Rulers¶

Rulers are civic authorities. Councils, courts, magistracies, senates: bodies or individuals with recognized power to make and enforce rules for a community.

Theme: Council¶

Elected or acclaimed community members who meet on a schedule to adjudicate disputes and manage community affairs. Villages, towns, and cities all commonly govern themselves this way.

Scale	Creatures	Features	Locations
Village	3-5 Council Elders	Personality	Council Lodge
Town	7-12 Councilors	Personality	Town Hall
City	15-25 Senators, 4-6 Sergeants	Personality	Senate House

Theme: Steward¶

The Rulers of a place owned by a distant party: a lord's holding, a company's operation, an empire's province. A Steward manages the place on the owner's behalf, sends reports and remittances, and takes directives back.

Scale	Creatures	Features	Locations
Village	1 Steward, 1 Clerk	Personality	Steward's Office
Town	1 Steward, 2-3 Clerks, 2 Guards	Personality	Steward's Hall
City	1 Governor, 4-6 Clerks, 4-6 Guards	Personality	Governor's Palace

Theme: Court¶

The Rulers of a lord's holding. A titled figure rules by hereditary or granted authority. His household runs the place: a Steward administers day to day, a Chancellor handles state business, Courtiers advise and jockey for favor. Petitioners come all days around to plead cases. A country Lord on a smaller holding runs a leaner court from his Manor House.

Scale	Creatures	Features	Locations
Village	1 Lord, 1 Steward, 1 Chaplain, 4-8 Household Guards, 8-16 Servants, Tenants	Personality	Manor House
Town	1 Lord, 1 Steward, 1 Chancellor, 2-4 Courtiers, 1-2 Clerks, 8-15 Servants, Royal Guard	Personality	Palace
City	1 Lord, 1 Steward, 3-5 Chancellors, 10-20 Courtiers, 3-5 Clerks, 30-60 Servants, Royal Guard	Personality	Palace

Theme: Syndicate¶

The town's Guildmasters sit jointly as the ruling council. Each seat is a Guildmaster from the town's Guilds (see Traders: Guild Hall (theme)); one serves as Chairman by rotation or election. Requires enough guilds to fill the seats, typically a town of three or more commercial districts. The town's laws favor whichever trades the Syndicate favors; a shift on the council can reshape the town's economy.

Scale	Creatures	Features	Locations
Town	3-5 Guildmasters, 1 Clerk, 2 Guards	Personality	Syndicate Hall
City	6-10 Guildmasters, 3-6 Clerks, 4-6 Guards	Personality	Grand Syndicate Hall

Details¶

Creatures¶

Ambassador. The foreign envoy stationed at a Foreign Compound. Uses the Noble stat block, or Archmage for a magical mission. Represents his home power's interests, hosts audiences, sends dispatches home by courier. An Ambassador is a specialized Steward representing an external sovereign. Loot: signet of his home power (500 gp), personal seal, sealed dispatches, 5d100 gp coin purse; the Embassy Hall holds additional wealth.

Castellan. A Lord's officer holding a Great Keep on his behalf. Uses the Veteran or Knight stat block. Commands the keep's small garrison and household. A Castellan is a Steward variant with residence duty at a specific fortification. Loot: sword, keys, seal of the Lord's authority, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Chancellor. The Lord's senior state advisor, ranked above the Steward on formal business. Each Chancellor holds a portfolio. Standard portfolios in a city Court:

Chancellor of Military Affairs — commands the Lord's military planning; coordinates with the Marshal and the Militia Commander.
Chancellor of Foreign Affairs — handles the Foreign Compounds, treaties with neighboring realms, envoys and diplomatic correspondence.
Chancellor of the Treasury — tax rolls, the Counting House, the household treasury.
Chancellor of Justice (or Law) — court records, judicial appointments, ducal writs, oversight of the Watch.
Chancellor of the Household (or Domestic Affairs) — added in the largest courts; runs the Lord's estates, appointments, and succession planning.

Uses the Noble stat block or a decorated Professional. Loot: chain of office (100 gp), signet, private records, 5d10 gp coin purse.

Chaplain. See The Faithful: Chaplain. At a Manor House, the Chaplain runs daily prayers for the Lord's family and household.

