Campaign idea help: Royals: Masters of War

[Astromancer]

Perhaps certain rituals are needed for a person of the right lineage to develop their powers. Think about the Deryni (I know I misspelled that) novels.

You might have a high lineage, but activating the powers is another question.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Think about the Deryni (I know I misspelled that) novels.

No, actually, that's how it's spelled.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Perhaps certain rituals are needed for a person of the right lineage to develop their powers. Think about the Deryni (I know I misspelled that) novels.

You might have a high lineage, but activating the powers is another question.

Yes, that ios how it's spelled but the effect you're thinking of isn't applicable to the Deryni themselves. They grow into their powers even without tutoring. It's the Haldanes who need "activating".

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Bathawk

I envision things as a subconscious "hive mind" without intelligence or will, but power.

I think that's about the only way to do it. It's the respect that Royals are held in (or not) that gives them power. That is workable for elected politicians who manage to get serous respect, and for some edge cases, like the Pope, who is an elected monarch of a very small state, but gets far more respect from being head of his church.

To use the real world, When Queen Elizabeth died, Charles was now the highest ranking noble of royal blood . . .

No, he was her direct heir. Nobles are not "ranked" in any kind of detail in the UK; their order of precedence within each grade comes from the time that their titles have existed.

You brought up an interesting point I hadn't considered about exiled or non-recognized lineages. In "Royals" I believed the French royals were all put to death.

If it's respect-driven, exiled royals, or just ones who lose popular respect, will lose much of their power.

Or how was Emperor Nicholas of Russia's royal family killed, and if the story of Anastasia created any "bastard" lineages inside or outside of Russia

The Romanovs had lost a lot of their following due to Nicholas' hands-on mismanagement of WWI. If you want an interesting Romanov descendant, try having Tsarevich Alexei father a child, at age 14 or so, on Maria Rasputin.

[Astromancer]

Try this idea. Many real world families have claimed descent from supernatural beings including the gods. Even Charles of England, through the Earls of Orkney, has both Odin and Thor in his genealogy.

The numbers of families with a claim to faery ancestors isn't small. My own ancestors claimed some kind of supernatural heritage. My family name means both "child of the poet" and "child of the fawn." My ancestors were claiming descent of Ossian. Who's mother was a member of the Tuatha Dedannan (correct spelling later).

Why not limit powers to royals with supernatural ancestors?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this idea. Many real world families have claimed descent from supernatural beings including the gods. Even Charles of England, through the Earls of Orkney, has both Odin and Thor in his genealogy.

Ah . . . anyone with Thor in his genealogy also has Odin in his genealogy. Thor Odinsson, right?

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Ah . . . anyone with Thor in his genealogy also has Odin in his genealogy. Thor Odinsson, right?

Thor is supposed to be the father of one ancestor, and Odin the father of another. So Thor and Odin are in the genealogy of the Earls of Orkney independently of each other. There's a whole saga dedicated to the Earls of Orkney. I think it is the Orkneyena saga, or something similar.