Faction Turns¶
A faction turn is the heartbeat for a DM-controlled faction.
Used by: the Basic Game Loop at the end of each in-game month.
Uses: Monthly Domain Refresh when the faction is also a domain.
Goes back to: the Basic Game Loop.
Records to update: Activity Log (one entry per faction action); Faction Sheet (state changes from the action carried back).
Before the turn¶
Each DM-controlled faction should have a one-line current Goal: what the faction is trying to accomplish. Goals are strongly recommended.
If the faction is very active, consider handing control of it to an interested and capable player.
The turn¶
The turn can be taken per month or per week for especially active factions. Work through the four steps below.
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. You may roll again, ignoring results of 8, and use the result as the action that ended in disaster. |
Step 2: Interpret¶
The same action looks different for different factions. A Red Dragon's "Strike" is not a City Guard's "Strike." The action is framed through the faction's theme, goal, location, and other circumstances.
For ideas, you may roll a d20 and use the result to find a campaign news post, starting from the most recent and counting backwards. Divide the chosen post into thirds and roll 1d3. Read the corresponding third as if it were describing or related to the action in Step 1.
Step 3: Resolve¶
Most actions do not need a roll. Roll only when the action involves opposition or significant risk and the outcome is not obvious. Strike and Scheme often need one. Build, Recruit, Parley, and Pursue may not.
If a roll is needed, roll 1d20 + Faction Proficiency Bonus against a DC depending on the difficulty, with 15 being default. You may also roll opposed checks between factions. Failure means the action failed or succeeded but with a complication or setback.
Step 4: Log the outcome¶
Record the action and its result on the faction's notes. Make the event visible to the players through rumors or news posts.