Steampunk & Klokwerks Roundup

I must apologize that it has taken me so long to get around to finishing this RPG Carnival Roundup.  With side projects like Nevermet Press, I didn’t get around to posting as many contributions as I had planned!  Of course, that could be one more contribution, as the site definitely has some Steampunk flavor in the design.

I would like to extend an enthusiastic thanks to everyone who participated and remind everyone that Chris Tregenza at 6d6 Fireball is hosting this month’s RPG Blog Carnival with the topic being the 800 lb. gorilla of D&D.  So make sure you check out what is happening this month.

Roleplaying Pro shows us where to find some inspiriate with the Steamboy animation and touches on some popular games that incorporate steampunk elements such as Deadlands and Unhallowed Metropolis.

Robertson Games offers 4 optional rulse for using firearms in your D&D game: Hit Point/Stamina Loss (with open-ended damage), armor penetration, knock-down, and re-loading. [sorry I missed this the first time around!]

The Dice Bag delves into fond memories of a bloodthirsty Tinker Gnome (of the steampunk influenced Tinkers from Dragonlance) and his evil pain inducing inventions and how WoW marginalized the cool aspects of these gnomes.

6d6 Fireball  talks about how his vision of steampunk cannot exist without the British Empire.  From Babbage’s difference engine to British rails, British ingenuity ruled the Victorian day.

Whitehall ParaIndustries weighs in on Steampunk, and why he has never been attracted to what he sees as an often ugly genre.  Gleichman asks for Steampunk fiction recommendations; I would try Whitechapel Gods, The Difference Engine, Perdido Street Station, and if you like comics, check out BattleChasers.

Compromise & Conceit is an entire blog dedicated to chronicling the adventures in a campaign world in which the steam age merged into magic based on infernal conjuring. It is set in 18th century America during the Revolutionary War and is a great read.

Fame & Fortune enlightens readers on the punk side of steampunk and how the eras that it draws upon for inspiration were times of massive social upheaval and change that were created as a by product of the Industrial Revolution.

Gaming Brouhaha highlights his favorite steampunk setting, Iron Kingdoms (which I am a HUGE fan of too, so double awesome!).  If you’re looking for a new setting, you should definitely read MJ’s spotlight on Iron Kingdoms.

MJ also notes that there is a new e-zine for the iPhone/iPod Touch published by Steampulp Publishing. It emulates “the style of the pulp adventure magazines of the 1920s and ’30s, Steampunk Tales #1 contains first-run and original fiction written by an A+ list of award-winning authors.”

Troll and Flame admits his dislike of steampunk but still gives us a campaign idea (plenty of Adventure Hooks and one line Encounter seeds) called Fantasy Rails inspired by the Iron Dragon board game.

Vulcan Stev’s Database discusses some films that could be used for inspiration while gaming in a steampunk universe.  He even wraps up the article with Van Helsing in the form of a Savage Worlds Wild Card NPC.

Aron Broder from Allgeekout, a Nevermet Press insider, details his idea for a steampunk themed superheroes setting.  You have to read some the character ideas, Victorian superheroes for the win!

Steampunk World, a blog dedicated to the genre, puts the punk back into steampunk!  He talks about pollution, violence, and the exploitation child and women.

A Wandering Monster, I pointed out steampunk flavored song/poem by Jeff Grubb of the Alliterates.

A Character for Every Game brings us a metric ton of steampunk posts (thanks for all the great contributions!):

• Steamworks and Dragons – 5 d20 Steampunk Books presents a wonderful bibliography of d20 books for any OGL gamers out there looking to incorporate steampunk & klokwerks into their game.
• Steamguns and Blackpowder Clockworks – Rules takes a look at how to add firearms into your burgeoning steampunk campaign.
• Steamguns and Blackpowder Clockworks – Magical Arms actually gives us a selection of several magical firearms to use in your game.
• [DragonMech] Moruth Ironbeard, steampunk cyborg showcases a level 1 character from the DragonMech RPG using a new class called steampunk cyborg.

Akronos World has created a Steampunk Mage paragon path for D&D 4e.  Check out the “Want some steam, punk” daily power and Invention of Arcana ritual!

