Spell Contracts

[This is an alternative magic frame, for D&D-style magic.  I never really liked the idea that mages forget spells when they are cast, and here is my solution to that.  It doesn't work well with my current MP-based magic system, but I have a soft spot for it so I thought I would share.] 

Humans can't do magic.

What they can do, however, is summon and command astral entities that can perform magic.

When a magic user "learns" a spell they take the ritual they find in a grimoire (spell book) and use it to summon the appropriate astral entity (this generally take a day per level of the spell and 100gp per spell level).  They then make the specified bargain with that entity (which is generally esoteric, not particularly onerous, and does not need to be detailed if you don't want to), for the service of that entity (generally limited to once per day).   This is the Contract.

A magic user can maintain a number of Contracts of the appropriate level as indicated in the spell table.  So a 2nd level magic user can maintain two 1st level Contracts.  There is a possibility that a magic user could attempt to maintain more Contracts, but the additional contracts become severe burdens on the character (the costs become distinctly non-trivial).  [This is why clerics can get bonus spells.  The burden of maintaining these extra Contracts is part and parcel of the rituals the cleric takes part in as a matter of course.  Plus, they are already likely to be under the same dominion, and thus favourable to applications from the cleric.]

This ritual is only performed once (when the magic user "initially" learns the spell) and creates the Contract.  The magic user is then able to summon the entity once per day to perform the magical act the entity is capable of.  For example a sleep spell in my [old] game summons an astral creature which commences to sing a lullaby (sleep in my game is a non-combat spell and takes 1d10 minutes to have full effect).  It looks unlike a vertical cluster of multiple purple worms with mouths at the end of the upper tube that sing in harmony.  Of course most people can't perceive the creature (without magical assistance) so it just appears that the victims of the spell fall asleep.

The level of the spell indicates both the astral plane the creature comes from. [This variant uses the OD&D (and traditional) notion of higher (and lower) planes, as represented by the spell contact higher plane, rather than the Gygaxian AD&D notion of a single astral plane.]  If you need to give the creatures characteristics (for example if someone takes astral form and battles them directly), then they generally have characteristics equal to double their level, and hit dice equal to their level.  They also tend to have a number of abilities equal to their level (although generally one directly applies to the spell they are summoned to cast). However in most cases there is no need to do so (well, I've never had to).  Although it does mean there is more flexibility in dealing with the entities responsible for higher level spells (which is also why they are harder Contracts to impose and maintain).

A magic user could increase the burden of the individual Contract without it actually becoming burdensome for them by dedicating two spell slots to the Contract.  The usual result of this is that the entity can be summoned more than once per day.  If two slots are dedicated to the Contract, then the spell effect may be used three times a day, and with three slots (a massive commitment) it becomes six times a day.  You could use a higher level spell slot to maintain a contract with a lower level astral entity if you really wanted, but it would still count as only a single spell slot.

A magic user can perform the ritual again to summon the entity to change the Contract.  This includes cancelling it (effectively forgetting the spell).  And expanding it to allow increased uses per day.  Or to create a special one-use instance of the magic (with the contract commonly embodied in a scroll which is consumed in use).

The grimoire/spell book is only necessary for summoning the entity to make the contract, but most magic users hold tightly onto the spell books.  This is because the ritual is the only way to summon the entity if one wants to change or modify the Contract.  Without that original spell the magic user simply cannot summon the same entity again.  The only way the magic user can safely dispose of a spell book is to perform the ritual again, and cancel the Contract with the entity.   Then the spell book may be safely disposed of.  The exception to this is if the magic user duplicates the spell in another spell book.  This new/spare spell book has the identical spells.  Of course a magic user could always go on a quest to seek out the original spell book, but that is an adventuring option.  Just be warned that there are countless variations of low level spells that summon similar, but different entities. [For ease I rolled a d12 against spell level when the ritual is performed; if you roll less than or equal to the level of the spell, then it summons the same entity.  So it's not impossible to find the same spell, just expensive.]

Cleric spell (prayer) books have a large advantage in this regard, because they tend to be copied from the same source and summon the same astral entities (who are considered divine servants of their god).  For the standard spells of their faith a cleric can always negate the contract.  The problem is that clerics have a much more limited ability to create new spells.  Their spell knowledge is generally limited to those entities that are considered servants of their god.

Learning new spells is simple, and is essentially based on using the contact higher plane spell to find an entity on the appropriate plane and make a Contract with it using the Know% (taking a number of months equal to the level of the spell).  Of course, the higher astral planes are not places for the human mind to roam freely without danger, as represented by the Insanity% column.  Most research wizards are a few belfries shy of a bat.

The Company

[This was supposed to be an overview of military unit structure in the campaign as a prelude for introducing the Level system wit regard to the military.  Instead I may have gotten carried away just describing the company.  Note that the game is not as complicated as this makes it out.  Again it is a simple [?] expansion of four lines on one table. Caveat lector.]

The Company

A Company is the basic tactical unit in the game.  For ease of use, a full-strength Company is defined as a unit of 120 infantry or 60 cavalry, since both of these effectively have the same frontage. Since cavalry is generally the more socially prestigious unit, they are generally commanded by a Senior Captain [Level 6 Military], whilst non-Guards infantry units are generally commanded by a Junior Captain [Level 5 Military].  In both cases the standard mode of address is "captain."

With non-human troops it is the size of the creature that determines how many creatures form a company.  If the creature has handlers, mahouts, or carries other soldiers they are not considered a part of this calculation.  So a company of war elephants (gigantic) consists of just 5 elephants (although each will ridden into battle by a mahout and carry a number of soldiers in a fighting platform on its back.

