Faction Skills

As I mentioned in the previous post, each faction has a set of affiliated skills. Members of that faction can access training in those skills more cheaply, folks hired from the faction are more likely to have the indicated skills, and advancement in the faction is contingent upon developing them.

Developing Factions

This post outlines how factions can serve player characters.

Characters gain different benefits depending upon their relationship with the faction in question, referred to as their Faction Status.

Unknown characters have little or no prior history with the organization. The faction is not likely to seek the characters out for work, and the character is not likely to get much out of the faction.

Known characters are recognized by local faction members. Characters gain this status after completing a significant favor for the faction or interfering in their affairs. If viewed positively, the faction is likely to seek the party out when they have need of outside help, and those viewed negatively are likely to the be the targets of harassment.

Regional Member characters are basic, run-of-the-mill members of the faction. They know and are known to all local faction members, may access faction resources and spaces (like training discounts, medical care, etc.), may hire other regional members as hirelings, and may amass faction favors. Characters who join a faction at character creation start at this status, and characters may earn this status if they are Known, in good standing with the faction, and spend 6 months being initiated (free of charge). These benefits come with some additional responsibilities: in addition to a 10% tithe of all wealth due in the month of Judgement, Regional Members are also always on-call if the faction higher-ups need a task accomplished.

Intraregional Member characters are senior members, active in two distinct areas. They have all the benefits of a Regional Member, but can access them both in their home region and one additional area of their choice. Depending on the size, organization, and goals of the faction, these regions may be defined differently. Characters are promoted to Intraregional Member status if they are a Regional Member in good standing, are Professional-tier in at least one faction skill, and spend 6 months ingratiating themselves in their new region (free of charge). While their responsibilities are the same (10% tithe and being on-call), they are able to ask for more with their favors.

Chapter Head characters dedicate considerable in-game time to the service of their faction. They gain considerable benefits but lose some character autonomy. Characters can become Chapter Heads if they are Intraregional Members in good standing, are Professional-tier in at least three faction skills, and spend 6 months at the chosen location. Chapters are usually located within cities, and the character gains a leadership position at one of the chosen city’s chapters. Characters must spend at least two months each year in residence at their chapter and pay the 10% tithe, but they are no longer on-call. In addition to being able to use their favors to greater effect, Chapter Heads may also dispatch 2d6 faction members to perform any task within the faction’s purview.

Regional Head characters are almost full-time faction employees, trading 6 months per year of faction service for authority over a large swathe of the game world. They have full authority over all faction members within their jurisdiction and can assign them at-will, as long as they keep within the mission of their faction. Regional Heads must still pay the 10% tithe. Unlike the other Faction Statuses, Regional Head positions are finite and rarely vacant. Ascending to the position will take sly political maneuvering, calling in favors at the right time, and a quest or two. This is the highest status possible for a player character.

Leaders take charge of the entire faction. This is a full-time commitment – player characters who reach this rank become NPCs.

Faction Favors

Factions operate on a quid pro quo basis – every time the characters accomplish a job for the faction, in addition to their payment they also gain a favor. Depending on the faction status of the characters, they can spend this favor in a variety of ways.

Regional Members can request up to 50gp of goods or the assistance of 1d6+1 members for 24 hours.

Intraregional Members can request up to 100gp of goods or the assistance of 2d6+2 members for 24 hours.

Chapter Heads can request up to 500gp of goods or the assistance of their entire chapter, 1d6*10 members.

Regional Heads already have full access to the faction’s coffers and may direct regional members as they wish, and thus no longer need to amass and expend favors to receive those benefits.

Additional Faction Perks

Regional Members and above may access skill training in the faction’s skills. Available instructors are typically Professional in the desired skill (3-5 ranks) and Professional Teachers. Regional centers will have Expert-tier instructors available. Because they are the faction’s teachers, students may pay the reduced rate.

Regional Members and above may also seek out faction members when looking for hirelings. Whenever a skill would be randomly determined, the player may choose a skill of the same type (Mental, Physical, or Social) from the list of faction skills, although a single skill can only be chosen once.

The Tarluskani Empire

Half a century after the Scorching, a man named Isram united the Tarluskani tribes dwelling in the desert north of the Khanates. He named himself Warlord Isram and directed his horde southward, conquering the city-states and enslaving the populace.

