Designing a Quasi-Medieval Society for Castles & Crusades By Andrew Gelbman
Part 1: Agriculture and the Economy A role-playing game allows us to transport ourselves to another world (or another version of this world). The characters we play then try to become the heroes of that world. Of course, the key to success is understanding who that world works and turning the situation to our heroes’ advantage. Let us face it; socioeconomics are not C&C’s strong suit. The reason is there is no relationship between the value of a gold piece and the cost of goods and services. Unfortunately, one key to success in any situation is in understanding its underlying assumptions this isn’t a “good thing”. In order to impose some semblance of sanity on the C&C economic system, it is necessary to establish the relative worth of a “gold piece”. Looking at the relative buying power of gold in our own economy is of little use. To begin with, the relationship of gold to silver has historically been 1:20, but silver is twice as valuable than it ought to be in the C&C economy – we can chalk this up to a certain amount of debasement of gold coinage (a common occurrence in historical times). However, to do so requires us to switch from a “gold standard” to a “silver standard” where the silver penny becomes our basic unit of currency. As tempting as it is, we cannot simply discard the C&C economic system for something more reasonable since it would require not only a new price list but also changing treasure tables, tables in dozens of books, etc. However, we can look at the existing price list (which is too widely used to discard in any case) and calculate wages and relative values from that. According to the Players’ Handbook, currency in the C&C default setting is decimal like modern American or British currency – while it is not historical is easier to keep straight. For all calculations in this article, we will use the standard C&C values for coinage, which are as follows: Coin Type Copper Silver Gold
Copper 1
10 100
Silver
Gold
¹⁄10 1 10
¹⁄100 ¹⁄10 1
For example, take the laborer who has manfully carried your pack for a day. According to the Castle Keeper’s Guide he should be paid 1 gp/month (or 4cp per day) for his pains. He must pay his room
and board out of this. His meals for the day come to one silver piece alone according to Players’ Handbook and he must provide for his own room and support his family out of this! With wages as depressed as this, it is a wonder he does not abscond with your pack and join the nearest bandit gang! The fact is, no one will work for less than a subsistence wage. So what is a subsistence wage in C&C terms? Well, let us consider our expenses. The average household size in feudal Europe was five people according to the Domesday Booke. We need our breadwinner to feed, house and warm that many people at a minimum of squalid conditions. The Castle Keeper’s Guide tells us that a one room flat in the poorer section of town costs 1gp/month. The Castle Keeper’s Guide also tells us that a common meal costs 1sp, “good” meals cost 3sp and “noble” meals costs 10sp each. The Castle Keeper’s Guide does not tell us what firewood costs we can extrapolate – a cord of firewood costs about $100. In the Northeastern US it takes 3 cords to get through a heating season. Obviously medieval dwellings are less well insulated than a 21st century American home and the hearth much less efficient than a modern fireplace or wood stove but the size of the dwelling is also much smaller (about 1/5 as large) so let’s assume these factors cancel one another out. If a “poor” meal costs 1sp out, let us equate that to a fast food meal in the modern world, which averages $6.00 according to the National Restaurant Association. The cost of heating a poor dwelling would be 50sp/year or a hair over 1cp per day. Taxes in the medieval period averaged around 15% of one’s income and the tithe was 10%. Adding up these costs, we get 266gp/year as minimum subsistence wages. Assuming fifty working weeks in a year and six working days a week (300 workdays a year), our erstwhile laborer must earn just under 9sp per day (2700sp/year). An apprentice in any trade receives the same wages as a laborer but he is single and has no family to support, he lives in his master’s shop (obviating the need for guard dogs) and eats at his master’s table. He can get by on a mere 4cp a day – so let us assume the “laborer” referred to in the CKG is an apprentice or other “servant cum trainee” whom the employer supports – his wages represent mere pocket money his master gives him. This is much higher than historical prices but then the prices given in the Players’ Handbook are also. That should stave off the Jacquerie for a little while. However, is this reasonable given the quasimedieval, agrarian economy most C&C settings assume? In order to find the answer, we need to look at the agricultural economy in C&C terms. In medieval times, at the bottom of everything, literally, lay the land. While we will look at products and costs in terms of coinage, it is worth noting that in our own medieval period, most transactions were conducted by barter or payments in kind, not in cash. Even great nobles could go months without ever handling that strange thing called “money”. However, C&C assumed a monetized economy (being it is something that American and European players are most familiar with) and thus we will monetize all crops, taxes and other products for purposes of our analysis of the economy. According to Players’ Handbook, a 5-pound bag of grains costs 5sp at “retail”. A bushel is about 60 pounds of grain (actually is varies depending on the specific grain but tends to hover around 60pounds) so a bushel of “grain” retails for 60sp. This means its “wholesale” cost should be about 30sp. A pound of flour, according the CKG, is 4sp, which is sufficient to make 2.5 pounds of bread. If a “loaf” is ½ pound, it has a “wholesale” or production cost of 8cp so it should retail for 2.4sp. This is a little high if a “common” day’s meals cost only 3sp. However, let us assume this applies to
“white” flour and “white” bread, which were more expensive historically. According to the Wheat Institute of Kansas, a bushel of wheat ground into whole-wheat flour will yield enough to make 150 loaves of bread. This works out to a pound of “wheat” flour being 1sp/pound and a ½-pound loaf of bread having a production cost of 2cp meaning it should cost about 6cp. This leaves a profit for the baker of 5cp per loaf on average and assuming he sells 50 loaves of bread a day, he will realize 25sp in profits (7500sp per year placing him solidly in the middle class). So far, so good – these figures square with those in the Players’ Handbook and Castle Keeper’s Guide (more or less). The question becomes then, are these figures reasonable given a medieval level of agricultural technology most FRPG campaigns assume? To answer that we need to look at a simple peasant farmer; the feudal economy was decidedly agrarian. At the base of everything lay, literally, the land. One should note that medieval agriculture was woefully inefficient. In an average year, a feudal farmer could expect to realize 8 bushels per acre (compare this to 150-200 bushels per acre in the modern USA). A serf or unfree poor peasant farmer probably lives the same squalid existence that his urban laborer counterpart does. Our poor farmer needs to realize 2700sp a year to meet his obligations – this requires a crop of 90 bushels or about 11.25 acres under cultivation. Assuming a four crop rotation, that means our poor family has a 15-acre farm yielding him 40sp surplus per year (or about 1cp per day). This makes our peasant viable and gives us an idea what the countryside should look like. Beneath the cottar is the Boarder – he lived on a smaller plot (about 10 acres) and generally had a smaller family (3.35 persons on average) or he might be a servant in the house of a wealthier commoner or noble.
