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Optional Kingdom Rules

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 228
The following sections are optional rules for the kingdom-building system. These rules are modular; if the group prefers a simpler version of the kingdom rules, the GM can ignore the options and only use the standard kingdom-building rules. Many of these optional rules introduce more math into kingdom-building and use complex formulas to derive additional effects to be placed on the kingdom. The GM decides whether to use any of these optional rules in the campaign, and whether to keep or discard them if they interfere with the campaign’s intended style of play.

Abandoned Buildings

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 228
If a building requires another to be adjacent (such as how a Tavern must be adjacent to a House or Mansion), and that required building is demolished or destroyed, the GM may decide that the associated building goes out of business or otherwise shuts down 1d3 turns later because of lack of customers or support. If this occurs, you lose the building’s benefit and Unrest increases by 1.

If you build a replacement for the abandoned building, on the next Upkeep phase you may attempt an Economy check to activate the abandoned building; success means the abandoned building is occupied and provides its bonuses. If you fail, you may keep trying on the next turn.

Deities and Holy Sites

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 228
Instead of Cathedrals, Shrines, and Temples providing the same bonuses to Economy, Loyalty, and Stability regardless of that building’s religious affiliation, they can instead provide a bonus to an attribute related to the alignment of the god worshiped.

A Temple increases attributes as follows: Chaotic: Loyalty +2; Evil: Economy +2; Good: Loyalty +2; Lawful: Economy +2; Neutral: Stability +2 (apply this twice if the god’s alignment is simply Neutral, not Chaotic Neutral or Lawful Neutral). A Cathedral increases these attributes by 4 instead of 2. A Shrine increases one attribute, and only by 1; for example, a lawful good Shrine increases Economy by 1 or Loyalty by 1).

Instead of granting alignment-based bonuses, a religious building may grant bonuses based on the portfolio of its chosen god. For example, a Temple of the goddess of wine may increase Economy and Loyalty (the same attributes as a Tavern) each by 2, and a Temple of the god of greed may increase Economy and Stability (the same attributes as a Black Market) each by 2. These values replace the building’s normal modifiers to Economy, Loyalty, and Stability, and should never provide bonuses greater than the building’s normal bonuses (+1 for a Shrine, +4 for a Temple, +8 for a Cathedral).

Expanding Settlement Modifiers

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 230
As explained in the Buildings section, the Settlement entry for a building lists modifiers that affect skill checks in the settlement. If the GM wants these modifiers to influence the kingdom as a whole, add up the Settlement modifiers for all settlements in your kingdom, divide them by 10, and apply the following adjustments according to your kingdom’s alignment: Chaotic: +1 Crime; Evil: +1 Corruption; Good: +1 Society; Lawful +1 Law; Neutral: +1 Lore (apply this twice if the kingdom’s alignment is simply Neutral, not Chaotic Neutral or Lawful Neutral). Use these total modifiers everywhere in your kingdom. If a settlement has its own settlement modifier, use the higher of the two modifiers for rolls relating to that settlement.

Fame and Infamy

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 230
Kingdoms gain notoriety for the actions of their leaders and citizens, as well as for constructing certain types of buildings. This leads to the development of Fame or Infamy. Fame represents a positive perception of a kingdom—it’s seen as a place of culture, learning, peace, and honor—as well as reflecting its measure of success in diplomacy, trade, and battle. Infamy represents a negative perception of a kingdom—it’s perceived as treacherous, corrupt, prejudiced, ruthlessly warmongering, and villainous.

As a kingdom grows, it can gain and lose both Fame and Infamy, but these are not opposite statistics—an increase in Fame does not mean an equal decrease in Infamy. For example, a kingdom may be famous for culture and learning as well as infamous for treachery and corruption.

These Fame and Infamy values are not associated with the Reputation and Fame campaign system.

Starting Values: When you found a kingdom, it starts with Fame 1 or Infamy 1 (Ruler’s choice). The other value starts at 0. Fame and Infamy cannot go below 0. Certain buildings (such as Arenas and Castles) increase Fame. Some events (such as Squatters or Visiting Celebrity) can increase or reduce Fame or Infamy.

Settlement Modifiers: Add all the Lore and Society modifiers from all your settlements and divide by 10; add this amount to your Fame. Add all the Corruption and Crime modifiers from all your settlements and divide by 10; add this amount to your Infamy.

