Difference between pages "Armies and Warfare (Current Era)" and "Wealth"

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(Created page with "=Prologue= In the current era standing armies are rare. The fundamental reason for this is full standing armies are expensive and generate little productive economic value. I...")
 
 
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=Prologue=
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Wealth is a special attribute that represents a combination of a character's assets, income, living arrangements as well as a rough approximation of a character's general influence at higher levels. Wealth is rated on a scale of 0-20. PCs start with a Wealth of 4 by default.
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In the current era standing armies are rare.
 
  
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The fundamental reason for this is full standing armies are expensive and generate little productive economic value. It takes an abundance of wealth and materiel to maintain one. While Valland and Prevelka maintain some elements of a standing army under direct command of their rulers, they and the lesser powers of Kahara simply lack what is required to have a full fledged standing army.
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=Common uses for Wealth=
  
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This is a major reason mercenaries are able to be profitable and keep finding work. It allows the various kingdoms and nations flexibility so they are only paying for military might when and where it's needed.
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The first is to provide a general guideline concerning how one lives.
  
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=Military Organization=
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The second is it may be rolled just like an Extended Skill Roll for some tasks such as gaining access to powerful individuals and organizations.
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With that established, an examination of what kinds of units are used.
 
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==Adventuring Companies==
 
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While adventuring companies aren't usually involved in military activities in the conventional sense, small groups of them may find themselves contracted for special missions that benefit from highly trained people few in number. These contracts usually pay quite well for those involved, though they are the least common and tend to require a degree of access to those with power normal adventurers find hard to get.
 
  
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Another matter of concern is most of these contracts are inherently political, which means many adventurers shy away from them unless they are seeking to get in or remain in the good graces of a potential patron.
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Another third use is Wealth/2 (rounded down) determines the baseline level of NPCs a PC can readily hire in places where they are available. One notable use of this would be for NPC healers should a character be injured.
  
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Adventuring companies often strain themselves to field more than five people at once, and it is almost unheard of for one to field more than twenty at a time on one contract.
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=Acquiring Wealth=
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==Levies==
 
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The most numerous form of military unit for Valland and Prevalka. These units are made up of lower class members of their respective societies, given primitive weapons, and sent to wherever a noble sees fit.
 
  
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These units are cheap to field, but fight poorly and are prone to desertion, particularly if they are kept on a campaign for too long. The wise noble seeks to use these units somewhat sparingly as overuse may turn what would have been a simple peasant revolt into an armed peasant revolt.
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Acquiring levels in Wealth is based on three traits a character can buy. To represent a character improving their situation, they may buy the appropriate trait depending on how their position improved. To represent a character's circumstances worsening, they may lower a trait or a trait may be lowered.
  
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==Mercenary Companies==
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Self Made: The most expensive trait which gives one level of Wealth per level of the trait. This represent's a character's Wealth improving by the character's own means and generally can't be removed or reduced without the player choosing to reduce it. In this way, it is the most secure.
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Mercenary companies are commonly used when someone with power needs soldiers with a higher degree of professionalism than levies but more numerous than what adventuring companies can provide. While prolonged use is expensive, they can be much cheaper than arming levies which revolt and need to be suppressed.
 
  
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Most mercenary companies are, as the name suggests, company sized, or smaller. This means about 100 soldiers as a rule. Where adventuring companies may be able to handle matters with surgical precision, mercenary companies are better equipped to handle duties more associated with soldiering.
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Patron: Your character's fate is closely tied to a powerful individual or group. This also grants one level of Wealth per level, but has more limitations such as being subordinate to a more powerful person. This trait can also be reduced or removed depending on actions taken in game. Requires staff approval.
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==Standing Armies==
 
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Standing armies are when a state pays for the continued maintenance of an entire group of people as well as their infrastructure to serve as soldiers. Overall standing armies lead to the highest discipline, supply, and morale over other options, but they are very expensive to raise and maintain, which is why only Moriquende in the current era uses them in large numbers.
 
  
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Valland and Prevelka do have standing units, but these are often referred to as "royal" or "elite" units rather than outright calling them standing armies.
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Elite: Your character is a societal elite of some kind. In most places this is nobility but it can differ. This also grants one level of wealth per level and is in terms of BP the cheapest method. However, characters with this trait require staff approval and are expected to be RP generators. In character actions can lead to a character's rank in this trait being changed.
  
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=Warfare=
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In short, for those who wish to be beholden to none, Self Made is ideal. For those who want a connection to a powerful person Patron will serve best. For those who are RP generators and are willing to be part of a network of special privileges and obligations, Elite is ideal.
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One thing to keep in mind is wars rarely last that long. The nature of the weather leading to a campaign season between when crops are planted and harvested means it is extremely rare for even an outright war to last an excessively long time.
 
