Step 1: Kingdom Concept

Building a kingdom is a cooperative experience enhanced by having the entire group engaged. What kind of kingdom do you want to create?

Step 2: Charter

Jamandi Lady Aldori and Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius have offered to fund the initial startup of your kingdom. This isn't cheap, and if they plan to support you further, they expect to see some kind of return on their investment. Choose one of the following charters for your kingdom. It grants you certain boosts or flaws to your abilities, plus the trained proficiency in two kingdom skills.

Conquest Charter

Your sponsors want you to become a military outpost, holding the line against Pitax. The people are particularly devoted and supportive of your rule (if partially out of fear), but the constant threat of potential war hinders the arts and makes it difficult for citizens to truly relax.
Ability Boosts Loyalty, one free boost
Ability Flaw Culture
Skills Intrigue, Warfare

Expansion Charter

Your sponsors want you to expand the concept of civilization, bringing additional land under the plow as a trusted and productive ally of Restov. The greater support from your patron's nation helps to bolster your own kingdom's society, but this increased reliance means that fluctuations in your ally's fortunes can impede your own kingdom's security.
Ability Boosts Culture, one free boost
Ability Flaw Stability
Skills choose any 2 of Arts, Folklore, Magic, or Scholarship

Exploration Charter

Your sponsors want you to explore an area of wilderness, pushing back the borders of what is known and claiming as much territory as possible. They provide an additional supply of equipment, structures, and safe havens, but levy a straightforward financial debt to cover the cost.
Ability Boosts Stability, one free boost
Ability Flaw Economy
Skills Engineering, Exploration

Grant Charter

Your sponsors grant a large amount of funding and other resources without restriction, but they require you to employ many of their citizens and allies in the process of building your new nation. Your nation's wealth and supplies are secure, but many of your people have divided allegiances and still consider themselves loyal to Restov or Brevoy.
Ability Boosts Economy, one free boost
Ability Flaw Loyalty
Skills Industry, Trade

Free Charter

If you would prefer not to be beholden to Restov, you may refuse any additional aid beyond the initial outlay. Lady Aldori respects your bravery and self-confidence, but warns that establishing a new nation is no simple task.
Ability Boosts one free boost
Skills choose any 2 skills

Step 3: Heartland

Your new kingdom currently consists of a single hex. You may choose any hex you have fully Reconnoitered, but it's wisest to select a hex that already has some kind of structure to build your initial settlement around. Your heartland grants a single ability boost and trained proficiency in one skill. If your initial hex contains multiple terrain types, choose one to serve as your heartland.

Forest or Swamp

Your nation begins with no shortage of natural resources and a surfeit of wondrous experiences to bolster your citizens' imagination and mood.
Ability Boost Culture
Skill Wilderness

Hills or Plains

Your nation starts in an area that is easy to traverse. Your citizens appreciate that this choice makes their lives a little easier, especially for farming or herding.
Ability Boost Loyalty
Skill Agriculture

Lake or River

By establishing yourself on the shore of a major waterway, you ensure a built-in mechanism for trade. Even before a road is built, merchants and travelers can reach your settlement with relative easy via boat or barge.
Ability Boost Economy
Skill Boating

Mountains or Ruins

Your nation is founded in the mountains or includes a significant ruined location, and it uses these natural or artificial features to bolster defense. Your citizens tend to be hale and hardy, although stubborn to a fault.
Ability Boost Stability
Skill Defense

Step 4: Government

Although these rules generally refer to your nation as a "kingdom", a feudal monarchy is certainly not the only form of government. Your government type grants two skill proficiencies. As usual when the same skill is granted multiple times during character creation, if these unavoidably overlap with other choices, you may choose any other skill in their place.

Despotism

Your nation's rule is centered around a single individual, who seized total command and whose authority is absolute. The ruler may have assistants and advisors to aid him, but only when they obey the ruler's whims.
Ability Boosts Loyalty, Economy, one free boost
Skills Intrigue, Warfare
Skill Feat Crush Dissent

Feudalism

Your nation's rule is vested in a group of dynastic families, each assigned their individual territory to oversee.
Ability Boosts Stability, Culture, one free boost
Skills Defense, Trade
Skill Feat Fortified Fiefs

Oligarchy

Your nation is ruled by a council of influential leaders, whose membership is determined mostly by wealth or other forms of personal influence.
Ability Boosts Stability, Economy, one free boost
Skills Engineering, Industry
Skill Feat Insider Trading

Republic

Your nation's leadership is chosen by the vote of its citizens, although the voting franchise may be more or less restricted. (Note: you do not have to worry about losing elections in the context of Kingmaker, unless you really screw things up.)
Ability Boosts Loyalty, Stability, one free boost
Skills Politics, Statecraft
Skill Feat Pull Together

