The Will to Power: Where do your rulers come from?

[Jürgen Hubert]

Where do your rulers come from in your campaign world? How did they - or their ancestors if a hereditary system is in place - gain their position?

Some possibilities:

- "Me and my Army": The ruler gained his power through brute force.

- "Divine appointment": A deity picked him.

- "The Mandate of the People": The citizens of his nation elected him. Note that this does not neccessarily imply democracy in the modern sense - since the definition of "citizen" may vary a lot.

- "Management Buy-Out": He either bribed his way into office, or bout the office outright.

- "The Winner Takes It All": There was some sort of competition between various contenders for the office. Tests of strength, endurance, intelligence, long-duration quests and journeys - whatever someone can come up with. And only the winner gets the office.

- "The Sword and the Stone": The ruler had to fulfill some sort of prophecy to get his position.


Which of these apply for the nations in your campaign? Or do they have any other ways of picking a ruler?

 

[hong]

4d6, drop the lowest

 

[Thanee]

I guess the most common is that rulership is passed down to the heirs.

Of course, that doesn't answer how the first ruler got there.

Bye
Thanee

 

[William drake]

Where do your rulers come from in your campaign world? How did they - or their ancestors if a hereditary system is in place - gain their position?

Some possibilities:

- "Me and my Army": The ruler gained his power through brute force.

- "Divine appointment": A deity picked him.

- "The Mandate of the People": The citizens of his nation elected him. Note that this does not neccessarily imply democracy in the modern sense - since the definition of "citizen" may vary a lot.

- "Management Buy-Out": He either bribed his way into office, or bout the office outright.

- "The Winner Takes It All": There was some sort of competition between various contenders for the office. Tests of strength, endurance, intelligence, long-duration quests and journeys - whatever someone can come up with. And only the winner gets the office.

- "The Sword and the Stone": The ruler had to fulfill some sort of prophecy to get his position.


Which of these apply for the nations in your campaign? Or do they have any other ways of picking a ruler?

Unless your playing in a single nation, or a small world, I would say all of the above.

I play in big settings, with massive areas, and numerous countries...therefor, there are many different ways that organization is found, and that's what gives the game flavor. With out differences, the worlds and regions become the same...and that just doesn't relfext the fantasy I wish to play or see throw the game's eye.

 

[Starglim]

"Name Level": An adventurer and his followers carved out a settled fief by driving off the monsters that infested the land.
Because the frontier is a natural place to find adventure, a couple of my campaigns in the past have started in this sort of location.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Where do your rulers come from in your campaign world? How did they - or their ancestors if a hereditary system is in place - gain their position?

"Me and my Army": The ruler gained his power through brute force.

Check, in fact rulers are in default the most powerful individual of a city-state or small-holding. Otherwise someone else would kill them and take it and no one would listen to them. With a few key modifiers.

"Divine appointment": A deity picked him.

If you have the backing of a god it really helps. In fact having the favor, or at least not active dislike of the city's patron god is rather vital. Especially since I generally have them hanging around on the material plane a considerable amount of their time. So if the god likes you he probably drops in fairly frequently. But ultimately it's just another model of "me and my army."

"The Mandate of the People"

Not generally considering the difference in power imposed by a leveling D&D mechanic and an early bronze age model. He's the ruler because he's powerful, so powerful no one can take it away from him, so the will of his citizenry isn't very important.

"Management Buy-Out"

Doesn't work too well trying to use wealth when someone more powerful will just take it anyway.

"The Winner Takes It All"

This might be a tactic the city's patron god imposes on potential rulers in order to gain their favor, that's also really the only way it works too because it requires a more powerful authority to adjudicate it.

"The Sword and the Stone"

This surprisingly also shows up occasionally but always in situations similar to the above involving a god and their chosen method of legitimizing a ruler.

 

[Tonguez]

Mana = The Right of Heroes
Heroes have natural mana, inner power which allows them to do great things including the capacity to be great leaders. Think hero in the classical sense, Jason, Perseus, Hercules, Gilgamesh, Arthur Pendragon, Finn McCool, Hiawatha, Maui etc etc

 

[Corinth]

What you have, in reality as in fiction, is actually only that you can take and hold. What else you have, you have at the pleasure of those stronger than you.

 

[drothgery]

"Ultimate Cosmic Power" - Individual might (physical or magical) so great no individual, group of heroes/villains/mercenaries, or army can defeat the ruler

"Where does he get those wonderful toys" - The ruler controls one or more uniquely powerful items of magic or technology

"Lets you and him fight" - Cosmic battle between good and evil took place. The ruler is a junior-grade leuitenant that, unlike the generals on both sides, survived the exchange.

"You want to be the leader? I'm cool with that." - The ruler is wise, intelligent, and/or persuasive, and so is able to convince better generals, more powerful wizards, and mightier swordsmen to follow him.