Kingmaker AP GG Burwood
Kingdom Rules
Most of the kingdom building rules can be found detailed in the pathfinder SRD, see the link below.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/kingdom-building
However, with the introduction of the Ultimate Rulership book, published by Legendary Games, there are a number of things that change.
Edicts
In the original version of the kingdom building rules, the effects of the edicts just did not measure
up to the impact they should have, especially once the game got past the first few turns of kingdom building. The revised published versions improve both the effect and variety of edicts for use in building your kingdom, but this section provides several alternative versions of standard monthly edicts as well as several additional options for special edicts.
Standard Edicts
Ultimate Rulership offers up modified versions of three of the standard edicts for use in ruling your kingdom. These edicts offer somewhat more flexibility than the published versions, including greater opportunity to trade negatives in one area for positives in another.
Expansion
These edicts replace the standard promotion edicts and represent how aggressive your domain is in terms of enlarging its territory and claiming new subjects, sometimes at the expense of consolidating the ground you already hold, or whether you focus on slow and incremental growth.
Holiday
These edicts replace the standard holiday edicts and represent regular observances and nationwide celebrations taking place throughout the kingdom. The BP expenditure is paid per month and includes logistical preparations for holidays throughout the year in addition to funding the actual celebrations. The monthly expenses vary but represent an average spread across the entire year. If the kingdom’s rulers reduce the amount of holidays they fund at any point during a calendar year, they take a -2 penalty to Loyalty for the remainder of the year for each step by which holiday funding is reduced.
Taxation
These edicts replace the standard taxation edicts and allow you to calibrate your ability to realize increased income at the expense of stagnating business and angering your population versus sacrificing some income to make your citizens happier.
| Table A1: Expansion Edicts | |||||
| Attitude | Hex Claims | Stability | Loyalty | Economy | Consumption |
| Isolationist | -1 | +2 | +1 | -2 | -1 BP |
| Cautious | standard | +1 | - | -1 | - |
| Standard | standard | - | - | - | - |
| Aggressive | +1 | -1 | -1 | +1 | 1d4 BP |
| Imperialist | +2 | -2 | -2 | +2 | 2d4 BP |
| Table A2: Alternative Holiday Edicts | |||||
| Frequency | Consumption | Economy | Loyalty | ||
| None | - | -2 | -4 | ||
| Annual | 1 BP | -1 | -2 | ||
| Quarterly | 1d3 BP | 0 | 0 | ||
| Monthly | 1d6 BP | +1 | +2 | ||
| Weekly | 1d12 BP | +2 | +4 | ||
| Table A3: Alternative Taxation Edicts | |||||
| Tax Level | Revenue | Economy | Loyalty | ||
| Minimal | Economy check/5 | +2 | +2 | ||
| Light | Economy check/4 | +1 | +1 | ||
| Normal | Economy check/3 | - | - | ||
| Heavy | Economy check/2.5 | -2 | -4 | ||
| Crushing | Economy check/2 | -4 | -8 | ||
Special Edicts
In addition to the standard edicts, whether using the official published versions or the alternative versions outlined above, the revised kingdom rules introduce the concept of special edicts. These edicts may affect an entire kingdom or a single city in your domain or in another country. In addition to the diplomatic, exploration, trade, and vassalage edicts, Ultimate Rulership offers several more special edicts for your country to use, as described below. Regardless of which special edict you choose, you may issue only one special edict per kingdom turn. The effects of special edicts are resolved after you issue your standard edicts for the month.
Commission Edicts
These edicts allow the kingdom’s leaders to have magical items or buildings constructed at their request.
Endowment Edicts
These edicts allow the kingdom to sponsor the construction of a great edifice for the arts and learning, gaining them local and international prestige.
Espionage Edicts
These edicts allow you to spy out the secrets of neighboring kingdoms, gathering information and fomenting unrest.
Festival Edicts
These edicts represent the calling of a special local festival in one particular place in your kingdom, from athletic competitions to religious pilgrimages to celebrations of history, culture, or anything else.
Recruitment Edicts
These edicts reflect your degree of military mobilization, including how much of your nation’s population you are willing to devote to the necessities of war.
h5.* Commission Edicts*
The rulers of your domain can commission a magic item to be made (or an existing magic item improved) for their personal use with a Commission Edict. The city where the Commission Edict is issued must contain a building capable of producing a magical item of the appropriate category; for this purpose, minor items are those whose price is 8,000 gp or less, medium items are 8,001-24,000 gp, and major items are over 24,000 gp.
Leaders must pay full price for commissioned items. The commissioned item takes the place of one item slot of that category for as long as it takes to craft (or improve) the item, including any month or portion of a month in which it is being crafted. During this time, no other item can be generated to fill that slot.
The kingdom’s rulers can commission more than one item within that city as part of the same Commission Edict, but all items must be crafted within that city and no building within that city can be compelled to craft more than one item with this edict. Commissioning more than one item with the same Commission Edict generates 1 point of Unrest for each item after the first (not including potions or scrolls with a cost under 1,000 gp), representing the anger and resentment of other wealthy customers caused by their own requests being superseded by those of the country’s rulers, and of the crafters themselves for being forced to work on demand.
A Commission Edict can instead divert the magical resources of medium and major item slots for one month, reducing construction cost for buildings in the same city or terrain improvements in adjacent hexes by 2 BP for each major slot commissioned, 1 BP for each medium slot, though commissioning multiple slots causes Unrest as described above.
Endowment Edicts
An Endowment Edict represents the focused attention of the crowned heads of state on matters of arts and learning, in part for the betterment of the kingdom and its culture but equally (if not more so) for the purpose of garnering prestige both domestically and abroad. Rulers and citizens alike can take pride in their grand edifices to posterity, sparing no expense in spectacular architecture, resplendent artistic embellishment, and the finest collections of artifacts, animals, artists, scholars, or whatever else the endowed building proffers to the world. Kingdoms of size 100 or less usually refer to endowed buildings by name, typically naming them after one of the kingdom’s leaders (especially one whose role correlates with the building in question) or a wealthy NPC patron. Countries of size 101-200 may use a personal name associated with the building or may simply refer to it as the Royal Library, Museum, etc., while those of size 201 or more call them Imperial buildings.
Cost
Endowing a building costs 100 gp times the building’s cost in BP, which can be paid by withdrawing BP from the Treasury and converting it into gp, or the endowment can be paid directly by a PC or NPC from their own personal funds. Maintaining each endowed building and its collections and staff increases the kingdom’s Consumption by 1.
Special
If you roll the Noblesse Oblige kingdom event, you can treat that as an Endowment edict, having the nobles endow a building in their name rather than constructing a Monument or Park, paying both the up-front cost and the ongoing Consumption.
Benefit
Each Endowment edict that you issue gives your kingdom a +1 bonus to Fame and Loyalty as long as its Consumption is paid. If Consumption is not paid, these bonuses are lost and you gain 1 point of Unrest unless you succeed at a Loyalty check.
Types of Endowments: Each of the following buildings can be sponsored with an Endowment edict: Academy, Arena, Assembly, Bardic College, Colossus, Hanging Gardens, Hospital, Library, Magical Academy, Menagerie, Military Academy, Museum, Observatory, Theater. You may endow only one building of each type in your entire kingdom.
If you capture a city from another kingdom that contains one or more endowed buildings, you gain a +1 bonus to Fame but no bonus to Loyalty for each building as long as you pay their Consumption. Alternatively, you may destroy the endowed buildings of your enemy, gaining 2 points of Infamy for each endowed building you destroy.
Espionage Edicts
Espionage Edicts are used by one kingdom to uncover confidential information about other kingdoms and their leaders, or factions and power groups within them (including religious groups, noble houses, merchant consortiums, or other organizations), and sometimes to use that information aggressively to foment unrest and spread sedition within that nation.
Cost
The cost to issue an Espionage Edict varies, depending on the sensitivity of the information being sought or the danger level of the acts of insurrection being attempted:
| Table A4: Espionage Edicts | |
| Cost | Type of espionage |
| 1d4 BP | Gather public information |
| 1d6 BP | Discover minor secrets |
| 2d6 BP | Discover major secrets |
| 3d6 BP | Discover vital secrets |
| 1+ BP | Other acts of espionage (The base cost is increased by 1d4 BP for every 5 points of the DC modifier listed below; hence, fomenting unrest (DC 5) would cost 1d41 BP, while inducing mercenaries to switch sides (10 DC) costs 2d41 BP) |
The target DC for an Espionage Edict is impacted by the Corruption, Law, Lore, and Society modifiers in the city or country being investigated. A positive Corruption, Lore, or Society modifier decreases the DC and a negative modifier increases it; contrariwise, a negative Law modifier decreases the DC and a positive modifier increases it.
Benefits
Examples of the above-listed types of espionage follow and should be used as a guideline for the difficulty (and cost) of other similar acts of espionage PCs may attempt.
The success of an Espionage Edict is determined by Economy, Loyalty, and Stability checks. If all three checks are successful, the mission is a great success and the PCs’ kingdom gains two pieces of information from the category below, or their espionage has double the listed effect. If two checks succeed, the mission meets its objectives, acquiring the desired piece of information or having the desired effect. If only one check succeeds, the mission fails. If all three checks fail, the mission fails and your spies are caught (see below). In addition, if any check results in a natural 1, your spies are caught even if the mission succeeds.
Gather Public Information (DC -5)
Obtain a list of all buildings in one settlement; the location and size of all settlements in the target kingdom; the target kingdom’s size, borders, and major landforms and bodies of water (any terrain that occupies three or more contiguous hexes); the names of the target kingdom’s leaders.
Discover Minor Secrets (DC +0)
Obtain a list of Embassies, Treaties, and Allies of a kingdom; a list of Trade Routes (type and destination) in that kingdom; the Settlement Alignment, Government, Qualities, Statistics, and Disadvantages of a settlement; the location of terrain improvements, Landmarks, and Special Resources in the target kingdom; the level of Unrest in the target kingdom; or uncover minor trade secrets that grant your kingdom a +1d2 bonus to Economy for 1d4 months (doubled if you have a Treaty or Trade Route with the target kingdom).
Discover Major Secrets (DC +10)
Obtain a list of armies located in a city; discover the attitude of the kingdom toward other countries; discover the character classes of the target kingdom’s leaders; discover the target kingdom’s current Economy, Loyalty, and Stability modifiers, as well as its kingdom-wide Corruption, Crime, Law, Lore, Productivity, and Society modifiers; obtain significant trade secrets providing your kingdom with a +1d4 bonus to Economy for 2d4 months (doubled if you have a Treaty or Trade Route with the target kingdom).
Discover Vital Secrets (DC +20)
Discover the class levels and alignment of kingdom leaders; discover the most valuable or powerful magic item of 1d4 kingdom leaders; discover the location of all of the target kingdom’s armies; discover secret ways into or out a fortified settlement (or a Fort or Watchtower terrain improvement), allowing your armies to ignore half of the total Defense value of that fortification; obtain major trade secrets granting your kingdom a +2d4 bonus to Economy for 2d6 months (doubled if you have a Treaty or Trade Route with the target kingdom).
Bribe Mercenaries (DC +0 to demoralize, DC +5 for desertion, +10 for treason; these DC modifiers are doubled if your kingdom is at war with the mercenaries’ present employer)
The target mercenary army loses 1d3 points of Morale (sap morale), deserts their present employer and flees (desertion), or switches sides to join your armies (treason). Using this type of Espionage Edict requires a cash bribe of 1000 gp times the army’s AR. Foment Unrest (DC +5): Your spies add 1d3 Unrest in the target kingdom.
Organize Crime Spree (DC +5)
Your agents reduce Economy by 1 and increase Crime by 1 in the target kingdom, which
also loses 1d6 BP from its Treasury.
Sabotage Building or Improvement (DC +5 for Terrain Improvement, +10 for building in a village, +15 in a town, +20 in a city or metropolis)
Your saboteurs damage one building or terrain improvement, rendering it nonfunctional until repaired at half the building cost. If you achieve complete success with three successful checks for this Espionage Edict, you may choose to damage two improvements or buildings or completely destroy one. This has no effect on buildings that provide a Defense bonus.
Spread Rumor and Scandal (DC +5)
Your agents start a whispering campaign that breeds mistrust and gossip, reducing Loyalty and Society by 1 and also decreasing the target kingdom’s Fame or increasing its Infamy by 1.
Risks
If your spies are caught, your kingdom must succeed at a Loyalty check, which is adjusted by all modifiers listed above that applied to the Espionage Edict you attempted.
If the Loyalty check succeeds, your spy is imprisoned or executed but does not reveal your involvement. If the Loyalty check fails, the spy breaks under questioning and tells who sent him and why.
This revelation increases your kingdom’s Corruption and Infamy by 1, decreases your Loyalty by 1, and causes you to gain 1 point of Unrest. In addition, the target kingdom (or other similar group) has its attitude towards you shifted by one step in a negative direction for 1 year. Likewise, citizens of the target kingdom have their attitude shifted towards any PC or NPC affiliated with the government of your kingdom adjusted negatively by one step.
If the target kingdom is one with whom you have an Embassy, Treaty, or Alliance, the above modifiers are doubled and you lose 1d4 points of Fame and must make one Loyalty check each for your Embassy, Treaty, and Alliance. Each failed check causes your kingdom to lose 1 additional point of Fame and cancels your highest Diplomatic Edict with that country. Hence, if you are caught spying upon a country with whom you have an Alliance, one failed check reduces your relationship to a Treaty, two failed checks to an Embassy, and three failed checks causes that kingdom to sever all diplomatic relations with your kingdom).
Festival Edicts
A Festival Edict is a special edict distinct from the broader Holiday Edict. Whereas a Holiday Edict declares days to celebrate on the calendar across the length and breadth of
your kingdom, a Festival Edict is a specific, one-time event (though it could be repeated later) focused in a particular place at a particular time for a particular purpose. A Festival may be called for any reason or for no reason at all and include tournaments, games, music, dancing, feasting, drinking, parades, fireworks or magical displays, and similar entertainments of all kinds, but every one undertaken with special magnificence.
