Noble Scion Archetype Background (Apath)

	Unofficial rules compendium
	Contents 1 Noble Scion Prestige Archetypes 1.1 Why Nobles?; 1.2 Nobles as Player Characters; 1.3 Nobles In The Campaign; ; 2 Noble Scion Archetype Abilities 2.1 Affluent (Ex); 2.2 Noble Paragon (Ex); 2.3 Prestigious Influence (Ex); 2.4 Fame And Fortune (Ex); 2.5 Servitor (Ex); 2.6 Leadership (Ex); 2.7 Greater Leadership (Ex); 2.8 Peerless Patrician (Ex); ; 3 See Also; 4 External Links;
	Contents 1 Noble Scion Prestige Archetypes 1.1 Why Nobles?; 1.2 Nobles as Player Characters; 1.3 Nobles In The Campaign; ; 2 Noble Scion Archetype Abilities 2.1 Affluent (Ex); 2.2 Noble Paragon (Ex); 2.3 Prestigious Influence (Ex); 2.4 Fame And Fortune (Ex); 2.5 Servitor (Ex); 2.6 Leadership (Ex); 2.7 Greater Leadership (Ex); 2.8 Peerless Patrician (Ex); ; 3 See Also; 4 External Links;

This is a book of prestige archetypes, prestige classes built into full 20-level archetypes similar to a normal core class. It takes the concept behind a prestige class and makes it more accessible. Prestige archetypes have the special abilities of the prestige class spread out over the full range of 20 levels, and gain their special prestige identity from level one; there is no need to plan ahead to meet prestige prerequisites and wait for several levels before getting to the meat of the prestige class.

Noble Scion Prestige Archetypes

All the archetypes in this book are based on the same prestige class, the noble scion from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige, an adventurer born with a silver spoon. At the top of the hierarchy of her homeland, she nevertheless decided to put it all to risk as an adventurer—but she's not giving up her social advantages or creature comforts. All these archetypes share similar abilities, adjusted to a variety of classes to make them nobility.

A noble scion is the child of a leading family, with wealth, influence, fame, and connections. She is generally not the leader of her house, but may become the leader as the campaign requires. She commands material resources far beyond those of a regular adventurer, especially at low levels. But just as important is her connections and influence; a noble scion can expect people to listen when she speaks and to get a polite invitation where a normal adventurer would have to work to be admitted. The adventures a noble scion thrives on are those about the fate of nations; wars, courtly intrigue, pretenders to the throne, and plots to sunder nations. But not all noble scions spend their time on such lofty pursuits, even a nobles need someone to take care of the dirty laundry, most important families have more than one skeleton in the closet. Still other noble scions like to go slumming with regular adventurers, exploring dungeons and scouring the wilderness as the first among equals in an adventuring party.

The terms "house", "family", and "noble" are used loosely here to describe aristocrats with a common allegiance and bond of loyalties. Most often this is based on bonds of blood, but sometimes aristocrats are recruited by other means, such as by adoption, physical traits, exams, ritual fighting, divine selection, innate magical power, reincarnation, or even pure lottery. A republic without formal nobility and a meritocracy ruled by a faceless bureaucracy can both have noble scions, tough they naturally would carry other titles. Whatever the cause, these "noble scions" have resources and prestige and think of themselves as better than the run-of-the-mill adventurer or commoner.

A noble scion is almost always of the dominant race and creed of her homeland. A dwarf noble comes from dwarf lands, the nobles of a deist kingdom all worship gods, and so on. Sometimes a racial minority can organize and form their own noble house in a society dominated by a different majority, even to the point of becoming the rulers of another people. This is often the case in conquered countries, where the descendents of the conquerors can rule a population very different from themselves. A half-breed or hybrid such as a half-elf or theifling may be born to a noble house, but only in extremis would such a questionable offshoot get the prestige of a noble scion.

Why Nobles?

In its simplest form, the system of nobility is a development of banditry. The most basic aspect of power is the ability to take what you want. But wise bandits realize that if you leave the peasant something to live on, you can come back next year to rob them again, and thus begins taxation. The warriors now have a reason to protect their serfs from other bandits, a system of mutual but very unequal benefit develops. This is the base of feudalism, the bandits become noble protectors. The system is self-perpetuating because everyone loses if it collapses into banditry.

Many people see the nobility as wasteful and self-indulgent parasites. But in antiquity, having a hereditary elite made very much sense. When starvation is a harsh reality, people pick the safe options. A poor society simply can't afford each person an individual choice, and rather than having each person striving for the best possible position in society, it is more stable to inherit your parents' position. This applies to all social classes, from the lowest to the highest. Only in the most strict caste societies is this order absolute, there is always a few people who break out of the mold and risk all for a chance at advancement, but most stay in the position they were born into.

