One thing The Empire is not short of is nobility. By that we don't mean that The Empire is a fine and honourable place, filled with good souls, but that it is liberally scattered with people who, by birth, favour, action, or bluff, have reached the stage of being regarded as 'aristocratic'.
The govenment of The Empire depends on the nobility. Essentially, the Emperor is one of the select central corps of nobles known as Electors. The Electors each hold sovereign sway over one of the large provinces of The Empire and elect one of their number to serve as Emperor until death (or, occasionally, until everyone else is sick to death of him). Ignoring the clerical Electors, who derive their authority from their Temples, each lay Elector is the head of a dynasty, the most prestigious member of a powerful aristocratic family. All the authority nobles command is theirs by birthright and is passed on through the generations. Most of the ruling electoral families of The Empire have existed for centuries.
The privilege of being an Elector - normally entitled a Grand Duke, Grand Count, Grand Prince, or Graf - is an ancient one and, naturally, they are also the rulers of magnificent personal estates and large provinces. The origins of these titles are lost in the mists of antiquity; the important thing to remember is that there is no clear hierarchy of titles (unlike in our own history) and that only Electors are called 'Grand'.
Of course, only one member of the family gets to be Elector. So the third level of aristocracy (if the Emperor-Elector is the first and the other Electors are the second) are their blood kin. These are the lesser lights of the Imperial Dynasties who - but for the vagaries of the rules of succession - might have been (or might yet be!) Electors themselves. Instead, they serve as a kind of noble 'civil service'.
It is traditional (and sensible, in most cases) for the Electors to entrust members of their family with posts within the Electoral Province. They might control smaller provinces, which are part of the Electoral holding; they might have important positions within one of the numerous Orders of Knighthood; they might hold a governmental office, like Commander of Road Wardens or Knight-Chevalier of the Bedchamber; they might have substantial land-holdings or castles of their own, separate to the lands of their liege-lord; or they might jsut be hangers-on, living at the Electoral or Imperial court.
Whatever they do, these aristocrats are considered high in the rankings of nobility. They carry important titles, like Duke, Count, or Baron, and take precedence over all save the Electors.
Beneath them are the lesser nobility, the knights, lords, and ladies of the 'country' aristocracy. They are predominantly land-owners and the relatives of such - holding castles or country estates, lesser governmental posts away from the capital or overseas. These are the most numerous of the nobility and it is likely that player character nobles will be from this group.
Note: Imperial titles can be a bit confusing in their own right and you could easily get completely tied up comparing them to the various 'ranks' of noble that follow. The Noble career class progresses through five Ranks, each more advanced than the last. Each also carries a list of likely titles. However, there is a great deal of overlap in the grading of various titles so that it is possible for a seemingly-lowly Count to have vast tracts of land and wealth, while a Duke can be almost a pauper and own no more than a fortified manor. However, you can roughly grade the Imperial titles like this: Knight, Lord, or Lady; Baron or Margrave; Count; Duke; Elector (therefore Grand Baron, Grand Duke, etc.).
The Noble Basic Career[]
To be one of the ruling classes seems - to the ordinary citizens of the Old World - to grant the right to live a life removed from the cares and struggles of ordinary men. Nobles control the land and many have had the sense to involve themselves in matters of commerce, in competition with bankers and financiers. However, the younger sons of noble families frequently have to fend for themselves when their elder brothers take over the family fortune and estates, since one of the major preoccupations of the noble class seems to be to cause untold harm to other members, even to those from one's own family. Many disinherited nobles turn to military life or adventuring for the excitement, certainly, but many more do so because they wouldn't know what else to do. Certainly none of them would lower themselves to practice a trade and few would tolerate the boredom of study for an academic profession. They see war as a great and glorious game and they view getting drunk, insulting commoners, and wrecking restaurants in much the same light. Nobles tend to have a short attention span, an irritating accent, and an unfailing ability to rub lesser mortals up the wrong way, but they nearly always manage to sail through life almost unscathed owing to a combination of luck, charm, and the deference which their free-spending manner tends to generate in tradesmen.
The player who rolls up Noble as a Basic career has not actually gained any major advantage over his fellows. The extra money is useful, the horse and the armour will make life less taxing and hazardous, and one can safely assume those skills that mean the character will never use the wrong fork at dinner. It does not mean that the character is rich or that he or she has land or a castle somewhere. Much more likely, the character is some younger son or daughter of a moderately wealthy Graf or Knight who has given up hope of ever inheriting the big money and who is certainly not going to soil his or her hands with anything so demeaning as work.
