The Knights of Law are a class of noble warriors devoted to the Goddess Martraya, the Lawful-Neutral Goddess of Law. The Knights of Law live by the Code of Conduct outlined by The Measure, the scared texts of Martraya. On the battlefield the Knights of Laws are seen outfitted in suits of plate armour riding powerful warhorses and supported by masses of loyal peasant foot soldiers and archers.

Knights of Law Experience Levels

*300,000 experience points for every level after Level 11. Knights of Law gains 3 hit points for every level after Level 9 (Constitution bonus no longer applies).

The Knights of Law are divided into three Orders, reflecting the three aspects of Martraya: Justice, Protection and Service. However, acceptance into these Orders is not guaranteed, as the Knight must complete the Trials of the Initiate before he or she could joins anyone of these Orders. When the young Knight Initiate has proven him or herself worthy to be called upon to serve in one of the three Knightly Orders (Justice, Protection and Service), they undergo the Ceremony of the Orders are become a Knight of the Outer Circle.

Those Knights who show exceptional skill in their Orders are allowed to rise to the Inner Circles of their Orders, and earn the title of Knight of the Inner Circle. Those few Knights of Inner Circle who have distinguished themselves in combat and gained considerable experience undergo the Ceremony of Lordship and earn the title of Knight Lord. Knight Lords are still affiliated with their respected Orders, but they are granted the right to obtain a domain and to raise of army of loyal warriors.

While the vast majority of the Knights of Law are human, there have been on rare occasions half-elves who have been accepted into the Knighthood. Half-elves are able to rise to the highest levels within the Orders of the Inner Circles (Level 8) but are unable to achieve the rank of Knight Lord (Level 9 or higher).

The minimum ability requirement for the Knight of Law character class is a Strength score of 9 (however, if a character wishes to enter the Order of Service at Level 3 then they will also need a minimum Wisdom score of 9). A Knight of Law with a Strength score of 16 or better will gain a 10% bonus to their experience points.

Alignment

Knights of Law are restricted to the Lawful-Good and Lawful-Neutral Alignments.

Knights of Law Melee Attacks per Round

As Knights of Law advanced in levels the number of attacks they are able to make each round increases. The below table illustrations this progression.

THACO and Saving Throws

Knights of Law receive the same THACO and Saving Throws* per level as the Fighter Character Class. For example, a Level 6 Knight of Law will have the exact same THACO and Saving Throws* as a Level 6 Fighter

*The Knights of the Order of Protection receive a +1 bonus to the Fighter's Saving Throws.

Weapon Proficiencies and Restrictions

Weapons Proficiencies

A Knight of Law starts out with 3 weapon proficiencies. They gain an additional weapons proficiency for every 4 class levels. The penalty that the Knight of Law receives when they used weapons they are not proficient with is a -3 penalty to hit.

Knights of Law are restricted from selecting any ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows for their weapon proficiency choices (weapons that only function is for ranged combat). However, they may select weapons such as daggers, spears, hand axes etc., that both could be used for both melee and ranged attacks.

Even through the Knight of Laws may never become proficient with bows and crossbow, they may still use these weapons in combat. However, they will suffer from a -3 penalty to hit when using these weapons.

Favoured Weapon

At 1st level a Knight of Law chooses a favoured weapon for one of the weapon types they are proficient with. A Knight will only receive one favoured weapon, so it is important to choose your character's favoured weapon wisely (i.e.those in the Order of Service are restricted to blunt weapons). When using a favoured weapon, the Knight of Law will receive a + 1 bonus to hit.

Horsemanship

Knights of Law are experienced riders and skilled at fighting on horseback. At 1st level the Knight will be proficient at riding and handling horses. The Knight will be skilled at fighting on horseback, and will automatically gain the weapon proficiency of fighting with a lance while mounted (this will not count towards one of their weapon proficiency slots). It should be noted that if the Knight decides to enter the Order of Service they are unable to use this weapon proficiency once they enter this Order as the Order of Service prohibits its members from using edged weapons.