Clerk. The Steward's records keeper. Uses the Professional stat block with proficiencies in History, Investigation, and calligrapher's supplies. Handles ledgers, correspondence, and tax rolls. Loot: ink and pens (5 gp), ledger, 1d10 gp coin purse.

Councilor. A town's council member. Typically one is a Noble and the rest are wealthy Professionals. Attends town hall sessions on a fixed calendar and adjudicates larger disputes. Councilors carry a signet; each has a residence and a small staff. Loot: ring of office (100 gp), signet, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Courtier. A member of the Lord's court by favor or family connection. Attends audiences, whispers in the Lord's ear, angles for advantage for his own house. Uses the Noble stat block. Loot: fine clothes and jewelry (50-250 gp), personal purse (5d10 gp), letters and connections.

Council Elder. An older villager appointed to the Council. Wisdom in local matters like fishing seasons, planting cycles, and marriage disputes. Uses the Professional stat block and add proficiencies in Insight, Persuasion, History, plus one tool for a local trade. Loot: ring of office (25 gp), ledger, 2d10 gp coin purse.

Governor. City Steward. Appointed by a distant emperor, king, or high council. Uses Noble or a decorated Professional with delegated authority. Reports quarterly by courier. Loot: chain of office (250 gp), signet, 5d10 gp coin purse; official residence with additional wealth.

Guildmaster. One of the town's Guildmasters seated on the Syndicate. See Traders: Guild Hall (theme) for the underlying stat block and role. The seated Chairman wears a chain of office (50-100 gp town, 100-250 gp city) that passes at each rotation or annual election; the other Guildmasters wear only their own guild regalia.

Household Guards. The Lord's personal guard, in his livery. Uses the Guard stat block. Patrol the manor and grounds, escort the Lord on travel, keep order on court days. Loot: spear or shortsword, shield, kit, a few silver.

Lord. A titled figure (Lord, Lady, Count, Baron, Duke, Marquess, and at city scale a Sovereign such as King, Queen, or Grand Duke). Uses the Noble or Knight stat block, or possibly Knight-Captain or Marshal. Village Lords are minor gentry; town Lords are established nobility; city Lords are royalty. Loot: signet or coronet (100 gp village, 250 gp town, 500 gp+ city), chain of office, personal purse (5d10 gp village, 5d20 gp town, 5d100 gp city).

Royal Guard. The Lord's own military force. See Military: Royal Guard (theme).

Senator. A city's senior lawmaker. Typically 3-5 are established Nobles and the rest are wealthy Professionals or rising figures who bought their seat. Each has a residence, a staff, and enemies. Sessions run mornings; evenings see private meetings in the ante rooms and quiet deals over wine. Loot: chain of office (250 gp), signet, 5d10 gp coin purse; personal residence with additional wealth.

Sergeant. A city Sergeant assigned to the Senate as sergeant at arms. Keeps order on the chamber floor, enforces speaking rules, ejects disruptive citizens. Loot: Senate keys, badge of office (10 gp).

Servant. Household staff of a Court. Cooks, footmen, maids, grooms, valets, gardeners, kennelmen. Uses the Commoner stat block. Loot: livery (nominal), a few silver.

Steward. The manager of a place owned by a distant party. Uses the Professional stat block, Noble for a high-status posting, or Veteran or Knight for a military settlement. Runs day to day, keeps books, sends reports and remittances. Loot: signet or badge of office (25 gp; 100 gp if a Noble), keys, ledger, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Tenants. The peasant families working the estate's lands. Compose with Households. Not combatants but a real presence; the Lord's authority runs through them and their village is his village.

Warden. The senior officer at a fortification held on behalf of a crown or Lord. Uses the Veteran or Knight stat block. A Warden is a Steward variant charged with holding a fortification in trust. Loot: sword, keys, ledger of stores or prisoners, 5d10 gp coin purse.

Features¶

Personality. The Ruler's collective character. Roll d6 by theme.

Council: 1 harmonious (unified voice); 2 contested (rival factions); 3 corrupt (a member takes bribes); 4 senile (a figurehead runs it); 5 honest (reformist); 6 dominated (one strong figure rules).

Court: 1 benevolent (loved by the people; wise and just); 2 cruel (arbitrary punishments; oppressive taxes); 3 dissolute (parties and hunts more than rules; the Steward runs things); 4 ambitious (seeks a higher title or crown; the current holding is a stepping stone); 5 embattled (a rival lord contests his claim; the court is thick with intrigue); 6 aging (the Lord ages and the succession is contested).