Rents (sp)
Fuel (sp)
DuesFeudal
Tithes (sp)
Surplus (sp)
60 90 150 240 360 480
Food (sp)
8 11 19 30 45 60
Income (sp)Gross
10 15 25 40 60 80
Annual Yield (bu)
LLC MLC ULC LMC MMC UMC
Active Acres
Boarder Cottar Peasant Kulak Yeoman Sergean t
Holding (acres)
Title
Social Class
Above the cottar was, in ascending social clout, a free peasant, a rich peasant (or kulak), a yeoman (or freeholder) and a petit sergeant. Keeping the ratios between poor, common and good from the Players’ Handbook gives us the following annual figures for our various rural classes:
1800 2700 4500 7200 10800 14400
1080 1612 2418 3224 4030 4836
54 108 162 216 270 324
36 72 108 144 180 216
270 405 675 1080 1620 2160
180 270 450 720 1080 1440
180 233 687 1816 3620 5424
Let us round out our examination of the rural economy by looking at the nobility, starting with a simple knight’s fee. Historically, a knight’s fee (the minimum amount of land to support a knight and his retinue) was reckoned at 7-12 square miles. Let us assume he holds 10 square miles or 6400 acres. On this little fief will live 2 sergeants, 4 yeomen, 10 kulaks, 20 peasants, 50 cottars and 100 boarders. This leaves about 2000 cultivated acres under the direct control of the knight. His gross annual income will be 480,000. He will collect another 82,350sp in taxes. He will support 10 servant families (27,000 sp), 10 men at arms (72,000 sp), 4 yeomen-at-arms (44,000) 1 sergeants-at-arms (15,000) as well as a liveried smith (15,000), a carpenter (11,000) and a cleric (15,000). The cost of his staff is a staggering 200,000 sp per year. His household will eat very well – say about four times the standard of a petit sergeant – or 25,000 sp. He will owe 72,000 sp to his overlord and 48,000sp to the religious establishment. Assume repairs and other maintenance to his manner house will cost him another 25,000. This leaves our petty lord a pretty tidy some left over – over 200,000 silver pennies (20,000 gold crowns or as much as your favorite character made last month!). For general purposes, a noble will collect 87.5gp/year in taxes for each acre controlled or 560,000gp for each square mile. His expenses (exclusive of taxes and tithes) will be 31.25gp/year. It also places the wage of the very upper class workers at about 50,000 sp per month or 12,000 sp per week (2000 sp per day). Of course, you cannot hire nobles – they live on landed estates but this does give us a guideline for wizards, powerful clerics and other hard-to-find specialists. This gives us the following general guidelines for incomes: General Populace D% 01-10
Player Character D% 01-04
Class
Description
Lower Lower Class
11-40
05-10
Middle Lower Class
41-65
11-20
Upper Lower Class
66-75
21-35
Lower Middle Class
76-90
36-55
Middle Middle Class
91-95
56-87
Upper Middle Class
96-97
88-96
Lower Upper Class
98
97-98
Middle Upper Class
99
99
Upper Upper Class
Boarders, Beggars, Slaves, Thralls, Vagabonds, Criminals Cottars, Laborers, Servants, Herdsmen, poor wandering bards, Common Men-at-Arms Peasants, Unguilded Journeymen, Pikemen, Feudal regulars, city guardsmen, legionnaires, apprentice wizards, clerical menials Kulaks, Unguilded Craftsmen, Guild Journeymen, rangers, common wandering bards, journeyman wizards, un-ordained clergy Yeomen, Guild Craftsmen, Wealthy unguilded professionals, poorer international merchants, wealthy rural smiths or innkeepers, wealthy kulaks, nonknighted members of fighting orders, ordained clergy Petit Sergeants, Wealthy Guildsmen, Landless Knights. Wealthy guild craftsmen or guild officials, petty civic officers, city guard officers, feudal functionaries, knighted members of fighting orders, clerical functionaries (priors, legates, Roshe Yeshivot, et al) Knights Bannerette, leading civic officers, untitled royal officials, officers of religious fighting orders, “noble” clergy (abbots, bishops, Mullahs, Chief Rabbis, at al) Titled nobles, titled royal officials, leading clergy (archbishops, rebbes, ayatollahs, et al) Nobles de la race, members of the privy council,
Base Monthly Income 150 SP 225 SP 375 SP 600 SP 900 SP
1200 SP
2500 SP
4000 SP 40000SP
00
00
Elite
“Princely” clergy (cardinals, primates, primarchs, exilarchs, et al) Royal Family, “Royal” clergy (popes, patriarchs, grand rebbes, caliphs, et al)
60000SP
Base income represents the minimum gross income such a character will have available. Notice that player characters will tend to come from the wealthier commons because they have the most incentive to adventure. The very poor cannot afford the basic gear and/or training required to adventure while the very rich and/or noble have little incentive to do so. Rich or noble characters already have power, wealth and position. Why would they risk the hazards of monster slaying? There are plenty of erstwhile adventurers willing to do that; and they are much more expendable.
Part 2: The Unguilded Townsmen For our purposes, we will break the urban workers into two broad groups, townsmen – the unguilded professions and guildsmen – the guilded professionals. The townsmen form the lower and lower middle-classes while guildsmen for the upper-middle and upper classes of the town. A master is a proprietor or an independent business owner, while a journeyman is a fully skilled employee who has not, for one reason or another, left to start his own enterprise and an apprentice is a trainee just learning the craft. Apprentices are generally unmarried and need only support themselves while journeymen and masters will have families to support. Livings are in silver pieces per year. Some of these unguilded merchants (especially moneylenders, wine merchants and mine owners) can be quite wealthy indeed. While their wealth can buy comfort and even political influence, they remain closed out of civic office because they have no guild to represent them. For our purposes we will assume that apprentices are unmarried and childless – in historic times, apprentices were usually adolescents and too young (and too poor) to marry. A journeyman is a fully qualified artisan; he is typically a younger adult with a wife and small family (we will assume 2 dependents – a wife and child). A master artisan is an established proprietor with his own shop. He will be married with 3 children and will have 1-2 journeymen and 1-3 apprentices working for him.