Festival Edicts bring great crowds of people together to celebrate and are normally held in the same hex as a settlement, to facilitate easy access for crowds to reach the festival grounds. Festivals can, however, be hosted at any Landmark special terrain. Festivals may be either civic or religious in nature.
Cost
Festivals require a great deal of resources to pull off. A festival costs 1d2 BP if held at a Landmark in the countryside, 1d4 BP if held in a village, 1d8 BP if held in a town, and 2d6 BP per city district if held in a city.
Benefit
A festival celebrated at a Landmark in the countryside increases the Landmark’s bonus to Loyalty by +1 for 1 year. Festivals celebrated in cities, towns, and villages have the following effects.
Civic Festival
A civic festival celebrates local traditions, events, heroes, or culture, including athletic and artistic competitions. Requires Tavern (village), Theater (town), Arena (city), or Landmark (located in the same hex as the settlement).
Benefit
For one month, your kingdom gains a +2 bonus to Crime and Society, and the civic festival increases the effects (see below) of Arenas, Black Markets, Bordellos, Dance Halls, Gambling Dens, Inns, Luxury Shops, Markets, Monuments, Palaces, Parks, Shops, and Taverns in that city.
Religious Festival
A religious festival produces an outpouring of piety and pilgrimage, sometimes marked with great solemnity and other times with great rejoicing. Requires Shrine (village), Temple (town), Cathedral (city), or Landmark (located in the same hex as the settlement).
Benefit
For one month, your kingdom gains a +2 bonus to Law and Society, and the religious festival increases the effects of Cathedrals, Graveyards, Inns, Luxury Shops, Markets, Monuments, Parks, Shops, Shrines, and Temples in that settlement are increased (see Risks).
Determining Success
When you issue a Festival Edict, make Economy, Loyalty, and Stability checks. If all three succeed, the Festival is a resounding success, doubling the effects of the buildings listed above; in addition, you gain the benefits of an Outstanding Success (01-50), Visiting Celebrity (51-95), or both (96-00) kingdom events.
If two checks succeed, the Festival is a modest success, increasing the effects of the listed buildings by 50% for one month. Total the bonuses for all listed buildings in the settlement together before applying the 50% increase, rounding down; do not apply the 50% increase separately to each building.
When buildings effects are increased (whether doubled or by 50%), this increase includes not only kingdom and settlement attribute modifiers like Economy and Lore; it also includes a doubling of Base Value and magic item creation during that month. This increase allows a settlement to exceed the normal maximum Base Value for a settlement of its size (either doubling or increasing it by 50%, as appropriate) for that month. It likewise creates temporary magic item slots that are filled immediately and can be used just like any other magic item slots in the kingdom. However, any magic items created in this fashion are available only during the month of the Festival Edict and the items and their slots disappear when the festival ends, being taken home by the crafters and merchants who brought them to the festival.
If only one check or no checks succeed, see Risks below.
Risks
Regardless of the overall success of the festival, the great influx of human(oid) and mercantile traffic involved creates the potential for enemy infiltration in the guise of pilgrims and festival-goers, or discord and strife between foreigners and locals or different groups coming together in one place, or just general drunkenness and mayhem should celebrants get out of control and overwhelm the ability of the settlement or the kingdom’s ability to handle so many people in such a small space.
During any month when a Festival Edict is issued, the entire kingdom takes a -2 Stability penalty, and any Stability checks required for the settlement or hex where the Festival is held take a -4 penalty (this does not apply to the Stability check to determine the success of the festival, but it does apply to any kingdom events triggered by the festival).
Unsuccessful Festivals
If only one check succeeds, the Festival is unsuccessful and grants no benefits; in addition, there is a 50% chance that disgruntled citizens issue a Building Demand (as the kingdom event), blaming the lack of success on the absence (or presence, if they demand demolition) of that building.
If all three checks fail, the Festival is a disaster, providing no benefits. The kingdom loses 1 point of Fame and gains 1d4-1 points of Unrest, and disaffected locals bankrupted by the festival and lingering troublemakers in the wake of the festival become Squatters (01-50), Vandals (51-95), or both (96-00), triggering kingdom events of the appropriate type.
Natural 1
A natural 1 is always a failure on any kingdom roll, and each time you roll a natural 1 on any of the three kingdom checks to determine the success of the Festival Edict there is a 25% non-cumulative chance of triggering a dangerous settlement event. This event may be of any type, but only one such event can be triggered, even if you roll more than one natural 1.
Recruitment Edicts
A Recruitment Edict represents your kingdom’s commitment to militarism, whether for aggression or for defense. The published rules allow you to substitute the creation of armies for the founding of settlements as part of your monthly Improvement Edict.
A Recruitment Edict does not replace this rule; instead, it supplements it. It represents another way to build up your military forces, but it also helps define your kingdom’s attitude about its military and the face it presents to the world.
A Recruitment Edict requires a Loyalty check to successfully create an army in any Fort (terrain improvement) or in a settlement with a Barracks (Medium or smaller armies only), Castle, or Garrison. You can create more than one army with a single Recruitment Edict, but each army requires a separate Loyalty check to create, and the DC increases by 5 for each army after the first, and each additional army you raise in a kingdom turn generates 1 point of Unrest.
Mercenaries
In addition to conscripting its own citizens, a kingdom can hire mercenaries, which do not count against its Manpower limit (see below). However, the kingdom takes a -1 penalty to Loyalty for each mercenary army the kingdom employs. This penalty disappears when a mercenary army is destroyed or released from service. If a mercenary army is induced to desert or betray your kingdom by an enemy’s Espionage Edict, your kingdom gains 1 Unrest.
Militarism
As part of a Recruitment Edict, you can shift your kingdom’s attitude toward military service among the citizenry. Changing your level of militarism requires a new Recruitment Edict (you do not need to create a new army) to change militarism by one step. You can change it by more than one step by making a Loyalty check with a -5 penalty for each step beyond the first. If the check fails, your kingdom’s militarism level does not change and you gain 1 point of Unrest for each step that you attempted to shift your militarism level.
| Table A5: Recruitment Edicts | ||||||
| Militarism | Manpower | Elites | Fame/Infamy | Defense | Economy | Society |
| Pacifist | 1% | 0% | +2 Fame | -1 | +2 | +2 |
| Peaceful | 5% | 0% | +1 Fame | - | +1 | +1 |
| Normal | 10% | 1% | - | - | - | - |
| Aggressive | 15% | 3% | +1 Infamy | - | -1 | -1 |
| Warlike | 20% | 5% | +2 Infamy | +1 | -2 | -2 |
Manpower
This number represents the percentage of your population that can be recruited as regular army soldiers (2nd level fighters), and the same number that can be recruited as
ordinary militia (1st-level warriors). Hence, in Any armies you recruit over this limit (except for Elites, as described below) are treated as emergency conscripts (1st-level commoners that automatically gain the shaken condition in combat).
In addition to representing the total available soldiers of each type, manpower represents the percentage of your population that you can keep under arms on an ongoing basis without impacting your kingdom’s morale. A kingdom can keep a percentage of its citizens, including all units belonging to all armies, of up to its manpower. For every percentage point above its manpower limit, it takes a -1 penalty to Loyalty checks.
Example
A kingdom with 10,000 people and a normal level of militarism, your kingdom could potentially recruit up to 1,000 soldiers and 1,000 militia. However, since the kingdom’s manpower limit is 10%, if it kept its full complement of 1,000 soldiers and 1,000 militia as a standing army, it would take a -10 penalty to Loyalty checks, since those two armies combined represent 20% of the kingdom’s population. If it maintained 500 soldiers and 500 militia (1,000 total; 10% of its total population of 10,000), it would take no penalty to Loyalty.
If you decrease your militarism level to a level where the standing armies you have in the field exceed your allowed manpower (e.g., if the sample kingdom above shifted to a peaceful level of militarism while retaining a standing army of 1,000 soldiers), you must split, reform, or disband those standing armies to conform to your new militarism level. If you do not do this, your kingdom gains 1 point of Unrest and each army over the limit loses 1 point of Morale for every percentage point by which you exceed your manpower percentage.
Elites
This percentage functions like manpower but represents the total number of your population that can be recruited as 3rd-level warriors or 2nd-level barbarians, cavaliers (including samurai), monks, paladins (including antipaladins), rangers, or rogues (other PC classes may be available at the GM’s discretion). Unlike manpower, you cannot exceed this percentage. Additional elite soldiers simply do not exist to be recruited. At the GM’s option, other PC classes may be recruited as elites.
Higher-level elites (including fighters above 2nd level) can also be recruited, though this reduces the number of available elite soldiers as follows:
| Level | This Replaces | Kingdom Size |
| 3rd | 2 Normal Elites | 11 Hexes |
| 4th | 3 Normal Elites | 26 Hexes |
| 5th | 5 Normal Elites | 51 Hexes |
| 6th | 7 Normal Elites | 101 Hexes |
| 7th | 10 Normal Elites | 201 Hexes |
An army comprised of characters with PC class levels gains the appropriate special abilities based on the class and level of the characters comprising it, as described in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Campaign.
Building Requirements
Recruiting elite soldiers must be done in a settlement, not a Fort, and requires one or more additional buildings to be present in that settlement, in addition to a Barracks, Castle, or Garrison.
| Alchemist | Alchemist |
| Antipaladin | Military Acadamy plus Cathedral or Temple, kingdom alignment CE or NE |
| Barbarian | Tavern |
| Bard | Bardic College |
| Cavalier | Military Academy, Noble Villa, or Stable |
| Cleric | Cathedral or Temple |
| Druid | Sacred Grove and Military Academy |
| Fighter | Garrison or Military Academy |
| Gunslinger | Exotic Artisan and Military Academy |
| Inquisitor | Temple plus Courthouse or Town Hall |
| Magus | Magical Academy and Military Academy |
| Monk | Foreign Quarter or Monastery |
| Ninja | Foreign Quarter |
| Paladin | Military Academy, plus Cathedral or Temple, kingdom alignment LG or NG |
| Ranger | Menagerie or Military Academy |
| Rogue | Black Market or Gambling Den |
| Samurai | Foreign Quarter plus Military Academy or Noble Villa |
| Sorcerer | Caster’s Tower and Military Academy |
| Summoner | Caster’s Tower and Military Academy |
| Wizard | Magical Academy and Military Academy |
| Aegis | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Cryptic | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Dread | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Marksman | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Psion | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Psychic Warrior | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Soulknife | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Tactician | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Vitalist | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
| Wilder | Psionic* Academy and Military Academy |
*A psionic academy is a reflavoured magical academy. It provides the psionic equivalent of the the magical benefits of a magical academy. For the purposes of increased cost it counts as a magical academy, but does not otherwise count as a magical academy.
Fame/Infamy
Nations known to be aggressive in building their military gain Infamy while peaceful nations gain Fame. This modifier is based on a nation’s current level of militarism and changes whenever militarism does.
Defense
The greater military readiness of a highly militarized kingdom increases the Defense bonus of any fortifications in the kingdom by 1, while the less vigorous vigilance of pacifist kingdoms decreases the Defense bonus of any fortifications by 1. This adjustment applies to the total Defense bonus of a settlement, Fort, or Watchtower, not to individual buildings that combine to provide a settlement’s Defense bonus.
Economy
Peaceful kingdoms are able to devote their efforts toward business and prosperity rather than preparations for war, creating a more robust and diverse economy than highly militarized kingdoms.
Society
Peaceful kingdoms are generally more friendly, tolerant, and open to outsiders than militarized nations, while aggressive kingdoms are less apt to trust foreigners and usually see them as potential threats.
Issuing Edicts
If using the “Who Rolls the Kingdom Checks?” optional rule, the following leadership roles are associated with the edicts listed above:
| Consort | Endowment Edicts |
| Councilor | Festival Edicts |
| General | Recruitment Edicts |
| Magister | Commission Edicts |
| Spymaster | Espionage Edicts |
Investing in the Kingdom
In addition to grants of Building Points from a liege, seizing the assets of a conquered territory, or spending wealth to acquire the assets represented by Building Points, you can facilitate investment in the kingdom in other ways.
Make Building Points a form of treasure
As PCs go through their adventuring careers, not all rewards you hand out need to be in the form of gold, jewels, magic items, and similar portable, easily salable goods. Abandoned fortresses, ruined towns, monster-filled mines, and vast forests are all great places for adventuring, but they are also resources to exploit. Once PCs have completed an adventure in the traditional sense, friendly NPCs might suggest to them that areas cleared of monsters are actually quite valuable, and with time and effort they could put these resources to good use.
Even the goodwill of ordinary commoners they have rescued from monsters and marauders is a part of Building Points, as the willing labor of loyal citizens is what converts raw materials into wealth as they clamor for PCs who have saved them now to lead them. In a campaign where creating a domain is not just possible but encouraged, you need to introduce the idea that things have values beyond a purely cash economy.
The valuables that bandits or monsters might steal are more likely to be these kinds of commodities, assets, and resources than they are sacks and chests of coins and gems. If PCs start to accumulate a substantial amount of nonliquid wealth, they are more likely to want to do something productive with it than if they have to take their hard-earned coin and pour it back into livestock and lumber.
Claiming Titles
Any ruler of a territory as small as one hex can claim any title they wish, so the chief of a small forest village can call himself a king. However, claiming a title that is above the level warranted by your kingdom size usually invites scorn and contempt from nearby kingdoms. If you are using the published Fame and Infamy optional rules, your country takes a -2 penalty to its Fame for each step above your kingdom size of the title you claim (e.g., the ruler of a domain with 30 hexes takes a -4 penalty to his country’s Fame for claiming the title of king, since it is two steps above his current kingdom size).
This penalty is halved if you recant the claimed title and claim one suited to your actual kingdom size. In addition, if your kingdom expands, your penalty for claiming too high a title is reduced to reflect the current difference between your claimed title and your kingdom size. One your territory expands to be large enough to warrant the title you claim, this penalty to Fame disappears.
Optional Rule
Whenever PCs recover a cache of treasure from the lair of a sentient creature, the treasure includes 1d2-1 Building Point worth of goods and materials (1d4-1 Building Points if the creatures are humanoid). For each Building Point, reduce the monetary value of the treasure found (not including the value of magical items or of equipment worn or wielded by the creatures) by 500 gp.
