D&D 5E How do you handle PC nobles?

[Beleriphon]

Just curious - for those of you that play or have a PC with the noble background, what race are they? Do the benefits of the background apply to lower classes of other races? So, if you're an elven noble, to human peasants afford you the same courtesies they would a human noble?

I'd say yes. There's enough interaction in the default assumptions people would recognize a noble as a noble of some kind or another. The French and English recognized each other's nobility even if neither had any particular powers. Remember, its more than a title; being a member of the nobility were a different type of person regardless of from where you hailed.

 

[Unwise]

Nobility is a rich vein to tap for PC motivation.

- Traditionally younger sons got very little of the inheritance, if any, and were educated then expected to find their own way in the world. They have extra pressure, as they must maintain the appearance of being well off, even if they are not.

- Daughters can look forward to no inheritance and having to marry somebody they do not love. A great reason to leave home.

- Marquees have non-hereditary titles, so their sons must prove their worth to the king if they wish to be named the next marquee.

- Sultans traditionally had their eldest son murder every one of their 50+ siblings when they came to power. So if you are not the oldest or the most cunning, you better get out into the wilds if you want to live. Even then assassins will be sent for you.

- The long lived races might be expected to build a reputation of their own and gain great personal power before taking over the titles of their forebears.

- The lives of dwarves can be so wrapped up in tradition, it must be painful for a 'liberal' noble. They have the weight of a bloodline upon their shoulders and thousands of years of tradition dictating their every move. It would be enough to make a young person just want to run away or find an excuse to hang out in human lands for a while.

 

[Roger]

Standard response to the Background topic: "The most important question to ask about your background is what changed? Why did you stop doing whatever your background describes and start adventuring?" -- Basic Rules (Players'), pg 36.

The PC was a noble. Then something changed and they could no longer be a professional noble as a full-time job. Fine background for anyone who wants to play a bastard in a very literal sense.

 

[Parmandur]

How can you nerf a background? It's all RP...

 

[Hand of Evil]

There are pluses and minuses in my games as I tend to rule city states not kingdoms.

PROS:

• Freedom of movement - normally this means a noble can go where ever they like without being subject to more than a "who are you?"
• Crime - any crime is presented to a royal court, meaning no jail time and mostly likely "were guild" justice, pay for crime with money.

CONS:

• Ransom - a can be held for crimes for a ransom by a guild or other city state.
• Chest Piece - Will is not own and can be used by family or other nobles for gain.

 

[was]

As a DM, handling a PC noble depends on how the person is playing that character. Is the pc advertising his heritage or trying to hide it? As others have pointed out, there are benefits and drawbacks to both.

 

[transtemporal]

Just curious - for those of you that play or have a PC with the noble background, what race are they? Do the benefits of the background apply to lower classes of other races? So, if you're an elven noble, to human peasants afford you the same courtesies they would a human noble?

My peasants generally afford all pcs noble courtesies. Why? Because anyone that can afford fancy outfits, platemail or glowing is probably a noble. And even if they aren't, do you want to run the risk they are and you offended them?

 

[transtemporal]

Grrr, sorry tablet double post!

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

I'm currently playing a noble. (Tiefling warlock; his family refused to acknowledge him for many years, now he's out to embarrass them.) For me, the biggest balancing factor in the noble background, so far not mentioned in this thread, is the retainers that come with it. Any DM who forgets about these NPCs, or allows the player to forget about them, is making things far too easy for the noble.

A noble is expected to look after his retainers; they need food, clothing, shelter, and transport if the noble is on the move. If he's a knight, then he's got a squire to equip with at least basic arms and armor. And it's no good saving your gold to set them up with "poor" quarters and such. What will everyone think when your "noble" shows up at court with a retinue who look like a bunch of peasants?

And that's not even considering whether the DM is nasty enough to turn his villains' eyes toward your retainers... but they'd make great hostages, wouldn't they? It's not like you can just write them off -- your station requires you to keep a retinue, not to mention protect the poor retches. And good luck finding new ones if you let something unspeakable happen to them!

 

[Lanefan]

I'm currently playing a noble. (Tiefling warlock; his family refused to acknowledge him for many years, now he's out to embarrass them.) For me, the biggest balancing factor in the noble background, so far not mentioned in this thread, is the retainers that come with it. Any DM who forgets about these NPCs, or allows the player to forget about them, is making things far too easy for the noble.

A noble is expected to look after his retainers; they need food, clothing, shelter, and transport if the noble is on the move. If he's a knight, then he's got a squire to equip with at least basic arms and armor. And it's no good saving your gold to set them up with "poor" quarters and such. What will everyone think when your "noble" shows up at court with a retinue who look like a bunch of peasants?

And that's not even considering whether the DM is nasty enough to turn his villains' eyes toward your retainers... but they'd make great hostages, wouldn't they? It's not like you can just write them off -- your station requires you to keep a retinue, not to mention protect the poor retches. And good luck finding new ones if you let something unspeakable happen to them!

All true.

The DM should also probably figure out just where in the nobility pecking order you stand, and-or how you fit in:

Are you the Crown Princess, first in line to the throne? The Baron of Northmarch, outranked by most nobles at court? A landless knight whose claim to nobility hangs by a thread? The overthrown-three-years-ago Duke trying to get his station and lands back? A forgotten cousin of the ancient and decrepit Earl Earache?

Is your nobility something of this realm, or of another? (for that matter, does your race even hold to the idea of nobility?) What are your rights and responsibilities, both by law (theory) and custom (reality)?

In the past I've had adventuring parties containing two crown princes (one Human, one Elf, and in the same party!), a reigning Elvish monarch (and later her consort, another PC who she married during the campaign), a consort to a Human monarch (after the played party put said monarch on the throne via adventures C4 and C5)*, etc. I've also had various characters pick up titles at random - it seems every time a Deck of Many Things comes up somebody draws the bloody castle! And I've had characters knighted for in-game actions.

The one common denominator is that any of these by its very existence generates more or less extra work for the DM, so be warned.

* - truly awful modules; at least I and all the players thought so at the time.

Lan-"we have your castle, where would you like it?"-efan