D%
Profession
Master Craftsman (sp/year) 2,700
Journeyman (sp/yr) 2,025
Apprentice(sp /yr) 140
0105 0610 1120 2125 2630 3135 3640 4145 4650 5155 5660 6165 6670 7175 7680 8185 8690 9100
Barrow Wight
4,500
3,375
230
10,000
7,500
500
2,700
1,800
120
Mine Owner /Miner Brothelkeeper/Ha rlot Ostler (stablekeeper) Cobbler (shoemaker) Greengrocer
10,000
7,500
500
7,200
5,400
360
7,200
5,400
360
4,500
3,375
230
7,200
5,400
360
Moneylender
15,000
11,250
750
Cartwright
2,700
2,025
140
Harnessmaker/Ta nner BarberHairdresser Butcher
2,700
1,800
120
4,500
3,375
230
7,200
5,400
360
Rural Blacksmith
15,000
11,250
750
7,200
5,400
360
Wine Merchant
15,000
11,250
750
Innkeeper
17,500
13,125
880
Tinker Peddler Laborer-Porter
Baker
Part 3: Guildsmen of the Town The journeymen and masters of the guilded professions form the middle and upper classes of the town respectively. However, even within the guilds there is a pecking order. Those professions marked with an asterix (*) cannot be elected to the post of guildmaster or syndic within their guild (and are similarly closed out of town offices which require guildmaster or guild syndic rank). They can hold lesser civic offices that merely require a master guildsman rank. All incomes are expressed as silver pieces per year. If a character comes from a guilded background, roll a D% to determine his father’s guild rank: D% 01-69 70-89 90-99 00
Guild Rank Journeyman Master Craftsman Guild Syndic Guildmaster
D%
Profession
Guild
0103 0406 0710 1117 18 19 20 2124 25 26 2728 29 30 31
Musician
3233 34
Ropemaker*
35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 4345 4647 48 4950 51 5253 54
Sea Captain† Coastal Captain† Pilot-Navigator† Marine* Ship’s Carpenter* Ship’s Cook* Sailor* Architect Mason
Entertainers’ Guild Entertainers’ Guild Entertainers’ Guild Entertainers’ Guild Guild de Artistes Guild de Artistes Guild de Artistes Cabinetmakers’ Guild Guild de Cuisine Guild de Cuisine Foundrymen’s Guild Armorer’s Guild Armorer’s Guild Shipwright’s Guild Shipwright’s Guild Shipwright’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Shipmen’s Guild Builders’ Guild Builders’ Guild
Carpenter
Dancer
Master Journey Apprenti Craftsman man ce 7,200 5,400 144 7,200
5,400
144
9,000
6,750
180
8,500
6,375
170
10,800 10,800 14,400 9,000
8,100 8,100 10,800 6,750
216 216 288 180
15,000 16,500 10,000
11,250 12,375 7,500
300 330 200
15,000 15,000 13,500
11,250 11,250 10,125
300 300 270
9,000
6,750
180
9,000
6,750
180
22,500 16,500 15,000 12,000 10,800 6,000 4,500 22,500 22,500
16,875 12,375 11,250 9,000 8,100 4,500 3,375 16,875 16,875
450 330 300 240 216 120 90 450 450
Builders’ Guild
15,000
11,250
300
Cloth/Wool Merchant Weaver
Cloth Guild Cloth Guild
26,500 10,800
19,875 8,100
530 216
Dyer Tailor
Cloth Guild Cloth Guild
9,000 7,200
6,750 5,400
180 144
Embroiderer
Cloth Guild
10,800
8,100
216
Troubadour Actor Sculptor Painter Poet/Bard Cabinetmaker Chef/Cook Spicegrinder Foundryman Armorer Weaponsmith Shipwright
Sailmaker*
D%
Profession
Guild
55 5657 58 5960 6162 63 64 65 6670 7174 75 76 77
Perfumer Glazier/Glassblower
Perfumers’ Guild Glaziers’ Guild
Jeweler Gold/Silversmith
Jewelers’ Guild Jewelers’ Guild
22,500 22,500
16,875 16,875
450 450
Gemcutter/Appraise r Financier Banker Moneychanger* Crafter
Jewelers’ Guild
22,500
16,875
450
Financiers’ Guild Financiers’ Guild Financiers’ Guild Craftsmen’s’ Guild Merchants’ Guild
37,500 27,000 15,000 7,200
28,125 20,250 11,250 5,400
750 540 300 144
24,000
18,000
480
2,700 4,500 30,000
2,025 3,375 22,500
54 90 600
7879 80
Captain/Kt. Errant‡
40,000
30,000
800
15,000
11,250
300
81
Longbowman*
10,000
7,500
200
82
Crossbowman*
10,000
7,500
200
83
Pikeman*
7,200
5,400
144
84
Spearman/Man-atArms* Physician
Beggars’ Guild Thieves’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Mercenaries’ Guild Guild of Physicians Guild of Physicians Guild of Physicians Guild Arcane Guild of Scribes Guild of Scribes Guild of Scribes Guild of Scribes Guild of Scribes Guild of Litigators Guild of
6,000
4,500
120
22,500
16,875
450
15,000
11,250
300
18,750
14,000
375
30,000 26,250 24,000 22,500 21,000 10,800 22,500
22,500 19,650 18,000 16,875 15,750 8,100 16,875
600 525 480 450 420 216 450
24,000
18,000
480
85
Merchant Beggar Thief Military Engineer
Sergeant-at-Arms*
8687 88
Barber-Chirugeon*
89 90 91 92 93 94 95
Wizard Philosopher-Sage Scholar Sage Scribe Paper/Ink Maker* Barrister
96
Solicitor
Apothecary
Master Journey Apprenti Craftsman man ce 15,000 11,250 300 15,000 11,250 300
D%
Profession
97
Clerk*
98 99 0
Herald Limner* Bellman-Crier*
Guild Litigators Guild of Litigators Guild of Heralds Guild of Heralds Guild of Heralds
Master Craftsman
Journey man
Apprenti ce
18,750
14,000
375
24,000 18,500 9,000
18,000 13,875 6,750
480 370 180
† A “journeyman” captain/navigator is a “mate”, and “apprentices” are “cadets” ‡ A “journeyman” Knight Errant is a “squire-at-arms” and a “journeyman” captain is a lieutenant. An “apprentice” Knight-Errant is a “page” and an “apprentice” captain is a “cadet” A master guildsman owns his establishment, as is assumed to be married with four dependents. A guild journeyman is also assumed to be married, with 3 dependents. In order to become a master guildsman, he will need to have saved 3 times his annual salary on hand (to start his own business) and will have to prove to the Guildmaster that he is competent at his trade (a successful skill check or charisma check will suffice). A journeyman is legally able to work for guild rates and may legally accept employment in the town in his field. An apprentice is unmarried, eats at his master’s table, and lives in his master’s shop (obviating the need for guard dogs). His pay is pocket money given him by his master. To become a journeyman, he must be 16 years of age and make a successful charisma check to convince his master that he is sufficiently competent to be a journeyman. As you can see from this table, the wealthiest members of guilded society will make about 5,000gp per year, or about as much as your favorite character made last week. Guild Officers and Elections Guild elections are exercises in graft and populist electioneering. Any character seeking election to guild office must spend no less than 25% of his annual income on the race. A master guildsman may seek the office of guild syndic if he has been a master for more than two years. To be eligible for the office of Guildmaster, one must first serve three terms as a guild syndic (not necessarily consecutively). Each guild has one Guildmaster and 6 Syndics (members of the Guild’s Board). A guild syndic will increase his income by 50% and the guildmaster will double his income since they can regulate commerce in the city to their own benefit. Assume that there are 1d6+1 candidates for guildmaster in any given election and 1d6+6 candidates for guild syndic in addition to any player characters seeking the office. Roll D% plus any loyalty bonus from Charisma. A candidate may also seek to press the full weight of his personality in the election and can spend an additional 1% of his annual income per point of Charisma he possesses and may add any charisma points he has purchased in this manner to his election roll. The money goes to pay for bribes, parties, gifts, and other forms of electioneering. For example – Aelfric seeks to be elected guild syndic. He has a charisma of 14 giving him a +1 to his D% roll. He really wants the job so he decides to put on the full court press to get elected and
