Marriage, Heirs, and Children Education

Almost a year ago I was in a brainstorming session over how to best handle families and heirs for domain level play, which resulted, among others, in this post by one of the awesome lads involved.
I too was toying with some possible mechanics on the subject, but a terrible inspiration-drought, combined with real life being the usual bitch, caused my initial draft to lie in a folder catching digital dust until recently.

So here's my take on how to get your Character married, have children, and raise a proper heir for the domain.

Courtship
Any adult character can decide to marry.

Courtship can be initiated towards any valid target at any valid time.
The initiator may try to ease their target's heart by offering expensive gifts, such as jewelry, charming pets, exotic flowers, exquisite food, battle trophies, and lavish spectacle.

A 2d4 + the initiator's Charisma Modifier is rolled to decide if the courtship is accepted, with a +1 bonus for every HD*1000gp spent in gifts, with HD being the Hit Dice of the courtship's target (10gp for Normal Humans), for a maximum bonus of +2 from gifts.

2 or less - Mockery: the initiator messes up badly becoming the laughing stock of the region, and can't attempt any courtship for a year.
3-5 - Refusal: the courtship is refused, and the same target can't be courted again for a year.
6-8 - Courtship: the initiator made a good impression and courtship begins.
9 or more - True Chivalry: the initiator made an excellent impression and courtship begins, +1 to Proposal.

Source

Proposal 

After a month of courtship, the initiator may propose.

Again a roll of 2d4 + the initiator's Charisma Modifier is made, and again gifts can be used to ease the target's feelings, with a +1 bonus for every HD*1000gp spent in gifts, with HD being the Hit Dice of the courtship's target (10gp for Normal Humans), for a maximum bonus of +2 from gifts.

 

2 or less - Refusal: the target is offended and refuses, ending the Courtship.
3-5 - Courtly Love: the target neither refuses nor accepts, and Courtship continues.
6-8 - Acceptance: the target accepts the proposal, +1 to Wedlock Happiness.
9 or more - A dream come true: the target accepts the proposal, overjoyed, +2 to Wedlock Happiness.

Saint Nicholas provides the Dowry for three poor virgins,
Cornelis de Vos

Dowry 

Dowry is usually paid by the family of the spouse who joins the other spouse's family household (i.e. if the marriage is patrilineal, the bride's family will pay, if the marriage is matrilineal, the groom's family will pay).
If both spouses decide to start their own household or cadet branch, then both families pay a Dowry to the newlywed.
Dowry generally consists of household furniture and tools of trade, but can also include livestock, property, land, or household staff, especially among the wealthy.
In case of a divorce, the Dowry is returned together with the divorced spouse to the family who paid it, to ensure the economical well-being of the divorced spouse.

The necessary Dowry is calculated as HDd10 * 100gp, with HD being the Hit Dice of the spouse leaving their family (or 1d10*10gp for Normal Humans).
It is possible to choose to pay the maximum possible Dowry to ensure a stable marriage, giving +1 to Wedlock Happiness

It is seen as a mark of pride to provide the dowry to a spouse whose family is not able to provide it by themselves: paying a dowry for someone else gives the patron a +1 bonus to all reaction rolls in the area for a year.

Wedlock Happiness, Marriage Crisis and Divorce

Source

Wedlock Happiness represents the stability of the marriage, and influences the outcome of Marriage Crisis.
Wedlock Happiness increases by 1 for every 10 years without a Marriage Crisis.

A Marriage Crisis happens whenever something that could endanger the marriage happens: absence from the spouse for over a year, infidelity, death of a child, a spouse nearly dying (or dying and being resurrected), and more.

The outcome of a Marriage Crisis is determined by rolling 2d4+Wedlock Happiness.
2 or less - Divorce: the marriage ends abruptly and badly, and the spouse leaves, possibly taking any child not of age with them; both spouses get a -2 to all reaction rolls when interacting with people in the area.
3-4: Disfunctional Marriage: the marriage does not work and everyone can see it; -2 to Wedlock Happiness.
5-6: Disagreement: the spouses are not able to find an agreement; -1 to Wedlock Happiness.
7-8: Reconciliation: the spouses are able to find an agreement; the Marriage Crisis is averted.
9: Loving reconciliation: the spouses are able to find an agrement and love is rekindled; the Marriage Crisis is averted, +1 to Wedlock Happiness.