• Tiny creatures cannot form companies.  [Unless they are battling other tiny creatures, in which case treat everything as if they were normal human sized and make everyone else larger.]
• A small creature counts as 1/3rd of a normal soldier (360 per company).  [Note that traditional goblins (in particular but not exclusively), while they count as being small creatures for most purposes, do not count as being small creatures for this categorisation. And they will ripe the tripes out of anyone that thinks so.  Similarly if you campaign is unfortunate enough to be plagued with traditional hobbitses (they died on an as yet undiscovered island many eons ago) then they do not count as small if equipped with either Reach (spears or great weapons) or Missile weapons.]
• A large creature counts as 2 normal soldiers (60 per company).
• A huge creature counts as 6 normal soldiers (20 per company).
• A gigantic creature counts as 24 normal soldiers (5 per company).
• A colossal creature counts as 120 normal soldiers (1 per company).

A company will have a number of junior officers who assist the captain in leading the troops.  This will consists of two or three Lieutenants [Level 4 Military].  These lieutenants help organise the company on the field of battle.  A company without the minimum of two lieutenants will suffer a -1 penalty on both Morale and Readiness rolls.

A company will have a number of Sergeants [Level 3 Military] who maintain discipline within the unit. Unlike the case with more modern armies, sergeants do not manage the battlefield so much as they march behind the other soldiers in the company (in a supernumerary rank), and make sure they don't run.  Thus large and burly individuals who can handle themselves in a fistfight tend to be preferred for the role.  A full strength company will usually have six sergeants and a Sergeant Major [Level 4 Military] (who may act as a Lieutenant in an emergency).  If a company drops to having less than three sergeants it suffers a -1 penalty to Morale and Readiness rolls.

Note [1]: Elite Troops (such as knights and samurai) do not require sergeants because they are already Level 3 Military, and are assumed to be self-disciplining.

A company will generally have veteran Corporals [Level 2 Military] who act as file leaders.  Their major role is to organise the activities of their file (or maniple), especially in camp.  The extra material required for a file to operate on campaign is shared out amongst the members of the file, so that  one soldier has the cook pot, another carries half the tent, and so on.  Files tend to do everything together - eat, sleep, carouse, and fight.

Note [2]: A Corporal only has any actual authority in a Militia Company (or Watch), because Regular Troops are already Level 2 Military.  This doesn't mean that regular troops don't have file leaders - it's just that they are simply one of the soldiers as far as most people are concerned. Although they do have effective authority over Recruits (who are considered to be Level 1 Military).  A Militia which lacks sufficient Corporals loses it's Militia status and gets demoted to being a simple Levy.  Essentially a Militia is only a Militia because of the leavening of corporals.

Note [3]: Amongst Elite Troops [level 3 Military] a Corporal is a subordinate. Their job in the file (although it is more traditionally called a Spear in this respect), is to see that the needs of the actual soldiers are taken care of.  Including the replacement of lost lances - hence the evolution of the modern rank of "lance corporal." Another name for a Corporal amongst Elite Troops is a Squire, and their role in battle (and tourney) is generally a supportive one, and not a combat role.

A company will generally have a number of specialists attached to them.  These are considered to be Warrant Officers [Level 4 Military] when operating in the company, but their Social Rank will normally by based on their civilian rank (Guild Level or Commoner Level) unless they do something particularly stupid and end up being mentioned in dispatches.  Most of these specialist will be Masters [Level 3 Guild or Commons], and will be assisted by the appropriate Journeymen [Level 2 Guild], Foremen [Level 2 Commons], Apprentices [Level 1 Guild], and Workers [Level 1 Commons]

• Quartermaster: The quartermaster looks after the company's consumable supplies, including storage and transport of same.  A company without a quartermaster has a -1 penalty to Morale and Readiness rolls in garrison as the troops have to fend for themselves. On campaign (or when deployed) this penalty increases to -3.  The unit will also be required to forage whilst on campaign (with the appropriate movement, combat, and morale penalties, as well as ransacking the terrain in which they are travelling if supplies cannot or will not be purchased).
  
  Having a good quartermaster allows them to add their Proficiency Bonus to both Morale and Readiness (as an army marches on its stomach).  Note that historically, in some militaries, a civilian paid the captain to be the company's quartermaster, and then shortchanged the soldiers on their supplies and pocketed the difference.  This was particularly true with national armies with conscript troops who would be hanged if they complained (or tried to return to civilian life).  A company with such a quartermaster doubles the penalties for not having a quartermaster.  The Proficiency Bonus increases both the quartermasters' and the captain's income instead.
  
• Armourer: The armourer ensures that the company's weapons and armour are maintained (and damaged weapons replaced).  In a company without an armourer the individual soldiers will have to maintain their own equipment (this was generally the historical standard), and will suffer a -1 penalty to Morale and Readiness rolls.  If the company has an armourer then they suffer no morale penalty and may increase their Readiness rolls by the Proficiency Bonus of the armourer.  Also the officers may naturally purchase appropriate magic weapons at a discounted rate from the company armourer [For a typical master armourer this would be a plain ordinary +1 sword, so there is no need to get overly excited.]  However such an armourer would generally be too busy to do outside commissions.
  
• Surgeon:  The surgeon ensures that the company's wounded are looked after (and that general health matters such as the proper use of latrines is observed).  A company without a surgeon suffers a -1 penalty to Morale and Readiness rolls.  A company with a surgeon suffers no penalty to morale and may add the Proficiency Bonus to Readiness rolls. In addition the members of the company may use the surgeon's Proficiency Bonus when saving against disease whilst on campaign, and when recovering from wounds.  [Note that a surgeon's bonus drops to +0 if the company has a corrupt quartermaster since good food and medical supplies would not be available.]  Note that if the surgeon is a Healer (capable of using magic to assist recovery), then the Proficiency Bonus is added to the company's Morale as well.
  
