The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper. The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller. Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence. The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller. The Kingmaker by Brian Haig. Kingmaker toes this line head on and proceeds merrily down the path towards a satisfying mix of cunning, luck, opportunity and historical although not always strictly accurate perspective.
In part, this is due to the fact that the game is loosely based on William Shakespeare's somewhat parochial view of history as presented in his drama, Henry VI. It's a wargame at heart, punctuated with elements of strategic insight and common sense.
The time is late 15th century England and the royal houses of York and Lancaster are embroiled in the Wars of the Roses, a series of battles pitting politically charged factions against one another with the end goal the contested throne of England. Kingmaker depicts war and combat as it was fought in that long ago age where battles were mostly confined to open country with the occasional siege instigated for occupying a rival faction's home turf.
Unfortunately, one of the weaker aspects of game play is the difficult control over the actual battlefield actions but with so much more to deal with in the game this becomes a minor irritant.
Kingmaker adheres to a strict phase-based criteria which could be daunting to a novice player but is efficiently constructed and keeps the action flowing nicely. Each of the phases has precise meaning and all are important to game play, especially the events phase in which random occurrences happen that directly impact on any strategy you may be planning.
In fact, plagues, weather, raids, revolts, piracy and political decisions interfere with the best laid plans and can result in total abandonment of or drastic changes to your line of thinking. In the combat phase, battles are decided based on simple calculated attacker versus defender advantages, expressed as ratios for example, means a slaughterous triumph while gives neither side a good chance of success. However, as in real life, even indecisive battles can result in heavy casualties on either or both sides of the conflict.
Both walkways are 20 feet high, and the stairs leading up to them are quite steep functioning as difficult terrain. Both walkways are creaky, imparting a —2 penalty on Stealth checks. Area Z2c, the southern stairs, sits above a hidden stone trap door DC 28 Perception check to notice from above identical to the one just outside of the palisade see page Creatures: A bandit stands guard in each tower. They call out an alarm if they see anyone approaching, then stand ready with their longbows to fire if it becomes apparent that the visitors are troublemakers.
The bandits erected these three watchtowers to give themselves a sheltered place to keep watches. Central Tower CR 2 At the center of the ruins, thick stone walls surround a cracked and crumbling platform of heavy stone. Huge chunks of the roof collapsed long ago, shattering into the rooms below.
Sediment collects in cracks and along corners of the remaining roof, sprouting tiny blades of grass and rivulets of moss. A bedroll on a pile of straw sits in the center of the platform, a small collection of toy knights and dragons surrounding it.
This flat-topped central area may look unsafe, but the remaining roof is actually quite sound. The other bandits have come to learn this and avoid messing with the toys as a result.
Creatures: The remaining four bandits, along with Dovan, are found here the first time the PCs visit the place. Fat Norry tears into a whole roast turkey at one table, and Dovan sits quietly in a chair in the northwest corner, sharpening his knives. If the PCs approach the gate and the guards on duty raise the alarm, all of these bandits save for Dovan who remains seated move out to area Z1 to greet the visitors. During Combat Auchs is singularly unimaginative in battle, roaring wordlessly and wielding his club in both hands.
Morale Auchs fights to the death if Dovan is visible, but otherwise surrenders and begs for his life if brought below 5 hp. The edges of this drafty room are crammed with crates, barrels, and boxes. Hammocks strung on wooden posts denote sleeping areas, while dirty bowls and utensils rest atop rickety and makeshift furniture. Elsewhere, chamber pots sit tucked into corners, while a large iron gate is wedged into a ten-foot-wide gap in the western wall.
Chips of ancient plaster flake from the walls, exposing the stone construction; whatever plaster still clings to stonework is covered with strange and erratic scribbles and pictographs. The floor consists only of hard-packed earth. During Combat If the PCs attack the guards in the yard, Dovan watches for a round or two to judge how tough these intruders are.
