Then I got older and less stupid. Yes, we do think of knights as strong and capable fighters. We have Arthur's legends and Percival to inform us. But ... we should remember that it's not strength or prowess that makes a person a knight. Becoming a knight is a decision made by someone who is not a knight ... specifically, the person who knights knights. Now, that person can decide that he (or she) isn't going to knight a person who unless they've shown prowess ... but as far as I know, they're under no strict obligation to do so, especially if we're speaking of a time of divine right. And lest we forget, not every knight is knighted in England or France. Little tiny countries run by very lowly monarchs can also knight knights ... and while that might make the knight less of a threat, it doesn't mean the knighted person isn't a knight.
I also took it as dogma that a knight was obviously a paladin. And if not a paladin, certainly a fighter. But again ... what you are doesn't make you a knight. What makes you a knight is someone else's decision. And if they want to knight a bard or an illusionist ... well, they're the fucking monarch, aren't they? You just say, "Yes sire, whatever you say sire."
YOU may have some huge resistance against a mage being a knight, but that's a baseless prejudice you've gained from writers of stories, books, the last half century's television and a bunch of movies. Some of which are made by actors and directors who are, by English standards, "knights." Knights who became knights for acting well. Because a monarch said so.
And so ... can a first player character be a knight? Oh yeah. Absolutely. That may rankle, but we know of CEOs of billion dollar corporations who are barely in their 20s ... who became CEOs because Mommy and Daddy said so. It's not fair, but it's the way things are.
Now, I've mentioned a few times that I'm working on adding my complete Character Background Generator to the wiki. The number of bytes have reached 162,511 ... which means that if the page were on wikipedia, it would rank 9,108th in length. At the moment I'm working on the system of randomly rolling the character's education as a child prior to becoming a character class, based on whatever the character's "progenitor" (father, mother, mentor, uncle, aunt, older sibling, whatever) did as a profession or way of life. One of the results I've added is "landed knight":
That's right. There's a 7 in 600 chance (give or take, depending) that your fairly charismatic character could have a knight as a progenitor ... who, in turn, prior to your entering my game campaign as a 1st level character — regardless of class — pulled some strings and made you a knight also. He or she also bequeathed you a large piece of land, with renters, the right to collect taxes, be called a "Sir" and so on ... without having to reach any so-called "name level" at all. Here it is, handed to you on a silver platter. Enjoy.
No, not everyone gets this. It's much more likely that you're a farmer or a herder of animals, a blacksmith or a porter ... in which case, no, you don't get to be called "Sir" or "Dame." I do not care that it is not fair. My game is not based on everyone starting equal in the pits and competing to see who wins against each other. My game is about the other players being wildly happy that you're a landed knight, because it means they get to lounge about your land and spend your tax money, because that's the way YOU want it also. The party is a unified whole, working together ... and it does not matter a damn who gets to be called sir. If it does matter to you, because for you a chance die roll says you're special ... then fuck you there's the door.
The larger point is that the so-called "end game" can start any time. If this round of characters isn't blessed, well, soon enough everyone's going to roll a henchfolk, meaning you and the others can try again. And again and again, without anyone having to kill themselves to get another swing.
Oh, and for those who might be interested, because I haven't written out the notes for the landed knight yet, it is possible that your knighted mage character will receive a free weapon proficiency that will, yes, be a long sword, which yes, your character can use. Because that's how my hereditary system works.
In fact, scattered throughout the character background generator there are all kinds of cross-training opportunities. Your druid might have had an assassin as a father, making you able to assassinate. Yep. Your non-bard might be able to play an instrument and perform in public. Your fighter might know how to function as an alchemist. Because I don't consider "skills" to be definitively the province of any class ... just the norm for most classes. There's no reason why a particular player character shouldn't deviate from that norm. The heavens won't fall, dogs and cats won't live together, there won't be mass hysteria.
And because it's random, it's not subject to the evils of a point-buy system. Worse, it's not subject to game balance, either, because — as I've said — fuck selfish people.
Learn to be excellent to one another, appreciate a fellow player's gains and spread your good luck around. Everyone gets some. If not on this particular table, then somewhere else.
I have certainly taken to putting any high stat roll I can spare into Charisma for just this chance. Sure, you end up with Teamster or something most of the time but hope springs eternal.
ReplyDeleteI'm good with all this.
ReplyDeleteI will say that I read somewhere that Gygax (can't remember if he wrote this himself) intended all PCs to be nobles or...at the least..."gentlepersons." 2nd (and 3rd and 4th, etc.) sons and daughters who'd have the training and starting equipment and AMBITION to become something, yet lacking the actual inheritance of a firstborn. My own game, pretty much on life support as it is, hasn't needed to deal with the issue at all.
As for level titles: you know, I haven't even given them much thought recently. Unless you consider "level" to be some specific in-game "thing" (like a Freemason or something) they seem to...not matter terribly? And if you don't require training for advancement (which you don't...and I've dropped it recently as well) then who's going to bequeath you the rank of sorcerer or superhero or whatever? What prevents you from calling yourself whatever title you want (other than the idea you might be challenged by a character who believes you a liar?)?
Again, it just hasn't come up yet. I'm still working out which nation-states even grant titles of knighthood and nobility. There isn't any one, overarching High King in my world (though there is at least one emperor, who only controls a portion of it), and the lesser rulers and petty tyrants are certainly going to give out titles and honorifics as their whims and needs demand. I definitely have no problem with low level, incompetent knights and such.
JB, I think you are probably thinking of two statements Gygax made on page 81 of the original DMG:"In such a society, adventurers would come from the younger children of aristocrats — those who will inherit little and wish to remain in the favored class." and "My own GREYHAWK campaign, for example, assumes all player characters (unless I personally place one who is otherwise) are freemen or gentlemen, or at worst they can safely represent themselves to be so."
ReplyDeleteShadow,
ReplyDeleteWith thieves and assassins in the mix, I prefer to think that a player character might come from anywhere ... and that they band together as a celebration of ability and honour rather than social class.
No criticism intended.
ReplyDelete@ Shadow:
I'm sure that's where I'm remembering it from.
@ Alexis:
The point (that the existence of certain classes suggests a lower caste) is an excellent one. I still recall Franz Unger (my PC in YOUR game) that was a fisherman's son turned assassin. I'd lump druids in the same category, although their minimum charisma requirement suggests more noble origins.
Gygax's idea might have held more true when the game was just fighters, wizards, and priests...but the game evolved beyond that a long time ago (though it appears his mindset *did* eventually change, at least by the mid-80s...look at "Gord the Rogue").