• Chaplain:  The chaplain looks after the moral rectitude of the company and ensures that religious observances are held.  If the company is religious then the lack of a chaplain imposes a -1 penalty to both Morale and Readiness.  If they have a chaplain, then they may add their Proficiency Bonus to both Morale and Readiness rolls.  If the company is defined as non-religious, then the lack of a sky-pilot imposes no penalty, but neither does the presence of one give a bonus.
  
• Magician: This is very campaign dependent.  If the company is unlikely to encounter magic on the battlefield then the presence of a mage will probably cause a -1 penalty to Morale and Readiness, because ... magic.  If on the other hand if magic is a standard part of the military arsenal then the lack of a company magician will impose a -1 penalty to Morale and Readiness.
  
  A military mage ensures that the companies regalia is properly maintained so that it may help maintain the company's magical integrity on the battlefield.  They are also responsible for performing auguries and eradication of inadvertent curses (and also may be the Chaplain if the priesthood has magical powers in the game). The presence of a company magician will add their Proficiency Bonus to Morale and to saving throws against magic.
  
  The offensive role of magic is dealt with by the Magical Combat Support Group (see Combat Groups), not the company magician.  Although the leader of a MCSG can act as a company magician for the purposes of eliminating the penalty for not having a company magician.
  
  [In my game a military unit is difficult to affect magically because it is too large.  It presents a unified target magically, especially since the standards of the company are usually defensive magic items.  It is only when the unit is broken, that it becomes a group of individuals and thus a much easier magical target.  This, plus the effects of enemy mages supressing all magic, tends to mean that national matters are still solved on the battlefield with troops rather than between magic users. Besides, most mages find politics a distraction from what is important - learning more magic ("you just can't stop at one spell!").]
  
• Marshal:  A marshal is responsible for training new troops.  The lack of new troops mean that the company will not be able to train their own replacements (and will suffer a -1 penalty on Readiness rolls).  The marshal may apply their Proficiency Bonus to recruitment, replacement, and training rolls.   On campaign a marshal and his assistants "commands" the excess troops that serves as replacements for any casualties. These excess troops do not participate in the battle, so if a company consisted of 140 light infantry, 20 of those light infantry would stay behind to guard the baggage train and camp followers under the Marshal.  If there was no Marshal they would suffer a -1 penalty to Morale and Command throws were they to be attacked.

If an officer or non-commissioned officer has an expertise associated with one of these specialities then they may negate the penalty for not having a specialist, but they will be too busy performing their own duties to provide the normal Proficiency Bonus (however they may use their Proficiency Bonus when hiring the appropriate specialist).  Similarly, if their home domain has these specialities as part of the Domain (for example the noble that raised the Company has an armourer), they do not suffer any of the associated penalties until a month after they have left the Domain or until after their first battle, whichever comes first.

A company will usually be accompanied (even on campaign) by camp followers, many of which will perform services like laundry and cooking for the troops.  And well, servicing the troops.  However the presence of camp followers will slow an company down considerably.

A Company counts as a Military Domain of the appropriate Level.  Raising a Company depends on the milieu of the campaign.  Mercenary companies make good mobile Domains.  Note that in most cases nobles (or others) will only hire mercenary companies, rather than independent mercenaries, and pay the captain.  And the loyalty of mercenary troops is usually to their paymaster.  Mercenaries prefer escort, guard, and similar missions where the possibility of combat is minimised.  They do not look eagerly on taking part in battles.  However reputation is vital, both personal and as a unit.

Company Deployments

When a company deploys on the battlefield they do so as a single unit, with the captain leading from front and centre, with the lieutenants leading from the front on each wing (mainly being responsible for relaying orders from the captain and ensuring the wing manoeuvres appropriately), and with the sergeants marching behind (to ensure that nobody suddenly sees sweet reason on their first battle and decides discretion is the only part of valour).

Outside the battlefield they may deploy as various sub-units.  However while independent commands, these cannot generally perform independent operations during war.

• A platoon is generally composed of 30 soldiers, under the command of a lieutenant and accompanied by two sergeants.  They may be sent to scout or patrol, to secure a location, or to escort a VIP.  In peacetime they are capable of reasonably independent operation.
  
• A troop (if cavalry) or section (if infantry) of 15 soldiers, usually under the command of a lieutenant or sergeant.  They are generally limited to watch and guard operations where they are not generally expected to encounter enemy troops without the rest of the company being available for backup.  One particularly important duty of a section may be that of the captain's personal bodyguard, which is usually personally lead by the sergeant major.
  
• As mentioned previously a file or maniple is primarily a logistical unit of between 5 to 10 soldiers who do everything together.  For ease of vertical integration with the sub-units mentioned above, we will consider a standard file to be five soldiers (a corporal, two other veterans and the remainder being trained recruits; green units will have less veterans and experienced units more veterans, but there is usually at least one newbie per maniple - a casualty replacement if nothing else). Note that these recruits are considered to be 2HD soldiers if they are Regulars, like the other members of their file  - they are just unbloodied (and usually too enthusiastic at this stage of their careers, not having seen The Beast up close).

