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Knight Lifepath Generator

This is for a potential chainmail tournament play-by-post campaign I want to run.

Name

Use the Zenopus Holmsian Name Generator.

Age

Roll 2d20+10 to determine your age.

Fortune

Roll once on the tables for each decade of your life, rounded up. The first decade, roll on Childhood, the second, roll Squirehood, for each following decade, roll either on the Knighthood - Peace or Knighthood - War table.

If you are less than 16, you are still a squire.

Multiply the sum of your rolls on the decade tables by 1000 to find your starting treasure in gold pieces.

Childhood (1d10)

  1. You grew up on a humble estate and are comfortable around commoners. You have +2 reaction with those of the underclass. You have a trade.
  2. You grew up hunting in the woods around your family's estate. You have a 4-in-6 chance of successfully tracking a quarry. +1 Missile Fighting Capacity
  3. You slew your brother in a fit of rage. +1 Fighting Capacity. -1 Honour
  4. A circus overwintered at your estate, you learned the basics of tumbling. If you would be knocked prone, you have a 4-in-6 chance of keeping your footing.
  5. You dragged your childhood best friend out of a burning barn. Gain a loyal ally. +1 Fighting Capacity
  6. You spent your earliest days aboard a ship. You can climb as fast as you can walk, and you can tie a knot that only you can untie.
  7. You were held for ransom in a foreign land for several years. You have a 4-in-6 chance of knowing the secrets of foreign lands.
  8. Your father performed admirally in a grand campaign. You will never live up to him, but you enjoy the benefits of his reputation. +3 Honour
  9. Your family's vineyard is legendary. An invitation to their cellars is a considerable bargaining chip. You can always acquire a bottle of fine wine while in a settlement.
  10. Your ancestor is a hero of legend, you bear their blade. Gain a magic sword. +1 Honour

Squirehood (1d10)

  1. You fought constantly with the other squires, but proved yourself the better pugilist. Gain 1d6 enemies. +2 Unarmed Fighting Capacity
  2. You were beaten within an inch of your life by your patron, left visibly scarred. Gain a powerful enemy. +1 Fighting Capacity
  3. Your patron ensured you were well trained in the art of the bow to the detriment of your other training. You have a 5-in-6 chance of making a trick shot out of combat. +1 Missile Fighting Capacity
  4. When your patron's youngest daughter fell down a well, you jumped in to rescue her without hesitation. Gain the epithet: Quick. Gain a powerful ally.
  5. In addition to the martial arts, your patron trained you well in the ways of alcoholism. You learn +1d6 rumours when you drink at taverns.
  6. Your patron's estate was small and necessarily egalitarian. You often found yourself working alongside the knight, setting fence posts, tending livestock, or replacing boards, in addition to your usual squirely duties. Learn a trade.
  7. You uncovered your patron's treachery against the king by reading their letters. You were rewarded for your service to the crown, but the victory felt hollow. Gain a royal audience. Gain the epithet: Disloyal. -1 Honour
  8. Under the tutelage of your patron's entourage, you memorized dozens of epic and romantic poems. You have a 4-in-6 chance to turn a crowd to your favour.
  9. You formed so strong a bond with your master's horse that when you left, it broke out of its stable to follow you. Gain a remarkable steed.
  10. Your Patron was killed in battle. You distinguished yourself by leading their soldiers to victory. Gain the epithet: Prodigy. +1 Fighting Capacity. +1 Honour

Knighthood - Peace (1d10)

  1. Your holdings were sacked by barbarians. You were injured and your followers demoralized. Gain the epithet: Scarred. -1 Fighting Capacity, -2 Retainer Morale
  2. When your peers fought at the behest of the king, you stayed home. You were fined for your indolence. -1 Honour
  3. You received a duke as a guest for several months. It was a strain on your coffers. Gain the epithet: Hospitable. +1 Honour
  4. One of the peasants in your estate was murdered. After a thorough inquisition you were able to determine the killer. Their execution sows discord among your subjects. Gain the epithet: Merciless. -2 Retainer Morale
  5. You regularly ran drills with your soldiers, honing their skills and yours. +1 Fighting Capacity, +1 Retainer Morale
  6. You easily fended off an attacking band of raiders, your people gained a taste for battle. Gain the epithet: Defender. +1 Honour, +1 Fighting Capacity, +2 Retainer Morale
  7. You neglected combat training for years and feel yourself growing soft. Gain the epithet: Doughy. -1 Fighting Capacity
  8. You were asked to resolve a dispute between two peers. You did your best to rule fairly, but you couldn't please both parties. Gain an ally. Gain an enemy.
  9. You disguised yourself as a commoner to compete in regional archery tournaments, winning several. Your archery range is increased by 1/3. +1 Missile Fighting Capacity
  10. One of your subjects finds a buried chest of treasure while plowing your field. You allow them to keep a substantial portion. Gain a loyal retainer.

