The last thread I started on Stronghold/Domain rules has pretty much drifted into dealing entirely with 4e assumptions, so I figured I'd move to appropriate forum.
This post is a summing up of the brainstorming on the other thread, filled out a little bit to provide a broad framework to continue the discussion.
Stronghold, Stronghold Components (Dungeon, tower, etc) and stronghold rooms will be similar to magical items. The stronghold itself, and various special rooms within the stronghold will provide site-based places of power which give some sort of in-game advantage similar to a magical item.
Followers:
Followers will be divided into four types
1) Hirelings - Followers who can cast rituals or perform various non-combat services that are similar to rituals. You pay these followersfor each service they provide.
2) Henchmen - These followers actually follow you on adventures, with a build and powers similar to that of the beastmaster ranger. Divided by power source into 4 types - Squire (M), Apprentice (A), Acolyte (D), and Initiate (P). Probably better as a paragon path.
3) Servant - Basic staff and guards that simply exist and provide no mechanical advantage to the player aside from performing mundane tasks in the stronghold.
Domains
The domain will resemble an artifact, in that it provides benefits to you the more effort you expend to attempt to improve the realm and curry favour with the residents. The focus of the domain rules will not be on ruling the domain in depth as the primary focus of the campaign. It will be a rules light version of Birthright which can be handled at the end of a session after the ordinary dungeon crawling adventure is finished.
Some concepts ported in from Birthright:
Domain types - Fief, Guild, Faith - Fief rules assume you govern a particular land holding. Guild assumes you have a commercial (or illegal) interest under someone else's power. Faith assumes you are a spiritual leader of a burgeoning religious sect that recognizes your authority.
Second in Command - Every domain has a Regent (or Seneshal or Vicar, or Vizier or whatever) who can substitute for the character when he is away from his holding. This character is assumed to be able to handle all mundane threats or problems that affect the domain.
Domain Action - Reference to an event that affects the domain. Sometimes it is a boon (new gold, new follower etc.) sometimes a crisis (lost gold, lost follower etc.) You can choose 4 responses to an crisis that strikes your domain. You can personally intervene, send your regent to intervene, send a hireling to intervene, or ignore the problem. Each has a chance to solve the problem, though with decreasing probability of success.
Realm Actions - Actions the player can undertake by spending gold or directing his forces to respond to a crisis in the realm (see above) or to improve or curry favour with the domain. These might include granting titles, building fortifications, opening trade routes etc. The Regent is assumed to handle these actions when the character is not available to do them personally.
As said previously, in depth rules dealing with the maintenance of a domain or waging wars of conquest can be handled with expansions to these rules focusing on those specific types of campaigns. So rules that will be avoided will include those on espionage, undermining other realms, bloodlines and succession, building cities, or directing armies on the battlefield.
Anyone see any problems with the above broad framework for the rules thus far, before we start talking about how to fill in the specifics?
This post is a summing up of the brainstorming on the other thread, filled out a little bit to provide a broad framework to continue the discussion.
Stronghold, Stronghold Components (Dungeon, tower, etc) and stronghold rooms will be similar to magical items. The stronghold itself, and various special rooms within the stronghold will provide site-based places of power which give some sort of in-game advantage similar to a magical item.
Followers:
Followers will be divided into four types
1) Hirelings - Followers who can cast rituals or perform various non-combat services that are similar to rituals. You pay these followersfor each service they provide.
2) Henchmen - These followers actually follow you on adventures, with a build and powers similar to that of the beastmaster ranger. Divided by power source into 4 types - Squire (M), Apprentice (A), Acolyte (D), and Initiate (P). Probably better as a paragon path.
3) Servant - Basic staff and guards that simply exist and provide no mechanical advantage to the player aside from performing mundane tasks in the stronghold.
Domains
The domain will resemble an artifact, in that it provides benefits to you the more effort you expend to attempt to improve the realm and curry favour with the residents. The focus of the domain rules will not be on ruling the domain in depth as the primary focus of the campaign. It will be a rules light version of Birthright which can be handled at the end of a session after the ordinary dungeon crawling adventure is finished.
Some concepts ported in from Birthright:
Domain types - Fief, Guild, Faith - Fief rules assume you govern a particular land holding. Guild assumes you have a commercial (or illegal) interest under someone else's power. Faith assumes you are a spiritual leader of a burgeoning religious sect that recognizes your authority.
Second in Command - Every domain has a Regent (or Seneshal or Vicar, or Vizier or whatever) who can substitute for the character when he is away from his holding. This character is assumed to be able to handle all mundane threats or problems that affect the domain.
Domain Action - Reference to an event that affects the domain. Sometimes it is a boon (new gold, new follower etc.) sometimes a crisis (lost gold, lost follower etc.) You can choose 4 responses to an crisis that strikes your domain. You can personally intervene, send your regent to intervene, send a hireling to intervene, or ignore the problem. Each has a chance to solve the problem, though with decreasing probability of success.
Realm Actions - Actions the player can undertake by spending gold or directing his forces to respond to a crisis in the realm (see above) or to improve or curry favour with the domain. These might include granting titles, building fortifications, opening trade routes etc. The Regent is assumed to handle these actions when the character is not available to do them personally.
As said previously, in depth rules dealing with the maintenance of a domain or waging wars of conquest can be handled with expansions to these rules focusing on those specific types of campaigns. So rules that will be avoided will include those on espionage, undermining other realms, bloodlines and succession, building cities, or directing armies on the battlefield.
Anyone see any problems with the above broad framework for the rules thus far, before we start talking about how to fill in the specifics?