One should also mention that double-strength companies can often be found, especially amongst cavalry units (to bring the number of soldiers in the company up to the magical number of 120).  For example in a late period Roman Legion (an Army [to be covered later]) the attached unit of Roman Cavalry (the equites legionis) was 120 men strong, and that the four companies of the first cohort (a Regiment [see later]) were also double-strength).  The best way of handling these is to consider them to be the Battalions [see later] that they are in reality. Including the ability to deploy as two separate Company-sized units.

Note [4]:  And yes, my dear pedants, I am quite aware that a Roman Century (or centuriae) was traditionally 80 men and a traditional cohort consisted of six  centuries.  But that doesn't fit into my classification schema anywhere near as well as having a traditional cohort consist of four companies of 120 men does. I have, in a word, taken liberties.  So there.

Whilst the commander of such a unit may use the traditional rank of "captain," they are effectively a Major [Level 7 Military] (if cavalry) or Senior Captain [Level 6 Military] (if infantry).  Similarly their two "lieutenants" are considered either a Senior Captain [Level 6 Military] (if cavalry) or Junior Captain [Level 5 Military] (if infantry).  Each "lieutenant" will be assisted by two Ensigns or Sub-Lieutenants [Level 4 Military] who normally perform the duties of a Lieutenant [Level 4 Military].

Note [5]: One of the things I really wanted to do was model the historical chaos where any commander was a "captain" and the troops under their command a "company" regardless of their size. However I suspect that for the purposes of building a rule set stricter definitions are probably better. 

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thank ACKS's Domains of War for the push to bring my system up to using 120 men companies rather than my previous 100 man companies.  And for their size/human-equivalent definitions (although I did add to them).  Also for their use of morale for having an insufficiency of warrant officers.  It is an excellent and highly recommended system that I did contemplate using myself.  But didn't.

King of All He Surveys

Kingdoms

A short discussion of what I am referring to when I later start talking seriously about Kingdoms, Principalities, and Duchies.  And I apologise in advance to any historians for the many assumptions an inaccuracies in the examples I am using to illustrate these terms.

The Kingdom is the basic polity of this game (regardless of whether or not it is actually ruled by a monarch or by some other method). It represents a specific people (a collection of tribes), and their sovereign ruler (however that sovereign might be selected).

The ruler of a Kingdom is a King (12th Level Noble).

The physical extent of a Kingdom is probably much less than you expect. The map of the British Isles shows a rough approximation of the Kingdoms that were historically located in the island. Note that boundaries were fluid through time as kingdoms warred against each other and conquered territory (this snap-shot is about 600-700AD), although at this time Northumbria has occupied the eastern half of Strathclyde (and will eventually occupy Lindsey, prior to the Danish invasion that reduces it to a shadow of it's former self). Similarly Mercia and Wessex have been shown to have swallowed the technically Minor Kingdoms of The Twicce, Middlesex, Sussex, and Kent (as they would eventually do). In Roman times Lindsey and East Anglia would have been considered part of Mercia (or Flavia Cesariensis as the province was actually called). In fact East Anglia's prominence here is probably as a result of the later Danish invasion (which aslso swallowed Essex).

Ignoring Ireland for the moment, the important Kingdoms here are Wessex (Saxon), Mercia (Angle), Northumbria (Angle), and Alba (Pict [later Gael]), and which should be considered exemplars of what it is to be a Kingdom.

Lesser Kingdoms and Grand Duchies

If a people do not have a sovereign then they might be considered a Lesser Kingdom. This is the case of Wales, inhabited by the Welsh people, who may respond as a group when invaded from outside, but in reality are composed of a number of Minor Kingdoms led by sovereigns who are effectively Warlords/Dukes (10th level Nobles). In the case of Wales the Minor Kingdoms are Gwynned, Powys, Seisyllwg, Brycheiniog, Gwent, and Dyfed.

Alternatively if the sovereign rules little more than a City State they might be considered a Prince (11th Level Noble) ruling a Principality (which is considered the equivalent of a Lesser Kingdom). This is the case with Lindsey, which is centred around the old Roman city of Lincoln.

A Duchy is considered the smallest sovereign polity. The ruler of a Duchy is generally considered a Warlord/Duke (10th Level Noble), and may be tribal in nature. Cornwall is just such a Duchy, and home of the Dumnonia tribe from Roman/Celtic times.

Sunderland (and the Out Isles) is considered to be the home of Norse immigrants, but generally lacks any overall sovereignty (most of the settlements are effectively autonomous and therefore under the control of a Baron (7th Level Noble) at most. Caithness would as a result be considered a Norse Minor Kingdom (equivalent of a Duchy).

Strathclyde is home to a polyglot of peoples from the Gaels to the West and the Britons to East, tahnks torepeated invasions from the North, West, and South. Technically Northumbria at this time extends through the western half of Strathclyde, having conquered the Minor Kingdom of Beornice, although the map shown limits Northumbria's Northern reach to Hadrian's Wall (after the Danish invasion the Kingdom retreats completely to the North as a Lesser Kingdom). That's the reason for the dotted line. This is the infamous Border region which really wasn't under the control of anyone for very long.  So it's mostly squabbling Barons (7th level).  Eventually, with greater order established over the region it is controlled on both sides by the March Wardens/Marquis (9th Level), drawing on troops of the respective High Kingdoms.

An Empire will often consider Kingdoms to be the basis of their Provinces (which are ruled by a Governor). For example the Roman Empire considered Northumbria to the the province of Maxima Cesariensis, Mercia (along with East Anglia and Lindsey) to be the the province of Flavia Cesariensis, Wales to be Britannia Secunda, and Wessex to be Britannia Prima (give or take some real estate).

