Officers and Recruitment
Officers are the hands of the realm. Each fills one post, brings a rating to that post's rolls, and draws a wage every season.
Posts
| Post | Bonus | Required from rank |
|---|---|---|
| Marshal | + rating to battle rolls of armies they lead or advise | Lord |
| Treasurer | +5% × rating to the tax modifier | Baron |
| Chancellor | + rating to negotiations, rank deals and revolt talks | Viscount |
| Lord Justiciar | + rating to Trials; prevents the Heavy-tax penalty | Count |
| Spymaster | + rating to intrigue contests | Earl |
| Master of Trade | +10% × rating to the trade modifier | Duke |
| Envoy | + rating to treaties and peace terms | Archduke |
| Commander | leads one army; + rating to its battle rolls (a Marshal can command too) | — |
| Governor | runs one settlement: + rating ÷ 2 to its local Stability (round down), handles its domain matters | — |
| Admiral of the Fleet | + rating at sea; +5% trade per rating with ports | any rank that owns a warship or Port |
| High Chaplain (Faith and Oaths) | + rating ÷ 2 to realm Stability; omen readings | with the module, Viscount |
| Court Arcanist (High Magic) | + rating to research and vial output | with the module, Duke |
| Master of Dragons (Dragons) | + rating to bonding | with the module, if you hold a Roost |
Court seats (by rank, in The Dominion System) cap how many officers you can keep. A post is required from the rank listed; a vacant required post is a penalty:
- no Marshal: armies −2 in battle;
- no Treasurer: −10% to the tax modifier;
- no Chancellor: rank deals −2;
- no Lord Justiciar: Trial DCs +2;
- no Spymaster: enemy ops gain +1 stage per season;
- no Master of Trade: trade −10%;
- no Envoy: peace terms cost +5 war score;
- no Admiral: fleets fight at −2, and piracy checks fail.
A post that isn't required yet carries no penalty when empty.
Quality, rating and wage
| Quality | Rating | Wage per season | Search DC | Search cost | Arrives | Where you find them |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incompetent | −1 | 50 gp | 8 | 50 gp | this season | any tavern |
| Ordinary | +1 | 200 gp | 10 | 200 gp | next season | guilds, local gentry |
| Experienced | +2 | 600 gp | 12 | 600 gp | next season | War-college, Academy, Temples |
| Elite | +3 | 2,000 gp | 14 | 2,000 gp | in 2 seasons | councils, other courts |
| Prodigy | +4 | 6,000 gp | 16 | 6,000 gp | in a year | only through play |
| Legendary | +5 | 20,000 gp | 18 | 20,000 gp | a campaign | only through play |
Family members and oath-sworn officers serve at half wage. Your sovereign can fill one post personally, using their matching rating at no wage (Your Sovereign).
Searching costs 1 Authority plus the search cost and a roll by your Chancellor (or your sovereign's Diplomacy) against the search DC. Councils supply their own: Coin gives treasurers and masters of trade; War gives marshals and spymasters. Poaching an officer from another court is +2 DC, and −2 relationship if you are caught.
Marks and loyalty: each officer has promotion marks (0–3) and loyalty (−5 to +5). At 3 marks, they may rise one quality step (paying the new wage). At loyalty +3 or higher, they aid deals unasked (+1). At −3 or lower, they scheme: the GM opens an intrigue against you each season.
Example: the Marshal falls at Millfield. An Experienced replacement (DC 12, 600 gp) arrives next season from the War-college. Or the Baron promotes a sergeant (Ordinary, 200 gp) and accepts +1 instead of +2 on battle rolls until spring.