5.62 Orders

There are three types of Orders. Royal Orders are chivalric orders attached to a prince who serves as sovereign or grand master of the order. Royal Orders exist to reward the nobility and establish clientage ties between the prince and the knight; they are the most prestigious, and most exclusive, of the Orders. Noble Orders are fraternal orders, often formed initially for religious purposes such as protecting pilgrims or operating hospitals, though knights of Noble Orders are usually lay persons, not religious. Military Orders are the heirs of the great crusading orders of warrior-monks. Knights of Military Orders may be required to take holy orders, but most have relaxed strictures on poverty and celibacy from those of their mediæval counterparts.

Special Orders include orders with unusual purposes or requirements. The gamemaster will inform you of the requirements for membership in Special Orders.

French characters with the Advantage Member of an Order must choose a French order or the Knights of St. John to start the game. French characters attempting to join a foreign order suffer a -1 penalty to the entrance roll. The exception to this is the Holy Order of Saint John of Jerusalem; French characters gain a +1 bonus to the entrance roll for joining the Knights of St. John. An Aspirant of the Knights of St. John must possess the Theology skill.

Within each order are a series of ranks similar to those within other hierarchies. The ranks within Orders are listed below. Note than not all ranks are present in all orders.

ASPIRANT
A character starts as an Aspirant within a Military Order. An Aspirant learns his duties and reponsibilities serving alongside Knights of the Order on campaign. An Aspirant must serve on a campaign each year, spending six months aboard a warship or galley; the character receives the Seamanship skill automatically at the end of the first campaign. If an Aspirant takes a Cowardly attitude in battle, he will be dismissed from the Order. An Aspirant must serve on one to three campaigns, depending on the Military Order, after which the character is promoted to Knight automatically.

The rank of Aspirant does not exist in Noble or Royal Orders.

CHAPLAIN
A Chaplain is a priest serving the spiritual needs of an Order. A Chaplain of a Noble or Military Order may be required to serve on campaign alongside the Knights of the Order for six months if required by the Grandmaster; Chaplains need not roll for injury or special events, however. At the end of the year, the position of Chancellor, an Officer of the Order, opens up on a roll of 10 or more and a promotion follows on a roll of 10 or more (+1 if the character is Social Rank 13 or above, +1 if the character is a bishop, archbishop, or prince-bishop, +2 if the character is a cardinal).

KNIGHT
A Knight may be a crusader battling heretics and infidels, a protector of the faithful, or a courtier of a prince, depending on the Order of which he is a member. A character starts as a Knight of a Noble or Royal Order; an Aspirant of a Military Order is promoted to Knight after serving on campaigns. A Knight of a Royal Order has no specific responsibilities but may be summoned to court by the king for one month each year. A Knight of a Noble Order is required to spend three months each year, distributed as he likes, in service to the Order. A Knight of a Military Order may volunteer to serve on campaign with the Order, spending six months each year aboard a warship or galley, or he may be required to fight by the Grandmaster of the Order. If a Knight on campaign takes a Cowardly attitude in battle, he will be dismissed from the Order. A Knight of a Noble or Military Order may give his friends a + 1 on their rolls to join his Order. After three years as a Knight of an Order, a character mayroll for an opening as a Knight-Commander in a Noble or Military Order or an Officer of an Order in a Royal Order. A Knight-Commander’s position opens up on a roll of 9 or more and a promotion to that rank follows on a roll of 9 or more (+ 1 if Social Rank is 12 or more, + 2 if the character is a Knight-Captain). A Knight must possess the Captaincy skill to be promoted to Knight-Commander. An Officer’s position opens up on a roll of 10 or more; roll for each Officer’s position individually (+ 1 if Social Rank is 12 or higher). A Knight must possess the skill required by the position to be promoted to Officer of an Order.

A Knight-Captain is a Knight who possesses the Captaincy and Strategy skills and is a Master of the Seamanship skill. A Knight-Captain commands a warship or galley on behalf of a Military Order, spending six months on campaign each year. The rank of Knight-Captain only exists in Military Orders.

