Who Can Rule a Stronghold in AD&D?

This is something interesting that came up when I was messing around with the AD&D DMG's Appendix B to create a sandbox (okay, many sandboxes - I have a problem).

As I've described many times on this blog, when using Appendix B to stock a sandbox, I roll on the Inhabitation table to determine the placement of settlements, castles (which I will call strongholds), and ruins:

Generally, three out of 100 "spaces" (6-mile hexes, in my case) will contain a stronghold. To determine the type of stronghold and who rules it, we are directed to the Castle Tables in Appendix C:

Strongholds can be ruled by bandits, brigands, berserkers, dervishes, or characters/"character-type NPCs". Deserted strongholds (which I generally rule to be ruins, not proper strongholds of good construction) can also be inhabited by monsters (or totally deserted).

Bandits, brigands, berserkers, and dervishes are all "men" - that is, humans. Character-types, I figure, can be of any race which is available to the players. So if I determine that a stronghold is ruled by such a character, before I determine that character's class, I roll on this table (found earlier in Appendix C) to determine the character's race:

80% of characters will be human, 5% will be dwarves, 5% will be elves, 2% will be gnomes, 5% will be half-elves, 2% will be halflings, and 1% will be half-orcs. You can actually simplify this by making it one roll, like so:

    d100      Race of Individual
    01-80     Human
    81-85     Dwarf
    86-90     Elf
    91-95     Half-elf
    96-97     Gnome
    98-99     Halfling
    100        Half-orc

I'll then determine the class of the character by rolling on Castle Sub-Table II.B., limiting myself to those classes which are available to that race.

But there's a problem - characters can only build strongholds beginning at a certain level, and demihuman races have level limits, as outlined in the PHB:

So the question is - which demihuman characters can actually rule strongholds in AD&D? Let's find out.

The Cleric can establish a "place of worship" and attract followers at 8th level, and at 9th level can construct a religious stronghold (presumably, they would build out the existing place of worship into a stronghold, not start an entirely new construction, but this isn't made explicitly clear):

While Castle Sub-Table II.B. states that clerics who rule wilderness strongholds will be from 9th to 12th level, I would allow them to be 8th level as well, with the caveat that these are not proper religious strongholds but the lesser "places of worship".

Aside from humans, player character half-elves and half-orcs can be clerics, but they are limited to 5th and 4th level, respectively, so they can build neither places of worship nor religious strongholds. Dwarf, elf, and gnome NPCs can also be clerics, but player characters cannot - I would personally ignore this as I don't really see the logic. Dwarves are limited to 8th level and elves and gnomes are both limited to 7th level. Dwarf clerics can build places of worship but not religious strongholds. Elf and gnome clerics can build neither. Only human clerics can build religious strongholds.

The Druid does not dwell permanently in castles, but at 11th level they can "inhabit building complexes set in woodlands and similar natural surroundings":

This is not a castle per se, but I would still count it as a stronghold. I imagine it being like the druid grove in Baldur's Gate 3, which is very much a stronghold.

Castle Sub-Table II.B. states that druids who rule strongholds will be 12th to 13th level, but I would allow them to be 11th level as well.

Only human and half-elf player characters can be druids, and half-elf druids have no level limit, so they can construct and live in such building complexes just as human druids can. Halfling NPCs can be druids, but are limited to 6th level, so they cannot.

The Fighter can establish a freehold ("some type of castle") at 9th level:

A player character of any race can become a fighter, but gnomes and halflings are limited to 6th level, elves to 7th level, and half-elves to 8th level - none of them can build a stronghold as a fighter. Dwarf fighters are limited to 9th level (but they must have Strength higher than 17), and half-orc fighters are limited to 10th - they can both build strongholds.

The Paladin can only be human. It isn't clear when exactly they can build a stronghold, but they can at some point. However, it can only be of the small type (a small shell keep, tower, moat house, or friary):

I assume that, as a sub-class of fighter, they construct their strongholds at 9th level (this is consistent with Castle Sub-Table II.B., which lists the lowest-level paladin with a stronghold as being 9th level, though as I've already demonstrated - and will continue to demonstrate - that table is not entirely reliable).

