 100,000 dragons worth of funds in trust.
Level 4: Costs 50,000, yields 40,000 dragons per annum. Establishes banks in the Free Cities, allowing an unlimited amount of funds to be held in trust. Boosts interactions with the Free Cities and foreign mercenary companies by a large amount.
Trader:
Level 1: Costs 500 dragons. Yields 1000 dragons per annum. Allows the establishment of a warehouse, in which trade agreements are brokered with agents of foreign lands for profit. Merchants can sell this service to the lords of the realm, burgeoning their income. Enables the merchant to visit the ports of Westeros to secure trade goods for their clients, improving their income by up to 2500 dragons per annum.
Level 2: Costs 2000 dragons. Yields 4000 dragons per annum. Establishes a trading guild, in which trade agreements can be brokered with agents of Westerosi ports and those of the nearby Free Cities of Pentos, Lys and Tyrosh. Can secure trade agreements that increase the income of their clients by up to 5000 dragons per annum.
Level 3: Costs 20,000 dragons, yields 15,000 per annum. Purchases an entire wharf dedicated to trade, welcoming envoys from all the Free Cities, Dragon's Bay, and Braavos. Can secure trade agreements that increase the income of their clients by up to 10,000 dragons per annum.
Level 4: Costs 50,000 dragons, yields 40,000 per annum. Establishes a chartered trading company with the permission of the city authority, with envoys coming from the Summer Isles, Ibben; even as far afield as Asshai or Yi Ti. The company can secure trade agreements that increase the income of their clients by up to 15,000 per annum, and have large bonuses to interactions with foreign rulers and mercenary companies.
Peasant Leader:
Peasant leaders have emerged in this new world to take the power back from the nobility that have for so long held them in bonds. Empowered by the Seven Ordinances, these populist leaders have rallied their peers to present their demands to the feudal lords that rule over them, by force if necessary.
Peasant leaders can incite rebellion in the lands of a feudal lord through propaganda and the spoken word; this is done by roll, and requires the presence of the leader or his agents. These rolls are conducted by mod discretion and will often be influenced by outside factors.
A wandering peasant leader begins the game with a hundred armed followers, subject to mod discretion.
Cleric:
Similarly to peasant leaders, clerics can incite others into the service of their chosen God, whoever they might be. A cleric that attracts the service of enough followers could be acclaimed as a prophet or messiah, and even found their own Holy Order. They would hold a significant amount of leverage over the powers that be with the strength of their following. Be aware, however, that those that preach against the Orthodoxy are often in danger of execution.
A wandering cleric begins with a hundred armed followers.
High Septon and the Swords and Stars:
The High Septon begins with the Swords and Stars under his command; an updated version of the Faith Militant that is even more fanatical than its predecessor. They are completely loyal to the High Septon and the Seven Gods, being based in Oldtown within the shadow of the Starry Sept. The Swords and Stars number two thousand strong at game start. (1000 LI, 500 HI, 400 LC, 100 HC). The High Septon may attempt to recruit more men to the Swords and Stars, though this will be dependent on rolls and cost 5000 dragons to attempt; the attempt will also be affected by external modifiers.
(hint; appointing other player characters to command positions in the Swords and Stars will make recruitment easier)
The High Septon's influence and income comes from the ranks of the faithful, who provide regular tithes. The High Septon's base income is 10,000 dragons per annum, though this may be supplemented by gifts from the faithful or taxation from the feudal lords under His jurisdiction. The High Septon also has the authority to try criminals with crimes against the Faith, including feudal lords and other high ranking figures. He may also excommunicate figures from the Seven or impose interdict upon the lands of the unfaithful, if he so desires, but these tools must be used with caution - rival preachers may exploit popular resentment against the Faith.
Economy Rules:
Focuses:
As many of these can be chosen as you have the money for. They last for the entire game until you choose to get rid of them, meaning that if you wanted you could choose your focus at game start and not have to adjust them (or your finances) for the remainder of the game. The minimum time a focus has to be kept once bought is one in game year. The base focus cost is 5000 Dragons, paid per annum.
Levy Focus: Improves levy call up rolls by 5.
Battle Focus: Improves battle rolls by 2.
Marching Focus: Improves movement speed by 10%.
Siege Focus: Gives improved siege weapons to attacking armies, such as catapults or trebuchets, which create breaches in castle walls and improve siege attack rolls by 5.