High Kingdoms

A Kingdom technically consists of a single People ruled by a single sovereign.  A High Kingdom is formed when multiple Peoples (or Kingdoms) gather together in a single High Kingdom.

The ruler of a High Kingdom is a High King (13th Level Noble).

When the King of Wessex reconquered the lands taken by the Danish invaders he became the High King of England (an Anglo-Saxon High Kingdom).

When the King of Alba (or as it was originally known, Pictland) conquered the surrounding peoples (the Norse of Sunderland/Caithness and the Gaels and Britons of Strathclyde) he became the High King of Scotland (which, one must admit, was simply another name for Alba).

In both of these cases the High King is the absolute monarch of the lands under their control.

Ireland also has a High King (13th Level Noble), but is not a High Kingdom in and of itself.  Instead one of the subject Kings is acknowledged High King and becomes suzerain over all of Ireland. He receives tribute from the other Kings, which explains his heightened precedence, but his personal authority and power is limited to his own Kingdom (plus the tribute).  This is the smallest form of Empire, and thus a High King may also be referred to as a King of Kings.

Great Kingdoms

The Great Kingdom is the largest polity where a sovereign may exercise direct rule over the kingdom, although they only can do so with the creation of a full-fledged Royal Bureaucracy through which they delegate royal powers.

The ruler of a Great Kingdom is a Great King (14th Level Noble).

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the classic example of a Great Kingdom  (actually Great Britain alone is sufficient).

I suspect that most of what people think of as independent kingdoms are actually Great Kingdoms - Burgundy, Occitan, Catalonia, Portugal, and Japan are all examples of Great Kingdoms.

Great Kingdoms are very much an intermediate state between the idea of a Kingdom (with direct rule by the sovereign) and that of an Empire (with indirect rule by the sovereign). With an Empire the Royal Bureaucracy is converted into between 3 to 8 full-fledged Imperial Ministries that essentially run the Empire on the Emperor's behalf.  Each Province/Kingdom is directly administered by a Governor  (which tends to reduce the internal tensions - at least those arising from the populace - within the Empire).

Endnote

The term Kingdom is a term of art (as is King, Prince, and Duke).  There are many Kingdoms in the game that are republics, meritocracies, theocracies, plutocracies, timocracies or even those whose sovereigns are women (and thus should properly be referred to Queen, Princess, and Duchess).  But the idea of the basic Kingdom is that they are a single People (which may be composed of one or more Tribes that identify with a common cultural heritage), that is ruled over by some sovereign authority (King, Queen, President, Governor, etc).

Setting: The Imperial Calendar

[Just a quick something to get back into the habit of writing. Not part of my current game rules, but rather something from my old campaign.]

The Imperial Calendar was created during the reign of the Emperor Constans in order to provide the Empire with a single calendar. At the time of the introduction of the Imperial Calendar, during the reign of the Emperor Constans, there were four major calendars in use within the Empire - the Mithraic, Aslander, Mahan, Pagan, and Church calendars (in addition to numerous minor calendars). Not only did they have a different count of years, they also had differing definitions of how the year was to be split up.

Each of them had their problems:

• The most commonly used calendar was actually the Mithraic (since Mithras was the current Imperial Capital), which was a solar calendar that dated from the reputed founding of the city. However this consisted simply of a day count from the autumnal equinox (which was effectively Day 0 of the count). It was a tradition that all business deals and obligations in the year be finalised before the Equinox. Each new day started at dawn. Because it was a simple count of days the probability of someone making an error in the count (and subsequent disputes) grew as the year went on.
• The Aslander calendar was a solar zodiacal calendar, with the year being subdivided by which of the twelve zodiacal constellations the sun rose in at the beginning of each day. This had two basic problems. First of all, the constellations occupied different parts of the sky, so each month was effectively of different length. For example the Vulture was officially a month with 34 days, whilst the Hare only had 25 days. Secondly there could be a dispute as to when a new month officially started, which had consequences for business disputes. This was officially settled by the Aslanders by having the Senior Judge of each city make the observation as to when each month actually began. Thus the first day of Hare occured 35 days after the first day of Vulture. This was fine and dandy, until, in typical Aslander fashion, a court case decided that "observation" was quite an important legal aspect of this decision/custom, so that the new month could not start until the Senior Judge literally observed the sun rise in the constellation. Thus an inconvenient bout of bad weather (or inability of the Senior Judge to make the observation) could artificially lengthen one month and shorten the next.
• The Mahan calendar was really a minor calendar at this time, although is worth mentioning at this time because of the importance it gained after the Interregnum, when it was became the official calendar of the Witch Kingdoms (the so-called "Empire of the Moon"), which grew up around the clansmen of the Mountains of Maha and the Caverns of Nosorol. It was a lunar calendar based around the phases of the moon, and started each new moon and lasting 28 days. The first month of the year began on the new moon that follows the winter solstice.
• The Pagan calendar(s) were your typical rural calendar system which was governed by the local agriculture and weather. They were probably the most important sort of calendar if you wanted to grow food, but the increasingly urban population (including scholars) tended to ignore it. Still many rural "contracts" were written in terms like "after the bean harvest," making it a useful measure of time.
• The Church calendar was probably the worst of the lot, since it was a liturgical calendar based on the various saint's days. Originally the major saint's day where associated with the solar festivals (for example Saint Mithras Day was the autumnal equinox, whilst Saint Justen's Day was the summer solstice). There were two problems that resulted from this. First of all, the Synod added days to the calendar in positions that were theologically appropriate to the surrounding saints. As the calendar filled up, this eventually pushed some of the major saints away from their respective solar festivals since each saint's day had to be celebrated in order. The second problem was that the Synod didn't stop adding names to the calendar when they reached 365 saints. At the time of the Emperor Constans, the Church calendar was officially 456 days long.

