Worldbuilding: Organizations

Dannyalcatraz

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Inspired by RangerWickett’s venerable “Campaign In A Nutshell” thread:


I’m starting this thread to create a system/genre-neutral resource for those seeking organizations they can use in their own homebrewed campaigns as-is or as a source of inspiration. They can be positive, negative or variable forces by design or within the context of a given campaign.

Please post organizations in as much or as little detail as you’d like. Go nuts!

Starting off, here’s one I created (with DM’s approval) as a background for a 3.5Ed “Arcane Paladin” character. (He was a “Sword”.)

ILLUMINATED SOCIETY OF THOTH

Motto
: “Ardere et Lucere” (“To be enkindled and to enlighten”)

This selective, secular organization is loosely associated with the Church of Thoth. It is a diverse confederation of individuals devoted to the discovery and control of knowledge of all kinds. One need not be a believer in Thoth to be offered an invitation to join, but it helps. Members are typically well-informed in many areas, either by formal education or by life experience.

The Society is subdivided into factions that have different functions. Faction affiliation is self-chosen, and may even change on an annual basis.

The Quills of Thoth are administrators and archivists of the organization. They keep the Society's history and traditions. They serve as educators, both to the Society's members, and some within the community at large. They even conduct independent research.

The Swords of Thoth are the adventurous ones who go out into the world to acquire new knowledge or prevent its use, and they are the Society's enforcers if such are needed.

There is a third faction within the Society, The Scarlet Ibis. This group consists of 9 members, each of whom anonymously serves a 6 year term. Every 3 years, 3 of the positions within the Ibis are re-chosen by secret ballot, from the ranks of the entire Society, regardless of faction or seniority. They serve their term anonymously. The Scarlet Ibis is responsible for making the life & death decisions dealing with the Society as a whole or with individual members. For example, it is they who decide if a member or an outsider requires punishment- up to and including death- for the improper use of knowledge. They decide whether a particular bit of knowledge is safe or too dangerous, and to whom it can be entrusted, if anyone.

Even so, the Scarlet Ibis only issue the decree, the Society as a whole must decide on its implementation. If the Ibis decree a bit of knowledge is too dangerous for widespread dissemination, the entire society is eligible to vote on what will be done with it, up to full suppression or destruction. And if the Ibis decide a Society member is to be disciplined, even the accused has a vote in the method and severity.

Though it is not Thoth's weapon of choice, many Society members favor the use of straight, double-edged blades of all kinds as the embodiment of the common aphorism, "knowledge is a double-edged sword."

As noted, this was created for a D&D campaign, but could work in a variety of genres.
 

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payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario

Dannyalcatraz

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Another organization I created as part of a character’s background. In this case, it was Magnus Skyhammer, a Starlock/Psion.

CLAN SKYHAMMER'S OATH:

In deepest mine, on mountain's height
Our cunning foes will face our might
No Far Realms scourge evades our sight
Skyhammer clan's eternal fight!


Clan Skyhammer has taken an oath to protect the world from incursions from the Far Realms. Skyhammer’s stronghold is on a mountaintop, from which their many astrologers watch the night sky, scanning tirelessly for signs of falling stars striking the ground...because they had figured out that some- but not all- such impacts were actually “eggs” sent from the Far Realms.*

Each member of Clan Skyhammer is devoted to the mission, either in observation and research, or in retrievals/confrontations.




* Plus starmetal was highly prized by Dwarven crafters, and no one made better use of the material than those in Clan Skyhammer.
 

Dannyalcatraz

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S.T.A.R.
Soviet Tactical Armed Response
(Советский тактический вооруженный ответ “Sovetsky Tatichesky Vooruzhenny Otvet”)

Originally created for an 80s-90s superhero campaign, S.T.A.R. is the English name for what is essentially a Soviet-Union based agency with aspirations to be similar to S.H.I.E.L.D., but is really more like a country-wide S.W.A.T. unit tasked with dealing with situations beyond the capacity of regional authorities. Their field agents are typically armed with weapon-resistant uniforms, energy rifles (stun or kill settings), and short-range “jump jet” flying packs. When I ran them in my campaign, they had access to better equipment, but only in limited quantities, so special authorization was required.
Besides superheroic or super-spy/agent games, they could also be used in modern horror or near-future science fiction settings as well.
 
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Dannyalcatraz

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G.A.I.A.
Global Agency for Interplanetary Action

This organization was created for a supers game using an expanded version of Space:1889’s setting.

It was a INTERPOL/S.H.I.E.L.D. type organization, with a mix of super agents and actual superheroes. They were a law enforcement agency (for the PCs) with jurisdiction over “super” crimes on Earth, Mars, Venus & the Moon.
 

aramis erak

Legend
The Right Noble Order of Farmers...
Symbol: a pin of a plow on a disk, often as a clasp on a tunic or cloak.
Goals: Reduced upper class taxation, increased middle class taxation, improved farming. In about that order.

