D&D General Masters of their Domain: PC Goals

[steeldragons]

The thread about making your non-magical PCs into capable rulers/"kings" got me to thinking about a few things.

1. How many people, anymore, in the game world are looking to create their own fiefdom -or kingdom or nation or entire empire!- the "dominions" we used to call 'em in the BECM-times. Is a personally owned/controlled territory, a noble/royal title, the ruling over towns and commoners, warring (defending one's own realm or conquering other lands) and such... Is this something that you or your players are looking to happen/culminate in later levels of your game?

2. What are people's feelings on "followers?" The men-at-arms. The novice thieves/acolytes/appenti looking for mentors/instruction. What are your feelings about a mechanical point in play where "at level X (or any time after, if you choose to seek some out), tales of your fame/infamy attract the attention of others in your field..." -or as an optional element to be included by a DM/table, if they wish, for same?

3. Generally speaking, what is your concept/preferred "high level" (and at what level is that for you/your table?) play and goals? Are you looking/waiting to form an army or realm to rule? Construct a stronghold/temple/academy? Make a magic item factory to turn the campaign world into a magi-tech sci-fi setting? Transcend mortality -whether or not this includes attaining actual godhood? OR is the "mythic/epic tier" adventuring character becoming superhero/comic book powerful for "taking on demonlords/the party vs. entire armies of the uber-powerful villains/planar hopping/playing chess with godlings" your preferred "capping/capped" character play?

So, yeah...those are my thoughts/questions. Discuss.

 

[Lyxen]

1. It's something that we have done many times in the past, starting from BECMI, however, these days, while the players like to have a base of operations that they can customise, I have very few players interested by the actual management of it. They like having adventures branch of it and involve it, but the management is seen as a bit simplistic in most cases, and lots of computer games handle this way better.

2. You mean canon fodder ? Just joking, in our Odyssey of the Dragonlords, we have tons of followers, actually a bit too many, it's hard to keep track of them. Also not easy to manage, since they range from a druid more or less permanently changed into a squirrel (think Scrat) to a goddess trying her best to stay inconspicuous. Mechanically, they are played very simply, giving a power to the character and taking "wounds" now and then. That is because we want fast combat, and managing PCs is interesting enough.

3. Having a base (or multiple ones) is interesting, but also lots of allies and lots of enemies, as well as lots of "unaligned" factions and NPCs that can be drawn into the adventure. It becomes very political, a lot more about the influence and the domains, and the link between the personal powers and those of the domains mastered. And yes, ascension is a good goal for quite a few campaigns, in a way or another. But not so much super-heroes as heroes of the multiverse, ascendency is at least as much about principles than power, having followers, etc.