Disinterred Eldricity: Ruling Domains, Part Deux

Preamble

Much of what will be discussed below is an import of general rules, but an updating of mechanics is also woven into it. There is a lot to cover here, and one of my fears is that I did not simplify nearly enough; Birthright is a very "crunchy" way to play D&D, but having a solid set of rules is necessary to avoid abuse of a narrative.

I've needed to break this part of the rules into separate articles, since it started to blow past 18 pages in a Google doc. We'll first go over what parts of a domain need to be tracked (and I will create a "domain character sheet" towards the end of this rules update which will help it make more sense), and go through the phases of a domain turn.

Qualities of a Domain

Capital Province

When a scion comes into ownership of a domain for the first time, they must designate a province as the location of their capital, which is typically the largest city in the province. Certain domain actions benefit if a particular holding type exists in your capital province, and if the capital province is ever seized or falls to rebellious loyalty, all other provinces you own suffer an immediate degradation of loyalty.

Province Terrain Type

Each province has a predominant type of terrain, but this terrain is not necessarily uniform throughout. A plains province may have some hilly features or even a lone mountain, and a forested province may possess stretches of swampland that are even more difficult to navigate than the woods themselves. The predominant terrain drives a number of factors, from how difficult the province is to navigate as well as how potent its mebhaigl (source rating) is compared to other provinces.

Province and Source Ratings

Each province has a level and a source rating that represent a rough approximation of population density and development, as well as how strong its native magical potential is based on its terrain type. This is typically represented by two numbers separated by a slash. For example, a level three province with a level two source would be listed as 3/2.

Holdings Present

It is important to track the number and level of individual holdings within each province, as well as who owns those holdings. These can be listed in shorthand beside each province. Note that the source rating of the province is not indicative of any source holdings that may or may not be present; those must be constructed specifically to make use of the source

Loyalty

The loyalty of a province is listed as rebellious, poor, average, or high. This is a simple scale of how your people feel about you as a regent and the tenets of your rule. Rebellious provinces are likely to revolt on domain turns.

Sequence of a Domain Turn

1. Random Events
2. Domain Initiative
3. Collect Regency Points
4. Taxation, Collection, Trade
1. Determine Taxation Level (Light, Moderate, Severe)
2. Collect Province Taxes (consult table and roll or use flat value)
3. Collect Guild and Temple Holdings Income (roll or 1 per level)
4. Collect Foreign Law Holdings Income (one half of holding level)
5. Collect Trade Routes Income (average of two connected provinces)
6. Collect Tributes Income (if any)
5. Pay Maintenance Costs and Advance Construction
1. Domain Expenses
2. Pay Armies
3. Lieutenants
4. Court Expenses
6. First Action Round
1. Perform Domain Action and Bonus Action
2. War Moves
3. Wage Battles
4. Occupy or Retreat
7. Second Action Round
8. Third Action Round
9. Adjust Loyalty

1. Random Events

At the beginning of the domain turn, the Dungeon Master checks for events that take place in each player’s domain. A Dungeon Master may either roll randomly on the provided table (in a later entry), or they may have a specific set of events that unravels depending on the outcomes of previous domain turns or the plot they wish to present.

The events are laid out immediately at the beginning of the domain turn, so that players can begin planning their responses, if any. Typically, a random event has a required action, and a consequence for not attending to the matter. Minor events might be worth ignoring, especially if the consequence is something easily mended like a hit to a province’s loyalty. Major events, such as a dragon that rumbles awake after being disturbed by miners, is absolutely not something to be ignored.

2. Domain Initiative

This step is only necessary when there are domains in conflict, or when the order of events is extremely critical. When only players are involved (and they are not in conflict for whatever reason), they may take their domain actions in any order they choose before moving to the next domain action (but all players must take their domain action before moving to the next round).

Domain initiative is rolled making a Bloodline ability check (that is, rolling a d20 and adding one's Bloodline modifier). Once the action rounds begin, regents take turns based on this initiative order, as though they were engaging in combat (for in many cases, they are indeed doing just that).

3. Collect Regency Points

As outlined previously, a regent collects Regency Points equivalent to their Domain Power (sum of all levels of all holdings and provinces) plus their Bloodline score modifier.

4. Taxation, Collection, and Trade

At this phase of the domain turn, each regent declares taxation and collects income in the form of Gold Bars. This process can be heavy on the rolls, so for groups who wish to expedite this process, there are flat values that may be used instead.

4.1 and 4.2. Taxation from Provinces

First, the regent must determine whether they declare light, moderate, or severe taxation for each province (it is typically much faster to do this across all provinces, but particularly desperate regents may wish to tax more populated provinces more severely than others).

Consult the table below for how many Gold Bars are collected from each province, and total up the results. For expediency, or for NPC domains, the DM may elect to use the flat value rather than rolling for each. Any negative result when rolling is counted as zero.

Province Rating	Light Taxes	Moderate Taxes	Severe Taxes
0	-	-	0 (or 1d3-2)
1	0 (or 1d3-2)	1 (or 1d3-1)	1 (or 1d3)
2	1 (or 1d3-1)	1 (or 1d3)	2 (or 1d4)
3	1 (or 1d3)	2 (or 1d4)	3 (or 1d4+1)
4	2 (or 1d4)	3 (or 1d4+1)	5 (or 1d6+1)
5	3 (or 1d4+1)	5 (or 1d6+1)	7 (or 1d8+1)
6	5 (or 1d6+1)	7 (or 1d8+1)	8 (or 1d10+1)
7	7 (or 1d8+1)	8 (or 1d10+1)	9 (or 1d12+1)
8	8 (or 1d10+1)	9 (or 1d12+1)	11 (or 2d8)
9	9 (or 1d12+1)	11 (or 2d8)	13 (or 2d8+2)
10	11 (or 2d8)	13 (or 2d8+2)	15 (or 2d10+2)

4.3. Taxation from Guild and Temple Holdings

Players who own guild and temple holdings also gain income from them in the form of taxes and tithes, regardless of where they are located. Low-level holdings generate very little or nothing for the regent, while owning multiple powerful holdings provides a great deal of supplementary cash. As with provinces, DMs who wish to save some rolling or who are generating income for NPC regents can use the flat values provided instead of rolling for each.

