Build a campaign questionnaire

Needs a bit of organizing

How many years do you have experience playing & GMing TRPGS?

What system do you wish to play?

Any little home brew rules/items/classes you wish to add (critical hit deck, 3rd
party book, etc)

What sort of themes are you looking for? (War, intrigue, mystery, adventure, high
fantasy, etc)

What are some things you are and aren’t comfortable with?

What do you as a character want to gain from this campaign? (A kingdom,

lichdom, etc)
What do you want to see? (A airship battle, heists everywhere, political
intrigue/blackmail, dragons burning a kingdom, zombie hordes)

What is the predominant setting of the campaign?

What are the races of this world (list two)

What level of magic/technology is available?

How does magic/technology work?

What a the dominant culture?

State?
Religion?

What is some predominant terrain in the land?

How many moons are there?

What are some popular animals?
Beasts?
Monsters?

What happens after you die?

Are there any gods? And if so who? What are they a god of?

Who is a figure of legend?

Were they good? Evil? Somewhere in between?
What did they do?
Are they alive now?

Character questions

What is your character?

How did he meet the group?
Why is he still with the group?

Could you use the backstory generator from XGTE?

Now look at your previous listings and add a few twists here and there, and look
at your friends listings and add a twist to two of them.

1. How old is your character?

2. Are your parents still alive?
3. If one or both of your parents are dead when and how did they die?
4. Who raised you after your parents died?
5. Do you have any siblings?
6. Have any of them died?
7. If any siblings have died how did they die?
8. What do your siblings do?
9. Is your character married?
 10. Does your character have children?
11.What social class is your character from?
12. How has their upbringing affected their world view?
13. How did your character get started in their chosen class?
14. Does your character have any heroes or inspirational figures?
15. Does your character have any significant personal items?
16. Is your character religious?
17. Is your character guided by a prophecy?
18. What is your character’s view on magic?
19. Has your character ever served in the military?
20. Has your character ever been arrested? What for?
21. How did your character meet his current adventuring companions?
22. Has your character ever crossed anyone?
23. Does your character have any enemies?
24. What are your character’s goals in life?
25. How important is the accumulation of wealth?
26. If your character died tomorrow what would they be remembered for?
27. Where did your character learn or train their skills?

1+3x3 world building exercise

1 theme

Pick Three things that support that thing

For example a city

People, places, and things

Then for people 1 important person and three factions

(Allies, neutral party, and an enemy)
Go another tier down
1 thing about them and three extra details
For example wants, resources, and a plan

Most important place

The other places that relate to it
And three places that support those
For facts about things in the same pattern
Start with the most important feature and Have a fact that supports the theme
Ask yourself if that is true, what else is true.

I remember like, god, angels/devils, organizations, magic items, spells, countries,

heroes, inns/taverns, army, fantastic locations, villains, minor npcs, rumors,
exotic animals, beasts/monsters, dungeons, cities and villages, threats, rumors
and some other things

There was:
God
Race
An artifact or magic item.
Spell
Fantastic location
Dungeon
Kingdom
City or town
Game or sport
Specific people
Inn
Historical Event
Faction or Organization
Quest
Monster
Trap
Treasure
Plane
Encounter
Wilderness location
Wild card

And then I've got a sport written down, but that may have been like a free space

Also include other questions like earthquakes and natural phenomena

Race, Empire, and Army Sheet

Making Race Sheet

● Why does my campaign need the race to be playable?
●
● What does the race look like?
● How would I describe the race’s culture?
● Where do the members of this race live?
● Are there interesting conflicts built into the race’s history and culture that
make the race compelling from a storytelling standpoint?
● What is the race’s relationship to the other playable races?
● What classes and backgrounds are well suited to members of the race?
● What are the race’s signature traits?
● In the case of a new subrace, what sets it apart from the other subraces of
the parent race?

Introductory Paragraph

Physical Description

Attitudes and Philosophies

Other Story Sections

Names

Racial Traits

Subraces
Introduction
Ability score increases
Age
Alignment
Size
Speed
Other traits
Languages

Quick Empire sheet using pathfinders/legendary games kingmaker rules or

Legendary Games Star Empires

Name:

Style of government:

Leader:
Overall Association:
Other notable figures:
Goals:
Size:

Economy:
Loyalty:
Stability:
Control DC:
Unrest:
Treasury:
Consumption:
Fame:
Infamy:
Edicts:

Settlements :
Name
 Capability
Culture
Defense
Law
Supply
Notable Assets
Notable locations
Notable NPCs

Vassals/Sovereigns:

Racial preference:
Major imports:
Major exports:
System of laws:
Outlawed:
Allowed:
Diversity:
Economic status: (imports / exports)
Relations :
-5 to +5 these influence social opinions
Culture:
History:
Improvements:
Notable Buildings:
Notable locations:
Notable Assets:
Notable Liabilities:

Two to five organizations

Name:
Leader:
Power:
Allies:
Enemies:
Agenda:
Easily bought:
Name:
Leader:
Power:
Allies:
Enemies:
Agenda:
Easily bought:

Name

Association

Goals

Relationships with others

Leader: Leomorn Briald (Cleric)

Major Figures

Type

Alignment

Size

Member Population

Resources

Demographics

Racial Demographics

Power: The Church of Pelor wields religious and magical power in the nation, and is constantly
expanding its ranks

Allies: the local healers/apothecaries, the common folk

Enemies: all “evil” churches

Current Agenda: increase number of followers (spread the word of Pelor), build more churches, rid
the land of darkness (send out clerics on adventures)

Easily bought: no, though some may be corruptible.