Die Hoffnung, Gustav Klimt

Conception and Pregnancy

A healthy, well-fed, non-adventuring human has a 1-in-4 chance each day to be fertile. Dwarfs and elfs are fertile 1-in-6 times, hobbits 1-in-3.
Adventurers put their bodies and minds under great stress, so while adventuring the chanches are 1-in-6 for humans, 1-in-8 for elfs/dwarfs, and 1-in-4 for hobbits. Not adventuring for 6 months is enough to recover from the adventuring stress.
Lamb intestine condoms and herbal teas drop the chance of pregnancy for the user to 1 in 20.

For each night the spouses spend together, the referee rolls the appropriate dice: on two 1s, conception happened.

Pregnancy lasts for 9 months and is divided into 3 trimesters (dwarfs and elfs have longer pregnancies lasting 12 months, divided into 3 quadrimesters).

1st Trimester - During the first phase of the pregnancy a person may experience nausea, fatigue and dizziness: the dexterity score is temporarily reduced by 1. At this time it is possible to interrupt the pregnancy with the use of herbal teas.
Taking over 3/4 total HP in damage during this phase has a 2-in-6 chance to end the pregnancy.

There comes Papa, by Raja Ravi Varma

2nd Trimester - In the second phase of pregnancy, the symptoms are less severe, and others will be more careful when dealing with the mother-to-be, who gets a temporary +1 to reaction rolls. However, the bulk of the pregnancy counts as a light encumbrance. Attempting to interrupt the pregnancy at this time is risky, and if done a save vs Death must be made: on a success, the pregnancy continues and 1d6 damage is suffered; on a failure, the pregnancy ends and 1d6 damage is suffered. Taking over 1/2 total HP in damage during this phase has a 2-in-6 chance to end the pregnancy.

3rd Trimester - The last period of pregnancy is the most intensive: the mother-to-be counts as medium encumbered and suffers a -1 to dexterity until the end of the pregnancy, but retains the +1 to reaction rolls until delivery. Any attempt to interrupt the pregnancy at this point is extremely dangerous, and a save vs Death must be made: on a success, the gestant dies; on a failure, the pregnancy ends and 2d6 damage are suffered. Taking over 1/4 total HP in damage during this phase has a 2-in-6 chance to end the pregnancy.

At the end of the pregnancy, a child is born: 1-3 on a d6 means it's a girl, 4-6 a boy.
There's a 1% chance that a pregnancy produces twins.
Soon after birth, a newborn is hallowed and their birth sign is determined.

Child Education

Children can be either educated by a parent or relative, in which case they have a 3-in-6 chance of becoming the same class of their educator instead of normal human, they can be sent into apprenticeship, where they have only a 1-in-6 chance to gain a class but learn a trade, or they can be tutored by a learned scolar, in which case their future class depends on the kind and length of their education.

A child raised by a generic educator rolls 3d6 for their ability scores, and their education is considered complete at 15 years of age. If they gain a class, their main attribute becomes 9 if it is lower than that, and they will start at level 1.

Geography Lesson, by Eleuterio Pagliano

Children tutored by skilled teacher roll 4d4, and their scores may improve during education! Their education usually starts at age 8 and proceeds up to the age of 16. At the end of their education, their main attribute becomes 13 if it is lower than that, while their level depends on how successful their education was.

In both cases, ability scores are rolled at the end of the education, then eventual bonuses are added, and them they are adjusted.

There are 4 types of education: Martial, Skill, Spiritual and Arcane. For each area there's 3 different kinds of educators.
For a name-level character who established a keep or base of some sort, there is a 1-in-6 chance each season that a random learned individual will offer their service.
It is also possible to search for an educator in one field of education once per season: a d12 is rolled, and if the result is lower than the HD of the searcher, a random educator in that field is found.
Both if the educator was searched for or presented themself, a reaction roll is necessary to employ them.

Each field of education has a main attribute that might raise with time and luck.
Each educator has a monthly cost, a special ability they will teach their warden, and a secondary attribute they may improve.

• Martial Educators - Class: Fighter - Main attribute: Strength
  1. Huntmaster - Monthly Cost: 500gp - Perk: +1 to track, hunt and forage - Secondary attribute: Dexterity
  2. Marshal - Monthly Cost: 750 - Perk: +1 to hierling morale - Secondary attribute: Charisma
  3. Engineer - Monthly Cost: 1000 - Perk: +1 to find secret doors - Secondary attribute: Constitution 
     
