I'm not a fan of Dungeon Fantasy. I'll be honest, I got burned out on it following a very bad game of D&D3.5 in "The World's Largest Dungeon" by a DM who couldn't DM her way out of a wet paper bag. I'm giving support to the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy boxed set, but to be honest my main use for it is the Spells book included, which fixes a number of issues with the spells from GURPS Magic.
That said, I've been known to use the
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line in my own fantasy games, usually set in my own homebrew setting (
Ranoc). The books I use on a regular basis in Ranoc games are
Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers,
Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies,
Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, and
Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners, usually for the obvious reasons one can think of for the books:
Adventurers gives character templates for the traditional fantasy archetypes;
Allies gives animal companions, arcane familiars, and summonable divine servitors for clerical types;
Clerics gives spell lists for various gods broken down by portfolio; and
Summoners deals with all sorts of extradimensional critters that get summoned, including but not limited to elementals and demons.
In Ranoc, however, there is little cause for doing the whole "go into a dungeon, kill stuff, take their loot, go to town to sell the loot, rinse and repeat" ordeal. The setting is designed with an early Renaissance/Age of Sail/Age of Exploration mindset, with adventure hooks for dealing with enemies of the state, inner city crime waves, merchant house rivalries, and exploring the frontiers in the Africa and America expy continents.
Key to all this is understanding the various social classes in Ranoc. In no particular order, there are Slaves, Commoners, Craftsmen, Merchants, Artists, Warriors, Nobility, Clergy, and Outlaws.
Slaves
Slavery is a social institution as old as civilization, and in general slavery is not considered to be evil. In most places, slaves have most of the rights of other people. The spouse and children of a slave are not automatically slaves themselves. Slaves may own property, including land, homes, and other slaves! Most slaves are given wages by their masters, although this varies depending on the individuals and customs involved. And, if desired, a slave is often able to buy his freedom.
There is no overt social stigma attached to being a slave, and for some it is considered a good career move (especially if one is bought by one of the noble houses). Furthermore, the owner of the slave is considered responsible for the slave, legally and fiscally. If a slave breaks the law, his owner is liable for the slave's actions, and the owner must provide food and shelter for the slave. Slaves who are mistreated may take legal action against their owner with no social stigma attached. A slave is typically accorded the same respect as a free man two steps down in status from his master; this is usually apparent from the slave's dress.
A person can become a slave in a number of ways. In the past, wars between nations have often resulted in an influx of slaves, as the victor claimed the other nation's peoples as such. Nowadays, most slaves are either voluntary, selling themselves into slavery to pay off debts, or are convicted criminals working off their sentences. It should be noted that the nation of Iturnum is the only nation which does not engage in slavery, viewing the ownership of another living being as cruel, inhumane, and evil.
In game terms, a character who owns a slave has both an Ally and a Dependent; slave characters will have a Patron, and a Duty to his owner. Slaves will not have Social Stigma (Subjugated), though Social Stigma (Valuable Property) or (Second-Class Citizen) may be valid.
Commoners
The bulk of the people on Ranoc are commoners. Most commoners live simple lives, being hard-working folk engaged in crop farming, mining, construction, sailing, fishing, herding, or general labor.
All commoners are considered "freemen," with all the rights, obligations, and privileges that implies. Commoners are permitted to own property, including slaves; are required to pay taxes, whether in currency or a percentage of grain or livestock produced, to their barony, county, city, or duchy; and are not obligated to enter their parents' professions – although the majority still do.
Whether or not commoners are permitted to carry weaponry varies between individual nations. Knives are universally permitted, being primarily seen as a tool rather than a weapon. In nations where commoners are permitted to carry weapons, the primary weapons seen are the quarterstaff and spear, although axes, clubs, shortswords, maces and – where available – firearms are not uncommon; the average commoner cannot afford to carry a broadsword.
Craftsmen
Blacksmiths, jewelers, masons, tanners – no society can survive long without skilled laborers. Craftsmen (and merchants – see below) make up the current "middle class," a small but growing class of folk nestled between the commoners and the nobility.
While customs vary between regions, most of the successful craftsmen have formed craft guilds. A guild is similar in many ways to today's labor unions – guild membership can often guarantee a set wage, favorable working conditions, and occasionally a monopoly or better prices on goods produced. Freelancers in guild territories are often harassed . . . or worse.