spends 25% + an additional 14% - a total of 39% - of his annual income on electioneering (he has been saving for this for some time) allowing Aelfric to add another 14 percentiles to his election roll. There are six syndic positions open and nine candidates besides Aelfric seeking them. For NPC’s assume no charisma bonus and a +12 for electioneering payouts. Let Aelfric roll first: he rolls a 34+14+1 = 49 Candidate 1 (Boris): rolls a 15 +12 = 27 Candidate 2 (Carl): rolls a 12+12 = 24 Candidate 3 (Donal): rolls a 6 +12 = 18 Candidate 4 (Erik): rolls a 36+12 = 48 Candidate 5 (Ferdinand): rolls a 50 +12 = 62
Candidate 6 (Garelon): rolls a 90 + 12 = 102 Candidate 7 (Hugh): rolls a 38 + 12 = 50 Candidate 8 (Isadore): rolls a 62 + 12 = 74 Candidate 9 (Jives): rolls a 76 + 12 = 84 Candidate 10 (Karol): rolls a 5 + 12 = 17
Our six winners are Garelon, Jives, Isadore, Ferdinand, Hugh and Aelfric. Aelfric has just barely finished in the top six. Guild officers serve for 3 years and may seek immediate re-election. Civic Officers and Elections Guildsmen of master or guild officer rank may also seek office in the civic government. Like guild offices, they have a 3-year term, the same procedure for guild elections governs civic elections except for the number of positions, and number of candidates varies by office. Like guild elections, civic elections are exercises in graft and populism. Unlike modern republics, the franchise is limited to master guildsmen – unguilded townsmen, journeymen, and apprentices cannot vote. Furthermore, civic elections only occur in towns with Royal Charters, giving them independence from direct feudal control. The offices of Lord Mayor and Lord Justice require confirmation by His Royal Highness and bring a baronetcy and a seat in the Most Loyal Order of Grand Sergeants of the Throne Room (O.G.S.): Office Lord Mayor Lord Justice Alderman Town Clerk Town Scribe Tax Collector Militia Captain
Minimum Guild Rank Required Guildmaster Guildmaster Guild Syndic Master Guildsman Master Guildsman Master Guildsman Guild Syndic
# of Positions 1 1 5 1 1 2 1
* multiply income by town population/1000. For example: The mayor of a town of 10,000 people makes 5000 sp per month (60,000 per year) in addition to his regular income as guildmaster.
Part 4: The Nobility Unlike the lower classes, the nobility do not work. They live off those that do. We have already touched on the poorest tier of the nobility, a landed knight holding a single knight’s
# of Candidates 6+1d6 6+1d6 5+2d6 3 + 1d6 3+1d6 2+2d4 5+1d6
Monthly Income * 500 sp 350 sp 350 sp 250 sp 250 sp 250 sp 375 sp
a
fee (the minimum holding needed to demand the services of one knight). He would owe the services of 1 knight, 1 squire, 2 sergeants, 3 yeoman archers and 3 men at arms for 30-60 days per year to his overlord for this land grant. Feudal holdings build from this basic unit, sometimes called a ‘hyde’. Some pre-calculated baronial holdings are on the tables following this article. In return for a grant of land, a vassal assumed obligations to his Lord. His title to the holding depends entirely on fulfilling these obligations and failure to discharge them could result in dishonor and loss of the fief. The Overlord was also obligated to guarantee the right of his vassal to hold and enjoy the lands granted to him. One should note that many of the rules governing the behavior of Chivalric Characters come from the actual customs and laws of feudal society. Characters who do not conduct themselves as proper Knights are a travesty of Chivalry and, at best, appear silly and ignorant representations of a real way of life and thinking, Military Service A vassal is obliged to provide fighting men for 40-60 days when his lord goes to war. (for our purposes, this means ⅓ of his private army plus ⅛ of his vassals’ total forces), All costs are at the vassal's expense for the period, after which everyone goes on mercenary pay provided by the Overlord or else returns home.
Scutage Instead of military service, a Knight can pay the cost of hiring mercenaries for the number of troops owed. An overlord can demand Scutage when he is at peace. Scutage cannot replace defensive aid (see below). Defensive War When an Overlord or his vassal falls under attack, each is under a strict obligation to come to the aid of the other. No time limit is set on this form of military service. The duty does not require suicidal measures, but it does demand an honest effort. Failure in this duty by a vassal is treachery. Failure by an Overlord is abandonment, which frees a vassal to negotiate his own terms, and in flagrant cases to declare independence and freedom to seek another Overlord. Escheat Propter Delictum Tenentis If a vassal commits a felony, the land escheats to the Overlord upon his conviction. Treason and breaches of faith between overlord and vassal are the most common causes of reversion of holdings. A trial may be conducted in a Court, but the accused has in the Early and High Chivalry periods the right of Trial by Combat a l'Outrance (to the death!). Deliberate refusal to answer the charges is admission of guilt, end the land reverts through trial in absentia. The convicted vassal is an outlaw and it is legal to slay him on sight.
Private War Again in the Early and High Chivalry periods, e Knight or Lord had the right to go to war to settle grievances. Generally, the Overlords do not extend such a right to their vassals, but they do resort to battle to settle differences between themselves. A Knight could resort to private war if he regards himself falsely accused by his Overlord-· but he had better win or else acquire powerful allies If he wants to avoid the consequences of treason and rebellion. The same is true of great Lords at war with their suzerain, the King. Relief When a new tenant succeeds to land (as by inheritance), the Overlord is entitled to ⅓ of the yearly income of the fief or baronial holding in the first year. Also, proof of title has to be shown if the lands are held directly from the King, costing 5% of the annual income in addition to relief. This is essentially an estate tax. Aid for Ransom When an Overlord captured, he can require his vassals to pay ¾ of the amount of his ransom, divided amongst them according to their net incomes. Ransoms are only subject to Aid in war (ransoms owed from losses at a tournament are not subject to the Aid), and can be required only once in any given year. Aid for Knighthood The knighting of an Overlord's eldest surviving son is an expensive business because honor demands a lavish ceremony end tournament. To help defray the costs, a once in an overlord’s lifetime an Aid of a month of net income can be demanded of each vassal. Aid for Marriage An Overlord usually married off his eldest daughter to cement an important political/military alliance. A considerable dowry was necessary. Thus a once in an overlord’s lifetime an aid of a month of net Income can be demanded of each vassal. Wardship When an existing tenant dies, leaving a male heir under 21 or a female under 25, the Overlord has the right to control the estate and enjoy all of the revenues until the ward comes of age. The Overlord does not have to account for his use of the money, which is rightfully his, but he cannot mortgage or sell the lands and buildings. He also can choose a marriage partner for the ward. If the ward refuses, he is entitled to a full year's income once the ward assumes control of the lands. If the ward marries without his consent, he is entitled to two year's income from the estates. Finally, upon coming of age, the ward must sue for livery to enforce delivery of the lands to his/her control. For this the Overlord is paid 25% of the net yearly income of the lands.
