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BE A BETTER Faction MASTER

Adding Fun and Realistic Organizations to your Game
By Michael Barker

Writing & Editing: Michael Barker

Matt Click
James Kearney
Tim Kearney
Layout: James Kearney
Matt Click
Interior & Cover Design: Tim Kearney
BaBGM Logo: Alex Gillott

Be a Better Faction Master gives the Game Master the tools and inspiration they
need to introduce fun and realistic factions into their stories and settings. This
supplement is suitable for use with your favorite roleplaying game.

www.BeABetterGameMaster.com
Companion Video:
youtu.be/OaVFqgxXQB0

Absolute Tabletop, LLC

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 Heather Thank You

For Doug and Adrie.

May this product of my mind always remind you of the

power of your own.

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 www.AbsoluteTabletop.com

Greetings, Gregarious Game Masters!

How are you? Doing well? Nice weather where you are? Want me to
get to the point? Perfect.

Factions. It’s a pretty broad term, so let’s narrow it down. As

far as this supplement is concerned, a faction is an organization
– a political, economic, religious, militaristic, or secretive
institution, filled with people who believe in its purpose,
doctrine, or ideology.

Factions are essential to any game. They have the marvelous

ability to create a large quantity of plotlines, NPCs, and story
arcs, all of which can drive your campaign forward. Factions,
like characters, have motivations all their own, and can
manipulate the flow of power in your world.

The trick is to make good ones, and that’s why Be a Better

Faction Master exists – to make your game sessions better in a
tangible way, by helping you to build your factions from scratch,
fill their leadership positions with interesting NPCs, and use
what you’ve built in a way that builds your story.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

Michael Barker
BeABetterGameMaster

4
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 LET'S BUILD A FACTION
Let’s make an awesome faction in five simple • The Church of New Light attempts to spread
steps. After these five steps, you should have its faith at any cost.
a fully fleshed-out faction that contains the • The Bank of Durakis has profit margins on the
following qualities: brain.
• The Green Hands, a tribe of regressive
• Your faction will be memorable. druids, concerns themselves solely with the
• Your faction will drive the story forward. cultivation and spread of the natural world.
• Your faction will contain a unique leader that • The Brass Shields, an adventurer’s guild,
represents the faction’s goals. ensures that the wilderness remains wild
• Your faction will have a lush history, ripe with and unconquered, so as to attract new
plot hooks and lore. adventurers.
• Your faction will have a fitting symbol
associated with it. Already we see how these factions would affect
• Your faction will have a descriptive name that the world and each other. The Green Hands and
the players will remember. the Brass Shields might broker a shaky alliance,
for example, in order to preserve the forest; while
Alright, let’s do this... the Church of New Light’s ideals might clash
with the money-minded Bank of Durakis. So
I. MOTIVATION how do you go about emphasizing the faction’s
motivation to the players at your table?
Why does your faction exist? How did it become
a “thing?” What drives its members and leaders Through your faction leader.
to do what they do? Where does it conflict with
other people and factions? Likewise, where does II. LEADER
it align with other entities in your world? All of
these questions can be answered by narrowing When it’s time for the characters to encounter
down the faction’s motivation. There are many your faction, there is no better way to drive its
different examples of motivations within this motivation home than through its leader.
book for you to choose from, or you could create
your own! There’s a lot you can do with a faction leader,
but first and foremost, use them to further show
Either way, the faction should completely the players what the faction’s motivation is. For
encompass this motivation. Whether driven example:
by religious beliefs, a militaristic revolution-of-
the-people, unabated pacifism, or the seizure of
• Deacon Becker, leader of the Church of New
long-buried relics, the players should never have
Light, starts every conversation by asking if
any doubt when it comes to what the faction is
you’ve had your daily blessing.
after, or how they might react to the characters’
decisions in the game: • Mason Quinterdinkle, the leader of the Bank
of Durakis, constantly counts his money and
inquires about interest rates.