Each Building Point represents 1d4 wagonloads of goods and raw materials. These Building Points are in addition to those that can be gained by selling items and donating the proceeds to the treasury (steps 2 and 3 of the Income Phase).
Make the right to rule a part of the campaign
Once PCs reach 10th level, in the context of the campaign world they have proven their worth and earned the renown that warrants a grant of land to claim, a temple to establish, a wizard’s tower to erect, or a thieves’ guild to seize. PCs should never be obligated to rule, but as well as suggesting in character that it is an expected part of their newfound status as powerful and respected figures in the world as well as offering a tangible inducement.
Optional Rule
At 10th level and above, each PC can claim a one-time award of 1 BP per character level, representing the accumulation of contacts, allies, supporters, fame, goodwill, and even legal claims to territory they have earned in their careers.
Leadership
The Leadership feat provides a character with a cohort, which in addition to being an adventuring sidekick also makes an ideal member of a kingdom leadership team, someone whose loyalty is secure and whose skills can be applied equally well to ruling as to raiding dungeons. More importantly, the Leadership feat grants loyal followers that are willing to devote their service to a PC as well as recruiting others to settle and labor in their master’s name.
Optional Rule
For each character in a kingdom leadership role that has the Leadership feat, the kingdom adds 1 Building Point to its treasury each turn, representing the great
productivity of their faithful followers.
Cities, Towns, and Villages
For a kingdom to grow, it must be able to cultivate great cities to serve as the linchpins of its trade, culture, and productivity. Even in the most rural of nations, a great many of its citizens congregate in its urban centers, and here also its armies muster and train, its culture blossoms, and its future is forged. Its population base is rooted in all hexes it claims, with its rural populations forming a foundation for the advancement of its cities.
Population
The actual population of your country does not affect your kingdom statistics within the published rules, and the system for tracking population there is generic and simple but not entirely satisfying. Every hex, from farmlands to mountains to swamps to open ocean, adds a fixed amount of population, as does every square of a city whether it holds sprawling tenements or a graveyard. If you prefer a more nuanced version to track the growing population of your country and your cities, especially if you want to use the new Recruitment Edict and Manpower rules contained in this product, you can use the following system to determine the base population of each type of terrain in the hexes you claim, as well as the effect on that base population when you spend building points to improve that hex.
| Table C1: Population by Terrain Type | |||
| Terrain | Population | Danger | |
| Cavern* | 25 | +20 | |
| Cold | 25 | +10 | |
| Desert | 25 | +5 | |
| Forest | 50 | +5 | |
| Jungle | 25 | +15 | |
| Hills | 50 | - | |
| Mountains | 25 | +10 | |
| Plains | 100 | - | |
| Swamp | 25 | +10 | |
| River | x2 | - | |
| Coastline | x2 | - | |
| Deep | Water | - | +5 |
| Cities | see Cities, Towns, and Villages below | ||
*A cavern is a large system of caves and underground passages and can be found in any terrain except Swamp.
It functions as an additional hex that exists underground, below the hex on the surface.
| Improvements | Population | Danger |
| Aqueduct | - | - |
| Bridge | +25 | - |
| Canal | +25 | - |
| Farm | +100 | - |
| Fisheries | +50 | - |
| Fort | +50 | -10 |
| Highway | +25 | -5 |
| Mine | +25 | +5 |
| Quarry | +25 | - |
| Road | - | - |
| Sawmill | +25 | - |
| Watchtower | +25 | -5 |
| Cities | see Cities, Towns, and Villages below | |
Population
The base population within a claimed hex. This population is doubled if the hex contains a river or a coastline and tripled if it contains both a river and a coastline. This population does not include the inhabitants of any cities.
Danger
This modifier indicates an increase in the chance of random encounters in a hex of this type. In addition, you may add this to the roll to determine the type of kingdom event occurs, assuming that higher numbers indicate increased severity.
Developing Settlements
There is a certain suspension of disbelief that can be lacking in the official rules for kingdom-building, a sense that settlements do not spring up organically but rather are constructed by selective cherry-picking of a few key building types. The latest version of the kingdom-building rules take some steps to counter this phenomenon, such as allowing the upgrading of existing buildings, where a Shrine can grow into a Temple and eventually a grand Cathedral, rewarding players who want to build their kingdom from the ground up. This represents a shift from the original rules, which favored building backwards with the largest buildings being constructed first in order to reap discounts on smaller buildings that logically should have preceded them. These rules extend that principle beyond the individual building level and into how players can begin laying out their settlement on the abstracted district grid.
The rules presented here offer an alternative method for growing the cities in your kingdom, which is founded on the simple proposition that every city starts as a village, and that growth of that village proceeds naturalistically into a town, and thence to a city and a great multi-district metropolis. In a village, it is simply not possible to muster the local logistical support and the willing cooperation of the first settlers to create strange and unbalanced settlements built of nothing but Caster’s Towers, Dumps, and Graveyards, or whatever the most optimal mechanical combination of buildings might seem to be. Instead, these rules help provide a naturalistic evolution of your settlements and the buildings therein.
Villages
When a settlement is founded, it begins its existence as a village, a small group of buildings situated around some appealing natural feature or existing trade-way. Villages may grow slowly, serving as the focus of social and commercial life in rural areas, though they can grow rapidly if your rulers wish. Villages occupy one city square (4 lots) and typically have a population of 200 or less.
Towns
Villages growing beyond their initial square evolve into towns as business increases and more settlers move to
avail themselves of greater opportunities for work, trade, and access to services. Single-family dwellings may soon be outnumbered by crowded apartments built over the top of inns, workshops, or other businesses. Small towns have a population of 2,000 or less, while the largest towns can reach 5,000. Towns can occupy up to four city squares (16 lots).
Cities
Towns whose prosperity allows them to continue expanding grow into true cities, sprawling tangles of streets and buildings where lavish culture walks hand in hand with crime and corruption, balancing industry with education and trade with the lingering vestiges of provincial traditions. Cities occupy a full district grid of nine city squares (36 lots), and a city with multiple districts becomes a metropolis, with population reaching into the tens of thousands and beyond.
Preparing the Site
Once you have chosen your city’s new location, after exploring a hex, clearing it of dangers, and claiming it as part of your kingdom, you need to expend Building Points and spend the time required for the terrain type to prepare the city site. Once you have cleared the site for a village, you need not clear it again as your city grows and expands.
If the hex contains a river or coastline, one or more borders of the district grid can be designated as water borders; record these choices on each border of your district grid. In addition, at the GM’s discretion you may designate any number of lots within your city to contain natural waterways, whether still water ponds or lakes or flowing rivers or canals running through the city. Any waterways that are not designated at the time of the district’s creation must be constructed later on as though they were buildings. If a waterway is adjacent to a border of the district map, you must build Watergates whenever you construct City Walls.
Sharing the Site
A standard hex in the kingdom-building rules is 12 miles across, giving an approximate area of close to 150 square miles. As such, there is plenty of room for a city to coexist with another improvement in the same hex, including farms, mines, roads, canals, sawmills, and quarries.
Base Settlement Statistics
The basic characteristics of each type of settlement are listed below. These are the default statistics for a settlement of the given size, before any buildings are built. Villages tend to be sparsely populated, but population growth accelerates swiftly as cities accrete.
| Village | ||
| Size | 1 square (1-4 lots) | |
| Population | Buildings in a village contain half the listed population. | |
| Consumption | 1 BP per 2 villages (rounded down) |City Attributes |
-2 (-10 Danger) |
| Base Value | 100 gp (maximum 1,000 gp) | |
| Magic Items | 1d3-1 minor | |
| Town | ||
| Size | 2-4 squares (5-16 lots) | |
| Population | Buildings in a town contain the listed population. | |
| Consumption | 1 BP per town | |
| City Attributes | +0 | |
| Base Value | 500 gp (maximum 4,000 gp) | |
| Magic Items | 1d4-1 minor, 1d3-1 medium | |
| City | ||
| Size | 5+ squares (17-36 lots) | |
| Population | Buildings in a city contain double the listed population. | |
| Consumption | 2 BP per city | |
| City Attributes | 1 (5 Danger) | |
| Base Value | 1,000 gp (maximum 8,000 gp) | |
| Magic Items | 1d6-1 minor, 1d4-1 medium, 1d3-1 major | |
| Metropolis | ||
| Size | 10+ squares (21+ lots). Any city with multiple districts is a metropolis. A city can add an additional district whenever it has filled at least half of its existing lots with buildings, with at least one building in each city square. However, to fulfill the water and sanitation needs of a large city, it must have a river, coastline, canal, or completed aqueduct in the city’s hex in order to grow beyond one district and become a metropolis. Adding a city district to an existing city costs 1 BP. | |
| Population | The population of buildings in a metropolis is multiplied by the number of districts in the metropolis (e.g., doubled for a metropolis of 2 districts, tripled for 3 districts, quadrupled for 4 districts). This population increase applies to all buildings in the city. | |
| Consumption: 2 BP per city district | ||
| City Attributes: 1 (5 Danger) per city district | ||
| Base Value: 1,000 gp (maximum 16,000 gp) | ||
| Magic Items: +1 of each type per city district after the first. |
City Attributes
The settlement characteristics of Corruption, Crime, Law, Lore, Productivity, and Society are modified as listed depending on the size of the settlement; all settlement characteristics are lower in a small village but intensified the larger a city grows. Danger modifies any die rolls made to determine random encounters or random kingdom events that would occur in the city, assuming that higher numbers represent greater danger in those events or encounters.
Base Value
This number is the price limit below which items that can be assumed to be readily available for purchase (75% likely to be available, rechecking after one month if item is found to be unavailable) in a city, town, or village, up to the maximum listed for each settlement size, regardless of how many building improvements have been constructed that raise the settlement’s base value. Items over this limit can be purchased only at the GM’s discretion.
Magic Items
The number and general strength of magical items that can be found for sale in a settlement of this size in a given month. Certain buildings can add to these totals. The price of these items may exceed the base gp limit. At the GM’s discretion, items unsold each month may disappear (sold to or stolen by unknown parties), remain available, or be replaced by new items.
Optional Rule: Exotic Items
Mundane items of exotic
construction may be limited in their availability as though they were magic items, whether made from special materials like mithral or dragonhide or simply exotic and rare items like Asian-themed weapons in a European-styled milieu, poisons, alchemical items, firearms, and exotic weapons of all kinds may be treated similarly to magical items in order to reflect their rarity. In this case, such items would replace magical items of similar cost; hence, they would usually fill the slots of minor items, or medium items for exceptionally valuable mundane items.
Optional Rule: Limited Consumables
A quirk exists in the standard method of assigning magical item values and using that as the means test for whether magical items are available, and that is in the realm of consumable magical items such as potions and (especially) scrolls.
By rule, unless those spells have a costly material component, their price is figured by a simple formula of caster level times spell level times 25 gp (for scrolls; double that for potions, but with their spell level capped at 3rd in any case). Scroll spells like gate,
true resurrection, and wish are still fabulously expensive, but that is mostly because of their included material component cost; a scroll of implosion, mass heal, meteor swarm, or weird costs less than 4,000 gp. This price would classify it as a minor magical item if following the same pricing rules as other items; it’s less expensive than a +2 shield or boots of striding and springing.
For many GMs and players, however, there is something rather jarring about the idea of walking down to the corner Magic Shop and buying a scroll penned by a 17th-level caster, when no such caster is known to exist for a thousand miles in any direction. Some possible solutions could include -
Cap Consumables at Caster Level
Any potion, scroll, or wand purchased in a settlement cannot use a spell that is beyond the highest level of spell available from NPC casters in that settlement.
Enforce Item Categories
Consider the item categories for potions and scrolls as they are laid out in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Equipment. Those categories have some overlap but give the following level spreads:
| Item Category | Spell Level |
| Minor potion | 0-2nd |
| Minor scroll | 0-3rd |
| Minor wand | 0-2nd |
| Medium potion | 2nd-3rd |
| Medium scroll | 2nd-5th |
| Medium wand | 2nd-3rd |
| Major potion | 2nd-3rd |
| Major scroll | 4th-9th |
| Major wand | 3rd-4th |
Following the above categories, you can rule that only categories of items capable of being manufactured in a city are considered freely available (i.e., with the standard 75% chance to be found for sale). If a settlement produces only minor items, then only minor potions, scrolls, and wands are readily available for purchase. Potions and wands above 2nd level and scrolls above 3rd level are simply not available regardless of whether their standard price is below the settlement’s base value.
Restrict Caster Level
The two options listed above help control the spell level for consumables, but that is only part of the issue. A scroll of greater magic weapon is a 3rd level spell with a caster level of 5, granting a +1 enhancement bonus to a weapon for 5 hours. However, the same scroll with a caster level of 20 grants a weapon a +5 enhancement bonus for 20 hours and costs only 1,500 gp.
By rule, this item should be easy to purchase in almost any town of consequence, much less a bustling city. However, the availability of scrolls scribed at 20th level presupposes the existence of 20th-level casters spending their time scribing scrolls for sale.
If that stretches your suspension of disbelief, it is entirely reasonable to stipulate that items available for purchase are always created only at their standard caster level and that custom items that exceed this limit are not commonly available, though they could show up as items using the magic item slots of buildings in that settlement, including through the use of a Commission Edict.
However, in this case it is still reasonable to restrict the caster level of available items to the minimum caster level required to cast spells of the maximum NPC caster level present in the settlement, with a maximum of 15th level for settlements where 8th level spellcasting services are available. PCs crafting their own items, of course, are always free to craft them at any level desired based on the standard item crafting rules.
Optional Rule: Secret Sales
Magic items may be difficult
to locate, as trade in them might be conducted more often through brokers and consignments than through direct purchase; after all, magic item crafters have ample reason to fear theft or violence and would tend to be reasonably paranoid about conducting their business in person. In any case, trying to find particular items for purchase could require a Diplomacy check to gather information (DC 15 + the item’s caster level, +5 for medium items, +10 for major items; -5 for potions and scrolls), with each attempt to find an item taking 1d4 hours.
