D&D General House of the Dragon has me thinking about Succession

[jgsugden]

I've run a homebrew for nearly 40 years now. This topic has come up a lot - and it came up in the way I suggest others approach it - naturally. You're dealing with powerful people and the rulership being the source of their power. If you give it enough time, this topic arises naturally - and it shines best when it does. When it organically arises in a campaign the situation feels more real to the players and they tend to feel like they're part of something bigger - as opposed to feeling like they're part of a scripted event when you plan it out.

To that end - I'd create the power structures and leave room for them to have conflict - but then let the PCs integrate into the politics and then see what arises naturally.

 

[Ixal]

Well, the regent would only rule until the heir came of age and took over. Now, maybe something changed and she chose to retain power.

Reading a summary of the Wars of the Roses would be informative, I think. Two families with credible claims, a couple more families with the smarts to stay out of it, and lots of stabbing.

Makes me wonder what would happen if the ruler was one of those long lived but slow maturing races and expected to be underaged for 50+ years, having to go through several generation of regents...

 

[Velderan]

I understand it odd in history, but what reason would they have to dispose a queen who co ruled with her husband for years in favor of a child? Not "that's how it was in history" but my players will want a reason for it to make sense in the game world (were again we don't do sexism so no 'cause she was the queen')

In modern day when my grandfather died everything went to my grandmother, when she passed it was passed to there children and grand children.

In the modern world, Queen Elizabeth was married to Prince Philip. He was never named King, and while he died before she did so it was never a question, I suspect British succession would have passed the crown to King Charles over Prince Philip because Charles is actually of the royal bloodline. Officially Philip was a royal consort and not on the same level as the Queen. No one is saying anything about sexism, it's entirely about which blood is flowing in your veins.

 

[Velderan]

To that end - I'd create the power structures and leave room for them to have conflict - but then let the PCs integrate into the politics and then see what arises naturally.

Yep and the murkier the succession laws, the more room the PCs have to actually affect change and be part of the intrigue.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I think this is a core question, what allowed for the regent to remain in power.

However I'd also ask the question that's come up a few times - why have a widower/widow regent, when the heir is of age? This as said a few times seems to be an issue that invites complication opens up complications and seem to cause issues.

I may not have typed it, but its happened 2 or 3 times but all with older king/queen so the other ruled for a few years and then either died themselves or 'retired' handing off to the child cause they got too old... there was a minor precedence for a regent to rule until they get too old (not an issue with human families)

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Makes me wonder what would happen if the ruler was one of those long lived but slow maturing races and expected to be underaged for 50+ years, having to go through several generation of regents...

I don't know if we have those in 5e

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I understand it odd in history, but what reason would they have to dispose a queen who co ruled with her husband for years in favor of a child? Not "that's how it was in history" but my players will want a reason for it to make sense in the game world (were again we don't do sexism so no 'cause she was the queen')

In modern day when my grandfather died everything went to my grandmother, when she passed it was passed to there children and grand children.

Because of “blood”. That is the whole point of royalty, the bloodline. No family would want to pass power to someone who is not their blood. The spouse of the ruler has no blood in the game and thus no right to power.

You can do whatever you want of course.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Because of “blood”. That is the whole point of royalty, the bloodline. No family would want to pass power to someone who is not their blood. The spouse of the ruler has no blood in the game and thus no right to power.

blood seems a very antiquated idea. if the king/queen is doing a good job (metaphorically the trains are all running on time) why would anyone want to change... and as for 'family' the 3 kids are still a ??? in my mind, what happened when the 1st born came of age to rule at 26? what happened years later when the twins did... there there children.

I just assume that when you marry you BECOME family (on a legal and spiritual and mental level) if we are not in Birthright or similar with blood line powers, does it matter who's blood you have?

You can do whatever you want of course.

of course but I am at this point looking for ideas to work WITH the idea, not just shoot it down.

this reminds me of the Mummy movies where the priest was punished with immortality and super magic and locked in with bugs to eat him forever... but if he ever got out he would be all powerful. Was it dumb to give him almost god like powers, yes, but if you rewrite it so they didn't make him all powerful and immortal, then the movie never happens.

What I am looking for is ideas to make the game run not ideas why not to run the game if that makes sense. So go ahead and poke holes so I can fill them, but don't just keep saying 'its not what happened in real life'

 

[Velderan]

I just assume that when you marry you BECOME family (on a legal and spiritual and mental level) if we are not in Birthright or similar with blood line powers, does it matter who's blood you have?

So how do you see marriages working in your setting if a person could potentially become King or Queen by marriage? Historically speaking, marriages were usually a political tool to strengthen a family. Would that still apply or would the King/Queen/heir focus more on someone they could trust with their life since they could be killed by this person out of ambition to become the ruler? Has that ever happened before in your setting because that could create some intrigue depending on the type of campaign you're running. I'm pretty sure that was basically the plot of Kull the Conqueror now that I think about it.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

So how do you see marriages working in your setting if a person could potentially become King or Queen by marriage?

I was actually talking mostly real world there, but yeah I assume that no one is marrying someone they don't trust.

Historically speaking, marriages were usually a political tool to strengthen a family.

Yeah combining families... if I marry my daughter to your son our 'houses' combine. It always seemed odd that someone who just 'combined' houses would want to separate them on death (a tragedy enough)

Would that still apply or would the King/Queen/heir focus more on someone they could trust with their life since they could be killed by this person out of ambition to become the ruler?

I mean even arranging a marriage I am not sleeping next to a woman I can't trust. If she would kill me and my son to inherits the power, then it isn't really strengthen my house by bringing someone so untrustworthy in.

Has that ever happened before in your setting because that could create some intrigue depending on the type of campaign you're running. I'm pretty sure that was basically the plot of Kull the Conqueror now that I think about it.

I will look up Kull