Wardship is also assignable to a faithful follower as a reward for good service. Therefore, wardship was incredibly valuable to the guardian, but not all guardians gouged their wards to the limit permitted by the law. A 50% cut of the revenues during wardship was considered to be quite reasonable, with the remainder used for the ward's best interests. A larger proportion would tend to create bad feelings between the ward and guardian promising rebelliousness later. Paying Court A good vassal waits upon the pleasure of his Overlord whenever his suzerain requires a great retinue to give him prestige in his baronial court, at tournaments, etc. At such times, a large retinue reminds other lords that a noble has ample military power at his disposal. In addition, a vassal may sit in judgment in the Overlord’s legal court – a matter of great responsibility and honor. A vassal failing to pay due court tended to earn his Overlord's displeasure and disfavor. Hospitality A good vassal renders his Overlord proper hospitality when honored by a visit. For his part, the Overlord will avoid taxing a vassal’s resources to the limit by bringing a great entourage, which will despoil the castle larder for months thereafter. Many vassals regard such visitations with mixed feelings. Largess Any Lord worthy of his spurs, including even lesser Knights with small fiefs, gives largess. This includes honors and gifts given to trusted vassals for services rendered, and alms to the poor and needy. Loyalty Both Overlord and vassal are always expected to render due respect and support to the other. Vassals must never betray secrets to which they are privy nor go over to the enemies of the Overlord. To do so is treason most foul. Nor may an Overlord abuse the rights of a vassal. To do so gives good cause to renounce feudal vows of homage and fealty (although a vassal had better be ready to fight hard, for his Overlord will then accuse him of treason even when he himself forced the whole situation). Homage and Fealty The bond between vassal and Overlord is understood best by examining the ceremonies of homage and fealty that seals the relationship between suzerain and vassal. The homage of the vassal and the Overlord's response are as follows: Vassal: 'Sire, I enter into your homage and faith and become your man, by mouth and hands, and I swear and promise to keep faith and loyalty to you against all others, saving only the just rights of those from whom I hold other fiefs and rights (alternatively, list those fiefs. For example: “saving only the just rights of the Earl of Dumbolton from whom I hold a manor house and the Baron of Rhubarb from whom I hold the right to fish the Tranquil River”) and I swear to guard your rights with all my strength and my life'.
Overlord: 'We do guarantee you, our faithful vassal, that we and our heirs will guarantee to you the lands held of us to you and your heirs against every creature with all our power, to hold these lands and enjoy their use in peace and in quiet'. The oath of homage is the vow to serve the Overlord faithfully and title in the lands received is inextricably tied to the oath. To break the oath is to renounce title, and the Overlord can repossess them. The vow of the Overlord is a personal vow to protect all of the rights of his vassal. The vassal upon some holy thing swears the oath of fealty: 'In the name of (the god of the place) and in reverence for these (holy things), I swear that I will truly keep the vow which I have taken and will always remain faithful to my liege lord'. Upon swearing fealty, the vassal receives a lance, glove, baton, or other symbol from his Overlord, indicating his investment with the possession of his fief. One can swear fealty only once, but can swear homage any number of times. Indeed, a wise Overlord will insist on it every so often since a vassal who swore homage last spring is far more likely to answer the ban (the call to arms) than one who last swore homage twenty years ago.
Part 5: The Clergy Like the nobility, the clergy do not work; they tend to the spiritual needs of the community and in turn, the community supports the clergy. In Feudal Europe, the clergy meant the hierarchy of the Roman Church (although there were pockets of Jews across Europe, they and their Rabbis had no place in the feudal system). In a Fantasy setting, no such restrictions need apply and there may well be competing, licit cults in society due to either polytheistic cosmology or prevailing religious tolerance. The legal status of clergy is the same in any case. A legal religion is exempt from taxation, its clerics have immunity in feudal courts (they are subject to ecclesiastical justice instead), it may demand a tithe (theoretically 10% of one’s income) from its adherents and its tenets enjoy protection from heresy and blasphemy. Secular law protects the rights of licit religion – it is illegal to assault a clergyman, to desecrate a holy place or to blaspheme a recognized god. Religions without such legal standing do not have these protections (e.g. Jews in the middle ages, Scientology in modern Germany, Christians and Jews in Saudi Arabia, etc.) Tithes are paid first to the local religious establishment, the local clerics keep ½ the revenues and pass ½ to their immediate superiors. The regional establishment likewise remits ½ its revenue to their superiors and so on until reaching global head of their order. The church is also a feudal landholder, they can hold the fealty of knights (who may be but are not necessarily part of a religious fighting order). A cleric is not usually suited to leading men in war, so each local institution will have an ‘Advocate’, a neighboring allied noble who will command its forces in war. Such appointments are affairs of great honor and the advocate keeps ½ the scutage if the diocese is at peace (the balance belongs to the church) – a disincentive against misuse of the military power of the church. A noble might also finance the construction of church or other religious institution in return for the right to appoint (or at least approve) its head cleric and a percentage of its tithes (typically ¼ - ½) either in perpetuity or for a period of years. The name of such an arrangement is patronage, in feudal times a noble would boast of holding the patronage of five churches just as he might boast of holding a castle and two keeps. The church also had the right of excommunication (or cherem in Judaism, takfir in Islam). Such penalties cast the excommunicate out of the faith – his vassals relieved of their responsibilities to him and his right to the comforts of religion suspended until he repents and gains readmission to Ghostly favor. Some religions also had the rite of Interdiction where not only offending noble but his vassals and subjects also lose the comforts of religion in the hope that they would pressure him to capitulate to
the demands of the church. In a world with only one main religion, this is an effective tactic but in settings with competing religions (such as a polytheistic environment or historical campaigns set in the Indian Subcontinent or in East Asia), it is less effective since the affected nobleman could simply declare for a rival religion. Another common religious practice both among pagans, Catholics (including Eastern Catholics or ‘Orthodox’ Christians), Muslims, Hindus and Taoists was the concept of ‘indulgences’ – forgiveness for acts normally considered sinful (even, occasionally, capital crimes) offered in return for large monetary contributions to the religion. Indulgences do not figure in Protestant Christian or Jewish practice but are common in most other religions ancient and modern. The priesthood may be limited to one sex – Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Orthodox Jews, and Muslims limit the priesthood to men. Many pagan religions, especially cults dedicated to magic, the moon, the earth, family, fertility, wisdom, victory, agriculture or prophecy restricted the priesthood to women (the Oracle of Delphi being one of the more famous examples). Some religions – particularly ancestor cults, sun cults and spirit cults (like Shinto) – did not restrict the priesthood to a single sex. Among pagans, some practices that modern (and even pre-modern) minds would regard as secular were religious avocations in antiquity. Examples include prostitution (the fertility goddess – Venus/Aphrodite most famously), the practice of law (the ruling god – ex. Jupiter/Zeus), international commerce (the wealth god – ex. Mercury/Hermes) and even inn keeping (the wine god – Bacchus/Pan). Each game master will have to decide for themselves whether to make their setting monotheistic, polytheistic or both. The game master will also have to decide if the