probablybanerpgideas:

probablygoodrpgideas:

probablygoodrpgideas:

Sure, having a king/queen is simple, but have you ever tried:

• Democracy
• Multiple nobles and they all have the same amount of power (lot of conflict potential)
• You can become ruler by defeating the current ruler in a fight
• The merchants run everything
• A noble and a parliament rule
• The most intelligent people rule
• …

There are thousands of possibilities, be creative!

Older post, but I highly encourage it! Try out the weirdest stuff! Try things you think would never work in the real world because this is your world and if you say (insert political system believed to not work) works then it does

Here’s a list of Society and Government types I’ve stolen directly from the worldbuilding section of some rulebooks:

Anarchy: the social conscience maintains order, but there are no laws

Athenian Democracy: Every citizen can vote on every new law

Representative Democracy: Elected representatives form a congress or government

Clan: Pretty much whoever is older is in charge, traditions are strongly adhered to, and society as a whole is split cross many tribes that are generally similar (and usually allied) but with their own quirks and traditions

Caste: A lot like a Clan structure, but each clan has a set role in society that usually renders them co-dependent. These Castes usually follow a social heirarchy

Dictatorship: One person controls everything, and they will later pass the right to rule to someone else, whether by inheritance, election, duelling, or some other method. Not all dictatorships are bad, especially if they are formed in times of crisis or rebellion, but even those started with the best intentions may quickly corrupt.

Plutocracy: Whoever has money is in charge.

Technocracy: A group of scientists and engineers have complete control and do everything they can to run the country at maximum efficiency. The more competent they are, the more likely this is to be viewed as a good thing.

Thaumocracy: Like a technocracy, but run by a science-like form of magic (like wizards and arcanists rather than shamans and witches)

Theocracy: The Church controls everything, and their religious law is civil law. Whether this religion is real, is fake but knows it, or believes its own lies is up to you.

Corporate State: Powerful mercantile organisations have taken control of entire regions. This is a lot like a Technocracy, but with a corporate structure and a focus on maximum profitability (and no-one else is going to set them a minimum wage)

Feudal: A lot like a dictatorship, but subsidiary lords are assigned their own local power and can enforce their own law without notifying the larger state.

***VARIATIONS***

Bureaucracy: Government runs very slowly and the public has effectively no control. There is a lot of red tape and taxation is high.

Colony: Government is dependent on a mother society

Cybercracy: A computer system is the state administrator. Hopefully the programmers did a good job…

Matriarchy: Positions of authority are female-exclusive.

Meritocracy: Positions of authority require rigorous testing to qualify for.

Military Government: The Military control everything, usually but not always totalitarian

Monarchy: The person in charge may call themselves king or queen, but fundamentally this is either a dictatorship or a feudal society.

Oligarchy: A small organisation is in control, and it elects its own members.

Patriarchy: like a matriarchy, but for guys. what a novel idea

Sanctuary: A society that protects the people other societies hunt (that may be considered criminals or terrorists by other nations)

Socialist: The government directly manages the economy, education is easy to get, the government intervenes to get everyone possible a job. This is likely to collapse quickly without good technology or magic to assist it.

Subjugated: The society as a whole is completely controlled by an outside force.

Utopia: A perfect society where everyone is satisfied and nothing sinister is happening behind the scenes we swear.

sockablock:

Looking for more ways to entertain/mess with your party? Well, look no further than this new installment of dumb dnd items!

The Scorpion Sword: an elegant longsword with a blade shaped like a jagged stinger. This weapon deals 0 damage to anything that isn’t a scorpion, but does double damage against any of the aforementioned arachnids.

The Gloves of Fishing: upon donning these gloves, the user can shove their arms into any natural body of water and make a dexterity check. On a roll of 15 or higher, the user catches something. Whether that something is an object, or a fish, or a very angry creature, is entirely up to the DM.

Prayer for Dummies: from the authors behind the famous fantasy franchise comes Prayer for Dummies! Once a day, this tome allows any non-cleric to cast the 1st level spell, Guiding Bolt.

The Four-Leaf-Clover: a little sprig of luck for those in need. Once per long rest, this item allows the holder to re-roll a single failed check or save.

The Ring of Ringing: a small silver ring. When flicked, it produces a soft, faint and soothing melody.

The Trousers of Sturdy Build: a pair of trousers made of some indeterminate but strong and blue material. When worn, the user gains +2 to AC, but -3 to all dexterity checks.

The Sun-hat: this wide-brimmed straw hat keeps you cool and stylish. It also absorbs sunlight while worn, and for every hour it spends under the sun during the day, at night it will emit, for a corresponding number of hours, a bright light that clearly illuminates everything within a 20-ft radius.

robert-eo-swagwagon:

• A bard who tries REALLY hard to be a Beethoven type, but ends up being a Led Zeppelin type no matter what they do
• A barbarian that is calm in intense situations and only bursts in full on rage at minor inconveniences (i.e if their friend was dying they would be doctor levels of calm, yet if someone takes the last slice of something there will be blood)
• A gnome, a dwarf,and halfling are stacked in a trench coat
• A tiefling who is a warlock for the devil and is the equivalent to a part minimum job 
• A bard who is very stressed about their student loans for going through bard college 
• The most goth druid
• A female monk who is just a nun punching people and telling people they need Jesus
• A koblad that made a deal with a druid that made them grow 3 times their size, looking like a dragonborn, however at what cost….
• A half-orc that is also half of a smaller race
• A guy who just wanted to be a baker, but every time they try to get a job somehow they are pulled to saving the world adventures 
• A merfolk makes a deal with a druid to get legs and try to learn how to human (or any other race works)
• A bard that tries to make life a musical 
• An animal that is a were-human and every night they have to try to ‘act natural’