The Ranger can construct strongholds much the same as fighters:

That is, rangers can build strongholds at 9th level. This makes me more confident in my assumptions about the paladin, since both are fighter sub-classes. Again, Castle Sub-Table II.B. omits 9th level rangers (it includes only rangers of 10th to 13th level).

Aside from humans, only half-elves can be rangers, and they are limited to 8th level, so they cannot build strongholds.

The Magic-User can construct a stronghold at 12th level:

Castle Sub-Table II.B. incorrectly lists 11th level magic-users as potential stronghold rulers (it includes levels 11 to 14, but should probably be levels 12 to 15).

Aside from humans, only elves and half-elves can be magic-users, and they are limited to 11th and 8th level, respectively, so they cannot build strongholds.

It is not clear from the PHB whether the Illusionist can build a stronghold, but since they are a sub-class of the magic-user and are included on Castle Sub-Table II.B., I assume that they can, and that they follow the same rule as the magic-user (that is, they can build a stronghold at 12th level).

Castle Sub-Table II.B. includes illusionists of 10th to 13th level, but like the magic-user, it should probably be 12th to 15th level instead. It's also worth noting that illusionists' strongholds "will often be covered by an illusion to appear as a mound of rock, a ruined place, or a huge castle". Neat!

Only humans and gnomes can be illusionists. Gnome illusionists are limited to 7th level, so they cannot build strongholds.

The Thief can build a stronghold, but it must be "a tower or fortified building of the small castle type" and "within, or not more than a mile distant from, a town or city":

This means that you will never encounter a thief's stronghold in the wilderness.

It sounds like the thief can build the stronghold at any level, but can only establish a gang (i.e., attract followers) at 10th level, so for the purposes of this exercise I'll say they can build the stronghold at that level as well. 

This is consistent with Castle Sub-Table II.B., which lists the lowest-level stronghold-ruling thief as 10th level (although it is worth pointing out that since I use 6-mile hexes and a thief's stronghold can only be 1 mile distant from a town or city, I will never have a hex containing a thief's stronghold - if you instead use Gygax's scale of 1-mile hexes, the table works just fine, but the thief's stronghold must be in a hex adjacent to a town or city).

Anyone can be a thief, but half-orc thieves are limited to 8th level, so they cannot construct strongholds. Dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, and halfling thieves have no level limit and so can construct strongholds.

The Assassin is tricky, but essentially, they have two types of "stronghold" - a guild headquarters in a large town or big city, "typically a warehouse or other nondescript structure", and a second headquarters "of any form - cavern, castle, monastery, palace, temple" which (presumably) may also be in a large town or big city, but "if it is a large and obvious place...must be located well away from all communities":

The assassin must be 14th level to rule the former and 15th level to rule the latter (15th is the level cap for assassins). 

Castle Sub-Table II.B. lists the assassin stronghold ruler's level as 14th (and only 14th) level. As with the thief, this works with Gygax's scale of 1-mile hexes, but the assassin's stronghold must be in a hex adjacent to a town or city. 

Since I again use 6-mile hexes, 14th level assassins can only rule guildhalls which are "always within a large town or big city", and only 15th level assassins can rule wilderness strongholds, my version of the table should include only 15th level assassins.

Dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and humans can be assassins. Dwarves, elves, gnomes, and half-elves are limited to 9th, 10th, 8th, and 11th level respectively, and cannot rule strongholds. Half-orcs and humans have no level limit and can rule strongholds.

The Monk can build a stronghold at 8th level, but it must be a monastery or monastery-like headquarters:

Castle Sub-Table II.B. states that "Monks' strongholds will usually be monasteries, resembling a type of enlarged moat house, having fewer of the defensive constructions of a typical castle - but being nonetheless formidable." I take this to mean that monks can only build castles of the small variety, specifically moat houses or friaries.

Castle Sub-Table II.B. includes monks of 9th to 12th level, omitting 8th level monks just as it omits 11th level druids and 9th level paladins.

Only humans can be monks.

The Bard is of course a special case. The description of the class does not explicitly state that they can build strongholds, but they are included in Castle Sub-Table II.B., so we must assume that they can.