The order has almost no actual farmers, as in guys who work the land. It's a prestige society for landowners who either hire farmers or have serfs... typical secret society - quite visible for their championing of best practices and actual research, but also covertly working to bring taxation down on their estates and increase it on the urban classes and freeholders.

It can work in any society where there is a form of aristocracy - either by birth or economic - and enough free time from warfare to engage on the social battles instead... Rome (republic, imperial, or byzantine), later dynastic Egypt, Renaissance Europe, modern "Western Civilization."

Rituals will include a bunch of ancient mythology about farming and the gods thereof. Secret handshakes and challenge response codes. Rituals performed in starkly plain peasant-farmer-style garments of rich materials (materials which, in medieval times, would have peasants executed as thieves)... The order claims to not be a religion, but its practices are the ancient rituals to appease the farming gods of some prior culture.

For the most part, they're neutral towards the actual farming folk - when times are hard, they're going to pester other wealthy types to donate to relief for the real farmers, and generally, that donation goes to replacing seed-stocks, building irrigation, and/or repairing/replacing housing destroyed. Often, this is also subsidizing their repairs to peasant or serf housing on their own lands... when times are good, they're going to take all the social contract allows. But they also throw some big farmer parties for the actual farm workers, which holds them in good stead with the farmers... a calculated self-interest.

In a magic-works setting, they also bless fields, as their patrons are the older deities/immortals. They do charge for it, but only enough to cover for the costs of the needed materials. (In D&D terms, the leadership spend a feat after level 3 to obtain one spell, a fertility of the fields spell. Gives a +1 to all rolls relating to running a farm for one season, requires 1gp in specific herbs and minerals per acre (64pp per sq mi)). It is customary for the working farmers to provide a dinner, as well, for the local chapter's master.

Officers: Master, Master's Mate, Warden of the Barn (supervises the meeting hall and its maintenaance), Warden of the Seed (treasurer), Warden of the Waters (membership clerk), Warden of the Ways (Recorder/secretary), Warden of the Word (chaplain/cleric), Foreman of the Fields (trustee/auditor, 3 year), Foreman of the Plows (trustee/auditor, 2 year), Foreman of the Beasts (Trustee 1 year), Guards (2), . Outside security is hired. The guards alternate being inside and being outside supervising the hired exterior security.
Minimum chapter size is 36. The Foremen are elected for 3 years, but rotate through the titles, so only one is elected per year. The Master must be a former Master's Mate, and the Master's Mate must have been a Foreman. This is exempted if no one not in higher office has the requirements. If a vacancy happens, the master gets replaced by the Mate; the mate gets replaced by a Foreman of the lowest years left. Wardens are replaced by special election, as are foremen.

Dues are not high; 12 GP per year. But not any old GP will do - at least 4 of that must be in their own coin... which is earned either for donating 50 gp to a specific event, giving a fete for a meeting, or working a full day's actual labor on a given project, or hiring 10 days of laborers at one's own expense for a project. Alternatively, donating an Acre to the Order covers a year's dues. Each chapter sends 1/12 of its received dues to the Grand Chapter. Meetings are on the third evening after the full and new moons.,

The Grand Chapter is attended by the Master, Mate, and a non-officer selected randomly from those nominated by 4 members of the local chapter.

The Grand Officers have the same titles, prefixed with Grand. The Grand officers are elected by the Grand Chapter from those present. The Grand Officers also attend; while in office, they must surrender their position at the local chapter, and attend at the Grand Barn for Grand Officer meetings on meeting nights. The Grand Chapter meeting is the 7th day after the meeting after the summer solstice. Any travelling officers may drop in on the grand officer's meetings.

If the local nation has multiple chapters, a National Master and National Warden are chosen to do administrative reporting. They attend the Grand Chapter meeting, but the rest of the year progress one meeting to another.

Needless to say, the officers need free time - too much to actually work their lands. This is the real price.

further, the Grand Chapter is rumored to be indebted to some eldritch horror. Whether this is true or not is entirely up to the GM.
 


Dannyalcatraz

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HYST: the world’s first stolen vehicle rideshare “company”.

Works just like Lyft or Uber, but the dark web app lets you schedule a stolen vehicle of the desired capabilities with a wheelman.

The car thieves & drivers are paid based on their skills & experience, which is figured in the cost charged for their services.
 
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payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario
HYST: the world’s first stolen vehicle rideshare “company”.

Works just like Lyft or Uber, but the black market app lets you schedule a stolen vehicle of the desired capabilities with a wheelman.

The car thieves & drivers are paid based on their skills & experience, which is figured in the cost charged for their services.
319c0f77d4f34c45d6125f87ad9569c3e4860b9e.gifv
 

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