Thane

Thane

You understand wealth, power, and privilege. You carry a noble title, and your family owns land and wields significant political influence. You might be a pampered aristocrat unfamiliar with work or discomfort, a former merchant just elevated to the nobility, or a disinherited scoundrel with a disproportionate sense of entitlement. Or you could be an honest, hard-working landowner who cares deeply about the people who live and work on your land, keenly aware of your responsibility to them.
Work with your DM to come up with an appropriate amount of authority that the title of Thane carries. A Thane doesn’t stand on his own—he is connected to an entire family, and you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do you need to determine you family's influence, but you should also work with the DM to describe your family and their influence on you.
Is your family old and established, or was your title only recently bestowed? How much influence do they wield, and over what area? What kind of reputation does your family have among the other aristocrats of the region? How do the common people regard them?
What’s your position in the family? Are you the heir to the head of the family? Have you already inherited the title? How do you feel about that responsibility? Or are you so far down the line of inheritance that no one cares what you do, as long as you don’t embarrass the family? How does the head of your family feel about your adventuring career? Are you in your family’s good graces, or shunned by the rest of your family?

Skill Proficiencies History, Persuasion

Tool Proficiencies One type of Gaming Set

Languages One of your choice

Equipment A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a scroll of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 GP

Features

Position of Privilege

Thanks to your noble birth, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to.

Suggested Characteristics

Thanes are born and raised to a very different lifestyle than most people ever experience, and their personalities reflect that upbringing. A noble title comes with a plethora of bonds—responsibilities to family, to other lords (including the king), to the people entrusted to the family’s care, or even to the title itself. But this responsibility is often a good way to undermine a Thane.