Don’t have an idea for a faction yet? Roll on the name table for inspiration. Words like “ravaging,” “sacred,”
and “young” can really get the creative juices flowing!
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 Let's Build a Faction
• Guru’thuk, the shaman of the Green • The crimson forest known as the Anderwood
Hands, appears uncomfortable in any urban has become wild. A local governor has
environment, and visibly scoffs at modern contracted the services of Captain Jack
clothing and technology. Wayfore to take advantage of this interesting
• Captain Wayfore, the head of the Brass occurrence by drawing adventurers from far
Shields, asks if you’ve discovered any new, and wide to his city.
wild locations. He might even pay for such
knowledge. IV. SIGIL

An awesome faction needs an equally awesome

There’s no better way to show what a faction symbol, right? Try picking something that is cool-
stands for than by doing so through its leader. looking and relevant to the faction’s motivation
Not only will you have an interesting non-player – something eye-catching and memorable
character to work with, but the players will that your players would recognize on tabards,
always remember the faction because of its banners, and wax seals.
unique figurehead.

III. BACKGROUND • A blue sunrise, in front of a golden

background.
Why is your faction motivated to do certain • Two golden coins, overlapping vertically.
things or be a certain way? If you want to flesh
out its story further (a wonderful strategy for • A gnarled vine, wrapping around a toppled
finding potential plot hooks), you might ask tower.
yourself, “What made my faction this way?” • An axe and sword, crossed over a brass shield.

• In an urgent fundamentalist movement, a V. COOL NAME

stagnant, unnamed belief system became the
Church of New Light, emphasizing conversion A faction is incomplete without a great name
of the local populace above all else. to go along with it. In my experience, simplicity
rules here. While you might be tempted to toss a
• When Mason Quinterdinkle (quite many-syllabled name out there (the Syl’dur’vanya
mysteriously) inherited his father’s gold- – protectors of the elven woodlands!), it’s best
mining operation, the small loans he had been to give the players something that’s descriptive,
distributing to local ne’er-do-wells got much, yet easy to remember.
much larger.
• It didn’t take long for the walls of the City of • The Church of New Light hints at the
Tessereth to spread into the nearby forests, “reformation” aspect of the organization, as
and it took even less time for the forest’s well as its religious motivation.
locals to begin fighting back. A small tribe
called the Green Hands has been notably
resistant to this expansion.

How about a faction that has sworn off all personal names? Instead, maybe the members of this
6 organization go by issued numbers or silent hand signals.

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 Let's Build a Faction
• The Bank of Durakis is obviously a financial
institution, but also has a cool-sounding
name to hint at its mysterious and shrewd
nature.
• The Green Hands conjures up images of
nature and a simple, rustic lifestyle.
• The Brass Shields is a little militaristic, but
also refers to the guild’s heroic members and
protection of the wilds.

A TIP FROM A Fistful of dice

One of the methods that I swear by as a Game Master is That’s a great starting point. Let’s take one of these
the Rule of Three – a technique of narrative description aspects – the one about the guild’s leader – and expand
by which the Game Master provides players with enough upon it with three more pieces of information:
information to interact with and act upon, while leaving
breathing room for improvisation and collaboration. • Received his scars in a lab explosion – sabotaged by
You can use this Rule of Three method to create a rival.
encounters, locations, non-player characters, magic • Wears brass dragonhide gloves – the only metallic
items, and, yes – factions. gloves in the order.
• Rumor has it he’s been developing a poultice to
Start at the top – think about the big picture aspects regrow skin.
that define your faction, and work your way down. You’ll
be tempted to keep going beyond three, but restrain It would be easy to write this scarred elf’s backstory
yourself – leave room for discovery and collaboration. in its entirety, delving into his romantic feelings for the
Let’s create a faction now using this method. rival that eventually sabotaged him and burned his face
I want to make a guild of alchemists known as the Silver – but that would be doing yourself and your players a
Cauldron, so my three aspects are: disservice. Let this character and his faction breathe –
let them come to life at the game table, rather than the
• Founded centuries ago by a rogue member of the prep notes.
wizarding guild.
• New members are gifted a pair of dragonhide gloves. For inspiration in using the Rule of Three to create
• Led by an elven man with a scarred face. factions, check out the motivations table on page 8.