Greywulf’s Lair gives us 6 custom steampunk Gadgets and Gears for Mutants & Masterminds.  The Jetpack Velocipede is definitely my favorite!

Advanced Gaming & Theory loves using bizarre technologies in his games and discusses the nuances of technologies in a campaign.  Did I mention he gives us an old school (AD&D) Greek Fire Canon!

The Gamer Traveler shows us a strange steampunk contraption he encountered at an event in Belgium, a mechanic tiger!  Daniel even talks about turning the real life inventor into a character in one of his games.

Stargazer’s World shares one of his favorite steampunk flavored comics, Girl Genius.  He talks about creating a Savage Worlds version of  the Girl Genius world and then follows up with a Savage Worlds version of the star character, Agatha.

1001 Bobs gives shares some excellent resources for converting the awesome Iron Kingdoms setting to D&D 4e, including stuff for the Gun Mage!

Creatively Anomalous  explains his idea of the Otherwhere and alternate steampunk infused reality.  He also looks at incorporating steampunk elements into his world of Apocalypticon.

Unclebear sends three articles our way with:

• The Tinker-King of Klockworld Street urchins from Victorian London are swept into a steampunk fantasy-land!
• Gears of the Golden Golem a Biblical era clockwork mecha showdown between the Egyptians’ False Idol and the Israelites’ Golems!
• The Chinese CoalPunk Revolution In near-future China, a band of heroes fight to overthrow evil Capitalists and return power to the People!

Campaign Mastery details 7 very good steampunk resources ranging from Castle Falkenstein to Wikipedia.

I also posted my entry for the One Page Dungeon contest, Vapors of Colossal Death.  A steampunk dungeon.

Again, I would like to thank everyone who participated, and if you don’t see your contribution listed, let me know!

Listening to: Vernian Process - The Forgoten Age - Zeitgeist

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The Labs: It’s Alive!

“The brain you stole, Fritz. Think of it. The brain of a dead man waiting to live again in a body I made with my own hands! ” Dr. Henry Frankenstein, Frankenstein [1931]

When I made my first post on this blog 158 days ago, on July 26th 2008 at 17:41 EST, I really didn’t have a clue about what I was getting myself into.  I was really only aware of a few RPG blogs at the time, UncleBear, ChattyDM, and Crtical-Hits, and had no idea that there were so many more or think that the RPG Blogosphere would explode like it has.

The Labs began as a design diary for two projects of mine, a custom d20 point-buy/rank-based system called Echelon, and an original steampunk-horror setting called The Dead Wastes.  Then I joined this fledgling network known as the RPG Bloggers Network and the blog began to evolve (and the network has grown tremendously).

It changed so much that I decided to move from free hosting to paid hosting so I could have greater control over the design.  Mad Brew Labs still has a small footprint in the RPG Blogosphere, but I see my traffic numbers grow every month.

Resolutions

So now I have this lumbering creation of mine and a need to focus its energies on some actual goals for 2009.  We can call them resolutions in the spirit of the New Year.

• COLLABORATE & NETWORK (the keystone of the future of the RPG Blogosphere 
• Update this machine to Wordpress 2.7
• Improve the theme (mostly the comment area)
• Play 5 new systems (including starting an Alpha Omega game)
• PDF some of my content (Tidings of Thule, Mad Menagerie, etc.)
• Finish Echelon (though I lost all my work…)
• Expand upon The Dead Wastes
• Add 12 new creature to the Mad Menagerie
• Merge my love of programming with my love of roleplaying
• Get more table time

Predictions

I figured I also might make some predictions for 2009.  Some of them are obvious, but I figured I would go out on a limb and give at least ONE crazy prediction.  Am I claiming that I am a prophet and all this will unfold, hell no!  But its fun to speculate:

• Due to the economy, the industry will see cutbacks, closings, & new business models
• In spite (or because?) of the economy, there will be more exceptional resources
• The RPG Blogosphere will continue to evolve, and make a big impact
• DDI still won’t be finished by GenCon
• Someone else will make a product that does what DDI was supposed to do, but better
• The GSL will still suck
• Paizo will own a significant market share, just below WotC and possibly better than White Wolf
• 4.x D&D will be the last edition published under Hasbro (some event will catalyze this)

RPG Blogosphere

I mentioned that the RPG Blogosphere would continue evolving and make a big impact.  The online community is on the verge of greatness, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.  I cannot quite put my finger on exactly what is going to happen, but I think we will see more of these:

• Greater collaboration between bloggers
• More collaboration with the industry
• Attract more of those forum lurkers
• THE go to place for the best content/resources
• We will go through a smelting as the fittest solidify their dominions

Where do you see the RPG blogosphere or industry going?  What would you like to see?