Paths to Knighthood: Character's Background

There are two routes in which individuals are accepted into the Knighthood. Knights of Law either start out as Squires or have risen from the ranks of the Peasant Foot Soldiers. Squires are the nobles sons and daughters of the members of the Knighthood who have trained since birth to become a Knight of Law. Whereas Peasant Soldiers are the peasants who have been called to military service by their Lords. Those who have distinguished themselves on the field of battle may be granted Knighthood.

In terms of the core ability scores and level progression, there are no differences whether a character started out as a Squire or a Peasant Soldier. However, the different backgrounds will play a role in the character's family network and social contacts in the game. As well, the different backgrounds will provide the characters will a distinct set of non-weapon proficiency skills and background knowledge they could draw on for the game.

Squires

Those Knights who have started out as squires will have family connections to the Knighthood, and could draw upon these connections in times of need. For instance, a Knight Initiate may call upon the services of her father, a Knight Lord and his company of loyal warriors in times of need. In addition to these family connections, a Knight who starts out as a squire will have an education reflective on their noble background and will likely be educated in the ways of etiquette, heraldry, military history and battlefield strategy.

Peasant Foot Soldiers

Those Knights who have risen from the ranks of the peasantry will have a very different background from their noble born brethren. Growing up as a peasant, these Knights will likely have knowledge of farming, growing crops and raising livestock. There will be a good chance that these Knights will be skilled in a trade, such as carpentry, blacksmithing, leather working and so forth. Moreover, a Knight with a peasant background will have more success, than a noble born Knight, of finding shelter and obtaining assistance from the peasantry in times of need.

Ceremony of Initiation (Starting items)

When an individual is accepted into the Knighthood, they undergo the Ceremony of Initiation. This ceremony symbolises their acceptance in the Knighthood. In this ceremony the Aspiring Knight receives his or her arms and armour and the title of Knight Initiate.

Ceremony of Initiation

The Ceremony of Initiation marks the acceptance into the Knighthood. The Aspiring Knight will spend the day prior to the ceremony in fast and prayer. In the ceremony the Aspiring Knight receives his or her arms and armour, which marks their ascent into the Knighthood. These items are blessed, and are attuned to the Knight.

Arms and Armour

• Weapon. The attuned weapon the Knight of Law will receive is any weapon of their choice (in most cases this weapon will be the same type as their favoured weapon choice). This weapon will count as being magical and will receive a +1 bonus to damage. As well, on command, the weapon will be able to cast of aura of light in a 20 foot radius an unlimited number of times each day. The aura of light is a magical light source, and is unaffected by magical darkness. However, in order for the weapon to cast the aura of light the weapon must be wielded by the Knight, and the Knight must be conscious. It is important to note that anyone else using the weapon will not gain any of the weapon's benefits.
• Armour. At the 1st level the Knight will receive a suit of plate mail amour. This suit of plate mail grants the wearer the normal benefits of wearing plate mail (AC 3). However, as long as the Knight is in possession of their armour it will never tarnish or rust (if the armour were to come in the possession of another owner, then it will succumb to the normal effects of aging). The suite of plate mail has the symbols of the Knighthood of Law engraved in its surface and symbolizes members into the Knighthood. As the Knight advances through the ranks of the Knighthood, his or her armour will be reforged and upgraded with additional protection and powers.

Knights of Law Starting Package

• Plate Mail (attuned)
• Weapon (attuned)
• 12 to 30 gold coins (2D10 + 10)

Replacing Attuned Items

Attuned items that are lost or stolen could be replaced. There will be a cost in replacing these items. The cost will vary on the circumstance to which the items were lost. If a Knight lost an attuned item through no fault of their own then the cost to replace the item will be less than what it would cost to replaced an attuned item that was lost through the Knight's own carelessness. It is up to the DM to decided the cost of replacing the attuned item will be.