Knighthood - War (1d10)

  1. You led a badly timed offensive against an inferior force and your troops were wiped out. It has become harder to recruit since. -1 Honour, -2 Retainer Morale,
  2. After a week of carousing you fell ill with a pox. Your line collapsed as you lay feverish, and valuable lands were lost. -1 Honour
  3. You spent so long in the saddle that you start to feel uneasy on your own feet. You have a 4-in-6 chance of remaining in the saddle if you would be unhorsed. +1 Mounted Fighting Capacity
  4. Your fair hand and clever tactics earned you the loyalty of the soldiers in your command. Gain 1d6+1 loyal retainers. +1 Honour
  5. While campaigning on the Dread Archipelago, you honed your fighting style with an ancient swordmaster. When she died, she gifted you her blade. Gain the epithet: Swordmaster. Gain a magic blade. +2 Sword Fighting Capacity
  6. You rerouted your soldiers to defend a group of pilgrims travelling to a holy site. In thanks, their leader granted you a relic from their care. Gain a magic item. +1 Honour
  7. You bested a more experienced knight in the field. They escaped with their life, but you took their blade. Gain the epithet: Duelist. Gain an enemy. Gain a magic sword. +1 Fighting Capacity, +1 Honour
  8. You spent a year sailing the coast, hunting the lost treasure of a barbarian warlord. Though you were successful, a storm killed many of your crew, meaning you had to pull your weight. Gain a trade. Gain a magic item. +1 Honour
  9. Sacking an enemy town, you plundered a great bounty. Gain the epithet: Plunderer. +1 Fighting Capacity, +1 Honour
  10. Sacking an enemy castle, you amassed a mighty fortune. Gain the epithet: conqueror. +1 Fighting Capacity, +2 Honour

Trades

Roll 1d6 for each trade learned

  1. Carpenter. Construct a wooden item smaller than a horse
  2. Cook. Prepare a meal for up to 12 people that grants them +1 morale
  3. Trapper. Acquire 1d6 rations worth of meat per day in the wilderness
  4. Smith. Hone a weapon or piece of armour for a +1 effect for one combat
  5. Surgeon. 4-in-6 chance to stabilize someone felled in combat
  6. Tinker. Make a metal item small enough to hold in one hand

Horse

Get a unique horse from Ktrey's One Hundred Horses table

Heraldry

Use this table from Reddit, or Amoria to generate a coat of arms.

Castle and Forces

Use the rules in Dungeons and Dragons Book 3, Underworld and Wilderness Adventures to design a castle and hire retainers.

Examples

Lupus The Ominous, 35

Lifepath

Treasure: 13000gp
Fighting Capacity: 2 (3 Mounted)
Honour: 0
Retainer Morale: -2
Horse: Outlaw. Bravery extends to Rider, boons to resist Fear Effects
Heraldry: Purple Portcullis on Brown and Blue Diagonal Stripes

4-in-6 chance of knowing the secrets of foreign lands.
4-in-6 chance of remaining in the saddle if unhorsed.

Dockweb the Conqueror, 40

Lifepath

Treasure: 35000gp
Fighting Capacity: 4
Honour: 5
Retainer Morale: +2
Horse: Winnie. Wild-shaped Druid, hiding out from a powerful foe
Heraldry: Silver Priest on an Ermine Field with a Red Stripe

Can always acquire a bottle of fine wine while in a settlement

Falda the Hospitable, 34

Lifepath

Treasure: 13000gp
Fighting Capacity: 1 (2 Missile)
Honour: 2
Retainer Morale: -2
Horse: Peanut. Belonged to Dead Paladin, swear you see it mourning occasionally
Heraldry: Black Sea Lion with Gold Chief on a Blue Field

Can climb as fast as they can walk
Can tie a knot that only they can untie
5-in-6 chance of making a trick shot out of combat

...

Listening to: Eternal Prisoner by Warlock Corpse
Reading: Arm of the Sphynx by Josiah Bancroft (Just finished! It was great. I'm excited to start the next one, but I need to order it from the bookshop)
Watching: Babylon 5, Season 1

#chainmail #generators #od&d #vionhous tournament