religion followed by the masses is real or just wishful thinking. For most of human history, some form of polytheism has been the norm – it is just since the advent of Judaism some 4000 years ago that monotheism became popular and it did not become the majority opinion until after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. Of course, the cosmology of the universe did not suddenly change from having many gods to having just The One, The pagans were mistaken, there is no sun god – Sol is a rather typical and decidedly inanimate yellow dwarf star. Likewise, there is no sea god, no moon goddess… despite the sincere belief of billions over the millennia. In a fantasy setting, might worship any number of things but that does not make them divine. However, how can the gods not exist? Unlike our mundane world, even the lowliest cleric wields magical powers. While atheists will likely be a lot rarer in a fantasy setting than in our own world, there is still some room for skeptics. One could argue the priests are just another class of magicians – using conventional sorcery to dupe the masses. Indeed, in the biblical account of Moses the priests of the pharaoh are sorcerers pretending to divinely granted powers until Moses disabuses the masses of that particular delusion. Of course, Moses did have divine backing so while it helps explain how a monotheist minority can be right and a polytheist majority can be wrong it does not entirely help the atheist, but it gives him a point of departure. The general assumption of most fantasy setting is that the gods are real, or at least some of them are. If one desires to run a monotheist campaign, how can orc shamans or evil high priests cast clerical spells? The 1st-edition of D&D provides an explanation of how followers of ‘false’ religions could
also have access to magical powers. Fortunately, it translates well to C&C. Clerical spells come from a variety of sources, 1st-level spells are similar to wizard spells in that they come from the learning and education of the cleric – though unlike wizard spells, they don’t have to be relearned every time the cleric wishes to use them. Lesser angels/demons/messengers of the god(s) grant a cleric 2 nd-level spells; 3rd-level spells come from greater angels/demons/messengers of the god(s); and 4th-level spells come from ‘name’ angels/demons/messengers of the god(s). 5 th to 9th-level spells come directly from the godhead, with demi-gods able to grant 5 th-level spells only, lesser gods 5th to 6th -level spells, intermediate gods able to grant 5 th to 7th level spells and greater gods able to grant 5 th to 8th level spells. Only the greatest of gods can grant 9th-level spells. Thus, even in a monotheist campaign, even the demons can grant up to 4 th-level spells. This neatly ‘explains’ why even false gods can grant magical power. The lowest order of spiritual being can grant 2nd-level spells and even the most blasphemous witch doctor can manage 1st-level spells. Other restrictions on the clergy – wearing special vestments, celibacy (required in the Roman Church) or marriage (required in Judaism and Islam) – or even mandatory polyamory (required in certain pagan fertility cults), drinking or abstinence, limits on wealth, etc. will all vary from religion to religion or even from sect to sect within a religion. Regular Clergy At experience level one, a priest is a novice or seminarian – he is still ‘learning the ropes’ of the priestly vocation and will probably be a low level functionary at a regular house of worship or a school. A 2nd-level cleric assists the ordained clergy run religious rites – a Deacon, Curate or Gabbi. At 3rd-level, a priest is fully ordained and is entitled to the title Reverend, Father, Rabbi, Imam, etc. and can lead a congregation. At experience level 4, a priest can be a rural dean, or a local head rabbi or something similar and oversee several local congregations. Experience level 6 makes a priest eligible as a bishop, sheik, chief rabbi or head of a major school or religious court. Experience level 9 makes a priest eligible to be an archbishop, cardinal, or rebbe (if elected by his peers). Succession to international leadership like a caliph, high priest, pope, chief archbishop, etc. is similar with a minimum experience level of 12 required. Religious Fighting Orders Most, if not all, Paladins will be members of religious fighting orders. Mithras’ zealots, Jewish Maccabees, Christian Crusaders and Muslim Mujahidin all fall into this rubric. The concept of the religious fighting order reached its highest development in the Roman Church and so Catholic fighting orders are the basis of our fantastic versions of such crusading orders of chivalry. The Fighting Orders (such as the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Teutonic Knights) are military men drawn to serve their god the only way they know how – by fighting the infidel and protecting pilgrims. They are the military arm of the Church, usually sworn to obedience of the high priest himself. They have the same attitudes as Knights, but tempered by their religious commitment, non-Fighting monastics are Lay Brothers and do not acquire paladin powers, but some go on to become ordained as Priests so that they can serve as Chaplains to the Order. Commoners enter as Sergeants-at-Arms-in-Training, while Nobles enter as Squires-at-Arms-inTraining. At experience level 3, the order knights its Squires are knighted. It also knights Sergeants
attaining experience level 6 as paladins. At experience level 9, a Knight can attain to Knight Commander of a unit. At experience level 12, he advances to Master of the Chapter House (the castellan of one of the orders fortresses). At experience level 19, he attains the rank of Provincial Commander in charge of several Chapters. At this point, he can enter into 'politics' and, by winning the approval of his fellow Provincial Commanders and Masters of Chapters, be elected, in succession, to Marshal of the Order (General rank), Seneschal of the Order (Field Marshal rank), and finally Grand Master (international commander and head of the order). Monasticism Monasticism is a common but not universal religious avocation. It doesn’t exist in Judaism and in most forms of Islam. It was common among pagans, Catholics, Vedics and Buddhists. The Monastic Orders are dedicated to the pursuit of prayer and meditation in cloistered surroundings of a monastery. Only men of goodly nature may enter Monastic Orders. Advancement is based on merit and experience. Each monastic rank requires an experience level advance for qualification. For instance, an Experience/9 Monk would be a Precantor. Experience Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11+
Title Novice Lay Brother/Sister Monk/Nun Cellarer (quartermaster) Precantor (choir leader) Sacristan (caretaker of ritual trappings) Almoner (distributes alms to the poor) Circatore (assistant to an abbot or prior) Prior Abbot Father-General, Mother-Superior
The Novice spends time in the fields around the Monastery and in the Cloister at hard, backbreaking work. A Lay Brother and learns the chants and prayers of the Order. Once ordained as an official a Monk or Brother, the monastic has a fixed place in the order. A Cellarer has charge of provisions and the Precantor or Choir Leader leads the brethren in chanting the holy offices. A Sacristan is in charge of the sacristy and ceremonial equipment and trappings and an Almoner and distributes alms to the poor. The Circatore is second in charge of the monastic establishment. Having done all this, a monk becomes eligible for election to Prior and to lead a priory or small monastery (10+3D6 Monks). An experienced prior is eligible to election to Abbot and lead an abbey or large monastery (30+4D10 Monks). Finally, at this point, the Character has a chance to advance to Father-General of the Order, using the ecclesiastical election system given below. Nuns have the same organization in their Orders, culminating with the rank of Mother-Superior of her Sisterhood. Non-monastic teaching or evangelical orders organize themselves on similar lines; but eschew monasticism and live and work among the people. Modern groups like the Franciscans, the Mormons, or even Chabad-Lubavitch are evangelical, non-monastic orders.
Ecclesiastical Elections Sometimes a religious leader (grand master of an order of paladins, father-general of a monastic order, Pope, etc) is elected. To simulate this election process, set or randomly assign the number of electors. Assuming 4 candidates, each has a 25% chance of getting the vote of any given elector (roll a d4 with each candidate assigned a number 1-4). If a player character is an elector, he may cast his ballot as he sees fit. A plurality wins.