After the Khanite subjugation, Isram transitioned to Reyja, declaring her rule the first of the Tarluskani Empire. She gave the tribes of her most trusted supporters command over a city each before marching her forces south through Saharjin to invade Deliverance. She perished in the siege of Avondown, Deliverance’s final stronghold, and her wife’s ward, Arbab, took command of the Empire. They renamed Avondown ‘Reyjadin’ in Reyja’s honor and distributed command of the newly-conquered provinces over to their most trusted generals before returning to the Empire’s capital, Tarlusya.

The Empire resembles a constellation of loosely-aligned districts, each governed by a single tribe. While all pay fealty to Emperor Rajj, the tribes frequently squabble with each other when unsupervised. Each tribe has a specific glyph marking their flags, armor, and official seals.

A Tarluskani’s tribal heritage is central to their identity. It determines their allies, their enemies, and their sacred stories. Acting honorably is crucial; their behavior reflects on how others will view their tribe. Disputing a Tarluskani’s honor can only be resolved with a swift apology or a duel to the death. Disrespecting an entire tribe usually leads to a far more unpleasant fate.

While most in Deliverance avoided slavery, almost all in the former Khanite city-states are still enslaved. Non-ethnic Tarluskani, both slaves and freefolk, can join a tribe through a decade of military service to the Empire.

The Islands of Korg

The islands of Korg stand between the Sea of Shadows and the wide ocean beyond. When the Tarluskani invaded the Azure Sultanate, the surviving Khanite bureaucrats and merchants fled to Korg. There, they established an independent principality, sustained through piracy. These immigrants became the Pirate Sovereigns of Tal Afar. While they initially preyed only on Tarluskani vessels, their principles have eroded with time.

          The Pirate Sovereigns keep to themselves, playing intrigues against one another and plotting the next big adventure, leaving the ordinary folks in Korg free to do whatever they please. Consequently, no one in Korg cares what or how someone fucks, provided they do not make a mess. As emotional attachments provide an obvious vulnerability, those in committed relationships (queer or otherwise) work to keep them quiet.

          As the center for piracy, Korg caters to a rough crowd. While many children are born in Korg, few survive to adulthood. Those that do were often nourished on the tall and not-so-tall tales traded among the more seasoned pirates.

The Khanates

As a reference for my players, I'm posting publicly some general overview information about each of the large regions they currently know about.

North of Saharjin, but south of the northern desert lies a constellation of city-states known as the Khanates. While currently the seat of the Tarluskani Empire, before the Scorching these cities were part of the Azure Sultanate. A Khan ruled each city-state, advised by an army of ministers. Constantly feuding, each city vied for influence with both the Azure Sultan and the mystic Threnna peoples from Saharjin. The Tarluskani took advantage of the Scorching’s devastation and quickly overran the city-states, enslaving all their citizens.

All Khanites are branded, usually on their forehead or cheek. Slaves have three choices: toil in slavery until death, enlist in the Tarluskani military to be freed after ten years, or escape and flee slave-catchers forever. Escaped or freed slaves often hide their tattoo with scarring or a new tattoo.

Most Khanites have adopted the customs and dress of the Tarluskani and study the Myths of Fiája. Consequently, little remains of the culture of the Azure Sultanate. Some activists work to revive the practices of the Azure Sultanate, but the Tarluskani government takes a dim view of such efforts.

Expanding the Card Mechanic

After teaching my players the Persuasion rules and having them come up several times during the running, I'm pleased to say they worked exactly how I wanted them to, with a few adjustments.

During our discussion after the fact about the new mechanic, one of my players suggested I find other uses for it, other skills that's resolution could best be determined through this card process. We brainstormed a list, and I've now a table that lists each skill and the unique failure conditions for each suite and face card (except for Artist, which will need its own table).

