BRCS:Chapter five/Ruling a domain/Domain action rounds

Most players enjoy role-playing adventures, not public administration. Domain actions are intended to serve as a backdrop for adventures in Cerilia. Domain rules provide a measure by which the impact of a character's actions on the world at large can be easily measured and provide a motivation for a wide variety of non-traditional adventures. Domain rules are a tool for creating exciting adventures and challenges for the PCs but are not designed to become the focus of the game.

Domain action rounds should be conducted as the players and the DM see fit. It is often easiest to play the domain action at a lull in adventuring action near the beginning of each new month of the game calendar. Domain actions are intended to be abstractions and thus the process of resolving most domain actions takes place outside of adventuring time. Once the regent specifies his goals, his courtiers are capable of taking care of most details. If a player wishes for his regent character to take a personal hand in all matters then he may, but this is not required. Playing a domain round generally does not force the PC to drop what he is doing and return to his capital cities. Regents have organized and able assistance to handle day-to-day matters; often a simple message or two is all that is necessary to perform a domain action. Even during periods of extended travel or imprisonment, a regent's lieutenant is usually aware of his regent's goals and the PC should be allowed to choose an action for his domain normally.

If a domain action leads into an adventure, it is often easiest to finish everyone's action for the domain action round before beginning the adventure. Some DMs prefer to "freeze" the domain turn until the adventure reaches its conclusion; this technique requires slightly more overhead on the part of the DM and players.

The PCs should always be the center of action. There is very little benefit in playing out the actions of every regent in Cerilia simultaneously. Domain turns should only be run for domains in which the PCs have an active interest. The DM should only run NPC regents whose domains intersect with the interests of the PCs, news of the actions elsewhere in the world can be abstracted as in a non-Birthright campaign.

The actions of some regents, on the other hand, are of great interest to the players. Some NPC regents will be allies, enemies, and rivals for the player characters at the domain level. As a general rule of thumb, the DM should select about as many NPC regents to act as there are PC regents. These regents may change from domain round to domain round; when they are not selected to act they can be assumed to be engaged in routine administration, personal business, or in dealing with other matters which prevents them from taking actions to aid or oppose the PCs. During these actions, the NPCs can often be assumed to spend the "average" RP and GB that they spend on domain rounds in which they are active to the PCs view. Alternately, if the NPC regent will be inactive for an entire domain turn, the DM can simply forgo all collections and expenses for the turn and assume that the NPC domain remains static.

Prior to declaring their domain actions, regent characters receive reports for their court, travelers, merchants, spies and other sources regarding visible events of important in their region. An ideal BIRTHRIGHT campaign includes allies, opponents, and challenges for the player characters at the domain level as well as the adventure level. The relaying of important events and news is one of the most powerful tools that a DM has for relaying the scope of the character's activities and for involving characters in realm or nationwide events.

In addition to news of events in their area, regents need to know the results of some NPC domain actions. Any regent with a holding is aware of the identity of all other regents that have holdings (except source holdings) or other assets in provinces that they share. Furthermore, regents are aware of the exact holding level of other holdings of the same type as theirs. Province regents have full knowledge of all regents and holding levels throughout their domain, except for source regents.

Unlike other holdings, source regents gain regency though ritual magics which channel collected mebhaighl to bolster their divine bloodline. Thus, the identity of source regents in a province is often a mystery, even to each other. An Espionage domain action may be necessary to discern the identity of a source regent who wishes to remain anonymous.

Every domain (both PC and NPC) is subject to periodic events. The frequency and nature of such events can have a significant impact on the flavor of a BIRTHRIGHT campaign. Secondary plotlines can be developed, and adventure hooks planted. Events can be generated randomly using the provided table, but need not be. Often, the best adventures are those that the DM motivates through the use of cleverly staged "random" events. Players should not usually be aware of whether or not an event is a randomly generated; they should give equal consideration to every event (the same situation faced by real rulers).