www.aFistfulofDice.com

Some faction names sound better when two words are combined into one. For example,
“Blackwinds” or “Umbercloaks.”
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 FACTION GENERATOR
Use the roll table below to create thousands of unique guilds and organizations for your game. Roll
a d20 once to find a cohesive faction, or roll it four times to create an intriguing combination of
aspects. Perhaps your assassin’s guild is headed by a grizzled paladin, and specializes in poisons due
to its sigil (a bubbling vial). Or maybe your group of arms-dealers was formed in a prison, and is led by
a former revolutionary looking to rise again. Combine your results with the Name Generator table on
page 10 to create a fleshed-out faction for your game!

# MOTIVATION BACKGROUND LEADER SIGIL

1 Reclaiming Formed by an A dwarven archaeologist, The symbols
religious relics. ancient hero, set on committed to protecting of different
destroying heathen ancient things. deities,
artifacts. superimposed
into one large
sigil.
2 Usurping Traces its origins A former revolutionary, A tipped
political leaders. to an ancient noble looking to emerge again. chalice.
family.
3 Hunting Evolved from a small A grizzled paladin, scarred A dragon’s jaw.
monsters. group of daring and troubled by his past.
adventurers.
4 Carrying out Originally formed in A cunning half-orc A black dagger.
assassinations. a prison. woman with one arm.
5 Advancing Formed by a group of A whimsical, nearly-blind A monocle
technology. intellectuals driven halfling with gray hairs dangling from a
underground. sprouting from his ears. bubbling vial.
6 Returning to the Formed by A clumsy yet charismatic Two gold coins,
“old ways.” descendants of a half-elf with a silver no longer in
usurped monarch. tooth. circulation.
7 Seeking out the Organized by rogue A massive human man, A silver lion.
gods. clerics. clad in robes.
8 Escorting trade Formed from the An elven master A battered
caravans. remnants of an swordsman who wields a shield.
illegal fighter’s guild. broken blade.
9 Running the Founded by exiled A former champion with Iron manacles.
gladiatorial pits. slavers. a missing ear.

How about a faction of former adventurers who have retired, sheathed their swords, and dedicated their
8 lives to sharing the joys of games with the local population? A gaming guild!

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 # MOTIVATION BACKGROUND LEADER SIGIL
10 Feeding the Organized by A kind-faced dwarven A cornucopia.
masses. excommunicated woman who smells of
holy men. incense.
11 Identifying Formerly a guild of A human wizard no A broken wand.
magic users. witch hunters. longer capable of magic.
12 Achieving Initially formed by A bald-headed dwarven A lonely
peace through monks in hermitage. man who meditates 12 mountain.
solitude. hours a day.
13 Putting an end Formed from the A retired captain of the A sword buried
to all wars, at remnants of a army with secrets of his to the hilt in
any cost. decimated army own. the earth.
legion.
14 Increasing life Founded by radically A cleric of life, whose A crimson
expectancy. progressive copper pendant is heart in front
alchemists. tarnished by rust and old of a geometric
age. sun.
15 Nature’s Formed by a council A barbaric human man A gnarled tree.
reclamation of of elven druids. draped in a cloak of
civilization. spiderwebs.
16 Selling weapons Traces its origins An albino half-orc man A double-
to both sides of back to disgruntled wielding a double-bladed bladed spear.
a war. veterans of a spear.
catastrophic war.
17 Protecting a The founders An elderly half-elven A sealed
long-guarded disguise themselves man, charged with envelope.
secret. as local street- emptying the city’s
sweepers. commodes.
18 The minting of Founded by A shrew-faced halfling A coinpurse.
valuable metals scheming loan who walks with a silver
into currency. brokers. cane.
19 The discovery of Once pious, but now The defected leader of A spyglass
faraway lands. more materialistic in another faction. in front of a
nature. sunrise.
20 The destruction Created by a group Three brothers who go by A burning
of other of vengeful plague the same name. banner.
organized survivors.
factions.