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==Guards==
 
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Many units garrison their forces at strategic points along a border. They often choose strategic spots to control which would make it difficult for an army to pass without being contested, but due to limitations in money and personnel these are often pourous, allowing smaller amounts of people to pass through less watched areas without being noticed.
 
  
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Moriquende generally uses a standing army here. Valland uses its standing units mostly with the border with Moriquende, and most others use small units most of the time. However, a sure sign of tension is when a kingdom or nation augments its main forces with mercenary units.
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=General guidelines on Wealth and a character's general financial situation=
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==Skirmishes==
 
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Skirmishes and low intensity conflicts do not happen all the time, but are not uncommon. Most of these involve a mercenary company on at least one side and most of them end once communications catch up and clear up the misunderstanding which led to the skirmish.
 
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==Sieges==
 
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Between protective magic powerful enough to protect castles and cities as well as the lack of weaponry which can readily break it, capturing a city is exceptionally difficult. Most of the time this requires a siege, which is not only time consuming, but often leads to many deaths on both sides due to hunger and disease. This is one factor which limits the ability of anyone to be involved in a protracted war. Levies often fill out unit numbers in sieges, but their low discipline rarely makes them good for anything such as seizing a city.
 
  
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It is customary for a place under siege to be given multiple chances to surrender before it is stormed. Surrenders which take place before an outright assault when those inside deem the defense no longer viable are considered honorable. With a surrender, the city will change hands.
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0: Utter squalor. Has almost nothing, and even the clothes on the character's back may be in wretched condition. Death from undernourishment or disease is imminent.
  
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Other penalties are determined when a surrender takes place and the status of both the siege and the city's defenders.
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2: The character knows where their next meal is coming from, but it's likely poor quality food at best. They have a place to sleep which protects them from the worst of the elements but little else.
  
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For a short lived siege, the city may simply change hands. Depending on the local political situation it isn't wholly unheard of for the old leaders to be maintained, though this only happens when those in charge of the city believe it will change hands at the end of the conflict.
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4: The character may have a few special items (which are separate from Wealth), but beyond that their means are modest. They likely have a regular room at an inn or other place which provides a place to stay and can afford food of sufficient quality to provide sustenance. This is the situation of a large amount of the population of Kahara.
  
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For longer sieges, the leadership is often replaced. The former rulers' fate varies from house arrest to execution, often correlating with the effort needed to take a city. It is not uncommon for a "fire tax" to be imposed on those who live in the city to give them a chance to avoid the city being looted, particularly in long sieges. Fire tax terms are often negotiated before the end of a siege.
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6: The character has reliable work for which they are well compensated for at this level, usually. Usually it is either specialized, such as one practicing trade law with modest merchants, or highly dangerous, such as adventurers who have had a couple successful outings. This level is also approximately the Wealth rank of the lowest of nobles who are still acknowledged as being of noble blood. Characters at this rank can usually afford a room at the nicest inn in the area. Those who are able to sustain this level of Wealth or higher but appear outwardly idle are often viewed with suspicion since it is a common view they are either acting in secret or maintaining their wealth via means such as blackmail on a particularly powerful person.
  
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Should an assault on a city be required, there are few rules the attackers are expected to abide by in regards to soldier conduct during war. Between the protocols for surrender being robust combined with the possible consequences of an assault, the vast majority of sieges take quite a bit of time but ultimately end in a surrender and not an assault should the siege be maintained and unbroken.
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8: By this level reliable work is rarely enough to sustain this level of wealth. Most characters at this level have ventures and other projects they have put money into. Those who have reliable work at this level often have a patron who can afford to pay them at this level. Adventurers who have had many particularly successful outings may find themselves here, assuming they survive. Many lower rank nobles can be found at this level, but many of them have some form of productive activity which generates income. Occasionally there is an idle person with wealth at this level, but they virtually never rise above Wealth 8. It is at this rank that full houses become viable to have and maintain, including paying taxes. It is at this rank commoners often find lesser nobility start paying attention to them and may either see them as possible allies, adversaries, or pawns to use in their ambitions.
  
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==Battles==
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10: This is the pinnacle of wealth for most commoners, and a baseline average of wealth for nobles who have some form of tax collection or mining rights. By this level a character almost certainly has investments in various areas which have proven to be successful in addition to a great deal of work. Commoners who reach this level are often merchants or those who have particularly powerful patrons.
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Most battles do not involve great numbers of people, but these often take place at crucial chokepoints which do not devolve into sieges. Even though larger numbers than skirmishes are involved, casualties are much lighter than many may expect. The lack of weaponry which can easily outright kill combined with Restoration spells such as Stabilize, Reattach, and Regrowth substantially reduce the number of permanent casualties from even larger scale conflicts.
 