The Emperor Constans, in consultation with his astrologers and court magicians, sought to create a new Imperial calendar. Because of a love of symmetry it was to have four seasons, each consisting of three months of exactly thirty days in length. In the middle of each middle month there was added an extra day to the calendar which was the ay of the appropriate Solar Festival. These festival day were not actually considered to be part of the calendar - they were not actually part of the middle month of each season, and no business or work could be performed on them. The middle month remained legally exactly 30 days long (despite the fact that the sun might rise and set 31 times in the same time period). The year would officially start on the summer solstice (using the count of years since the reputed inauguration of the First Emperor - who was later to be canonised as Saint Justen).

And so all the calendar problems were to be solved in one fell swoop. By Imperial decree the calendar was adopted throughout the Empire at the next summer solstice, which would begin Year 756 of the Empire (IE).

Only there was one small teensy problem - the solar year was actually 365 days long, and the new Imperial year was only 364 days long.

They were still arguing over where to put the extra day in the calendar when the year 777IE formally started. The decision was delayed by Constans' illness though. And then someone noticed something strange about the autumnal equinox (Harvestfare). Everyone could remember celebrating it on the day, but people counting back the number of days in the month arrived at it being exactly 30 days long, not 31. There were 15 days before it and 15 days after it, but only 30 days in the month. This happened at the winter solstice (Sunreturn) as well. And the summer solstice (Emperor's Day) occurred exactly after 15 days of the middle month of Midsummer. An entire day had been excised from the year.

It appears as if they had inadvertently (although some suggest intentionally) created an Empire-wide magical ritual that had excised a whole day from the solar year.

The year 757IE happened much the same way (well except for the death of the Emperor Constans from his protracted illness and the investiture of the Emperor Rubens). And 758IE. 759IE. The magicians of the Empire waited for something to happen for their hubris at accidentally trifling with time (something that was prohibited by the High Council of Wizards for a very good reason). But nothing happened...

Except...

If you are busy doing a long task and you finish sooner than you think you would, or are taking a long trip and discover that you got there sooner than you thought you could, then perhaps, just maybe, that extra uncounted day you got was the Lost Day, just helping you in your time of need.

Serving time retail, rather than wholesale.

Birth Caste

The first thing players in my game get to do is determine their Birth Caste. They may do this by rolling 1d6 on the following table, or they may choose from one of the six options (if they have their hearts set on playing a particular caste or ... class). The castes are listed in a rough order of their importance in society.

d6	Birth Caste	Preferred Characteristic
1	Aristocratic	Cha
2	Military	Str
3	Religious	Int
4	Artisan	Dex
5	Peasant	Con
6	Outcaste	Wpr

The character's Birth Caste provides two main game-based advantages:

1. When rolling characteristics the standard method is rolling 4d6 and choosing any three, However with the indicated preferred characteristic, all four dice may be chosen.
   
   
2. Membership of a caste provides the character with certain innate background skills as a result of their upbringing. These are generally represented by two discrete Expertises (one of which is the form of etiquette practised by the members of the caste), although there are collateral effects.  One can, for example expect members of the Military and Aristocratic castes to be able to ride a horse, for example.

Firstly this means that members of a particular caste are much more likely to enter certain classes. For example members of the Military caste are much more likely to become Fighters, Knights, or Samurai, for example. Their upbringing particularly suits them for that role.

Secondly if someone wants to become a proper member of the indicated caste they will need to acquire the indicated Expertises. The etiquette Expertise is sufficient to convince non-caste members that you are a member of the caste, whilst the deeper knowledge of the second Experitse is required to convince caste members that you actually belong. Individuals that change caste will generally lack the appropriate Expertises to properly fit into their new social milieu and will often struggle. If they have risen in social status they will probably be considered parvenu (their children, on the other hand, have been properly brought up in the caste, will have the proper training, and will not be considered parvenu).

The Castes

I've used the term "caste" mainly because the operator "class" is already overloaded in most D&D games. However there is also a certain truth inherent in considering the social class your character was born into to be a caste, for in most cultures there are very few opportunities for a character to escape the social class they were born into, even if there are not religious, legal, or social impediments to doing so. Adventurers are a notable exception to this, because they effectively represent a distinct social class of their own: they are those individuals that have formally renounced their caste obligations and position in society to advance (or fall) on their own merits.

Aristocratic Caste (Charisma)

These are the hereditary rulers of the land (or the group from which the rulers of the land are typically drawn). From an early age they are exposed to the ins-and-outs of leadership and courtly behaviour and political machinations, and so Charisma is their preferred characteristic. Their Etiquette Expertise is Courtesy, which allows them to operate in the courtly environment, both in formal (presentation at court and proper etiquette) and informal (intrigue and gossip) situations. Their other Expertise is Heraldry, which is not just the technical knowledge of the heraldry, but the practical knowledge of what power and influence belongs to those to whom the heraldry belongs, as well as who is related to whom. Using this, an aristocrat can place their pedigree to a precise degree. Status is often everything to an aristocrat.

Of all the castes, individual members of the aristocratic caste are the ones most likely to become adventurers. This is because if one is neither the "Heir" nor the "Spare," there is little opportunity for social advancement. If the family is rich enough, then they may usually remain as Gentlemen (Noble Social Level 2), who may support the family's interests as junior managers and supervisors (or just simply live well), but many will be relegated to the Military or Religious Castes instead. Seeking to make your own position in the world was always considered an acceptable alternative, and is why adventurers are effectively considered an acceptable social class/occupation).

