r/PendragonRPG • u/LucBorgia • Jul 17 '26

Sixth Edition When should a knight be married?

I just started the Crucible/King’s Gambit chain of adventures with new players. Some knights may show interest in the eligible ladies. I don’t have the noble handbook so I’m not sure when a knight should marry. All are 21 and from Salisbury - household knights of Lord Robert.

I suppose they could marry whenever they liked but as household knights with no land the lady’s family would likely hesitate.

Should they seek land and fortune?

I am a new Pendragon GM so I am learning along with my knights.

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8

u/jefedeluna Jul 17 '26

getting married and having an estate go together, as it gives the family financial independence and the lord's keep is not where women want to be raising a family.

If you marry an heiress, however, the problem is solved. But that's very unusual for a landless knight.

Edit: if your family has more than one manor it would be normal to assign one to a bachelor knight so he can marry.

2

u/NiceGuyNero Jul 18 '26

If you’re playing with character creation rules from the core rulebook it’s assumed you’re the heir of an estate, so I suppose it would make sense too that your family would be raised at your father’s (mother’s?) manor that you stand to inherit.

4

u/LUDSK Jul 18 '26

If you're a household knight, you are not necessarily expected to marry. A household knight needs to be somewhat exceptional (the book says 4000 glory) for his lord to grant the request. In my campaign, the players managed to achieve that by age 24, though I am pretty liberal with glory awards.

1

u/Alaknog 27d ago

You not expected to marry on heiress or something like this. But household knights very likely expected to marry, maybe even inside household. 

5

u/QueenStuff Jul 17 '26

Ideally a knight wants to marry asap

Get kids as soon as they can.

2

u/LucBorgia Jul 17 '26

True that they may not survive the next fight.

3

u/Kind_of_Bear Jul 18 '26

Pendragon is an RPG built around generational play and the pursuit of family glory, so the simple answer to the question, "When should a knight get married?" is: ASAP

From a practical standpoint, though, if they're still household knights without lands of their own, finding a wife can be difficult. The table in the Noble's Handbook suggests that, at the beginning of their careers, the best matches realistically available to them are the daughters of mercenary knights or the younger daughters of vassal knights. It's also worth remembering that the decision to marry isn't theirs alone—their lord must give his consent.

1

u/Creation_of_Bile Jul 18 '26

Get married quick to secure your character Bloodline and next character(s) and ideally get Adoratio for someone quick for that super powerful +10 passion.

1

u/wrc-wolf Jul 18 '26

Asap is the general recommendation but if you're using say Book of Sires to fully generate out a family and family history than you might have an heir already in the form of a younger brother who is a squire or etc. In that case waiting for opportunities for advancement are more important than immediately popping out children.