How Normal are Runelords

[Baron Wulfraed]

13 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

25% Category Modifier.... Is that some lucky rolling? Or some other stat allotment? (ie, min-maxxing?)

Probably lucky rolling... Earth @ 70% so +2 to CON, Air @ 60 so +1 to STR

STR 18
CON 16
SIZ 18
DEX 12
INT 18
POW 14
CHA 13

I'll admit this was the first character I generated using the new edition, and might have had some mistakes in it. I'm currently computing it as just 15%... Still leaves a 100% broadsword with no personal skill allotment. Need to see if I can find records of what I was doing two years ago (I'd generated as a comparison with -- as much as possible -- the same character in RQ3)

 

[Rodney Dangerduck]

15 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

25% Category Modifier.... Is that some lucky rolling? Or some other stat allotment? (ie, min-maxxing?)

We did a straight "assign 92 points", which ends up at 98, and it is easy to be +15%, and possible (if you take a small size and only a D4 damage bonus) to get +20%.

[PhilHibbs]

3 hours ago, Baron Wulfraed said:

Probably lucky rolling... Earth @ 70% so +2 to CON, Air @ 60 so +1 to STR

STR 18
CON 16
SIZ 18
DEX 12
INT 18
POW 14
CHA 13

I'll admit this was the first character I generated using the new edition, and might have had some mistakes in it. I'm currently computing it as just 15%... Still leaves a 100% broadsword with no personal skill allotment.

Yes, that's +15 manipulation.

[Shiningbrow]

7 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

We did a straight "assign 92 points", which ends up at 98, and it is easy to be +15%, and possible (if you take a small size and only a D4 damage bonus) to get +20%.

15... Sure (easy). 20... No problem...

But 25??? Requires three 17s. From a 98 point buy, all at 1:1, could give 17, 17, 17, 14, 11, 11, 11... (or similar)

 

[Adaras]

On 6/23/2021 at 5:52 PM, Nick Brooke said:

My old rule of thumb at population level (adventuring parties and YG WV) is that maybe 1% of the adult population are Rune level (in order of increasing rarity: God Talkers, Rune Priests and Rune Lords).

So a typical Sartarite clan of 1,000 people (500 adults) might have maybe five Rune level members, and likely only one or two Rune Lords max. Obviously they'll have at least a God Talker each for Orlanth and Ernalda, leaving three Rune levels over. Probably each of them maintains a shrine for one of the clan's unique specialisms within the tribe.

Hi Nick 😄 I was wondering if I could bother you again, do you know if there is a good rule of thumb for how many nobles there is in a clan? Like what is the social demographic? 

[Nick Brooke]

Depends how rich the clan is, but not many at all.

[Joerg]

The problem with nobles is that they usually come with an entire household of people required to display the necessary status symbols. So if young Harmast Brandgorsson needs striped horses rather than ordinary ones, the clan will have to finance that extravaganza. You can't let the (slightly heroic) son of the chief ride on subpar steeds, even if he spends too much time gallivanting around.

There may be clan members who are tribal thanes, rather than clan nobility. That's fine, you already paid the tribe for some ostentation, and it is good if some of that falls back onto the clan. The tribal king will take income not just from the profits the tribal herd makes, but also from the trade tolls in the confederation city. (Unless your tribe is Colymar or Lismelder... but then both these tribes take some profit from the secondary but more direct route from Duck Point to Runegate and onward to Tarsh.)

[Jeff]

1 hour ago, Adaras said:

Hi Nick 😄 I was wondering if I could bother you again, do you know if there is a good rule of thumb for how many nobles there is in a clan? Like what is the social demographic? 

Nobles? Properly speaking a typical clan has a chief (and their household) and a chief Earth Priestess (and their household). That's the nobility. You really find more nobility around the tribal kings, city leaders, or Sartar household.

I've said this elsewhere, but Thunder Rebels presented the Orlanthi clans like they are atomic monads for everything in Sartarite society. That's not really the case. Although nearly everyone belongs to a kinship group, there are lots of positions of power and authority that are not really clan-based. 