Replacing an attuned item will take time, as the items need to be forged and the appropriate ceremonies need to be conducted to attune these items. The following are suggestions for the time it will take to replace these items:

Using Non-Attuned Items

Knights of Law are allowed to wear armour or use weapons other than the attuned armour and weapon that they are provided with.

Summary: Creating a Knight of Law 1st Level Character

The following is a summary of creating a 1st Level Knight of Law Character:

1. Determined whether you meet the requirements for the Knight of Law character class along the lines of ability scores (min STR 9), race (human or half-elf) and alignment (lawful-good or lawful-neutral). If these requirements are met then move on to the next step.
2. Select 3 weapons that your character is proficient with (keep in mind that the Knights of Law are restricted from selected weapons with a sole function of ranged combat, such as bows and crossbows).
3. Add the skill of Horsemanship to your character sheet, and write down that you are proficient at using a lance in mounted combat (this weapon proficiency is in addition to the 3 proficiencies that you have selected).
4. Choose a Favourite Weapon from your choices of the weapons your is proficient with. Write down +1 to hit with your favourite weapon on your character sheet.
5. Choose your character's background. Did you character start out as a noble born squire or a peasant foot soldiers? Write down a set of skills relating to your character's background (a squire would likely have skills relating to etiquette, heraldry and military history while a peasant foot soldier would likely have skills relating to farming, hunting and woodworking).
6. Select a weapon your character is presented with from the Knighthood. Make a note on your character sheet that this weapon is attuned to your character, receives a +1 bonus to damage and is able to cast a radius of 20' of light upon command.
7. Add Plate Mail Armour to your character sheet. Adjust your Armour Class to reflect the armour and make a note that the armour is attuned to your character.
8. Add your starting wealth to your character sheet (roll 2D10 and add 10 to represent the number of gold coins your character starts out with). Purchase any additional items you think that your character needs with your starting wealth and add these to your character sheet.
9. Update your character sheet to reflect improvement in statistics due to armour bonuses, etc. Give your character a name, and add other characteristic to your character (i.e. physical description).
10. Your Knight of Law is ready to start adventuring.

Knights of the Outer Circle (Levels 3 to 5)

When a Knight of Law reaches the 3rd level, they are accepted into the Outer Circles of the Knightly Orders. The Knight then makes a choice as to which of the three Orders of the Knighthood they wish to enter. The Orders are:

• Order of Justice. The Order of Justice is a martial based Order which focuses on the development of individual fighting skills in combat. The Knights of the Order of Justice make up some of the finest sword masters in the realms.
• Order of Protection. Knights from the Order of Protection focus of developing tactics and skills to protect their allies in battle. They are skilled at using a shield and skilled at employing defensive tactics.
• Order of Service.* Knights from the Order of Service take clerical vows, which includes the vow against using any edged weapons. In exchanged for taking these clerical vows the Knight gains the ability to cast clerical spells (see below). The Knights from the Order of Service do not gain the ability to Turn Undead (instead the Knight's attuned weapon will deal extra damage to undead or evil aligned outer-planar creatures).
• *An additional prerequisite for a Knight to enter the Order of Service is that they must have a minimum Wisdom score of 9.

Once a Knight has made their decision as to which Knightly Order they wish to enter, the Knight will enter into prayer for a week. During this time, the Knight will relinquish their attuned armour and weapon to be reforged. At the end of the week of prayers, the Knight will start the Ceremony of the Orders, which marks their transition into the Outer Circles of their respected Orders. During the Ceremony the Knight will receive their newly reforged armour and weapon and gain new abilities associated with their Order.

Reforged Armour

During the week of prayer, the Knight's Plate Mail Armour will be reforged into a suit of Field Plate Armour. The Field Plate will grant the Knight the normal benefits of wearing Field Plate Armour (AC 2), but will not rust, tarnish or succumb to the normal effects of aging as longs as it is in the Knight's possession.

Reforged Weapon

The benefits to the Knight's weapon will vary according to which Order they belong to.