If forced into a fight, Dovan attempts to flank opponents, using Mobility to dance out of reach of immediate reprisals. Morale Dovan attempts to flee into the wilds if reduced to fewer than 4 hit points, but if cornered, he fights to the death. A DC 20 Linguistics check deciphers the wall markings as ancient graffiti. This room serves two purposes—the first is as storage for basic supplies such as grains, dry goods, firewood, tools, and dried meat.
He has grown moodier and gloomier as a result, and spends most of his time either sleeping or brooding in this room, sharpening his weapons, oiling his armor, or writing his memoirs in a small journal.
This room is little more than an atrocious-smelling cave dug out of a pile of rubble. Large bloody bones, likely from horses or elk, lie scattered on the ground. Creature: The bandits brought down an owlbear 2 weeks ago during a hunt, but rather than killing it for food, the Stag Lord took a liking to the strange beast and ordered the bandits to haul the unconscious but still living creature back to the fort.
If the gate is opened, though, the owlbear rumbles out of the cage to attack the closest target. If confronted by the Stag Lord, the monster pauses for a moment before betraying its would-be master and attacking him as well. Storage Room CR 3 This long room contains a large number of crates, bags, salvaged lumber, and food. A cot lies amid the stored goods, a small lantern sitting on a nearby crate. Morale Akiros fights to the death. In one corner rests a ragged bed draped with threadbare silks and thick furs.
On the floor, three stout chests serve as furniture, cluttered with empty liquor bottles. A few more bottles lie scattered about the floor, leaving the room reeking of stale alcohol. Creature: Unless the fort is under attack or on alert for intruders, the Stag Lord can be found here, dissolute in his drink and plotting dark and terrible cruelties.
A bitter and violent drunk, he despises everything, including himself, whom he perceives as a hideous monster. He cannot stand the sight of his own face, and before he had his helm to cover it, he often took to wearing a leather hood. In melee, he shifts and moves to flank foes if possible. Humans are his favorite targets, for in many of them he sees the face of his father. He drinks potions to heal damage if reduced below 20 hit points. Morale The Stag Lord fights to the death.
Treasure: Two of the chests hold bedding and other miscellaneous items, including a bolt of burlap cloth, old clothing, an iron ring, and three crudely stitched leather masks. In the third chest, the Stag Lord keeps his best treasures. This consists of gp, a polished azurite crystal worth 9 gp, a carnelian worth 80 gp, a piece of hematite worth 13 gp, a shard of obsidian worth 14 gp, a red garnet worth gp, a pewter belt buckle depicting a pair of entwined succubi worth 30 gp, and a silver charm bracelet worth 60 gp.
Though ruined walls still separate this area from the other rooms, most of the ceiling has collapsed. The only remaining bit of roof covers the inside corner. Hides strung from a wooden frame partition this corner off, creating a dry storage area. Before Combat The Stag Lord is in a perpetual state of hangover or drunkenness, and as a result he is sickened—his stats have been adjusted to reflect this and as a result, his CR is 1 lower than normal.
If he sobers up, these stats effectively gain a. A DC 20 Perception check notes a large slab of wood near the inner wall that covers an opening in the ground. The Stag Lord possesses two unusual magic items, both of which he found amid the ruins of the fort when he first arrived in the area. His second unusual item is his distinctive helmet. This room feels miserably damp, and greasy swaths of mold cake the carved stone walls and floor. The ceiling fifteen feet overhead is thick with cobwebs.
Three archways in the walls open into other rooms, all of which are filled with mounds of crates, furs, sacks, weapons, and other obviously stolen loot. This striking helmet is crafted to resemble the skull of a mighty stag. Although made from bone, the antlers and helm are as strong as metal.
In addition, once per day the helm may be called upon to enhance any ranged attack made by the wearer to make an insightful shot. Activating this ability is a free action, and once activated, your next ranged attack against a target within 30 feet is made as if that target were flat-footed against you—this allows a rogue to gain the benefit of sneak attack with this shot. A worshiper of Erastil who wears this helm may utilize the insightful shot ability up to 3 times per day.
