Help me staff a Keep

[Conaill]

Butler and Accountant? No... The word you are looking for is Castillian.

Actually, the word you seem to be looking for is "castellan", i.e. the keeper or governor of a castle.

In this case, since this person will be at best the #3 in the castle, I think "seneschal" would fit the position better: "an official in a medieval noble household in charge of domestic arrangements and the administration of servants; a steward or major-domo".

Steward, major-domo, or even butler might work too, but I just like the medievalesque tone of "seneschal".

 

[Conaill]

As for the first level I will make fighters and clergy and perhaps an accountant.

Those are the ones that I need to keep loyal and reliable. Other people (maids, stable boys, miners, I can just hire.

Heh - the lord who thinks only his fighters need to be loyal and reliable will soon find himself poisoned by the cook, have his saddlebelt slit by the stableboy, or his secrets sold to rival lords by his chambermaid.

If you're not worried about assasination, espionage or sabotage, by all means focus just on the soldiers and clergy. But it'd be a poor DM who doesn't at least try to involve his PCs in some degree of intrigue and skullduggery, once they aquire a castle...

 

[Imperialus]

Actually, the word you seem to be looking for is "castellan", i.e. the keeper or governor of a castle.

I's become E's stupid french entomology, that's what I get for not having time to run the post through a spellchecker.

One other possibility is actually making the Castellan (spelled it right there) the #1 guy. Perhaps make your 11th level cohort a fighter 6/expert 5 and putting him in charge of running the whole show while you're out adventuring. A fighter 6 should be able to manage any routine defensive needs of the keep, keeping the grunts trained ect. and unless your DM has the keep sacked as a plot development (in which case it probably wouldn't matter if it had a 20th level fighter in charge of it's defense) it should still be there when you get back.

I agree with Conaill though, soldiers typically stay loyal as long as they are paid. Clerics should have no loyalty issues either. I'd definitely make sure that at least your personal cook was a henchman though and probably whoever is directly in charge of your chambers, maid, butler or whoever that happens to be.

 

[Conaill]

Muzic, do you need any specialized personnel?

We don't have much info to go by, regarding Muzic's character. But form what little we do know, I would suggest a Bard who can sing the praises of the party's exploits (always pictured with Muzic as its head, naturally).

He can also serve to gather useful gossip from the surrounding countryside, do some research on *why* this little keep in the middle of nowhere is so heavily reinforced. Oh, and discretely procure willing maidens when the need arises!

 

[ChimericDream]

Thanks for helping me decide.

That is what I think that I will do. I have decided that the 11th level cohort will be a dwarven fighter/paladin. He will be the military leader of the keep and keep the place safe while us PC's are gone.

The 3rd level follower will be a cleric. I will distribute the 2nd level evenly as a butler smith and sergeant.

As for the first level I will make fighters and clergy and perhaps an accountant.

Those are the ones that I need to keep loyal and reliable. Other people (maids, stable boys, miners, I can just hire.

Muzic, do you need any specialized personnel?

Well, if I can't have a personal nymph, I think I'd just like to make sure the cook is high quality. Just get one that serves good scorpion meat, ok?

 

[kigmatzomat]

Check out Magical Medieveal Society: Western Europe by Expeditous Retreat Press. Their manor system covers a lot of staffing issues. I recommend simple handwaiving saying your followers fill all the most important roles (particularly servants with regular contact with the PCs) and the general peasantry (NPCs) making up the rest of the working stiffs. Put the 2nd levelers as your bailiffs and/or reeves and even if the DM has a peasant uprising, you at least don't have to worry about an internal coup.

 

[Tuzenbach]

If I help you staff a keep, will you help me keep a staff?
















......sorry, couldn't resist!

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

If I help you staff a keep, will you help me keep a staff?

Man I so hope that doesn't mean what I think it means.

Cook scorpion ehh? Yeah, my cleric still gags when he thinks about that meal.

Muzick is a layabout wastrel with no sense of duty and very little sense of honor. He just runs around in his black hot pants and fights with teqniques that make honorable men cringe. Just like the other members of my party. The ninja, bard, druid and barbarian do prove themselves useful to the cause of Moradin from time to time however.

You all are bringing up wonderful points about the cook, the chambermaids and any others who might have personal contact with us. My initial assumption was to hire a loyal butler/steward who would hire and closely supervise the other servents, but you guys are bringing up some great points that have to be thought about. He cannot assure loyalty from the other servents unless he can detect alignment, read minds and and have access to other gnarly magical powers that require more levels than I am willing to give him.

I was hoping to create my own private army, but I was neglecting basic needs. I must reserve some of the slots for loyal servants. The keep is about the area of a large manor house. How many servants would a building like that require? I am thinking butler, good cook or two, a concubine for Musick (I assume of the non-dwarven variety), a couple of chambermaids and a talented stableboy. I do not really need a baliff yet. A population may eventually grow around this keep, but as of now there is not an adequate population to justify having one.

Am I forgetting anything here?

 

[Conaill]

The keep is about the area of a large manor house. How many servants would a building like that require? I am thinking butler, good cook or two, a concubine for Musick (I assume of the non-dwarven variety), a couple of chambermaids and a talented stableboy.

Part of it would depend on how spartan you want this place to be. For an army base, you wouldn't really need any "chambermaids", and only one cook. The soldiers would be expected to clean up after themselves and spend some time on kitchen duty anyway.

A temple with lots of clerics will need more janitorial staff, although the food can be very plain: one cook plus some kitchen boys.

If you want the party to spend some time there in moderate comfort, you probably do want at least one chambermaid. I count six people in your party, so two chambermaids would probably be in order. Maybe one head cook plus an undercook and some kitchen staff. More (of everything) if you intend to entertain guests on a regular basis.

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

I was not clear enough. There are 5 in the party total. The scoundrel that goes by the screen name of Musick not the bard. He is actually the party ninja. His screen name reflects what he does in real life. He is good too, if you are into Dr. Demento type stuff.

The barbarian has requested that I include a fully stocked bar and a space for a trophy room. I will honor that. Musick wants a nymph and a cook, i think I can do that. The other players have not expressed any direct interest what goes in the keep or not.

The fourth floor of the keep is big enough to keep as a residence for the five members of the party. They can decorate that how they wish. It can be lavish or not. I will leave that up to them. I have a feeling that most of them will want a certain level of creature comforts.

The second and third floors of the keep will be reserved for "essential personnel" and "essential supplies". What "essential" means is still open for interpretation.

The first floor will contain the common rooms, mess, kitchen, pantry a leave plenty of space for the bar down there too. There is a space perfect for a forge and a small worship area. The area has a few rooms that could be used as either rooms for resident clergy or they can be used as guest rooms so the security of the upper floors are not compromised by nosy guests. This si the area where guests will be entertained. I do not see need for it right now, but as we creep up higher in level and become larger players on the landscape of the world, more and more dignitaries may be present.

The dragons that we took the keep from created a couple of cellars and an underground laberynth (sp) beneath the keep. That is the least secure area. I will reserve that area for things that I do not care if they get lost or not. It is also a good starting point for a mine. If we can find a metal deposit of some kind down there I could make sure that the keep remains self-sustaining.

Perhaps some outbuildings need to be built for non-essential personnel and non-essential services. Hey! That is the beginning of a small town!