Faction Building

Faction Building:

Factions represent the various organizations vying for control of the region of the Varisian Frontier in which Saoirse resides.  Saoirse has grown to the point where it has been self declared the capitol of the region and now wishes to colonize the surrounding area.  

Factions can be owned and run by NPCs/DMs or by Players and they will inevitably collide over the course of the game.  Players should be prepared for this and recognize that this is a game and everything adds to the flavor of the setting.  

Each player can join one Player faction and All of his characters join that faction by default.  You can have a character choose not to join, however, that character cannot join a second Player faction.  

PCs will also be able to join NPC factions.  A character cannot be a member of both a PC faction and NPC faction.  When a character joins an NPC faction, only that character joins the faction.  If another one of a player's characters joins a different faction, this character does not join by default.  

Faction building will be using the Kingdom Building rules of the SRD as a base and expanded upon to fit the Varisian Frontier setting.  The Term "Faction" will replace "Kingdom" in all instances. 


Faction Building Exceptions:

• Unless otherwise noted by Pantheon, all factions are "Starting from Scratch" with Saoirse serving for your initial base of operations and using the improved BP exchange rate. (Beginning at 1000gp : 1 BP)
• Faction Size is determined by the number of lots a faction has gained. (1 Faction Size = 1 District = 32 Lots) [Min. 1]
• Lots are gained via setting activities.  See the Faction Area section. 
• Defense Score determines how likely your faction is to get attacked by enemy factions, reduces number of attackers and reduces the chance of Intrigue. 
• Population is determined by the number of NPCs in your faction. 
• Faction turns happen every 1 week of real time. 
• Turns include an Intrigue phase which occurs as a sub phase at the end of the Edict phase. See the Intrigue section.
• Clearing Land: Some squares can be cleared with downtime while others must be cleared via adventures
• All existing districts must be maxed out at 32 lots before new districts can be claimed.  
• No matter the size of the Faction, goods always exchange at 50 goods : 1 Build Point
• Max number of faction members is equal to the capitol Town Modifier. 

[/ol][/ul]
Intrigue represents the various dealings that occur between factions within the shadows.  The intrigue phase occurs as a sub phase at the end of the Edict phase.  Any faction may target any other with intrigue except the safe faction (Saoirse).  To perform intrigue a character must post on the target's Faction Thread and succeed with a take 10 on all associated skill checks.  Multiple characters can attempt the skill checks, however all characters involved receive equal reputation penalties.  Intrigue can be performed in conjunction with downtime (eg. infiltrate, heist).  Intrigue always affects reputation of both the individual and the faction. 

The Base DC for an intrigue check is: DC 10 +2 per target faction size +1 per defense score. 
Fame penalties may be reduced by having your Spymaster use his connections to cover up the crime.  Roll a Crime Check: d20 + Crime modifier + Spymaster Leadership Bonus; DC equal to the Intrigue Check.  For every 5 points you beat the DC, the fame penalty is reduced by 1.  It is possible to get positive fame from intrigue by being an expert criminal. 

Intrigue actions include: [/div]

1. Spy (Intimidate, Stealth, Sense Motive) - Receive 1 influence from target faction, -2 Fame
2. Recruit: (Diplomacy, Survival, Escape Artist) - Receive 1 NPC from target faction, -2 Fame
3. Steal: (Perception, Bluff, Disable Device/Sleight of Hand)    
   • Receive 1 Goods from target faction, -3 Fame
   • Receive 1 Faction magic item from target, -5 Fame; (DC for magic items increases by +2 per 1000 gp of item value)

Intrigue Downtime Actions:

You can now use downtime in conjunction with intrigue. Each of these action stake 1 downtime day.

Expose Crime: if someone has successfully performed an Intrigue action against your faction, you may try to limit that person’s future attempts against you. Make an opposed check: your Diplomacy or Sense Motive vs the skill the person used to performed Intrigue on your Faction. If you roll higher, next Faction upkeep the perpetrator get a minus to any Intrigue checks equal to the amount you beat their roll. Alternatively, if a Heist Action or Downtime Event Roll that involves illegal action affects you (Criminal Activity, Theft, Burglary. Etc.), you can make an opposed Sense motive roll vs appropriate skill of the criminal, to bring legal action against them and recover stolen items. You may only attempt this Downtime Action once per activity used against you or your Faction.

Patrol the Streets: take 10 on a Profession (soldier) check, for every 10 on your total give +1 Defense to your Faction.  This downtime action cannot be back dated and must be done each day in order to provide the bonus for that day. Factions may hire out other PCs to patrol their streets, with pay equal to a maximum of 2x the patroller's profession check.

Steal (modification): if your Factions are officially at War, the Steal Intrigue Action is not considered criminal (no fame loss) it is considered “Raiding”. If you steal a Faction magical item, you gain +1 Fame per 1, 000gp value of the item. Any Item or Capital acquired in this way can be purchased at half price.


War:

When shadowy hostilities lead to open war, factions will build armies and clash on the battle field.  War will use the Mass Combat rules on the SRD.  To declare war on another faction you must post on your faction thread and your enemy's faction thread.  A declaration of war can only be made at the end of your turn.  Be aware that declaring and participating in war will affect the Fame of both the faction and the faction leader.  In order to declare war, a faction must have an army.  

Wars can be settled in the following ways: 

1. One faction loses all of it's squares and armies. 
2. One faction surrenders and provides a ransom to the winning faction equal to 35% of the losing faction's current treasury.  Payment plans can be established.
3. Both factions agree to Trial by combat.  This is combat between 1-3 PCs per faction with victory going to the last PC standing.
4. The faction that declared war can choose to end the declaration. 

Armies:

To build an army, a faction must have at least one full District (32 lots) and an appropriate leader in the General or Marshal position.   Any leadership role can lead the army (per the Kingdom Leader Commanders section of Mass Combat on the SRD), but a General or Marshal is required to build it.  An army may only be created in a square that has a full District.  To build an army, spend 1 BP and begin recruiting units by rolling a d20 and adding your loyalty modifier.  This is the number of troops in that are recruited into your army.  The total number of units in all of your armies cannot exceed your total faction population.

You may create or add to the size of an army once per turn, during step 6 of the Edict Phase.  The ACR of an army is based on the army leader's CR, with CR less than one dropping to 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and 1/8 with each respective size drop below medium.   Hit points are always based on a d8.  Speed is equal to the army's ACR divided by Size (Small: 3, Medium: 4, etc.; minimum speed: 1) and represents the number of squares your army can travel per day.  Keep track of your army statistics and your Leadership NPC or PC's commander statistics including Victories/Losses, tactics and boons.  

Eg. A faction has a Fine (Step 1) army with a CR3 NPC general and 8 units.  The general spends 1 turn to increase the size of this army.  Rolling a 7 + 6 (Loyalty) to add 13 more units to the army for a total of 21 increasing the army size to Diminutive. A Diminutive army (CR -6) with a CR3 General would have the following stats: 

ACR: 1/4, Units: 21, HP: 1/1; DV: 12, OM: 0, Tactics: None, Speed: 1, Morale: 0, Consumption: 1, Commander: CR3, Boon: Defensive Tactics


Taking over Land:

In order to take over the land of an Enemy (PC) faction, you must be at war with that faction.  To claim an enemy square, you must station your army in that square for 1 turn, uncontested.  This occurs on step 2 of the Edict phase.  Once a square is taken over, all buildings and hexes are reset, however, any terrain improvements remain.  

If a square is contested, the two armies will battle per the Mass Combat rules until one army flees or is destroyed.  Battles can take multiple turns.