So, the adventuring life is a natural one. And - apart from demanding to be called 'My Lord' or 'Your Grace' every moment by the rest of the party - the character can go through life as one of the chaps, striving against the forces of Chaos and trying to make an honest bob or two. The major difference is that the character usually finds it easier dealing with the common folk who trundle around the edges of the campaign: peasants, merchants, innkeepers, and the like. Most will doff their caps, find the character a chair, offer some small free service, and serve them more quickly than the rest of the party. Of course, the gamesmaster should occasionally have an NPC who is a little less 'umble and who treats the PC as a 'stuck-up' snob.
Generally, the attitude of the population towards the imperial aristocracy is publicly servile and privately scornful. The in-breeding of certain families, the incompetence of many individuals, and the haughty indifference of the whole class has made many enemies. But their power is considerable, based on their almost exclusive right to hold land and most non-nobles - be they wealthy merchants or landless peasants - recognise that someone who can have you split in two for no reason is not someone to be cheeked...
Initially, however, the PC Noble has no great power or influence. He should have a simple title, like Knight or perhaps Landgrave, and will owe no great allegiance to anyone, save perhaps an immediate liege-lord (a slightly more prestigious noble). Once the player-characters have been wading through the gore of Chaos-followers for a few years, however, they might consider that they deserve a real title, a proper reward, the sort of thing people respect. What follows are some simple rules and guidelines for handling the ennoblement of PCs and NPCs.
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+10 |
+10 |
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+2 |
+10 |
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+10 |
+20 |
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+10 |
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+10 |
Skills
- Blather
- Charm
- Etiquette
- Heraldry
- Luck
- Read/Write
- Ride
- Wit
- 50% chance of Gamble
- 50% chance of Public Speaking
- 25% chance of Consume Alcohol
- 25% chance of Specialist Weapon: Fencing Sword
- 10% chance of Musicianship
Trappings
- Horse
- Expensive clothes
- 2D6 Gold Crowns
- Jewellery worth 10D6 Gold Crowns
- D4 hangers-on
Career Exits
Joining The Nobility[]
Each of the Ranks of the Noble character has all the normal sub-headings attached to it: career entries and exits, trappings, and skills. However, characters cannot just 'adopt' noble status (unless the player's first basic career is Noble); each Rank is a 'specialised' career, with individual rules for entry. First and foremost, the character must have a patron, since the Imperial rules of ennoblement state that only the Elector can create new titles or redistribute old ones.
The patron figure should be used in the same manner one might use the head of a Guild or a military commander for other careers. The player characters concerned will have come to the Elector's attention through some famous deed, will have been introduced to the Elector at some time, and begun performing little services. In time, the Elector will come to look on the PC(s) as dependable, worthy of high reward, and will mention the possibility of a title of some kind, if they will just perform this one small service...
In game terms, the rules for entry into the Noble career can be summarised as follows:
- The character concerned must have fully completed one or more of the careers listed under career entries. To complete a career, a character must have taken every advance possible under the career, obtained all the skills and all the trappings.
- Noble characters can only be granted the title by an NPC Elector-Patron, someone who will have been making their lives a misery by a sequence of unreasonable requests in their former careers. In the most exceptional of circumstances, it might be possible to forgo this by a single act of great value in the presence off the Elector or his agents - winning a major battle single-handed or rescuing the Grand Duke's daughter when all others have failed, etc.
- There is, of course, one simple way of helping the Elector make the right decision. Nothing smoothes the way towards a title like money. If a character can afford to buy all the Trappings listed for the particular rank and pay the Elector a sum equivalent to 25% of that total, then there's no need to go running around risking life and limb against the hordes of Khorne... Even when the character hopes to inherit all the Trappings that go with a title, that 25% 'bonus' still ought to be paid. The Elector will grant the PC the lowest title possible - the 'Knight' rank, which carries few rewards and several obligations. Some Advanced Careers do allow entry into the higher ranks of nobility, as shown under the description of each rank. Normally, if a character already holds a title and the Elector wishes to reward him or her, then a title will be bestowed from the next highest rank. However, the gamesmaster should never ignore the possibility of a character holding two duchies, or whatever, if it isn't a good time for the character to advance further through the career.
- If the character is to advance into the second rank of the nobility, there must be a vacancy to fill, since the higher ranks are all tied to territory. Normally, this need not be a great problem, since the Elector can always shave off a piece of his or her own domain, if it is that important to reward the PC. However, this rule alone is the single most important bar to characters advancing to the third rank or higher. If a Ducal title becomes vacant, for example, the Emperor will re-assign it to the greatest worthy in the land... probably himself. If a PC is so powerful that he or she simply can't be ignored any longer, that should be the only circumstance in which the title is assigned.