Holding Level	Gold Bars Generated
0	0 (1d2-1)
1	1 (1d2)
2	2 (1d3)
3	3 (1d3+1)
4	4 (1d4+1)
5	5 (1d6+1)
6+	6 (2d4+2)

4.4. Claims from Law Holdings

Law holdings that you possess in the domains of other regents may be used to collect taxes and fees in exchange for keeping law and order (or being outright thuggish, for some regents). The value of ancillary taxes collected is equal to one half the level of the Law holding in the province (rounded down). You cannot draw any taxes in this manner from Law holdings within your own domain. This amount is taken from the host domain’s earned province taxes, and if the domain does not generated any taxes from provinces on this turn, you cannot collect anything from your Law holdings in that domain.

For example, Erin Velescarpe has a level 2 Law holding inside a neighboring domain. Each domain turn, she collects 1 additional Gold Bar from its taxes and tariffs in the host province, removing it from the treasury of the regent in question.

4.5. Trade Routes

Trade routes are a solid, reliable form of income. In order to calculate the income from each trade route, take the average level of the two provinces linked by the trade route; this value is the amount of Gold Bars added to the treasury. If the route is linked by sea, add 1 to this amount.

As an example, our ever-present regent, Erin Velescarpe, establishes a sea trade route with the City of Anuire, the old imperial capital (rating 10). Connecting it to her capital province of Bindier (rating 4), she thus earns eight Gold Bars per turn from this trade route alone (average of 10 and 4 is 7, plus 1 for being a sea trade route). Not bad!

Since the cost to establish trade routes is relatively low and their income is steady, trade routes are a very valuable commodity for regents.

4.6 Tributes

Here the regent collects any tribute agreed upon via use of the Diplomacy domain action, if such an agreement exists.

Sidebar: Those unfamiliar with old Birthright stuff will probably boggle at all the crap you have to do on a given domain turn, especially at the beginning. Those familiar with old Birthright will be looking at me right now wondering why I’m cutting out tables and randomness. I think a certain degree of randomness is okay, but if I have to make seventy bajillion rolls at the beginning of every turn, for each player, it quickly becomes prohibitive to play.

I’ve taken care to provide flat values instead of tables so players who wish to avoid playing with spreadsheets can do so. For those who prefer much more granular simulationism, the tables are largely intact (though I’ve simplified a or removed a few that were just unnecessary due to the extremely minor swing of the results).

5. Maintenance Costs

A domain does not support itself. Gold is required to keep the wheels of politics greased and ensure the people have enough infrastructure to support their nation. The cost of owning and operating holdings, feeding armies, and paying for court expenses adds up quickly.

5.1. Domain Expenses

To determine expenses, the player first adds together the total number of provinces and holdings they possess (not their levels, just the actual number of holdings). Also count together how many fortifications the regent owns (built by the Fortify domain action) and add these to the total. You must pay 1 Gold Bar for every five provinces, holdings, and fortifications you own, rounded up to the next Gold Bar.

For example, Erin Velescarpe has five provinces, seven holdings, and one castle. When consulting maintenance cost for her territory, she has thirteen total provinces, holdings, and assets. Erin must pay three Gold Bars for domain expenses each domain turn.

5.2. Pay Armies

The regent must then pay any armies they are currently fielding, based on the units’ cost. If the regent cannot pay a given unit, it immediately disbands unless the regent spends 5 Regency Points to keep it active. A unit of mercenaries that goes unpaid and does not receive the requisite RP will become brigands in that province.

5.3. Lieutenants

Lieutenants are a type of asset that may act in your stead. They are described in greater detail under the Lieutenant domain action. Each lieutenant you have costs 1 Gold Bar to maintain. If you cannot pay your lieutenant, they immediately disband (but can be recruited again on a later domain turn).

5.4. Court Expenses

Managing your domain sometimes requires that you receive guests or otherwise present yourself as a well-to-do lord or lady. Court expenses are a combination of retainers, decorations, lodging costs, and food available for visiting dignitaries and ambassadors. At this phase of the domain turn, you determine how much you will spend on your court this season.

For zero Gold Bars, your court is dormant and only the mice rule the castle guest halls. This option saves money, but you are incapable of performing the Decree or Diplomacy actions on any of your action rounds this domain turn.

For two Gold Bars, your court is at the bare minimum to function. Your Decree and Diplomacy actions are at disadvantage for the domain action check; no one likes a stingy regent, especially expectant ambassadors.

For five Gold Bars, your court is of average standing and comfort. Your Decree and Diplomacy actions are at neither advantage nor disadvantage.

For eight Gold Bars, your court is the talk of the realm. Fine wines, imported cuisine, mummers and bards -- you have it all, and the pomp is sure to impress the dignitaries. Your Decree and Diplomacy actions are made with advantage on the domain action check.

Intermission

And now, a break! The next article, when it is finished, will go into the course of taking domain actions and resolving the mechanics of each. This break also lets me gather feedback and make iterations before I get too deep into the process.