SilentWolf
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USING THE LOYALTY RULE IN ORDER TO REIGN OVER A COMMUNITY
On page 93 of the Dungeon Master's Guide you can found the Loyalty Optional Rule.
By default, this rule is designed to manage the NPC Party Members' Loyalty. With a slight modification, however, you can use the same rule to manage the loyalty of entire communities of NPCs.
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY
A Community is a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists. Communities may have any size, reside in specific locality and/or often have a common cultural and historical heritage. For the purpose of this rule, Communities will then be treated as a mass of people belonging to the same group, with some kind of common identity, in which is included the practice of granting loyalty to the same authority.
For the purpose of this rule examples of communities are: a garrison, the inhabitants of a city/Town/Village, the totality of farms scattered in the countryside, a community of believers, an army, employees of a commercial or craft enterprise (like the ones existing in the Middle Ages), etc.
At DM discretion, more communities can be treated as belonging to a single community. For Example, the DM may decide that the inhabitants of a small town and the peasants of the countryside represent one community, the one of the feud.
FROM A LOYALTY TO THE GROUP TO A LOYALTY TO THE LEADER
The Loyalty rule described on page 93 of the DMG is designed to track the loyalty of NPCs to the group of adventurers.
That's why the original rule states that the Loyalty score should be calculated based on the highest Charisma score among all adventurers in the party. Considering, however, that a Community can be handled by one person, the Loyalty rule need to be changed.
To begin, when using this HR you must give to a whole community a single Loyalty score. That score will depend on the Charisma score of a single PC, the Comunity Leader, and not on the highest Charisma score among all the adventurers. For example, if Rhaegar the dwarf chooses to command a garrison, the loyalty of the latter will depend on Charisma score of Rhaegar.
At this point the Community's maximum Loyalty score will be equal to the Charisma score of the Community Leader, and it's starting Loyalty score will be half that number.
On the contrary, if the community is led by a group of people, then it's Loyalty will be the highest Charisma score among all members of the group.
THE ATTITUDE OF A LEADER TOWARDS THE COMUNITY
in a similar manner to the original rule, the score will increase or decrease depending on the way the Leader will treat the community. The original rule was designed to manage the loyalty of NPCs that are more likely to develop a personal bond with the PCs. This explains why the loyalty of individual NPCs varies according to the treatment received by PCs about personal issues. A community of people, on the contrary, will not have a personal relationship with the Leader and, therefore, its expectations will be based more on the pursuit of profit, protection and the preservation of its pride. Communities expect to be treated well, to receive protection from external threats or from the abuses of the Leader's men, to receive rewards for their loyalty, to not risk vexations from the Leader, and to rely on a capable guide, able to lead the comunity towards an age of wealth and/or glory.
Every time the PC will accomplish actions that will make the community feel treated well or proud to be led by such a leader (lowering taxes, distributing food in time of famine, increasing the salaries of soldiers or other employees, improving the quality of citizens' life with the introduction of new services, bringing prestige to the community through innovations or glorious/holy deeds, protecting the community from a invasion, ensuring promotions to worthy and/or loyal employees, etc.), the Community's Loyalty score increases by 1d4. Obviously, the Community's Loyalty score can never be raised above its maximum or above 20.
Conversely, if the PG will accomplish actions that will make the community feel vexed or will make the Leader appear as a unworthy person (raising taxes too much, introducing laws too harsh, managing the community with violence and fear, despising and/or ignoring local customs, avoiding to assist the Community in difficult times, avoiding to protect the Community from outside threats, avoid to deter abuse of tax collectors and of other Leader's employees, bringing discredit on the Community with wicked actions, proving to be an uncertain and/or a weak Leader, bringing the community towards decline, etc.), the Community's Loyalty score is reduced by 1d4.
If the community will have a value of loyalty more than 10, it will be willing to fight with all its strenght in favor of its Leader. Conversely, if the level of loyalty will be less than 10, the attitude of the Community towards the Leader will be tenuous.
When the value of the community's Loyalty score will be equal to 5 or less, roll 1d100: if the result will be a number between 1 and 25, half or whole community will choose to rebel against or to betray the Leader (roll any dice: if it comes out an even number half community rebels, with an odd number the whole community rebels); if the result will be a number between 26 and 50, half or the whole community will simply choose to protest peacefully (as before, roll any dice and checks whether the result is an odd or even number); if the result will be a number between 51 and 100, the community will remain loyal but tenuous.
If the Community's Loyalty score will reach a value of 0, roll another d100: if the result will be a number between 1 and 50, only half the community will rebel against or betray the Leader; if the result will be a number between 51 and 100, the whole community will rebel against or betray the Leader.
As an Optional Rule, the DM can allow the PCs to use the Downtime Activity "Sowing Rumours". In case you could sow a voice able to discredit the Leader of a community, the Community's Loyalty score will decrease by 1d4. You will not, however, get through defamation a further loss of loyalty to that specific Leader, unless you'll wait at least 30 days after the last Loyalty loss inflicted in this manner.
