Bayonet
First Post
Or any other campaign…
When I skimmed through the Starter Set, I was pretty interested in the fact that faction agents were active within the module.I was ready for intrigue, espionage, political maneuvering , low-level guerilla warfare. The whole bit.
So I was kind of disappointed to find out that the extent of interaction between any of the named Faction Agents/Recruiters amounted to nothing more than ;
“Hey, Adventurebro? Wanna be in my secret club? Cool, you’re in!”(High fives all around as player updatesmiscellaneous info on character sheet.)
So, I was thinking, does anyone have any ideas on how to work in more of a quest line for the factions? Something that lets the PC’s explore moral boundaries and work for the overall good of a group?
I haven’t thought up any specifics, but here’s how I generally see the Faction aims for Phandalin.
The Lords Alliance; Aggressive, Militant, Political
“Phandalin is an up and coming frontier boom-town. A valuable community, but one mired in chaos,disorder and criminality. What Phandalin needs is good governance. Someone to uphold Law and Order, Defend the people of the township, and collect taxes to go toward public works. “
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents. (By law, byforce if necessary.)
-Secure the town and surrounding areas from enemy and criminal action.
-Organize a government and militia loyal to the Lord’s Alliance to administer the town.
The Zhentarim; Ambitious, Opportunistic, Unscrupulous
“Phandalinis a rich little mining town right now, and if our spies have it correct, may hold the key to much more power. We want a knife at every back and a finger in every pot on this one.A ny businesses, any crime families, any treasure hunters will answer and pay tribute to US! They may support the Lord’s or guilds on the face of it, but we must ensure werun the show behind the scenes.”
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents. ( By any means necessary, but keep it quiet.)
-Infiltrate the criminal networks both in and around Phandalin. Destroy any who resist.
-Extort and control local businesses, mines and principal citizens. Murder and replace any uncooperative fools.
The Order of the Gauntlet; Honorable, Vigilant, Zealous
“Phandalin is a troubled town; the campaign for worldly wealth has led the citizens astray, into sin, indolence and corruption. What Phandalin needs is spiritual revival and righteous purification! We will cleanse the wickedness from this frontier town and use the wealth to create a paragon of Holiness!”
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents (Convert theWayward, Smite the Wicked!)
-Cleanse Phandalin and the surrounding areas ofEvil, lead the town itself to a path of righteousness!
-Being the townsfolk into the fold. Consolidatepower in the hands of the Temples.
Emerald Enclave; Decentralized, Hardy, Reclusive
“ Phandalin has become a blight on the landscape. Once a gem of a farming town, Phandalin has turned its face from Nature and chased the destructive path of wealth for wealth’s sake. Phandalin needs to drive off the speculators and surveyors, fill in the mines and once again be made one with Nature.”
Objectives:
-Neutralize rival faction agents (Drive off the unnatural and the “civilized”)
- Cease the digging and robbing of the earth.Ruin those who profit from destruction!
-Return the town and its people to a state of harmony with Nature. Let the forest envelop Phandalin once more.
The Harpers: Benevolent, Knowledgeable, Secretive
“Phandalin is a free township, beholden to no-one. The people deserve to decide their own fate, instead of being pawns in someone else’s game. What Phandalin needs is to declare and defend its independence, and drive out the manipulators!”
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents ( Play them off against each other, maneuver them away from the town without being obvious about it)
-Shut down the intrigue and machinations of different groups.
-Organize the townsfolk to become aself-governing, independent society.
Anyway, little long-winded, I know, but I think I may try toorganize some quest lines along this frameworkwhen I get a chance to DM the adventure. Probably be awhile yet, though.
What do you guys think? Interesting? Too elaborate for the adventure? Anyone have any ideas for specific quests, etc. Do you guys work the Factions and their goals into your campaigns, or just shunt them off to the side? I'm interested to hear all takes on it.
Thanks for reading.
Edited to fix wonky formatting.