Listening to: Spineshank - Height of Callousness- Play God

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Nightmares in Gaming with Strangers

I walk through the door and my olfactory sense is suddenly assaulted by the acrid odor of cat urine, but it quickly subsides, probably due to the fact that my olfactory epithelium has just melted and is pouring out my nose.  I follow a narrow trail through trash, debris, and what must be discarded science projects, judging by the green and white fur that is growing upon (Petri?) dishes hidden under and piled atop the furniture.  I arrive at the gaming table, err, gaming ottoman, where the cereal box battlemap (obviously drawn by a first grader) rests.

I sit upon the floor, because the sofa is being held hostage by soiled underwear and the cat whose urine greeted me at the door.  I retrieve my character sheet, dice bag, and pencil only to find out that I must use the DM provided pre-gen, because the adventure is basically a railroad where I am forced to do the actions that DM tells me to do.  What is worse, no one else owns their own dice, so mine end up being the community dice pool, and I still don’t know what happened to my metal d20.

I wake up in my bed, drenched in sweat over my nightmare, then I catch the scent of cat urine emanating from my clothes in the hamper two feet away…

This month’s RPG Blog Carnival topic, hosted by Critical-Hits, is Transitions & Transformations.  The above has actually happened to me, though it is actually an amalgam of several different events.  So, I want to write about the trepidations of finding new gamers, because I might be on the prowl for a group closer to home.

My current gaming group has nearly died, but I think it is being reborn from the ashes.  The Great Edition Schism brought my group to its knees as the 3.x D&D grognards railed against the adopters and proponents of the 4^th Edition of D&D.

I have been in self exile for a while now as I strove to manage the costs of overpriced gasoline, quality time with my wife and daughter, and the seemingly eternal maintenance that comes from being a home-owner.  While I watched the gaming group fall apart from afar, I thought about finding a new group, or at least forming a new group closer to home.

So what is a solitary RPG gamer to do?  Well some of the tools I am aware of include local gaming forums, publisher forums, MeetUp, ENWorld’s locater, RPG Life’s locator, and of course my FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store for the uninitiated).  So I could probably find people…

But the question is will these strangers be up to snuff?  Can they be an adequate replacement to my current (previous?) group?  The answer to latter question is obvious, no.  There is no way in hell a group can replace another group.  Every group brings different perspectives, experience, and baggage with them to the table, so the experience is going to be different.  The real question is am I willing to try different?

You see the problem is that I am often perceived as being an asshole.  I tend to be blunt and I am direct.  So if I do not like something, I say so, to your face.  I am not usually cruel about it (though I can be), I’m just honest.  I expect the same thing from others.  You don’t like something I’m doing?  Let me know and perhaps I will modify my behavior (except for being blunt, if you do not like that, tough shit).  So if being honest, direct, and skipping all the politically correctness is being an asshole, then guilty as charged.

I am also accused of having high expectations that are too high (an elitist?).  Indeed, as I grow older I continue to raise the bar (for myself as well as what I expect from others).  Is this bad?  Perhaps it is why I am often disappointed.

So back to the question, am I willing to try different?  I’m willing to try different gaming systems, different styles of play, but I don’t know about different personalities at the table.  The next question is if I am willing to sit with new people at the gaming table, are they going to be able to handle me?  I’ve never been banned from a gaming group, unless MUDs count (if so, then once).

My need to game will eventually win out over my unwillingness to try different.  So if my gaming group implodes, or the cost involved is too much to travel to game with them, then I need to modify my perception of people and learn to ignore things that usually irritate me.  Something that is easier said than done.

Well that is my current dilemma and my thoughts on the subject.  I also comprised a few questions that would help find the right group if or when I begin searching.