Optional Rule: Spellcasting Services
The level of available
spellcasting by NPCs is not restricted in the published rules. The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook contains simple price formulas for purchasing spellcasting services from NPCs, whether in the form of magical scrolls or simply payment for casting, but there is nothing officially restricting the level of caster available other than GM fiat.
The Pathfinder
Roleplaying Game Gamemastery Guide Settlement rules contain guidelines for available spellcasting in a given settlement based on its size, from tiny thorp to a bustling metropolis, and you can certainly use those rules to determine the level of spells available for casting, determining the population of your settlement and using the tables provided.
The kingdom-building rules, however, provide a malleable system for building cities that are more or less magically inclined, and so cities built using these rules will not necessarily produce the typical or average results when it comes to caster availability, just as they follow the kingdom rulership system’s rules for producing magical items rather than the arbitrary figures for settlement size described in the Gamemastery Guide.
To have spellcasting services depend on the buildings constructed in a settlement, you can instead use the following rule. At baseline, no NPC spellcasting is available. However,
constructing certain buildings can increase the caster level in the settlement where they are built. Constructing an Alchemist, Bardic College, Sacred Grove, Shrine, or Temple increases the level of spells by 1, while building a Caster’s Tower, Cathedral, or Magical Academy increases the available level of spells by 2. Each building of a given type can only
increase caster level in its settlement once, regardless of how many are built. However, if a Library or Observatory is constructed adjacent to one of the above buildings, it increases that building’s spell level increase by one. A Library and Observatory can increase the caster level in a city only once each. If it is adjacent to two buildings that increase spellcasting, its benefit applies to only one of the buildings.
Regardless of how many buildings are constructed, villages cannot provide NPC spellcasting services greater than 3rd level spells, towns no greater than 5th level, and cities no greater than 8th.
Using The District Grid To Make Your City
The district grid is arranged into nine squares, each containing 4 lots, for a total of 36 lots. One key point to emphasize is that this grid does not mean that every city is designed as a literal square. The grid is a tool for organization, not really a map or visual snapshot of your city. It allows you to quickly reference the important buildings and neighborhoods in your city. Even the cut-out counters provided within the rules are intended more to represent the relative importance of the various buildings they construct, which may be much larger than their physical size. Look no further than the Black Market; would a secret hidden market for fencing and smuggling stolen goods really be a massive building a quarter of a mile long? Again, the Building Points you spend to create such buildings and the “space” they take up on your city map represent the total investment in material and human(oid) resources that go into setting up and maintaining the ongoing business of that square, including dwellings for people that work there, goods to buy and sell, bribes and taxes to pay, and all the necessities of everyday life.
That said, you of course can use the city grid as a map if you wish. The size estimate for city lots in the published rules is quite generous at 750 feet on a side. If you would like your city lots to represent actual lots and the streets and alleyways actual thoroughfares, a size estimate for each lot of around 200 feet on a side is much closer to the historical realities of medieval Europe, with each lot covering about an acre of land.
Even so, bear in mind that although the cut-out images usually show a single building, each lot that you create typically reflects far more. A great cathedral like Notre Dame de Paris really would cover a two-acre span of two lots, but most lots with a House would include a dozen petty merchants and shopkeepers hawking their wares. The edge of the district grid could represent a river, city wall, or even a natural cliff, but it could also represent the edge where the city ends its construction or continues uninterrupted into another district.
When using the district grid as a map, it may be more visually interesting to cut each four-lot square apart, rearranging those squares into whatever orientation or shape that matches the geography you and your players envision for the city. It may be laid out around a crescent-shaped harbor, stretched out along a great causeway or a rugged peninsula, or even split in two by a waterway down the middle. However you arrange the city’s squares, remember that it is a tool for organization, not a straightjacket on your creativity.
Buildings
Once you’ve prepared your city district, you can start to build.
The placement of buildings in your district is left to you, but
two-lot and four-lot structures cannot be split up (although they
can span streets). When you decide to place a building, you can
use the cut-out icon for the appropriate type of structure and
affix the building where you wish in your city grid.
| Table C2: Building Characteristics | |||||
| Building Name | Construction | Pop. | Fame | Type | Discount |
| Academy | 6 BP/9 months | 100 | yes | town | |
| Aerie | 6 BP/3 months | 10 | - | town | |
| Alchemist | 6 BP/3 months | 10 | - | town | |
| Arena | 4 BP/10 months | 100 | yes | city | Dance Hall, Inn, Stables, Theater |
| Assembly | 5 BP/6 months | 50 | yes | city | Bureau |
| Bank | 4 BP/7 months | 10 | - | city | |
| Bardic College | 5 BP/8 months | 50 | yes | city | Library, Museum, Theater |
| Barracks | 6 BP/1 month | 20 | - | village | |
| Baths | 4 BP/1 month | 20 | - | town | |
| Black Market | 10 BP/5 months | 20 | - | city | |
| Brewery | 6 BP/1 month | 20 | - | village | |
| Brickyard | 4 BP/4 months | 50 | - | village | |
| Bordello | 4 BP/1 month | 20 | - | town | |
| Bridge | 6 BP/1 month | - | - | town | |
| Bureau | 5 BP/2 months | 20 | - | city | |
| Caster’s Tower | 6 BP/5 months | 10 | - | town | |
| Castle | 5 BP/12 months | 200 | yes | town | |
| Cathedral | 5 BP/12 months | 100 | yes | city | Academy, Graveyard, Temple |
| Cistern | 6 BP/1 month | - | - | town | |
| City Walls | 2 BP/1 month | - | - | village | |
| Colossus | 5 BP/12 months | - | yes | city | Lighthouse, Monument, Observatory, Park |
| Courthouse | 4 BP/4 months | 20 | - | town | Jail |
| Crematorium | 4 BP/1 month | 10 | - | town | |
| Dance Hall | 4 BP/1 month | 30 | - | villlage | |
| Dump | 4 BP/1 month | 10 | - | town | |
| Exotic Artisan | 5 BP/2 months | 10 | - | town | |
| Foreign Quarter | 5 BP/6 months | 100 | city | ||
| Foundry | 4 BP/4 months | 50 | - | town | Smithy |
| Gambling Den | 5 BP/2 months | 20 | - | town | |
| Garrison | 5 BP/6 months | 200 | - | town | Barracks, City Wall, Watchtower |
| Guildhall | 6 BP/6 months | 100 | - | town | Trade Shop, Warehouse |
| Granary | 5 BP/2 months | - | - | village | |
| Graveyard | 4 BP/1 month | - | - | village | |
| Hanging Gardens | 4 BP/12 months | 20 | yes | city | Menagerie, Monument, Park, Sacred Grove |
| Herbalist | 6 BP/2 months | 10 | - | village | |
| Hospital | 5 BP/6 months | 100 | - | city | |
| House | 4 BP/1 month | 50 | - | village | |
| Inn | 5 BP/2 months | 30 | - | village | |
| Jail | 7 BP/2 months | 50 | - | village | |
| Library | 4 BP/2 months | 10 | - | village | |
| Lighthouse | 6 BP/4 months | 10 | - | town | Pier |
| Lumberyard | 6 BP/2 months | 50 | - | village | |
| Luxury Stor | 7 BP/4 months | 10 | - | town | |
| Magic Shop | 6 BP/11 months | 10 | - | city | |
| Magical Academy | 6 BP/10 months | 50 | yes | city | Caster’s Tower, Library, Magic Shop |
| Mansion | 5 BP/2 months | 30 | - | village | |
| Market | 6 BP/8 months | 100 | - | town | Inn, Shop, Tavern |
| Menagerie | 4 BP/4 months | 100 | yes | city | |
| Military Academy | 6 BP/6 months | 100 | yes | town Barracks | |
| Mill | 4 BP/2 months | 20 | - | village | |
| Mint | 6 BP/5 months | 10 | yes | city | |
| Moat | 2 BP/1 month | - | - | village | |
| Monastery | 4 BP/4 months | 50 | - | village | |
| Monument | 6 BP/1 month | - | - | village | |
| Museum | 6 BP/5 months | 20 | yes | town | |
| Noble Villa | 6 BP/4 months | 50 | yes | town | Exotic Artisan, Luxury Store |
| Observatory | 3 BP/4 months | 10 | - | city | |
| Orphanage | 4 BP/2 months | 50 | - | city | |
| Palace | 6 BP/18 months | 200 | yes | city | Mansion, Mint, Noble Villa |
| Park | 4 BP/1 month | - | - | town | |
| Paved Streets | 4 BP/6 months | - | - | city | |
| Piers | 4 BP/4 months | 20 | - | village | |
| Sacred Grove | 4 BP/3 months | 10 | - | village | |
| Sewer System | 4 BP/6 months | - | - | city | Cistern, Dump |
| Shop | 4 BP/2 months | 20 | - | village | |
| Shrine | 4 BP/2 months | 10 | - | village | |
| Smithy | 6 BP/1 month | 10 | - | village | |
| Stable | 5 BP/2 months | 10 | - | village | |
| Stockyard | 5 BP/4 months | 100 | - | village | Stable, Tannery |
| Tannery | 6 BP/1 month | 20 | - | village | |
| Tavern | 6 BP/2 months | 20 | - | village | |
| Temple | 4 BP/8 months | 50 | - | town | Graveyard, Shrine |
| Tenement | 1 BP/0 months | 100 | - | town | |
| Theater | 4 BP/6 months | 50 | - | town | Exotic Artisan, Inn |
| Town Hall | 6 BP/4 months | 50 | - | town | Cistern, Courthouse, Dump, Jail, Monument |
| Trade Shop | 5 BP/2 months | 10 | - | village | |
| Tunnels | 8 BP/2 months | - | - | town | |
| University | 6 BP/13 months | 200 | yes | city | Academy, Bardic College, Library, Magical Academy, Military Academy, Museum, Observatory |
| Warehouse | 8 BP/2 months | 20 | - town | ||
| Watchtower | 6 BP/2 months | 20 | - village | ||
| Waterfront | 6 BP/15 months | 200 | - | city | Black Market, Guildhall, Market, Piers, Warehouse |
| Watergate | 2 BP/1 month | - | - | town | |
| Waterway | 3 BP/1 month | - | - | town | |
| Windmill | 8 BP/2 months | 10 | - | village |
Construction
: The published rules assume that all buildings
are constructed more or less instantaneously, in the same
month that they are paid for with Building Points as part of
an Improvement Edict. In you wish to increase verisimilitude,
however, these rules assume that buildings take a certain
amount of time to construct, staff, and put into operation.
The numbers listed above give a construction time for each
building, counting from the month that an Improvement
Edict is issued to construct it. The building’s bonuses and
modifiers go into effect immediately in the month in which
construction is completed. Hence, if the Improvement Edict is
issued in March and the building takes 1 month to complete,
it is finished in April and its modifiers apply to kingdom
turn activities and any other game effects starting in April.
A building taking 4 months to complete would be finished in
July and its modifiers would apply then.
Population
: Each time you construct a building of this
type, add the listed population to the city’s population.
As described above, note that this number is halved for buildings in a village and doubled for buildings in a city or
metropolis. These population figures include workers who
live in and around a building.
Fame
: Construction of a building of this type brings
notoriety and acclaim to the kingdom, but these buildings
are also expensive to maintain. For each building of this
type, the kingdom gains 1 point of Fame, but the kingdom’s
Consumption also increases by 1. If the building’s Consumption
is not paid, the Fame bonus is lost. If you are not using the
optional Fame and Infamy rules, ignore this column.
Type
: Not every kind of building can be constructed in a
tiny village. Sometimes the infrastructure and manpower
needed to establish and maintain such a building simply does
not exist. Only buildings marked village can be constructed
in a village. When the village expands into a town, it can still
construct village buildings as well as having new options
to construct town buildings. A city, of course, can construct
buildings of any type. For ease of reference, a compilation of
buildings suitable for each settlement type is listed here:
Village: Barracks, Brewery, Brickyard*, City Walls, Dance
Hall, Granary, Graveyard, Herbalist, House, Inn, Jail, Library,
Lumberyard*, Mansion, Mill, Moat, Monastery, Monument,
Sacred Grove, Shop, Shrine, Smithy, Stable, Stockyard,
Tannery, Tavern, Trade Shop, Watchtower, Windmill
Town: Academy, Aerie, Alchemist, Baths*, Bordello*, Bridge,
Caster’s Tower, Castle, Cistern, Courthouse, Crematorium,
Dump, Exotic Artisan, Foundry, Gambling Den*, Garrison,
Guildhall, Lighthouse, Luxury Store, Military Academy,
Museum, Noble Villa, Park, Temple, Tenement, Theater, Town
Hall, Tunnels, Watergate, Waterway, Wharehouse
City: Arena, Assembly, Bank, Bardic College, Black Market,
Bureau, Cathedral, Colossus*, Foreign Quarter, Hanging
Gardens*, Hospital, Magic Shop, Magical Academy, Menagerie,
Mint, Observatory, Orphanage, Palace, Paved Streets, Sewer
System, University, Waterfront
Discount
: Presented here for easy visual reference is a
listing of buildings for which a discount applies after having
constructed a building of the appropriate type. As described in
the published rules, each discount reduces the cost in Building
Points of the companion building by half, but this discount
applies only once. If two buildings provide a discount on the
same type of building, those discounts apply separately; they
cannot be combined.
City Walls and Moats
City Walls and Moats do not occupy any space on a district map;
instead, they exist along one or more sides of a city district. As
described above, of course, this is an abstraction. Building just
one City Wall does not mean that you actually have a square
city with a wall on one side of it and no defenses on the others.
Instead, each City Wall is an abstracted measure of its perimeter
fortifications. A single City Wall might be a rampart and
palisade, a second a stout curtain wall, a third buttresses and
plinths to reinforce the wall, and a fourth covered battlements,
embrasures, arrow slits, and machicolations. Building City
Walls and Moats reflects the total investment in the outer
defenses of a settlement, and larger settlements require a larger
expenditure to protect and patrol a larger perimeter.