Size Increases: When your kingdom’s Size increases to 11, 26, 51, 101, and 201, Fame or Infamy (Ruler’s choice) increases by 1.

Using Fame and Infamy: Fame and Infamy affect skill checks relating to other kingdoms. For every 10 points of your kingdom’s Fame, your citizens gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks to influence government officials of other kingdoms. For every 10 points of your kingdom’s Infamy, your citizens gain a +1 bonus on Intimidate checks to influence government officials of other kingdoms.

Forms of Government

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 231
The kingdom-building rules presume your government is a feudal monarchy; the leaders are appointed for life (either by themselves or an outside agency such as a nearby monarch), and pass their titles to their heirs. The form of government you choose can help establish the flavor and feel of the kingdom and also adjust its settlements’ modifiers. You may choose one of the following as the kingdom’s government.

Autocracy: A single person rules the kingdom by popular acclaim. This person may be elected by the people, a popular hero asked to lead, or even a hereditary monarch who rules with a light hand. Modifiers: None.

Magocracy: An individual or group with potent magical power leads the kingdom and promotes the spread of magical and mundane knowledge and education. Those with magical abilities often enjoy favored status in the kingdom. Modifiers: Lore +2, Productivity –1, Society –1.

Oligarchy: A group of councilors, guild masters, aristocrats, and other wealthy and powerful individuals meet in council to lead the kingdom and direct its policies. Modifiers: Corruption +1, Law –1, Lore –1, Society +1.

Overlord: The kingdom’s ruler is a single individual who either seized control or inherited command of the settlement and maintains a tight grasp on power. Modifiers: Corruption +1, Crime –1, Law +1, Society –1.

Republic: The kingdom is ruled by a parliament of elected or appointed officials who represent the various geographic areas and cultural constituents of the kingdom, making decisions for the whole through voting, bureaucratic procedures, and coalition-building. Modifiers: Crime –1, Law –1, Productivity +1, Society +1.

Secret Syndicate: An unofficial or illegal group like a thieves’ guild rules the kingdom—the group may use a puppet leader to maintain secrecy, but the group pulls the strings. Modifiers: Corruption +1, Crime +1, Law –3, Productivity +1.

Theocracy: The kingdom is ruled by the leader of its most popular religion, and the ideas and members of that religion often enjoy favored status in government and the kingdom. Modifiers: Corruption –1, Law +1, Lore +1, Society –1.

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.

Leadership Role Skills

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 232
Each leadership role provides bonuses to kingdom statistics based on one of the leader’s ability scores. The GM may want to allow a leader’s ranks in a relevant skill (such as Diplomacy or Intimidate) to also affect the kingdom statistics. For every 5 full ranks in a relevant skill, the leader may increase the leadership modifier by an additional 1. These skill-based additional bonuses modify the standard leadership role bonuses in the same way that the Leadership feat grants additional bonuses.

The relevant skills for each leadership role are as follows.

Ambassador: Diplomacy

Consort: Knowledge (nobility)

Councilor: Knowledge (local)

General: Profession (soldier)

Grand Diplomat: Diplomacy

Heir: Knowledge (nobility)

High Priest: Knowledge (religion)

Magister: Knowledge (arcana)

Marshal: Survival

Royal Enforcer: Intimidate

Ruler: Knowledge (nobility)

Spymaster: Sense Motive

Treasurer: Profession (merchant)

Viceroy: Knowledge (geography)

Warden: Knowledge (engineering)

Settlement Sizes

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 232
The GM may want to adjust settlement modifiers based on the kingdom’s Size and how that corresponds to the standard settlement size categories in the Core Rulebook.

Table 4-14: Settlement Sizes and Modifiers

Lots	Category	Modifiers	Danger
1	Village	-4	-10
2-8	Small Town	-2	-5
9-20	Large Town	0	0
21-40	Small City	+1	+5
41-100	Large City	+1*	+5*
101+	Metropolis	+1*	+5*

* Per district.

Modifiers: Add the listed number to the settlement’s Corruption, Crime, Law, Lore, Productivity, and Society.

Danger: Add the listed number to the settlement’s Danger value.

Special Edicts

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 229
There are four types of optional special edicts: Diplomatic, Exploration, Trade, and Vassalage. Each turn in the Edict phase, after you have issued your Holiday, Improvement, Promotion, and Taxation edicts, you may issue one of these special edicts.

Archives of Nethys

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All Rules in Kingdoms and War

Table 4-14: Settlement Sizes and Modifiers