Royalty

Bestowed with the right to rule by blood, blade, or the mandate of deities, royal families preside over many fantasy kingdoms. In many cases, the success and disposition of an entire country might be summarized by the personalities and agendas of its rulers, and few things can change the fate of entire empires like the decrees or deaths of their leaders. Whether leading armies to war, being held hostage by tyrants, or brooding in crumbling keeps, members of royalty often incite or end the most epic of quests and can reward their champions like no other.

Princess CR 6

XP 2,400

Human aristocrat 8

N Medium humanoid

Init +3; Senses Perception +8

Defense

AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+5 armor, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 shield)

hp 40 (8d8+4)

Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +6

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee mwk rapier +10/+5 (1d6–1/18–20) or mwk rapier +8/+3 (1d6–1/18–20), mwk dagger +8 (1d4–1/19–20)

Ranged mwk dagger +10 (1d4–1/19–20)

Statistics

Str 9, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 12

Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 19

Feats Dodge, Mobility, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse

Skills Bluff +13, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +13, Escape Artist +4, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (nobility) +10, Perception +8, Perform (dance) +10, Perform (string) +10, Ride +8, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +4

Languages Common, Elven

Gear +1 chain shirt, masterwork rapier, masterwork dagger, circlet of persuasion, cloak of resistance +1, disguise kit

Boon A princess can make a gift to PCs of up to a 300 gp value or get PCs out of minor legal trouble. A princess can also arrange a meeting with her royal parent, a knight, a noble, a minstrel or celebrity bard, or a merchant prince whose favor she has, with a +5 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks with them.

A princess is occasionally a ruler in her own right but is most often the daughter of a king and/or queen. In many societies, princesses come behind any princely brothers in the line of succession, and may even be treated like a commodity to be brokered between noble houses through marriage alliances. Small wonder, then, that princesses often find ways of sneaking away from their gilded homes and out into the world to find a taste of adventure.

Naturally, a princess's stats can also be used to model any high-level noble, male or female. Princesses also make good aristocratic duelists, perhaps joining together in a noble "gangs" of four members (CR 10).

A princess may be accompanied by four female noble scions as her ladies-in waiting or noble-born friends (CR 8), or by her mother and father, the king and queen (CR 15). Alone, a princess may keep a guard officer bodyguard (CR 7) or battle monk for protection (CR 8), possibly adding a minstrel as well for the company (CR 8 or 9).

Queen CR 10

XP 9,600

Human aristocrat 12

N Medium humanoid

Init +5; Senses Perception +19

Defense

AC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 armor, +1 Dex)

hp 54 (12d8)

Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +14

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee mwk dagger +9/+4 (1d4–1/19–20)

Ranged mwk dagger +11 (1d4–1/19–20)

Statistics

Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 16

Base Atk +9; CMB +8; CMD 22

Feats Alertness, Defensive Combat Training, Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Sense Motive)

Skills Bluff +14, Diplomacy +22, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge (nobility) +16, Linguistics +5, Perception +19, Perform (dance) +9, Perform (sing) +9, Perform (string) +9, Ride +6, Sense Motive +27

Languages Common, Draconic, Elven

Gear masterwork dagger, bracers of armor +1, brooch of shielding, cloak of resistance +2, elixir of truth, elixir of vision, figurine of wondrous power (silver raven), headband of mental prowess +2 (Wis, Cha)

Boon A queen can arrange an audience with any noble in her land, including the king, and her favor provides a +10 bonus on Diplomacy checks with them. A queen who rules in her own name can also grant knighthoods, lordships, and dispense royal justice as a king.

A queen may be a monarch in her own right, or may be the wife of a king. Even in the latter case, she shares many of the duties of rulership, including managing affairs of state while the king is absent. A queen is generally wise and thoughtful, carefully considering the health of her nation as well as her royal house.

In countries or empires with a large number of titled families, a queen could simply be a duchess, baroness, or head of a great noble house, without royal privilege. A queen might also be used as a spymistress or the conniving seductress who holds the reins of power behind the throne.

Queens are often accompanied by a knight or sellsword bodyguard (CR 11), or four princesses or two nobles serving as their ladies-in-waiting (CR 12). A queen might also have a celebrity bard with her, or a priest and noble as her advisors (CR 12). A queen may often be found with her husband, the king, along with their royal guardsmen, either eight guards or four guard officers (CR 15).

King CR 14

XP 38,400

Human aristocrat 16

N Medium humanoid

Init +0; Senses Perception +13

Defense

AC 20, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (+10 armor)

hp 80 (16d8+8)

Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +10

Offense

Speed 20 ft.

Melee +1 longsword +14/+9/+4 (1d8+2/19–20) or mwk dagger +14/+9/+4 (1d4+1/19–20)

Ranged mwk dagger +13 (1d4+1/19–20)

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 17

Base Atk +12; CMB +13; CMD 27

Feats Alertness, Defensive Combat Training, Great Fortitude, Improved Great Fortitude, Improved Vital Strike, Mounted Combat, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Vital Strike

Skills Bluff +15, Diplomacy +32, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (geography) +10, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (nobility) +15, Linguistics +8, Perception +13, Perform (oratory) +22, Ride +14, Sense Motive +23

Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Sylvan

Combat Gear smokestick; Other Gear +1 glamered full plate of light fortification, +1 longsword, masterwork dagger, cape of the mountebank, medallion of thoughts, rod of splendor

Boon A king can grant knighthood or even lordship, along with lands and titles, if sufficient service is rendered to the kingdom. A king may also pardon criminals or order the exile or execution of the guilty. He can grant a monetary reward of up to 1,000 gp to PCs.

A king is the ruler of a nation, usually a hereditary monarch schooled in the arts of statecraft and leadership, but no stranger to the sad necessities of steel and blood. Alert for treachery but possessed of all the courtly graces, a king leads his people. Whether or not he leads them well depends on his alignment, his goals, and the motives of his advisors.

A king can also be used as a high-ranking general or powerful warlord, or even a wealthy and influential captain of industry.

A king usually has a retinue of four knights (CR 15) but may travel with a dozen knights in times of war (CR 16). Kings may also be found in the company of a general, two noble advisors, and a high priest (CR 16). At court, a group of 10 nobles and a merchant prince might try to gain the favor of a king and his queen (CR 17). A king who fears for his safety while traveling in disguise might have two champions with him as bodyguards (CR 15).