Designing a Keep - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Designing a Keep

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
penhall
Feb 13, 2009 12:07:58 Hello. I'm looking for some help in rebuilding the Keep on the Shadowfell. To give you some background, my character is a paladin of the Raven Queen. After running through H1, I decided it was my duty to rebuild the keep and protect the rift to prevent anyone from trying to open it again. I'm trying to find material on what is required to build and maintain a keep, personnel required, etc. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
#2
penhall
Feb 13, 2009 12:56:59 Thanks for the info. I'll check that out.
We actually started playing as soon as 4th came out, we just move very slowly, only meeting a couple of times a month. When I built the character, I had no idea it would be such a popular concept. However, it seems like the entire series of pre gens is almost custom tailored for a Paladin of the Raven Queen to run thru. Almost every module has some direct connection the Raven Queen. Crazy.
#3
Rhineglade_
Feb 13, 2009 16:39:17 You can check out an older thread of mine about a few pages back called "Under the Blood Moon" as I have a fairly detailed description of a Keep and its staff.

Building from scratch does require quite a bit of expense AND manpower. A lot of the cost also depends on how well fortified the paladin wants the structure to be.

These are some of the MAJOR NPCs that one would likely find in an "average" keep:

Seneschal: a servant in charge of a castle while the Lord is away
Steward: a servant in charge of the domestic household (kitchen, bedchambers, etc)
Chamberlain: a servant in charge of the lord's chamber. This could be the lord's private rooms OR the great hall of the keep. The Chamberlain was also usually in charge of all official ceremonies.
Chancellor: servant in charge of the Chancery (usually a keeper of records, receipts and budgets)
Bailiff: servant who manages the lord's estate (the outside grounds and farmland) and ensures that the peasants do their jobs
Reeve: servant who assists the Bailiff in the performance of his duties and is usually chosen from among the peasants to serve as a sort of labor foreman
Marshal: servant in charge of the stables
Butler: servant in charge of the buttery (where the alcohol is kept)
Usher: servant in charge of the entrance into the great hall

You can also include any or all of the following:

cooks
scullery maids (ie dishwashers)
grooms (stable boys)
pages (errand runners)
footmen (generalized male servants who wait at table and run errands for master)
armorer
blacksmith
groundskeeper
master of the hounds
master of the hunt
treasurer
keeper of the wardrobe
court wizard
court cleric

Military staff:
foot soldiers- usually heavily armored and carrying long reach weapons like pikes and spears
archers- usually lightly armored and carrying missile weapons. Archers would carry bows and arrows of course. Crossbowmen would carry a crossbow (surprise!)
cavalry- either "Light" or "Heavy" and mounted on a horse. Light cavalry was lightly armored and used for lightning strikes. They would move, attack with a missile or ranged weapon and then retreat before the enemy could respond. Heavy cavalry was heavily armored and often carried a lance, shield and a heavy hand weapon. Heavy cavalry would require lots of ground space to pick up speed in order to charge and enemy and generally run them into the ground.

Side Note: Obviously, in a military stronghold which is what I would assume your paladin player is after, most of the "domestic" service would be performed by non-commissioned soldiers. You would have a Quartermaster who issues out stock and supplies and a Mess Hall for a kitchen. In such a circumstance, it would not be out of the question for ALL of the staff members of the Keep to be soldiers with some Fighter skills.
#4
gaaaaah
Feb 14, 2009 16:33:09 for prices not in the Stronghold builders guide, try http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/okoskimi/ArM/prices.html

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 penhall Feb 13, 2009 12:07:58	Hello. I'm looking for some help in rebuilding the Keep on the Shadowfell. To give you some background, my character is a paladin of the Raven Queen. After running through H1, I decided it was my duty to rebuild the keep and protect the rift to prevent anyone from trying to open it again. I'm trying to find material on what is required to build and maintain a keep, personnel required, etc. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
#2 penhall Feb 13, 2009 12:56:59	Thanks for the info. I'll check that out. We actually started playing as soon as 4th came out, we just move very slowly, only meeting a couple of times a month. When I built the character, I had no idea it would be such a popular concept. However, it seems like the entire series of pre gens is almost custom tailored for a Paladin of the Raven Queen to run thru. Almost every module has some direct connection the Raven Queen. Crazy.
#3 Rhineglade_ Feb 13, 2009 16:39:17	You can check out an older thread of mine about a few pages back called "Under the Blood Moon" as I have a fairly detailed description of a Keep and its staff. Building from scratch does require quite a bit of expense AND manpower. A lot of the cost also depends on how well fortified the paladin wants the structure to be. These are some of the MAJOR NPCs that one would likely find in an "average" keep: Seneschal: a servant in charge of a castle while the Lord is away Steward: a servant in charge of the domestic household (kitchen, bedchambers, etc) Chamberlain: a servant in charge of the lord's chamber. This could be the lord's private rooms OR the great hall of the keep. The Chamberlain was also usually in charge of all official ceremonies. Chancellor: servant in charge of the Chancery (usually a keeper of records, receipts and budgets) Bailiff: servant who manages the lord's estate (the outside grounds and farmland) and ensures that the peasants do their jobs Reeve: servant who assists the Bailiff in the performance of his duties and is usually chosen from among the peasants to serve as a sort of labor foreman Marshal: servant in charge of the stables Butler: servant in charge of the buttery (where the alcohol is kept) Usher: servant in charge of the entrance into the great hall You can also include any or all of the following: cooks scullery maids (ie dishwashers) grooms (stable boys) pages (errand runners) footmen (generalized male servants who wait at table and run errands for master) armorer blacksmith groundskeeper master of the hounds master of the hunt treasurer keeper of the wardrobe court wizard court cleric Military staff: foot soldiers- usually heavily armored and carrying long reach weapons like pikes and spears archers- usually lightly armored and carrying missile weapons. Archers would carry bows and arrows of course. Crossbowmen would carry a crossbow (surprise!) cavalry- either "Light" or "Heavy" and mounted on a horse. Light cavalry was lightly armored and used for lightning strikes. They would move, attack with a missile or ranged weapon and then retreat before the enemy could respond. Heavy cavalry was heavily armored and often carried a lance, shield and a heavy hand weapon. Heavy cavalry would require lots of ground space to pick up speed in order to charge and enemy and generally run them into the ground. Side Note: Obviously, in a military stronghold which is what I would assume your paladin player is after, most of the "domestic" service would be performed by non-commissioned soldiers. You would have a Quartermaster who issues out stock and supplies and a Mess Hall for a kitchen. In such a circumstance, it would not be out of the question for ALL of the staff members of the Keep to be soldiers with some Fighter skills.
#4 gaaaaah Feb 14, 2009 16:33:09	for prices not in the Stronghold builders guide, try http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/okoskimi/ArM/prices.html