OK I was asked to post this and please keep in mind that this is more of a game mechanic I use for determining the out comes of Trials in a given type of justice system once a person has been arrested and put on trial, If u want to tweak it out for kap fine with me but it works fine for me as is. It is a d20 based system so it will work in kap and i wont be changing it for me. However, I am always looking to add new types of crimes and new types of Severity, and Circumstances to the tables. You may feel free to comment, discuss, debate, about it all you like and even change what you don't like for your self or even add to it for your own use. I will try when retyping it her put into and use KAP game terms.

Step 1 Making the Trial Check: With a single d20 roll you will make a trail check to see what happens to a persons fate who gets arrested for a particular crime and to determine the out come of his fate. However, first we must determine the characters trial modifier. A trail modifier derives from two different sources , the severity of the crime (or crime if accused of more then 1) and the circumstances surrounding the crime. Consult the table below to determine the crime severity of the characters alleged crime. Use only the most severe crime they are changed with, falling back on grand theft, or mass murder for crimes in which a lot of stuff was stolen or a lot people were killed, in the game world.

Examples of Crime Severity:
Meaningless; Level: 1; types: corruption, minor possession, theft, vice, etc; Trial modifier -0;


Forgettable; Level: 2; types: Arson, assault, burglary, grand theft, larceny, trafficking, etc; Trial modifier-2
Newsworthy: Level 3; types: Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, etc; Trial modifier -4
Memorable: Level 4; types: Mass murder, serial murder, terrorism, treason, war crimes etc; Trial modifier -6
Historic: Level 5; types: Genocide, world domination, etc. Trial modifier -8

Step 2: Circumstantial Modifiers: if the facts were the only things that mattered in a criminal trial, the prisons would look a lot different then they do. Circumstantial factors do weigh in the equation of good lawyers, biased juries, crooked judges, even a person looks of physical apperance can affect the trials out come. To determine more then one of these factors apply, consult the chart below. All Circumstantial modifiers do stack.

Above the law Trial modifier +4
Attractive high appearance Trial modifier +1 per app over 20
Disabled or (Mentally Disturbing) Trial modifier -5
Famous Trial modifier +3
Infamous Trial modifier-3
Prior Convection's Trial modifier -2 per-convection
Prior Retrials (This Trail Only) Trial modifier -2 for each
Race bias Trial modifier -2
Roughed up the jury Trial modifier +5 or -5 depending on weather a persons friends and family or others threationd to do bodly harm if they do not vote not guilty or perhaps they don't car eand say guilty you decide?
Wealthy Trial modifier +1 per Librium payed to the Kings Justicer for finding in their favor Maximum bonus should be no more then +100 and probably no less then +20 you decide whats right in your campaign world.

Step 3 Adding it up: Determine the the defendant's total trial modifier by adding the severity modifier to all the qualifying circumstantial modifiers, Remember that only the most severe crime adds to the tril modifer, while all other circumstantial modifier's stack.

Step 4 The Trial: Simulate the final trial with a single d20 roll, by adding the defendant's total trial modifier to the die result and consult the chart below to determine the characters fate.

Die Result + Trial Modifier = Trial's result.

20+ found innocent and released.
19 to 15 commuted sentence (counts as Prior convection for purposes of future Trial checks keep a record). Is released.
14 to 10 Convicted, sentenced to 1d20 days behind bars.
09 to 5 Convicted, sentenced to 1d20 Months behind bars.
4 to 0 Convicted, sentenced to 1d20 Years behind bars.
-1 or lower 14 to 10 Convicted, sentenced to Life in prison ie behind bars or death penalty Trail by combat is allowed at this point, but its GM's choice.

I hope this helps now you may discuss this I am done for now and tried to be as simplistic as i can be too.

You did mention that this was a generic one rather than KAP-tuned system.

In medieval times, prison sentences were extremely rare (happened more with high-rank people, especially if the monarch didn't have a good court case against them and preferred to leave them rot). You'll have to house, feed and guard a prisoner, all of which costs money and is a hassle. Thus, different corporal punishments and fines were used. Just off the top of my head, I'd tweak it so:

-1 or less Death, estates forfeit
0 - 4 Exiled for life, estates forfeit / a commoner would get killed
5 - 9 Short exile (a year and a day or something like that) / a commoner might get maimed
10 - 14 Fined a large amount / a commoner might get whipped
15 - 19 Fined a small amount / slap on the wrist (commoner might be put in stocks for a day or two)
20+ Innocent

I'd also tie this more to skills and traits, and likely separate the verdict (innocent - guilty) from the sentencing (how will he be punished) from one another, to ensure that a guy doesn't get put to death for minor theft and rolling poorly. Of course, a poor trial performance would likely tilt the sentencing to be harsher, so a modifier would be appropriate.

Hi Morien I agree with your logic and thanks for your input I like the results you came up with! I may go ahead if i get enough info and actually fine tune it for KAP if others want to help me in redoing it.

Forgettable; Level: 2; types: Arson, assault, burglary, grand theft, larceny, trafficking, etc; Trial modifier-2
Newsworthy: Level 3; types: Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, etc; Trial modifier -4
Memorable: Level 4; types: Mass murder, serial murder, terrorism, treason, war crimes etc; Trial modifier -6
Historic: Level 5; types: Genocide, world domination, etc. Trial modifier -8

These are really off for the Middle ages. The Salic Law of King Clovis had these fines for offenses, giving us a pretty good idea about how Arthur's Britain might have seen them too. Value: 40d = a bezant or gold shilling; 200d = £1 of silver. .

