The Learned Treasurer — A royal ship has arrived with its captain absent and a sealed ledger missing. Tiptoft has already offered three different rewards to three different people.
At a Glance
- Name: John Tiptoft
- Species: Human
- Role: Earl of Worcester; Lord Treasurer of England; royal councillor and maritime commissioner
- Age: 27
- Alignment: Lawful Neutral
- Base: Court, Exchequer offices and England’s southern ports
- Present status: Alive in 1454
- Encounter: A royal ship has arrived with its captain absent and a sealed ledger missing. Tiptoft has already offered three different rewards to three different people.
His accounts contain sums that can raise armies; his letters open ports or close them. Tiptoft is young for a great lord and unnervingly comfortable among books, bills and accusations. He does not need to draw a sword to ruin a household.
Made earl in 1449 and Lord Treasurer in 1452, Tiptoft sits among the king’s councillors and was appointed to help guard the seas in April 1454. His later infamy belongs to a future that has not happened.
Game Statistics
Tiptoft does not seek battle. In danger, he gathers proof, has guards close ranks around the documents, and uses learned questions to expose lies while his companions keep the way open.
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester — D&D 2024
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Neutral
Armor Class 15 (breastplate); Initiative +1 (11); Hit Points 46 (7d8 + 14); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) |
Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +4; Skills History +8, Insight +4, Investigation +8, Perception +4, Persuasion +4; Senses Passive Perception 14; Languages English, French, Latin; Challenge 1 (200 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Royal Accounts. Tiptoft has Advantage on Intelligence (History) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks concerning payments, rosters and the official records of the crown. His political authority does not compel creatures to obey.
Actions
Rapier. Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) Piercing damage.
Test the Ledger. Tiptoft studies a document or an account he can examine. He makes an Intelligence (Investigation) check to discover a hidden inconsistency, forged addition or unusual expenditure, subject to the normal availability of evidence.
Bonus Actions
Order Under Seal (Recharge 5–6). One willing ally within 30 feet that can hear Tiptoft may use its Reaction to move up to half its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester — D&D 2014
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
Armor Class 15 (breastplate); Hit Points 46 (7d8 + 14); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) |
Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +4; Skills History +8, Insight +4, Investigation +8, Perception +4, Persuasion +4; Senses passive Perception 14; Languages English, French, Latin; Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Traits
Royal Accounts. Tiptoft has advantage on Intelligence (History) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks when examining royal accounts, rosters and payments. This does not grant a magical ability to detect lies.
Actions
Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.
Test the Ledger. Tiptoft examines a document he can read and makes an Intelligence (Investigation) check to identify suspicious entries, subject to the evidence and difficulty of the task.
Bonus Actions
Order Under Seal (Recharge 5–6). One willing ally within 30 feet that can hear him may use its reaction to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester — Pathfinder 1e
John Tiptoft CR 5; XP 1,600
Male human aristocrat 4/expert 3; LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +14
Defense
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+6 breastplate, +1 Dex); hp 46 (7d8 + 14); Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +11
Offense
Speed 20 ft.; Melee rapier +5 (1d6/18–20); Ranged light crossbow +6 (1d8/19–20); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 15; Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Alertness, Iron Will, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Knowledge [history]), Skill Focus (Linguistics)
Skills Diplomacy +14, Knowledge (history) +17, Linguistics +17, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14; Languages English, French, Latin
Gear Breastplate, rapier, light crossbow, Exchequer seals, nautical commission, ledgers and correspondence
Special Abilities
Learned Treasurer. Tiptoft uses his skill modifiers and the normal rules for deciphering a record or recognising a false signature. Servants and guards act on their own initiative, even when he orders them to intervene.
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester — D&D 3.5e
Size/Type Medium Humanoid (Human); Classes Aristocrat 4/Expert 3; Hit Dice 7d8+14 (46 hp); Initiative +1; Speed 20 ft. in breastplate (base 30 ft.)
Armor Class 16 (+5 breastplate, +1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple +5/+5
Attack Rapier +5 melee (1d6/18–20), or light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8/19–20); Full Attack Rapier +5 melee (1d6/18–20); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks None; Special Qualities Human traits; Saves Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +11
Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 15; Skills Decipher Script +17, Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (history) +17, Listen +14, Spot +14
Feats Alertness, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Decipher Script), Skill Focus (Knowledge [history])
Environment Royal court, London and English seaports; Organization With guards and clerks; Challenge Rating 6; Treasure Standard; Alignment Lawful neutral; Advancement By character class; Level Adjustment +0; Languages English, French, Latin
What Is John Tiptoft Doing Now?
A royal ship has entered the Thames under a damaged flag, but its captain is gone. Two of the crew claim the same cargo hold was sealed by different officers; the ship’s small boat is missing, along with a sealed account book. Tiptoft has been charged with guarding the sea and needs to know whether royal stores are being stolen or whether someone is trying to discredit the commission.
He hires the adventurers to board the vessel, inspect its hold and find the missing boat before another ship leaves with the tide. His clerks have already counted three sets of expenses for the same voyage. The clue he values most is not the missing silver but a tiny discrepancy in a sailor’s list of provisions: someone loaded enough food for a second crew.
Encounters and Adventure Hooks
- Second crew. A ship returns with supplies for twice its reported sailors. Tiptoft wants the hidden passengers identified before port guards are bribed into silence.
- The vanished captain. A captain who disappeared at sea is seen alive at a river inn, accompanied by two men wearing the wrong lord’s livery.
- The sealed hold. A relic has begun singing below decks. Tiptoft will not permit anyone to break the seal until a sailor explains why an entire watch was erased from the ship’s log.
- Ink that will not dry. A foreign scholar brings a manuscript copied in a script unknown to the treasurer’s clerks. Its last page names someone inside the royal council.
Personality and Relationships
Precise, courteous, well read and ambitious. His dangerous habit is to weigh people as if they were entries in his accounts. He prizes educated company but will not tolerate a convenient lie when a verifiable answer exists.
Henry VI’s government supplies his authority; Richard of York’s protectorate creates both opportunity and peril. His clerks and sea captains serve him while his critics ask why so much power belongs to one unusually young treasurer.
Equipment and Rewards
Fine wool and fur, breastplate beneath court dress when travelling, a small sword, seal-case, ciphered letters, notebooks and a key to a locked Exchequer chest. A suitable reward is intelligence, safe passage or practical assistance, never automatic political immunity.
People and Places
Henry VI · Richard, Duke of York · London · British Isles NPCs
Historical Sources
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography — John Tiptoft. His appointment as treasurer in 1452 and joint keeper of the sea in April 1454 underpin this portrayal. The ship, missing captain, documents and encounters are campaign inventions.
Historical dates and literary associations are source-based; dialogue, supernatural threats, encounters and game statistics are original campaign adaptations.
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