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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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

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Appendix 2: Kingdoms

Kingdom Skills

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 515
Every nation has its own distinct areas of specialization, the things in which it invests its time, talent, and treasure, and the pursuits and features for which the nation becomes renowned for—these are tracked as a kingdom's skills. At 1st level, the maximum number of skills in which a kingdom can have trained proficiency is six: two determined by the kingdom's initial choice of government and up to four others determined by leadership roles. As a kingdom levels up, it can acquire training in additional skills and increase proficiencies to expert, master, or legendary. Choices about proficiencies cannot be changed after they have been made.

Building on Rough Terrain

Certain Region activities (Clear Hex, Fortify Hex, Build Roads, Establish Work Site, Irrigation) require the PCs to spend an amount of RP determined by the most inhospitable terrain feature contained within the hex. Use the highest RP cost given for the hex's terrain types in the list below (so if the hex contains swamps and forests, use the cost for swamps).

Mountains: 12 RP
Swamps: 8 RP
Forests: 4 RP
Hills: 2 RP
Plains: 1 RP

Negotiation DCs

Certain Leadership activities (Establish Trade Agreement, Pledge of Fealty, Request Foreign Aid, Send Diplomatic Envoy) allow a kingdom to attempt checks to negotiate with other groups. The following list provides DCs for these checks for groups the PCs are likely to encounter. Feel free to adjust them up or down to represent the actions of the PCs: an adjustment of +2 or –2 is a good place to start if the PCs have been particularly friendly or antagonistic to a group. Should the PCs seek relations with a group not listed here, such as a new Freehold, use these DCs as examples to generate DCs of your own.

Candlemere Lizardfolk: DC 22
Fort Drelev: DC 30
Greengripe: DC 24
M'botuu: DC 32
Nomen Centaurs: DC 26
Pitax: DC 28
Rostland: DC 15
Sootscale Kobolds: DC 20
Tiger Lords: DC 36
Tok-Nikrat: DC 18
Varnhold: DC 12

Attempting Kingdom Skill Checks

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 515
During a Kingdom turn, the PCs attempt Kingdom skill checks. Such checks determine the effects of many things that affect the kingdom, including enduring a hardship, completing a task, impressing a visiting band of dignitaries, fighting off monsters, building a structure, or expanding into a new hex.

A skill check for a kingdom works just like a skill check for a PC. One of the players—typically the one playing the PC whose key attribute or role is most appropriate—rolls 1d20 and adds the appropriate skill modifier, which consists of the kingdom's ability modifier for the ability associated with the skill plus any other applicable modifiers, including the kingdom's proficiency bonus in that skill and any other situational bonuses and penalties that might arise.

Check result = d20 roll + skill modifier Skill modifier = key ability score modifier + proficiency bonus + other bonuses – penalties

If the check result equals or exceeds the Difficulty Class (DC) of the check, it is a success. If it exceeds the DC by 10 or more, it's a critical success. If the check result is less than the DC, it is a failure. If it misses the DC by 10 or more, it's a critical failure. Critically succeeding (or failing) still counts as succeeding (or failing), but if the situation that required the check describes specific results for criticals, apply only the more specific result.

If a player rolls a natural 20, the result is improved one degree; for example, turning a failure into a success or a success into a critical success. Also, if the player rolls a natural 1, the result is worsened one degree, turning a success into a failure or a failure into a critical failure. (The result cannot be improved or worsened beyond critical.)

Whenever a Kingdom skill check results in a critical success, the kingdom gains 1 Fame/Infamy point. A kingdom cannot acquire Fame/Infamy beyond its maximum allotment.

The five different types of modifiers (bonuses or penalties) that can apply to Kingdom skill checks are described below. When different types of modifier apply to the same check, add them all. But when multiple modifiers of the same type apply, use only the highest bonus and the worst penalty of that type—in other words, modifiers of the same type (except bonuses granted by structures—see below) don't stack. For instance, if both a proficiency bonus and an item bonus could apply to a check, add both to the die result, but if two item bonuses could apply, add only the higher of the two.

Proficiency bonuses are modifiers determined by a kingdom's proficiency with a skill, using the Proficiency Bonuses table below.

Circumstance modifiers are the result of something that happens during a kingdom event, of an activity, or of an ability granted by the kingdom's level.

Item modifiers are granted by settlement structures or Ruin penalties. Item bonuses granted by structures are typically very specific in their application and only apply to events that take place within the influence area of the settlement in which they are located, although structures in a capital apply their item bonuses to the entire kingdom. Item bonuses granted by structures have special rules for stacking; see the Settlement Types table and Item Bonus. Ruin can inflict long-lasting item penalties to a kingdom.

Status modifiers come from leadership expertise in skills related to their role, from Kingdom feats, and from long-term events. Unrest is the most common status penalty for a kingdom.

Vacancy modifiers are always penalties. They occur when leadership roles are left vacant, or when leaders don't spend the necessary time attending to their duties.

Basic Skill Checks

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 517
Many activities call for a basic skill check—a skill check where the DC is your kingdom's Control DC.

Skill Descriptions

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 517
The following entries describe each Kingdom skill activity. General skill activities (activities that are associated with multiple skills) are listed first. After that, activities are grouped by the skill they use. Each skill grouping begins with the name of the skill, followed in parentheses by that skill's key ability. Then a brief description of the skill is provided. Within each skill grouping, untrained activities (activities that can be used even if the kingdom doesn't have proficiency ranks in the associated skill) are listed before trained activities (activities that cannot be used until the kingdom has at least the trained proficiency rank in the associated skill).

In each entry, the name of each activity is followed by a list of its traits, with the most notable being Civic, Commerce, Leadership, Region, and Upkeep. Activities can be undertaken only during the steps of the Activity phase that correspond with these traits. The trait list is followed by a description of the action(s) that must be completed to undertake the activity, including (but not limited to) a skill check. Each entry ends with a list of possible results for the skill check and any additional information unique to that activity.

Some of these activities require the expenditure or generation of resources, using the kingdom's Resource Dice and its resource points (RP).

General Skill Activities

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 517
Most skill activities are associated with only one skill; general skill activities are associated with more than one. Each indicates which skills may be used with it. Some skills may only be used in specific circumstances.