Important Note: Being an aristocrat is expensive. Whilst most other castes pay their cost of living expenses in silver pieces (sp), members of the aristocratic caste are required to pay their cost of living expenses in gold pieces (gp). For this reasons most aristocratic adventurers voluntarily affect membership of the military or religious castes (depending on their class). This effectively limits their ability to trade on the family name.

Military Caste (Strength)

This is the military elite of the land. They usually have the privileged position just below that of the aristocracy, for they are the mailed fist that supports the social order. The officers and leaders of the military are invariably drawn from their ranks, and they themselves form the elite troops, such as knights, samurai, and weaponthanes of the society. Their upbringing often includes rigorous physical conditioning which makes Strength their preferred characteristic. Their Etiquette Expertise is Captaincy which is the ability to lead and organise men, especially into combat or danger, organise supplies, read maps, and have knowledge of strategy and tactics. Their other Expertise is usually Soldier, which is generally the practical knowledge of military life, especially on campaign. However nations where the Navy is the "Senior Service" may instead choose to take the Sailor expertise, which is the naval equivalent of Soldier. [However in order to be promoted to Lieutenant they will still need to gain the Seamanship Expertise.]

Members of the military caste often become adventurers because there is often little difference between adventuring and being on a campaign (except you are more likely to be outnumbered). In fact some members of the military caste can still manage to combine an active military career with an adventuring career whilst off-duty or on leave.

Religious Caste (Intelligence)

The religious caste represents the educated elite of the land. Throughout history and in many different societies this has usually been the preserve of the priesthood and clergy. Normally they play second-fiddle to the military caste, but in peaceful societies they might be the mandarins in control of administering society and ordering the troops where to go. Their formal education allows them to consider Intelligence to be their preferred characteristic. Their Etiquette Expertise is Educated, and they may generally choose any Lore as their second Expertise (which determines their speciality within the caste). For example, Theology might be the lore chosen by a member of the priesthood, whilst Law might be chosen by a lawyer, Physician by a doctor, Scholar by an academic, Magic Lore by a mage (the theoretical knowledge of magic rather than the practical knowledge represented by class abilities), and Stewardship by an administrator/factotum.

Most members of the religious caste would consider adventuring to be a cold, wet, and thoroughly miserable way to die. However the magic using element of the religious caste is over-represented amongst adventurers because the often the only way to acquire new magic is to go looking for it in all the dark paces of the world.

Artisan Caste (Dexterity)

These are the craftsmen that make the goods that are often treasured by the higher castes. As a result they have bought themselves a higher role in society. Because most members of the artisan class make stuff, Dexterity is considered their preferred characteristic. Their Etiquette Expertise is Merchant, which is the ability to run a business, whilst their other Expertise is Craftsman. The crafts known by artisans are generally jealously guarded family secrets like weaponsmithing, bowyer, armoury, apothecary, artificing, and even architect. Artisans are much more likely to know how to make magical items than common craftsmen (who have neither the time nor customers to investigate doing so).

Whilst technically and officially still members of the peasant caste, rich merchants and bankers have also managed to parley their services to the higher castes (and wealth) into an elevated caste status for themselves and are considered to be members of the artisan caste even if they don't manage to produce anything and just move it around. They are considered to have the Merchant Expertise and Banking Expertise.

Very few members of the artisan caste turn to adventuring. Some may wander, looking for a place to set up shop, but skilled craftsmen are always in demand.In fact some trades, such as the village blacksmith, are so important that the craftsmen are crippled if there is a hint they might "run away." Although in truth, given their elevated status in a rural community, there is little incentive for them to do so. Generally the ones that do become adventurers are the n'er-do-wells, who have parleyed their mercantile and mechanical abilities into more dubious pursuits.

Peasant Caste (Constitution)

These are the other 95% of society who toil to support the other castes. The result of all this hard work is to make Constitution their preferred characteristic. Their Etiquette Expertise is Folklore, which is not only knowledge of local superstitions and legends, but local history, law, customs, people, and gossip. While you typical peasant may not travel further than a half day from his village, they know every blade of grass within that half day. As a result the Expertise is generally tied to where the peasant lives. Travel far enough, or encounter people of a different culture, then the two Folklore Expertises will be effectively different (however it can still be used to validate your caste membership to the other party).

The other Expertise known by a member of this caste is generally Peasant, since about three-quarters of the caste will be engaged in purely agrarian pursuits. However members of the peasant caste have a wide-range of secondary Expertises available to them, including the Expertises of the other castes. For example:

• A servant of the aristocracy may take the Courtesy Expertise. And yes this does mean they can readily pretend to be nobles themselves.
• A common soldier or sailor may take the Soldier or Sailor Expertise.
• A clerk may take the Lawyer or Stewardship Expertise.
• A merchant may take the Merchant Expertise. A craftsman may take the Craftsmen Expertise, although it will concentrate more on those trades common to the countryside, such as blacksmith, mason, weaver, and carpenter (and the common craftsmen will almost never have any access to the recipes required to craft magical items, even if they may eventually develop the capability to do so).
• Not to mention all the other common trades and careers, like Hunter, Fisherman, Herdsman, Labourer, etc.

Despite the fact that members of the peasant caste vastly outnumber all the other castes combined, very few members of this caste have the opportunity to take up adventuring. Often there are legal and social constraints (for example the ability to bear weapons or even leave the land), as well as the economic constraints of outfitting the character for an adventuring lifestyle (as opposed to becoming a simple bandit). Usually members of this caste become adventures through the direct sponsorship of a member of a higher caste.

