Faction Generation¶
Factions are the driving forces of a living world — kingdoms, guilds, cults, warbands. They pursue goals, control places, and act between sessions. When the world has standing factions, it starts moving on its own. Their ambitions push back against the players and play becomes about navigating forces in motion rather than chasing the next encounter.
The Faction Generation system lets you build a fully detailed faction in about 15 minutes. A faction template works like a 5e character class — it defines the kinds of creatures, the lair, and the treasure a faction has. You pick a base template (Kobold, City Guard, etc.), choose a theme (subclass-like: Beast Master, Volcano, Royal Guard), set a Faction Rating (FR) to match the desired strength, and the template scales the faction's challenge automatically.
The output is a filled-out Faction Record Sheet plus a basic lair map — enough to drop the faction into your game and start playing.
How to use it¶
- Read the Faction Generation Guidance — the master procedure document. It walks through the whole process with a worked example.
- Pick a template that matches the faction you want.
- Set the Faction Rating (FR) to match desired strength.
- Choose a theme.
- Work through the template's steps, filling out the Faction Record Sheet as you go.
Templates¶
| Template | FR Range | Alignment | Themes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beholder | 13 / 15 / 17 | Lawful Evil | Dungeon Lord, Death Tyrant, Shadow Governor |
| City Guard | 1–4 | Lawful Neutral | Harbor Guard, Royal Guard, Inquisition, Investigators |
| Cult | 1–5 | Neutral Evil | Demonic, Necromantic, Eldritch, Infernal |
| Dragon, Red | 12 / 19 / 26 | Chaotic Evil | Volcano, Mountain Tyrant |
| Kobold | 1–4 | Lawful Evil | Beast Master, Lava |
| Orc | 2–5 | Chaotic Evil | Wolf Riders, Ogre Brutes, Goblin Lords |
Reference materials¶
- Faction Generation Guidance — master procedure document
- Random Tables — faction history, goals, exotic lair areas
Faction Record Sheet¶
- Faction Record Sheet — printable HTML — open in browser, print, fill by hand
- Faction Record Sheet — fillable PDF — type into the form in any PDF reader
Status¶
The system is in active testing. Templates and Guidance will keep evolving based on play feedback.
Feedback welcome at [email protected].