Armies
Society
Location

● weather
● landscape

Food
Clothes
Culture
Games

Resources
Building materials
People

● sub groups

Rites culturally

● laws
● Passages
● Government

Professions
Education
Castes
Stereotypes
Interactions with others

Military
Magic
Religion
Artifacts

Gods

● powers

Followers
Avatar
Wonder
Shrines
Sacred Laws
Sacred Rites
Threat
Epitaph
Domain
Relations with other gods
Looks

● symbol
● Appearance
● Face
● Eyes
● Voice

Organizations
Morals
Beliefs

Misc:

Other misc info

● Social Structure — A system of levels in society. This can be economic

(jobs and wealth), social (popularity), or etc.
● Stable Food Supply — When a society has enough food so it can survive,
with some extra to trade.
● Religion — A set of beliefs, usually in a god or gods, together with forms of
worship such as holidays, prayer services, and rituals.
● Government — A group of people who keep law and order and make laws.
● Writing — Symbols and signs put together to make words.
● Culture — A people's unique way of life—all of its forms of creative
expression and entertainment
 ● Technology — All advances, inventions, and processes created to make
life easier.

Writing a secession
Take your time and write it slowly

Go somewhere cool
Talk/interact to someone or something interesting
Learn Something New
Fight Something
And get a reward be it coin, allies, resources, lore, magic, etc

Use Subversion
3-5 each
interesting Npcs to talk to
encounters or Things to fight
Interesting Places to explore

Follow the rule of 3-5

Show don't tell
Keep it simple stupid
Use magic sparingly
Keep it mostly easy and contained
Plot one hour of writing for one to two hours of gameplay. Write any ideas you
have about what you want to see in later note to use.
Use tools like Donjon and 3rd party books and tools for inspiration.

3-5 scenes/encounters expected each lasting 5-20 minutes.

3 sub elements and twists. (Minor npcs, rooms/places, minions, dangers, traps,
setbacks, and of course treasures and boons)
3 paragraphs of expected story, dialogue, and descriptions.
I normally put some random tables together, or adapt one's I have already made.
Most of my game is ran off random tables. Sometimes I roll on these before a
session so I know what to expect, and sometimes I just pick things off them
before a session. Otherwise I just roll during the session. I have tables for all
sorts of things.
I then jot down some NPC's, a couple of locations, and then a list of potential
hooks. I try to keep it simple.
If there are encounters that I know they will come up against, or have a good
idea of what their plans are, I will prep accordingly, and if they are in a dungeon
or somewhere more contained I usually prep battlemaps etc.
I use random encounters, and I have a list of random 'story' encounters as well.
These have been fleshed out and are ready to drop into the game at any point. I
also put together a few thematic battlemaps based on their location.
As for the wider story, I have notes on the overall plot, and notes on the BBEG's
ambitions, what the main baddies are trying to achieve, and where they are at
with their plans. I then have a list of things that will happen in the future based of
this and drop them into game as the narrative dictates.
Once you stop prepping so much you are forced to ad-lib, and once you get the
hang of ad-libbing things become easier. So basically, I have a random table
engine, current location/mission notes, and wider plot notes. Everything is
stitched together during the session as needed.

Secession Cheet Sheet

Secession Number
Date
Campaign

3-5 Each - 1-5 paragraphs long, pictures optional

NPCS & Descriptions

(interesting names, descriptions, basic info, other details, and give a twist (see
the NPC sheet)
•
•
•
 •
•
•

Locations & narrative descriptions

(Where it is, importance of it, special features, maps, npcs)

•
•
•
•
•
•

Encounters & Narrative Descriptions

(Social, Exploration, puzzles, fights, traps, etc) all bear a risk and reward,
perhaps give treasure or information, and generally can use different
approaches, and remember to add a twist.

•
•
•
•
•
•

Rewards & Descriptions(information, plot advancements, XP, Goods, Treasures,

Followers)

•
•
•
•
•
•
Story Points (keep it a sentence to a paragraph for each point)

——————————————————————
Story progression

—————————————————————

Notes

NPCS guide
Name
Need (more immediate)
Desire (long term goals)
Enemy
Ally
Passion
Occupation
History
Object
Appearance
Talent
Mannerism
Interaction with others
Useful Knowledge
Personality traits
Ideal
Bond
Flaw
Rumors
Secret
https://www.kassoon.com/dnd/npc-generator/

http://www.npcgenerator.com

Use characters from history and media to help

Encounter Guide
Use kobold fight club, sly flourish, random generators, and DONT be afraid to
reskin a monster. Steal battle maps

Use these 7 things

1. Balance (low, reg, high cr)
2. Variety (monsters, tactics, environments)
3. Cover
4. Concealment
5. Movement options
6. Hazards
7. Dimensions

Random diplomatic chart issue

Chance of occurring each month
Spring - 75%
Summer - 50%
Fall - 25%
Winter - 15%

How many different nations are sent

1-10 1
11-18 2
19-20 3

How many parties with escorts are sent

1-11 - 1 individual
12-15 2 retainers
16-19 3 retainers
20 the leader of a organization

Which nation

(1-4 neutral, 5- 8 Friendly, 9-10 Hostile )

1-5
Duke Dregonnovitch of Avanil

Duke Grussenson of Tuornen

The Brechtür FreeManors

6-11

The Third Polisi League of Freedmen

The Polisi of the Swa’maris

The dwarven kingdom of Kor Erebos

Khanate Overlord of Ergugug’ushma

12-18

The Spiders of Gregavir

The Dueregar Republic Therengia Gregaviri

The Speakers of the Fuilli Woods

Barrowskings of the Gri’dra Polisi

The Theocracies of Jul

19-20

The villians

The pick men

The Followers of Ghra

The Yutt

The outcast

The Ultmar League

The Ruhmari

The Last gathering

Western Island Nation of the beastfolk and Crab people Raiders

Eastern Villas of halflings

What kind of issue

Economic 1-3
Military 4-6
Political 7-10
Religious 11-13
Legal 14-17
Arcane -18-19
Other -20