All this applies even more to the upper classes. Nobility makes the structure of power clear and obvious. People know who their lords are, who to turn to for justice, and who will represent them in the courts of higher powers, among kings and emperors. This responsibility is personal; when things go bad, everyone knows who to blame. More than one lord has been killed as a result of failure. Such an incompetent or unlucky lord can be sacrificed as a scapegoat and replaced, but society itself is still stable, there is upheaval but no revolution. At the same time, hereditary nobility, and even more so hereditary kings, makes the transition of power easier. In a society where anyone can reach these lofty position, the transition of power from one generation to the next always involves intrigue and often civil war; mighty empires have fallen because there were multiple claims to the throne.

Now, many countries in Porphyra are moving past the stage where nobility is productive. These societies are rich and advanced enough that individual striving and choice is possible. As society advances, the nobility naturally tries to cling to power. This is where the image of the idle and wasteful noble comes from, people who live on riches inherited rather than earned, who try to prevent social change and artificially maintain their power when more efficient leadership would be possible. Yet even then, a heroic nobleman will work to use their privilege for the good of all and act as an exemplar for their culture.

Nobles as Player Characters

The noble scion archetypes are meant for players who wish to play rich and endowed from birth, characters with status and monetary advantages, balanced by weaknesses in other areas. They are not primarily for non-player characters, who can have prestige, money, servants, and influence at the game master's whim. It is generally more convenient to simply assign wealth and followers to NPC nobles as the situation requires.

Not all members of a house of nobility are noble scions. The prestige class covers the core of such a house, those of undeniable wealth and prestige. There are usually countless misfits, bastards, poor cousins, and distant relatives in each noble house; a player wanting to have a noble name without taking one of these prestige archetypes can always ask for the GMs permission to play such a poor noble with a grandiose name but little to show for it. She might have grown up with the scions of her family, playing as almost-equals as children, but suddenly there is a gulf between them as adults. Such characters play normal classes with normal starting funds. All Pathfinder characters have resources far above those of poor commoners, most are assumed to have worked for this gear or received it upon graduation, while a lesser noble traces it back to the her house.

Nobles In The Campaign

The wealth of the noble scion might at first seem to be a balance problem, but in reality is less so than would be expected. A low-level noble scion can afford an extra wand or masterwork gear, but while this is beyond the means of most low-level characters, the advantage is not insurmountable. As she advances in level, the wealth of her family will become a smaller and smaller part of her total resources, but never grows completely insignificant. She will always have slightly better equipment and more money to spend on frills and comforts than her compatriots, the benefit is comparable to crafting magic items. While other socialites will think of the noble as the natural leader of any group of adventurers she joins, the rest of the party might treat her as anything from revered matriarch to party pet to a stooge to leech money off.

The noble scion comes to best advantage in a campaign involving nobles in conflict, such as a throne war. In such a game, several characters can be nobles. If the campaign is to be heroic, it is recommended that all players come from the same or at least very closely allied families, but games where the players are from rival factions are certainly possible. This can be very fun and exiting, but might create rivalries that make some players uncomfortable. Everyone should be aware of the risk of conflict among the player characters from the very beginning, long before things turn ugly.

Nobles present a challenge to game masters, but also new tools. A noble scion is well connected, and it makes sense for the character to be a go-between between the party and their employer. This works best in a campaign where the players have a steady patron, who can be a higher-up in the noble scion's house. But this can work even in a campaign where the players work for a new patron each adventure; the party of adventurers becomes famous as "Harold's Heroes" or "Delilah's Delvers" and the noble serves as the party face whose honor guarantees the integrity of the team. Just be careful than the other players don't feel shut out of the social scene. And be just as careful to preserve the benefits of the noble scion; the extra resources the class gets are meant to be personal, balanced by weakness in other areas. Don't force the noble scion use up these resources to pay off her adventuring companions.

Naturally, the noble's wealth comes from somewhere. At lower levels, this is simply money paid out as a stipend by elders and higher-ups in the noble's family, but at higher levels this is income from her own lands and holdings. So, why can't the noble simply liquidize these holdings and get a huge sum of money right away? The answer is that cultures and families of nobility generally have different views of ownership. Land belongs to the family or clan, not to an individual. The noble has the right to rents and incomes, but the land itself is only held in custody for future generations. This difference between land as property and land held in custody is one of the great changes in modernity. The noble gets to enjoy the ownership, and can hunt in the forests, live in the palaces, be bowed to by the peasants, sit in judgment over the city, and generally lord over an area of much greater riches than their immediate wealth shows. This also includes followers who are nominally under the nobles rule, but busy running the estate; guards, farmers, hunters, burghers, scullions, all under their lord but too busy to actually take direct orders. All these people will bow and scrape for their lord, but making demands on them beyond their customary duties is quite unthinkable. Noble holdings often include a levy, a small army in its own right, but again this can only be used in the direct interests of the land or to fulfill feudal obligations. For private use, the noble has to settle for the benefits outlined by her class features. Everyone in a hierarchical society is very aware of their duties and rights, any exploitation beyond what is customary is likely to be met by reluctance, intrigue, plots, and potentially murder or rebellion.