Some factions maintain their secrecy through the use of passwords or secret codes. For example, the
barkeep knows you’re inquiring about the local thieves guild when you ask him a rhetorical question
such as “How many pints can an ogre drink?”
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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
MILITARISTIC
1 Red Faction
2 Unsheathed Forge
3 Steel Division
4 Burning Victory
5 Marching Eagles
6 The Fifth Regiment

SECRETIVE
1 Umber Cloaks
2 Shadow Blades
3 Hidden Edge
4 Unknown Strike
5 Dark Cowls
6 Ebon Cunning

PIOUS
1 White Order
2 Angelic Winds
3 Faithful Blessing
4 Sacred Servants
5 Prayerful Monastery
6 Lifted Sanctimony

How about a faction of elves, led by a half-elf leader named Arctor? Do his followers know he’s not
10 true-blooded? What would happen if they found out?

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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
MAGICAL
1 Silver Cauldron
2 Winter Focus
3 Arcane Seers
4 Rune Arcanium
5 Augury Bearers
6 Infinite – of the Seven

MALEVOLENT
1 Black Serpent
2 The Ninth Choppers
3 Necrotic Inquisition
4 Vile Tongue
5 Iron Brotherhood
6 Cursed Grip

COMPASSIONATE
1 Crystal Wish
2 Young Gathering
3 Summer Gulls
4 Gentle Circlet
5 Kindly Bridge
6 Tender Crossing

Don’t fear the cliché! The Secret Sails, Azure Aeronauts, or other alliterations are perfect for memorable
faction names.
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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
CREATIVE/ARTISTIC
1 Thespian Tune
2 Brass Brush
3 Strumming Octaves
4 Painted Troupe
5 Bardic Chords
6 Poetic Pirouettes

BARBARIC
1 The Lost Horde
2 Ravaging Jackals
3 Berserking Horns
4 Feral Swarm
5 Pagan Roar
6 Barren Wolves

REGAL
1 Golden Crown
2 Resplendent Monarchy
3 Magnificent Lions
4 Sovereign Command
5 Honorable Lordship
6 Reigning Kingdom

How about a faction of thieves who operate under a code that disallows them from hurting innocents?
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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
INTELLECTUAL
1 Azure Discovery
2 Sage University
3 Studious Ideal
4 Inspired College
5 Profound Tome
6 Acute Institute

NATURE-ORIENTED
1 Green Seed
2 Nature’s Thickets
3 Overland Rangers
4 Barbed Oak
5 Petrified Briar
6 Leaves of the Root

TRIBAL
1 Nomadic Wolfpack
2 Burnt Hex
3 Bone Splinter
4 Blood Shamans
5 Kindred Talons
6 Fang Totem

How do people learn about your world’s factions? What if they find a book on the subject?
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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
REVOLUTIONARY
1 Scarlet Change
2 New Republic
3 Radical Banner
4 Zealous Revolution
5 Furious Voice
6 Sons of (the) – Reformation

FINANCIAL
1 Copper Bank
2 Merchant’s Fortune
3 Shrewd Shilling
4 Offshore Estate
5 Mutual Partnership
6 Goldflake Ledger

PACIFISTIC
1 Comforting Peace
2 Sheathed Restraint
3 Tranquil Repose
4 Calm Renewal
5 Halcyon Serenity
6 Quiet Restoration

How about a faction of spies disguised as beggars?