If you are using the optional Cities, Towns, and Villages rules,
a single City Wall or Moat is sufficient to surround an entire
village, and further such defenses cannot be built. A town can
support two City Walls or Moats, and a full-sized city can of
course incorporate four City Walls or Moats, one for each border
of the district map. A metropolis can support four City Walls or
Moats on each district map, although internal borders where one
city district abuts another share any City Wall and Moat along
that border; the bonuses for any mutual wall apply only once to
the city’s Defense modifier, not once for each city district. Such
internal fortifications partition a city into sections and provide
greater security should one part of the city be breached.
Optional Rule
: While internal City Walls and Moats do
provide greater security, it’s also reasonable to assert that they
constrain the free flow of people and goods through a city as
they must pass through bottlenecks at gates, drawbridges, and
checkpoints, restrictions that do not exist in an open city. As a
result, a kingdom takes a -1 penalty to Economy for every four
City Walls and/or Moats in the kingdom. By the same token,
the greater safety provided by such fortifications grants a +1
bonus to Stability for every four City Walls and/or Moats in the
kingdom. You could apply this bonus generally to all Stability
checks, or you could restrict it solely to Stability checks made
to quell or resist dangerous kingdom events.
Neighborhoods
While the idea that a “building” in the kingdom-building sense is
an abstraction that includes homes, businesses, and all manner of
supportive activity makes sense, it still feels a bit awkward when
your mind may conceive of mixed-use development of houses
and businesses growing up side by side. If so, you can construct
your city squares in the form of neighborhoods. A neighborhood
must contain at least one lot with Houses or Tenements and
cannot contain any buildings that take up more than one lot.
If these conditions are met, any of the following buildings can
be constructed on the same lot that contains a lot of Houses or
Tenements: Alchemist, Baths, Black Market, Bordello, Exotic
Artisan, Dance Hall, Herbalist, Inn, Luxury Store, Magic Shop,
Shop, Stable, Tavern, Trade Shop.
The following buildings cannot be constructed in a
neighborhood with Houses, but can be constructed in a
neighborhood with Tenements: Barracks, Crematorium, Dump,
Graveyard, Jail, Tannery.
Customizing Buildings
The kingdom-building rules generally do not support creating
custom buildings, as the potential for min-maxing is high with
such rules. However, Endowment Edicts can be used to create
more splendid and glorious versions of standard buildings
(if they are suitable for endowment). It is certainly possible
to attach your own flavor text to buildings you create, like
“The Basilica of St. Stephen” instead of “Cathedral” or “The
Golden Crocodile Tavern” instead of Tavern or the “Tomb of
the Unknown Paladin” instead of Monument. This does blur
the line a bit between lone buildings and city-building “lots,”
however. While some of the larger buildings might in fact be
standalone buildings, like an Arena, Castle, or Cathedral, for
the most part a lot of buildings is assumed to contain numerous
buildings of a similar kind clustered together, along with living quarters for many of their patrons and proprietors. An “Inn”
filling a lot is not a single sprawling structure covering 40,000
square feet (assuming you use the suggested 200-foot squares
in this product; the officially published lot size of 750 feet
produces an area for each lot of over half a million square feet),
but perhaps a dozen or more similar businesses all devoted
to a similar trade. While this would seem to militate against
using one business’ name for the whole business district, the
level of abstraction in the kingdom-building rules cuts both
ways. The district could simply be named after the largest
and most prosperous business of its kind, or you could simply
treat any proper name you give it as the name of the district or
neighborhood as a whole. In many real-world cities, a particular
street or park may lend its name to the entire neighborhood
of which it is a part. This works just as well when creating a
fantasy city, especially if you develop squares of similar lots
together to form cohesive, natural parts of your city.
Duplicate Buildings
Nothing strains credulity like repeatedly constructing the
same maximally efficient building over and over again. As
simple countermeasure to represent the diminishing returns
on such a strategy, once a building of a given type has been
constructed in a city district, any additional buildings of
the same type cost 50% more to build in that district. This
increase does not apply to Bridges, City Walls, Houses, Moats,
Parks, Tenements, and Waterways.
Impassable Buildings
Given the generally abstract nature of the district grid, it is safe
to assume that people traveling through a city can pass through
lots containing most kinds of buildings. Small alleyways and
avenues are implicitly present in most lots, but this is not true
of all buildings. Some, either because of their massive and
monolithic scale, or because they are by their nature secured
buildings, compounds, or otherwise restricted areas that do not
allow trespassers to simply wander through. If using a city grid
as a navigational aid or a map-like representation of your city,
the following building types should be considered impassable:
Arena, Bank, Barracks, Castle, Garrison, Jail, Mansion, Military
Academy, Mint, Noble Villa, Palace, Waterway. Creatures
moving through a city must move around the perimeter of these
lots and cannot move through them.
Wooden Buildings
Stone is assumed to be the default building material in the
published rules (including brick and similar materials), but it
is certainly possible to construct most buildings out of wood.
The BP cost of a wooden building is half normal if using the
standard published rules. If using the Construction rules in
this product, this is best represented by reducing the number
of months required to construct a building in half (rounding
down). If the building can normally be built in just one
month, this results in a construction time of zero months; this
allows the building to be completed immediately (i.e., in the
same month the Improvement Edict is issued to build it) and
the cost is halved (rounding down). The following buildings
cannot be made of wood: Brickyard, Castle, Cistern, Colossus,
Crematorium, Dump, Foundry, Graveyard, Moat, Park, Sacred
Grove, Waterway. Tenements are always considered wooden
buildings, but their construction time is unaffected.
Wooden buildings are considerably more fragile than stone
buildings. Their Defense value is halved (rounding down), and
wooden buildings impose a -10 penalty on Stability checks
or other kingdom rolls to prevent damage or destruction.
Buildings made of wood cannot provide Fame and cannot be
the subject of an Endowment Edict.
Building Types
The published rules provide a wealth of
buildings, but if there is one thing you can never have
enough of, it’s fun options for customizing your city with both
magical and mundane enhancements.
WILL INCLUDE ALL BUILDINGS EVENTUALLY
| Academy | 52 BP | 2 Lots | |
| Kingdom | Economy +2, Loyalty +2 | ||
| Discount | Caster’s Tower, Library, Magic Shop | ||
| Upgrade From | Library; Upgrade To University | ||
| Magic Items | 3 minor scrolls or wondrous items, 2 medium scrolls or wondrous items | ||
| Settlement | Lore +2, Productivity +1, Society +2; increase Lore bonus by 2 for questions relating to one Knowledge or Profession skill | ||
| An institution of higher learning. | |||
| Aerie | 18 BP | 1 Lot | |
| Kingdom | Stability +2, Unrest -1 | ||
| Special | Defense: 1 (2 in hills (with a river or coastline) or mountains) | Special: +2 bonus to Stability checks against Monster Attacks involving flying creatures | |
| A specialized tower suitable for raising and training hunting and message birds as well as stabling flying mounts | |||
WILL INCLUDE ALL BUILDINGS EVENTUALLY
Magical Improvements
While fantastically expensive, in a fantasy
world it is only to be expected that certain wealthy
and powerful cities might create permanent enchantments to
enhance their city. The published rules incorporate magical
fountains and streetlamps as two examples of this, but certain
magical spells can also be made permanent.
Animated Automation (5 BP per building or 25 BP per hex)
:Permanent animated objects can be used to replace living
laborers. While they cannot perform complex tasks, they have
great strength and endless stamina. Local citizens may resent
the automation of labor cutting into their job opportunities.
Effect 1 Fame. Animated objects in a city must be assigned
to a specific building that provides a bonus to Productivity.
They provide the following additional settlement modifiers: +1
Economy, +1 Productivity, -1 Loyalty. Alternatively, animated
objects can be assigned to a hex with a Farm, Mine, Quarry,
or Sawmill. In such hexes, animated objects usually work
alongside human(oid) laborers, replacing or supplementing
pack animals or operating heavy machinery. Constructs in
these hexes provide +1 additional BP of revenue (or increase
Consumption reduction of a Farm by 1). Prerequisite Cathedral
or Magical Academy.
Deathless Laborers (2 BP per building or 10 BP per hex)
:While incapable of skilled labor, mindless undead created
with animate dead are utterly tireless in performing simple,
repetitive tasks. Animated skeletons and zombies can be
created and tasked to perform such simple labor, increasing
economic productivity but making the general populace
nervous about the possibility of the undead breaking loose
and going on a rampage against the living. Effect Infamy +1.
Deathless laborers in a city must be assigned to a specific
building that provides a bonus to Productivity. They provide
the following additional settlement modifiers: Economy +1,
Productivity +1, Danger +1. Alternatively, deathless laborers can
be assigned to a hex with a Farm, Mine, Quarry, or Sawmill;
undead in these hexes provide +1 additional BP of revenue
(or increase Consumption reduction of a Farm by 1), while
creating +1 Unrest and increasing Danger in that hex by 5.
Prerequisite Caster’s Tower or Temple; Tunnels or Graveyard.
Forbiddance (20 BP per lot, 35 BP per lot with password):
You cover one lot with forbiddance spells, blocking
teleportation or planar travel through that lot as well as
blocking physical entry. Any building in that lot is treated as
an impassable building for creatures whose alignment does not
match the alignment of the deity to whom the Cathedral in the
settlement is dedicated. If a PC or allied NPC is of sufficient
level to cast the requisite forbiddance spells, they may choose
to set a different alignment. By paying a higher BP cost, the
forbiddance effect can include a password allowing differently
aligned creatures to physically enter the area without harm.
This halves the Loyalty and Unrest modifiers. Effect Defense
+2 (4 vs. extraplanar creatures), Stability +2, Loyalty -2,
Unrest +1d4; the Loyalty and Unrest modifiers are doubled if
the alignment of the forbiddance effect is different than the
kingdom’s alignment. Prerequisite Cathedral.
Hallow/Unhallow (20 BP per lot)
: You can lay a series of
hallow or unhallow spells to cover a lot and the building it
contains. A companion spell can be attached to the hallow/
unhallow, which increases the cost by 20 BP times the level of
the companion spell. The companion spell must be renewed
once per year, requiring the same BP expenditure (but not the
base 20 BP for the hallow/unhallow itself). Effect Fame +1,
Defense +2 vs. evil creatures (or good creatures, for unhallow;
+4 vs. extraplanar creatures and undead), Stability +1.
Prerequisite Cathedral, Sacred Grove, or Temple.
Magical Alarm (5 BP per lot)
: You can place multiple
permanent alarm and/or magic mouth spells on a single
building, helping to guard it against unauthorized entry
without proper passwords or other tokens. Buildings occupying
more than one lot must have magical alarms placed in all lots.
Effect Crime -1, Stability +1. Prerequisite Caster’s Tower.
Permanent Teleportation Circle (30 BP): You can create
a permanent teleportation circle within any one of your
buildings. It allows one-way travel to a specified destination
that cannot be changed, though a second teleportation circle
can be created at that destination point, which can be created
leading back to the point of origin of the first teleportation
circle. A teleportation circle is able to transport one Large
or four Medium or smaller creatures per round but cannot
transport carts, wagons, or other vehicles larger than Medium
size, nor any type of unattended objects. Only objects
carried by the creature(s) triggering the teleportation circle
can be brought through it. Effect Economy +2, Productivity
+1, Society +1. Prerequisite Caster’s Tower, Magic Shop, and
Magical Academy.
Private Sanctum (50 BP per lot)
: You can shroud a city lot
with a permanent magical barrier that blocks divinations
as well as defeating ordinary spying, observation, and
eavesdropping into or within the target lot. While this keeps
secrets secret, it also facilitates backroom dealings within your
own government. Effect Corruption +1, Law +1, and increase
the DC of Espionage edicts against your kingdom by +2 per
block. Prerequisite Caster’s Tower and Magical Academy.
Natural Advantages
Not every city is built on flat, level ground. Historically
speaking, most city sites were chosen because of some form
of advantageous terrain which made the area especially
fertile or defensible. When exploring a hex, either personally
or as part of an Exploration Edict, if your surveyors spend
double the normal amount of exploration time required on
the Terrain and Terrain Improvements table in the published
rules, they can seek out an ideal city site for defense, trade, or
simply abundant production. After this extended exploration,
the explorers must make a Knowledge (geography) check,
dividing the result by 20 (rounding down). The result is the
number of natural advantages they discover at the optimal
settlement site in the hex. If the check result is sufficiently
high to provide more than one natural advantage, you may
select the same advantage more than once; the effects stack.
If no settlement is established in the hex, these natural
advantages confer no benefit.
Fertile Land and Abundant Water
: Situated over clear
natural springs, aquifers, oases, with unusually rich soil, your
settlement has an easy time making the land bloom and grow.
Benefit: Stability +1.
Natural Crossroads
: Situated at the foot of a pass, alongside
a navigable river or deep-water harbor, or sited along a longstanding
trade route, your settlement has a leg up on the
competition in matters of trade. Benefit: Economy +1.
Natural Fortifications
: Situated on a natural rise, or the foot
of a cliff, or a confluence or bend in a river system, your
settlement is easier to defend from attackers. Benefit: Defense +1.
Exotic Settlements
In a fantasy world, part of the fun is having cities that don’t
conform to real-world necessities, or that can take inspiration
from real-world types of cities but elaborate and enhance them
in amazing ways. Fantasy fiction, films, and literature are filled
with exotic cities of earth, sky, and sea, as are decades of fantasy
RPG world-building, and the city templates described in this
section serve to open up the standard kingdom-building and
city-building rules to allow for a variety of unusual settlements.
Constructing an exotic settlement is more challenging than
building a normal city. Preparing a city site prepares only a
single square of 4 lots, representing the first cluster of barges
for a Barge City or terraces for a Cliff Dwelling or caves and
corridors for a Cavern City and so on. Adding a new square of
4 lots to enable buildings to be built requires 1 month of work
and costs 2 BP (4 BP for an underwater city); this counts as
constructing a building for the purpose of the number allowed
by your Improvement Edicts. Once a square is prepared, you
may construct buildings in it normally, subject to the special
rules for each type of settlement.
Barge City
A barge city is made of floats, ships, and barges lashed
together. Barge cities may be transient, drifting through vast
marshes or shallow seas, with buildings coming and going
constantly causing the city to grow and shrink with seasonal
migrations of seafaring folk. The sampan cities of old Hong
Kong, Macao, and Shanghai are good examples, as are the
villages and towns of migratory bargefolk that appear in some
fantasy worlds.
