Faction Turns¶
What this is¶
A faction turn is the monthly heartbeat for a DM-controlled faction. Each takes one broad action per in-game month, producing a beat the players will notice next session. Player-controlled factions are exempt; their players drive their own activity.
Invoked by: the Basic Game Loop at the end of each in-game month.
Invokes: Monthly Domain Refresh when the faction is also a domain.
Returns to: the Basic Game Loop.
Bookkeeping: Activity Log (one entry per faction action); FRS (state changes from the action carried back).
Before the first turn¶
Each DM-controlled faction should have a one-line current Goal: what the faction is trying to accomplish right now.
Examples:
- Cult of the Pale Door: "Open the lower seal beneath the cathedral by midwinter."
- Orc warband: "Drive the dwarves from the iron pass."
- Baron Aldrick (domain): "Marry off Lyssa to the earl and double the taxes."
- Red Dragon: "Crush the upstart silver who claimed my old peak."
Goals are strongly recommended. Factions without one still take a turn but skip the "Pursue" interpretation in Step 2.
The monthly turn¶
For each DM-controlled faction, work through the four steps below.
If the faction is also a domain (a faction with at least one controlled hex and 100 citizens), additionally run Monthly Domain Refresh after the faction turn to handle upkeep.
Step 1: Roll the action¶
Roll 1d8 on the Faction Action table.
| d8 | Action | What it looks like in play |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strike | An attack on a rival or likely target. An NPC dies, a road becomes unsafe, a village is razed. |
| 2 | Build | The faction adds a visible thing to the world: expands the lair, extracts a resource, raises a new shrine or watchtower. |
| 3 | Recruit | A formation grows; a new lieutenant joins; a defector arrives. The faction is bigger or more capable. |
| 4 | Scheme | Plot, suborn, propaganda, blackmail. A political event or edict is heard about, possibly with a named NPC at the center. |
| 5 | Parley | The faction reaches out: alliance, tribute, trade. A new connection (or rupture) with another faction. |
| 6 | Pursue | Direct progress on the faction's current goal. |
| 7 | Discover | the faction finds a secret, relic, resource, or something else of value. |
| 8 | Disaster | the faction takes an unforced setback. Surprise attack, weather, lost shipment, exposed secret. |
Step 2: Interpret through the faction's Goal and theme¶
The same action looks different for different factions. A Red Dragon's "Strike" is not a City Guard's "Strike." The DM frames the action through:
- The faction's theme (Beast Master kobolds raid differently from Lava kobolds).
- The faction's Goal (every action can be tilted toward the current goal).
- The faction's lair location (a strike from a mountain lair targets different things than a strike from a city lair).
The roll gives the broad action; the faction's existing details fill in the specifics.
Step 3: Resolve, if needed¶
Most actions do not need a roll. The action happened; the question is what the players notice.
Roll only when the action involves opposition or significant risk and the outcome is not obvious. Strike and Scheme usually warrant a roll. Build, Recruit, Parley, and Pursue usually do not.
When a roll is needed:
- Unopposed action. 1d20 + FR vs DC. DC 15 by default, 10 for easy, 20 for hard, etc.
- Direct contest with another faction. Roll 1d20 + FR for each side. Higher wins; tie is a stalemate.
- Success. The action achieves its aim cleanly.
- Failure. The action still happens but with a complication, a cost, or setback.
Step 4: Log the outcome¶
Record the action and its result on the faction's Activity Log. Examples:
- Cult of the Pale Door, Strike (success): "Sacked the reliquary at the lectorum. Three priests dead. The seal advances."
- Orc warband, Recruit: "Three goblin tribes swore fealty. FR raised from 3 to 4."
- Baron Aldrick, Parley: "Sent emissaries to the Cult of the Pale Door. Players will hear rumors."
- Red Dragon, Pursue: "Burned the silver dragon's lair to slag. The high crags are contested."
Carry any state changes (FR, formations, standing, lair shifts) from the log to the faction's FRS. Make the event visible to the players through rumors, news posts, or session opening narration.