How well should I know the members of the group?

I think I need to know the preferred style of play of the group (role vs. roll, fantasy vs. sci-fi, more social vs. more serious).  Knowing what refreshments, if any, are usually found on the gaming table is good.  I would also like to know what pet peeves the group possesses (and if they commit any of mine).  Also, are there any topics that members become easily offended or upset over (religion, politics, starving African children)?

How long does it take to get the full impression of a gaming group?

Speaking from experience, you’ll never truly know someone until you have spent years together and experienced high stress situations together.  I’m not talking about interpersonal drama bullshit.  I am talking about when people have to make choices that put their comrades’ lives at stake.  But in order to learn most of the details discussed above, I think about three to four gaming sessions would give a complete picture.

What gaming systems does the group utilize?

This is important, because I may not really be into Rifts.  If the group uses a system which has third party publishers, what content is allowed?  Do they limit it to just the core books?

What is their experience level?

I am not speaking about their character levels, though that is also nice to know.  I am talking about how well they understand their chosen system(s).  How long have they used the system(s)?  Have they ever tried different systems and which ones?

What house rules do they use?

Do they ignore or limit certain mechanics?  Have they modified the system or created completely new mechanics?  Do they substitute d12s for d4s (because dodecahedrons need lovin’ too)?

Where do they play and what are the expectations?

Does the group play in Mike’s basement, Bruce’s attic, or Will’s van?   Do I take my shoes off at the door?  Food and drinks are allowed where?  No cursing because of the children.  Is smoking banned or will I be sitting in a cloud of cancer?

I am sure I will think of ten more questions I would need to answer to be able to decide on the group.  The main thing is can I like these guys and gals?  I refuse to play with someone I do not like.  I figure if I posted an ad at the FLGS, it would look something like this:

Fat Asshole in Need of Gaming Group

MUST BE:

• Be local
• Non smokers (or at least outside-smokers)
• Clean
• Interesting
• Social
• Open to new systems
• Possessing senses of humor
• FUN

DON’T BE:

• Covered in pet hair, urine, etc.
• Dumb
• Religious Zealots
• D&D players w/o a battlemap
• Creepy
• Stinky
• Drug Addicts
• Extreme (as in gaming style)

Listening to: Probot - Probot – Shake Your Blood

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RPG Carnival IV: Religion

This month’s RPG Blog Carnival is being hosted by the Dice Bag.  Usually, religion is a subject I do not breach in public forum, at work, or with the in-laws (by and large they are Latter Day Saints).  However, within the context of roleplaying games and science-fiction literature, I do love to read about, tinker with, and discuss the myriad pantheons available to use in a game.

I find that many gamers respond to alterations to the deities and dogma of their favorite campaign setting in much the same way as fundamental practitioners of any religion respond to dissimilar viewpoints on god(s).  They balk, argue, and throw tantrums.  Another reason I like creating my own “homebrew” settings; no one has any grounds to disagree with what you’ve done.

Pantheon Creation

When I create pantheons for my worlds, I like to grab a few sheets of paper and begin “mapping” out the various levels and interactions of the pantheons/gods with a kind of flow chart.  If I do it at the PC, I will usually open up FreeMind, which I reviewed here.  I will then create nodes, which represent either entire pantheons or individual gods depending on which “level” I am working on.  When creating a pantheon(s) for your game, there are a few things you should consider:

• Influences: Are you using existing sources?
• Breadth: How many gods occupy a layer?
• Depth: How many layers exist in the pantheon?
• Portfolios: What, if anything specific, does each god govern?
• Personalities: Define the gods’ personalities.
• Alliances: Are there one or more aligned groups?
• Church Structure:  How are their churches organized?
• Worshipers: Who are the general members of each god’s church?

Influences

When designing pantheons for your world, the very first thing you need to decide is whether or not you are going to use an existing set or sets of deities either completely stock or as a foundation.  You could look to real world mythologies [Egyptian, Greek, Scandinavian, Native American, Oriental, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity] or fiction-based resources [books, movies, video games, other campaign settings].