	Caravanner	Mechanist	Persuasion	Ritual Mishaps	Wildcrafter	Wrangler
Hearts	Social	Jam	Bitterness	Changed	Tainted food	Defiant
Ace	4 ranks principle	Lock sealed	New enemy	roll 2d4+2d6	Half inedible	Cannot be trained
King	3 ranks principle	4 people to unstick	Followers, hirelings accosted	roll 2d4+1d6	Third inedible	4x time to retry
Queen	2 ranks principle	3 people to unstick	Party waylaid	roll 1d4+1d6	Quarter inedible	3x time to retry
Jack	1 rank principle	2 people to unstick	Reputation tarnished	roll 1d6	Quarter inedible	2x time to retry
Diamonds	Add card	Break pick	Bribery	Greedy	Misidentified	As hearts
Ace	ranks +2	Break 4	Bribe as 14	4x	All weeds	Unbroken
King	ranks +1	Break 3	Bribe as 13	3x	75% weeds	4x time
Queen	ranks +1	Break 2	Bribe as 12	3x	50% weeds	3x time
Jack	ranks +1	Break 2	Bribe as 11	2x	50% weeds	2x time
Clubs	Physical	Noise	Violence	Drained	Broken gear	Feral
Ace	4 ranks principle	6d6 yards	All-out assault	1 injury	8 pieces	Eats people
King	3 ranks principle	6d4 yards	Kidnapping	Take 3 damage	6 pieces	Attacks people
Queen	2 ranks principle	4d6 yards	New faction involved	Take 2 damage	4 pieces	Afraid of people
Jack	1 rank principle	4d4 yards	Lodgings assaulted	Take 2 damage	2 pieces	Retry +1 cards
Spades	Mental	Slowed	Negation	Flawed	Infected	As clubs
Ace	4 ranks principle	Quadruple time spent	Negate and duplicate	Higher tier ritual	Take 1 injury	Eats people
King	3 ranks principle	Triple time spent	Negates 3	All random	Take 3 damage	Attacks people
Queen	2 ranks principle	Double time spent	Negates 2	Random ritual	Take 2 damage	Afraid of people
Jack	1 rank principle	Double time spent	Negates 2	Random focus	Take 1 damage	Retry +1 cards

We'll integrate these into our game the next time we play and see how things turn out.

Monster Descriptions 4-9

As the muck falls from this humanoid beast, its scales shine in transcendental patterns. One of its four arms plucks a fish from the swamp, wriggling desperately.

The eagle-headed lion shakes its wings like a wet dog, flinging feathers and fur everywhere. Its eyes glitter with a cruel intelligence that encompasses all it sees.

Bright red, this bird stalks the reeds. Its golden beak shines in the sunlight as the bird gobbles a small frog.

The sun abruptly vanishes as the bird flies overhead. Its large yellow talons seem well-suited to carrying cattle, and this bird looks hungry.

This deer appears rather ordinary, until it steps into the sunlight and its crystalline antlers shimmer. The blotching on its chest wriggles into a series of arcane glyphs.

Spines hang haphazardly off this warthog, each several inches long and razor sharp. Saliva drips from its tusks as the beast scrapes at a rotting log.

Home Ownership

My players have bought a house in the city. Bamboo makes houses inexpensive, and they are tired of needing to pay for an inn each night. This makes me happy as a Facilitator - my players are literally investing in the city, investing in the setting. Their buying a house is a sign that I am doing something right.

This does invite a new and interesting question. Given my framework of blocks and neighborhoods, how do I make rules for owning and managing a household?

The first thing I want to address is how the neighborhood affects the price of the house. The number in my price list is for the construction itself, not fitting it into an existing urban space. It seems reasonable to multiply the house price by the number of blocks within a given neighborhood, a reflection of how scarce space is within the area. Furthermore, not all types of buildings are available in all neighborhoods.

Now, to make this choice more interesting, what advantages does owning a home in a neighborhood provide? There is first an important distinction between having a home in a neighborhood versus having a home in a specific block. Each block is a space made up of not only streets and buildings but also of people, people who have known each other a long time. Adventurers are not likely to become members of a block, but their home's nearness to them should confer some sort of mechanical benefit.

Establishing a home requires more than simply purchasing a building. After moving in, the inhabitants must spend a week meeting and greeting their neighbors to unlock the benefits of their chosen location. This involves a lot of eating and drinking and costs double the daily rate. If the party waits more than a month after purchasing the home, the neighbors' first impression is negative and the benefits will be lost.

Assuming the players spend the week, they may access all blocks within their neighborhood at half-price. This benefit lasts a full year. By spending a month socializing (spending double the daily rate), this benefit can be renewed and extended another full year. This benefit is conferred per character, not per household - each principal character (excluding hirelings, followers, and henchfolk) must either directly participate in the socializing or have one of their henchfolk represent them.

In the city, it is customary to have two people tending the house. This ensures that someone is always present in the building even if errands must be run. The two will ensure that food is purchased and ready to eat when the house's other inhabitants return.