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, creator must have at least 5 ranks in Perception, true strike; Cost 1, gp. Treasure: Three unlocked crates in the storage area hold 10 longbows, arrows, 5 short swords, 5 spears, four foot lengths of hemp rope, a set of chisels, 2 hammers, 3 tins of iron nails, and 4 suits of leather armor. Development: Stealth checks made to walk the stairs to area Z2a silently suffer a —4 penalty. Anyone using the creaky stairs risks alerting the bandit guards posted in the nearby watchtower.
Pig Roast Room A shallow, stone-lined cooking pit containing ash and partially burnt logs sits in this rubble-filled room. The bandits use this area to roast pigs and get drunk.
The hole serves as their roasting pit and the various bones are only the remains of their last feast. Though it was once used as storage for food, water, and other necessities, the Stag Lord and his bandits have taken to using the basement to store the majority of their stolen goods.
Creature: The storage cellar is not without a guardian, although the bandits loathe and fear the decrepit old man who lives in these rooms. Only the Stag Lord knows the truth—that this frail, malformed creature is in fact his father.
Imprisoned and abused at the hands of his son, Nugrah spends most of his time lurking in the far end of area Z11c in a nest made of ropes, rags, and furs. In his youth, Nugrah belonged to the Green Faith. Against the tenets of his cabal, he took for himself a wife—a pretty, much younger girl with dark tresses and pale green eyes. Soon after, she became pregnant, and despite his best efforts, she died in childbirth, leaving him with a son. Agonized by his loss, he turned to blackest magic to bring her back.
Soon after, members of his secret druidic order arrived at the scene of his undoing. They tried him on the spot, and upon finding him guilty branded him a heretic. They banished him from the order, sparing his life only that he might care for his infant son. He converted to the worship of Gozreh, finding strange solace in all the violence and impassive cruelty in nature, and in the years that followed, Nugrah blamed his son for his misfortunes and treated him as an animal.
Often he threatened to kill him, and made murderous attempts on more than one occasion, such as by leaving him outside in the winter and beating him bloody. Once, he tortured him near to death by dousing him with acid. This event left the boy permanently scarred, so gruesomely that for years he.
Then, one night, the relationship between the two shifted. His son had become a man, one physically and emotionally scarred with terrible, dark desires, and after a near-fatal beating Nugrah realized that he had become the victim in the family.
In sour and sickly vengeance his son deals him the same hand the old man once forced him to play. He is abused and beaten frequently, and lives in fear of the son who mercilessly keeps him alive to endure his fate.
Nugrah passes the time crafting twisted fetishes and praying to Gozreh for an end to his wretched existence, but lacks the courage to take his own life. Only then does he scuttle down to attack in melee. He does not pursue foes out of the cellar. Morale Nugrah fights to the death. Treasure: A large amount of stolen wealth can be found in these three rooms—the bandits have been stockpiling their ill-gotten goods for months. The majority of the wealth kept here consists of mundane trade goods like pelts, furs, tobacco, iron, bronze, miscellaneous weapons and armor none masterwork or magic , and miscellaneous adventuring gear and tools worth a combined total of 6, gp.
In addition, one chest in area Z11a contains 4, cp, 2, sp, gp, and 21 pp, while a large bag in area Z11b contains 2, gp in various pieces of stolen jewelry. This wealth could come in handy in the next adventure as the PCs begin to build their own home in the Greenbelt. The bandits are held together by a combination of greed and fear of their leader.
Unless the PCs have completely explored every hex of the northern Greenbelt, their charter to map this region remains in effect. The PCs can continue to explore this. Before Combat As soon as Nugrah notices intruders entering the cellar, he casts meld into stone to step into the southern wall of area Z11c to listen and wait.
While in the stone, he casts barkskin, spider climb, and longstrider already included in his. False 3 There used to be a bridge crossing the Shrike River to the southeast, but bandits ruined it. They say the old bridge keeper Davik Nettles haunts the place now. Partially False; a monastery dedicated to Gyronna did once sit on the shores of the Tuskwater, but her faith has nothing to do with the Stag Lord or his bandits.