You can take each pantheon wholesale, include more than one (or all), or even mix and match deities.  If you decide to mix and match, I highly recommend that you at least rename the majority of deities, as it could cause confusion among the players with even a nominal amount of recollection.

Another approach with using influences is to lift the structure and hierarchy of a pantheon.  You could take the monotheistic approach of Islam, or perhaps a henotheistic approach where there are many gods, but only one is supreme.

As a rule, I almost never lift an existing pantheon for use in my game, unless it is on purpose (such as a game set on Earth).  I try to mix it so that players may see the influence, but there is no mistaking that it is not the same.

Breadth & Depth

If you are borrowing from existing sources, this step in the process may already be decided.  Now you need to decide how many different pantheons exist, and if there are any that may be subordinate to another.  You can apply this step multiple times to each “node” you place on the pantheon map.

For example, let us say that in my new world, I have a pantheon for each major race.  Long ago, the gods of the lizardmen were triumphant in their conquest of a quasi-elemental plane and subjugated the powerful entities there, which are deific in their power.  So now there is a sub-pantheon of quasi-elemental entities that are both servants and messengers for the gods of the lizardmen as well as being venerated somewhat like saints or totem spirits by the lizardmen themselves.  I could even take this a step further by saying that the chieftains are believed to be the children of the gods and are themselves venerated as deities.

I could then go into each level I just created and continue applying breadth and depth.  The quasi-elementals could have three tiers of power, consisting of princes, dukes, and lords.  Each prince rules over an aspect, such as swamp gas.  I then create as many aspects as I need.

Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Portfolios

This is not necessarily a separate step, but something to keep in mind as you are creating the various pantheons and deities.  Does an entire pantheon, a group of gods, or a single deity hold dominion over a concept, such as love or death?  Is there even the concept of portfolios for your gods?

Personalities

A god’s personality is usually defined by their portfolios, but do not be afraid to break the mold with this one.  What is the story behind a god of war that is a coward and weakling?  Many gods of wine and drink are frivolous beings who constantly party with decadence, how about a sad, mournful god that drowns his sorrows in alcohol?

It can be a daunting task to define the personalities of an entire pantheon, or pantheons, of gods, but I find this to be the most fulfilling part of the exercise.  I find that once I have laid the foundation of the pantheon with the last few steps, this process just seems to flow.  I also begin to look forward to the next step when creating personalities, seeing how these gods would co-exist with each other.

Alliances

Deific alliances are wonderful sources for plot hooks, as the gods use the players as pawns in their immortal power plays.  Alliances can occur between just two gods or may span entire pantheons.  Maybe the pantheons of all the monstrous humanoids have joined forces to protect themselves from the onslaught of men and their gods.  Maybe the god of lust has seduced the goddess of death, and uses her influence for his own agenda.  The possibilities for story ideas are endless.  Along with alliances, be sure to note enemies.

Churches & Worshipers

Not every deity may have an organized church, but the major players will.  When thinking about church structure, look to real word or fictional examples.  The catholic church is always a fun one to pull from.  It is also important to consider the god’s portfolio and personality.  The church of a god of war might be structured like the military.  Just take care when using cliche structures (like the god of war).

Titles given to the priesthood will also likely reflect the portfolio of their god.  The monks of the God of Beer may have the titles of Masher, Lauterer, Boiler, Worter, and Brewmaster.  The clerics of the goddess of knowledge may have the titles of Adjunct, Lecturer, Professor, and Dean.

It may be important to note the worshippers of a given deity.  Worshippers may be defined by class (poor, merchant, noble), race (human, vampire, dragon), profession (assassin, cobbler, sorcerer), lifestyle (hedonists, ascetic, masochism), or anything else that comes to mind.

It may also be useful to define any symbols associated with the deity, how worshipers conduct service, and if the church/worship is allowed by law.  Does the church have holy writ?  Are there rules for behavior?  Are the worshipers tolerant of other beliefs?

The Shepherds

This is a tribute to the Crs’Tchen Debacle of Dragon Magazine (retold by The Core Mechanic).  Insert this faith into your campaign world if you need a corrupt religious organization full of plot hooks for adventures of political intrigue, betrayal, and misguided crusades.