This will do for now, but I'll return to this in the future with rules describing how decorating the house can provide benefits for those who live there.

Paying per Day

Now that I have players wanting to spend time doing stuff in the city, I needed to price out the price of activities in the city. Most of my prices revolve around the cost to physically manufacture a good, but services by their nature aren't products. Their value requires a different pricing logic.

The markets reference in a city reflects the amount of monetary exchange happening within the city environment. We can use it to reflect how affluent the city is.

market references * value/reference gives us the money that trades hands in one year of the city

Dividing that value by the number of days in the year and the number of citizens gives us the amount of money an average citizen spends per day. Thus, if the player is out doing stuff in the city, they ought to spend at least that amount, and so this daily rate is the fee to access city services like arenas, casinos, etc. 

Monster Descriptions 2 and 3

Right out of the gate, I missed my monster description for yesterday, so here are two.

The burrow descends into the hillside, just large enough to crawl inside. Upon entering the dark, a menacing croak rumbles through the passage, and two yellow eyes stare balefully out.

The clearing is pitted with large holes, wide enough to swallow someone hole, but what commands attention is the great worm stretching out of one, whistling out of its circular maw. Its red skin glistens with some sort of fluid, a fluid that lingers at the edge of each hole.

Persuasion Examples

The previous post on Persuasion rules was concise, but needs some illustrating.

Our initial encounter is fairly straightforward: the party has been caught wandering the city after curfew. There are 4 watchmen and 6 party members. The watchmen are Novice Ascetics while the best Orator in the party is Apprentice.

The watchmen draw a Jack of spades but, because they have no ranks in Ascetic, draw a replacement card: the King of diamonds. I keep drawing until we get a number card: the 9 of diamonds. Even though the Orator is a Novice Grokist, I still play this card faceup. I shuffle the deck before the players draw. The player draws 2 cards, the Queen of diamonds and the 9 of clubs.

The player chooses the Queen, and the players succeed - they pay the requisite amount (the daily wage) and may be about their business. If they for some reason chose the 9 of clubs, they would fail and must pay 512 * the daily wage (this is less terrible than it might sound: in the players' current city, Tal Afar, the wage is 8 bronze pieces, making the required bribe equal to 17 gold pieces). If the players cannot or will not pay, the watchmen in question will hound the party for the next 9 days. Regardless of whether they pay or not, the watchmen insist the party return indoors (and will fight if the party refuses).

As a second example, a new party wishes to access the University of Reyjadin's archive on ritual magic. The attending archivist is a grumpy old woman who has no time for dirty adventurer types. She is a Professional Ascetic, while the party's best Orator is but Apprentice. Because the player cannot play enough cards, the attempt ends immediately, with no consequences for the party (although, consequences will certainly follow trying to access the archive anyway).

If the party then spends some time developing their rhetorical skills and return once their Orator is a Specialist, we draw cards. The party's Orator is an Apprentice Grokist, which reveals the first two of the archivist's cards. I draw faceup the 10 of spades and the 10 of hearts, and then draw facedown the 5 of spades. The first card, the 10 of spades, determines the trump (spades).
The player then draws their four  cards: the 9 of diamonds, 6 of hearts, 10 of clubs, and King of clubs. They may only use 3 of their 4 cards directly against the archivist and must choose their 3 before the archivist's final card is revealed. They choose both clubs and the 6 of hearts, since it matches suit with one of the faceup cards. The 9 is removed - it can be used to modify the played cards, but can't directly attack one of the archivist's cards.
I reveal the archivist's final card, the 5 of spades, and the player now must decide how to allocate their cards. They can't beat all of the archivist's cards and are now trying to mitigate the damage from failing. Because each undefeated spade will remove one of their cards, they can't avoid the penalty from the 10 of hearts. Consequently, the players are stuck outside of the archive until the archivist cools down (10 days later).

For a third and final example, our now-Specialist Orator encounters the same watch patrol as before. The watch draws an 8 of diamonds, played faceup, while the player draws 4 cards: the 7 of hearts, Joker, ace of spades, and King of spades. The player chooses the 7 of hearts to oppose the watch's card. They discard a card to transform their heart into a diamond, and, because the card is now a diamond, they spend double the daily rate to increase the 7 to an 8, which defeats the watchmen's card. The players pay the watchmen 18 bronze pieces and go about their way.

