SW5e - Wretched Hives - 20201013

FACTIONS
Faction can vary greatly in size and renown, from a
lowly local adventurer's guild to a galaxy-spanning
criminal organization. The nature of factions drastically
di er as well, depending on the faction's intended
focus.
FACTION TIERS
Factions vary in tier depending on their size. Smaller
factions will typically hover between tier 1 and tier 5,
while larger, galaxy-spanning factions might reach tier
20. Higher tiers require more active members, but
grant greater bene ts to them, as shown in the Faction
Bene ts table on page ---.
PROFICIENCY BONUS
Factions have their own pro ciency bonus, which
scales with their tier. This pro ciency bonus a ects
actions that faction takes as a whole, or actions taken
by members of appropriate rank, in the ability scores
in which the faction is pro cient.
ABILITY SCORES
Ability scores represent what a faction choose to focus
on for its enterprises. Their are six ability scores:
Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom,
and Charisma. Ability scores are discussed at greater
length in Chapter 4: Using Ability Scores.
FACTION TRAITS
Every faction is unique, not just in how they function,
but also their goals, beliefs, and what kind of members
they attract.
GOALS
Each faction has its own goals. One of the most
common goals many factions share is the desire for
increased wealth and in uence. Many factions,
however, have goals unique to their own e orts. For
instance, a faction might have a goal of maintaining
peace and prosperity in their region, directing all of
their wealth and in uence towards that one goal.
BELIEFS
Each faction also has its own beliefs. Many nefarious
factions, such as the Exchange, believe power should
be wielded by the strong, and that the weak deserve to
be enslaved, while a more monetarily motivated
faction, such as the Commerce Guild, believe that
material wealth is the greatest source of control.
MEMBER TRAITS
Members of a faction are often drawn to it because
they share common traits with its members. For
instance, criminals who prefer to work alone, or in
small groups, might be drawn to the Black Sun, while
bounty hunters might choose to join the Bounty
Broker's Association to earn greater wealth and
prestige.
HEADQUARTERS
Most factions have use of a headquarters. For smaller
factions, it might be a simple building, or even a room.
For larger factions, however, it might be a space ship, a
space station, or even an entire moon or planet. A
faction headquarters is required to recruit members to
a faction.
A faction can have any number of headquarters,
provided it has the sta and funds to maintain them.
However, every headquarters requires at least one 4th
rank or higher member to administrate.
OPERATING COSTS
Beyond the required costs for actually maintaining a
headquarters, factions have costs directly associated
with their functions. These fees might cover licensing
fees, bribes, government contracts, etc. These fees
amount to roughly 1,000 cr per headquarters per
month.
RECRUITING
In order for a faction to grow, it must recruit members.
While lower tier factions can thrive with only a few
members, higher tier factions require constant e ort
by thousands or more members. Additionally, a
smaller faction might have trouble recruiting skilled
members, while larger factions probably don't.
Each membership rank can only support members
of a certain CR or higher, as shown in the Membership
Ranks CR and Renown table below.
Membership
Rank
Minimum
Member CR
Monthly Renown
Generation
1 1/8 1
2 1/2 2
3 1 3
4 2 4
5 5 5
Additionally, certain NPCs might also require a
higher tier to join your faction. For instance, a skilled
craftsman might not have a high CR, but might still
require a faction to be a higher tier to merit joining.
RENOWN
Characters who act on behalf of their faction's interest
earn renown, improving their own standing within their
faction as well as their faction's overall e ectiveness. In
order for a faction to increase in tier, it must have a
speci c amount of renown, as shown in the Faction
Bene ts table on page ---. Additionally, once a faction
reaches tier 6, it must have a certain amount of
renown generated each month in order to progress to
subsequent tiers.
NPC faction members generate an amount of
renown each month determined by their rank in the
faction, as shown in the Membership Ranks CR and
Renown table above.
CHAPTER 3 | FACTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP 30