• Order of Justice. The Knight's weapon gains a +1 to hit.
• Order of Protection. The Knight's weapon will be able to project the aura of light to a 40 foot radius. The aura of light will be able to identify any hidden enemies within the radius of the light.
• Order of Service. The Knight's weapon will glow whenever an undead or evil aligned creature from the outer planes (i.e. demons) comes within 60 feet of the Knight (the weapon must be in the Knight's possession for this effect). The weapon will gain an additional +1 to bonus to hit and to damage against undead and evil aligned creatures from the outer planes (i.e. demons).

Benefits of the Orders

The following benefits are specific to the Orders to which the Knight belongs to.

Order of Justice

• Divine Energy. Up to 3 times each day the Knight is able to channel Divine Energy through his or her weapon attacks. How Divine Energy work is one a successful hit the Knight could determine whether their victim receives additional damage in the form of divine energy from the attack. Divine Energy allows the Knight to inflict an additional 1 to 6 (1D6) points of damage for a one-handed weapon attack, and an additional 2 to 8 (2D4) points of damage for a two-handed weapon attack. Only one Divine Energy charge is allowed to be used per each successful hit.

Order of Protection

• Shield Bonus. The Knight Receives a +1 bonus to their Armour Class when using a shield in combat.
• Aura of Sacrificial Protection. As a free action the Knight is able to create an Aura of Sacrificial Protection. The Aura of Sacrificial Protection is a 15 foot radius aura extending out from the Knight. All allies within the Aura will gain a +5 bonus to their Armour Class and the Knight will take a -5 penalty to his or her Armour Class. The enemies within the aura will become aware of this shift in the Armour Classes, and will therefore be more likely to attack the Knight than the Knight's allies.
• Saving Throws. The Knight gains a +1 bonus for all of their Saving Throws.

Order of Service

• Clerical Spells. The Knight will gain the ability to cast Clerical Spell, as illustrated in the table below. The maximum Clerical Spell Level the Knight has access to are level 4 spells. It is important to note that the Knight does not gain the Clerical ability to turn undead.

Order of Service Spell Progression Table

*Knights of the Order of Service have access to Clerical Spells up to the 4th Spell Level.

**Knights of the Order of Service will gain the same Wisdom Bonuses as Clerics for additional Clerical Spells.

Knights of the Inner Circle (Levels 6 to 8)

When the Knight reaches level 6 they are accepted into the Inner Circles of their respected Orders. When this occurs the Knight will relinquish their armour and weapon to have these reforged and enter into a week of prayer. At the end of the week of prayer the Knight will undergo the Ceremony of the Inner Circle at which time they will be given their newly reforged armour and weapon. The benefits that they Knight will receive from this ceremony are dependant on the Order to which the Knight belongs to.

Reforged Armour

The Knight's Field Plate Armour will be reforged into a suit of Full Plate Armour. The Full Plate will grant the Knight the normal benefits of wearing Full Plate Armour (AC 1), but will not rust, tarnish or succumb to the normal effects of aging as longs as it is in the Knight's possession.

Reforged Weapon

The benefits to the Knight's weapon will vary according to which Order they belong to.

• Order of Justice. The Knight's reforged weapon will be a +2 weapon to hit and to damage (the weapon gains a +1 bonus to hit and damage, as the weapon was previously +1/+1 weapon).
• Order of Protection. The weapon's 40 foot radius of light not only detects hidden enemies but will also gain the benefit of detecting magic and evil aligned creatures who enter into the aura. As well, the weapon will become a +1 weapon to hit and to damage (the weapon gains a +1 bonus to hit, as the weapon previously had a +1 bonus to damage).
• Order of Service. The Knight's weapon will gain an +2 to bonus to hit and to damage against undead and evil aligned creatures from the outer planes. As well, the weapon's 60 foot radius to detect undead and evil creatures from the outer planes is increased to 90 feet.

