
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

Running a Kingdom

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 537
Running a kingdom plays out as Kingdom turns that occur at the end of each in-game month. Each Kingdom turn is divided into phases, and these phases are divided into steps. The table below lists the Kingdom activities available to use during each step.

Activities Listed by Step

During a Kingdom turn, the party has the option to perform a wide range of downtime activities. The specific activities vary by Kingdom turn phase, as summarized below.

Upkeep Phase

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 537
During the Upkeep phase, you adjust your kingdom's statistics based on activities you have taken during the previous month. Remember that you earn 1 Fame or Infamy point at the start of your turn.

Step 1: Assign Leadership Roles

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 537
To assign or change characters associated with leadership roles, do so now using the New Leadership kingdom activity. You can perform this activity as often as you wish during this step. Next, determine if any vacancy penalties apply. Any unassigned roles incur their vacancy penalties. Also, if a character assigned to a leadership role hasn't spent the required week of downtime on that role since the end of the last Kingdom turn, they must either give up one of the three kingdom activities they would perform during the Leadership Activities step of the Activity phase of this Kingdom turn or apply the vacancy penalty for their role until the start of the next Kingdom turn. (NPCs cannot perform kingdom activities, so in the unusual case that they were unable to spend the required downtime—see Leadership Roles—they must apply the vacancy penalty.) If a leader was replaced between Kingdom turns due to an unexpected vacancy, as long as a character currently holds the role and any characters assigned to the role collectively spent the required downtime, the vacancy penalty does not apply.

Step 2: Adjust Unrest

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 538
On your first Kingdom turn, your kingdom's Unrest score is 0; skip to the next step.

On all other turns, adjust your Unrest score: Increase it by 1 for every settlement in your kingdom that's Overcrowded. If you are at war, increase it by 1. Other ongoing events may have ongoing Unrest adjustments as well; make them at this time.

After making all adjustments, if your kingdom's Unrest is 10 or higher, the kingdom gains 1d10 points to its Ruins. Distribute these points in any way you wish among the four Ruins. In addition, attempt a DC 11 flat check. On a failure, one hex of your kingdom is lost; the PCs choose which hex. See Losing Hexes for more information.

If your kingdom's Unrest is 20 or higher, the entire nation also falls into anarchy. While in anarchy, you can only attempt Quell Unrest activities, and the results of all kingdom checks are worsened one degree.

Step 3: Resource Collection

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 538
The exact amount of resources you have to draw upon each Kingdom turn varies, as each month there are countless unexpected boons and setbacks throughout each citizen's life that can impact how they can bolster your national plans.

First, determine the number of Resource Dice you are entitled to roll for the current Kingdom turn by adding your kingdom level + 4 to any bonus dice or penalty dice you gained from the previous turn. You cannot have fewer than 0 Resource Dice.

Resource Dice = kingdom level + 4 + bonus dice – penalty dice

Next, roll your Resource Dice to determine how many Resource Points (RP) you have available during this turn. Your RP is equal to the roll result. (RP remaining at the end of your turn can be converted into kingdom Experience Points.)

Finally, if you have any Work Sites established in your kingdom, gather Commodities. You gain 1 Commodity from each Work Site, or double that if the Work Site is in a Resource hex. Any Commodities gathered in excess of your storage capacity are lost.

Step 4: Pay Consumption

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 538
Your settlements and armies require a certain amount of provisions, supplies, and funding, as well as all the basic necessities of life.

On your first Kingdom turn, your kingdom's Consumption score is 0; skip to the next step. On all other turns, calculate your kingdom's Consumption score. This is the total of your settlements' Consumption scores plus your armies' Consumption scores minus the number of Farmland hexes you have within influence range of your settlements, plus any modifiers from kingdom events.

Kingdom Consumption = settlement Consumption total + army Consumption total – Farmland hexes influenced by settlements + modifiers from kingdom events

Spend Food Commodities equal to your kingdom's Consumption. If you can't or choose not to spend this Commodity cost, you can either spend 5 RP per point of unpaid Consumption or increase Unrest by 1d4.

Commerce Phase

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 538
The Commerce phase is when the kingdom generates revenue or makes trade agreements.

Step 1: Collect Taxes

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 538
You can Collect Taxes once per Kingdom turn to attempt to bolster your Economy-based checks for the remainder of the Kingdom turn. If you don't attempt to Collect Taxes, you can instead attempt a DC 11 flat check; on a success, reduce Unrest by 1.

Step 2: Approve Expenses

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 538
You can draw upon the kingdom's funds to enhance the standard of living for its citizens by attempting the Improve Lifestyle activity or you can attempt a withdrawal from the kingdom's funds using the Tap Treasury activity.

Step 3: Tap Commodities

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
If your kingdom has any stockpiles of Commodities, you can attempt the Trade Commodities activity to bolster your RP for the turn.

Step 4: Manage Trade Agreements

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
If you've established trade agreements, you can use the Manage Trade Agreements activity.

Activity Phase

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
The Activity phase is when you make proclamations on expanding your kingdom, declare holidays, and manage your territory and settlements. It's during this phase that the bulk of your kingdom's growth occurs.

Building Armies

Building and maintaining armies dovetails with the Kingdom turn, but these rules can be largely skipped over during times of peace. During wars, a fourth step—Army Activities—occurs at the end of the Activity phase. Rules for armies and warfare are in Appendix 3

Step 1: Leadership Activities

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
If your kingdom's capital has a Castle, Palace, or Town Hall, each PC in a leadership role may attempt up to three Leadership activities. If your capital has none of these structures, each PC can take no more than two Leadership activities during this step. Your party chooses the order you go in when taking Leadership activities. Unless an activity states otherwise, a leader cannot attempt the same Leadership activity more than once per Kingdom turn.

Step 2: Region Activities

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
The PC leaders may now collectively attempt up to three Region activities. The players decide who rolls any skill checks needed to resolve these activities.

Step 3: Civic Activities

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
Your party may now attempt one Civic activity for each of the kingdom's settlements. You determine the order in which these activities are attempted and who rolls any skill checks.

Event Phase

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
Events affect entire kingdom, single hexes, or a settlement. Some are harmful, while some are beneficial. Certain events continue for multiple turns, and only come to an end once they've been properly handled by the PCs or their kingdom.

Step 1: Check for Random Event

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
Attempt a DC 16 flat check. On success, a random kingdom event occurs (see Kingdom Events). If no random event occurs, the DC for this check in the next Kingdom turn is reduced by 5. Once an event occurs, the DC resets to 16.

Step 2: Event Resolution

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
Random events present opportunities to go forth in exploration or encounter mode to deal with a rampaging monster or the like; these are handled now. In some chapters of the Kingmaker Adventure Path, specific story events are introduced outside of Kingdom turns; these are resolved when they occur.

Step 3: Apply Kingdom XP

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
The GM now awards any kingdom XP earned during that turn. If the kingdom experienced a random event, it receives 30 XP. The first Kingdom turn that your kingdom spent 100 RP, gain 80 kingdom XP as a milestone award.

In addition, any RP that remains unspent is now converted to kingdom XP on a 1 to 1 ration, to a maximum of 120 XP per Kingdom turn.

Step 4: Increase Kingdom Level

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 539
If your kingdom's XP total is above 1,000, and your kingdom isn't at its maximum level, increase your kingdom level by 1 and subtract 1,000 from your XP total. See Leveling Up Your Kingdom for the full rules for leveling up.