• Skill Educators - Class: Thief - Main attribute: Dexterity
  1. Treasurer - Monthly Cost: 500gp - Perk: 3-in-6 to correctly apprise treasure - Secondary attribute: Charisma
  2. Saboteur - Monthly Cost: 750gp - Perk: +1 to disable traps - Secondary attribute: Constitution
  3. Spymaster - Monthly Cost: 1000gp - Perk: +1 to move silently and hear - Secondary attribute: Intelligence
• Spiritual Educators - Class: Cleric - Main attribute: Wisdom
  1. Ascetic - Monthly Cost: 250gp - Perk: halved need for food, water and sleep - Secondary attribute: Constitution
  2. Chaplain - Monthly Cost: 500gp - Perk: create 1d2 Holy Water once a week - Secondary attribute: Charisma
     
  3. Mystic - Monthly Cost: 1250gp - Perk: +2 languages - Secondary attribute: Strength
•  Arcane Educators - Class: Magic-User - Main attribute: Intelligence
  1. Sage - Monthly Cost: 500gp - Perk: gain 1d3 rumors monthly  - Secondary attribute: Wisdom
  2. Völva - Monthly Cost: 750gp - Perk: prophetic visions once a month - Secondary attribute: Charisma
  3. Alchemist - Monthly Cost: 1500gp - Perk: create 1d2 Acid once a week - Secondary attribute: Constitution

Every year that a child is tutored, there is a chance to improve (or lower) the attributes of the child, determined by a 2d6 roll:

2 - An insolent rascal: The educator leaves, covered in dung, pitch and feathers; all successive educators will know of the accident and get a -1 to their employment roll
3 - A dull child: The child does not learn, and their main attribute lowers by 1
4-5 - The cost of knowledge: Education continues, but learning materials must be financed, doubling the educators cost for a year
6-8 - A decent student: The education continues
9-10 - A smart student: The education continues with good results, raising the child's main attribute by 1
11-12 - A brilliant student: The education continues with excellent results, raising the child's main and secondary attribute by 2 and 1, respectively.

For every 2 years of uninterrupted and successful tutoring (6+ on the roll), the child will gain a level upon completion of the education.

Graduation, by Dendrono

d12 based Thief Skills

d100s are great to choose from big tables when stocking dungeons, picking names, and other such leisure.

But I don't like d100 Thief skills.
I'm a simple person, and rolling more than one die during play gets on my nerves as soon as it goes beyond simple "add the numbers together" or "pick the bigger/smaller number".
My players don't like d100 skills either.

There's been a lot of talk about Thief skills on many forums and blogs, and many alternatives can be found, from minimalist ones, to clusterfucks that make my head spin, to everything in between.

Here's my attempt at fixing it, inspired mostly by how AS&SH does it:

This table hits the sweet spot between lots of numbers, but not too many, and they are arranged in a way that at every
level there is an advancement somewhere. Also it looks like a castle wall and I like to imagine a tiny thief climbing it.

The skill check is resolved with a d12 roll + dexterity modifier, except for the Listen skill, which does not add any modifier. The skill succeeds if the result is equal or higher than the number in the table.

The Book of Universal Revelation: 10 brutal martial arts techniques

This was partly inspired by a post made by SmokeyTheOwlbear, as well as by K6BD, Karanduun, Crisis Jung, Fist of the North Star, Afro Samurai and a few other pieces of media.

K6BD

The Book of Universal Revelation
There is a 5% chance for the Book of Universal Revelations to appear in any large library or book collection. The book is not indexed anywhere and must be found, but will usually be in the Mysticism, Warfare or Art sections.
The book is written in the most abstruse way possible, and needs to be studied for a month to gain any benefit from it. After every week of study, a save vs spell must be made: whatever the outcome, the reader suffers the effects of a Confusion spell for 12 hours. A week of fasting and self-mortification give a +1 bonus to the week's save.
After 4 weeks, if the reader did succeed at least 3 saves, they will have learned one of the mystical martial arts techniques in the book, determined randomly. Regardless of whether the reader has learnt anything, the book will then disappear and materialize somewhere else.

1. Palm of Peace: the attacker strikes the opponent with four blows at once, inflicting 4d3 damage
2. Celestial Dropkick: the attacker makes a full move, inflicts 3d4 damage to an opponent, and then may make a full move again
3. Chain of Judgement: the attacker hits the opponent with a rapid succession of blows, inflicting 2d4 damage, exploding 4s
4. Skull of Mercy: the attacker violently headbutts the opponent, inflicting 3d6 damage, and both must save vs spell or suffer the effect of a Confusion spell for 1 turn
5. Wheel of Creation: the attacker explodes briefly in a flash of burning light, inflicting 1d8 damage to everyone in front, behind, to the left, to the right, below and above within 10' as well as to themselves
6. Purging Gaze: a beam of burning light inflicts 2d6 damage to anyone in front of the attacker for 30', +2d6 to undead
7. Ocean of Blood: the attacker vomits burning blood on the opponent for 2d6 damage, the target must save vs spell or suffer the effect of a Fear spell
8. Judgement's Voice: a sound blast hits everyone within 10' of the attacker, inflicting 1d8 damage and destroying all non-magic weapons in a 10' radius
9. Ether Spear: the attacker throws a spear of burning light, inflicting 2d8 damage to an opponent within 60'
10. Violence reaches Heaven: the attacker savagely maims the opponent, inflicting 4d4 damage
    