Perhaps the unicorn was driven out by the bandits? They failed, but not for lack of resources. A traveling wizard. Shame, really! Now they are on the road to becoming kings. Appendix I: Greenbelt Rumors In addition to handing out quests or presenting the PCs with wanted posters, you can use rumors and bits of news to both encourage exploration and to foreshadow events to come in the Adventure Path.
Traveling hunters can also be a source of rumor. The table above presents a large number of rumors and bits of news that the PCs could learn in this manner. A False following a rumor indicates that the rumor is false, a red herring intended to spur further exploration of the Greenbelt while not being an actual bit of legitimate news.
Note that even a false rumor is useful in spurring the PCs into a remote part of the area, and often finding out that. Shrike River: Splitting from the Little Sellen, the Shrike is named for the numerous flocks of birds that nest along its length. Averaging feet wide and sometimes reaching depths of 60 feet or more, the Shrike would make an excellent trade route between Brevoy and the southern lands, were it not for a pair of foot-high waterfalls one located a few miles upriver from area S, the other located further east in the Nomen Heights that make safe river travel impossible between the two points.
Skunk River: The unfortunate combination of algae and bubbling geothermal hot springs along the Skunk River give it a distinctively unpleasant scent of rotten eggs. This river averages feet wide and 30 feet deep.
Thorn River: The banks of the Thorn River are thick with stinging nettles and tangles of sharp brambles. The river itself is relatively narrow, averaging 60 feet in width and 30 feet deep. Appendix II: Rivers of the Greenbelt The Greenbelt is crisscrossed by countless nameless streams, but the rivers found there bear special mention. Gudrin River: The waters of this river are unusually clear; the river itself runs slow and deep, averaging feet across and feet deep at the deepest point.
Little Sellen River: The offshoot of the East Sellen river that branches further east at Mivon is known as the Little Sellen for its relatively narrow width; this river averages 90 feet across and 20 feet deep.
The river itself is only. Taldor made the most ambitious attempt to settle this realm, but even that great nation failed to tame the wilderness that lies in a green swath between Brevoy and the River Kindoms proper.
This region is known as the Stolen Lands, as the wilds are viewd as territory unfairly claimed and lost by the other. It has lain fallow for decades since the previous attempt at colonization, and some whisper that the time is ripe for another attempt. Yet before the Stolen Lands can be claimed, they must be known.
Old ruins, monuments to previous failures, dot the landscape, home now to all manner of savage humanoid tribe and ravenous glowering monstrosity.
Bandits and barbarians are the closest thing to civilization an explorer can expect to encounter in these deadly but beautiful wilds. The map of the Stolen Lands is presented on the next two pages in a much-reduced size—this is to give you a good look at how the four main regions of the Stolen Lands connect.
Each volume of the Kingmaker Adventure Path focuses on a specific region in particular, with full-page maps of those regions appearing the appropriate volumes. These four regions are briefly summarized below. The Greenbelt: With the tangled woodlands of the Narlmarches to the west and the rugged hills of the Kamelands to the east, the Greenbelt is a haven for bandits. To the south, tribes of trolls and more dangerous creatures provide a quite effective buffer between Brevoy and Mivon.
The Greenbelt is detailed in Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes 31— The Nomen Heights: With a southern skyline dominated by the ragged, stony mountains known as the Tors of Levenies, the Nomen Heights are named after the aggressive tribes of Nomen Centaurs who view the eastern steppes of the region as their own.
Ancient ruins dot the Tors themselves, hinting that the region may have once been the most civilized of the Stolen Lands. The Slough: East of the Glenebon Uplands, the rugged hills and rolling grasslands soon give way to a swath of reeking swampland known as Hooktongue Slough.
Inhabited by lizardfolk, boggards, and stranger beings, this region has long been a battleground between the Tiger Lord barbarians and the more monstrous tribes of the swamp. The slough is detailed in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume The Glenebon Uplands: The westernmost quadrant of the Stolen Lands is a contested zone between the barbarian tribes known as the Tiger Lords to the north and the bandits of Pitax to the south.
