Keeper of castles, keeper of grudges, and no easy patron to deceive.
At a Glance
- Name: Alice Chaucer
- Race: Human
- Role: Duchess of Suffolk; widow, estate holder and political strategist
- Age: About 50
- Alignment: Lawful Neutral
- Where: Ewelme, Wallingford, East Anglia and the royal court
- Present status: Alive in 1454
A charter missing from one chest may cost a family three manors. Alice Chaucer treats that prospect with the attention others reserve for sieges. She can hire a dozen lawyers, a troop of men-at-arms or one very discreet traveller, depending on what will draw least notice.
Granddaughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, Alice is the widow of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, killed in 1450. She maintains her son’s position and the family’s extensive interests amid continuing political danger. Her later choices are not presumed in advance.
Game Statistics
Original game adaptations; not official published NPC statistics.
Alice Chaucer
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Neutral
AC 12; Initiative +1; HP 30; Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Wis +4, Cha +5; Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +6; Languages English, French, Latin; Senses passive Perception 12; CR 2
Actions
Dagger. Melee Attack Roll +3, reach 5 ft.; Hit 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing.
Household Word (Recharge 5–6). One ally within 30 feet who hears the NPC gains advantage on its next Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Persuasion) check within 1 minute.
Alice Chaucer — 5e (2014)
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral; AC 12; HP 30; Speed 30 ft.; CR 2
Str 8 (-1); Dex 12 (+1); Con 12 (+1); Int 15 (+2); Wis 15 (+2); Cha 18 (+4)
Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +5; Senses passive Perception 12; Languages English
Actions
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing.
Household Word (Recharge 5–6). One ally within 30 feet who hears the NPC gains advantage on its next Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Persuasion) check within 1 minute.
Alice Chaucer — Pathfinder 1e
CR 3; human aristocrat 6; Init +1; Perception +8
Defence
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13; hp 30; Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +7
Offence
Speed 30 ft.; Melee dagger +3 (1d4-1); Special Household Word (GM-controlled support action)
Statistics
Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 18; Base Atk +4; CMB +3; CMD 14; Skills Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Sense Motive +9; Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Iron Will
Alice Chaucer — D&D 3.5e
CR 3; human aristocrat 6; Init +1; AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13; hp 27; Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +7; Speed 30 ft.
Base Attack +4; Grapple +3; Attack dagger +3 (1d4-1); Abilities Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 18; Skills Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +9, Sense Motive +9; Feats Alertness, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)
What Is Alice Chaucer Doing Now?
Two claimants arrive at her gate with deeds to the same property. Both seals look genuine. Alice sends outsiders to discover which witness was buried last winter, and why that witness’s handwriting appears on a document dated yesterday.
How Adventurers Meet Alice Chaucer
Alice’s steward meets the party in a Wallingford courtyard beneath two competing estate banners. Both parties claim a granary and both have documents bearing royal authority. Alice gives the adventurers one afternoon to question a clerk who has suddenly ceased speaking. If they accept a bribe from either side, the clerk disappears before sunset and a nearby village loses its winter grain.
Encounters and Adventure Hooks
- Recover a chest of estate records before a rival burns it during a roadside attack.
- A ghost at Wallingford insists it witnessed an unlawful conveyance; Alice needs living evidence first.
- A retainer has offered three merchants the same manor for sale. Find him and the money before dawn.
Personality and Relationships
Controlled, ingenious, proud and fiercely protective of her son’s inheritance. A diplomatic conversation with Alice feels like chess played over a very long table.
Her son John de la Pole, competing Norfolk landowners, the Paston circle and court patrons whose friendship is no longer safe to assume.
Three Doors in Alice’s Household
Alice receives petitioners according to the danger their requests pose to her son. A poor tenant with a genuine grievance will be heard through the steward; a merchant bearing a royal warrant may be admitted to a clerk’s chamber; a knight demanding armed support will be made to wait until his story can be checked. When the adventurers seek her help, the real task is to establish which door they should approach. Choosing the wrong one alerts everyone who wants the request buried.
| Visitor brings | Alice demands |
|---|---|
| A disputed charter | One independent witness |
| A kidnapped steward’s name | Proof that he lives |
| News of an armed gathering | Names of the men paying for it |
Equipment and Rewards
Keys to multiple estates, ledgers, household seals, concealed dagger, personal correspondence and riding cloak. Rewards can include a signed letter, a guarded passage, access to documents or introductions; none guarantees immunity from rival jurisdictions.
Related People and Places
London · British NPCs · British Isles NPCs
Sources and Game Adaptation
Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk. The campaign’s conversations, supernatural events, motivations and four-edition game statistics are fictional treatments, not claims about the historical record.
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