
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Appendix 2: Kingdoms

Leveling Up your Kingdom

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 511
Kingdoms increase in level by gaining kingdom experience points (XP). At each new level, a kingdom improves attributes and focus areas beyond those provided by its basic background and the specific choices made at the time of its founding.

At the end of a Kingdom turn, if the kingdom has at least 1,000 XP and has not yet reached its maximum level (see below), increase the kingdom's level by 1 and deduct 1,000 from its current XP total. (The kingdom's level can't increase by more than 1 on a single Kingdom turn.) Note the kingdom's new level on the kingdom sheet. If the kingdom has any leftover XP, they are retained and count toward gaining the next level.

The kingdom's maximum level is equal to the party's level; it can never exceed the level of the PCs themselves. So, for example, if the PCs are still 1st level when the kingdom reaches 1,000 XP, the kingdom cannot level up yet; it will level up at the end of the first Kingdom turn after the PCs have reached 2nd level. (It's possible for a kingdom to accumulate a large reserve of XP, at which point the party's level effectively determines when that kingdom levels up rather than just XP accumulation. This is fine.)

When your kingdom gains a level, each army you have gains a level as well. See Appendix 3 for additional details on armies.

As the kingdom advances, it gains the abilities described on these two pages. Abilities gained at levels higher than first list the level at which they are gained next to their name.

Kingdom Advancement

LevelControl DC Kingdom features
114Charter, government, heartland, initial proficiencies, favored land, settlement construction (village)
215Kingdom feat
316Settlement construction (town), skill increase
418Expansion expert, fine living, Kingdom feat
520Ability boosts, ruin resistance, skill increase
622Kingdom feat
723Skill increase
824Experienced leadership +2, Kingdom feat, ruin resistance
926Expansion expert (Claim Hex 3 times/turn), settlement construction (city), skill increase
1027Ability boosts, Kingdom feat, life of luxury
1128Ruin resistance, skill increase
1230Civic planning, Kingdom feat
1331Skill increase
1432Kingdom feat, ruin resistance
1534Ability boosts, settlement construction (metropolis), skill increase
1635Experienced leadership +3, Kingdom feat
1736Ruin resistance, skill increase
1838Kingdom feat
1939Skill increase
2040Ability boosts, envy of the world, Kingdom feat, ruin resistance

Control DC

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 512
The more powerful a kingdom grows, the more difficult it becomes to control it. The base Control DC for your kingdom is set by the kingdom's level—fortunately, as you increase in level, your ability to successfully utilize your skills grows as well.

Charter, Government, and Heartland

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 512
Your kingdom gains the benefits of your selected charter, government, and heartland.

Initial Proficiencies

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 512
At 1st level, a kingdom receives the trained proficiency rank in two Kingdom skills gained from your initial choice of government and in up to four additional Kingdom skills determined by your invested leaders, giving you a proficiency bonus to checks using these skills equal to your kingdom level plus 2. Proficiencies cannot be changed, even if the kingdom's government or leaders later change.

Favored Land

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 512
Your heartland's terrain becomes your kingdom's favored land—the wilderness terrain that your people feel the strongest emotional ties to and to which your resource gatherers tend to flock. Once per Kingdom turn, during the Region Activities step of the Activity phase, you can attempt two Region activities simultaneously as long as both activities take place in the same hex and that hex contains the same terrain as your heartland. You take a –2 penalty to Kingdom skill checks made during these two activities.

Settlement Construction

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 512
You can establish villages in your kingdom immediately. At 3rd level, you can expand villages into towns. At 9th level, you can expand towns into cities. And at 15th level, you can expand cities into metropolises.

As villages grow into larger settlements, you not only gain more room to build, but the maximum item bonus you can gain from that settlement's structures increases as well (see Settlement Types).

Kingdom Feats 2nd

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
At 2nd level, and then every 2 levels thereafter, the kingdom gains a Kingdom feat.

Skill Increase (3rd)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, your kingdom gains a skill increase. You can use this to increase your rank to trained in one skill in which your kingdom is untrained, or to increase your rank to expert in one skill in which your kingdom is trained.

Starting at 7th level, you can use your skill increases to increase your kingdom's proficiency to master in a skill in which your kingdom is already an expert. Beginning at 15th level, you can use them to increase your proficiency to legendary in a skill in which your kingdom is already a master.

Expansion Expert (4th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
Your kingdom is better at expanding its territory. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to skill checks made to Claim Hex and can attempt to Claim Hex up to twice during a Kingdom turn.

At 9th level, you can attempt to Claim Hex up to three times during a Kingdom turn.

Fine Living (4th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
Your people celebrate your leadership by indulging you with feasts and finery. All PCs associated with the kingdom enjoy a Fine standard of living at no cost whenever they're in the kingdom. Any PCs in hostile wilderness, a monster-filled dungeon, or otherwise cut off from their citizens must provide their own sustenance as usual even if they are within the boundaries of their kingdom.

You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to all checks made to Craft or Earn Income while in your kingdom.

Ability Boosts (5th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you boost two different kingdom ability scores. You can use these ability boosts to increase your kingdom's ability scores above 18. Boosting an ability score increases it by 2 if it starts out below 18, or by 1 if it's already 18 or above.

Ruin Resistance (5th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, your kingdom becomes more resistant to Ruin. Choose one of the four Ruin categories and increase its threshold by 2. When you do so, reset that Ruin's penalty to 0. See Ruin for more information.

Experienced Leadership (8th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
Invested leadership roles in your kingdom now grant a +2 status bonus to kingdom checks associated with their leadership role's key ability.

At 16th level, this increases to a +3 status bonus.

Life of Luxury (10th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
Your people lavish you with every creature comfort. This is identical to Fine Living, but all PC leaders enjoy an Extravagant standard of living at no cost whenever they're in the kingdom. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all checks made to Craft or Earn Income while in your kingdom.

Civic Planning (12th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
During the Civic Activities step of the Activities phase of a Kingdom turn, one settlement of the party's choice can attempt two Civic activities rather than one. The second Civic activity occurs after all other settlements have taken their individual Civic activities.

Envy of the World (20th)

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 513
Your kingdom is one of the world's prominent nations. The first time in a Kingdom turn when your kingdom would gain Unrest or Ruin, ignore that increase. You can ignore additional increases to Unrest or Ruin later in the same turn as well, but you must spend a Fame or Infamy point each time you do so. Your maximum Fame or Infamy point total increases by 1.