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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
SEAFARING
1 Keelhauled Anchor
2 Moored Sails
3 Starboard Whalers
4 Iron Kraken
5 Nautical Swell
6 Salty Mariners

PROTECTIVE
1 Stone Shield
2 Stalwart Defenders
3 Unshakable Guardians
4 Partisan Watchers
5 Immovable Ramparts
6 Impervious Gauntlet

HEDONISTIC
1 Fermented Circus
2 Cacophonous Party
3 Mirthful Carnival
4 Uproarious Revelers
5 Feasting Merrymakers
6 Decadent Jesters

Try picking words from two different charts to name your faction. For example, if you’re building an as-
sassins’ guild that operates at sea, try “The Shadow Anchor” or “The Starboard Blades.”
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 FACTION NAME GENERATOR
EXPLORATORY
1 Beyond the – Horizons
2 Wayward Wanderers
3 Travelling Gadabouts
4 Gallivanting Rovers
5 Roaming Voyagers
6 Drifting Nomads

EXTRAPLANAR
1 Great Transit
2 Fey Wild
3 Astral Celestials
4 Psychic Cyclones
5 Domain of the – Timepiece
6 Elemental Curtain

SCIENCE FICTION
1 Chrome Corporation
2 Interplanetary / Intergalactic Conglomerate
3 Cryo Star
4 Neutron Tek
5 Ion Station
6 Solar Fleet

How about a faction of exiled half-bloods, all of whom have been ostracized from society and forced to band
16 together to survive?

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 A TIP FROM TABLETOP TERRORS
Using a Name Generator is a Bad Idea: a secret group, so let’s go with that. Using this second
It’s too easy for a faction name to sound cheesy and method, we’re ending up with Mercy Blades. But wait
generic – especially if you use a random roll table like – that still isn’t quite right. Let’s fine tune it to become
the one in this supplement. The Blades of Mercy. Much more inspiring.

“Wait. Did they just tell me not to use the roll table in Using a Name Generator is a Good Idea:
their own supplement?” If you’re not careful, your faction names can sound so
varied and complex that no one (including yourself )
No, please use it! But we are challenging you to use it will be able to keep them straight. Using a tool like the
in a way that takes some elbow grease. We love using random roll table in this book will keep you on the rails,
random roll tables, but their results shouldn’t be treated and give you guidelines for the sake of simplicity. Are
as finished products. Instead, look at the results as ripe we saying that you should keep your faction names
starting points that you can use to really get to work. basic? Absolutely, in some cases. Sometimes being
Let us show you a specific example using the roll table direct and simple is the best way to go. Also, sticking
from this book. to pre-defined parameters is a great way to exercise
your creativity in different areas – perhaps this faction’s
We rolled on the Secretive table, and got Hidden Blades. name itself isn’t overly unique, but the reason they have
Is that a bad name? We don’t love it, because it seems that name is.
a little on-the-nose for a guild of thieves or assassins.
So let’s change it up, using what we rolled on the table Finally, we’re all human beings, and our thoughts
as our starting point and developing it further from are inherently given to certain patterns, tastes, and
there. tendencies. While this defines our creative style, it can
also make things seem to similar or unrealistic if they
Method One: follow too closely to the same patterns. By using a
Tweak the word combination until you get to something randomized roll table, you’re going to force yourself to
that inspires you. Firstly, let’s take “hidden.” We’re name things from an outside perspective, giving a touch
going to change that slightly, using the word “Unseen” of verisimilitude to your world.
instead – a synonym that effectively means the same
thing, but has a bit more flavor to it. Next, let’s take Giving yourself boundaries when being creative forces
the word “blades.” We could use a synonym, like we did you to think in ways that challenge your creative norms,
with “hidden,” but instead we’re going to do something and also allows for some variety that otherwise may
wildly different to go somewhere new creatively. Let’s not be present.
change the word entirely. You could use “Song,” “Noose,”
“Scar,” “Martyr,” “Cure,” “Decay” – whatever springs to How to Balance the Two:
mind, and whatever sounds cool. So in that example, Frankly, there are no rules to this sort of thing, and you
we started as the Hidden Blades and ended up as the shouldn’t be afraid to use a mixture of everything at
Unseen Noose. Much more interesting, and much more your disposal to discover faction names that inspire you.
unique. Don’t be afraid to try a variation of both of these ideas
– and anything else that you can. You can even forsake
Method Two: the roll table completely, and use the Motivations Table
Explore the principles of the words in the name to get as inspiration instead (The Dragon’s Jaw sound like a fine
somewhere similar, but more powerful. First what sort group of monster hunters to me).
of thoughts does Hidden Blades evoke? Let’s write
those down. We ended up with “assassins,” “those you The options and permutations on the table in this
never see coming,” and “those who don’t draw their book, as they’re written, can either be the tinder to
blades except to kill.” We liked that last one. It goes get your imagination started, or fully-formed, roaring
against the trope of murderous assassin groups, and fires themselves – just remember to have fun and stay
reminded us of a merciful group who only kill when inspired as you name the factions in your world.
necessary. Merciful is an interesting quality to have in