Further complicating this scene is the not-insignificant presence of several powerful fey and dangerous monsters in the Branthlend Mountains and the forest of Thousand Voices.
Presented on the following pages are rules for exploring, claiming, and keeping control of a large tract of wilderness. Although specialized for use in the Kingmaker Adventure Path, you can use these rules and guidelines for any exploration-themed campaign.
Exploring the Stolen Lands Traveling Time to cross 1 hex Party Speed Plains All Other Terrains 15 feet 11 hours 16 hours 20 feet 8 hours 12 hours 30 feet 5 hours 8 hours 40 feet 4 hours 6 hours 50 feet 3 hours 5 hours Exploring Time to fully explore 1 hex Party Speed Plains Forest or Hill 15 feet 3 days 4 days 20 feet 2 days 3 days 30 feet 1 day 2 days 1 day 1 day 40 feet 50 feet 1 day 1 day.
As they explore the region, they and their companions are expected to keep track of what they find in order to keep Brevoy informed of strong and weak points of defense and to determine possible sites for roads, towns, and other fortifications. While the actual process of claiming resources, setting up patrols, and establishing a border for a new kingdom is detailed in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume 32, the preliminary stages of that process begin in this volume, with exploration.
Each hex on the map of the Stolen Lands is 12 miles across between opposite corners and covers just under square miles of area. These hexes are provided not only as a way to help define the land and eventually aid in defining the territory of the kingdom the PCs are destined to rule , but also as an aid in tracking travel through the Stolen Lands.
In Chapter 7 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, Tables 7—6 and 7—8 on page list how long it takes for a person to travel through various terrains. In this Adventure Path, though, characters will also be taking time to fully explore hexes on the map—doing so takes much longer than simply walking through a hex. For traveling, the amount of time it takes to cross one hex is listed. For exploring, the amount of time listed is to fully.
Until the PCs spend money to create trails and roads, all of the Stolen Lands are considered to be trackless. In some hexes, more than one terrain is present in a hex. Forests: The forests of the Stolen Lands are densely vegetated, but generally crisscrossed with game trails and numerous clearings. The trees here typically consist of oaks, beech, rushleaf, and smaller scrub. Hills: The rolling hills of the Stolen Lands are often pocked by small caves, twisting valleys, and small woodlands that crown hilltops or nestle in clefts.
Mountains: Although mountains in the Stolen Lands are relatively low in elevation rarely rising more than 1, feet , they are often quite rugged and sheer, forcing travelers to follow old riverbeds, gorges, and twisting trails.
Plains: The grasslands and moors of the Stolen Lands vary from relatively open plains to swaths of tall grass that grows up to 3 feet high in places.
Small copses of two to six trees are not uncommon. Swamps: Swamps are a confounding mix of soggy ground, partially dry hummocks, tangled undergrowth, and deep pools of murky water. Travel in a straight line is impossible, requiring constant course adjustments. Water: A river varies from 50 to feet in width. Infrequent bridges and fords that allow a river to be crossed are indicated on the map where they appear, but in most cases, travel across a river requires swimming or boating.
Otherwise, add 1 hour to the amount of time spent traveling for each failed Swim check. See page 55 for a list of rivers in the Greenbelt region. These fixed encounter locations are categorized into one of three categories: landmark, standard, and hidden. Landmark Site: The site is a large structure or sizable city that is automatically discovered as soon as the PCs enter the hex containing the site.
Standard Site: The site is not particularly obvious, and unless the PCs are traveling specifically to that site, they do not encounter the site until they explore the hex, in which case they encounter the site automatically. With each hex of terrain fully explored, the party earns experience points.
When the PCs defeat the Stag Lord and receive their first commission from Brevoy to establish a colony in the Greenbelt, they can look to transforming explored lands into claimed territory—rules for establishing territory and keeping it are presented in the next volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path.