Events should be used with care. Provocative events (such as an assassination attempt) can quickly change character priorities and derail your adventure plans for the evening. Insert events to spark an adventure or set the stage for a plot line, but be careful about introducing events that will distract your players from the story. Generating events well in advance of the game calendar can give the DM time to plant "hints" that may allow players to better foresee and react to the impending event.

Many events present a risk for loss of money, regency, or loyalty/attitude until they are resolved. An event resolution check must be made for all current domain events at the end of each month. An event resolution check is a d20 check modified on the basis on the regent's response to the event.
Regent domain action: The character expends the standard action for the domain and their own personal action to address the situation personally. At the DM's discretion, this can result in a role-playing encounter or adventure. Events such as intrigue, monsters, diplomatic matters, and assassination lend them selves particularly well to this approach. This approach has the highest chance for the regent to gain regency or loyalty. The DM must assess the regent's plan of action and assign a bonus to the event resolution check based on the regent's skills and actions. Excellent: +10, Good: +5, Average: +2, Poor: +0, Disastrous: -2.

Standard domain action: The regent decides how the matter should be handled and makes the matter her court's highest priority for the domain round. Sending the court bard to a diplomatic situation, the Royal huntmaster to handle a rumored monster, the court mage to investigate magical occurrences are excellent management strategies. This approach uses the resources of the court and may require character actions from lieutenants. The court may use its base reputation modifier as a bonus to the event resolution check.

Court domain action: The regent decides how the matter should be handled, and then relies on some else to handle it. For example, she might order a nearby garrison to increase patrols, or hire adventurers to negotiate with or kill the monsters. Solving problems by passing them off to someone else is better than ignoring them, but are unlikely to cause a gain of regency. The event resolution check has no modifier.

No action: There is always a chance that a problem will go away even if ignored. Perhaps wandering adventurers will slay a monster plaguing the province or a problem at home will force the recall of a diplomatic embassy. This is obviously not the preferred way to deal with most issues and does not gain the regent loyalty or regency. The event resolution check is made at a ?5 penalty.

In addition, some skills may modify the results of an event resolution. A skill check against a DC 15 by the regent or lieutenant overseeing the matter increases the event resolutions success by one rating (Disaster to Poor, Poor to Fair, and so on). Administrate affects a Matter of Justice, Gather Information affects an Intrigue, Diplomacy affects a Diplomatic Matter, Lead affects a Great Captain/Heresy, and Knowledge (Arcana) affects a Magical Event.

Unusually competent and skilled regents can restore faded bloodlines to prominence. At the end of each domain round, scions may gain regency based upon their actions. Regency gains due to a regent's actions do not count against his monthly regency collection limit, but this income does not allow the scion to exceed his normal maximum regency reserve; RP gained above this maximum are lost. Unless otherwise specified, gains in regency come in three categories: Minor, Major, and Great.
Minor gains are caused by resounding successes in dealing with minor events, success in a minor battle, or heroic actions taken in service to the domain. A minor gain results in a gain of RP equal to the regent's bloodline ability score.

Major gains are caused by heroic actions of significant important, success in a major battle, or a resounding success in dealing with a major event. A major gain results in a gain of RP equal to double the regent's bloodline ability score.

Great gains are caused only by heroic actions for which the regent will be remembered in story and song for hundreds of years. Such gains are exceedingly rare; most regents never realize a Great gain of regency. A great gain increases the regents bloodline ability score by one point.

A scion's success in dealing with domain events or other efforts in service to the domain may cause the respect in which they are held by the populace to soar; the scion may realize a gain in regency. Adjusting RP is a way to account for the events that occur in and around domains, to reward just rule, and to penalize poor rule. A regent that leaves the governance of his domain to others will see his bloodline crumble, and will likely eventually be forced to abdicate - or worse. A regent's regency collection depends upon his ability to govern well; the failures of incompetent individuals can bring down powerful families and dynasties.

