Factions
Sigil is a city run by and for the Factions, and life is easier in most quarters when a body's a member of one. Most services in the city (libraries, workshops, alchemical laboratories, craft guilds, healers, etc.) are dominated by the Factions. As such, they usually favor their own and charge outsiders a premium. Factioned PCs can seek out fellow members to keep prices low, but PCs without a Faction will often have to pay higher than the listed book price for certain services (GMs fiat). Regular market goods don't typically apply, so a PC buying a sword or a meal or a night at an inn will usually pay standard prices.
On the other hand, Factioned PCs (with the exception of Indeps) are subject to the hierarchy and politics of their Faction. When called upon to do a mission or serve a higher ranking member, they're expected to obey. And when dealing with the other Factions around Sigil, they need to be careful not to make friends (or enemies) with the wrong person.
| Philosophy | Factol | Sigil HQ | Home Field | Allies | Enemies | Restrictions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athar (The Lost) | The gods are frauds; the unknowable truth lies beyond the veil | Terrance | Shattered Temple (Lower Ward) | Astral | Believers of the Source | None | Can't accept aid (especially healing) from priests of specific deities. |
| Believers of the Source (Godsmen) | All life springs from the same divine source, ascending and descending in form as it is tested. | Ambar Vergrove | Great Foundry (Lower Ward) | Ethereal | Athar, Doomguard | Bleak Cabal, Dustmen | Can't be raised or resurrected. |
| Bleak Cabal (Bleakers) | The multiverse ain't supposed to make sense; there's no grand scheme, no deep meaning, no elusive order. The only truth worth finding lies within. | Lhar | The Gatehouse (Hive Ward) | Pandemonium (in the Madhouse) | Doomguard, Dustmen, Rev League, Xaositects | Guvners, Harmonium, Mercykillers | Have a 1 in 20 chance each day of being overcome by melancholia. |
| Doomguard (Sinkers) | Entropy is ecstasy; decay is divine. The multiverse is supposed to fall apart. We're just here to keep leatherheads from interfering. | Pentar | Armory (Lady's Ward) | The negative quasiplanes | Bleak Cabal, Dustmen | Guvners, Harmonium | Must fail a saving throw vs spell before magical healing will work on them. |
| Dustmen (The Dead) | We're all dead– some more than others. We explore our state with patience, purge our passion, and ascend toward the purity of True Death | Skall | Mortuary (Hive Ward) | Negative Energy plane | Bleak Cabal, Doomguard | Society of Sensation, Sign of One | Half normal chance of surviving resurrection. |
| Fated (Takers) | The multiverse belongs to those who seize it. No one's to blame for a poor sod's fate but the sorry sod himself | Duke Rowan Darkwood | Hall of Records (Clerk's Ward) | Ysgard (in Rowan's Hall) | Free League, Mercykillers (loosely) | Harmonium | Can't accept or perform charity. |
| Fraternity of Order (Guvners) | Everything has laws; most are dark. Learn the laws of the multiverse, and you can rule it. | Hashkar | City Court (Lady's Ward) | Mechanus (in the Fortress of Disciplined Enlightnement) | Harmonium, Mercykillers | Rev League, Xaositects | Can't knowingly break a law. |
| Free League (Indeps) | This ain't no faction, and nobody tells us what to do. Keep your options open; nobody's got the key to the truth | None | Great Bazaar (Market Ward) | Outlands; informal meetings in Tradegate | Fated (sometimes) | Harmonium | No factol, no representatives, no rights |
| Harmonium (Hardheads) | Peace is our goal. But if it takes a little war to get others to see things the Harmonium way, so be it. That's how we'll reach our golden harmony. | Sarin | City Barracks (Lady's Ward) | Arcadia (in Melodia) | Guvners, Mercykillers | Free League, Rev League, Xaositects | Disobedience requires atonement. Refusal is punishable by death. |
| Mercykillers (Red Death) | Justice is everything. When properly applied, punishment leads to perfection. | Alisohn Nilesia | Prison (Lady's Ward) | Acheron (in Vorkehan) | Guvners, Harmonium | Rev League, Sensates, Sign of One | No immunity to the law; can't release a prisoner until he's been properly punished. |
| Revolutionary League (Anarchists) | The status quo is built on lies and greed. Crush the factions. Break 'em down and rebuild with what's left– that's the only way to find real truth. | None | Many safe houses throughout the city. | Carceri (in the Bastion of Last Hope) | Doomguard, Xaositects (weak tie) | Guvners, Harmonium | Can't hold office or own a business; must give 90% of all wealth to the faction or the oppressed. |
| Sign of the Dead (Signers) | The planes exist because the mind imagines them. Any Signer could be the one who creates the multiverse through the power of thought. | Darius | Hall of Speakers (Clerk's Ward) | The Beastlands (in Signpost) | Sensates | Bleak Cabal (especially), Harmonium | Suffers -2 penalty to reaction and loyalty adjustments. |