Economic issues
Trade deal
Embargo
Awful trade deal
Persuasion
Cancel a deal with someone else
Family

Military issues
Military access
Bandits
War
Alliance
Family

Political issues
Espionage
Hunt
Seduction
Marriage
Persuasion
Rulership
Intrigue
Family

Religious issues
Heresy
Arcane
Miracles
Conversion
Secret conversion
Family
Theology

Legal issues
Access
Murder
Theft
Crime
Disputes
Family

Arcane issues
Sources
Research
Resources
Other arcane affairs
Wizards
Family

Other issues
Events
Technology
Hunting
Carousing
Family
Scholarship

d100 books containing magical spells and techniques for characters to read and
learn during downtime

Inspired by an old Dragon Magazine article, I made a d100 list of tomes for
characters to find and what they can learn from them.

1. Arachne Arcana by Marcus Callahan (spider climb, web,)

2. Theories of the Metaphysical Multiverse by Darmammu (demiplane, planeshift)
3. Warding Words: a Memoir of a Private Life by Twilrich Van Velmop IV(alarm,
arcane lock, glyph of warding)
4. Intellectual Armory by Zaymond Corvine (booming blade, mage armor, shield)
5. Archery Magic for the Inclined Caster by Terren (Melf’s Acid Arrow, swift
quiver, flame arrows)
6. Mysticism in Pottery by Lönk (fabricate, magic jar)
7. Expeditions from the Elemental Plane of Earth by Annorus (mold earth, earth
tremor, wall of stone)
8. Hands: An Arcane Study by Bigby & Maximillian (bigby’s hand, maximillian’s
earthen grasp, burning hands)
9. Metamagical Importance of the Ellipsoid by Warlish (teleportation circle, circle
of death, magic circle)
10. Re-entry into the Elemental Plane by Annorus The Younger (transmute rock,
move earth)
11. Historical Attempts at Immortality by Vecna (reincarnate, clone, wish)
12. Pranks of the Archmage- Darmammu (psychic scream, weird, maze)
13. Magic Calligraphy by Amos (Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Writing, illusionary script,
skywrite)
14. Abyssal Gates by Ubashu (summon greater fiend, summon lesser fiend)
15. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fey Wild by Rel’Kahn (find the path, find traps,
create bonfire)
16. Occult Studies of Shadows by Watt Covenstalker (darkness, summon
shadowspawn, shadow blade)
17. Lawyers and Miracle Workers by Pasquale (glibness, antipathy/sympathy,
calm emotions)
18. Mythic Blades of the New and Old Age by Zaymond Corvine (Mordenkainen’s
Sword, Steelwind Strike, Magic Weapon, Blade of Disaster)
19. The Magic of Ding-Dong Ditching by Orson (knock, invisibility)
20. Dragons: The Original Magicians by Arulius Flemlore IX (dragon’s breath,
illusionary dragon)
21. The Essentials by Gallagher (firebolt, find familiar, and mending)
22. Careers in Athletics and Arcana by Kek & Asis (jump, haste)
23. Magicks of Makeup by Fabricus (disguise self, alter self, Tasha’s otherworldly
guise)
24. Metaphysics in Motion by Coppercritter (water walking, freedom of
movement)
25. Theories of Magi Tactics in Mass Warfare by Zaymond Corvine & Darmammu
(wall of force, fireball, lightning bolt)
26. Science of Evocational Abjuration by Terra Tay (symbol)
27. Treatise of Controlled Magical Phosphorescence by Merrick Von Reicher
(light, wall of light)
28. Paths into the Ethereal by Arulius Flemore VIII (blink, etherealness)
29. Meditations in Teleportations by Gerrick (misty step, far step)
30. Offsetting Elemental Investments of Self Vol. 1 by Cyrus (investiture of flame,
investiture of ice)
31. Offsetting Elemental Investments of Self Vol. 2 by Cyrus (investiture of stone,
investiture of wind)
32. Offsetting Elemental Investments of Self Omnibus by Cyrus (investiture of
flame, investiture of ice, investiture of stone, investiture of wind)
33. Theses of Electro-Arcana in Nature by Crag (lightning bolt, call lightning,
control weather)
34. Fantastic Precipitants by Hrodlot (sleet storm, snilloc’s snowball swarm, call
lightning)
35. Nautical Manipulations by Muivo (tidal wave, shape water)
36. Nautical Tactics and Combat by Muivo (flame strike, tidal wave))
37. Aerial Combat for Earthbound Creatures: A Career by Zaymond Corvine
(feather fall, misty step)
38. Theses in Seeing by Darmammu (arcane eye, scrying, foresight)
39. Small Construction and Large Deconstruction Projectbook by Twilrich Van
Velmop III (fabricate, shatter)
40. Arcane Theory of Regal Headdress by Marcus Callahan (Crown of madness,
crown of stars)
41. DIY Mystic Vacation Sites by Dante Corvine (Demiplane, Mordenkainen’s
Magnificent Mansion)
42. Oraden’s Traveler’s Essentials by Oraden (passwall, magic missile)
43. Strategies in Prisoner Detainment by Olaf & Ganesha (spike growth, gust of
wind)
44. Captured Beyond Death by Vecna (soul cage, force cage)