Benefits of the Orders

The following benefits are specific to the Orders to which the Knight belongs to.

Order of Justice

• Divine Energy. The Knight is able to channel Divine Energy up to 6 times a day. The amount of damage caused by Divine Energy remains the same.

Order of Protection

• Shield Bonus. The Knight's bonus to their Armour Class for using a shield in combat increases to 2.
• Aura of Sacrificial Protection. The Aura of Sacrificial Protection increases to a radius of 25 feet. All of the other effects of this ability remains the same.

Order of Service

• Clerical Spells. The Knight continues to learn more Clerical Spell as illustrated in the Order of Service Spell Progression Table
• Protection Against the Undead. The Knight will receive a +1 bonus to their Armour Class against attacks made by undead or evil aligned creatures from the Outer Planes.

Knight Lords (Levels 9 & above)

When the Knight reaches level 9, they undergo the Ceremony of Lordship and earn the title Knight Lord. A week before the ceremony the Knight relinquishes their armour and weapon and enters a period of prayer for 1 week. During this time, the Knight's armour and weapon are reforged, and the Knight receives this newly reforged items in the Ceremony of Lordship.

Reforged Armour

The Knight's Full Plate Armour has been reforged into a magical +1 suit of Full Plate Armour (AC 0). There are holy symbols of Martraya engraved throughout the suit of armour, and when a follower of Martraya sees the armour, they will see a glowing aura around the armour signifying Martraya's blessing and the wearer's rank as a Knight Lord (those who are not followers of Martraya will not see this glowing aura). Any follower of Martraya within 60 feet of the Knight Lord wearing their suit of armour will find inspiration in the Knight Lord and gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls (in the event there are multiple Knight Lords present, this bonus does not stack). As long as the armour is in the Knight Lord's possession, it will never tarnish, rust or dull.

Reforged Weapon

The Knight Lord's newly reforged weapon is connected to the Knight Lord through a magical bond. If the weapon is within 20 feet of the Knight Lord, the Knight Lord could summon the weapon to their hand as a free action. As well, the Knight Lord will know the exact location of their weapon if it is within 120 feet of them.

The other benefits to the Knight Lord's weapon will vary according to which Order they belong to.

• Order of Justice. The Knight Lord's reforged weapon has +3 bonus to hit and to damage (the weapon gains an additional +1 bonus to hit and damage, as the weapon was previously +2/+2 weapon).
• Order of Protection. The reforged weapon grants any ally within 40 feet of the radius of light (the weapon's ability to cast light must be activated) a +2 bonus to all of their saving throws. The weapon received a +2 bonus for attack and damage rolls. The weapon retained the previous benefits of identifying hidden enemies, magic and evil.
• Order of Service. The Knight Lord's weapon will glow if undead or evil aligned creatures from the outer planes approaches within 120 feet of the weapon (the Knight Lord must be wielding the weapon for this effect). The weapon gains a +3 bonus to hit and to damage rolls against undead or evil aligned creatures from the outer planes.

Benefits of the Orders

The following benefits are specific to the Orders to which the Knight belongs to.

Order of Justice

• Divine Energy. At Level 9 the Knight Lord is able to channel Divine Energy up to 9 times a day, and the damage caused by Divine Energy increases to 1 to 8 (1D8) points of damage for a one-handed weapons and 2 to 12 (2D6) points of damage for a two-handed weapon. At Level 12 the Knight Lord is able to channel Divine Energy up to 12 times a day, and at Level 15 the damages caused by Divine Energy increases to to 1 to 10 (1D10) points of damage for a one-handed weapons and 2 to 16 (2D8) points of damage for a two-handed weapon.

Order of Protection

• Shield Bonus. At Level 9 the Knight Lord received a +3 bonus to their AC when using a shield in combat. This bonus increases in +4 at Level 12 and +5 at Level 16.
• Aura of Sacrificial Protection. The radius Aura of Sacrificial Protection increases to a 30 foot radius from the Knight, and the protection the Knight Lord's allies receives from this aura increases to +6 bonus to their Armour Class. The Knight Lord suffers a -6 penalty to his or her Armour Class in exchange for this protection.