Terrain: Coastline, Marsh, Water
Borders: All water borders.
Limit: First building must be Pier.
Settlement: Corruption +1, Crime +1, Law -1, Productivity
-1, Society +2
Banned Buildings: Brickyard, Tunnels, City Walls,
Dump, Foundry, Graveyard, Lumberyard, Mill, Moat,
Park, Paved Streets, Sacred Grove, Sewer System,
Stable, Stockyard, Tannery
Free Buildings: Bridges and Waterways cost nothing to
construct.
Special: All buildings in a barge city must be wooden
buildings.
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Causeway City
A causeway city is built up on pilings, piers, long bridges, and
small islets, either natural or artificial, and is typically crisscrossed
with canals. The city is linked to the mainland by a long causeway
that crosses a marsh or open water. The city of Venice or the
ancient city of Tyre are good examples of causeway cities.
Terrain: Coastline, Marsh
Borders: All water borders.
Limit: First building must be a Bridge placed in a
lot adjacent to one of the city’s borders (this space
automatically contains a Waterway).
Settlement: Law +1, Society +1
Banned Buildings: Dump, Lumberyard, Moat, Park,
Sacred Grove, Sewer System, Stockyard
Free Buildings: A causeway city gains one free Moat as a
village, gaining one additional free Moat once it becomes
a town, another on becoming a city, and another for each
city district it adds. No additional Moats can be built.
Waterways cost nothing to construct.
Cavern City
A cavern city is one built underground. Common among
dwarves, drow, and similar deep dwellers, surface kingdoms
can establish cavern cites as well. In some cases they resemble
cities on the surface, constructed within massive vaulted
caverns, often surrounded by fungus farms or smaller satellite
quarries or mines. Other cavern cities, however, are simply
interconnected cave complexes, wherein each city lot comprises
its own warren of caves and chambers, linked by tunnels and
passages to adjacent parts of the city. Some cavern cities are
lit by veins of crystal or luminescent fungi, others by magical
lamps, and some by simple torches and lamps, while those
inhabited entirely by dark-dwelling races may have little use
for lights at all.
Terrain: Cavern, (at the GM’s option, any terrain type
that has the Lair special terrain may connect to a
cavern suitable to build a cavern city)
Borders: No water borders.
Limit: Cavern cities have no streets or alleys and all
buildings are considered impassable buildings. They
can be entered from adjacent buildings, but can only
be exited back into the building lot from which a
creature came. One set of Tunnels must be built for
each square of 4 lots to build the tunnels that allow
passage through and around those lots. Wooden
buildings may not be constructed in a cavern city.
Settlement: Corruption +1, Society +1, Danger +5
Banned Buildings: Aerie, Castle, City Walls, Lighthouse,
Lumberyard, Observatory, Park, Piers, Sacred Grove, Stable,
Stockyard, Tannery, Waterfront, Watergate, Waterway
(allowed in city, but not village or town), Windmill
Free Buildings: A cavern city gains one free City Wall as
a village, gaining one additional free City Wall once
it becomes a town, and another on becoming a city,
and another for each city district it adds. No additional
City Walls can be built.
Cliff Dwelling
A cliff dwelling is built onto and within a cliff, sometimes
either an open cliff face, rift valley, or canyon wall, or beneath
a natural undercut. Anasazi cliff dwellings like those at Mesa
Verde are excellent examples, as are the ruins of Petra in
Jordan, or any number of fantasy canyon cities.
Terrain: Desert, Hill, Mountain
Borders: No water borders.
Limit: Wooden buildings may not be constructed in a
cliff dwelling.
Settlement: Law +1, Society -1, Defense +2 (attackers
with a burrow, climb, or fly speed ignore this bonus;
ranged attacks halve it to +1)
Banned Buildings: Lumberyard, Park, Piers, Stable,
Stockyard, Tannery, Waterfront, Watergate, Waterway
(allowed in city, but not village or town)
Treetop City
A treetop city is built on wooden platforms and frames built
into and spanning between massive forest giants. A handful of
buildings may cluster around the foot of the trees, but most of
the city is raised far off the ground. Treetop cities are popular
among elves, but they also offer solace to other humanoid races
seeking shelter and peace.
Terrain: Forest, Jungle
Borders: No water borders.
Limit: Stone buildings may not be constructed in a
treetop city.
Settlement: Law +1, Lore +1, Society -1, Fame +1, Defense
+4 (creatures with a climb or fly speed ignore this
bonus; ranged attacks halve this bonus to +2)
Banned Buildings: Brickyard, Castle, Tunnels, Cistern,
City Walls, Crematorium, Dump, Foundry, Graveyard,
Lighthouse, Mill, Moat, Paved Streets, Sewer System,
Stable, Stockyard, Tannery, Tenement, Waterfront,
Watergate, Waterway
Underwater City
An underwater city is built beneath the waves, usually as a
home to aquatic races, though surface kingdoms can build
underwater cities if they wish. Underwater cities may be
carved into natural underwater caves and clefts or may be
built up into and upon reefs and rocks in elaborate spires and
nacreous domes.
Terrain Coastline, Marsh, Water
Borders All water borders.
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
29 Limit The BP cost to construct any building in an
underwater city is doubled unless the kingdom hires
or makes alliance with aquatic creatures to perform
the building for them (this requires a friendly or
helpful attitude, and usually a Treaty obtained with
a Diplomatic edict). In addition, an underwater city
does not normally contain air-filled buildings. Transit
between buildings is by swimming, and creatures
lacking a swim speed consider all buildings in an
underwater city impassable. They can enter buildings
in adjacent lots but can only exit back into the
same building from which they entered. However,
access tunnels can be constructed as if they were
Tunnels. Each set of Tunnels allows free movement
into and through a square of 4 lots, as well as any
adjacent square that also has Tunnels. Any buildings
constructed in an underwater city are likewise
filled with water unless they are made airtight, with
magically or naturally refreshing air sources. This
increases the cost to build any such structure by 50%.
Wooden buildings normally cannot be constructed
in an underwater city, though at the GM’s option an
underwater city woven into a massive kelp bed or
sargasso could be constructed of matted fibers and
fronds functionally equivalent to wood for building
purposes.
Settlement: Corruption +1, Crime +1, Law -1, Productivity
-1, Society +2
Banned Buildings: Brickyard, Bridge, City Walls, Dump,
Foundry, Lumberyard, Mill, Moat, Park, Paved Streets,
Sacred Grove, Sewer System, Stable, Stockyard,
Tannery, Waterfront, Watergate, Windmill
Free Buildings: Waterways cost nothing to construct.
Special: A hex containing an underwater city can also
contain a second settlement of a different type, most
often a barge city (especially in marsh terrain) or
causeway city (more commonly in coastal terrain).
Table D2: Danger Level of Event
d% Event
Less than 1
Reroll* plus bonus event (50% chance of either):
Good weather or Natural blessing (kingdom
events); or, Boomtown or Unexpected find (city)
01-50 Beneficial Event
51-00 Dangerous Event
Over 100
Reroll* plus bonus event (50% chance of either):
Monster attack or Bandit activity (kingdom); or,
Squatters or Vandals (city)
- Do not apply Danger modifier to rerolls. In addition, if
the reroll duplicates the bonus event, roll again.
Kingdom Events
and Danger Level
The pu blis hed rules organize kingdom events
alphabetically, for ease of reference, but one way to
enhance the variety of events and simulate the varying danger
between bustling, slum-ridden cities and idyllic pastoral
towns or between monster-infested swamps and settled farm
country is to incorporate the Danger modifiers listed above for
terrain types and settlement sizes. In order for these modifiers
to make sense, however, we need to reorder the events from
least dangerous at lower numbers to most dangerous at the
higher numbers. The tables below allow you to do just that.
Once you determine whether the kingdom event occurs in
the countryside (kingdom event) or is focused on a single
city, town, or village (settlement event), apply the Danger
modifier for that hex’s terrain type or for that settlement
to all subsequent rolls to determine whether the event is
dangerous or beneficial as well as the precise nature of the
event. Most beneficial events are wholly beneficial, so there is
no need to apply the Danger modifier; however, some events
(like Boomtown or Land Rush) do have potential negative
consequences, so you could choose to apply the Danger
modifier at the GM’s discretion.
Table D1: Type of Event
d% Event
01-50 Kingdom Event (choose a random hex)
51-00 Settlement Event (choose a random settlement)
Table D3: Beneficial Kingdom Events
d% Event
01-11 Good weather
12-23 Food surplus
24-35 Economic boom
36-43 Discovery
45-53 Natural blessing
54-62 Political calm
63-69 Festive invitation
70-76 New subjects
77-84 Diplomatic overture
85-92 Archaeological find
93-00 Land rush
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Table D4: Dangerous Kingdom Events
d% Event
<0><0 no event
01-10 Building Demand
11-20 Squatters
21-27 Crop Failure
28-35 Inquisition
36-45 Vandals
46-53 Drug den
54-59 Slavers
60-67 Feud
68-75 Cultic Activity
76-83 Sensational Crime
84-90 Monster Attack
91-95 Plague
96-00 Localized Disaster
100+ Roll twice on the above table, using the more severe of the two results (alternatively, the GM can chose which result to apply). Do not
apply Danger modifier to rerolls. If both rerolls give the same event, use that event. If a reroll duplicates a bonus event, roll again.
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Settlement
Attributes
The sett lement rules desc ribe a wi de variety of
settlement attributes that can be used to bring individual
character and unique flavor to any given settlement that PCs
encounter. Some of these attributes are quirks of circumstance, a
particular natural feature or tendency of a certain kinds of folk to
gather within a city, or a strange magical phenomenon in the
area. Others are rooted more in the attitudes and activities of
the people within a city. While these attributes were originally
intended to bring flavor to existing cities, including ones you might
randomly place or generate in the course of creating or running
an adventure, they also offer some interesting possibilities for use
with the kingdom-building rules. Allowing PCs to pick and choose
settlement attributes is not the best option, as that route is fraught
with potential for gaming the system and choosing only the most
advantageous attributes for the city in question. Even if that were
not the case, having settlement attributes develop independently
also introduces another element of uncertainty into the kingdombuilding
rules, much like kingdom events, which makes the
process less predictable and more fun.
Rules associated with many of the settlement attributes noted
below are found under the settlement rules in the Pathfinder
RPG Gamemastery Guide and Pathfinder Reference Document.
The remainder can be found in the settlement rules section of
d20pfsrd.com.
Natural Attributes: Natural attributes are not necessarily
purely natural features, although they may be. In some cases,
they represent pre-existing landmarks or ruins or favorable
opportunities for certain kinds of development or habitation.
When exploring a hex and clearing it to prepare it for founding
a settlement, have one of the kingdom’s leaders (or the leader of
a party of explorers sent out with an Exploration Edict) make a
Knowledge (geography) check. The result of this skill check is the
percentage chance that the proposed city site contains one of the
following Natural Attributes. If that percentage or less is rolled, roll
again on the following table to determine which Natural Attribute
is present at that city site. The kingdom leader or explorer making
this percentile roll can adjust the roll up or down by 1 for every 5
points of their original Knowledge (geography) check.
Table E1: Natural Attributes
d% Attribute
01-10 Abundant
11-15 City of the Dead
16-26 Defensible
27-34 Famed Breeders
35-44 Majestic
45-54 Racial Enclave
55-62 Resettled Ruins
63-70 Slumbering Monster
71-76 Small-Folk Settlement
77-84 Strategic Location
85-92 Under-City
93-00 Untamed
Abundant: The settlement has access to extraordinary natural
resources: rich farmland, a deep lake, excellent hunting grounds
nearby or even a convenient source of magical sustenance.
The local food surplus makes the settlement a major exporting
hub, and increases the standard of living for its inhabitants.
Productivity +1. Reduce the purchase price of most forms of
locally-grown food and livestock by 25% or more.
City of the Dead: The settlement abuts a massive, historically
significant graveyard, massive tomb or mausoleum complex.
Its monuments are well maintained, and a powerful ancestor
cult exists within the city, either in replacement or addition
to traditional religions. Productivity2, Lore +2, Law +1. Adda slumbering behemoth,
the settlement’s Lore modifier to Knowledge (history) and
Knowledge (nobility) checks.
Defensible: The settlement is strategically situated to make it
easier to defend, giving its inhabitants confidence and making
the settlement a major local trade hub. Corruption +1, Crime +1,
Productivity +2. Society -1.
Famed Breeders: The settlement is known for the excellent
quality of the animals bred there, from the mundane (horses,
mules, cattle, pigs) to the exotic (talking tigers, Pegasai,
griffons). People come from far and wide to purchase livestock,
draft animals, mounts, and animal companions. Increase
Productivity +1. Increase Base Value and Base Purchase Limit
by +20% when dealing with mounts and associated gear.
Characters can purchase mounts or livestock in the settlement
at a 10% discount.
Majestic: The settlement is known for its dramatic, sweeping
architecture, monumental statuary and is built to a scale alien
to most Medium-sized humanoids. Perhaps the settlement was
once a domain of giants, or simply a human metropolis hewn to
an epic scale for the sake of grandeur. Increase spellcasting by
+1 level. Add +1 to the number of the most expensive category
of magic items the settlement offers for sale, as determined by
its size.
Racial Enclave: The settlement is dominated by a single
race: a pleasant halfling farming community, an elven capital,
a collection of half-orc yurts on the open plains, etc. Society
-1. Members of one or more races, chosen when the settlement
is founded, is especially welcome in the tight-knit and
homogeneous settlement. Members of this race can purchase
goods and services in the settlement at a 25% discount.
Resettled Ruins: The settlement is built amid the ruins of
a more ancient structure. The settlement might be little more
than a collection of tents and yurts erected in ruined plazas, or
a thriving metropolis whose stones were recycled from longforgotten
temples and fortresses. While ruins provide a ready
source of building materials, near-by dungeons to plunder
and ancient artifacts to explore, they might also provide a
hiding place for modern dangers or old curses. Productivity
+1, Lore +1. Add +1d3 to the amount of magic items in any
category the settlement’s size would allow it to normally offer.