    • Breaches the Gate: the attacker viciously severs an opponent's limb, inflicting 5d5 damage
      
      • Murderers the Gods: the attacker sadistically tears the opponent in half, inflicting 6d6 damage
        
        • Usurps the Throne: the attacker utterly annihilates the opponent's body, who suffers the effect of a Disintegrate spell

 

Each technique can be used a number of times daily equal to 1 + 1 if cleric + Int MOD, and can be used in place of any other action in combat, using the attackers Attack Bonus.

It is possible to learn multiple different arts. Should an already known art be rolled, the next one below is learned, with the exception of #10, which can only be learned when a 10 is rolled; every subsequent 10 allows to delve deeper into the mystic art of senseless murder.
Using any technique to kill an opponent, or even just using the tenth technique, forces all onlookers to save vs spell or suffer the effect of a Fear spell.

Raising a Runestone

Runestones can be raised for the death of a companion, to commemorate a personal achievement, or to celebrate the founding of a settlement, stronghold, temple, tower or similar.

-Funeral Stone

Upon the death of a PC (or hireling) a carved stone can be placed near the place of death.
It costs (Xd6+4)*10 GP (X being the HD of the dead person) to commission the carving, painting and placing of the stone, half as much if the carving and painting is done by a PC with the necessary knowledge and skill. Preparation and placing takes 2d4+2 days.
A runestone is usually inscribed with a brief epitaph, such as "Tumi Beinirson, a brave man, was slain here by the she-vultures - Geva bint Adalu wrote this", and decorated with painted carvings depicting scenes from the dead one's life, along with their birth sign.
Finally, the stone is hallowed, usually by a priest, by sprinkling it with blood, wine, ale, honey, or similar.
All hirelings present during the ceremony will get a +1 bonus to morale test until the next death.

If a priest performs the required ritual, the stone is perpetually aligned to the constellation inscribed into it.

Deer Stones, Siberia

-Personal Runestone

At any time, a PC may chose to raise a runestone for their own success.
The work costs (Xd10+2*X)*100 GP (X being the HD of the commissioner), takes 2d6+4 days, can only be done once every X months, and can be done only once per level.
The megalith is inscribed with a fitting description of the deeds of the person who commissioned it, such as "In these lands, Geva bint Adalu, faithful servant of the almighty Lawgiver, defeated and banished the undead hordes, restoring His heavenly order". No two stones can describe the same deed, and each successive runestone must describe a more impressive deed.
Upon completion, the commissioner will be awarded the cost of the runestone in XP, and get +1 to rolls when interacting with locals for X months.

-Founding stone

When a new settlement is founded, a spot, usually at the center of it, is reserved for a large standing stone. The settlement is only truly considered a permanent one when a ceremonial menhir is raised. Until then, the settlement is seen as little more than a glorified camping site, especially by foreigners, and as such can be abandoned without much worry should the situation become dire. But once the stone is raised, the settlement becomes a recognized, autonomous and self-sufficient bulwark of civilization and order that will be defended by its inhabitants and allies until the very last. Abandoning a founding stone to an enemy is considered a great dishonor.
Such a stone costs 10'000 gp for every 100 inhabitants of the settlement, rounded up. Creation and placing takes 2d10+6 weeks, and can obviously be done only once.
Every member of the settlement is expected to contribute to the costs, either by investing money, materials, or time and work into it.

Guests who are not permanent members of the settlement consider it a great honor to contribute to a founding stone, and are expected to make a donation of some kind, even if symbolic. For every 1'000 gp donated, the patron will be held in high regard by the settlement and receive a +1 bonus when interacting with the locals for X months (X being the HD of the patron), with each successive 1'000 gp increasing the duration by another X months. Refusing to contribute, even symbolically, is seen as a grievous offense to the settlement, and give a -3 malus to interactions with the locals for X years (X being the HD of the non-contributor).
The standing stone is inscribed with the story of the founding of the settlement, as well as with the names of notable contributors, and illustrated with important events. The finished menhir is placed in the designated spot and a great feast is held.
From this moment onward, inhabitants of the settlement will get a +1 bonus to morale and attack rolls when defending the settlement.