[GoldShogun]

16 minutes ago, Jeff said:

Nobles? Properly speaking a typical clan has a chief (and their household) and a chief Earth Priestess (and their household). That's the nobility. You really find more nobility around the tribal kings, city leaders, or Sartar household.

I've said this elsewhere, but Thunder Rebels presented the Orlanthi clans like they are atomic monads for everything in Sartarite society. That's not really the case. Although nearly everyone belongs to a kinship group, there are lots of positions of power and authority that are not really clan-based. 

How far does a noble household extend?

Does it include a chief’s children, brothers, cousins etc?

[Joerg]

4 hours ago, GoldShogun said:

How far does a noble household extend?

Does it include a chief’s children, brothers, cousins etc?

The children of Dronlan, tribal Thane of Apple Lane since before the conquest of Sartar, and well into Temertain's reign, appear to have received some benefits, but weren't exactly seen as nobles. The sons had at least freeman status and tended the hide that the office brought (outside of the five tenant-operated hides). The runaway daughter had a decent set of starting equipment for an adventurer. But that's his new household, bound to the office.

Dronlan's brothers, and possibly cousins, would be part of the Ernaldori household that Dronlan left when he received that appointment. That bloodline holding (from the clan) would be carried forward by the family.

As a thane, Dronlan is allowed to maintain followers, and his funds should allow him to maintain one or two freemen retainers. Now followers usually come as individuals, although long time followers settling down and making a family is far from unheard of.

But then, marriage partners bring another business to the household. A thane is supposed to do thane stuff, which allows him some time to work on his own hide, but mostly to oversee others - both followers, junior household members, and tenants. A wife will have some form of economic specialization - possibly farming or herding, possibly something rarer - but something that would support at least a moderate standard of living. If the wife gets called on doing the thane's work, she becomes a retainer for that portion of her time.

Then there is another form of retainers - residents of the extended household. These usually don't have an agricultural hide of their own, but offer their work for a portion of the produce, and have smaller plots to manage for themselves, and probably some form of cottage industry. Depending on ability and demand, that cottage industry may enable them with a fairly wealthy standard of living. Tending a shrine as a god-talker (not necessarily with the full priestly benefit or requirements) would be such an industry, too.

Such household retainers enjoy some status from their association with the noble, but they aren't expected to be as ostentatious as the noble. An uplift from destitute to poor, or from poor to free standard of living should be in it, though, and be it only from discards.

[Baron Wulfraed]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:20 PM, Baron Wulfraed said:

Probably lucky rolling... Earth @ 70% so +2 to CON, Air @ 60 so +1 to STR

STR 18
CON 16
SIZ 18
DEX 12
INT 18
POW 14
CHA 13

I'll admit this was the first character I generated using the new edition, and might have had some mistakes in it. I'm currently computing it as just 15%... Still leaves a 100% broadsword with no personal skill allotment. Need to see if I can find records of what I was doing two years ago (I'd generated as a comparison with -- as much as possible -- the same character in RQ3)

 

Found my ancient notes: this was a character generated to compare RQ3 vs RQ:RiG, after all, so the same characteristic roll was used for both systems.

Transcription error when I entered things into the fillable PDF character sheet. As I said, the dice were extremely favorable... That DEX 12 is really DEX 17... So that makes manipulation skill bonus +25 (as I originally reported; and also goes with the DEX SR of 1 on the character sheet). I did, in going through the rules again find I missed the SARTAR 10% AIR Rune, so with both Air and Earth at 70%, I could have gone with +1 CON and +2 STR -- but that wouldn't change bonuses, as the ranges are 13-15/17-20

[Adaras]

On 8/2/2021 at 3:55 PM, Jeff said:

Nobles? Properly speaking a typical clan has a chief (and their household) and a chief Earth Priestess (and their household). That's the nobility. You really find more nobility around the tribal kings, city leaders, or Sartar household.

 

Hi Jeff Thanks for the input 😄 the noble occupation is that also the Thanes and such?