If the settlement’s size would not normally allow it to have
magic items of a particular category, it always has at least
one randomly chosen item of that category for sale. However,
if a buyer rolls a natural 1 on any Appraise, Diplomacy, or
Spellcraft check made to examine or purchase a locally bought
magic item, that item is always cursed.
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
32
Slumbering Monster: The settlement is home to some form
of powerful and ancient monster
a dark god imprisoned by magical means, an ancient warrobot
kept in stasis, or some other, currently inert threat. The
inhabitants of the settlement expend vast effort keeping their
monstrous prisoner contained, and by doing so, they have
developed an impressive mastery of arcana. Lore +2, Society +1,
Increase Spellcasting by 2 levels.
At the GM’s discretion, the slumbering monster might
be awakened. Doing so removes this quality, and afflicts
the settlement with the Hunted disadvantage instead. The
slumbering monster must either be destroyed or re-imprisoned
by PC actions to restore this quality to the settlement.
Small-Folk Settlement: This settlement is designed for the
comfort of a mostly gnome or halfling population. Its doors
and ceilings are built for the comfort of the smaller races, and
can be absolute murder on the foreheads of taller humanoids.
Everything in the settlement, from furniture to forks, is sized
for small creatures. Law +1, Lore +1. Medium-sized and larger
creatures treat the Settlement’s Crime and Society statistics as
a penalty due to their difficulty in maneuvering or sneaking
around in the miniature Settlement. Small or smaller creatures
treat the Settlement’s Crime and Society statistics normally.
Strategic Location: The settlement sits at an important
crossroads or alongside a deepwater port, or it serves as a
barrier to a pass or bridge. Productivity +1; increase base value
by 10%.
Under-City: The settlement is built atop a dangerous
subterranean structure, filled with monsters and a haven for
criminals and outcasts. This under-city might be a massive
sewer system, disused railway or subway tunnels, ruined and
forgotten basements or dungeons, or a nearby mine or natural
cavern system, perhaps even one that descends miles beneath
the earth. Lore +1, Danger +20.
Untamed: The area around the settlement is still mostly
untainted, unclaimed wilderness. This settlement may be a
remote logging village, a trading post sprung up around a desert
oasis or a small mountain keep, for instance. When rolling for
random encounters within the settlement, instead of using an
urban random encounter chart solely, alternate between the
urban encounter chart and the wilderness encounter chart
(or chart) most appropriate to the surrounding terrain. The
settlement’s Danger rating applies to both encounter charts.
Attributes and Kingdom Events
While Natural Attributes are specific to the site where the city is
created, other Attributes have much more to do with the growth
and development of the city after its foundation. To incorporate
these kinds of attributes into the settlements in your PCs’
kingdom, you can use one of the following methods.
Replace standard kingdom events: Whenever a standard
kingdom event would normally occur, use the following table
to replace Table D2 with Table E2 below to determine whether
the event is a standard event or whether one of your settlements
(chosen randomly) gains an attribute.
Table E2: Events, Danger, and Attributes
d% Event
Less than 1
Reroll* plus bonus event (50% chance of either):
Good weather or Natural blessing (kingdom
events); or, Boomtown or Unexpected find (city)
01-45 Beneficial Event
46-48 Civic Attribute
49-51 Attitude
52 Magical Attribute
53-54 Disadvantage
55 Magical Disadvantage
51-00 Dangerous Event
Over 100
Reroll* plus bonus event (50% chance of either):
Monster attack or Bandit activity (kingdom);
or, Squatters or Vandals (city) - Do not apply Danger modifier to rerolls. In addition, if the
reroll duplicates the bonus event, roll again.
Supplement standard kingdom events: Whenever a
standard kingdom event occurs, there is a 5% chance that
once the event ends the settlement gains an Attribute. You
could select an attribute appropriate to the event (such
as a Boomtown event leading to a settlement becoming a
Financial Center or Trading Post, or Cultic Activity leading to
a settlement becoming Superstitious or an Unholy Site), or you
could roll randomly on the following tables to determine what
kind of attribute the settlement gains.
Total Number of Attributes: While the settlement rules
indicate that even very small settlements can have settlement
attributes, and a metropolis might have up to six, those
standardized rules do not take into account the variation in
how settlements are built and function based on the kingdombuilding
rules. Hence, it is suggested that a village should have
no more than one attribute, a town two, and a city three.
Duration of Attributes: The settlement rules assume that a
settlement’s qualities or attributes are more or less permanent,
or that they last for as long as would ever be relevant to the PCs.
Given the substantial impact that many of these attributes can
have on a settlement, however, it is suggested that any attribute
a city acquires should last for one year at maximum, and a
random duration of 2d6 months is recommended.
If the GM wishes to allow PCs to neutralize an unfavorable
Attitude or Civic Attribute, they should make a Loyalty check
at the end of the Event Phase each month with a10 penalty. Ifmedicinal hot springs, clean, invigorating mountain
they succeed in this special Loyalty check in three consecutive
months, the adverse Attitude or Civic Attribute is eradicated
in that settlement. A less lenient GM might rule that no
amelioration of such Attitudes or Civic Attributes is possible, or
could allow such checks with the caveat that each failed check
increases the duration of the adverse Attitude or Civic Attribute,
and/or that three consecutive failures causes it to become
permanent. The ability to mitigate adverse attributes is left to
the judgment of the GM.
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
33 Attitudes: Attitudes are those attributes that are based on
conscious or willful choices by the majority of citizens in a
settlement, becoming ingrained in the policies and politics of
the place and creating deeply held beliefs and values. Some
attitudes may be beneficial to a community, but frequently they
make the city an unpleasant or inhospitable place for those who
do not share in the attitudes of the general populace.
Table E3: Attitudes
d% Attribute
01-10 Abstinent
11-20 Decadent
21-30 Insular
31-40 Morally Permissive
41-50 Pious
51-60 Racially Intolerant
61-70 Religious Tolerance
71-80 Romantic
81-90 Sexist
91-00 Superstitious
Abstinent: The settlement religious or moral convictions
force it to deny some of the world’s more common vices.
The settlement prohibits a common vice: usually alcohol is
prohibited, but other abstinent settlements might ban stronger
drugs, tobacco, prostitution, or even ‘indulgent’ foods like fine
pastries, meat, or similar. Corruption 2, Law +1, Society -2.
Special Restriction: Lawful communities only.
Decadent: The settlement’s vast wealth and proud, ancient
heritage has made it a haven for corruption and sin. Corruption
+1, Crime +1, Productivity +1, Society +1, Danger +10. Increase
Base Purchase Limit by +25%. Special Restriction Evil
communities only.
Insular: The settlement is isolated, perhaps physically or
even spiritually. Its citizens are fiercely loyal to one another.
Law +1; Crime –1.
Morally Permissive: Divine indulgence or perhaps just a
corrupt church selling indulgences has made this settlement
famous (or infamous) for its lax morals. Select 1d41 acts that
would normally be considered sinful or immoral; these acts
are not crimes or sins within the settlement, and committing
these acts does not violate a paladin or cleric’s moral code,
so long as the offense is limited to within the settlement’s
borders. Corruption +1, Productivity +1. Decrease divine
spellcasting by -1 level.
Pious: The settlement is known for its inhabitants’ good
manners, friendly spirit, and deep devotion to a deity (this deity
must be of the same alignment as the community). Increase
spellcasting by 1 level; any faith more than one alignment
step different than the community’s official religion is at best
unwelcome and at worst outlawed—obvious worshipers of an
outlawed deity must pay 150% of the normal price for goods
and services and may face mockery, insult, or even violence.
Racially Intolerant: The community is prejudiced against
one or more races, which are listed in parentheses. Members
of the unwelcome race or races must pay 150% of the normal
price for goods and services and may face mockery, insult, or
even violence.
Religious Tolerance: The settlement is known for its
widespread religious tolerance, and many faiths have temples,
cathedrals or monasteries here. Religious debates in the public
square are common. Lore +1, Society +1. Increase divine
spellcasting by +2 levels.
Romantic: The settlement’s inhabitants are renowned for
their stunning beauty and charm, and the location has been
made famous in dozens of romantic songs, poems and bawdy
limericks. Affairs of the heart are common here, among the
town’s hot-blooded, lusty inhabitants. Society +1. Increase the
amount of minor magic items available for sale by 50%, as such
trinkets are a popular, if expensive, token of affection here.
Sexist: The settlement’s laws have completely disenfranchised
one gender or the other: the oppressed sex has no more legal
rights than a pet or a slave, and cannot buy property. While
within the settlement, members of the oppressed gender cannot
legally make purchases of items worth more than 5 gp, and are
usually ignored by the settlement’s inhabitants, and may suffer
mockery, violence or legal persecution. Society -2.
Superstitious: The community has a deep and abiding fear
of magic and the unexplained, but this fear has caused its
citizens to become more supportive and loyal to each other
and their settlement. Law +2, Society +2, Crime –4; reduce
spellcasting by 2 levels.
Civic Attributes: Civic Attributes are those that reflect the
general actions and activity of the people of a city in terms
of how they go about their daily business. Civic attributes
do not necessarily reflect the majority of common citizens,
but they represent characteristics that have become strongly
identified with that community and something for which it
is well known.
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
34
Table E4: Civic Attributes
d% Attribute
01-04 Academic
05-08 Artist’s Colony
09-10 Asylum
11-14 Cruel Watch
15-18 Financial Center
19-25 Free City
26-29 Gambling
30-33 Good Roads
34-40 Guilds
41-44 Legendary Marketplace
45-48 Notorious
49-52 Peacebonding
53-56 Planned Community
57-60 Population Surge
61-65 Prosperous
66-68 Royal Accommodations
69-75 Rumormongering Citizens
76-00 Rural
81-83 Sacred Animals
84-86 Therapeutic
87-91 Tourist Attraction
92-95 Trading Post
96-00 Well Educated
Academic: The settlement possesses a school, training facility, or
university of great renown. Lore +1, increase spellcasting by 1 level.
Artist’s Colony: The settlement is renowned for the
excellence of its local artists, performers and craftsfolk.
Productivity +1, Society +1. Add the settlement’s Productivity
modifier on Perform checks to make money and all Craft
checks to produce artwork, not just those made to earn a living.
Asylum: The settlement is host to an infamous madhouse
or asylum (or perhaps a prison, gaol or notorious workhouse).
The presence of these dangerous, mad souls has hardened the
townsfolk, making them suspicious of strangers and paranoid
about the possibility of an escape or other tragedy. Lore +1,
Society -2.
Cruel Watch: The settlement’s civic watch or police force is
infamous for its brutality, effectiveness, cruelty and corruption.
Special: lawful communities only. Corruption +1, Law +2, Crime
-3, Society -2.
Financial Center: This settlement is home to powerful banks,
mints, trading houses, currency exchanges and other powerful
financial and mercantile organizations. Productivity +2, Law
+1. Increase Base Value and Purchase Limit by +40%. Special
Restriction: non-chaotic communities only.
Free City: The city’s libertarian laws make it a haven for
fugitives and outcasts of all kinds, from runaway children, serfs
who escaped their lord’s lands, criminals and escaped slaves
alike. Foreign adventurers and bounty hunters cannot arrest
or capture fugitives within the settlement’s borders. Crime +2,
Danger +5, Law -2. Special Restriction: Chaotic communities only.
Gambling: The settlement caters to vice and greed. Casinos,
gaming houses, opium dens and bordellos are all common here,
and serve as the town’s major industry. Crime +2, Corruption
+2, Productivity +2, Law -1. Add +10% to the settlement’s
Purchase Limit.
Good Roads: The settlement has an extensive road network.
These roads are well-maintained and allow for quick movement
of troops and merchandise. Productivity +2.
Guilds: A variety of trade and mercantile guilds control the
town’s industry and trade. These guilds are highly specialized
(a printer’s guild, an eggler’s guild, a swordsmith’s guild, a
diamond cutter’s guild,ect), and usually semi-hereditary, with
children following their parents into the guild. Corruption +1,
Productivity +1, Lore -1.
Legendary Marketplace: The settlement is justly famed for its
markets: almost anything may be for sale here! The settlement’s
Base Value and Purchase Limits are treated as if the settlement
was one size category larger. In the case of a Metropolis with
the Legendary Marketplace quality, double the settlement’s Base
Value and Purchase Limit. Productivity +2, Crime +2.
Notorious: The settlement has a reputation (deserved or not)
for being a den of iniquity. Thieves, rogues, and cutthroats
are much more common here. Crime +1, Danger +10, Law –1;
Increase Base Value by 30% and Purchase Limit by 50%.
Peacebonding: By local law, any weapon larger than a dagger
and all wands and rods must either be peacebound or stored at
the local sherrif’s office or jail (at the settlement’s option) for the
duration of the visit. Peacebonding a weapon involves winding
a colored cord tightly around the weapon and its scabbard,
and then impressing the local seal in wax. Removing the
peacebond requires a full round action before the item can be
drawn. (Disable Device DC 12 to untangle the bond as a move
equivalent action; bond hp 5, no hardness). Law +1, Crime -1.
Planned Community: The community’s design was
determined in advance, every detail planned out before the
first keystone was laid. Streets are wide, straight and laid out
on an orderly grid, neighborhoods and districts are segregated
by purpose, as are the living quarters of the city’s inhabitants.
Crime -1, Society -1, Productivity +1. Special Restriction: Lawful
communities only.
Population Surge: This settlement is home to a greater than
usual percentage of children, making it energetic and lively.
Crime +1, Society +2.
Prosperous: The settlement is a popular hub for trade.
Merchants are wealthy and the citizens live well. Productivity +1;
Increase Base Value by 30%; Increase Purchase Limit by 50%.
Royal Accommodations: One or more members of a royal
dynasty call the settlement home. As such, security is extremely
tight, and the local Productivity has taken flight, as merchants
catering to the nobility have sprung up. Productivity +1, Law
+2. Decrease Society -1. Increase the Purchase Price of high
quality or luxury items, such as jewelry, fine clothes or food,
entertainment, weapons and all magical items purchased in the
settlement by +10% due to widespread inflation.