Forsaking a runestone to the enemy is a great shame. Those who abandon their settlement to the enemy without defending it get a permanent -1 malus to all to-hit and saving throws. More so, someone who has abandoned a founding runestone once can never again gain the bonus of such a stone. The only way to reverse this is by being involved in the reconquest of the settlement.

-Stone Circle

A powerful (domain level) cleric or magic-user may build a stone circle. The cost of a stone circle is 10 times that of a personal runestone, and takes Xd12 months to build (X being the HD of the cleric/magic-user).

A stone circle is build according to astronomical and/or theological measurements, and inscribed with magical runes, sacred prayers, astrological charts, and constellations.

Within the circle and in the immediate vicinity, all bearers of star signs receive the appropriate bonus, the reach of spells is tripled, the time needed to prepare spells is halved, and magical research is improved by 10%. No undead nor demonic creatures can be summoned/created inside of the stone circle, and undead/demons entering the circle receive 1d10 points of damage every round.

Dungeon Shrooms

An unlucky orc - Source

Because of the mysterious energies and vapors that permeate underground complexes, it has been found that inert or dead matter can spontaneously generate life. The most ubiquitous of this is various kinds of mushrooms, that tend to sprout in great number from the remains of living creatures within days or even hours of their death.

When a living creature is slain and abandoned in a dungeon, it will sprout Xd6 (X being the creature's HD) shrooms after 1d6 days if it was an animal, or 1d6 hours if it was a plant. Undead creatures are unaffected.

These shrooms can be harvested and can have different proprieties, decided by a d6:
1 Savory: The mushroom is edible and a delicacy, too! Adding it to a meal will restore 1 HP to those that eat it
2-3 Bland: The mushroom is edible, but bland in favor.
4-5 Unsavory: The mushroom is barely edible, but disgusting, and will spoil the meal it was added to. No HP may be gained from this meal.
6 Poisonous: The mushroom is highly poisonous. After 1d3 rounds of nausea and cramps, who eats it must save vs Poison or die. A successful save means taking 2d6 HP of damage. Sticking two fingers down the throat and vomiting the guts out at the first sign of nausea may count as a successful save. Dried and smoked, the mushroom can be used as a potent hallucinogen.

Well earned Rest

Peasants Resting by Jean-François Millet

I'm quite dissatisfied with the generic  "You recover 1d3 HP when resting for a day" mechanic.

Here's what I've been using:

• You recover 1HP for a full 8 hours night of sleep, with no interruptions like taking guard turns.
• You recover 1HP for a day spent resting without doing tiring activity. Watering a garden, carving a toy out of a piece of wood or fishing is light activity, while working in the fields, repairing a roof or hunting is clearly not.
• You recover 1HP if you have at least one healthy, warm meal that day. Field rations eaten on the way do not apply, but a soup made from wild roots and fresh fish eaten with some wine counts.

Birthsigns and Zodiac for Old School Games

Zodiac Signs: each human character gets a Constellation assigned randomly at character creation. The Sign gives a +1 to a single saving throw type. (Other races do not get any sign, as they either do not care about the stars or have their own beliefs.)

The ten Star Signs:
1. The Key: +1 vs Poison/Death
2. The Worm: +1 vs Breath Attacks
3. The Tree: +1 vs Petrify/Paralyze
4. The Skull: +1 vs Spells
5. The Chalice: +1 vs Wands
6. The Lock: +1 vs Poison/Death
7. The Bird: +1 vs Breath Attacks
8. The Hatchet: +1 vs Petrify/Paralyze
9. The Heart: +1 vs Spells

10. The Torch: +1 vs Wands

Dungeons, tombs, ruins, runestones and so on may be aligned to a given Sign (usually the one of the original creator/builder/owner of the the place).

While in or near such a location, bearers of the matching sign get an additional +1 to the corresponding saving throw, bearers of the opposite sign get a -1 penalty to that saving throw, while other Signs are unaffected.

Stone circles are dedicated to the stars as a whole, and therefor give all sign bearers an additional +1 to their sign's saving throw. Those with no sign are unaffected by any of the above.

Plot ideas and hooks:
-The gate to the court of the Raven King can only be opened by those born under the same sign as him.
-A scholar needs one of each birthsign to perform a powerful scrying ritual. He has hired some slightly worried local civilians, but still needs a few more.
-A star cult has been kidnapping people of all walks of life who all were born around the same month.
-The local nobility has started organizing all celebrations, court activities and even civic duties around the horoscope.