45. Science of Magically Endowed Creatures by Arulius Flemlore IX the Younger
(animate object, create homunculus, tiny servant)
46. Encyclopedia of Westbound Winds by Ferum (gust of wind, gust, control
winds)
47. Almanac of Elemental Weakness by Annorus The Younger (Elemental bane,
banishment)
48. Bugs, Grubs, and Arachnid Summoning by Varmus (infestation, giant insect,
insect plague)
49. Compendium of Voidal Summons by Thruun (Summon Aberration, summon
lesser Demon, summon greater demon)
50. The Complete Book of Portals by Dante Corvine (rope trick, passwall,
teleportation circle, plane shift, dimension door)
51. Conjectures of Otherworldly Communication by Watt Covenstalker (contact
other plane, augury)
52. Willful Manipulation of Cadavers by Vecna (animate dead, Danse macabre)
53. Arcane Bravery by Zaymond Corvine (heroism, false life)
54. Arcane Solutions to Commitment Troubles by Eris (feign death, time stop,
alter self)
55. Studies in Succor by Strahd (vampiric touch, blight)
56. Vampiric Eradication by Buffy (sunbeam, shape water,
57. Contrarian’s Approach to Magical Duels by Wes Heavensbee (counterspell,
hellish rebuke)
58. Techniques in Material and Metaphysical Dismal by Dante Corvine
(banishment, dispel magic)
59. Defensive Arcana: The Basics by Tarmuncules Alabaster White IV (magic
missile, shield)
60. Escort’s Guide to Profitable Business Ventures by Pasquale (charm person,
true polymorph)
61. Muted Speech by kyroc (speak with dead, speak with plants)
62. Alchemical Spellcraft by Tasha (Tasha’s Alchemical Brew, acid splash, poison
spray)
63. Beginner’s Guide to Useful Spellblade Magicks by Dara (true strike, blade
ward)
64. Collections of Psychic Powers by Krous (detect thoughts, viscous mockery,
65. Geometric Magics of Single Directional Lines by Xanathar (ray of sickness,
disintegrate, ray of enfeeblement)
66. Elemental Magic for Beginners by Annorus The Elder (acid splash, ray of
frost, firebolt, mold earth, shape water, thunder clap)
67. Writings from the Cryoplane by Viktor Stein (ray of frost, cone of cold,
otiluke’s frozen sphere)
68. Tutelage from Thirty Years Living With a Forest Wyvern by Cyrus (acid
splash, Tasha’s caustic brew, vitriolic sphere)
69. Elemental Catalysts by Tarmuncules Alabaster White IV (chaos bolt,
chromatic orb)
70. Cubic Rumination by Xanathar (fairy fire, forcecage, thunderwave)
71. Scientific Theories of Cone Exacted Magica by Xanathar (burning hands,
cone of cold)
72. Mythic History Canon by Marcus Callahan (legend lore, identify)
73. Almanac of Potions by Vorigan (detect poison, protection from poison,
identify)
74. Temporal Manipulations of Body by Oradin (haste, slow)
75. Temporal Manipulations of Mind by Oradin (feeblemind, foresight)
76. A Life Versus Death by Watt Covenstalker (protection from evil and good,
magic circle)
77. Elemental Armors by Zaymond Corvine (Armor of Agathys, flame shield)
78. Theories of Liquids in Metaphysics by Dara (grease, shape water)
79. Sediment Barrier Theses by Mordenkainen (wall of sand, wall of stone)
80. Neutralization of Arcana by Xanathar (antimagic field, dispel magic)
81. Tales of Indomitable Heroes by Vorigan (heroism, invulnerability)
82. Magic Prisons: How to Find Them and What’s Inside Them by Vorigan
(Imprisonment, forcecage)
83. Treatise of Invisible Forces by Tenser (mage hand, tenser’s floating disk,
unseen servant, wall of force)
84. Compendium of Fey Conjurations by Titania (summon fey, summon beasts)
85. Codex of Planar Contact by Dante Corvine (Contact other plane, astral
projection)
86. Spells for the Affluent by Cassius (sequester, drawmij’s instant summon,
clone, leomund’s secret chest)
87. Delve into Unconsciousness by Varmus (sleep, dream)
88. Lunar Chart Compendium by Chungus (moonbeam, crown of stars, meteor
swarm)
89. Manual of Mental Communication by Rary (rary’s telepathic bond, telepathy,
message)
90. Mystic Botanical Powers by Kcuc (Speak with plants, plant growth, grasping
vine )
91. Practices in Flight by Twilrich Van Velmop IV (fly, gaseous form, levitate)
92. Occult Concentrations in the Dark Arts by Eris (bestow curse, hex)
93. Ocular Enhancements by Xanathar (See invisibility, darkvision, blindness
deafness)
94. The Wanderer’s Study of the Arcanum by Unknown (detect thoughts, legend
lore)
95. Legend of the Fire Titan by Pasquale (enlarge/ reduce, flame blade)
96. How to Heist in Style by Shanks (knock, thunder step, shatter)
97. Science of the Summer Solstice by Gallagher (dawn, scorching ray)
98. Electrical Bindings by Ganesha (witchbolt, lightning lure)
99. Elemental Conversions and Guarding by Waggish (absorb elements,
protection from energy)
100. Treatise of Influence by Olfrig Voppen (mass suggestion, mind sliver)