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
35 Rumormongering Citizens: The settlement’s citizens
are nosy and gossipy to a fault—very little happens in the
settlement that no one knows about. Lore +1, Society –1.
Rural: The settlement, no matter its size, has never lost its
sleepy, small-town atmosphere. The settlement sprawls across
a wide, mostly open area, and despite the distances between
homes and buildings, neighbors look out for one another.
Productivity -1, Crime -1, Danger -5.
Sacred Animals: In this settlement there is a great taboo
(punishable by death, exile or other severe penance) about
killing a particular breed of beast. Depending on the settlement,
the sacred animal might be innocuous (house cats, ravens),
irritating and mischievous (monkeys) or a stubborn hazard
on the roads (horses, cattle). The animals have free run of the
settlement. Lore +1, Corruption -1, Productivity -1.
Therapeutic: The settlement is known for its minor healing
properties
air, a plethora of locally grown healing herbs and fruits, or
perhaps some divine blessing. Whatever the reason, hospitals,
nurseries, retreats and sanitariums are common within the
settlement. Productivity 1 and Lore +1. Heal checks made
within the settlement’s borders also receive the settlement’s Lore
modifier if positive.
Tourist Attraction: The settlement possesses some sort
of landmark or event that draws visitors from far and wide.
Productivity +1; Increase Base Value by 20%.
Trading Post: The settlement’s primary purpose is trade.
Merchants and buyers from all over the world can be found within
the settlement. Double the Purchase Limit for the settlement.
Well Educated: The settlement’s inhabitants are incredibly
well educated and known for their sharp wits. Lore +1, Society +1.
Magical Attributes: Magical Attributes are truly amazing and
mysterious happenings, events, or phenomena that surround
and infuse a community, sometimes temporarily, sometimes
permanently, and may be a blessing, a curse, or both. In any
case, Magical Attributes involve powers from beyond this
world, or mighty and ancient magics the likes of which are
seldom seen in this age.
Table E5: Magical Attributes
d% Attribute
01-08 Animal Polyglot
09-12 Anthropomorphizing
13-19 Desecrate/Hallow
20-26 Eldritch
27-31 God Ruled
32-41 Holy Site
42-50 Living Forest
51-60 Magically Attuned
61-67 Magical Polyglot
68-74 Phantasmal
75-80 Planar Crossroads
81-85 Pocket Universe
86-90 Unaging
91-00 Unholy Site
Animal Polyglot: A magical aura hangs over the settlement.
All creatures of the Animal type gain the ability to speak and
think while within the settlement’s borders. Animals act as if
their INT scores were 6, and gain ability to speak Common;
they lose these benefits as soon as they pass the settlement’s
borders. Productivity -1, Increase Lore +1. Increase spellcasting
by +1 level (druid spells only). Add the settlement’s Lore
modifier to Handle Animal checks made within the settlement.
Anthropomorphizing: This settlement is a haven for beastmen
and hybrids, from monstrous humanoids to sapient
magical beasts, giants and awakened animals, and mutates,
mutants, and exotic races of every description. Outcasts from
“normal” society, they cluster in a place of mutual acceptance.
Society -1, Lore +1. Increase spellcasting by +1 (polymorph
spells only).
Special: GMs wishing to create an unique anthropomorphic
races may use the race-builder guidelines in the Pathfinder
RPG Advanced Race Guide or those in Fursona: The Complete
Guide to Creating Anthropomorphic Characters. Some
anthropomorphizing communities might require aspiring
citizens to accept transformation into such an aberrant race to
be accepted into the community, along with a donation of up to
5,000 gp for the good of the community.
Eldritch: The town has a strange and unnatural air, and is
a popular place for sorcerers and oracles. Lore +2, Danger +13.
Increase spellcasting by +2 levels (divination and compulsion
spells only).
God Ruled: The settlement has no real government; instead
it is ruled by religious codes and omens. Gods or other
powerful spiritual beings or outsiders intervene directly in
the settlement’s politics and daily life. Ordinary citizens are
possessed by spirits to speak decrees, unmistakable oracles
appear as flaming messages written on walls or in the sky, or
perhaps each and every citizen has prophetic dreams that tell
them what they must do in the coming day for the settlement
to thrive. Decrease Corruption -2, Society -2. Add one extra
minor and medium magic item for sale in the settlement.
Reduce BP cost for Cathedral, Shrine, or Temple by 25%.
Special Requirement: Theocracy or Utopian Experiment
governments only
Hallow/Unhallow: The entire settlement is under the
effects of a permanent hallow or unhallow effect of incredible
power. This effect can be suppressed in small areas within the
settlement. The caster level for the effect is equal to 20 + the
settlement’s size modifier, for the purpose of dispelling. Special
Restriction: Good or Evil communities only.
Holy Site: The settlement hosts a shrine, temple, or landmark
with great significance to one or more religions. The settlement
has a higher percentage of divine spellcasters in its population.
Corruption –2; increase spellcasting by +1 level (2 levels for
spells with the good descriptor or healing subschool or in the
cleric domains of whatever non-evil deity or philosophy is most
prominent); -2 levels for spells with the death or evil descriptors.
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
36
Living Forest: This settlement is a magical place, carved
from the living heart of an ancient forest. The trees form
themselves into homes, and branches bend to provide the
settlement’s inhabitants with food, in the form of magical,
druid-tended fruits and berries. Lore 1, Society +2, Crime
-2, Productivity -4. Increase Spellcasting by +2 levels (druidic
spells only).
Magically Attuned: The settlement is a haven for
spellcasters due to its location; for example, it may lie at the
convergence of multiple ley lines or near a well-known magical
site. Increase base value by 20%; increase purchase limit by
20%; increase spellcasting by +2 levels. Reduce BP cost for
Alchemist, Caster’s Tower, or Magic Shop by 25%.
Magical Polyglot: The settlement is blessed with a magical
aura that allows all sentient creatures within its borders to
understand one another as if they shared a common language.
This permanent magical effect is similar to the tongues spell,
and has no effect on written language, only the words spoken by
the settlement’s inhabitants. Productivity +1, Lore +1, Society +1.
Phantasmal: The settlement simply isn’t always there! This
magical settlement might only appear in the moonlight, appear
out of the mist on particularly holy or infamous dates, or only
appear in this plane during thunderstorms or on particularly
hot days. At other times, the settlement simply doesn’t exist on
this plane; powerful, plane-crossing magic is required to access
the settlement outside of the ‘proper’ time. The highly magical
settlement is insular and clannish as a result of its isolation
from the outside world. Productivity -2, Society -2. Increase
spellcasting by +2 levels (conjuration only).
Planar Crossroads: Natural or artificial planar gates near
the settlement make it a cross-roads for planar travel. Creatures
from across the multiverse, both malevolent and benign, can
be found here, as can their artifacts. Planetouched races are
common as are monstrous races as both PCs and NPCs. Crime
+3, Productivity +2, Danger +20. Increase spellcasting by two
levels, and the Base Purchase Limit by +25%.
Pocket Universe: Thanks to a magical fold in space and
time, the settlement exists in a place far too small to sustain it.
A sleepy hamlet might be found in an old mansion’s disused
pantry, a huge fortress might hide the space between two
old oaks, or a planar metropolis might be contained within
a single cramped alley of a much less important city-state.
Productivity -2. Increase spellcasting by +2 levels. Depending
on the nature of the settlement and its relationship with the
outside world, the settlement might be impossible to find. It
may skill checks to even find the entrance to the settlement:
usually a DC 20 Knowledge (local) or Knowledge (the planes)
check. The settlement’s size modifier is applied to this check,
albeit inverted. After all, it’s easier to find a metropolis (DC
16) than a thorp (DC 24).
Unaging: The settlement’s magical aura prevents those
within its borders from aging. They do not suffer the ravages
of time, and do not physically age. Usually, several kibbutz
or schools near the settlement, but not within its borders
are established, to allow the community’s children to age to
adulthood before they take their unchanging place in the
settlement’s immortal society. Lore +4, Society -3. Increase
spellcasting by +1 level, when casting spells of the Necromancy
school only.
Unholy Site: The settlement serves as an unholy site for an
evil god or philosophy. Worshipers of the evil deity flock to
this settlement. Corruption +2. Increase spellcasting by +1 level
(2 levels for spells with the evil or death descriptors or in the
cleric domains of the evil deity or philosophy); -2 levels for
spells with the good descriptor or healing subschool.
Disadvantages: Disadvantages are a special category of
Attributes that describe when things have gone horribly wrong
in a settlement, and the people struggling to maintain control
have failed utterly to keep a handle on events. The effects of
a Disadvantage are mostly localized to the citizens in that
settlement, but each month that a Disadvantage persists in any
community, your kingdom gains 1 point of Unrest.
Table E6: Disadvantages
d% Attribute
01-10 Anarchy
11-25 Bureaucratic Nightmare
26-35 Fascistic
36-50 Hunted
51-60 Ignorant
61-75 Impoverished
76-85 Plagued
86-00 Rampant Inflation
Anarchy: The settlement has no leaders—this type of
community is often short-lived and dangerous. Replaces
settlement’s Government and removes Government adjustments
to modifiers; Corruption and Crime 4; Productivity and
Society –4; Law –6; Danger +20.
Bureaucratic Nightmare: The settlement is a nightmarish,
confusing and frustrating maze of red tape, official paperwork
and petty tyrants in positions of minor power, who relish
enforcing all the useless little rules. All financial transactions
in the settlement require a successful DC 10 Diplomacy check,
with the DC increasing by 1 for every 1,000 gp of the purchase
price. If the check is unsuccessful, the character has broken
some settlement law, and must pay a fine of 5 gp times his
character level. If the check result is a natural 1, the check
automatically fails (even if it would normally succeed) and
the offense is deemed particularly egregious and the fine is
increased to 100 gp times the character’s level. Productivity
-2, Crime +2, Corruption +2. Special Restriction: Lawful
communities only. e punishment (and the way around it) is.
Fascistic: The settlement is governed by a totalitarian
regime. Sadistic and legally all-powerful soldiers walk the
streets, enforcing the settlement’s brutal laws. Outsiders
are mistrusted and undesirables often simply disappear.
Increase Law +4, Decrease Society -4. If the settlement has
either the Pious or Racially Intolerant qualities, the town’s
military or police forces will usually kill, imprison, or enslave
undesirables. Special Restriction: Lawful communities only.
Hunted: A powerful group or monster uses the city as its
hunting ground. Citizens live in fear and avoid going out on
Shannon Louden (order #5236832)
37 the streets unless necessary. Productivity, Law, and Society –4;
Danger +20; reduce base value by 20%.
Ignorant: The people of this town are uneducated, dull-witted
and worse, they consider their ignorance to be an admirable
quality. Economy -3, Lore -6, Society -3.
Impoverished: Because of any number of factors, the
settlement is destitute. Poverty, famine, and disease run
rampant. Corruption and Crime +1; decrease base value and
purchase limit by 50%; halve magic item availability.
Plagued: The community is suffering from a protracted
contagion or malady. Apply –2 to all modifiers; reduce base
value by 20%; select A communicable disease—there’s a 5%
chance each day that a PC is exposed to the disease and must
make a Fortitude save to avoid contracting the illness.
Rampant Inflation: Common to boom towns sprung
up around a rich mining camp or profitable dungeon, and
settlements undergoing a revolution or military junta alike,
this settlement’s economy is out of control. Productivity -4,
Corruption +2, Crime +4.
Magical Disadvantages: Magical Disadvantages are like
standard Disadvantages, but rather than representing a
breakdown in social and political order they represent a
localized breakdown in the functioning of magic itself. Magical
Disadvantages are likely to occur only in cities with a large
number of buildings that produce magical items or that increase
a city’s available caster level, such as the Alchemist, Caster’s
Tower, Magical Academy, and Temple buildings.
Table E7: Magical Disadvantages
d% Attribute
01-15 Atheistic
16-30 Cursed
31-45 Magically Deadened
46-55 Magical Dead Zone
56-70 Polluted
71-85 Soul Crushing
86-00 Wild Magic Zone
Atheistic: The gods have abandoned the settlement. This
effect is identical a Magical Dead Zone (see below), but only
affects divine magic. Outsiders cannot be summoned anywhere
within the borders of the settlement.
Cursed: Some form of curse afflicts the city. Its citizens might
be prone to violence or suffer ill luck, or they could be plagued
by an infestation of pests. Choose one modifier and reduce its
value by 4.
Magically Deadened: For some reason, the magic in this
region is weak. Local leylines are warped and the magical
ecosystem is fragile. Lore -1, Productivity -1. Decrease
spellcasting by 4 levels. Reduce the amount of all magical items
sold in the marketplace by -2 per category. If this reduces the
number of magical items of that category to 0, items of that
category cannot be found in the settlement.
Magical Dead Zone: There is no magic here. Spells do
not function, and the entire settlement is a dead magic area,
as described in the planar traits chapter of the Pathfinder
Roleplaying Game Gamemastery Guide.
Polluted: The settlement’s magical or high-tech industry has
stained the sky with sickly grey smog, poisoned the waters
with dark slime and made the ground less fertile. Sickness and
misery abound. Anyone who spends at least 24 hours within
the settlement takes a -4 penalty on Fortitude saves made to
resist disease and poison for as long as they remain within
5 miles of the settlement and for 1d41 days after leaving
the area. Neutralize poison or remove disease can remove
this effect with a caster level check against DC 20 plus the
settlement’s size modifier.
Corruption +2, Productivity +4.
Soul Crushing: The settlement has an oppressive, frightening
atmosphere. Its architecture is eerie and seems somehow
wrong or corrupt. The people are strange and furtive. Anyone
who spends at least 24 hours within the settlement suffers a -2
penalty on Will saves for as long as they remain in the area and
for 24 hours after leaving the area.
Wild Magic Zone: The settlement is built over an area of wild
and unpredictable magic. The entire settlement is considered
a wild magic area, as described in the planar traits chapter of
the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Gamemastery Guide. Magical
beings and spellcasters tend to avoid this dangerous township.
Decrease spellcasting by -2 levels.