| Society of Sensation (Sensates) | To know the multiverse, experience it fully. The senses form the path to truth, for the multiverse doesn't exist beyond what can be sensed. | Erin Montgomery | Civic Festhall (Clerk's Ward) | Arborea (in the Gilded Hall) | Sign of One; occasionally Indeps, Guvners | Doomguard; often Dustmen, Mercykillers | Can't refuse offers that lead to new experiences. |
| Transcendent Order (Ciphers) | Action without thought is the purest response. Train body and mind to act in harmony, and the spirit becomes one with the multiverse. | Rhys | Great Gymnasium (Guildhall Ward) | Elysium | Most factions | Harmonium (suspicion) | Once an action is stated, Cipher must commit to that action (he can't change his mind). |
| Xaositects (Chaosmen) | Chaos is truth, order delusion. Embracing the randomness of the multiverse, one learns its secrets. | Karan | Hive (Hive Ward) | Limbo | Bleak Cabal, Doomguard | Guvners, Harmonium | Can't participate in activities that require long-term organization or discipline. |
Faction benefits and drawbacks
Athar:
- + Gain Spell Resistance equal to 10+character level versus Divine magic
- - Divine spellcasters who worship a deity must refuse to offer any magical aid to Athar characters
Believers of the Source:
- + Initial Attitude of most NPCs is one step better than usual (Indifferent to Friendly, etc)
- - Cannot be Raised or Resurrected by any means (but can be Reincarnated)
Bleak Cabal:
- + Immune to spells causing madness or insanity (Confusion, Feeblemind, Hideous Laughter, etc)
- - At the start of each day, roll 1d20. On a natural 1, suffer from depression for the entire day (as Crushing Despair spell, no save, cannot be removed)
Doomguard:
- + Gain proficiency with a single Martial Weapon, and gain Weapon Focus for that weapon as a bonus feat
- - Must FAIL a Will save against magical healing to receive benefits
Dustmen:
- + At the start of an encounter, all Undead ignore the Dustman character until it either attacks them or aids others in attacking them
- - Must FAIL a Will save against Raising, Resurrection, or Reincarnation to gain the benefits
Fated:
- + Choose any three cross-class skills, and treat them as class-skills [NOTE: this is changed from previous rules for balance issues, please use this version going forward]
- - Cannot accept or perform charity in any capacity.
Fraternity of Order:
- + Gain “Comprehend Languages” as a spell-like ability, once/day, caster level equal to character level
- - Cannot knowingly break any law, no matter the source or nature of that law.
Free League:
- + Gain +2 bonus to saving throws versus mind-control and compulsion effects. If no save is allowed, gain a save at no bonus.Get a 10% discount/bonus when buying/selling items in any Free League controlled market (Sigil's Grand Bazaard, Tradegate)
- - Treated as non-Factioned in terms of other rights and benefits in Sigil (courts, libraries, resources, etc)
Harmonium:
- + Gain “Charm Person” as a spell-like ability, once/day, caster level equal to character level
- - Must obey Faction superiors' orders without question, or lose all benefits until an atonement spell is cast by a Faction cleric. Characters refusing to atone are automatically sentenced to death by the faction.
Mercykillers:
- + Gain “Discern Lies” as a spell-like ability, once/day, caster level equal to character level
- - A Mercykiller who breaks the law outside of their duties must accept the punishment or lose all membership and benefits. Similarly, captured lawbreakers cannot be released for any reason until proper sentence is carried out, at the same penalty.
Revolutionary League:
- + True Faction membership cannot be discerned by magical means. Any magical effect that would reveal the character's true Faction allegiance is automatically fooled, instead revealing a Faction of the character's choice.
- - Cannot hold public office or noble title, own a business, or other participate in any authoritarian power structure. 90% of all treasure gained must be donated to the poor and oppressed.
Sign of One:
- + When encountering any illusion, automatically gain a saving throw to disbelieve
- - Initial Attitudes of most NPCs are always one step lower (Indifferent to Unfriendly, etc)
Society of Sensation:
- + Gain Darkvision 60ft, and +1 bonus to all saves vs poison
- - Cannot refuse to engage in a new experience unless it involves obvious deadly peril.
Transcendent Order:
- + Gain “Improved Initiative” as a bonus feat
- - Players cannot take back actions once stated. No take-backs.
Xaositects:
- + Gain a unique spell-like ability once/day, caster level equal to character level. “Babble”, Sor/Wiz 3, identical to the “tongues” spell except as follows: This spell denies the touched creature the ability to speak or understand the language of any intelligent creature. Other creatures hear only babble. The subject is unable to cast spells with a Verbal component until the end of the duration.
- - Cannot found businesses, build strongholds, raise armies, or undertake any other action that requires long-term organization and discipline.