Order of Service

• Clerical Spells. The Knight Lord will continues to gain more Clerical Spell as illustrated in the Order of Service Spell Progression Table
• Protection Against the Undead. At Level 9 the Knight Lord will receive a +2 bonus to their Armour Class against attacks made by undead creatures or evil aligned creatures from the Outer Planes. This bonus will increase to a +3 bonus at Level 12, a +4 bonus bonus at Level 15 and a +5 bonus bonus at Level 18.

Starting out as an 0th Level Character (Optional Rule)

An optional rule is that a player could start out as a 0th level character working towards becoming a Knight of Law. The player could choose whether they would like to be a noble born squire or a peasant soldier aspiring to rise from the ranks of the common soldiers. When a player decides to start out as a 0th Level character they will start out as a Level 0 Fighter, and will not gain the unique abilities of the Knights of Law character class until they have reached the 1st level. However, one thing should be noted when created a 0th Level character is that the Knights of Law have fewer weapon proficiencies than the Fighter character class. Thus, a 0th level character aspiring to be a Knight of Law will only start out with 3 weapon proficiencies and face the same restriction of the Knights of Law character class with ranged weapon proficiencies.

When generating the hit points for the Aspiring Knight, roll 1D6 and add or subtract any Constitution modifiers. When the 0th level character has gain enough experience to allow them to become a 1st level Knight of Law, roll 1D4 and add the die results. For example, a player decides to create a 0th level Aspiring Knight. They have a Constitution score of 18, which grants them +4 hit points bonus per level. The players rolls a D6 for their character, and the result of the dice roll is 3. With the +4 hit point bonus for the player's high Constitution score, their Level 0 Aspiring Knight has 7 hit points. When their character becomes a 1st level Knight of Law, the player will roll 1D4. The results of this role are 2. The player adds the results of this roll (2) to the hits points they already have (7 hp), which results in 9 (7 + 2); thus as a 1st Level Knight of Law, the character has 9 hit points.

Knight's Retinue (Optional Rule)

An optional rule for the Knights of Law is when the character reaches level 3, they could gain a retinue of loyal servants and followers in their service. The size of the retinue will very greatly. Some Knights may be accompanied by a few servants and followers, while other may have dozens of servants and followers in their service. The mechanics for having a retinue will be handled in the same fashion as Hirelings. That is, the player will be required to pay the retinue a wage in exchange for the loyalty and service of the retinue. As well, Knights of Law are subjected to the laws outlined by The Measure in handling their retinue.

The following list consists of suggestions for the professions of the servants and followers in the Knight's retinue:

• Squires
• Scribes
• Peasant Foot Soldiers
• Peasant Archers
• Aides
• Labourers
• Armourers
• Standard Bearers
• Heralds
• Animal Handlers (i.e. for the Knight's horses)

Stronghold (Optional Rule)

When the Knight reaches level 9, they become a Knight Lord. When this occurs, an optional rule is that the Knight Lord obtains a stronghold, and attracts a loyal group of retainers. The stronghold will be surrounded by several acres of farmland and a number of small villages. The farmlands and villages are where most of the peasants in the Knight Lord's service will live and work.

The first thing to do when creating a stronghold is to determine the number of peasants serving the Knight Lord. The peasants will be responsible for tending to the Knight Lords lands, and to be used as labourers in the construction and the expansion of the Stronghold. The peasants (through taxes) provide the economic foundation of the stronghold, and the size of the peasant population determines the size of a Knight Lord's forces.

Since the number of peasant that a Knight Lord has in his or her service are foundation in which he or she could build their stronghold and expand the size of their army, it will be necessary to determine the number of peasants a Knight Lord has. A Knight Lord will start out with 500 to 1,000 peasants (1D6 x 100 + 400). Each times the Knight Lord gains a character class level the number of peasants in his or her service will increase by 100 to 400 (1D4 x 100).