100 words to know

Abase, abash, abattoir, abhorrent, ablution, abscess, abstemious, abstersion,

abstruse, accoutre, acephalous, acrid, aesculapian, affusion, ague, alembic,
alluvium, amanuensis, ambergris, ambrosia, ambry, amorphous, amphora,
anchorite, anfractuous, anodyne, anserine, antechamber, antediluvian,
anthelmintic, antic, aquiline, ardent, argot, ascians, asperity, astomatous,
atavistic, ataxia, augean, autarch, avuncular, bacchanal, badinage, bagatelle,
baksheesh, balderdash, baleful, baleen, ballyhoo, banal, bannock, banns,
bantam, barque, barmy, baroque, bashi-bazouk, bas-relief, bathos, bawdy,
bayard, beadle, beatitude, bede, begum, beldame, beleaguer, belfry, beltane,
belvedere, benefice, benison, benjamin, beshrew, besot, bete noire, bewray,
bibliolatry, bibulous, bier, bijou, bilbo, billingsgate, biltong, biretta, bivouac,
blague, blain, blandish, blarney, blaspheme, blowzy, bodkin, boeotian, bombast,
boreal, bouffant, bourse, bower, braggadocio, bravo, bretwalda, brine, bruin,
bucolic, bursar, cache, cachinnate, cad, cadaverous, cadge, cadre, caitiff,
calumny, camarilla, canard, canny, canticle, caparison, caper, carillon, castigate,
casuistry, cataphracts, cateran, caudle, caustic, cavil, celerity, cenobite,
chancellery, chary, churl, chyme, cinerary, circumvallate, cistern, clamber, clamor,
cockade, cognate, cognomen, coif, collet, colporteur, comely, commodious,
compurgation, concatenate, condign, condottiere, connubial, conterminous,
contretemps, conundrum, convalesce, convivial, coomb, coppice, coquette,
corban, cornucopia, coronach, coruscate, cosset, coterie, coven, covenant,
coxcomb, coxswain, cozen, crannog, crenellated, crepuscular, croft, crone, crony,
crotchet, cruciform, cubit, cuckold, cuirass, cur, cuspidor, cyclopean, cynosure,
dacoit, damask, dastard, dauphin, debauch, decuman, defenestrate, deglutition,
demesne, desiccate, diadem, diarchy, dictum, dirge, distaff, dobbin, dodder,
dolmen, dolor, dotterel, doughty, dowager, doyen, dragoman, dross, dudgeon,
duffer, durbar, ebullient, eclat, eidolon, efface, effigy, elan, eldritch, eleemosynary,
elegy, empyreal, ensanguined, epicure, epigraph, equerry, escutcheon,
eviscerate, excoriate, factotum, falderal, fallal, fardel, farrago, fasces, fester,
filament, firmament, fitz, flagellate, flagitious, foozle, fop, formic, fracas, fresco,
friable, frippery, frolic, fulgent, fulgurate, fuliginous, fulminate, fumarole, fustigate,
gaffer, galleass, gallipot, gallowglass, gammer, gardyloo, gentry, genuflect,
geophagy, gewgaw, gibbet, gimcrack, glaucous, gloaming, glower, gossamer,
gralloch, grippe, hagiography, halcyon, halidom, harangue, harbinger, harlequin,
harridan, hauteur, hebdomadal, hecatomb, helot, heriot, hermetic, hircine,
hirsute, hoary, hoyden, humbug, hussar, hydrargyrum, ichor, idolater, ilk,
imbroglio, indurate, ineffable, inexorable, infrangible, iniquity, inosculate,
insouciant, intaglio, inveigle, invidious, irascible, irk, itinerant, jabber, jackanapes,
janissary, jaundice, jeer, jejune, jeremiad, jingo, jocund, jongleur, jorum, joss,
jougs, jowl, jubilee, juggernaut, ken, kern, khamsin, kine, kirk, kirtle, kittle,
knacker, knell, knout, kowtow, kulak, laager, lachrymal, lackadaisical, lacuna,
lade, laggard, laird, lambent, lampoon, lanceolate, lancet, languor, lank, lanyard,
lapidary, lares, lariat, larrikin, lascivious, lassitude, laud, laureate, lazar, lazaretto,
leal, leaven, lector, lees, legate, legerdemain, leman, lesion, liege, liniment,
lissome, lithe, littoral, liturgy, loam, logogram, loll, lour, lucre, lupine, macerate,
machinate, madrigal, maelstrom, mafficking, malediction, mammon, mandarin,
mange, martinet, mawkish, medicament, mendacious, mendicant, métier,
miasma, missive, monomachy, mordant, mulct, nadir, naphtha, narcissism,
narcosis, nascent, naught, navicular, neap, nebulous, necromancy,
necrophagous, necropolis, necropsy, necrosis, nectar, ne’er, neuter, nexus,
nightshade, nihilism, nirvana, nitrate, noctule, node, nostrum, noxious, noyade,
nubile, nucleus, nugatory, nullify, obeisance, obese, oblate, oblique, oblivion,
obloquy, obsequious, obstinate, obstreperous, obtrude, obdurate, obtuse,
obverse, occult, ocular, offal, officiate, offspring, ogle, olfaction, omen, ominous,
onerous, onslaught, opaline, opiate, ordinal, ordure, orgy, orpine, oscular, ossify,
ostracize, ovoid, ozone, pact, palpable, palpitate, palsy, panacea, pandemonium,
pang, pannage, parabolic, paradox, paragon, parallax, paranoia, paraphernalia,
parasite, pare, pariah, particularism, partisan, pathetic, paunch, pawky, pediment,
penchant, pendant, pendulum, penitent, penology, pensile, pentacle, pentagram,
penumbra, penury, peptic, perdition, perfidy, perpendicular, perpetual, persecute,
pervert, pestilence, petty, phalanx, phallus, phlegm, phosphorus, pillage, pinion,
piteous, plague, placid, plead, plenitude, plight, pock, polemic, pollard, polyglot,
pompous, pontiff, porcine, potash, potent, primal, profane, prolate, propagate,
prostrate, pulverize, pumice, purgatory, purulent, pustule, pygmy, quagmire,
quarantine, quarrel, quasi, quench, quoin, quotient, rabid, rake, rampage,
rampant, ramshackle, rapacious, ravage, reap, reave, reckoning, recluse,
redolent, refute, regicide, regorge, regret, relapse, relic, relish, remorse, resinous,
resurgent, retribution, revenant, reverie, revive, rhapsody, rhetoric, rictus,
rigmarole, rime, rind, riparian, rookery, ruinous, runt, sable, sabotage, sacrilege,
salve, samite, sanctify, sargasso, scabious, scallywag, scalpel, scandalize,
scapegoat, scathe, scion, sclerosis, scour, scrag, scrimshank, sebaceous,
secession, secretion, secular, semblance, seminal, seminary, senile, sepulture,
serpentine, serrate, servile, shade, sham, shamefaced, shanty, shoddy, shorn,
shrill, shun, silage, silvanus, simulacrum, sinuous, sitar, skewbald, slander,
sluice, smattering, smock, sneer, snide, sordid, spawn, speculum, splay, spume,
stagnant, stagnate, stake, strangulate, strigil, stub, subjugate, suction, sulphur,
supernaturalness, supremacy, surge, suture, swagger, swamp, swank, sweat,
swill, syringe, taboo, taint, tallow, tangible, tardy, tariff, tatty, temerity, temperance,
tenuity, terret, terrify, tether, thane, theurgy, thews, thorn, thou, threshold, throb,
throng, thuggery, thy, titillate, topsy-turvy, torpid, tortuous, totem, toxin, tractable,
transform, trauma, tremulous, trigon, trotter, truncate, truss, tumulus, turgid,
tyrant, ugly, ulcer, ululate, umbral, undulate, unhallowed, unman, unravel,
unspeakable, uproar, usury, utter, vainglory, valgus, vapid, vault, vegetal,
venerable, vengeance, verdigris, vigilance, violate, viridescent, virus, viviparous,
voiceless, volition, voluble, vulgar, vulnerable, waif, wan, wangle, warn,
watchfulness, waxen, wean, wheedle, whorl, widow, widower, wince, wreath,
writhe, xanthous, xenophobia, xiphoid, xylograph, xylophagous, yearn, yule, zeal,
zealot, zenith, ziggurat, zounds

