The Nobility

Surface nobles worry about who sits closest to the king. In Menzoberranzan, we worry about who sits closest to the spider queen. Trust me, the surface version comes with far fewer poisoned daggers.

— Jarlaxle Baenre (mercenary, schemer, flamboyant drow)

Nobility represents the inherited or granted privileges of the upper class. Unlike licenses or organizational memberships, noble rights are tied to bloodlines, titles, and charters. They are often honored beyond the borders of their home city — though the degree of respect depends on local politics.

Nobility interacts with the Rights system by granting broad or automatic privileges: many Rights default to higher codes for nobles regardless of local law.

Baseline Privileges of Nobility

• Right of Arms: Automatically treated as U (Unrestricted) within their domain; may openly bear arms and armor regardless of common restrictions.
• Right of Status & Justice: Automatically treated as N (Noble Privilege). Nobles are judged by peers or rulers, not common courts.
• Right of Movement: Often treated as U (Unrestricted); papers and permits are waived, though curfews may still apply during wartime.
• Right of Faith: Nobles are assumed patrons of at least one recognized faith; their temples often gain political protection.
• Right of Trade: Many nobles hold monopolies or exemptions (Trade: M → U for their goods). Even without direct control, noble titles often reduce tariffs.

Variations by Rank

• Landed Nobility (Barons, Counts, Dukes): Control land, levy taxes, and enforce Rights within their territories. Their word often overrides the local law block for their subjects.
• Titled Nobility (Knights, Lords, Ladies): Hold inherited or granted titles; enjoy Arms, Status, and Movement privileges but may not control land.
• Court Nobility (Advisors, Envoys): Influence law through proximity to power. May not command soldiers but enjoy Status rights and diplomatic protections.

Political Exceptions

• Foreign Nobles: Recognition varies. Lords’ Alliance cities may honor each other’s nobility; Zhentil Keep or Luskan may not.
• Revoked Titles: Stripped nobles lose privileges, reverting to commoner or adventurer status.
• Usurped Titles: Pretenders risk prosecution; forged noble papers are common Zhentarim contraband.

DM Guidance

• Check the local Law Block. Noble birth often supersedes restrictions, but not always. A city under martial law (Right of Movement: X) may still confine nobles, though they will receive better accommodations.
• Use Nobility for Story Hooks. Rival nobles may clash in councils, abuse their rights, or attempt to revoke adventurers’ charters.
• Leverage Nobility as Leverage. Players with noble backgrounds can bypass restrictions (e.g. carrying a longsword in Baldur’s Gate), but this can also draw suspicion or hostility from commoners and rival factions.

Nobility & Law Quick Reference

How to Use

• Start with the local Law Block (e.g. Arms: M, Spellcasting: LT, Trade: G).
• If a noble is present, apply their rank modifiers:
• Gentry may ignore Arms restrictions but still pay tariffs.
• Barons may waive tariffs within their lands.
• Dukes may overrule restrictions entirely.
• Foreign nobles: recognition varies — Lords’ Alliance honors titles, Luskan ignores them, Zhentil Keep mocks them.

Example: Waterdeep Nobility

• Gentry: Can carry martial weapons in the city, but still must pay guild tariffs.
• Barons: Control monopolies in specific guild trades (wine, glass, shipping).
• Dukes: Treated as peers of the Lords of Waterdeep, able to demand council hearings.

Foreign Nobility Recognition

Noble privilege is never guaranteed beyond one’s homeland. While some realms respect the concept of nobility across borders, others ignore or even mock foreign titles.

Neverwinter

• Recognizes titles from the Lords’ Alliance and allied cities (Waterdeep, Silverymoon, Mirabar).
• Foreign nobles outside the Alliance treated as commoners unless vouched for by a recognized lord.

Waterdeep

• Honors most Lords’ Alliance nobility and will extend courtesy to powerful foreign envoys.
• Does not recognize Luskan, Zhentarim, or outlawed noble houses (e.g. exiled Cormyrean pretenders).
• May allow “honorary” treatment for rich Calishite or Amnian merchants, but only at council discretion.

Baldur’s Gate

• Nobility is informal and corrupt. Bribes matter more than lineage.
• Foreign nobles may be addressed by title but treated as commoners legally.
• The exception: dukes of Cormyr or Amn may wield weight through wealth or mercantile pressure.

Zhentil Keep

• Respects only Zhentarim-backed nobility.
• Foreign titles are meaningless; even a duke of Cormyr will be treated as a commoner unless he bends knee to the Zhents.
• Foreign nobles who flaunt privilege risk humiliation or worse.

DM Guidance

• Alliance cities (Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Silverymoon) → generally respect each other’s titles.
• Independent or corrupt cities (Baldur’s Gate, Luskan) → recognition is situational, often tied to bribes or politics.
• Hostile regions (Zhentil Keep, Thay) → ignore foreign nobility entirely, or treat it as a vulnerability.

Nobility vs. Organizations

Noble privilege is inherent — it comes from bloodline or charter, and is recognized automatically within a domain. Organizations, by contrast, provide conditional privileges: guild dues, faction loyalty, or membership papers.

• Nobility = permanent, inherited, difficult to strip (but vulnerable to politics).
• Organizations = contractual, earned or purchased, and can be revoked at any time.
• In many regions, nobles sponsor guilds or temples, making organizational rights an extension of noble privilege.

A duke commands rights even without papers; a guildmaster commands rights only so long as their guild is recognized.