His heirs shall follow him in the rights to these titles, unto the ages. Winters are long and deadly here, forcing common folk to scratch out a sustainable existence from near-frozen soil during an all-too-short spring and summer. House Surtova took the contested crown, yet not all of Brevoy agreed that the new king had the right to rule. In the decade that followed, noble ambitions burned hotter even than the hearth fires working to drive away the chill of winter, and now all of Brevoy lies on the edge of civil war.
When the swordlords entered, the Conqueror unleashed his greatest weapon—a pair of red dragons. The devastation inflicted by these monsters upon the swordlords was the final blow, and with this fiery defeat Rostland pledged itself to Choral the Conquerer as a way to save its traditions from eradication. The Conqueror sat only briefly on the Dragonscale Throne of the new nation he forged, soon leaving his family to rule in his name.
For two centuries, the Rogarvias held the Ruby Fortress and ruled from New Stetven, pacifying minor uprisings and rebellions, and working to weld two disparate lands into one. Under Rogarvian rule, the nation came to be known as Brevoy and grew into a significant northern power. Yet even the greatest of dynasties do not last forever.
In the middle of winter in early ar, every member of House Rogarvia vanished without a trace. Rumors flew of palace coups and sinister plots, but it quickly became clear that what had occured was something altogether stranger than a mere rebellion. There was no evidence of foul play or struggle within the royal palace, nor in any of the noble villas owned by the Rogarvias throughout the land—the nobles were simply gone, leaving empty manors scattered across Brevoy.
A brief period of chaos and panic followed, but by the end of the year, the Surtovas had made their move. With all of Issia seemingly backing the move, Rostland whose standing army and defenses had increasingly shifted north during Rogarvian rule had little choice but to bend its knee again.
Today, King Noleski Surtova holds the Ruby Fortress and the Dragonscale Throne, yet it remains to be seen how long he can maintain this rule over a kingdom growing increasingly fractious. The history of Brevoy is actually the history of two lands, Issia and Rostland, united into one by force. Issia, the northern half of the nation, has been sparsely settled for centuries. Numerous small villages cluster on the southern shore of the Lake of Mists and Veils and in the foothills of the mountains to the east.
With the land too rocky and cold elsewhere for proper farming, the people of Issia survived on a combination of fishing and raiding—the most successful tribes even venturing across the great lake to sack settlements along its western or northern shores. Rostland, south of Lake Reykal and the Gronzi Forest, is quite different than Issia—a vast stretch of rolling hills and grasslands fed by the East Sellen River and its tributaries. Taldan colonists settled this area centuries ago under the leadership of Baron Sirian First, who became Sirian Aldori, first of the Aldori swordlords.
Lord Nikos Surtova of Issia met with the Conqueror on the shores of the lake under a flag of truce, and there the two men worked out an agreement whereby Issia would surrender its land and people to the Conqueror but the Surtovas would retain their power and wealth, serving the new ruler as stewards and duly sworn vassal lords.
The Aldori swordlords of Rostland, with their history of resisting bandit raiders, were not so willing to bend their knees to a foreign conqueror.
Enjoyment: Immersive and addictive game play with a 'gotta know what happens next' aspect. Many levels of detail are merged seamlessly in a fully designed package.
Replay Value: Multiple options regarding game play levels of difficulty and choice of faction to control, along with enjoyable gameplay insures a high replay value. Based on Avalon Hill's board game of the same name, Kingmaker is a strategy game set during the War of the Roses period of medieval England. You can play either York, or Lancaster, and your goal is to get your choice for royal heir crowned king of England.
You do this by granting titles to people favorable to your cause, and eliminating those who would oppose it. Kingmaker has a simplistic combat interface, rather concentrating on politics and dirty tricks as the strategies of choice.
The game takes place in England where you have succeed getting a person crowned from your faction. Of course it isn't that simple since other factions are trying this as well. If you succeed the game isn't over since you also have to keep the crown and at the same time destroy any other threat before you can rest on your victory. The game is fairly easy to get started with and with a little game testing you will get the idea of how the game engine works.
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