Naval Focus: Improves naval combat rolls by 2.
Shipbuilding Focus: Allows the player to construct a random number and composition of ships (subject to rolls) once per year.
Intelligence Focus: Enables the establishment of spy networks in a lord or ruler’s court. One spy network may be established per in-game year.
Defensive Focus: Increases siege holdout time by 3 IRL days and siege defence rolls by 2.
Buildings:
Castle: Costs 5000 dragons. Takes 1 year to construct.
Mercenary Company Headquarters: Costs 2000 dragons. Increases the passive income of a mercenary company from 500 to 1000 and provides a permanent headquarters. Requires permission from city authority or feudal lord.
Market: Costs 5000 Dragons. Can yield between 500-2000 dragons per annum (roll dependent)
Religious Buildings:
Holy Fortress: Costs 10,000 dragons. Takes 1 year to construct. Provides a fortified headquarters for the Holy Order, and drastically improves recruitment rolls.
Levy Rules:
Levy sizes will shrink to reflect the smaller population of Westeros following the Long Night.
Mercenaries:
NPC companies will available for contracted recruitment by a thread.
Character Rules:
(Some small changes to heritage and bloodlines)
Heritage:
Lowborn: You were born to a family of muck-swilling, swineherding, bowl o' brown eating common folk, and spent your youth owning little more than the shirt on your back. You are looked down upon by the nobles for your lack of airs and graces, but you survived through the Long Night the hard way, without the safety of steel or castle walls. You are as tough as old boots. +1 resilience, +1 intelligence.
Highborn Bastard: Bottom of the noble-born ladder, you at least had the good fortune of your mother's family name or your father's good nature sparing you a life on the streets. Spat out by the highborn world, bastards are usually ambitious and vindictive as a result - the bastards conceived during the hard times of winter even more so. Very little is handed to you, unlike your trueborn kin, and so you have become accustomed to taking it for yourself. +1 charisma, +1 resilience.
Noble-Born: A son or daughter of one of the noble houses, you were raised by a good family behind thick castle walls, and you were fortunate enough to survive winter as a result. Despite the impertinence of the peasantry, the aristocracy still take their rightful place as the lords and masters of the land, with you among them. You have been raised since birth to lead your people in war and peace. +1 authority.
Blue Blooded: You are a son or daughter of one of the greatest houses of the realm, with a bloodline that can be traced back to the ancient kings that ruled before the dragons came. You look down on your social inferiors with a deserved arrogance reserved only for those families that command seas of coin and legions of men. Even in this new world, the great houses are still worthy of respect, and you intend to ensure that it remains so. +2 authority.
Profession: (replaces bloodlines)
Cleric: You serve none but the Gods, and your skills as a preacher carry their message to the masses. You are likely an adept public speaker, able to hold a crowd in rapt attention. You are also likely to be able to read and write, which is no small skill in these troubled times. +1 authority, +1 intelligence.
Merchant: You are a coin counter, a member of a local guild in one of the towns and cities of Westeros. You have a talent for making money, and are capable of making use of it in the name of your patron, whoever they may be. +2 intelligence.
Firebrand: You are a rabble-rouser, likely a lowborn peasant or cleric with ideas above their station. Despite being able to cause trouble, you are also rather adept at avoiding the consequences, quickly moving on before events spin out of your control. +1 charisma, +2 incitement rolls.
Mercenary: A down and dirty warrior, selling their sword for coin. You have fought under a hundred banners in a hundred conflicts, and you know how to kill a man as good as any. You also know where to find likeminded individuals who would bloody their blades for a cheap whore and a tankard of ale. +1 resilience, +10% discount to mercenary recruitment and a boost to mercenary rolls.
Warlord: You are a leader of men, having cobbled together your own band of sellswords and cutthroats and risen above your station by the strength of your sword arm. The true challenge will be keeping your ill-gotten gains, but a lifetime of warfare has made you more cunning than your enemies give you credit. +1 authority, boost to levy and mercenary rolls.
Knight: You are a sworn sword, either in the service of a noble or the Gods. Above the common mercenary rabble by virtue of your name and horse, you make your fortune either in real warfare or the tournaments of the noble born. +1 resilience, +2 tournament rolls.