The Shepherds are the worshipers of the True Creator, Genovah, and believe him to be the only true god.  All other gods are false gods: demons, devils, and pretenders.  Though the Shepherd religion has been around for nearly a millennium, it is considered an upstart by many of the other religions that can trace their heritage back to the days before words, when men communicated with simple drawings on stone.  In that relatively short time frame, the Shepherds have become the most popular faith in the land.

However, within the last century, the Temple of Genovah has experienced some growing pains.  The faith was fractured in the Grand Rift, when a growing number of priests had become disillusioned with the corrupt operations of the Temple.  These priests, commonly referred to as the Objectors or Dissenters, left the original Temple, now known as Orthodox Temple, and began teaching their own sermons.  The Objectors now make up half of the faithful.

Today there are hundreds of sects of Shepherds, each preaching their own brand of the faith.  It is a wonder they can all call themselves Shepherds as the only thing they truly agree on is that Genovah is the only god to worship (though a few sects do recognize other gods, they just believe Genovah is supreme), and he sent his Harbinger and Prophet, Susej, to the lands of mortals to be sacrificed for their sins.  Everything else is up for debate, or more than likely, war.

The Shepherd sects are in a constant struggle between themselves, attempting to prove that their version of the faith is the correct path to worship Genovah.  However, the various sects set aside their differences all too quickly when confronted with the followers of a different god.  Temple officials have concocted numerous lies and blamed plague, famine, and moral erosion on many other religions to incite intolerance, persecution, and outright war on those who would not convert.

The annals of history are stained by the innocent blood that has been shed in the name of Genovah.  In fact, today many are afraid to practice their chosen religion in the open out of fear of being burned at the stake simply for being different.

Shepherds can easily be identified by the implement of torture and death they use as the symbol of their faith.  Most wear a golden miniature of the contraption suspended by a chain about their necks and adorn their churches, homes, and businesses with this tool of execution, a crucifix, often with an image of the Harbinger, Susej, frozen in death upon it.

In the past, the image would have invoked disgust and horror, but now the icon is so commonplace that most people have become desensitized to the ghastly image of tortuous death.  To display such a horrible image so casually is truly appalling.

The vilest aspect of the Shepherds is the secret of its creation and the lies used to control millions of followers.  For while most of the faith are good people that have good intentions, the authority of the faith has led their flock astray, and direct their parishioners to line their coffers with gold and commit foul atrocities in the name of good.

For you see, the entire foundation of the Shepherd faith was built on lies, commandeered practices, and forced worship.  The faith was engineered to attract followers, feeding them lies of salvation and paradise in an afterlife.  It incorporated the rites, rituals, and personalities of older religions to appeal to the converted, and make them comfortable.  It has duped its followers in tithing the majority of their wealth to ensure salvation.  Most of all, it has allowed the Temple authorities to control the masses and further their own political agendas of power.

The Shepherds are a powerful force in the world, but what would happen should the truth be revealed?  Would the faithful turn a blind eye, happy to continue worshipping a lie?  Or would it spell the end of this intolerant religion?  We may never know, for the keepers of these secrets are willing to keep them secret at all costs…

Listening to: Velvet Revolver - Contraband – Fall to Pieces

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RPG Carnival II: Homebrew

This month’s RPG Carnival is being hosted by Donny the DM over at The Fine Art of the TPK,  also known as the Flumph Sanctuary.  The topic is homebrew.

Homebrew is a topic right at home here at the Labs, since the initial reason I started this blog was to document the brewing of my own d20 rules and the original setting to go along with it.  You can find posts related to these topics on the menu on your right under the categories of Echelon (my d20 rules), The Dead Wastes (my original setting), and the Mad Menagerie (homebrew monsters).

I suppose I gravitate to the positiion of Game/Dungeon Master or Storyteller because I have this need for creation.  It is like a fire I need feed inside my brain.  Am I good at it?  Well only time will tell.  But regardless of the quality, the desire to create is always there.  Thus, I have created over a dozen homebrew worlds, each one better than the previous.  Most of them were pick up games that we played because the current DM didn’t have time to prepare stuff for our regular campaign, or we were missing key players.  So I would basically create geography, hooks, encounters, and personalities on the fly.