- The experience cost to enter any of the noble ranks is 300 EPs. After these have been 'spent', the character should make an immediate Fel test. If this is passed, the character may enter the career immediately. If it is failed, the character's ennoblement will be delayed by D6 months (with the patron hanging onto all the 'bribe' money), until this test can be taken again at the cost of another 300 EPs. It is quite possible for characters' applications to be delayed for years.
Special Rules[]
Trappings[]
Once a character has assumed a noble title, all the benefits and duties outlined below apply. The noble career works like any other, with opportunities for characters to gain advances and new skills and so on. However, there is a special rule for this career.
A noble's trappings are the most important sign of their status and they cannot afford to ever be without them. These trappings will have come to them in one of two ways: either they will have been bestowed at the time the character received the title for some great service or they will have been bought by the character as part of the process of buying the title.
If characters ever find themselves in a position where they do not have all the Trappings for the career or if a time comes when they cannot afford to pay the annual upkeep on things like staff or land-holdings, they will start becoming an embarassment to the nobility. At the end of each game year, the character should make a Fel test. If this is passed, things can continue for another year; if failed, the title will be stripped from the character, along with all remaining noble trappings, and the character will have to commence another career.
Training[]
The second rule for this career is that all the Skills for that rank (and all lower ranks) should have been purchased before any characteristic advances are taken. The rules for Training Times apply for these skills, but the prices for Tuition Fees should be trebled. Go on, you can afford it...
Benefits And Duties[]
The gamesmaster will have to judge how much a noble character is allowed to interfere with the playing of a game. Basically, the more you want the players to be a part of the campaign world, the more attention you should pay to what follows.
There are several benefits to being a noble that you just can't regulate for. The obvious one is that the PC's social standing is such that most ordinary people will show the right kind of respect - at least to the character's face. This is reflected in the very healthy increases possible in the Ld and Fel characteristics. Nevertheless, in general terms, the only NPCs with whom the character has regular dealings who might fail to show due deference are those ignorant peasant clods who don't know any better and the genuinely boorish.
This kind of prominence in society ought to extend to two other important areas as well. Nobles are hardly likely to perform menial services themselves: 'Feed the horses well, groom, and here's some copper for your trouble', and this should extend to the menial service of transporting oneself all over The Empire after pieces of equipment and news. Any halfway decent armourer ought to come to you, tape-measure in hand, with the latest fashion in full gothic plate mail. Likewise, the information on which a campaign thrives - knowing where the action is (at least locally) - ought to come directly to the character. After all, they will be responsible for the lives of others. The gamesmaster can draw some amusement from the prospect of the PCs having too much adventuring work to cope with: 'There's a Chaos Warrior in your village? OK, I'll get to it on the way back from defeating the robber knight at the ford, after I've rescued the merchant's daughter.'
And, of course, nobles have certain rights, by law. They can't be arrested by common Watchmen, but only by specific warrant from an Imperial magistrate or the direct word of their liege lord or any Elector; they can only be tried at an Electoral court, by their peers; they cannot be pursued for civil suits. Basically, they can do what they like to the lower orders - literally getting away with murder - so long as they don't get up the noses of their fellow nobles. And the average Imperial noble nose has plenty of room. Of course, some overbearing nobles have been known to be found face-down in the river - the law doesn't provide complete protection...
As gamesmaster, you also ought to allow some income from the lands, offices, and 'benefits' of being a noble: 'A grant for your charitable hospice, my lord; oh, and did I mention the problem I was having with my neighbors?' The amount will have to be judged by individual needs, but should be less than the outgoing of the PC when the character is still actively adventuring.
The duties of a noble can only interfere with the playing of the game as much as the gamesmaster wants them to, but they ought at least to include a few visits to the PC's liege. Normally, this will be the Elector of the province in which the PC holds land (and a PC could hold land in more than one Province), although there may be an intervening Baron or Duke for lesser mortals. Visits to the Imperial court can be encouraged and allow the player to feel his or her character is really getting somewhere. Don't let his become abused if the PC is proving to be a pain.
Farm management isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but don't miss the opportunity to have the PCs involved in the law. The historical test of noble power (a bit of medieval history here) is through watching how much of the law a noble controls. If the people he or she judges can appeal further up the ladder, then the character is not a great power. If he or she can say 'Orf with his head' and that's the end of the matter, then the character does indeed have some clout. Most medieval feudal and post-feudal conflicts over 'rights' were to do with who had the final power to say 'this is how it is, like it or lump it'.
So don't miss the chance to have your PCs run a few trials. Apart from the obvious role-playing potential, there is much scope for starting adventures from the outcome of a trial and of using them as the culmination of a plot too.
This not being the medieval period proper, the old ideals of military service are not applicable. However, in times of trouble, the PC who shelters behind self-interest isn't going to win friends. It might be cheaper and it might protect what you have, but it isn't going to lead to promotion.
Career Exits[]
Apart from the Knight rank, none of the other Noble ranks have any Career Exits. Once a noble, always a noble. Are you supposed to soil your hands with work?
Adventuring or soldiering or magic are just about OK, but the vast majority of nobles can only either stay put or look to advance up the rungs of power. The idea of the Noble career is to provide a final goal for your PCs, a place to call their own, and a sense of achievement...
Advanced Careers[]
The following career profiles are for the various ranks in the Noble career. The Knight rank is exactly the same as the Basic Noble career, except that it may be taken as a new career by a character who satisfies the rules given above. To obtain a noble rank, the career from which the character comes must have been completed - i.e., all advances must have been taken, all skills obtained, and the trappings acquired.
Noble - Rank 1 (Knight, Lord, Lady)[]
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+10 |
+10 |
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+2 |
+10 |
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+10 |
+20 |
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+10 |
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+10 |
Career Entrances
Skills
- Blather
- Charm
- Consume Alcohol
- Etiquette
- Gamble
- Heraldry
- Luck
- Musicianship
- Public Speaking
- Read/Write
- Ride
- Specialist Weapon: Fencing Sword
- Wit
Trappings
- Horse
- Expensive clothes (worth at least 250 GCs)
- Jewellery (worth at least 10D6 GCs)
- D4 Hangers-on (other PCs will do!)
Career Exits
Noble - Rank 2 (Baron, Margrave)[]
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+20 |
+10 |
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+3 |
+10 |
+1 |
+10 |
+30 |
+10 |
+10 |
+10 |
+20 |
Career Entrances
Skills
- Disarm
- Dodge Blow
- Game Hunting
- Sing
- Specialist Weapon: Lance
- Specialist Weapon: Parrying Weapons
- Stewardship
- Story Telling
Trappings
- 3 Horses
- Expensive Clothes and Jewellery (worth at least 1,000 GCs)
- Fortified Dwelling (cost at least 25,000 GCs to build and 2,000 GCs per annum to run)
- Marks of Office (costing at least 7,000 GCs)
- A few servants - a Chamberlain, a Herald, a Bailiff, 3 Cooks, 10 Maids, 20 General Servants, and 50 Men-at-arms ought to cover it
Noble - Rank 3 (Count)[]
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+30 |
+10 |
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+6 |
+20 |
+1 |
+10 |
+40 |
+20 |
+20 |
+10 |
+30 |
Career Entrances
Skills
Trappings
- Elaborate Coach and 4 Horses (costing from 5,000 GCs)
- Expensive Clothes and Jewellery (worth at least 5,000 GCs)
- Small Manor (cost at least 35,000 GCs to build and 5,000 GCs per annum)
- At least as many servants as a Baron, as well as a Groom, a Falconer, a Master of Hounds, 3 Pages, a few Ladies-in-Waiting (you are married, aren't you?), and Coachmen
- Falcons and Hunting Hounds - at least 4,000 GCs worth
Noble - Rank 4 (Duke)[]
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+30 |
+10 |
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+6 |
+20 |
+1 |
+10 |
+40 |
+20 |
+20 |
+10 |
+30 |
Career Entrances
Skills
Trappings
- A small piece of The Empire
- Coaches, barges, boats, ships, horses... at least 15,000 GCs worth
- A Castle with keep, bailey, and walls (cost at least 50,000 GCs to build and 7,500 GCs per annum to keep up)
- Expensives Clothes, Pets, Jewels, Regalia, Mistresses, and sundry hobbies (worth at least 25,000 GCs at any one time, spend at least 10,000 GCs a year)
- Servants by the score: add Scribes, Artisans, Bombardiers, Sappers, Engineers, Craftsmen, and another D100 Men-at-arms to the list for the Baron
Noble - Rank 5 (Elector - Grand Duke, Grand Prince: NPCs only)[]
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+40 |
+10 |
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+6 |
+30 |
+2 |
+10 |
+50 |
+30 |
+40 |
+20 |
+40 |
Skills
Trappings
- A considerable piece of real estate... like a Province, maybe
- Life's little luxuries - all the means of transport, entertainment, and general good living you can get for 30,000 GCs a year
- A major castle, the sort that costs 100,000 GCs to build and 12,500 GCs a year to keep going
- Probably a town house and few country retreats too
- All the servants above, probably twice over, plus another 2,000 Men-at-arms, 500 Archers, and 500 Cavalry, a few Templars, and good contacts amongst the mercenaries fraternity