Thaumocracy

Your nation is governed by those most skilled in magic, or most able to command magic users to support them.
Ability Boosts Economy, Culture, one free boost
Skills Folklore, Magic
Skill Feat Practical Magic

Yeomanry

Your nation is decentralized and relies on local leaders and citizens to handle most issues, sending representatives to each other as needed to deal with larger-scale issues.
Ability Boosts Loyalty, Culture, one free boost
Skills Agriculture, Wilderness
Skill Feat Muddle Through

Step 5: Finalize Ability Modifiers

Finally, choose three different abilities to receive an additional boost each. Then total up all of the boosts and flaws from your choices, and record the final ability modifiers.

Step 6: Record Kingdom Details

Choose a name for your kingdom. The kingdom's level is 1, and its maximum is equal to your party level. Its size is currently 1 (your starting hex). Its Resource Die type is d4, and it receives 5 Resource Dice. Its Control DC is 14. Its Consumption, Unrest, and all of its Ruins are 0. All of its Ruin Thresholds are 10. Its maximum storage limit for each commodity is 4, but it currently has none.

Step 7: Choose Leaders

Every kingdom needs leaders, and yours is no different. The assumption is that the PCs will each take a leadership role, but you will need to recruit notable NPCs (particularly your companions) to fill out the kingdom's small council. Any leadership role taken by a PC is automatically invested, but NPCs only invest their roles fully if they are very loyal to the PCs. Even if an NPC is not fully dedicated to their role, they will still discharge their duties well enough to avoid a vacancy penalty.
The first time a given leadership role is invested, the kingdom gains a proficiency rank in that role's associated skill, even if this would push it to Expert proficiency before the kingdom is 3rd level.
Each character in a leadership role must spend a week of downtime at some point each month attending to their duties. This week need not be in a single contiguous block.
An invested leader grants a potency bonus to all skill checks in the kingdom based on that leader's key ability, regardless of who makes the check. This potency bonus depends on the leader's own skill training: her highest proficiency in any of the role's Supporting Skills (or an appropriate Lore Specialty at the GM's discretion) is used. If this proficiency is Expert, the potency bonus is +1; if it's Master, the bonus is +2, and if it's Legendary the bonus is +3.
An invested leader also grants an additional unique bonus to certain activities she performs herself, as described under the leader's Personal Benefit.

Ruler

The Ruler performs the most important ceremonies, acts as the chief diplomatic and legislative officer, and holds the final right of justice over the citizens of the kingdom.
Key Ability Loyalty
Kingdom Skill Politics
Supporting Skills Diplomacy, Intimidation, Society
Vacancy Penalty -2 to all checks; gain 1d4 Unrest at the start of each kingdom turn
Personal Benefit An invested Ruler receives a +2 status bonus on any Folklore or Politics check he attempts personally. Additionally, an invested Ruler may attempt Focused Attention any number of times each turn. He may always use Politics for his own check if he chooses to. The kingdom's proficiency in the Ruler's chosen skill determines the bonus, but the Ruler may grant his own potency bonus as a circumstance bonus instead (or twice this on a critical success). The target leader may apply the bonus to any check during the turn, regardless of the skill used. If the Ruler critically fails, the penalty is automatically applied to the target's first check this kingdom turn.

Counselor

The Counselor is a liaison between the government and the kingdom's people. They study the issues facing the ordinary citizens on the street, and advise the other leaders on the problems facing the kingdom.
Key Ability Culture
Kingdom Skill Arts
Supporting Skills Medicine, Performance, Religion, Society
Vacancy Penalty -1 to Culture-based checks
Personal Benefit An invested Counselor receives a +2 status bonus on any Arts or Industry check she attempts personally. Additionally, her attempts to Provide Care or Quell Unrest do not count against the kingdom's limit (although she still may not use the same skill to Quell Unrest that was already used this turn or the previous turn).

General

The General leads the kingdom's military, heading its armies and managing subordinate military commanders. She is responsible for looking after the needs of the kingdom's military and directing them in times of war.
Key Ability Stability
Kingdom Skill Warfare
Supporting Skills Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation
Vacancy Penalty -4 to Warfare and Army activities
Personal Benefit An invested General receives a +2 status bonus on any Exploration or Warfare check she attempts personally. Additionally, whenever the General attempts to Recruit an Army or Special Army, she may add her own potency bonus an extra time as a circumstance bonus.