At the end of each domain round, scions may lose regency based upon their actions. If the regent does not have sufficient RP in his reserve to cover the regency lost, then his bloodline is automatically reduced to provide the necessary regency. Each point of bloodline loss produces RP equal to twice the regent's ability score (refer to Increasing/decreasing bloodline score in Chapter Two for details). This process continues, if necessary, until the entire RP loss is paid. Unless otherwise specified, losses in regency come in three categories: Minor, Major, and Great.

Minor losses are caused by failure to respond to minor events, the loss of a portion of one's domain, occupation of one of your provinces by an enemy, being defeated in a minor battle, misuse of the domain treasury, being publicly humiliated by a peer, or acting in a manner inconsistent with your alignment. A minor loss results in the loss of RP equal to 1d4 times the regent's bloodline ability score.

Major losses are the result of failure to respond to major events, serious alignment infractions, loss of a province (or a significant group of holdings), occupation of one of your provinces by your own forces (martial law), or a major defeat in battle. A major loss results in the loss of RP equal to 2d4 times the regent's bloodline ability score.

Great losses are caused by the occupation or destruction of a significant portion of your domain or a military catastrophe. Great losses are generally the result of only by negligence, gross incompetence, or significant failure. A great loss of RP results in a loss of RP equal to 4d4 times the regent's bloodline ability score.

As with combat, action at the domain level is broken up into rounds. Every domain round, each regent gets to do something. Domain actions are used to represent the actions that a domain can perform. A domain action round represents one month in the game world. Each domain round, a regent can perform either a Full domain action or a Standard domain action and a Character action. Additionally, a domain regent may be able to perform one or more Court actions before, after, or between performing his other actions. The fundamental actions of ruling and diplomacy are treated using the basic action types below:

Not a domain action: Most normal activities are not considered domain actions. Events that don't utilize significant time or other resources of the domain or its court do not fall under the domain level rules system. Most character actions are not domain actions. Note, however, that a character's non-domain actions may make it impossible for her to be personally involved in domain actions if her actions take her far from the center of power.

Character action: Regents, like other characters, have personal tasks that they may wish to accomplish. This could include attending a festival, doing research, adventuring, crafting items, or any other normal non-domain activity. Character actions involve only the character or a small group of characters, not the actions of an entire court. The main difference between a character action and a standard domain action is the scale of resources invested and involved; a character action generally involves strictly personal resources.

Court domain action: The regent initiates a Court action but members of the regent's court handle the details of the matter almost entirely. Court domain actions are similar to Free actions in combat, although they may be important, they require very little time or other resources and do not require the focus of the regent or the entire court. The level of the domain's court determines the number of Court domain actions that a domain can take per domain round. A domain with a very small court may not be eligible to take any Court actions and must therefore rely on standard domain actions to accomplish even the smallest of domain-level tasks.

Standard domain action: Each domain normally is allowed one standard domain action per domain round. A regent's standard domain action represents the primary focus or goal of the regent's court and agents for the domain round. The regent need not be physically present for his domain to take a standard action; only routine communication is required. If the regent is unable to communicate to his realm, the character's player should still be allowed to select a reasonable domain action for the domain that represents the court's attempts to maintain the realm in the regent's absence. A regent's court can be reasonably expected to perform the same actions as the regent would; a regent's courtiers make it their buisness to have a fair idea of the regent's opinions on important matters. A regent can spend regency to support his domain's standard domain actions, regardless of his personal involvement.

Full domain action: Some standard domain actions are so important that the regent chooses to (or must) personally oversee the action. A full domain action consists of both the standard domain action that is the focus of the regent's mechanism of governance and the regent's character action. A regent can spend regency to support full domain actions. A regent that personally oversees the affairs of his realm is eligible to gain bonuses to domain action checks due to skill synergies.

Generally, domain actions affect one domain asset, province, or holding and take effect in the period of one domain turn. Some domain actions have a wider scope (although often with higher cost).

