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Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen
Kingdoms and War / Optional Kingdom Rules

Independence and Unification

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 231
Sometimes, breaking a kingdom into multiple pieces or joining with another kingdom is the best option for longterm survival.

Declaring Independence

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 231
Though many kingdoms break apart due to military, racial, or religious conflicts, you can divide up your kingdom amiably if all leaders agree. During the Event phase, follow these steps.

Step 1: Decide how many kingdoms you’ll make out of the old one.

Step 2: Split up the kingdom. Determine which hexes belong to each daughter kingdom. Divide the treasury in a fair manner (such as proportionate to population or Size), and divide any other mobile assets (such as armies).

Step 3: Determine how much Unrest in the parent kingdom does not result from leadership and building modifiers. Divide this by the number of daughter kingdoms being made from the parent kingdom (minimum 1 Unrest).

Step 4: Each daughter kingdom should follow the steps for founding a kingdom (see page 200). Treat leaders moving from the parent kingdom to a daughter kingdom as abdicating their posts in the parent kingdom. Loyalty increases by 1 for each daughter kingdom for the next 6 months. Add the Unrest from Step 3 to the Unrest for the daughter kingdoms.

The GM may influence any of these steps as appropriate to the situation, such as by giving one kingdom an Economy penalty and a Loyalty bonus, or dividing the Unrest in Step 4 unequally between the kingdoms.

If independence occurs as a result of creating a secondary territory by losing control of a connecting hex (see Losing Hexes), the additional Unrest penalty from having a kingdom leader act as the Ruler ends.

Independence and Diplomatic Edicts: If you’re using Diplomatic edicts, you may wish to use such an edict to declare independence. Treat this act as a Diplomatic edict to form an alliance, but the sponsor’s initial attitude toward your kingdom is 2 steps worse. If successful, the negotiation emancipates your kingdom and ends any treaty or alliance with your former patron; you retain an embassy with that kingdom and can try to negotiate a new treaty or alliance. If the negotiation fails, it worsens the patron’s attitude by 1 additional step. If this changes the patron’s attitude to hostile, it leads to war against your rebellious kingdom.

The paragraph above describes an optimal, peaceful situation where part of the kingdom wants to split away from the rest or the rulers want to divide the kingdom into smaller kingdoms. Splitting a country because of invasion, revolution, or a similar conflict usually involves unique circumstances and is beyond the scope of these rules; the GM should use the above steps as guidelines for when the kingdom leaders reach an agreement with others about how to split the kingdom.

Forming a Union

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 232
Just as a kingdom can divide into separate pieces, kingdoms may want to unite to become a more powerful political entity. If the leaders in each kingdom agree to the union, the process is relatively smooth. During the Event phase, follow these steps.

First, combine the Treasuries and any other mobile assets (such as armies) of the kingdoms. Next, determine how much Unrest in each kingdom is not from leadership and building modifiers. Average these numbers together (minimum 1 Unrest).

Then follow the steps for founding a kingdom. Treat leaders who change roles as changing roles within the same kingdom.

Once you’ve got your new, combined kingdom, add the Unrest from earlier to the Unrest for the new kingdom.

The GM may influence any of these steps as appropriate to the situation, such as giving hexes in the smaller kingdom a temporary Loyalty penalty for 1 year, or giving the entire kingdom a 1d4–2 Stability modifier each turn for 6 months.