KNIGHT-COMMANDER
A Knight-Commander commands a commandery on behalf of a Noble or Military Order. A commandery may consist of a hospital (Noble Order) or monastery (Military Order) or a country estate (Noble and Military Orders). A Knight-Commander also commands a company of Knights of the Order. He may volunteer his company to the Royal Army in an internal campaign, or he may be required to fight by the Grandmaster of the Order. If a Knight-Commander takes a Cowardly attitude in battle, he will be dismissed from the Order. A Knight-Commander must spend three months each year, distributed as he likes, attending to the business of the Order and the commandery. At the end of the year, a position as an Officer of the Order may open on a roll of 9 or more; roll for promotion by rolling for each Officer’s position individually (+ 1 for Social Rank 13 or more). A Knight-Commander must possess the skill required by the position to be promoted to Officer of an Order.

The position of Knight-Commander does not exist in Royal Orders.

OFFICER OF THE ORDER
An Officer of the Order manages the corporate affairs of an Order. An Officer of the Order may admit one friend per year to the Order, provided the friend meets the minimum Social Ranks requirement. An Officer of an Order must spend three months each year, distributed as he likes, attending to the business of the Order. An Officer of the Order may hold one of the following positions.

Provost (requires Magistracy skill, roll 10+ to receive, + 1 of Social Rank is 13 or above, + 1 if the character is a Magistrate or a Lawyer). The Provost is responisible for the legal affairs of the Order, including the trial of members for violations of the statutes of the Order.
Treasurer (requires Banking skill, roll 9+ to receive, + 1 if Social Rank is 13 or better, + 1 if the character is a Banker or Investor). The Treasurer manages the funds of the Order, usually donated by members or the Royal family or revenues earned from the Order’s commanderies. Each year the Treasurer may invest 300 L of the Order’s funds; if the original 300 L are not returned to the Order at the end of the year, however, the Treasurer will be dismissed from the Order.
Secretary (requires Bureaucratics skill, roll 8+ to receive, + 1 if Social Rank is 13 or better, + 1 if the character was a Knight-Commander). The Secretary of an Order manages the correspondence and records of the Order.
Herald (requires the Heraldry or History skill, + 1 if Social Rank is 13 or better, + 1 if the character possesses the Oratory skill). The Herald extolls and records the accomplishments of the Knights and the Order on behalf of the Grandmaster.
Chancellor (the character must be an ordained clergyman, roll 10+ to receive, + 1 if Social Ranks is 13+, +1 if the character is a bishop or above). The Chancellor supervises the Chaplains and may conduct special services on behalf of the Order, such as saying a Mass following an important victory or presiding over the funeral of a Knight. Chancellor is the highest position a Chaplain may receive in an Order; if the Chancellor was not formerly a Knight, he may not roll for promotion.

At the end of each year, a Master’s position in a Noble or Military Order opens up on a roll of 9+, and a promotion follows on a roll of 8+ (+ 1 if Social Rank is 14 or higher). A Member of a Royal Order may not roll for promotion.

MASTER OF THE ORDER
The Master commands the Knights-Commander of a Noble or Military Order. The number of Masters in a Noble or Military Order varies; the Gamemaster may provide details as needed. A Master commands the equivalent of a battalion of Knights. A Master may volunteer his battalion to the Royal Army in an internal campaign, with the permission of the Grandmaster of the Order, or he may be required to fight by the Grandmaster. If a Master takes a Cowardly attitude in battle, he will be dismissed from the Order. In addition a Master of an Order may admit his friends into the Order, provided they meet the minimum Social Rank requirements of the Order. A Master of an Order must spend two months each year, distributed as he likes, attending the business of the Order. At the end of the year, the position of Grandmaster opens up on a roll of 10+, and a promotion follows on a roll of 8+ (+ 1 if Social Rank 16 or above).

The position of Master does not exist in Royal Orders.

GRANDMASTER OF THE ORDER
The Grandmaster is the head of the Order and may manage it in any way he likes. The Grandmaster of a Noble or Military Order commands the whole Order as a regiment and may volunteer it to the Royal Army in an internal campaign. He may not take a Cowardly attitude in battle. The Grandmaster may admit his friends to the Order and promote them automatically when openings appear. He may invest up to 600 L in Order funds. If he is unable to return these funds to the Order at the end of the year, however, the Order may go bankrupt. The Grandmaster must spend two months each year that he does not go on Campaign in attending to Order business.

The rank of Grandmaster varies consdierably between Orders. The Grandmaster of a Royal Order is automatically the prince (duke, king, or emperor) to whom the Order is attached and as such is not usually open to characters. The Grandmasters of Noble and Military Orders may be princes as well; for example, the King of Spain is the Grandmaster of Spanish Military Orders. The Gamemaster will provide the details of the Grandmasters of the Orders as needed.