Persuasion, redux

I wrote previously about my rules on persuasion, a set of rules designed around brokering deals. In my last running, the party was asked to relieve the sadness of the inhabitant of a mysterious tower. My players were unaware of the rules, and I totally neglected to teach them to my players. As I was thinking about it, I came up with a different approach that feels cleaner, well-differentiated from combat, and also far more specific.

I already have a deck of cards as part of my running materials, as we play blackjack whenever my players gamble. That let me to think about other ways I could use the cards during play, and the application to persuasion came in one of those post-midnight flashes of insight. The following approach is indebted to the Russian card game дурак and Zak Sabbath's use of the tarot deck in Demon City.

These rules come into effect whenever the players make a reasonable request of an NPC. Reasonable here means the request is not inherently absurd, impossible, etc. Asking a city watch member to let the party pass is a reasonable request, while asking an innkeeper to believe the party are incarnated gods is not.

Representing the NPC's resistance to the suggestion, the Facilitator will draw, facedown, a number of cards from the deck equal to the NPC's Ascetic tier (1 for Novice, 2 for Apprentice, and so on). The first card drawn represents the NPC's fundamental resistance to the request. If an ace, the attempt fails. If not an ace, the card's suit determines the trump for that person. The player's Grokist skill then allows them to flip cards over, in the order the Facilitator drew them (one card revealed per Grokist tier).

The requesting player will then draw a number of cards equal to their Orator tier, reflecting the arguments available to them at the moment. The player must then choose a number of their cards to play against the NPC's resistance. If they can't match the number of NPC cards, the check immediately fails. If they can match the number of cards, the Facilitator will reveal all of the NPC's cards. In order to succeed, the player must be able to "beat" every displayed card.

In order to beat a card, the player's card must match suit and have equal or greater numerical value (aces are high) or belong to the trump suite.

Each suite corresponds to a persuasion tactic, and the trump suite reflects the strategy to which the NPC is most vulnerable.
Hearts - charm or seduce
Diamonds - bribe
Spades - rationalize
Clubs - threaten

Accordingly, the players can modify some of their cards.
Hearts and Spades values are immutable, but the player may discard a card (either played or unplayed) to change the suite of a card within color (heart to diamond) or to raise an immutable card's value as though it were the other suite (increasing a spade through the mechanic used to increase a club).
Diamond values are increased through spending money. Playing a diamond card requires an initial investment based upon the day rate of the current city, and doubling that amount increases the value of the diamond by 1.
Club values are increased by the persuading character's companions. Each companion with at least 1 rank in Combatant can be used to increase a club's value by 1, once (that is, if the player needs to increase two different clubs by 1, their character need two companions, one per card). However, the number of companions unused must always exceed the NPC's number of companions (if attempting to persuade 4 guards, the persuading character must have more than 4 companions to spend them increasing club values).

If the player beats the NPC's cards, the NPC accedes to the request. If the player fails, the consequences depend upon the undefeated cards.

Hearts leave the NPC embittered towards the PC, and the value on the card represents the feeling's intensity. A number card (2-10) indicates the number of days the NPC will remember the incident - anytime the party encounters the NPC's faction, that NPC will be present and interfere as much as possible (all tests are hard).
Jack: the NPC hires a band of imposters to tarnish the party's reputation.
Queen: the NPC hires a band of brigands to waylay the party and take their stuff.
King: the NPC targets the party's followers and hirelings, forcing them to make a morale roll. If they fail, their morale increases by 1.
Ace: the NPC allies with an enemy of the party or becomes a new antagonist.
Diamond failures require the party to pay through the nose to avoid the Hearts result. The value on the card equals the number of doublings of the daily rate required to assuage the NPC (so, a 4 of Diamonds means the players must pay 16 * the daily rate). The Jack, Queen, King, and Ace are equal in value to 11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively.
Clubs make the NPC belligerent. For number cards (2-10), if the NPC has Combatant ranks, roll 1d10. If the result is less than the number, the NPC and their group attacks until someone has taken an injury or another group of individuals intervenes. If the NPC does not have Combatant ranks, they will find someone who does. The number on the card equals the number of people they find interested in teaching the party a lesson.
Jack: the NPC trashes the party's lodgings.
Queen: the NPC motivates a new faction to take action against the party.
King:the NPC attempts to kidnap someone about whom the party cares.
Ace: the NPC commits everything they have into subduing the party.
Undefeated spades neutralize the player's cards. A number card removes a player's card of lesser numerical value (player's choice).
Jack: neutralizes two cards below Jack
Queen: neutralizes three cards below Queen
King: neutralizes four cards below Queen
Ace: neutralizes all cards and copies the penalty of the highest red card.

