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 your party's level, 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 FR to match your party's level.
- Choose a theme.
- Work through the template's steps, filling out the Faction Record Sheet as you go.
Templates¶
| Template | FR Range | Alignment | Themes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kobold Faction Template v0.92 | 1–4 | Lawful Evil | Beast Master, Lava |
| Orc Faction Template v0.92 | 2–5 | Chaotic Evil | Wolf Riders, Ogre Brutes, Goblin Lords |
| City Guard Faction Template v0.92 | 1–4 | Lawful Neutral | Harbor Guard, Royal Guard, Inquisition, Investigators |
| Cult Faction Template v0.92 | 1–5 | Neutral Evil | Demonic, Necromantic, Eldritch, Infernal |
| Red Dragon Faction Template v0.92 | 12 / 19 / 26 (by age) | Chaotic Evil | Volcano, Mountain Tyrant |
Reference materials¶
- Faction Generation Guidance v0.91 — master procedure document
- Random Tables v0.91 — 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. All four templates have been restructured to the v0.92 work-step format. The Faction Generation Guidance is still at v0.91; its worked example uses the older structure and will be updated next. Templates and Guidance will keep evolving based on play feedback.
Feedback welcome at seriousdm@proton.me.