www.TabletopTerrors.com

Consider props – check online for some awesome wax seals at low-cost. They come in many different vari-
eties and can easily spice up the game for your players!
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 12 FACTION LEADERS
1. Dagur Hemlock (Spymaster): Dagur is in tune with the region’s criminal elements, acquiring
accurate information quickly through a network of spies and informants. This allows him to stay a
step ahead of his rivals, and spread rumors and misinformation when advantageous to his faction,
a secretive thieves guild.

2. Serena Fledge (Tycoon): Serena is wealthy and charismatic. She is excellent with money,
understanding the value of the resources in her region and leveraging them in advantageous deals.
She is able to spend her resources freely to get things done more quickly and efficiently, or buy
her way out of situations that others might suffer through.

3. Tylor Ilman (Warden): Tylor is very regimented and focused on order and regulations, but this
allows him to be extremely efficient and effective as a result. Tylor can execute faction-wide
strategies very quickly and without error, and his clear-cut moral code allows him to parse out
justice and react to internal threats without pause.

4. Rikonius of the Red Robes (Magister): Rikonius is highly learned in arcane knowledge and
advanced academics. He is one of the most educated people in the region, and can often explain
the unexplained. He is sought out by others as a source of elusive answers, and as such, is owed
many favors.

5. Constable Denryl Halt (Marshal): Halt is in a formal position to enforce the laws and edicts of
the region. It is his formal duty to uphold the region’s law. Within his jurisdiction, Halt is able to
command patrols and exploit his position as a lawkeeper to the advantage of his faction.

6. Ginny the Cat (Assassin): When you want someone gone in the worst way, you call Ginny.
She is known to most as a stable girl, yet only those attuned to the city’s underbelly know her
true trade. She is an assassin and guild leader with contacts in both the highest and lowest
socioeconomic places and, ironically, knows absolutely nothing about horses or how to stable
them.

7. Elial Sweetwater (Peacekeeper): Elial acts as a liaison between various factions, keeping
the peace and negotiating treaties and deals between organizations. She controls situations
that would normally erupt into conflict because of her ability to communicate in empathetic
and understandable ways. Elial’s faction is rarely attacked, and conversely is often protected
peripherally by other factions.

How about a faction of cartographers putting their brains and maps together in order to prove the
18 existence of a lost island city.

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 12 FACTION LEADERS
8. General Roderik Elfstrom (Military Mastermind): Roderik is able to organize and use his military
forces to great effect. Understanding and meeting the needs of the soldiers that he commands,
General Elfstrom is a competent leader in times of war and peace, and is seen as a protector and
patriot to his faction, the Crimson Banner.

9. Senator Cara Leer (The Diplomat): Senator Leer is a leader with a strong knack for international
and interracial relations. She is well known amongst the envoys, ambassadors, and viziers of
other factions and kingdoms. Leer has contacts within dark horse political organizations and even
tribes of intelligent monsters.