Part 6: Feudal Law No society has ever existed without some form of legal system to govern its operation. Even the most barbaric cultures had laws, taboos. customs, and traditions to set out prescribed and accepted behaviors, complete with a range of persuasions and punishments to bring wrong-thinking individuals into line FEUDAL HIGH JUSTICE High Justice is a right reserved to the nobility and favored Knights. In some realms, it belongs to the King alone and his appointed justices. Because of the high station of the nobility, the only crimes they can be accused of under this form of justice are treason, rebellion, or conspiracy against a liege lord, The accused can elect for Trial by Combat a l'Outrance (to the death) or trial by court. Penalties that a court could impose are: 1. Temporary loss of Honor, Dishonor could last for 1 month to 1 year 2. Disgrace (permanent loss of Honor), subject to performance of some great deed to restore that Honor 3. Disgrace and loss of lands 4. Disgrace, loss of lands, and banishment 5. Death If a noble vassal feels treated unfairly, he could stage an honorable rebellion against his suzerain. The ultimate rule, however, is that he win his fight, Losing is dangerous to one's health in such cases. At the same time, an Overlord must be able to prove charges leveled against a vassal. The feudal bonds rely on mutual trust and good faith. Vassals take willful charges against one of their fellows as cause to examine their own loyalty. LOW JUSTICE Low Justice or Common Justice was largely reserved to the commoners and King's Justices or Barons in their own private courts administered it. There are five distinct groups of crimes in this area: HIGH CRIMES All crimes in this section carry the death penalty: TREASON, REBELLION, CONSPIRACY, & ESPIONAGE are punishable by hanging, drawing and quartering. MURDER is punishable by hanging by the neck until dead. POISONING is punishable by burning at the stake,
CANNIBALISM & SKINNING BODIES is punishable by being thrown to wild dogs or burning at the stake. PERJURY is punishable by hanging by the neck until dead. ARSON is punishable by death by hanging or burning at the stake. SMUGGLING is punishable by fine (ldl00 SP plus confiscation of goods, 36 lashes or death by hanging, depending on the severity of the offense and the number of convictions. A 'lash' requires a constitution check-3 or a point of damage is suffered. RIDING A HORSE is punishable by 10 lashes. Repeated offenses are lese majeste and are punishable by death by hanging. However, Petit Sergeants and wealthy commoners have special rights in this regard. Of course, Knights and members of the military are exempt. STRIKING A FOOL is punishable by five lashes and a day in the stocks. The law protects feebleminded folk from abuse. Unusually brutal treatment may merit the death penalty (hanging). DRAWING WEAPON ON GENTILITY is punishable by death by hanging drawing and quartering for rebellion- if the offender survives the wrath of the Knight or Noble so insulted. ASSAULT carries a penalty of 20 lashes. If the attacker sheds the blood of the victim or if there is a maiming or serious wounding, the penalty may be death by hanging. THEFT Thievery carries a variety of punishments, depending upon the offense: PIRACY carries the punishment of death by hanging or by 1000 lashes. HORSE THEFT is punishable by death by hanging. THEFT OF PEPPER OR SILK is punishable by cutting of the throat. ROBBERY ON THE KING'S HIGHROAD is punishable by death by hanging, POACHING IN THE ROYAL FOREST is punishable by loss of a hand. The same is true of poaching in a forest belonging to a noble. SLAYING OF A KING'S DEER is punishable by death by flaying. THEFT OF A BEAST OF BURDEN is punishable by 24 lashes. A CATTLE LIFTING is punishable by 24 lashes. MUGGING is punishable by 24 lashes. A second offense brings loss of a hand and branding. A third offense carries the penalty of death by hanging. If blood is shed SSAULT WITH INTENT TO
WOUND is charged. CUTPURSE is punishable by 24 lashes. A second offense brings loss of a hand and branding. A third offense carries the penalty of death by hanging. The offense includes all forms of non-violent theft from the owner’s person. BURGLARY is punishable by 36 lashes. A second offense brings loss of a hand and branding. A third offense carries the penalty of death by hanging. All forms of breaking and illegal entry are included, and the crown need not prove actual theft – only the entry itself. STEALING is punishable by 12 lashes. The offense includes theft of items under the value of 5 GP from shop stalls, yards, etc. WITHHOLDING TITHES OR TAXES is punishable by 40 lashes and double indemnification Recidivists are hanged. TORTS These offences are injury to person or property, including both intentional and negligent damage. Nobles may bring actions against each other for torts and may also do so on behalf of vassals or folk of common rank. DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY brings full restitution or compensation if unintentional and double or triple damages (punitive) if intentional. Commoners may also receive up to 24 lashes for intentional damage. INJURY TO PERSON brings compensation. A commoner receives 10 SP + 1d6 SP per hit point lost. A noble receives 1 GP + ld10 GP per hit point lost (tripled for titled nobles). If the offense was deliberate, a commoner faces charges of ASSAULT. A deliberate offense by a commoner against a noble is REBELLION. Nobles charged with the offense will always insist on Trial by Combat, as such mailers are affairs of honor. REPLEVIN is an action to recover property in the possession of another. Nobles resort to it if they are not prepared to go to private war against another noble, if the property cannot be restored to the owner in fit condition, damages will be awarded. BUSINESS LAW These laws govern most transactions: FRAUD is any false representation of goods or making false promises that lead to financial loss to the victim. Penalties lend to be 3 times the profit made on the deal plus restitution or full compensation to the victim, DEBT is failure to pay what one owes in the agreed time. The aggrieved party may sue for payment. This may result in the seizure of money, lands, cattle, or other goods to secure the repayment. Nobles secure their debts with sealed deeds (promises) which even a commoner can enforce in a Royal