Final notes
If there are multiple failures of the same suit, all penalties stack if possible. For clubs, roll for each card. Each additional roll indicating combat attracts an additional fighter to the fray.
NPCs with no ranks in Ascetic cannot defend with face cards or aces - if such a card is drawn, return it to the deck and draw again. This ensures there aren't inordinate penalties to interacting someone without the actual capacity to hinder the party.
Shuffle the Jokers into the deck. If the Joker is trump, the NPC agrees to the request immediately. Any card defeats a defending Joker, and Jokers cannot be played to defeat other cards.
Until the consequence of the persuasion attempt has occurred and a new day has begun, the party may not attempt to persuade the same person(s) again.

Monster Descriptions

There are a lot of things I want to improve on as a Facilitator. Most I will improve by doing them over and over again. I've only been running games for about 5 years, so I have a lot of improving to do. One of the things on my to-improve list is describing things. I have aphantasia, which complicates my ability to describe how things appear. This gets compounded because I know the names of all the things my players encounter, and so the temptation to refer to things solely by their name is strong. 

Fortunately, practice makes permanent. My bestiary stands at around 150 creatures, and I aim to write a short description of one monster a day until I run out of monsters. Since my players read this, I'll leave the names off, and it might be fun if readers left a suggestion or a guess.

Black ink drools from the top of the frog's head into the marsh. The toddler-sized frog hides in the reeds at the marsh's edge, waiting for its toxin to wend through the water.

Joining a Faction

Institutional support can be invaluable for new (and impoverished) adventurers. For example, in Alexis' Juvenis campaign, it is because we are acting as representatives of Stavanger that our current cave exploration has gone as smoothly as it has.

Players new to games that require a lot of logistical considerations (food tracking, encumbrance, etc.) often are overwhelmed with the responsibility of handling all of this on top of the more "normal" player responsibilities. In-game institutions can provide scaffolding for these players, providing support that diminishes as players become better at playing the game.

In Prodigy, I call these types of institutions "factions" since there are always several in an area, each vying for power. As part of character creation, players can choose a faction appropriate to their trade (class), joining that faction and gaining additional proficiency in a faction-specific skill.

Faction	Trades Offered	Skill	Goal
Abigail's Steadfast	Provisioner; Soldier	Thaumaturge (Azintheen)	Protect the vulnerable
Adept's College	Researcher	Any Mental	Study everything
Areinian Constabulary	Provisioner; Soldier	Orator	Keep the peace and their money
Avondown Associates	Soldier; Thief	Leader	Destroy the Tarluskani regime
Brass Orchids	Artist; Bard; Thief	Combatant (Dextrous)	Assassinate the Tarluskani leadership
Catacombs Machimoi	Ognemuo, Soldier	Athlete	Defend the Catacombs
Facetakers	Hinterlander; Soldier; Thief	Wildcrafter	Become a wild animal
Hunting Brigade	Hinterlander; Provisioner; Soldier	Pathfinder	Hunt the best prey
Jungle Explorers' Guild	Bard; Hinterlander; Provisioner; Soldier;	Orator	Bring back the best story
Knights of St. Valorie	Hinterlander; Provisioner; Soldier	Thaumaturge (Azintheen)	Restore the Church of the Azintheen
Minstrels' Guild	Artist; Bard	Artist (any)	Advance the state of Art
Night Consortium	Provisioner; Soldier; Thief	Grokist	Find money
Nithya Jongleurs	Bard; Thief	Pickpocket	Stun the crowd. Leave town
Nithya Sanraksaka	Hinterlander; Soldier; Thief	Combatant (Dextrous)	Protect the Nithya and  Saharjin
Order of St. Lussier	Provisioner; Researcher	Chemist	Heal the sick and wounded
Pirate Sovereigns of Korg	Hinterlander; Soldier; Thief	Sailor	Sail the seas and get plunder
Revelers of Kwerris the Fool	Bard; Soldier; Thief	Thaumaturge (Fiaja)	Get mystically drunk, then break things
Sojourners	Hinterlander	Scholar	Travel the world
Tarluskani Military	Hinterlander; Provisioner; Soldier	Leader	Conquer the world
University of Reyjadin	Researcher	Thaumaturge (Fiaja)	Advance military science
Yanera Custodes	Thief	Grokist	Manipulate as ordered
Yanera Guerreros	Hinterlander; Soldier	Athlete	Protect the Ten Tribes

Faction membership is only limited by geography (most factions exist only in specific areas of the world), culture (some factions only admit members from their associated culture) and trade.