Realm action: Some domain actions can be applied to a number of targets at once ; actions with the potential of increased scope will discuss this fact in their descriptions. For each court action used to support the domain action, one additional target may be selected. A realm action can be targeted at any or all provinces in a single realm (all of the targeted provinces must be owned by the same regent), or at any or all holdings in a single province (regardless of regent).

For example, a priest regent may order all of her temple holdings throughout a kingdom to Agitate against an evil ruler. If the regent wished to use an action to affect three provinces simultaneously, it would require two court actions and have triple the standard cost.

A regent attempting to affect multiple provinces with the same action must meet the costs for all provinces. The regent is limited by normal restrictions on the use of the action; for example, she cannot target a province in which she does not maintain holdings of the appropriate type. The domain action requires a domain action resolution check for each target, and RP spent to modify the roll must be spent separately for each check.

Extended domain action: Some actions require more than a single action round to complete. Extended actions may require the domain to expend a court, standard, or even a full domain action every domain action round until the action is complete. The Build domain action, for example, often requires the expenditure of time and resources over a prolonged period of time.

Domain actions are roughly parallel to combat actions. Court actions are roughly equivalent to Free actions; although they can be important, they don't really take up any significant time. Like Free actions, Court actions can be taken before or after other actions during the character's initiative. A Character action is roughly equivalent to a move-equivalent action. Character actions take significant time, but don't constitute an "attack" at the domain level - they receive no domain action check. Standard domain actions are equivalent to Standard actions in combat. The standard action is the "important" part of each round, and there can be only one such focus per round. Like a standard action, a standard domain action leaves some "extra" time in which a Character action (like a move-equivalent action) can be made. A Full domain action is roughly equivalent to a Full round action in combat; the only other actions that the character can perform are Court (Free) actions.

Like actions in combat, domains actions are conducted one event at a time, in initiative order. Regents may delay and ready domain actions in the same way that combat actions are delayed and ready.

Domain initiative: Before actions are played out each domain round, each regent must make a domain initiative check (1d20 + Bloodline modifier). Character's with no Bloodline, or a Bloodline modifier of less than +0 roll a straight d20 (without modifiers). The regent with the highest score goes first. The character with the next highest initiative gets to go next, and so on through the initiative order.

Delaying: By choosing to delay, you take no action and then act normally at whatever initiative point you decide to act. Delaying is useful if you wish to see what your allies and enemies are up to before acting. When the initiative count reaches ?10 minus a scion's Bloodline modifier, you must act or lose your action for the domain round. For example, a regent with a Bloodline score of 12 cannot delay her initiative below ?12. If multiple regents are delaying, only the one with the highest Bloodline gets to go last.

Readying: Readying a domain action allows you to take a standard court action later, in response to a specific event. Only standard Court actions can be readied. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will do so. Then anytime during the round, you may take the readied action in response to those conditions, potentially interrupting the plans of another regent. Readying only affects your standard domain action, you may take your character actions and/or allow Court actions before declaring your readied action and conditions.

In order to take an action, you must pay the cost for doing so - in many cases, a minimum of 1 GB to start the action off. For certain actions, you must also possess a certain type of holding or asset. If you do not fulfill these requirements, you may not perform the action.

Domain actions, like many combat actions, are not automatically successful. Many require a domain action check. A domain action check is the roll of 1d20 plus any modifiers. The base Difficulty Class of a domain check is dependent on the specific action attempted. The following modifiers commonly apply to success rolls for domain actions:

Holding modifiers: +1 per level of allied holdings of the selected type in province, -1 per level of opposed holdings of the selected type. The regent or members of his court carry out the administration of a domain action, but for most domain actions, the details of the action are handled by the employees and personnel of a holding under the regent's control. When you take a domain action in a province, you must use one of your holdings in the province to execute the action. You gain a bonus to the action check equal to the level of this active holding.