10. Deacon Wilhelm (High Priest): Deacon Wilhelm is a leader who prioritizes religious practices,
serving as a figurehead for the Silver Chalice. Strangely, his faction has no official religion, but
Wilhelm encourages the practice of any good faith. To him, it is simply
important that one has faith. Though not leading an overtly divine
faction, the Deacon still provides healing and morale to his grateful
followers.

11. Mehmed Al-Qayum (The Explorer): Leading his faction of

archaeologists known as the Eastward Sun, Mehmed is a
trained survivalist and tracker, knowledgeable about maps
and trade routes the world over. He leverages his skills to
obtain rare artifacts and discover new lands and cultures.
He has contacts in various academic institutions, which
he provides with relics and information.

12. Major Rathnok Tombfiller (Enforcer): The major

doles out swift justice and operates outside of
bureaucracy. He is an arbiter, deciding who needs
to be punished, then dealing out the punishments
he deems just. Since his “justice” delivers
instant gratification to the local leadership,
Major Tombfiller is able to operate outside of
the law while many citizens choose not to give
testimony against him.

Try including a physical representation of the faction’s sigil in their headquarters. If the sigil is two crossed
blades, mount similar weapons over the hearth in the faction’s common room.
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Sebastien Nazaire (Order #23057532)
 BONUS TIPS!
Another TIP FROM TABLETOP TERRORS
Write the names of two factions in the blanks to see their standing with one another.

As you go down the list on the left, decide whether the two factions always disagree, sometimes disagree,
or never disagree on various important topics (there’s even a blank spot to include your own topic). Total the
results using the red table, then compare the total number with the blue table.

Now you know where faction conflicts might arise in your game!

Vs.

Tradition Always Disagree +3

Money Sometimes Disagree +1

Religion Never Disagree +0

Politics

Morality On Good Terms 0-5

Minor Things Neutral 6-8

Turbulent Relations 9-13

TOTAL Hostile 14-18

www.TabletopTerrors.com

What about a faction of magic-users, sworn to protect a long-guarded secret? Perhaps someone (or
something) is taking them out one by one, searching for the truth behind the secret...
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 BONUS TIPS!
Every great organization needs a base of operations, so try to think up some more interesting ones!
For example, taverns, libraries, theaters, graveyards, and ships can make for fun places for a
faction to do business.

There are few things worse than having to continuously remind the players what a faction, or its leader, is
called. If this is happening regularly, you might want to come up with more simple names.

How about a faction of good-natured necromancers who have been holding their meetings in secret in order
to avoid trouble with the more conservative local government?

Many faction members wear certain clothes or wield particular weapons. Have a little fun with this – it
will help ensure your factions are immediately recognized by the players.

Thank you again for giving this supplement a look, and I really
hope it helped you create some great factions!

If you liked what you read, you can find more Game Master tips on
my website, www.BeABetterGameMaster.com.

Have fun building better factions!

- Double Tap Peace!

Sebastien Nazaire (Order #23057532)

 BE A BETTER Faction MASTER www.AbsoluteTabletop.com

Adding Fun and Realistic Organizations to Your Game

By Michael Barker

A group of caravan guards, formed

from the remnants of a destroyed army
legion and led by a grizzled paladin with
secrets of his own. An organization of
archaeologists, dedicated to the reclamation
of ancient religious relics before they
become destroyed by a vicious war. A long-
gone revolutionary, returned to lead his fellow
insurgents to usurp the greedy politicians of the
world. Only a master storyteller can weave these
factions into a tale for the ages – and that’s where
you come in.
Written by Michael Barker of Be a Better
Game Master, this supplement gives the game
master the tools and inspiration they need to
introduce fun and realistic factions into their
favorite roleplaying game. Inside, you’ll find pages of
useful advice, streamlined faction-generators, and a
useful faction-building worksheet to help you create
nearly 5,000 unique factions for your world.

Raise the banners – there’s a faction that needs building!

www.BeABetterGameMaster.com
Thank you for supporting Absolute Tabletop!

Copyright © 2015 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Sebastien Nazaire (Order #23057532)