Court. Impoverished commoners face indentured service to repay debt. Refusal to make enforced payment by service is punishable by death if the debtor runs away. BREACH OF CONTRACT is failure to live up to one’s word, written or oral. Oral contracts require witnesses. The Court will enforce the recovery of financial losses or order the terms of the agreement carried out in full. MORAL LAW These laws cover personal behavior. DESCECRATION OF A CHURCH OR HOLY PLACE is punishable by burning at the stake. WITCHCRAFT OR TRAFFICKING WITH UNCLEAN SPIRITS is punishable by burning at the stake. MALEFIC SORCERY is punishable by burning at the stake. SODOMY, RAPE, INCEST OR BESTIALITY is punishable by 40 lashes ADULTERY is punishable by 40 lashes. Recidivists suffer branding. FORNICATION is punishable by 40 lashes
Part 7: The Royal Bureaucracy The Royal bureaucracy was a means by which the king sought to liberate some aspects of his government from interference by the nobility. The commons make up most of the bureaucracy, thus providing the king a way to exercise power even in the lands of the nobles, and at the same time to bypass the nobility. Smaller versions of the royal bureaucracy exist in the courts of the nobility as well. Political Level
Office
Rank Required
Parish County
Bailiff of the Hundred Sheriff Justice of the Peace Lord Justice of the Assize Lord High Justice of the County Royal Forester
Yeoman Knight Yeoman Commoner or Noble* Commoner or Noble* Yeoman
Forester Chief Scribe of the County
Yeoman Guildsman
Annual Stipend in SP‡ 600 9,000 7,200 10,000
Superior
#
LHS of the Shire LHS of the Shire LHJ of the County HRH
100 1 10 1
15,000 HRH 9,000 Chief Forester of the 1 Shire 7,200 Royal Forester 10 10,000 Sheriff of the County 1
Political Level
Shire
Town
Province
Office
Rank Required
Scribe/Accountant
Guildsman
Tax Collector Lord High Sheriff
Commoner Knight
Lord High Justice Constable of the Royal Castle Armorer of the Royal Castle
Commoner or Noble* Knight Armorer
Armorer
Armorer
Chief Forester of the Shire Chief Scribe of the Shire Scribe/Accountant
Annual Superior Stipend in SP‡ 7,200 Chief Scribe of the County 7,200 Sheriff of the County 15,000 Chancellor of the Exchequer 22,500 HRH
# 10 10 1 1
12,000 HRH 25,000 Constable of the Royal Castle 15,000 Armorer of the Royal Castle
1 1
Yeoman Guildsman Guildsman
10,000 Forester Royal 10,000 LHS of the Shire 7,200 Chief Scribe of the Shire
1 1 10
Royal Commissioner of Custom & Excise Lord Mayor Lord Justice of the Town Chief Clerk of the Town Scribe/Accountant
Commoner or Noble* Guildsman* Guildsman* Guildsman Guildsman
1
Collector of Taxes Captain of the Mercenaries
Guildsman Knight/Serg eant Guildsman Noble Commoner or Noble* Guildsman Guildsman Knight Commoner Commoner Lawyer Lawyer Armorer Armorer
10,000 Chancellor of the Exchequer 15,000 HRH 15,000 HRH 10,000 Lord Mayor 8,500 Chief Clerk of the Town 9,000 Lord Mayor 15,000 Lord Mayor 10,000 Lord Mayor 25,000 HRH 20,000 HRH
1 1 3
12,000 10,000 12,000 12,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 15,000
1 20 1 1 1 1 5 1 5
Captain of the Militia Royal Governor Lord Justice of the Court of Appeals Provincial Scribe-Royal Scribe/Accountant Governor of the Royal Gaol Royal Torturer Royal Inquisitor-General Crown Prosecutor King’s Counsel Armorer Royal Armorer
Royal Governor Scribe-Royal Royal Governor
Crown Counsel Armorer Royal
2
1 1 1 5 2 1
Political Level
Office
Rank Required
Chancery
Chancellor of the Realm
Keep of the Charter Rolls
Commoner, Knight or Noble† Commoner, Noble* Guildsman
Chief Scribe of the Chancery
Guildsman
Scribe of the Chancery
Guildsman
Constable of the Tower
Knight
Ambassador
Noble
Captain of the Watch
Knight
Agent of the Chancery
Commoner
Lord High Chamberlain
Interpreter-Royal Master of Heraldry Royal Provisionary Royal Jester Royal Musician Poet Laureate Royal Chef Royal Food Taster Chief Scribe of the Chamber Scribe of the Chamber
Commoner, Knight or Noble† Guildsman Diviner Alchemist Wizard Physician/C leric Interpreter Bannerette Merchant Bard Bard Bard Guildsman Commoner Guildsman Guildsman
Staff of the Chamber
Commoner
Annual Superior Stipend in SP‡
# 1
Keeper of the Privy Seal
Chamber
Keeper of the Rolls Royal Astrologer Royal Alchemist Royal Wizard Royal Physician
30,000 HRH 20,000 HRH
1
20,000 Chancellor of the Realm 18,000 Chancellor of the Realm 12,000 Chief Scribe of the Chancery 15,000 Chancellor of the Realm 20,000 Chancellor of the Realm 18,000 Keeper of the Privy Seal 15,000 Keeper of the Privy Seal 30,000 HRH
1
20,000 30,000 30,000 60,000 25,000
1 1 1 1 1
18,000 18,000 2d6*1000 12,000 8,000 12,000 12,000 7,000 12,000 10,000
LH Chamberlain HRH HRH HRH LH Chamberlain
LH Chamberlain LH Chamberlain LH Chamberlain HRH LH Chamberlain HRH LH Chamberlain HRH LH Chamberlain Chief Scribe of the Chamber 7,200 Chief Scribe of the Chamber
1 25 1 10 1 50 1
1 1 1 1 10 1 1 1 1 20 200
Political Level
Office
Chancellor of the Exchequer Exchequer
Rank Required
Chancellor’s Clerk
Commoner, Knight or Noble† Guildsman
Chancellor’s Scribe
Guildsman
Scribe of the Exchequer Treasurer of the Exchequer Treasurer’s Clerk
Guildsman Commoner, Knight or Noble* Guildsman
Treasurer’s Scribe
Guildsman
Treasury Scribe Guildsman Chief Assayer of the Treasury Alchemist Governor of the Royal Mint
Royal Army
Engraver-Royal
Commoner, Knight or Noble* Goldsmith
Master of the Coinage
Goldsmith
Chief Scribe of the Mint
Guildsman
Scribe of the Mint
Guildsman
Marshal of the Realm
Noble
First Lord of the Admiralty Chief Constable of the Realm
Noble Bannerette
Captain of the Royal Guard Knight of the Royal Guard
Knight Knight
Sergeant of the Royal Guard
Sergeant
Captain of Royal Mercenaries Knight
Annual Superior Stipend in SP‡
#
30,000 HRH
1
15,000 Chancellor of the Exchequer 12,000 Chancellor of the Exchequer 10,000 Chancellor’s Scribe 25,000 HRH
1
15,000 Treasurer of the Exchequer 12,000 Treasurer of the Exquequer 10,000 Treasurer’s Scribe 12,500 Chancellor of the Exchequer 20,000 Chancellor of the Exchequer
1
18,000 Treasurer of the Exchequer 18,000 Treasurer of the Exchequer 15,000 Governor of the Royal Mint 10,000 Chief Scribe of the Mint 50,000 HRH
1
50,000 HRH 30,000 Marshal of the Realm 25,000 HRH 20,000 Capt. Of the Royal Guard 15,000 Capt. Of the Royal Guard 12,000 Marshal of the
1 1
1 20 1
1 20 1 1
1 1 5 1
1 50 100 Var.
Political Level
Office
Rank Required
Forester-Royal
Ranger
Annual Superior Stipend in SP‡ Realm 15,000 HRH
#
1
* Appointment brings with it a Baronetcy ‡ Stipends are paid in addition to normal incomes † Appointment brings with it a title (Baron or higher) Titles in bold are members of the Privy Council Titles in bold italic are not members of the Privy Council but have daily access to the king. Some of the royal offices brought with them a Baronetcy (a lifetime, non-inheritable noble title) or even a bona fide patent of nobility. This provided the king with a means of diluting the power of the old noble families by building a noble faction around himself.