Nobleman: You are a landowner, a Lord, a leader of men. You were raised from birth to take your place at the pinnacle of society, and your forte is the high politicking of your peers and the art of war. +1 authority, +1 charisma.
Social Pariah: You are a social outlier; a woman that wields a sword, for example, or one that roams the land peddling ointments and petty sorcery. Deviating from the established order takes a certain strength of character, as well as surviving the consequences. -1 charisma, +1 resilience, +1 intelligence
Matriarch: You are the matriarch of the household; a mother, wife, or even a widow. While war is the province of men, women have no less of a decisive role in noble life, and their efforts to ensure the household run smoothly often go unnoticed. They are formidable in their own right, and are responsible for rearing the next generation of nobility. +1 resilience, +1 charisma.
New Careers:
There are many alternatives to the life of a noble. These are currently being fleshed out, and are still in the trial stage. They may be subject to large amounts of change.
Mercenary Captain:
Mercenary Captains lead the numerous free companies that sell their swords to the highest bidder, taking on contracts from lords great and small for coin.
Captains begin their career in command of 200 armed men (100 light infantry, 75 heavy infantry, 20 light cavalry, 5 heavy cavalry). Several times a year, they may request a recruitment roll, determining how many men will come and fight under their banner. The range and modifiers of this roll are conducted at moderator discretion. A mercenary roll costs 500 dragons each time, matching the passive annual income of the company. Therefore, in order to continue to recruit more men, the mercenary captain must try to seek employment from other player characters.
Merchant Guildsman:
(I assume those wanting to play a merchant enjoy the money aspect of RP games, so it might become a bit more minmax than the life of feudal lord)
Merchant Guildsmen are based in the cities and towns of Westeros, and are in complete control of the commerce and finance of the kingdoms. Since the collapse of feudal authority and the decline in population that resulted from the Long Winter, the kingdoms have only become more reliant on the emerging merchant class to secure a supply of food and trade goods.
Merchants begin with a base amount of 500 dragons per annum, and so to supplement this they can invest their money into certain ventures or perform certain services for their noble-born clientele.
There are two possible paths for a merchant to travel down and purchase upgrades into. These paths are exclusive; more than one cannot be chosen at any point, nor can they be changed without considerable expense.
Banker:
Level 1: Costs 500 Dragons. Yields 1000 dragons per annum. Allows the establishment of a safehouse, where houses or individuals can hold their assets in 'trust'. Should their home fall to the enemy, whatever monies or assets they hold will be safe, so long as the safehouse is secure. A banker can charge for this privilege, as well as loan money at interest to those in need of it. A safehouse can hold a maximum of 5000 dragons. Safehouses have no legal protection.
Level 2: Costs 2000 Dragons. Yields 4000 Dragons per annum. Allows the establishment of a bank, which can hold up to 20,000 dragons. A bank also holds legal protection in the city it is established - protection which must be secured from the relevant authority before it is founded (such as the Hightowers in Oldtown, for instance). This protection prevents any thefts or breaches without serious consequence.
Level 3: Costs 20,000 dragons, yields 15,000 dragons per annum. Establishes a network of banks in the cities of Westeros, essentially rendering a client's assets and funds unreachable by rivals. Can hold up to 100,000 dragons worth of funds in trust.
Level 4: Costs 50,000, yields 40,000 dragons per annum. Establishes banks in the Free Cities, allowing an unlimited amount of funds to be held in trust. Boosts interactions with the Free Cities and foreign mercenary companies by a large amount.
Trader:
Level 1: Costs 500 dragons. Yields 1000 dragons per annum. Allows the establishment of a warehouse, in which trade agreements are brokered with agents of foreign lands for profit. Merchants can sell this service to the lords of the realm, burgeoning their income. Enables the merchant to visit the ports of Westeros to secure trade goods for their clients, improving their income by up to 2500 dragons per annum.
Level 2: Costs 2000 dragons. Yields 4000 dragons per annum. Establishes a trading guild, in which trade agreements can be brokered with agents of Westerosi ports and those of the nearby Free Cities of Pentos, Lys and Tyrosh. Can secure trade agreements that increase the income of their clients by up to 5000 dragons per annum.
Level 3: Costs 20,000 dragons, yields 15,000 per annum. Purchases an entire wharf dedicated to trade, welcoming envoys from all the Free Cities, Dragon's Bay, and Braavos. Can secure trade agreements that increase the income of their clients by up to 10,000 dragons per annum.