Most craftsmen begin in their early teens as apprentices, working as menial laborers in a craftsman's shop in return for instruction. After a few years of instruction, they are given aptitude tests by their guild to judge their worthiness; both the student and the instructor are expected to show proper aptitude and respect during the tests. Should the guild approve of the apprentice's training and skills, the apprentice is then given the rank of "journeyman" in the guild.
Following becoming a journeyman in the guild, most craftsmen stay on with their instructor as a "junior partner" or strike out with a fellow student of the same master to open a shop of their own.
A successful craftsman eventually attains the rank of "master" in the guild, and can take on his own students. The head of a guild in a city is known as the guild's Master; a guild's Grand Master is the head of the entire guild in the nation.
Artificers – mages who specialize in the crafting of magical goods – and alchemists are considered to be part of the craftsmen class.
Merchants
While the craftsmen and commoners are focused primarily on producing goods for public consumption – be the goods food, draft animals, horseshoes, or clothing – the merchants are focused on transporting goods from one point to another and selling them, preferably at a profit.
Like the craftsmen, a number of merchants are members of a guild. However, a number of merchants who are not guildsmen often earn a fine living by undercutting the guild prices. This happens when a merchant is able to sell a larger amount of stock at slightly lower prices than the guild, thereby turning a slightly higher profit. A merchant's motto is "buy low, sell high, and hold in storage as short a time as possible."
Merchants often hire non-guild personnel to handle everyday tasks; caravan merchants will always be in need of drivers, guards, cooks, and porters, while merchants who own ships will always need carpenters and sailors.
Successful merchants often take on the trappings of nobility, and will inevitably be referred to on the street as Lord and Lady by the lower classes. Occasionally, a few of the successful merchants who take on these trappings assume titles of nobility, although they are careful to not take any title higher than "baron"; actual nobles who hear a merchant calling himself a "baron", or worse, a "count", "duke", or "prince", are likely to challenge the perceived offender to a duel.
Artists
Artists take all forms: painters, sculptors, dancers, theater performers, playwrights, composers, and musicians are all common. Many artists study more than one form of art, and many seek patronage from the wealthy and aristocracy.
Many artists also seek a solid grounding in the sciences. Painters and sculptors are often experts in the fields of physiology, astronomy, physics, and architecture, while composers and musicians double as professors of higher mathematics in the many universities across the known world.
Warriors
Obviously, wars are fought by people. While the nations will occasionally conscript commoners and occasionally craftsmen into their armies, there has been a shift from civilian conscription and noble-born knights to professional armies. In many ways, this shift represents a change in thought striking back to the ancient days when Aelthelwulf the Great formed the Corcoran Empire that encompassed the entirety of the Teyoth and Rochladastacht regions.
Even with this shift in military thought, the nobles in charge are wary of placing too many weapons in the hands of their populace, fearing (real or imagined) a possible revolt. Because of this, most nations prefer to hire mercenaries during wartime. It is said that the largest portion of Dnulper Darkshield's multiracial army that retook Ered-Dûm was composed primarily of mercenaries.
Mercenaries have one appealing trait over conscripts for rulers and generals: Mercenaries are already trained in the arts of warfare, and can be sent on missions immediately upon hire instead of spending weeks to months training them. However, their lack of loyalty can make a difference, as some mercenaries have been known to switch sides in the middle of a conflict when presented with a better offer. Most of the reputable mercenaries have the personal Quirk "Stays Bought."
Nobility
While the titles given to various nobles in the Teyoth region vary, the following are the most common. The titles given are listed with the male form first, female form second.
Spouses and children of nobles are referred to as Lord or Lady, even those not in a position to inherit the title. In addition, Guild Masters, Guild Grand Masters, and successful merchants who take on the trappings of nobility are generally addressed as Lord or Lady regardless of whether or not they possess noble blood.
Please note that, politics being what they are, the hierarchy listed here is not absolute, but rather a workable abstraction. Nations which do not operate on the kingdom model, such as Gor Ansat and Rinkasae, have different political structures.
King/Queen - Hereditary ruler of a kingdom. Status 7.
Grand Duke/Grand Duchess - King's oldest sibling, closest adviser, and Viceroy. Status 7.
Crown Prince/Crown Princess - Heir to the throne, typically the King's oldest child or sibling. Status 6.
Prince/Princess - Any child or sibling of the King or the Grand Duke. Grandchildren of the King may also have this title, although grandchildren of the Grand Duke normally do not. Status 6.