  
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[[Category: Setting]]
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11+: At Wealth 11 and above, a character is almost always nobility or royalty or has access to someone with such a title. Powerful mercenary company owners often sit here as well. Merchants can rise to these levels, but they almost always do so thanks to the support of noble or royal patrons and the special privileges only they can grant.
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16+: At Wealth 16 and above, a character is not only a powerful member of the nobility or royalty, they also have fabulously successful ventures, tax collection rights, and mining rights. Characters at this level are often the power brokers wherever they are found. Note: Characters at this level are almost always NPCs who may serve as major characters in a plot. Players should consult with staff before using characters at this level of Wealth.
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[[Category: Game Rules]]

Revision as of 01:47, 24 September 2020

Wealth is a special attribute that represents a combination of a character's assets, income, living arrangements as well as a rough approximation of a character's general influence at higher levels. Wealth is rated on a scale of 0-20. PCs start with a Wealth of 4 by default.

Common uses for Wealth

The first is to provide a general guideline concerning how one lives.

The second is it may be rolled just like an Extended Skill Roll for some tasks such as gaining access to powerful individuals and organizations.

Another third use is Wealth/2 (rounded down) determines the baseline level of NPCs a PC can readily hire in places where they are available. One notable use of this would be for NPC healers should a character be injured.

Acquiring Wealth

Acquiring levels in Wealth is based on three traits a character can buy. To represent a character improving their situation, they may buy the appropriate trait depending on how their position improved. To represent a character's circumstances worsening, they may lower a trait or a trait may be lowered.

Self Made: The most expensive trait which gives one level of Wealth per level of the trait. This represent's a character's Wealth improving by the character's own means and generally can't be removed or reduced without the player choosing to reduce it. In this way, it is the most secure.

Patron: Your character's fate is closely tied to a powerful individual or group. This also grants one level of Wealth per level, but has more limitations such as being subordinate to a more powerful person. This trait can also be reduced or removed depending on actions taken in game. Requires staff approval.

Elite: Your character is a societal elite of some kind. In most places this is nobility but it can differ. This also grants one level of wealth per level and is in terms of BP the cheapest method. However, characters with this trait require staff approval and are expected to be RP generators. In character actions can lead to a character's rank in this trait being changed.

In short, for those who wish to be beholden to none, Self Made is ideal. For those who want a connection to a powerful person Patron will serve best. For those who are RP generators and are willing to be part of a network of special privileges and obligations, Elite is ideal.

General guidelines on Wealth and a character's general financial situation

0: Utter squalor. Has almost nothing, and even the clothes on the character's back may be in wretched condition. Death from undernourishment or disease is imminent.

2: The character knows where their next meal is coming from, but it's likely poor quality food at best. They have a place to sleep which protects them from the worst of the elements but little else.

4: The character may have a few special items (which are separate from Wealth), but beyond that their means are modest. They likely have a regular room at an inn or other place which provides a place to stay and can afford food of sufficient quality to provide sustenance. This is the situation of a large amount of the population of Kahara.

6: The character has reliable work for which they are well compensated for at this level, usually. Usually it is either specialized, such as one practicing trade law with modest merchants, or highly dangerous, such as adventurers who have had a couple successful outings. This level is also approximately the Wealth rank of the lowest of nobles who are still acknowledged as being of noble blood. Characters at this rank can usually afford a room at the nicest inn in the area. Those who are able to sustain this level of Wealth or higher but appear outwardly idle are often viewed with suspicion since it is a common view they are either acting in secret or maintaining their wealth via means such as blackmail on a particularly powerful person.

8: By this level reliable work is rarely enough to sustain this level of wealth. Most characters at this level have ventures and other projects they have put money into. Those who have reliable work at this level often have a patron who can afford to pay them at this level. Adventurers who have had many particularly successful outings may find themselves here, assuming they survive. Many lower rank nobles can be found at this level, but many of them have some form of productive activity which generates income. Occasionally there is an idle person with wealth at this level, but they virtually never rise above Wealth 8. It is at this rank that full houses become viable to have and maintain, including paying taxes. It is at this rank commoners often find lesser nobility start paying attention to them and may either see them as possible allies, adversaries, or pawns to use in their ambitions.

10: This is the pinnacle of wealth for most commoners, and a baseline average of wealth for nobles who have some form of tax collection or mining rights. By this level a character almost certainly has investments in various areas which have proven to be successful in addition to a great deal of work. Commoners who reach this level are often merchants or those who have particularly powerful patrons.

11+: At Wealth 11 and above, a character is almost always nobility or royalty or has access to someone with such a title. Powerful mercenary company owners often sit here as well. Merchants can rise to these levels, but they almost always do so thanks to the support of noble or royal patrons and the special privileges only they can grant.

16+: At Wealth 16 and above, a character is not only a powerful member of the nobility or royalty, they also have fabulously successful ventures, tax collection rights, and mining rights. Characters at this level are often the power brokers wherever they are found. Note: Characters at this level are almost always NPCs who may serve as major characters in a plot. Players should consult with staff before using characters at this level of Wealth.

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