Notoriety

Notoriety represents the reputation of a single Knave and influences a whole variety of interactions with the rest of the Kingdom.

The higher the Bounty of a Knave, the greater the respect other Knaves will show them, and the greater the fear they will be able to provoke in those who face them: commoners, bourgeois, bigwigs, whatever.

When a Knave reaches 5th level, they treat their Notoriety as 1 higher.

Additionally, Notoriety determines how many Groupies a Knave can have at any one time. This number is equal to the Knave's Notoriety.

Notoriety Center. A Knave's Notoriety distinguishes how widely known they are. If they travel beyond their home, the Knave may find that people do not know who they are. A Knave's Notoriety determines the size of the area where their Notoriety applies. When creating a Knave, their Notoriety Center is their Den. Additionally, all Havens also count as a Notoriety Center.

Notoriety Check. To determine whether somebody has heard of a Knave, or to Make Demands, the Knave makes a Notoriety check by rolling 1d20 and adding their Notoriety. The DC of a Notoriety check is equal to 12 + a modifier based on the distance from the hex the Knave is located to the closest hex inside the area described by their Notoriety.

• 0-10 hexes: +2
• 11-30 hexes: +4
• 31+ hexes: +6

When outside the area described by their Notoriety, the Knave has disadvantage.

Knaves can take advantage of their Notoriety by adding it to any Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) check made by invoking their reputation on those who have heard of them. Infamous Knaves treat their Notoriety as a negative anytime they make a Charisma (Persuasion) check on those who have heard of them.

Make Demands

In addition to acting as a handy track of a Knave's reputation, Notoriety can be used to Make Demands. Notoriety provides a quick guideline of how much clout the party has to Make Demands in a pinch. It normally takes 1d6 hours and requires a Notoriety check to Make Demands. The Band as a whole can Make Demands once per short rest. As a default, Demands can get people to help for up to half an hour. Any task that requires a few hours or more increases the Notoriety check DC by 1, or if for a day or more by 2.

The Demands below are just guidelines. Modifiers may be imposed when making a Notoriety check for Demands that go beyond these examples. Additionally, certain Demands may be impossible.

Example Demands

Notoriety 0. Urchins to watch a street. A scribe to look through documents or handle paperwork. A carriage-driver to provide discreet passage around a district.

Notoriety 1. Audience with the guard captain. A ferry-man to give discreet passage around the city. A craftsman to make a custom mundane item (the Knave pays the normal price). A minor noble to bend the rules. A bard to tell a story.

Notoriety 2. Audience with the mayor. A docker to create a distraction that might get them into trouble. A bard to spread a false tale that could have serious consequences. A major noble agreeing to converse for a few minutes.

Notoriety 3. Audience with a minor noble. A gang of bandits to commit some crimes. A small group of concerned citizens to rally and protest somewhere.

Notoriety 4. A large crowd of protesters to block off a whole building or street. A temple’s acolytes to come out and use their skills for the common people. A ship captain to smuggle something.

Notoriety 5. Audience with a powerful noble. A noble to take a stand for something that might cost them their position. A city-wide search for a missing person. A local celebrity to put on a private show.

Notoriety Ranks

Cheap Bounties

Barely considered Knaves, Cheap Bounties are just rookies who probably ended up with a Bounty on their head by mistake. Until they prove themselves to be true scoundrels, they will always be considered crybabies or the cheap result of a judicial error. For guards, Royal Bounty agents, and ordinary people, it's not even worth the trouble of reporting them to the authorities or putting them in irons.

Half Bounty

Also called "lightweights" or "half brothers", these Knaves have just begun to gain some level of respect among the Brotherhood. If they want to become leaders or Old Bounties, they've still got a long way to go. The guards and the Royal Bounty agents might start to be interested in them, but the risk is still worth too little to put a real effort into chasing them.

Bounty Fella

The Bounty Fellas are the Brothers who have already gained honest respect and, together with the Heavy Bounties, they constitute the backbone of the Kingdom's venture companies (and prisons). Their Bounty is surely high enough to actually attract city guards and Royal Bounty agents. Also, some peasants or commoners may be willing to take the risk of reporting them, hoping for a pretty good reward.

Heavy Bounty

With troops of ravenous guards and agents regularly at their heels, these Knaves are the "heavyweights", the real Bounty Brothers, those you never see without their face-covering cloaks and capes, because - if the situation weren't bad enough already - they also have to deal with village-rats too often getting strange ideas. Heavy Bounties are worth enough to attract the attention of professional Bounty Hunters, too.

Old Bounty

The Old School Knaves, the highly decorated scallywags, and the most hardened outlaws. Since nobody out there has ever collected their Bounties, the prize has been increasing until it is worth thousands of gold coins. It is assumed that Old Bounties are real fugitives, highly protected, and deeply connected with companies and other allies ready to help. In some cases, they have directly changed their identities and documents, and hide where no one will ever think to look for them. Catching an Old Bounty is the main goal, the payday of a lifetime, for every Bounty Hunter of the Kingdom.

Great Bounty

The Great Bounties, the "Champs", are generally company leaders, chiefs, mercenary commanders, warlords, crime bosses, corsairs, and brigand's kings. Infamous betrayals, colossal roundups, legions of assassins, and real acts of war are what it takes to at least flush them out.