I am going to take the opportunity presented by the RPG Carnival to outline a subsystem of the Echelon Gaming System: Factions & Reputation.  I have never put much stock in alignments, and always felt that they either were ignored or were too constraining when actually applied.  I think they were originally intended as a guide for roleplay, but I feel that players can create their own guide(s).  So I have replaced them with a Faction node system.

I say node system because each Faction is represented in a node.  A node can have mulitple parent and child nodes, so the system can become very complex, however it can also be quite simple, since technically there could just be one node.  I like my games crunchy, and the Faction node system definitely delivers.

Factions work very similar to how Organizations were set up in 3.5, except I have expanded them.  I have made the extremes of the traditional alignment axes [Good & Evil, Law & Chaos] top level nodes in my system.  Each node contains two lists of behavior: Acts of Favor and Acts of Disfavor.  Each act has a numerical value that is added to your Reputation score whenever you perform one of these acts.  Every faction has a list of Benefits and Detriments.  You gain access to a benefit when your Reputation meets or exceeds the value listed.  Detriments automatically take effect when your Reputation is less than or equal to the value listed.

Some acts have a waiting period, which means it is either measured over that period of time, like Tithe, or you must continuously perform the act.  Also, the Rep gained from certain acts can be lost after a certain time has elapsed without the character performing the said act.

Example Faction:

Good

Good is the substance of moral fiber, selflessness, and making the right choice instead of the easy choice.  The gods that serve the greater good can recognize the mark that doing good deeds leaves upon the soul.  Agents of Good will aid those with this mark but will seek to intervene in the malicious activities of the agents of Evil.

Acts of Favor                                   Value     Waiting Period    Lost

• Worship at Good Temple                    5              Immediately           1 month
• Tithe 5% of worth to Good Temple*    10            1 Season                1 Season
• Feed the Hungry                                 20            Immediately           1 Month
• Save the Helpless*                             30             Immediately           Never
• Complete Good Quest*                      Variable    Immediately           Never

Acts of Disfavor                               Value**  Waiting Period    Lost**

• Acts of Favor for Evil Faction              x 1.5         Immediately          x 5
• Ignore the Hungry                               10             Immediately          1 Month
• Theft for Personal Gain*                      20             Immediately          1 Year
• Condemn the Helpless*                      55             Immediately          Never
• Kill the Defenseless*                           100           Immediately          Never

Benefits                                           Value    Uses

• Lodging                                              40           1/week
• Diplomacy I                                        60           Always
• Ritual Blessings                                  70           1/month
• Library Access                                    80           1/month
• Diplomacy II                                       100         Always
• Quarters                                             200         Always
• Discount Healing                               250         Always
• Supplies                                             300         1/month
• Diplomacy III                                     400          Always
• Divine Assistance                              500         1/season
• Sanctuary                                           600         1/year
• Free Healing                                      750          1/week
• Resurrection                                      1000        1

Detriments                                           Value

• Deny Healing                                       -25
• Emnity I  (negative diplomacy mods)       -50
• Emnity II                                             -100
• Emnity III                                            -200
• Attack on Sight                                   -350
• Pursue                                                -500
• Hunted                                               -750

* These acts can be performed more than once, Tithing is per 5% donated during the waiting period.
** A multiplier in a Acts of Disfavor means you multiply the original value with this figure.

This is just an abstraction, and I haven’t provided many of the details, but more than enough information for any DM to apply this sort of structure to his or her own campaign.  Some variations on this idea included having the Church of Pelor be a child faction of Good.  One of the benefits could include access to custom spells or prestige classes such as the Radiant Servant.  As you can see, some complicated levels of Faction interactivity could be accomplished.  Such as gaining Rep in one faction can reduce the Rep of another, and not at a 1:1 ratio.

There are some drawbacks to the system, with the obvious being the additional overhead of tracking Reputation, but things could be streamlined so certain Reputation points don’t expire.  As a DM I expect you’ll either love it or hate it.  And some people will make the MMORPG statement, but the idea of reputation and factions is far older than MMOs; in fact, I remember how fun messing with the factions from GTA 2 was back in the late 90s.

Listening to: Silent Civilian – Rebirth of the Temple – Bitter Pill

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