THE MANAGEMENT OF MORE THAN ONE COMMUNITIES
A Leader can have control over several communities simultaneously, which will each possess their Loyalty score. The Noble of a feud, for example, can receive loyalty from the garrison of his castle, from the inhabitants of a city in his feud, and from the whole set of isolated farms located in its countryside. Each of these Communities must be managed separately and each community may have Loyalty scores of different value.
Obviously, those who control several Communities can use one to interact with the others: a noble who controls a loyal garrison, could send soldiers from the latter to quell a rebellion born in the city; the grain produced with enthusiasm from the countryside could be donated to the hungry citizens, so as to increase their loyalty.
A Community, on the contrary, can't have more than one Leader. A character who wants to steal the loyalty of a community to another Leader, should make sure to create events that could discredit the Leader and make sure that the Community's Loyalty score falls to 0: sowing bad rumors on the Leader, sowing favorable rumors on themselves, prove to be a better person or leader, undermining the supply of the area to make the Leader unpopular, demonstrating that the Leader is not able to defend the territory in which the community lives, etc.
LOYALTY IS NOT ROLEPLAYING OR SOCIAL INTERACTION
This rule does not replace and is not meant to replace roleplaying or the Social Interaction Rules. This HR is designed to help manage the overall loyalty of a community to a leader. Loyal community will be more willing to provide to the character typical community services, like ensuring men to be included in the ranks of the army, best purchase prices for the crop, acceptance of slightly higher taxes, Hirelings at a lower cost or at no cost, etc. Obviously, this type of benefits must be decided together with the DM. The latter, however, should allow his players to use this rule to obtain benefits from their communities on the basis of loyalty achieved from their PCs. The purpose of this rule is, in fact, to allow players to manage their properties or their communities in a more managerial way. Based on their Loyalty, the Communities will be inclined to allow the PCs to get more or less benefits. To make it easier this way to play, try to think the Community as if it were a single NPC: based on its disposition towards the PC, he will provide him more or less assistance.
Of course, as is normally done when the PC relates to NPCs, the reaction of the Community will be determined by a dice roll. The DM must relate the result of the die with the Community's Loyalty score and only then he can tell the player how the community will react to his request.
VARIANT: A COMMUNITY SOCIAL INTERACTION
If you wish, you can use a simplified version of the Social Interaction system with a Community. According to this variant, a community that has a Loyalty score equal to 11 or higher is friendly towards the Leader; if the Loyalty Score goes from 10 to 1, the Community has a neutral Attitude; if the Loyalty is 0, the community is hostyle against the Leader. At this point, the charachter can obtain services and favors from the Community rolling a Charisma Check. The results of this check are the same described in the tables shown on page 245 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. The Community's Attitude, however, can be changed only by the Community's Loyalty score.
On page 93 of the Dungeon Master's Guide you can found the Loyalty Optional Rule.
By default, this rule is designed to manage the NPC Party Members' Loyalty. With a slight modification, however, you can use the same rule to manage the loyalty of entire communities of NPCs.
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY
A Community is a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists. Communities may have any size, reside in specific locality and/or often have a common cultural and historical heritage. For the purpose of this rule, Communities will then be treated as a mass of people belonging to the same group, with some kind of common identity, in which is included the practice of granting loyalty to the same authority.
For the purpose of this rule examples of communities are: a garrison, the inhabitants of a city/Town/Village, the totality of farms scattered in the countryside, a community of believers, an army, employees of a commercial or craft enterprise (like the ones existing in the Middle Ages), etc.
At DM discretion, more communities can be treated as belonging to a single community. For Example, the DM may decide that the inhabitants of a small town and the peasants of the countryside represent one community, the one of the feud.
FROM A LOYALTY TO THE GROUP TO A LOYALTY TO THE LEADER
The Loyalty rule described on page 93 of the DMG is designed to track the loyalty of NPCs to the group of adventurers.
That's why the original rule states that the Loyalty score should be calculated based on the highest Charisma score among all adventurers in the party. Considering, however, that a Community can be handled by one person, the Loyalty rule need to be changed.
To begin, when using this HR you must give to a whole community a single Loyalty score. That score will depend on the Charisma score of a single PC, the Comunity Leader, and not on the highest Charisma score among all the adventurers. For example, if Rhaegar the dwarf chooses to command a garrison, the loyalty of the latter will depend on Charisma score of Rhaegar.
At this point the Community's maximum Loyalty score will be equal to the Charisma score of the Community Leader, and it's starting Loyalty score will be half that number.
On the contrary, if the community is led by a group of people, then it's Loyalty will be the highest Charisma score among all members of the group.
THE ATTITUDE OF A LEADER TOWARDS THE COMUNITY
in a similar manner to the original rule, the score will increase or decrease depending on the way the Leader will treat the community. The original rule was designed to manage the loyalty of NPCs that are more likely to develop a personal bond with the PCs. This explains why the loyalty of individual NPCs varies according to the treatment received by PCs about personal issues. A community of people, on the contrary, will not have a personal relationship with the Leader and, therefore, its expectations will be based more on the pursuit of profit, protection and the preservation of its pride. Communities expect to be treated well, to receive protection from external threats or from the abuses of the Leader's men, to receive rewards for their loyalty, to not risk vexations from the Leader, and to rely on a capable guide, able to lead the comunity towards an age of wealth and/or glory.