Emissary

The Emissary keeps state secrets, oversees clandestine intrigues, and deals with criminal elements within and beyond the kingdom. They manage foreign policy and interactions with other kingdoms, as well as domestic power brokers and political organizations. Whether your Emissary is a public figure or someone who operates behind the scenes is up to you.
Key Ability Loyalty
Kingdom Skill Intrigue
Supporting Skills Deception, Occultism, Stealth, Thievery
Vacancy Penalty -1 to Loyalty-based checks
Personal Benefit An invested Emissary receives a +2 status bonus on any Intrigue or Statecraft check he attempts personally. Additionally, whenever he attempts an Infiltration, Clandestine Business, or a Pledge of Fealty, he may add his own potency bonus an extra time as a circumstance bonus. Whenever he Sells Commodities to a foreign power, the bonus for diplomatic contact or a trade agreement is doubled.

Magister

The Magister oversees all things magical in the kingdom, attending to the effects of the supernatural on the average citizen. They promote higher learning in the mystic arts, of whatever tradition.
Key Ability Culture
Kingdom Skill Magic
Supporting Skills Arcana, Nature, Occultism, Religion
Vacancy Penalty -4 to Craft Luxuries; double the cost to Purchase Luxury Commodities; halve the value of any Sold Luxury Commodities.
Personal Benefit An invested Magister receives a +2 status bonus on any Magic or Scholarship check she attempts personally. Additionally, whenever she personally succeeds at a Prognostication, the circumstance bonus is equal to her potency bonus instead of +1 (or twice this on a critical success). Finally, whenever she succeeds at a Supernatural Solution or Creative Solution, the additional check added receives an additional +2 status bonus.

Treasurer

The Treasurer monitors the kingdom's funds and the state of business and industry, as well as the citizens' confidence in the economy and the growth of manufacturing capacity. He works to ensure a functional market, investigate those to take advantage of the system, and handle taxation.
Key Ability Economy
Kingdom Skill Trade
Supporting Skills Arcana, Crafting, Deception, Thievery
Vacancy Penalty -1 to Economy-based checks
Personal Benefit An invested Treasurer receives a +2 status bonus on any or Boating or Trade check he attempts personally. Whenever he successfully Sells Commodities domestically, he receives an additional 1 RP per Commodity sold immediately (or twice this on a critical success). Whenever he Taps the Treasury for cash, he may gain the funds for a kingdom one level higher (the later repayment via Capital Investment is still equal to the value for the kingdom's actual level). When he performs Capital Investment to gain Resource Dice (but not to repay a debt), he may provide funds appropriate to a kingdom one level lower.

Viceroy

The Viceroy plans and implements kingdom expansion and development, both in its territories and its settlements. They manage the infrastructure of the nation, overseeing major capital improvements and growing the networks that connect the hinterlands with the cities at the nation's heart, helping keep the kingdom moving and growing.
Key Ability Economy
Kingdom Skill Engineering
Supporting Skills Crafting, Medicine, Performance, Survival
Vacancy Penalty -1 to Stability-based checks
Personal Benefit An invested Viceroy receives a +2 status bonus on any Agriculture or Engineering check she attempts personally. Additionally, whenever she Takes Charge of Establish Farmland or an additional civic activity, both the attempt to Take Charge and the activity itself gain a circumstance bonus equal to the Viceroy's potency bonus.

Warden

The Warden monitors the safety, security, and overall health of the kingdom, its lands, and its borders. They manage scouts and patrols in the countryside, respond to local threats and menaces as needed, and oversee the kingdom's overall defense and health.
Key Ability Stability
Kingdom Skill Defense
Supporting Skills Athletics, Perception, Nature, Survival (Perception isn't a skill but it's close enough for this)
Vacancy Penalty -4 to region activities
Personal Benefit An invested Warden receives a +2 status bonus on any Defense or Wilderness check he attempts personally. Additionally, whenever he Takes Charge of an additional region activity, both the attempt to Take Charge and the region activity itself gain a circumstance bonus equal to the Warden's potency bonus.

Step 8: First Village

Somewhere in the heartland hex lies the kingdom's first village: its capital. Name this village. If the chosen hex contains any structures or ruins already, they occupy part of the capital's initial Urban Grid. You won't add additional structures until your first kingdom turn.

Step 9: Calculate Skill Modifiers

Each skill is associated with a specific ability, and the initial modifier for each skill consists of the modifier for the associated ability, plus a proficiency bonus, and perhaps a potency bonus due to an appropriate invested leadership role. There are several other types of bonuses and penalties that can affect skill modifiers later in the campaign, but don't worry about those for now.

Congratulations

Your kingdom is now complete, although it may not be recognized as an independent polity by any of your neighbors just yet!