How to Run a Political Campaign

Have you ever heard from your players "Combat is fun, but we want to roleplay
more"? If you have, then you've probably considered running a political
campaign, but have no idea where to even begin. In this article, I'll go into what
makes really great political campaign tick, as well as common pitfalls to avoid.
What is a Political Campaign?
While I'm certain other DMs will disagree on the precise definition of "political
campaign", this is the one I'll be using:
A political campaign is a campaign where two or more factions are in conflict and
they are unwilling or unable to resolve it through direct confrontation.
The most important thing in a political campaign is that the party's objective(s)
cannot be accomplished primarily through combat. They'll need to outwit and
outmaneuver their opponents through subterfuge and manipulation. Leave your
weapons at the door. We're here to talk.
That's not to say that political campaigns are combat free. As power changes
hands, it's rare that it does so without a bit of bloodshed, and your players are
best suited to be right in the middle of it.
Factions
First, political games need antagonists. Since you'll be mostly working against
other intelligent beings, you'll need to establish a few things about them to
determine their purpose in the campaign and to motivate their actions. Here's a
brief checklist of things you should nail down for each group of people whose
goals align, also known as factions:

● Name and association. Is their name an official one or a nickname? How

does one earn or gain membership, either by blood, deed, or decree?
● Overall goals with regards to the campaign. What is the impetus that
spurs the faction to participate in the shifting political landscape instead of
passively observing.
● Relationship to other factions. How does each faction interact with the
others? Are they sworn enemies, rivals, friendly, or do they even know or
care of each other? The players should be considered their own faction
unless fully integrated into an existing faction. One easy way to track this is
with a 15 step point system where every 3 levels translates to a new level
of relationship. 1-3 would be hostile, 4-6, would be unfriendly or rivals, and
so on for neutral, friendly, and allies.
● Major players and leadership. Who controls the overall actions of the
faction? Are there multiple people whose goals are at odds? Who aside
from the leadership has the clout or leverage to change the group's
direction or goals?