Bards begin as fighters, then become thieves between 5th and 7th level - they must make the switch before attaining 8th level as a fighter, so they cannot build a stronghold as a fighter does at 9th level. They can attain 5th to 9th level as thieves, then must become druids - again, they cannot build a stronghold as a thief does at 10th level. Once they become a druid, they begin progression as a bard. They have their own experience table but are treated as druids of the same level (kind of - after 12th level they remain a 12th level druid until 23rd level when they finally become a 13th level druid).

Thus, I would assume that bards abide by the same rule as druids when it comes to building strongholds - that is, they can do so at 11th level, but it must be a building complex in a wilderness or natural setting.

Castle Sub-Table II.B. includes only bards of 23rd level (i.e., 13th level druids), but I would treat them the same as druids - that is, a bard who rules a stronghold can be 11th to 13th level.

Only humans and half-elves can be bards. Half-elves have no level limit as druids, so both can rule a stronghold as a druid would.

Here is a summary of my findings - Who Can Rule a Stronghold in AD&D:

• Clerics: Dwarf clerics of 8th level only and human clerics of 8th level and above can rule places of worship, and human clerics of 9th level and above can rule religious strongholds.
• Druids: Half-elf and human druids of 11th level and above can rule building complexes set in woodlands and similar natural surroundings.
• Fighters: Dwarf fighters of 9th level only, half-orc fighters of 9th or 10th level, and human fighters of 9th level and above can rule strongholds of any type.
• Paladins: Human paladins of 9th level and above can rule small strongholds only.
• Rangers: Human rangers of 9th level and above can rule strongholds of any type.
• Magic-Users: Human magic-users of 12th level and above can rule strongholds of any type.
• Illusionists: Human illusionists of 12th level and above can rule strongholds of any type. They are usually covered by an illusion which makes them appear to be something else.
• Thieves: Dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, halfling, and human thieves of 10th level and above can rule small strongholds only, and they must be within or no more than a mile distant from a town or city.
• Assassins: Half-orc and human assassins of 14th level can rule a guild headquarters (a nondescript location, not a castle of any type) which must be within a large town or big city, and half-orc and human assassins of 15th level can rule a headquarters of any type (cavern, castle, monastery, palace, temple, etc.). It can be in a town or city but must be located away from all communities if it is a large and obvious place.
• Monks: Human monks of 8th level and above can rule a moat house or friary.
• Bards: Half-elf and human bards of 11th level and above can rule building complexes set in woodlands and similar natural surroundings.

Here is a different summary sorted instead by race:

• Dwarves: Can rule as clerics (places of worship only), fighters, and thieves.
• Elves: Can rule as thieves only.
• Gnomes: Can rule as thieves only.
• Half-elves: Can rule as druids, thieves, and bards.
• Halflings: Can rule as thieves only.
• Half-orcs: Can rule as fighters, thieves, and assassins.
• Humans: Can rules as any class.

You could determine who rules a stronghold at least two ways: Do you roll to determine the ruler's race or class first? If I roll first for race and determine that the ruler of a wilderness stronghold is a human, for example, they could be of any class. If I instead determine they're a half-orc, they can only be a fighter or Grandfather/Grandmother assassin. If I roll first for class and determine that the ruler is a paladin or monk, for example, they can only be a human. If they're instead a cleric, they could be a human or a dwarf.

I'm not sure which is better, but I'm leaning towards determining class first. Just remember that thieves and most assassins don't live in the wilderness and druids and assassin Grandfathers/Grandmothers don't usually live in cities.

It is worth noting that deserted strongholds (which I treat as stronghold ruins) can be inhabited (like a monster lair) by dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings, even if these types can't rule strongholds as most classes. The wilderness encounter tables in Appendix C include these demihumans under "rough" terrain, which I believe is where you're meant to roll when populating a "castle" of the "deserted (monster therein)" type (the footnote to the tables describes "rough" as including "ruins within up to five miles of the party").

What this suggests is that individual elves, gnomes, and halflings, for whatever reason, don't build wilderness strongholds, but enclaves of them may move into such places once they're abandoned.

Interestingly, all four of these demihuman types can lair in such castles in uninhabited/wilderness areas, but only dwarves and gnomes lair in them in inhabited/patrolled area. In other words, if there's a road to the dungeon, elves and halflings won't hang out there - not on the surface, anyway. I wonder why that is.