Every time the PC will accomplish actions that will make the community feel treated well or proud to be led by such a leader (lowering taxes, distributing food in time of famine, increasing the salaries of soldiers or other employees, improving the quality of citizens' life with the introduction of new services, bringing prestige to the community through innovations or glorious/holy deeds, protecting the community from a invasion, ensuring promotions to worthy and/or loyal employees, etc.), the Community's Loyalty score increases by 1d4. Obviously, the Community's Loyalty score can never be raised above its maximum or above 20.
Conversely, if the PG will accomplish actions that will make the community feel vexed or will make the Leader appear as a unworthy person (raising taxes too much, introducing laws too harsh, managing the community with violence and fear, despising and/or ignoring local customs, avoiding to assist the Community in difficult times, avoiding to protect the Community from outside threats, avoid to deter abuse of tax collectors and of other Leader's employees, bringing discredit on the Community with wicked actions, proving to be an uncertain and/or a weak Leader, bringing the community towards decline, etc.), the Community's Loyalty score is reduced by 1d4.
If the community will have a value of loyalty more than 10, it will be willing to fight with all its strenght in favor of its Leader. Conversely, if the level of loyalty will be less than 10, the attitude of the Community towards the Leader will be tenuous.
When the value of the community's Loyalty score will be equal to 5 or less, roll 1d100: if the result will be a number between 1 and 25, half or whole community will choose to rebel against or to betray the Leader (roll any dice: if it comes out an even number half community rebels, with an odd number the whole community rebels); if the result will be a number between 26 and 50, half or the whole community will simply choose to protest peacefully (as before, roll any dice and checks whether the result is an odd or even number); if the result will be a number between 51 and 100, the community will remain loyal but tenuous.
If the Community's Loyalty score will reach a value of 0, roll another d100: if the result will be a number between 1 and 50, only half the community will rebel against or betray the Leader; if the result will be a number between 51 and 100, the whole community will rebel against or betray the Leader.
As an Optional Rule, the DM can allow the PCs to use the Downtime Activity "Sowing Rumours". In case you could sow a voice able to discredit the Leader of a community, the Community's Loyalty score will decrease by 1d4. You will not, however, get through defamation a further loss of loyalty to that specific Leader, unless you'll wait at least 30 days after the last Loyalty loss inflicted in this manner.
THE MANAGEMENT OF MORE THAN ONE COMMUNITIES
A Leader can have control over several communities simultaneously, which will each possess their Loyalty score. The Noble of a feud, for example, can receive loyalty from the garrison of his castle, from the inhabitants of a city in his feud, and from the whole set of isolated farms located in its countryside. Each of these Communities must be managed separately and each community may have Loyalty scores of different value.
Obviously, those who control several Communities can use one to interact with the others: a noble who controls a loyal garrison, could send soldiers from the latter to quell a rebellion born in the city; the grain produced with enthusiasm from the countryside could be donated to the hungry citizens, so as to increase their loyalty.
A Community, on the contrary, can't have more than one Leader. A character who wants to steal the loyalty of a community to another Leader, should make sure to create events that could discredit the Leader and make sure that the Community's Loyalty score falls to 0: sowing bad rumors on the Leader, sowing favorable rumors on themselves, prove to be a better person or leader, undermining the supply of the area to make the Leader unpopular, demonstrating that the Leader is not able to defend the territory in which the community lives, etc.
LOYALTY IS NOT ROLEPLAYING OR SOCIAL INTERACTION
This rule does not replace and is not meant to replace roleplaying or the Social Interaction Rules. This HR is designed to help manage the overall loyalty of a community to a leader. Loyal community will be more willing to provide to the character typical community services, like ensuring men to be included in the ranks of the army, best purchase prices for the crop, acceptance of slightly higher taxes, Hirelings at a lower cost or at no cost, etc. Obviously, this type of benefits must be decided together with the DM. The latter, however, should allow his players to use this rule to obtain benefits from their communities on the basis of loyalty achieved from their PCs. The purpose of this rule is, in fact, to allow players to manage their properties or their communities in a more managerial way. Based on their Loyalty, the Communities will be inclined to allow the PCs to get more or less benefits. To make it easier this way to play, try to think the Community as if it were a single NPC: based on its disposition towards the PC, he will provide him more or less assistance.
Of course, as is normally done when the PC relates to NPCs, the reaction of the Community will be determined by a dice roll. The DM must relate the result of the die with the Community's Loyalty score and only then he can tell the player how the community will react to his request.
VARIANT: A COMMUNITY SOCIAL INTERACTION
If you wish, you can use a simplified version of the Social Interaction system with a Community. According to this variant, a community that has a Loyalty score equal to 11 or higher is friendly towards the Leader; if the Loyalty Score goes from 10 to 1, the Community has a neutral Attitude; if the Loyalty is 0, the community is hostyle against the Leader. At this point, the charachter can obtain services and favors from the Community rolling a Charisma Check. The results of this check are the same described in the tables shown on page 245 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. The Community's Attitude, however, can be changed only by the Community's Loyalty score.
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