When I skimmed through the Starter Set, I was pretty interested in the fact that faction agents were active within the module.I was ready for intrigue, espionage, political maneuvering , low-level guerilla warfare. The whole bit.
So I was kind of disappointed to find out that the extent of interaction between any of the named Faction Agents/Recruiters amounted to nothing more than ;
“Hey, Adventurebro? Wanna be in my secret club? Cool, you’re in!”(High fives all around as player updatesmiscellaneous info on character sheet.)
So, I was thinking, does anyone have any ideas on how to work in more of a quest line for the factions? Something that lets the PC’s explore moral boundaries and work for the overall good of a group?
I haven’t thought up any specifics, but here’s how I generally see the Faction aims for Phandalin.
The Lords Alliance; Aggressive, Militant, Political
“Phandalin is an up and coming frontier boom-town. A valuable community, but one mired in chaos,disorder and criminality. What Phandalin needs is good governance. Someone to uphold Law and Order, Defend the people of the township, and collect taxes to go toward public works. “
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents. (By law, byforce if necessary.)
-Secure the town and surrounding areas from enemy and criminal action.
-Organize a government and militia loyal to the Lord’s Alliance to administer the town.
The Zhentarim; Ambitious, Opportunistic, Unscrupulous
“Phandalinis a rich little mining town right now, and if our spies have it correct, may hold the key to much more power. We want a knife at every back and a finger in every pot on this one.A ny businesses, any crime families, any treasure hunters will answer and pay tribute to US! They may support the Lord’s or guilds on the face of it, but we must ensure werun the show behind the scenes.”
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents. ( By any means necessary, but keep it quiet.)
-Infiltrate the criminal networks both in and around Phandalin. Destroy any who resist.
-Extort and control local businesses, mines and principal citizens. Murder and replace any uncooperative fools.
The Order of the Gauntlet; Honorable, Vigilant, Zealous
“Phandalin is a troubled town; the campaign for worldly wealth has led the citizens astray, into sin, indolence and corruption. What Phandalin needs is spiritual revival and righteous purification! We will cleanse the wickedness from this frontier town and use the wealth to create a paragon of Holiness!”
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents (Convert theWayward, Smite the Wicked!)
-Cleanse Phandalin and the surrounding areas ofEvil, lead the town itself to a path of righteousness!
-Being the townsfolk into the fold. Consolidatepower in the hands of the Temples.
Emerald Enclave; Decentralized, Hardy, Reclusive
“ Phandalin has become a blight on the landscape. Once a gem of a farming town, Phandalin has turned its face from Nature and chased the destructive path of wealth for wealth’s sake. Phandalin needs to drive off the speculators and surveyors, fill in the mines and once again be made one with Nature.”
Objectives:
-Neutralize rival faction agents (Drive off the unnatural and the “civilized”)
- Cease the digging and robbing of the earth.Ruin those who profit from destruction!
-Return the town and its people to a state of harmony with Nature. Let the forest envelop Phandalin once more.
The Harpers: Benevolent, Knowledgeable, Secretive
“Phandalin is a free township, beholden to no-one. The people deserve to decide their own fate, instead of being pawns in someone else’s game. What Phandalin needs is to declare and defend its independence, and drive out the manipulators!”
Objectives;
-Neutralize rival faction agents ( Play them off against each other, maneuver them away from the town without being obvious about it)
-Shut down the intrigue and machinations of different groups.
-Organize the townsfolk to become aself-governing, independent society.
Anyway, little long-winded, I know, but I think I may try toorganize some quest lines along this frameworkwhen I get a chance to DM the adventure. Probably be awhile yet, though.
What do you guys think? Interesting? Too elaborate for the adventure? Anyone have any ideas for specific quests, etc. Do you guys work the Factions and their goals into your campaigns, or just shunt them off to the side? I'm interested to hear all takes on it.
Thanks for reading.
Edited to fix wonky formatting.
Last edited:
