Nobles

Kingdoms of Kahara has a much more stringent application process for nobles, including checking with staff first to see if more noble PCs are wanted at the time. We understand players want to know what's expected of noble characters. These are also guidelines players should read if they want to use minor noble NPCs in a scene or plot. Nobles of greater status require staff approval. This page will also provide some help for PCs who need to interact with a noble in character.

General Guidelines

While there are regional differences, we wanted to boil down the essence of being a noble in Kahara to be quickly and easily understood. With that in mind we have five guidelines.

1. Unlike commoners, nobles are deeply tied to a system of duties and obligations.
2. The head of your family or your liege has great power over you. To neglect this relationship is to invite ruin.
3. While some nobles have more responsibilities than others, able but idle nobles don't exist. Some will have plots of land to oversee, some may oversee resource extraction operations, others may have martial obligations, and others still may be sent off on investigative and research missions or more. None of them are idle. Even nobles with limitations will be given tasks they are expected to accomplish.
4. A noble's most valuable asset is reputation. Many problems a noble may face can be greatly mitigated by a good reputation, where a poor reputation often prevents access to remedies for many common problems.
5. Commoners and peasantry are resources to the nobles who oversee them. To dispose of or squander them carelessly will only create trouble later. To harm commoners and peasantry of another noble without great cause is to invite the wrath of that noble.

For Commoner PCs Interacting with a Noble

1. Show some basic respect. Nobles won't expect most commoners, especially commoners from elsewhere in Kahara, to know detailed protocols. Addressing the noble by title is significantly helpful.
2. Avoid questioning a noble's legitimacy or reputation. Doing either of these things, even from a commoner, is likely to displease the noble. PCs may do such a thing intentionally, but it is advised they consider the consequences of doing so.
3. In legal matters, nobles have advantages. Not only are they more likely to have the resources to handle matters of law and custom, but those laws and customs are more likely to favor them. In a matter of conflicting accounts, a legal system will give more weight to the noble. While assault of a commoner by commoner PCs can be justified with an excuse, it's likely only self defense is considered justified against a noble, of course with the understanding that conflicting accounts will likely defer to the noble. These built in advantages for nobles can be overcome by commoners, but it is difficult, and in legal frameworks nobles will be judged by other nobles rather than commoners.

For Players Running Noble NPCs

1. Consider whether you need the noble to actually show up in a scene. In most cases it will be better to simply keep a noble offscreen and use them as an instigator of sorts, as most will have little incentive to interact directly with an adventuring party, except perhaps to offer thanks and reward. This also prevents the potential derailment of plots by adventurers who might be inclined to disrespect and cause trouble with the noble. Lean towards using a representative instead.
2. Understand very few players like to play characters bowing and scraping to nobility. This is one reason why nobles have obvious legal advantages which the players can see without having to do that.
3. Most nobles should accept respectful conduct from commoner PCs rather than show knowledge of detailed protocols.
4. If a noble sends PCs out on a job, be extremely careful before choosing to have the noble NPC betray the PCs. This is the kind of thing where if you do it even one time many players will not trust any of your noble NPCs sending them out on a job in the future.
5. Players are not able to access the ranks of nobles who have castles without explicit staff permission and consultation. In some places a lack of quarriable stone may be a factor, however in most places few nobles are granted the privilege to build a castle as it grants them a defensive advantage should conflict arise between them and their liege, but also due to the massive expense and time it takes to build. Use manors and similar alternatives instead.