It is quite costly to retain Knights, due to the luxuries the Knights are granted (private quarters, fine food, etc.) and the expenses associated with their profession (i.e. the upkeep of their warhorses). As well, many Knights will have families living in the stronghold with them and a retinue of peasants in their service. Thus, for every 50 peasants in the Knight Lord's service, the Knight Lord could employee a maximum of one Knight. For example, if a Knight Lord has 800 peasants in her service, then she is able to maintain a force of 16 Knights (800/50 = 16).

The Knights in a Knight Lord's service will between Levels 1 through Level 8, with the highest concentration of Knights being in the lower levels. The below table could be used to randomly generate the levels of the Knights in a Knight Lord's service.

While the Knights form the elite circle of warriors for the stronghold, the bulk of the military might of the stronghold consists of the Peasant Foot Soldiers. A maximum of 10% of the peasant population could be drawn into the ranks of the Peasant Foot Soldiers. 90% of the Peasant Foot Soldiers will be Level 0 Fighters, while the remaining 10% will be Fighters of the 1st level. Thus, if a Knight Lord has 800 peasants in her service, she will have a total of 80 Peasant Foot Soldiers, of which 8 will be 1st Level Fighters.

Below are two sample profiles that could be used for the Level 0 Peasant Foot Soldiers.

Peasant Foot Soldier

In the above profile, the Peasant Foot Soldier is outfitted with Studded Leather Armour and a Shield (AC 6). Peasant Foot Soldiers could be outfitted with a variety of styles of armour, which includes (but not limited to) padded, leather, ring mail, scale mail and chain mail armour. As well, they could be armed with a variety of weapons which includes (but not limited to) halberds, spears, maces, long swords, short swords and battle axes.

Peasant Archer

The Peasant Archer in the above profile is not wearing any armour, but has an above average Dexterity score, which is reflected in the AC of 8 and THACO score of 19 for ranged combat (the archer has a THACO of 20 for melee combat). The Peasant Archer is armed with either a longbow or crossbow and a melee weapon. Peasant Archers could also be outfitted with armour.

Stronghold and Domain Size

There are no rules for the square footage of the stronghold or the number of acres of land the Knight Lord owns. However, a good rule to go by when determining the size of the stronghold and the lands surrounding the stronghold is to start off by examining the population in which the stronghold supports.

It is important to remember that each of the Knights will have their own private quarters, and many of the Knights will have additional quarters for their family and servants. As well, the stronghold will house the Peasant Foot Soldiers (who will sleep in barracks) and the peasants who work in the stronghold (who sleep in shared quarters).

While a total of 10% of the peasant population will make up the Peasant Foot Soldiers, another 20% of the peasant population will work in the stronghold as labourers, servants, members of the Knight's retinue, etc. As discussed previously, it costs 50 peasants to support one Knight. Thus, if a Knight Lord has 800 peasants in her domain, then she will have 16 Knights, 80 Peasant Foot Soldiers and 160 peasants living in her stronghold. Therefore, the stronghold would need to be large enough to accommodation these numbers.

The Knight Lord's remaining 560 peasants would be living outside her stronghold, in the farmlands and villages of her domain. If there is an even split between the peasants living on the farmlands and those living in the villages then there would be 280 peasants living in the villages and 280 peasants living on the farmlands. A small village has around 100 residents. So it is fair to assume that there would be 3 small villages on the domain. Therefore the question arises as to how many miles apart from each other (and the stronghold) should the villages be?

Another question arises as to the amount (i.e. number of acres) of farmland it would take 280 peasants to realistically manage? As well, what percentage of the lands surrounding the stronghold are suitable for agriculture? In other words, what percentage of the lands are made up of forests, mountains, swamps, (etc.), which would make farming impossible? Once these questions are addressed then the size of the Knight Lord's domain could be determined.