To spell out the obvious, factions provide a number of built-in services for characters: they offer employment, training, lodging and food, and (perhaps most importantly) a default goal. As I've run games, I've noticed that my players are often hesitant to define their own goals, to set their own agenda. I've found that offering some vague direction, like the goals listed above, helps players develop their agency. Having multiple characters from the same faction provides an initial consensus that helps players get moving.

The above is not new or revolutionary information. Moving forward on this, I want to further develop how players can join factions after character creation as well as better outline how a faction's presence in an area manifests - how many personnel, distributed how, pursuing what goals.

Combat Rules Update: Clashing and Action Points

I wrote back in November about a Eureka moment I had regarding combat rules. The post was unintelligibly cryptic, and since I've now polished the rules up (and seen them work very well in actual play), I wanted to share them.

I'm also instituting a rather large change to how I run combats based on Alexis' use of action points. It is an elegant solution to a complicated problem, and I've wanted to adapt it to my game practically since I first encountered it. Because combat is the one area in the game where characters are most directly threatened, the combat rules need to be very clear and very fair. These rules do that, allowing me to account for most of the actions my players might undertake yet remaining flexible and easy to implement.

First, let's talk about clashing. The basic idea is that during battle, combatants cluster into larger engagements. Rather than trying to model each line of attack and defense, I want a single roll to determine which "side" in the engagement triumphs in a given round.

The best fighter on each team determines the starting difficulty, and the number of fighters on their team then adds a bonus. NPCs have a static difficulty, and the player controlling the best fighter on the players' team rolls. On a success, the players deal damage based upon the rolling player's character's weapon and the difference between the result and the difficulty. Damage is distributed among the defending creatures according to the most-skilled defender. On a failure, the players take damage, and the rolling player determines how the damage is split among the different characters on their team.

Consider the following situation:

One player character (right) is faced by two brigands (left). I use 1-yard hexes, so while each fighter is physically situated in a single hex, their weapon extends into all adjacent hexes. Since no one's weapons touch, no one is fighting, and there is no clash.

The player moves into combat, and they are now clashing. With one brigand versus one character, the player controlling that character rolls a Combatant test against the skill rank of the brigand, with no modifiers to either party. If both are Apprentice rank, the player rolls 1d4+1d6+attribute, hoping to roll equal to or above a 9.

When the second brigand engages the character, things turn a little dire. Because there is one more brigand than character, the brigands get a +3 bonus; the player still rolls 1d4+1d6+attribute but now must equal or exceed a 12. If there was an additional brigand in the clash, the player would then need to roll equal to or in excess of a 15.

When the character's friend appears and rushes into combat, the sides are now equal. Even though the second character does not threaten the first, they are all still part of the same clash because we can connect all of the fighters together. Because both sides have an equal number of fighters, no side gets a bonus. If the second character is a Professional-rank fighter, they would roll for the clash, comparing their 2d4+1d6+attribute against the brigands' 9. If the second character is Apprentice-rank, the first character would roll because they are targeted by more enemies. If the second character was a Combatant Novice, the first character would roll because they are the better fighter.

This clash is still 2v2 because we can connect all of the fighters.

In this example, however, we cannot connect all of the fighters. Each character is a member of a different clash and will roll separately. (We can think of clashes as graphs set upon a set of vertices. Each combatant is a vertex, and we connect two vertices if their weapons overlap and they are on opposing teams. Each resulting graph is a clash)

For Action Points, I rely on Alexis' wiki article on the topic. I need to make only a few changes.

Characters have a number of AP equal to their speed (which is racially-determined and affected by both encumbrance and injuries)

Characters in a clash lose 2AP (instead of using 2AP to attack). This loss happens as soon as they enter a clash (potentially ending their turn), and at the beginning of any turn in which a character is within a clash.

Disengaging from an opponent requires 1AP per opponent disengaged in addition to whatever AP are spent on the movement itself.