In addition, other holdings of the same type as your active holding can support or oppose your action. Using holdings to oppose or support another regent's actions is not a domain action. Allied holdings of the same type provide a bonus equal to their level. Opposed holdings of the same type provide a penalty equal to their level. Holdings of different types cannot add or subtract their level to your check. Any applicable regent may order such support or opposition once he is aware of the action. Support from holding level is highly visible, all regents (and residents) of the area will be aware of the regent's support, opposition, or apathy regarding the action.

Skill modifier: (Full domain actions only) +1 for every 5 ranks that the regent has in the relevant skill. Each domain action is dependent on a specific skill listed in its description. If the regent sacrifices his character action to take a personal hand in the implementation of the domain action, then the domain action receives a bonus proportionate to the regent's skill.

Loyalty modifier: +1 for Helpful, -2 for Unfriendly, -4 for Hostile. The attitude of a province's population toward the active regent has a significant impact on any actions that he takes in the province.

Regency Points: +1 per RP spent to support, -1 per RP spent to oppose. Regents may spend RP to support or oppose most domain action checks. The province regent and any regent that has any holding of any level in the province in which the domain action is taking place may spend RP to support or oppose the action. There is no limit (save availability) to how many RP may be spent to support or oppose an action.

Spending RP to support or oppose an action is done in reverse domain initiative order. Each eligible regent may spend RP to support or oppose the domain action check. Each regent must be offered the opportunity to spend regency each round. Bidding continues round by round, until a round passes in which no regent bids additional RP, a which point the domain action check can be made.

Although it is obvious when a holding level opposes or supports an action, the spending of RP is not necessarily so. RP can be spent "anonymously" at the regent's desire. The player is always aware of the RP being spent against them (and can use this information during bidding), but the character may not be aware of the mastermind behind the forces opposing his action.

You may wish domain actions to have differing levels of success; in this case, consider a success roll that succeeds by a margin of 10 or more a good success, which increases the efficiency at which the action is performed by 25%, and a success by a margin of 20 or more to be of extraordinary level, increasing the efficiency of said action by 50%. If the efficiency of the action isn't possible to increase, the regent instead gains a 1 RP bonus for a good success, and a 3 RP bonus for an extraordinary success.

Source holdings are substantially different that other types of holdings. Only practitioners of true magic can create or rule source holdings. Other characters cannot control sources directly; although they control them indirectly through the services of a vassal mage.

Unlike other holdings and domain assets, source holdings and ley lines have no maintenances cost. However, control of source holdings provide no income and little in the way of direct political impact. Control of other types of holdings allows the regent to utilize the holding to perform domain actions in the province in which the holding lies. Source holdings do not provide such benefits. Source holding levels cannot usually be applied to aid in a domain action. Furthermore, the regent of a source holding gains no special insight into the political powers of the province and may be largely unaware of the other regents in the province. On the other hand, it is equally difficult for non-source regents to view the level or current regent of source holdings in their provinces.

Powerful sources can provide the regent mage with considerable influence of the wildlife and natural resources of the province. Source holdings of level 4 or higher count as virtual guilds for the mage. As a source holding increases, so too does the influence of the mage over the wildlife and simple-folk of the region. A source holding of level 4 acts as a virtual guild (0), a source holding of level 5 acts as a virtual guild (1), and so on. This virtual guild is not an actual holding, it does not count against the total level of guild holding in the province nor it can not be contested, ruled, or invested as a separate entity - its fate is entirely tied to that of the source holding. Otherwise, the virtual guild provides most of the benefits of an actual guild: the regent mage collects gold (but not regency) each domain turn, the mage can use the guild level in domain actions to affect public opinion (Agitate), rally soldiers to their cause (Muster troops), collect information through agents (Espionage), or collect income from trade (Create trade route) in exactly the same way as an actual guild of the appropriate level.

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• Components of a domain
  
• The domain turn
  
• Adjusting domain attitude
  
• Domain collections
  
• Domain expenses
  
• Domain action rounds
  
• Domain action descriptions