Level 1 (Minor) - stealing: a sheep 25d; stealing a suckling pig 120d. Insults: calling someone a "fox" (liar) 120d; calling someone a "hare" (coward) 120d; calling someone a "shield dropper" (coward whom fled battle) 120d. Trespass in a growing field with a wagon or harrow 120d. Striking someone with bare one's hands 40d/blow.

Level 2 (Minor) - Insults: calling someone a spy or perjurer 600d. Trespass in a growing field near harvest with a wagon or harrow 600d. Fence breaking or stealing wood from a fence 600d. Harboring a grave robber 600d. Housebreaking and stealing 600d (without breaking a locked door). Inflicting a minor wound 600d.

Level 3 (Grave) - Abducting a Frankish maiden 1,200 (kidnapping them to force a marriage against her parents' wishes). Stealing a bull 1,800d. Killing a whore 1,800. Housebreaking (with a locked door broken) 1,800d. stealing 40d fine 1,400d. Inflicting a major wound 1,800. Stealing a tame stag (used to lure in other stags to be killed) 1,800d.

Level 4 (Grave) - Raping a Frankish maiden 2,500d. Killing a Roman colonus (villein) 2,220d. Inflicting a mortal wound (victim survives) 2,500. Shooting someone with a poison arrow 2,500d. assaulting and robbing someone 2,500d. falsely accusing someone 2,500. Killing a count 2,400. Arson 2,500. Bewitching someone 2,500. Killing a boy age ten or under 2,500.

Level 5 (Major) - Killing a Frank 8,000. Attempting to kill a Frank by throwing them in a well 4,000d. Killing a Frankish woman after menopause 8,000d. Killing (beating to death) a Frankish mother of child bearing age 24,000. Grave robbing 8,000. Killing a Frank and concealing the body 24,000d. A Magician poisoning someone to death with herbs 8,000d. killing a member of the King's household. King a king's table companion [ I think 24,000, failed energetic roll :-[]

During the Twelfth century Byzantine fashion was normal and that includes their method of punishment- having one's eyes torn out instead of being executed. Charlemagne (despite the song of Roland) took eyes not lives when punishing and so did William the bastard/conqueror.

For those interested

In the upcoming Book of Warlords will have material about the legal system
including:
Laws, courts and legal wrangling have no place King Arthur Pendragon. If play requires it, everything is off-stage and simple.
Remember this is not our modern legal code with its absurdities and contradictions. This is an imaginary version of a historical legal system, complete with its own absurdities, contradictions, and cruelty.
• No one has any legal rights except those granted by the king, and/or Ancient Law and Custom.
• All complaints accuse someone of breaking the king’s law.
• If it does not infringe on the king, it doesn’t go to court.

To exercise the law, a complaint has to be made in the shire where the defendant lives, and then a writ is sent to him. The process is long, boring, and will grind along. The rule for King Arthur Pendragon is:
For All Player Character Legal Actions
A knight tells a lawyer what he wants, and pays a £1 fee. He will get regular report each winter from the clerk on his case. Every so often the clerk will ask for more money. The gamemaster might insert annual details of it moving up the ladder of Justice. When one of these wayward lawsuits is settled the gamemaster will inform the litigants.

Trial by Combat
All knights, including warlords, have the right to settle legal issues through Trial by Combat. Knights who have a common liege generally follow the rules of gentlemanly combat, which means “no killing your foe on purpose if you could have spared him.” However, insults to personal honor or a deep hatred may cause such restraint to be laid aside. Also, a defeated knight may beg to be spared, complicating the issue for the victorious knight. Trials of Combat between stranger knights are usually unrestrained.
Trial at the King’s Bench
The first special right [that Warlords have] is the right to plead at the King’s Bench.
This means that any baron who receives a writ to appear at a hundred or shire court because they have been accused of a crime can instead send a representative there, who will pay a fee and the case will be transferred to the Court of the King’s Bench. This takes it entirely out of the agonizing process that commoners must go through in the judicial courts.

There is also a section called
KAP Law for Geeks
for those of us who are obsessed, or just curious

Greg I would love to see this KAP Law for geeks where is at?

Greg I would love to see this KAP Law for geeks where is at?

It will be forthcoming as part of the Book of WARLORDS

Cool! I am not a big fan of pdf's is their any way to get printed copies of the books? I don't own a computer of my own any more, nor do I spend my money on pdf's if I can get them for free off of a website that is not blocked by the library I will usually print them at the library for 10 cents per page this is what id did to get the new documents you had on your page printed out. and I still need to print allot of the new stuff you recently added.

Level 5 (Major) - Attempting to kill a Frank by throwing them in a well 4,000d



That is awefully specific a crime to have a punishment listed for... was it a common thing?



During the Twelfth century Byzantine fashion was normal and that includes their method of punishment- having one's eyes torn out instead of being executed. Charlemagne (despite the song of Roland) took eyes not lives when punishing and so did William the bastard/conqueror.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_mutilation_in_Byzantine_culture

Level 5 (Major) - Attempting to kill a Frank by throwing them in a well 4,000d



That is awefully specific a crime to have a punishment listed for... was it a common thing?



During the Twelfth century Byzantine fashion was normal and that includes their method of punishment- having one's eyes torn out instead of being executed. Charlemagne (despite the song of Roland) took eyes not lives when punishing and so did William the bastard/conqueror.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_mutilation_in_Byzantine_culture



We don't have stats from the Merovingian period, and was a pretty stupid way to try and kill someone - it would have poisoned the well.