Duke/Duchess - Rules over a duchy, a subdivision of the kingdom. This duchy is typically situated around a city, and the duke of the duchy is often referred to as the duke of that city. For instance, the duchy surrounding the Zitheral city of Penticon is headed by the Duke of Penticon. Status 6.
Count/Countess - Rules over a county, a subdivision of the duchy. This is typically a rural area, with a town as its political center. The equivalent title in the Northern Raider Clans, typically indicating a Clan chieftain, is Jarl, while the equivalent title in Rochlad is Khan; both titles are regardless of gender. Status 5.
Viscount/Viscountess - Rules over a portion of the county, commonly inside the city or town. Status 4.
Baron/Baroness - Rules over a barony, a subdivision of a county. This is commonly a rural area, situated around a cluster of villages or a small town. Status 4.
Margrave/Margravine - A title given to military leaders, often of noble blood themselves, who have the position of Captain of the Guard for the Duchy. Status 3. (Note: this deviates significantly from the historical usage of the term, which was originally a "Border Count" or "High Count" with slightly more power than a Count but not as much as a Duke, and which was also Status 5. I'm using the German Margrave as opposed to the French Marquis due to the sound of the former being easier on my tongue. The English tend to use a variation of the French title when they use it, which is extremely rare.)
Baronet/Baronetess - A semi-hereditary title given to landed knights or those who serve Barons and Viscounts in official capacities. Status 3.
Clergy
The priesthood sits apart from the secular classes, coexisting and occasionally overlapping with the nobility. There is an entire chapter dedicated to the priesthood, so what follows here is simply a brief overview.
Most priests serve their deities, spending years of apprenticeship learning their deity's dogma and codes of conduct before finally becoming ordained. Many spend years tending at their deity's temples before becoming the High Priest for a city. Those who attain the ranks of Bishop, Archbishop, or Cardinal do so primarily through political means rather than actual religious piety. Unlike most such fantasy settings, the higher up the religious hierarchy you go, the less likely you are to be favored by a deity with spells or powers!
It is interesting to note that not all priests are good; many serve deities, openly or secretly, that are considered "evil" by the populace. These sects are generally outlawed in civilized nations; however, they have never been fully suppressed. Attempts at suppression have resulted in many practices over the last few millennia that still haunt the priesthood.
In most of the nations, the priests are the ones who run the universities, although there has been a shift in the last few hundred years from religious academics to secular as graduates of the universities take on more and more teaching positions.
In the western nations of Ranoc, the typical titles are as follows:
Cardinal – International head of the church.
Archbishop – National head of the church.
Bishop – Head of the various cathedrals in cities over 100,000 people.
High Priest – Head of the various cathedrals and temples in cities over 10,000 people.
Priest – An ordained minister of the church, usually presiding in churches and temples of smaller towns, villages, and hamlets; they also aid the Bishop in larger towns and cities. All priests answer to a Bishop. Depending on the religion, female priests may exist.
Deacon – A lesser minister of the church, typically assigned to assist the priests.
Abbot/Abbess – The leader of a monastery or convent.
Monk, Nun, Friar - The most commonly encountered wandering religious type or those cloistered in monasteries and convents for more contemplative forms of worship. "Nuns" are exclusively female, while "friars" are exclusively male; "monks" can be either.
Bandits, Pirates, Highwaymen, and Brigands
The criminal underclass, these are people who live on the fringes of society preying on those in it. Most often, they are organized into gangs. Many are commoners who have been driven to it to survive or escaped slaves; a select few are nobles who have lost their titles. In all cases, these men and women are dangerous. The most successful end up with exorbitant prices on their heads; most wind up dead.
Adventurers
A note must be made about the role of adventurers in Ranoc. There isn't much call for the "well-armed vagrant" (what is sometimes affectionately called a "murder-hobo" on the SJGames forums) in Ranoc, apart from those venturing into the deep jungles of Umoja (the Africa expy) or the wilds of Gemenohee (America expy). Most often, unlike in other settings (particularly those defined as "dungeon" fantasy settings) the term "adventurer" is synonymous with "mercenary", and are usually viewed as one of the other classes as opposed to a distinct social class of their own. Many have noble Patrons who fund their excursions, often with an ulterior motive in mind.
Occasionally, the younger sons of nobles and successful merchants who stand to inherit a portion of the family fortune and none of the title or responsibility strike out for Umoja or Gemenohee to make their own stake in the world.