Level 4: Costs 50,000 dragons, yields 40,000 per annum. Establishes a chartered trading company with the permission of the city authority, with envoys coming from the Summer Isles, Ibben; even as far afield as Asshai or Yi Ti. The company can secure trade agreements that increase the income of their clients by up to 15,000 per annum, and have large bonuses to interactions with foreign rulers and mercenary companies.
Peasant Leader:
Peasant leaders have emerged in this new world to take the power back from the nobility that have for so long held them in bonds. Empowered by the Seven Ordinances, these populist leaders have rallied their peers to present their demands to the feudal lords that rule over them, by force if necessary.
Peasant leaders can incite rebellion in the lands of a feudal lord through propaganda and the spoken word; this is done by roll, and requires the presence of the leader or his agents. These rolls are conducted by mod discretion and will often be influenced by outside factors.
A wandering peasant leader begins the game with a hundred armed followers, subject to mod discretion.
Cleric:
Similarly to peasant leaders, clerics can incite others into the service of their chosen God, whoever they might be. A cleric that attracts the service of enough followers could be acclaimed as a prophet or messiah, and even found their own Holy Order. They would hold a significant amount of leverage over the powers that be with the strength of their following. Be aware, however, that those that preach against the Orthodoxy are often in danger of execution.
A wandering cleric begins with a hundred armed followers.
High Septon and the Swords and Stars:
The High Septon begins with the Swords and Stars under his command; an updated version of the Faith Militant that is even more fanatical than its predecessor. They are completely loyal to the High Septon and the Seven Gods, being based in Oldtown within the shadow of the Starry Sept. The Swords and Stars number two thousand strong at game start. (1000 LI, 500 HI, 400 LC, 100 HC). The High Septon may attempt to recruit more men to the Swords and Stars, though this will be dependent on rolls and cost 5000 dragons to attempt; the attempt will also be affected by external modifiers.
(hint; appointing other player characters to command positions in the Swords and Stars will make recruitment easier)
The High Septon's influence and income comes from the ranks of the faithful, who provide regular tithes. The High Septon's base income is 10,000 dragons per annum, though this may be supplemented by gifts from the faithful or taxation from the feudal lords under His jurisdiction. The High Septon also has the authority to try criminals with crimes against the Faith, including feudal lords and other high ranking figures. He may also excommunicate figures from the Seven or impose interdict upon the lands of the unfaithful, if he so desires, but these tools must be used with caution - rival preachers may exploit popular resentment against the Faith.
Economy Rules:
Focuses:
As many of these can be chosen as you have the money for. They last for the entire game until you choose to get rid of them, meaning that if you wanted you could choose your focus at game start and not have to adjust them (or your finances) for the remainder of the game. The minimum time a focus has to be kept once bought is one in game year. The base focus cost is 5000 Dragons, paid per annum.
Levy Focus: Improves levy call up rolls by 5.
Battle Focus: Improves battle rolls by 2.
Marching Focus: Improves movement speed by 10%.
Siege Focus: Gives improved siege weapons to attacking armies, such as catapults or trebuchets, which create breaches in castle walls and improve siege attack rolls by 5.
Naval Focus: Improves naval combat rolls by 2.
Shipbuilding Focus: Allows the player to construct a random number and composition of ships (subject to rolls) once per year.
Intelligence Focus: Enables the establishment of spy networks in a lord or ruler’s court. One spy network may be established per in-game year.
Defensive Focus: Increases siege holdout time by 3 IRL days and siege defence rolls by 2.
Buildings:
Castle: Costs 5000 dragons. Takes 1 year to construct.
Mercenary Company Headquarters: Costs 2000 dragons. Increases the passive income of a mercenary company from 500 to 1000 and provides a permanent headquarters. Requires permission from city authority or feudal lord.
Market: Costs 5000 Dragons. Can yield between 500-2000 dragons per annum (roll dependent)
Religious Buildings:
Holy Fortress: Costs 10,000 dragons. Takes 1 year to construct. Provides a fortified headquarters for the Holy Order, and drastically improves recruitment rolls.
Levy Rules:
Levy sizes will shrink to reflect the smaller population of Westeros following the Long Night.
Mercenaries:
NPC companies will available for contracted recruitment by a thread.