Zoom Level
Before quitting your full-time job to prepare a triple-digit cast of named
characters, consider the "zoom level" of the campaign arc you're working with,
and how each NPC plays into that specific level.
The Zoom Level of your game can be roughly described as the people and
groups most directly involved with the party's current goals. While a political
campaign may span entire kingdoms and dimensions over its lifetime, simulating
every NPC's reaction to every event and turning all those knobs at once will
quickly become tiring. For this reason, it's important to introduce the players to
those they will be interacting with on a regular basis, plus one or two major
players from other factions one step outside the current zoom level. Not only
does this simplify the game for you, but it makes the NPCs and all their
interactions and desires more digestible for your players. I'm sure we've all sat
down to watch a beloved TV series only to be bombarded with dozens of named
characters whose screen time barely correlates to their importance to the story.
In order for your players to comprehend their opponents and begin to plan how to
manipulate them, you want to have as few names and relationships to remember
as possible.
To give an example of how a zoom level works, let's imagine a Thieves Guild
campaign. Starting out as a lowly squad of thugs, the players are largely
uninterested in the major noble houses of the city when they still need to
consider how to move up the ranks in the guild. Focusing on their direct superiors
and competitors within the guild would be Zoom Level 1. After being promoted to
a higher position, they are likely going to be in contact with the top leadership
and may have drawn the eye of some of the noble houses' liaisons at Zoom
Level 2. Later on in the campaign, after climbing the ranks to guild leader, the
goings-on of the low level thugs becomes less and less important, and the dukes
and duchesses of the noble houses take center stage at Zoom Level 3.
Impetus
Most groups of people are usually happy with the status quo. Rocking the boat is
dangerous and generally unprofitable. After factions and zoom level have been
established, next is to consider what I call "the impetus". What has changed or is
about to change in the landscape that causes these factions to be at odds with
each other? While a mustache-twirling Saturday morning cartoon villain that
wants to do evil for evil's sake makes sense for a game where conflicts are
resolved by punching people until they're sleepy, a political game thrives on
nuance and moral ambiguity. The impetus to your game should be all about
power.
Whether it's magical, civic, or personal, power is what drives ambitious people to
conflict. The impetus can be something as simple as a contested succession
when a monarch dies to as complicated as the slow unfolding of a decades long
scheme to establish a new government. It could be a magic artifact that could
give someone the advantage in a territorial war or a simple set of mundane robes
that grant the wearer ceremonial political power.
Regardless what you decide kick-starts the campaign, always be sure to
consider how the players may attempt to deal with whatever is causing the
conflict. If it's an artifact, you don't want the game to come to a screeching halt
just because they obtained it, and now you have to deus ex machina it out of
their hands. If a certain nobleman is the crux of all the enemy's machinations,
you don't want credits to roll because of a stray crossbow bolt.
Expectations
Another important thing to establish early on in your political campaign is the
expectations of your player characters with regards to violence and crime. It's
very rare that an archetypal paladin who swears never to tell a lie, always acts
with honor and dignity, and demands the same of their allies thrives in a political
game. As alluded to earlier, politics often occupies the grey areas of morality and
legality. A goody two-shoes tattletale character is more likely to be an obstruction
rather than an interesting exploration of being a beacon of light in the darkness.
By the same token, one of the things that are preventing the players from
resolving their conflict through open violence is usually the local law
enforcement. Murdering Mr. Douchebag McNobleman may be the morally right
thing to do or advance the party's goals, but if the town guard is in McNobleman's
pocket, then any overt actions that may impede his goals are likely to be dealt
with by putting the party in chains. For this reason, you should make liberal use
of "Your character would know that..." when describing the penalty for
transgressing certain lines they're more willing to cross in a murderhobo type
game.
All that being said, political games shouldn't be all back-alley deals and fake
smiles. Most TTRPGs' rules are built on combat. Sword-swinging and
gun-slinging are integral parts of the play experience; however, you will likely be
doing a lot less of it. That meas a few things to consider when designing your
campaign. Adventuring days will be much shorter, and the typical resource drain
much less impactful than in a dungeon crawl. In order to keep combat interesting
and relevant, that usually means upping the lethality of combat. Each combat
should also be much more meaningful than rolling on a random encounter table,
with the events that occur having a greater impact on the overarching events.
Plot? What plot?
You may notice how I didn't say the word plot once during this article, and there's
a very good reason for that. While the overall "story" of a political campaign may
share similarities to a classic adventure plot, it differs greatly in a very important
way. The players are much more of a driver of the direction of the game, and the
way the goals and priorities of the people around them shift and adapt to
changing circumstances is the "plot". This doesn't mean that the NPCs don't get
to plan ahead, but having any sort of pre-determined script robs the players of a
lot of agency they have over the world and people around them.
Much of the fun of political games comes from the party making waves in the
interpersonal landscape of their zoom level and watching how their actions ripple
out. As the party completes objectives and impacts the world around them, take
a moment to examine how each NPC at their zoom level would react. Do their
objectives change? Does this cause their attitude towards the party to shift? If
negatively, perhaps they are willing to become more antagonistic and give you
the opportunity to set up combat encounters. Perhaps they are more friendly and
approach the party with jobs or help.
While I'm certain each of these topics could spawn a discussion of its own, I'll
leave it there for now. If you have any further questions about how to run a
political game, leave a comment and I'll be happy to help you hash it out.

et me begin with a disclaimer: this is simply a guide; there is no right or wrong way to build a political
intrigue campaign. The following is just an outline of how I run this type of campaign, but ultimately
a DM must do whatever works best for him/her and their players. The following steps don’t need to
be completed exactly in the order I prescribe; this is just the method that works best for me.

Let’s start by creating nation-states. I start by choosing how many nations I want there to be. This
number can be any that you choose; I usually go with 5-6. I would say the least amount you could
have for a good political intrigue campaign would be 3. Remember that the more nations you have,
the more complex and dynamic relationships will exist between nations. Now I have to make the
nation come alive by giving it details. Decide on important details such as style of government, major
imports/exports, system of laws (if any), diversity of constituents and status of economy. Let’s
explore each of those categories a little more.

Style of government: You can choose any style of government you want, but you need to determine
who is the leader of governing body of the nation: who makes the decisions? Next, determine their
goals. Write out a few short term and long-term goals that the leader(s) want to accomplish, and
then detail how they plan to accomplish these goals. Do they favor or discriminate against certain
races or groups of people? Determining what drives the governing force of a nation is important for
when nations begin to interact.

Major imports/exports: When determining what the major imports/exports of a nation are, keep in
mind the nation’s geographic location. Geographic location can give an indication to the type of
goods a nation can produce itself, and the kind of resources a nation would lack. These details will
be important as some nations may have a resource others will need, and trade between those
nations would be a natural occurrence.

