D&D 5E () What would you want for 5e Birthright?

[Neonchameleon]

What I'd want is something equivalent to Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft but for high politics and domain management. About half a dozen pages on the setting itself, but a lot for the DM on DMing such a setting. For the players Bloodline Gifts that work roughly the way Dark Gifts do in Ravenloft and a couple of subclasses (I see Paladin and Warlock as obvious) and feats.

Fundamentally I find the play style it brings to be interesting but nothing I've seen of the world itself makes me thing that that's where I wasnt to do those things so much as it's something I want to be able to add to other settings when the PCs have earned it.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I wish I could give a detailed answer to this, but my experience with Birthright was very short, one prep session.

I didn't like randomly rolling for abilities (this isn't Gamma World!) and didn't end up with any. IIRC you could end up with no, minor, or major abilities. To be fair, starting with 3e, we got feats. Eberron's Dragonmarked feats were kind of similar. You could still not have the special ability, but you weren't spending a feat for that, so it's okay.

So the first thing I would want is to have bloodline powers represented by feats. Perhaps everyone gets a bonus feat, which you can spend on a bloodline power, or something else. Spend more feats for major bloodline abilities. Having more powerful bloodline abilities probably comes with more social power (again like being Dragonmarked; if you have a mark so big it covers your entire back you "earn" respect) and that social power is essentially part of the feat.

 

[amethal]

As for bloodlines I definitely feel the 5E way would be to simply say that any player character is by default a special person. No cluttery bloodlines powers needed or wanted. If you don't have regency, you're a NPC. Simple. In AD&D it was already very common to simulate a living breathing campaign world by giving NPCs class levels. You would discuss how many level 7 fighters or level 4 paladins etc a given city could support, for instance. Thus it was felt heroes with bloodlines needed extra bloodline powers to elevate them above "regular level 7 fighters". Since 5E doesn't work that way (which is great), I suggest simply that what in other campaign worlds is a "regular hero" in Birthright is a special hero. Same stats, no extra rules.

That is a wonderful idea.

I'd often wondered how to do Birthright in Pathfinder - feats, gestalt classes, mythic rules? - but actually there's no need for any of that. (I also like the idea that the 12th level Fighter who rules the domain could retire, hand his crown off to the PCs, and revert to a 12th level Warrior - maybe even with some negative levels.)

Would you include some rules for the "stealing power" thing Birthright had going, or leave that out / make it a monsters-only thing?

 

[Stormonu]

Story-wise, stealing power fits, but it’s easily unbalanced in play. I’d leave it as a monster only ability personally. If it was possible for PCs to steal/absorb power, the mechanics would need to be much more limited so it isn’t disruptive to bounded accuracy.

 

[CapnZapp]

BTW, the domain play came from a boardgame version they used to playtest the campaign world.

Thanks!

 

[CapnZapp]

Something to spend all the gold I acquired while adventuring.

Lol.

Normally I'd be on your side but if there's one campaign world where it actually makes sense to expect heroes to invest their gold in "downtime activities" like improving their nation's defenses, it's this one.

I mean, if you're playing your classic murder hobo delving dungeons, that's perfectly fine, but why do it in this campaign world?!

 

[CapnZapp]

Story-wise, stealing power fits, but it’s easily unbalanced in play. I’d leave it as a monster only ability personally. If it was possible for PCs to steal/absorb power, the mechanics would need to be much more limited so it isn’t disruptive to bounded accuracy.

The one balanced way is this:

Stealing power (Highlander-style) replaces XP.

Don't defeat a monster king? Don't gain a level. Simple.

It also explains why you aren't interested in regular adventuring down dungeons. Because while that might make you wealthy, it can't make you a more powerful regent.

Birthright can easily support the campaign style where there is twenty monster-kings, one of each level; you just need to

1) find them
2) use your nation's resources to set up a situation where you are placed to take one out
3) while simultaneously trying to defend against your immediate neighbors and stay below the radar of the more powerful ones

if you attempt 3) by yourself, you obviously CAN do it (since a party of heroes quickly equate whole garrisons of regular foot-soldiers) but

A) it doesn't really help you stay off the radar
and
B) you're essentially wasting your potential. Why do something an army unit can do? Why not do the thing you're uniquely equipped to do?

What is that, then? 1) generate and spend regency points and 2) gain levels (and take out competitors and reduce pressure on your borders at the same time)

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

The one balanced way is this:

Stealing power (Highlander-style) replaces XP.

Don't defeat a monster king? Don't gain a level. Simple.

It also explains why you aren't interested in regular adventuring down dungeons. Because while that might make you wealthy, it can't make you a more powerful regent.

Birthright can easily support the campaign style where there is twenty monster-kings, one of each level; you just need to

1) find them
2) use your nation's resources to set up a situation where you are placed to take one out
3) while simultaneously trying to defend against your immediate neighbors and stay below the radar of the more powerful ones

if you attempt 3) by yourself, you obviously CAN do it (since a party of heroes quickly equate whole garrisons of regular foot-soldiers) but

A) it doesn't really help you stay off the radar
and
B) you're essentially wasting your potential. Why do something an army unit can do? Why not do the thing you're uniquely equipped to do?

What is that, then? 1) generate and spend regency points and 2) gain levels (and take out competitors and reduce pressure on your borders at the same time)

Maybe Regency could replace Xp altogether? Like when you complete certain actions (killing a named Monster, expending your domain, gather a hoard for your domain, routing an army, gaining a Mark of Prestige etc) you gain Regency Points, which you can spend to either build new features/building for your Domain OR advance your PC level ( 1 xp = 1 Regency point).

Mutant Year Zero has a nice system where you spend resources to have your fellow survivor in your shelter build buildings to improve your home and increases the stats of it, making it better to withstand the random Effects that plague the land (sandstorm, raiders, drought etc). Some building also generate things like incomes, better equipment, healing rations etc.

A basic system like this would awesome.

 

[aco175]

I would like to see where you can gain levels if you adventure. I think it still needs to be D&D, but with a layer on top of it. Maybe you gain something like feats if you defeat the other regents, like Highlander. You would still need to practice your combat prowess to be able to defeat the others and be the one.

You could also go opposite and have the regent be more of a figurehead that the players jointly control like a business and they are still a party under him. This way the party adventures and the players can make a decision to invade or negotiate with another kingdom.

 

[Laurefindel]

Birthright is a setting that always fascinated me but never played. Nevertheless, what I'd like is a few things that would set it apart from other medieval-fantasy settings.

• A more medieval feel.
• One of two notches down of the "magic" dial.
• A military campaign mini-game, or even side-along game, with expansion of downtime rules. Almost half boardgame with RP sessions between "game rounds".
• Low-level support (i.e. mechanical rewards other than xp/levels, even if they're one-offs). This doesn't look like a game for one-man-armies.
• Rules for political intrigue.
• Magic linked to power sources.
• More of those domain booklets and maps. Those alone sold the setting.

And, this is where my opinion probably diverges the most: stay within the northern-europe analogue. Polish it, allow enough mixity with foreign nations to allow any PC representation, play on leadership rather than nationalism,