Important Note: Being a peasant is as cheap as being an aristocrat is expensive. A peasant can pay his living expenses in copper pieces rather than silver. However as the lifestyle that results will be that of a poor serf, most members of this caste prefer to pay their living expenses in silver pieces if they can afford it. Note that since the daily cost of living is paid in copper pieces, peasants away from home gain no benefit from living cheaply. The benefit is only gained when paying cost of living expenses monthly or annually (and thus, only applies when the peasant can pay their cost of living in such a manner).

Outcaste (Willpower)

Some cultures will have an explicit outcaste of untouchables, such as the burakumin or Japan and the dalit of India. However these individuals can never rise to the level of adventurer within their native societies because of the restrictions put on them. If they acquire the Folkore Expertise then they can pretend to be a member of the peasant caste, but their lack of an "acceptable" secondary Expertise to support themselves will often give them away. Still this is always an option for adventurers coming from this social class. However the main adventuring members of this caste are those who already exist outside of society. In effect, they are already adventurers without the formal declaration that makes them what they are. Surviving and prospering as an Outcaste requires considerable tenacity in the face of opposition, which is why Willpower is the preferred characteristic.

The Etiquette Expertise is either Untouchable (for those societies that have an explicit caste of untouchables) or Outlaw (for those who exist outside society's protection for other reasons). Both of these Expertises are effectively disadvantages when used outside the context of the subclass, so all members of the outcaste who are adventurers also get the Folklore expertise for free. One of the advantages of this Etiquette Expertise is that the outcaste is often ignored by the authorities and it is easier to disappear into it. [Although when the authorities do take notice, the repercussions are often extremely brutal.]

Certain classes may only be taken by members of the Outcaste. In particular the class of Cultist can only be taken by members of the Outcaste, in which case the Etiquette Expertise becomes Heretic and the Etiquette Expertise normally associated with the character's Birth Caste (or roll randomly), and the secondary Expertise is Dark Lore or Cult Lore. Access to this class, and the increased Willpower characteristic, are the general reasons why someone might choose to be an Outcaste.

Membership of the Outcaste also allows characters to ignore societal restrictions that may be placed on them. For example in a society where peasants are not allowed to touch weapons (and not just the serfs and slaves), becoming an Outcaste might be the only way to become a Fighter. Admittedly an outlaw or bandit, but that at least allows you to acquire the class.

[That was exhausting. My primary game notes were basically the listed table. All the rest was addenda and explanation which I just added to explain the table.]

Et ædificavit prava in lacum

In a moment of weakness I've decided to publish some of the various house rules I use (or may not use) in my current incarnation of my D&D game.

I was saving them up for formal publication (for free), but that is probably never going to happen, since I am far too chaotic.  So this is a somewhat motley collection of various rules.

And I say "rules" rather loosely.  Most of my game has grown out of a set of three defined axioms and rulings are always ex tempore.  In effect these are worked examples extracted from my head with the aid of a trepanning chisel.

So I should probably start by explaining these axioms.

The First Axiom

Everything has a level (which is quantifiable and not an abstraction).  This level is relatable across the game system, so level of place, nobility, title and character are all comparable.

[In effect this isn't quite true because magic (both items and spells) has a level that is half the value of a character level. However doing so eases conversations with mainstream D&D players.]

The Second Axiom

The basic classes of Fighter and War Mage occupy opposite poles of a spectrum of ability.  Fighters are the experts in melee, whilst War Mage are the experts at spellcasting.  This is reflected by giving the Fighter a base d10 for their hit points and melee damage, and a base d4 for their magic points and magic damage, whilst the exact reverse is true for a War Mage.

[Although when you start adding other classes into the mix it gets much more complicated.  For example, Demon Hunters (Clerics) are the second best at both fighting and spellcasting, and Bravos (a subclass of Fighter) gain increased hit points and increased spell points.]

The Third Axiom

The six characteristics are well defined.  For example Strength is used when you attempt to do something physically through the application of force, whilst Dexterity is used when you attempt to do something physically through the application of finesse.  The spiritual characteristics (Intelligence, Willpower, and Charisma) mirror the effects of the physical characteristics in the spiritual world.

Because the characteristics are well defined they define the nature of the character.  The corollary of this is that many of the game systems should refer back to these characteristics when they apply to a character, and that the player gets to choose how they affect the world.

[The classic example of this is a saving throw against a Wand of Paralysis.  The player could choose to take cover from the wand wielder (and make a save vs Wands and Staves [Int]), to avoid the paralysis ray by dodging out the way (and make a save vs Breathe and Blast [Dex]), to resist the magic of the wand (and make a save vs Magic and Spells [Wpr]), or to resist the effects of the magic (and make a save vs Paralysis and Petrification [Str]).]

The Fourth Rule

This is probably a rule I should mention here (because I probably won't mention it anywhere else), which, while not really axiomatic, is still fundamental to the design principles.  A bonus that originates from natural abilities generally increases the size of the die that is rolled by two sides.  So a War Mage (base melee damage die of d4) with a Strength of 14 (+1 Strength bonus), now has a melee damage die of d6 because of their strength (and so may wield a short sword in one hand).

On the other hand a magical bonus is added to the roll. So that self same War Mage wielding a +1 magic shortsword would roll 1d6+1 for damage.

[The obvious place this breaks down is the d20 roll for combat.  Ideally a +1 strength bonus should mean that the character rolls a d22 to-hit.  But unfortunately these larger dice are still relatively unavailable and for ease of play I want a single die that is rolled.  So a d20 with added bonus it remains.]