Steward: 1 benevolent (loyal to the workers); 2 exploitative (extracts every coin); 3 absentee (rarely present); 4 meticulous (rigorous records); 5 corrupt (skims); 6 embattled (in conflict with the workers).

Syndicate: 1 unified (the guilds cooperate under a strong Chairman); 2 fractured (rival blocs, two guilds in cold war); 3 dominated (one guild controls the votes, the town's fortunes tied to that trade); 4 corrupt (seats bought, laws sold); 5 reformist (a rising Chairman wants a new charter); 6 declining (guilds losing members, the Syndicate losing legitimacy to a rival power).

Locations¶

Council Lodge. Village Council's chamber. One room with a plank table, chairs, a hearth, and a chest with a strong lock for records. Doubles as the village's court and its emergency shelter. Heavy oak door with a standard lock; shutters on the two windows. Loot: village ledger; chest with 5d10 gp community fund.

Governor's Palace. Grand administrative building with a domed audience chamber, records vaults, and a private residence attached. Guards at every entrance. Loot: ceremonial regalia (250 gp), treasury or its receipts, records worth blackmail material; official communications from the distant power.

Manor House. The Lord's residence: the main building on his country holding, with grounds around it. A manor house has:

Great hall: the public heart. High-beamed room with a long table, a raised dais for the Lord's seat, a great hearth, tapestries or banners of the house. Where the Lord hosts feasts, hears petitioners, and holds court.
Solar: the family's private sitting room above the great hall. A hearth, comfortable chairs, needlework and books; the Lady often keeps this space.
Private apartments: the Lord and family's bedchambers upstairs. Master bedchamber, children's rooms, guest room for visiting kin.
Steward's office: where the Steward keeps the estate's books, tenants' rolls, and correspondence. A desk, ledgers, a locking chest.
Attached chapel: small private chapel for the family; a shrine to the household's patron and space for daily prayers. The Chaplain resides here or in a room adjacent.
Kitchens, pantry, buttery, and larder: kitchen wing; the household staff prepare meals here.
Wine cellar: below-stairs. Casks and bottles; the Lord's private stock.
Servants' quarters: back wing or upper attic. Small rooms for the live-in household staff.
Library or study: the Lord's personal collection of books, estate records, family papers.
Treasury: private strongroom. Strong lock; the Steward and Lord share keys.
Home Farm: the estate's demesne - fields and pastures worked directly for the Lord's household rather than by Tenants. Barns, granaries, dairy.
Retainer Cottages: small houses inside the estate walls or nearby for household retainers - the head groom, the huntsman, the reeve, the falconer.
Stables: the Lord's own hunters and household palfreys. Tack, feed, farrier's tools.
Gatehouse: the entry to the estate grounds. A guarded gate, a small porter's lodge, sometimes a modest wall or hedge around the immediate manor precinct.
Defenses: the Household Guards patrol the manor and grounds; the Treasury behind a strong lock; the family's private apartments are off-limits and the guards respond.
Loot: the Lord's furnishings and plate (500-2000 gp); silverware (100 gp); tapestries and family portraits (50-500 gp); the treasury (5d100 gp) with heirlooms worth 2d100 gp more, behind a strong lock; the wine cellar (100 gp); the Lord's fine wardrobe; the estate's ledgers (blackmail material); the stables' horses (75-400 gp each); the Home Farm's stores and draft animals.

Palace. The Lord's grand residence and the walled precinct around it. A palace has:

Audience chamber: where the Lord receives petitioners and adjudicates on court days. Throne or high seat, tapestries, standing space for petitioners; the Steward and Chancellor stand behind the Lord to advise. At city scale, a formal throne room.
Great hall: dining and ceremonial. Long tables, a raised dais at the head, hearth, banners of the house. Feasts and revels here.
Private apartments: the Lord's family quarters on the upper floors. Bedchambers, private study, sitting rooms, nursery for young heirs. In a city, a full residential wing with apartments for close kin.
Library: the Lord's personal collection of books, family records, a locked chest for private documents.
Steward and Chancellor's offices: day-to-day records and state business. Ledgers, correspondence, tax rolls; each has a desk and a locking chest.
Treasury: behind the audience chamber, sometimes below. Strong lock (masterwork in a city); the Steward and Chancellor share keys.
Kitchens, wine cellar, and servants' quarters: kitchen wing off the great hall. Cooks and household staff live in a rear wing or below stairs.
Chapel: small devotional space on the palace grounds; a family shrine to the Lord's patron.
Envoys' apartments: at city scale only. Apartments for foreign envoys and visiting royalty.
Guard barracks and muster yard: the Royal Guard's quarters, armory, and drill space. Weapons rack, guard schedule board. Larger and more numerous at city scale.
Formal gardens: kept by the household gardener; walkable, with benches, a pond or fountain.
Stables and kennels: the Lord's own hunters, household palfreys, and hounds for the hunt.
Curtain wall and gatehouse: the palace precinct wall. Guarded gates; the Royal Guard on watch. At city scale, multiple courtyards and a full formal gatehouse.
Petitioners' courtyard: open ground inside the gate where common folk gather on court days.
Tourney grounds: at city scale only. Tournaments and revels; permanent stands and lists.
Hazards: the Royal Guard on watch; the treasury behind a strong or masterwork lock; the private apartments are strictly off-limits and the guards respond; the Chancellor may have wardsigns on his private records.
Magical wards: In a City, the Palace has a permanent arcane lock on the treasury door and on the private apartments (each opens only to the appropriate key or seal plus a passphrase), a permanent magic mouth at the throne (shouts a warning when approached by an unauthorized hand), a glyph of warding on the treasury door and on the Chancellor's private records (explosive runes if breached), and a permanent detect magic area covering the throne room. In a Town, only the treasury door bears an arcane lock, and a magic mouth may guard the Lord's bedchamber.
Loot: the Lord's furnishings, plate, and wine cellar (500-2000 gp town, 2000-10000 gp city); the treasury (5d100 gp town, 5d1000 gp city, plus jewelry and reserve worth as much again); ceremonial regalia (250 gp town, 500-2000 gp city); the Chancellor's records worth blackmail material; the Steward's ledgers; tournament regalia at seasonal times (100 gp town, 500 gp city); the stables' horses (75-400 gp each) and kennels' hounds.
Note: When a Court or Household is housed inside a fortification (a Stronghold as the Lord's seat, a Great Keep held by the Lord), the fortification's Great Keep and Great Hall serve as the palace. No separate Palace building needed.

Senate House. Grand stone building with a domed chamber, marble floors, records vaults below. Multiple entrances, city guard detail on rotation. Sessions run mornings; evenings see private meetings in the ante rooms. Loot: Senate mace (250 gp); records and archives; the city treasury may be kept elsewhere in the archives.

Steward's Hall. Town's administrative office with residence attached. Records room, private office, formal reception area. Loot: ledgers, treasury with 5d100 gp, seal of office (50 gp).

Steward's Office. Modest freestanding building or a room within a larger owned property. Records, a locked strongbox, a desk, a chair or two. Loot: ledger, strongbox with 3d10 gp for petty operations, seal of office (25 gp).

Syndicate Hall. Stone or heavy timber, front doors on or near the Market Square alongside the Guild Halls. Main chamber for sessions with a raised Chairman's seat; ante rooms for private deals; records vault; a shared treasury for Syndicate business and dues levied on member guilds. Guards on the doors. Located at or near a market. The Syndicate may meet in the Town Hall instead. Loot: Syndicate treasury (5d100 gp); charter (often royal); Chairman's chain of office (50-100 gp); records worth blackmail material.

Grand Syndicate Hall. As Syndicate Hall but multiple stories, a domed session chamber, a banquet hall for the Chairman's annual feast, a library of trade records and charters, secure vaults. Located at or near a market. Loot: Syndicate treasury (5d100 + 500 gp); royal charter; Chairman's chain (100-250 gp); regalia (250-1000 gp); the guilds' combined investment records.

Town Hall. Stone hall with a chamber upstairs, records office and jail downstairs. Reinforced door; iron bars on the ground floor windows; one guarded entrance. Guards on duty during sessions, one on watch at night. Loot: community treasury with 5d100 gp; records worth blackmail material; ceremonial mace of office (75 gp).

Stat blocks used¶

Rulers draws on shared blocks.

Commoner — SRD.
Guard — SRD.
Noble — SRD.
Professional — new. Upgraded Commoner with proficiencies chosen by role.
Sergeant — new. Squad leader or officer.