Noble Scion Archetype Abilities

Below follows noble archetypes of several classes, the bloodline scion (sorcerer), chevalier (cavalier), eldritch noble (wizard), enlightened noble (investigator), hierarch cleric (cleric), monster scion (summoner), noble virtuoso (bard), renaissance man (magus), and scheming noble (rogue). All of these archetypes share common abilities, that are described at the beginning of the archetypes section. Each also gets class abilities of their parent class, that are described separately for each archetype. The combination of noble scion perks and abilities from the class it is based on combine to make each noble scion archetype.

Affluent (Ex)

At each level, a noble scion gains gold pieces equal to 750 multiplied by her character level as stipend. (She gains 750 gp. at 1st level, an additional 1,500 gp. at 2nd level, and so on.) This is the noble's private spending money, a result of the increase in standing her level advancement brings.

A multiclass character only gets this stipend when increasing in level as a noble scion, not when increasing her level in any other class. The amount received is based on her character level, not class level. So a wizard 3 who takes a level of scheming noble gains 3,000 gp (750 times her new character level of four).

Noble Paragon (Ex)

In order to impress commoners and peers alike, the noble scion is brought up to be a paragon of her culture. At 1st level, the noble scion selects a culture she has been brought up in and three class skills. If a particular skill already a class skill, the scion instead gains a +1 trait bonus on that skill.

Prestigious Influence (Ex)

At 2nd level, a noble scion can use her influence to receive special treatment, favors, and other services. She effectively has a pool of virtual gold pieces equal 25 gp per class level to spend on services and non-material goods. This represents the wealth of her house, but also connections; naturally the theatre will offer their best tickets for free to honor their great sponsor and beneficiary who just happens to be the noble characters uncle. This pool replenishes at the beginning of every week. Unspent resources are lost and do not accumulate. Services and nonmaterial goods available to a noble scion include:

Pay for lodgings, stabling, taxes, and tolls.
Pay off bandits or pay ransom.
Pay for social gifts and bribes.
Improve her lifestyle quality.
Hire entertainers, messengers, mounts, servants, transport, workers, and so on.
Obtain invitations to exclusive events, or entry into privileged locations.
Gather information, spread rumors, or start a whispering campaign.
Purchase spellcasting services.
Employ an expert hireling to make a skill check with a check bonus of +10 plus half her class level at a cost of 50 gp.

The noble can spend some of these funds on her companions, but spending more than half your allowance on your friends could be seen as overly egalitarian. A noble scion cannot permanently gain goods or wealth from this ability. Boons attainable from this ability are generally only available in settlements of 500 people or more. The exact benefits available in a location are subject to GM discretion.

When in the home territory of her noble house, the scion has access to luxurious lodging at the manors or town houses of her family, and can use such facilities to throw parties, lodge her companions in comfort, or otherwise use the properties of her family to advantage. When traveling, she can expect at least modest accommodation with other nobles, and a noble visitor is often the occasion of parties and other entertainment. The backside is of course that the scion is expected to attend all these social functions, which can hinder her other activities.

Fame And Fortune (Ex)

At third level a noble scion gains a bonus equal to 1/3 her class level on Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) checks. This ability also reduces the DCs of Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) checks others make to gather information about the noble scion by the same amount.

Servitor (Ex)

At 4th level, a noble scion gains a faithful NPC servitor of the same level as a cohort granted by the Leadership feat (minimum 1st level). This servitor is of the expert NPC class and comes equipped with gear appropriate for a non-heroic NPC of the servitor's level. The servitor does not fight for the noble scion as would a cohort or follower, but instead can set up camp, act as a valet or maid, and otherwise provide food and comforts. The servitor can also run various errands while the noble scion is adventuring, such as delivering messages or maintaining the scion's interests.

Leadership (Ex)

At 7th level, the noble scion gains Leadership as a bonus feat. The cohort and followers come with equipment appropriate for their level. Pay and upkeep is provided by the noble scion's house. Followers serve their noble leader, but their ultimate loyalty is to the land and holdings; they may report unusual activities to others in the house and refuse orders that they perceive to be dangerous to the clan as a whole.

Greater Leadership (Ex)

At 13th level, a noble scion can have a cohort up to one level lower than herself and the level of all her followers increases by one. At 19th level, she can recruit a cohort of the same level she is and the level of her followers increases by two. This also improves the noble scion's servitor.

Peerless Patrician (Ex)

At 20th level a noble scion can roll twice on any Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (nobility), or Sense Motive check and take the better roll. Once per day, instead of rolling one of these skill checks, she can assume the roll resulted in a natural 20.

External Links

Noble Scion at d20pfsrd.com

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