System of laws: What code of conduct is expected of a member of each particular nation? What
offences are considered criminal; what offenses are tolerated? Remember that not all nations, even
neighboring nations, will have similar law systems. Differing law systems between nations can
create moral dilemmas for your players and make your world seem diverse and alive.
Diversity of constituents: What is the racial make-up of each nation? Are any races more prevalent or
nonexistent? This detail can help you when populating cities later on.

Status of economy: Is the nation wealthy or in economic decline? The answer to this question will
determine the amount of trade flow and the general size of the army: more money can pay for more
soldiers. The status of the economy should be reflected in the towns/cities in the nation; they can be
well maintained, rundown or somewhere in between.

The next major step in creating a political intrigue campaign is to determine the starting
relationships between nations. What alliances exist, if any, between nations? Is there any open
warfare between any nations? Do any nations have a history of war with other nations? Basically,
determine how the state of relations between nations is at the start of the campaign. In addition, I
like to create a diplomacy stat for each nation. The number I use is between -20 to 20 and indicates
how much a nation is inclined to be helpful or hinder another nation. So, each nation would have a
diplomacy score for each other nation. This number is not static and can change when nations reach
new trade agreements, sign treaties or have a border skirmish. This number is used to determine the
attitude nations have against each other when having diplomatic relations.

Another important step I take, which is optional, is to create an ongoing timeline. I usually keep the
timeline short-term, as the events on it can change depending on player actions. Basically, the
timeline indicates events that will happen (assassinations, treaties, declarations of war, etc.) unless
the players intervene. I believe a timeline like this makes the world feel organic and makes player’s
decisions matter.

The next step is to detail out each nation a little more in depth. First, we need to detail out the
families and organizations with power in the nation. This includes guilds, noble families, wealthy
merchants, church organizations and ruling families. Each of these entities needs to be detailed out.
Who is the leader? How much power do they wield? What kind of power do they wield (military,
wealth, religious, royalty)? What allies/enemies do they have? What is their agenda (motives, needs)?
Can they be bought? Keep in mind that these organizations are going to be some of the major
groups the players interact with during the campaign, so they need to be fairly fleshed out. Next, you
need to determine where these entities are located. Are they all in the capital city or spread
throughout the nation?

Finally, you just need to flesh out the rest of your world. Populate it with plot hooks, NPCs and
interesting locations. Hope this guide helps you create a political intrigue campaign both you and
your players will enjoy.

We’ve looked at theory, now let’s make a practical example. I’m going to make three for this example:

Name: Galvia

Style of government: Absolute monarchy

Leader: King Adamar Stroan

Goals: free trade with Lidone (extend trade agreement), monopoly on ship building (control market
on lumber/recruit finest shipwrights), exert supremacy of the church (isolate/falsely accuse heretics
of crimes).
Racial preference: No preference

Major imports: lumber, salt

Major exports: ships, fish

System of laws:

Outlawed: thievery, murder, extortion, heresy, deserting, treason

Allowed: gambling, drunk in public, drug use

Diversity: All races are welcome and mingle here, Humans/Elves most prevalent.

Economic status: Wealthy (healthy trade, exports>imports)

Name: Lidone

Style of government: Plutocracy

Leader: Merchants Guild

Goals: free trade with everyone (create safe trade routes/create universal trade agreement), build the
world’s largest army (amass more wealth through trades), develop more efficient mining techniques
(fund research in science).

Racial preference: Gnomes and Dwarves, dislikes Orcs/Half-Orcs

Major imports: lumber

Major exports: salt, iron ore, precious gems

System of laws:

Outlawed: thievery, murder, deserting, treason, drunk in public, corporate sabotage, mining without
permit

Allowed: extortion, heresy, gambling, drug use

Diversity: Gnomes/Dwarves most prevalent, Orcs/Goblins almost non-existent

Economic status: Extremely wealthy (huge exports)

Name: Acenda

Style of government: Stratocracy

Leader: Hathas Adan’amar

Goals: conquer the known world (train more troops, build border defenses/better siege engines),
make country run more efficiently (remove religion for society, train troops from young age)

Racial preference: no preference

Major imports: ships, iron ore, mercenaries

Major exports: lumber

System of laws:

Outlawed: religion, thievery, murder, extortion, heresy, deserting, treason, gambling, drunk in public,
drug use, outsiders carrying weapons into a city

Allowed: child labor

Diversity: All races equally prevalent

Economic status: poor (imports>exports)

You’ll notice how many of the nation’s imports/exports tie into each other, which is only practical.
Also, the goals of these countries contradict somewhat, which is important to introduce conflict into
the world. Next, I’ll determine the starting relationships between the three nations.

Starting relationship between nations: There is a tentative peace agreement between the three
nations, but nothing in the form of a treaty. There are no trade agreements at this time, only a
case-by-case trade scenario. There is no open warfare at this time, but Acenda has a history of war
with Lidone. Diplomacy statistic for each nation:

Galvia: Lidone (5), Acenda (5)

Lidone: Galvia (10), Acenda (0)

Acenda: Lidone (-5), Galvia (0)

You’ll notice how the diplomacy stats for each nation loosely correlate with the initial state of affairs
in the world. Next, I’ll create a short timeline for upcoming events with a note on how the diplomacy
statistic might change after each event (changes will be marked in bold). Note that I scale the
timeline based on in-game days.

Timeline:

2 days (Trade agreement proposed by Lidone, large number of religious people in Acenda publicly
executed)

Galvia: Lidone (8), Acenda (3)

Lidone: Galvia (10), Acenda (0)

Acenda: Lidone (-5), Galvia (0)

4 days (Galvia accepts trade agreement/Acenda declines)

Galvia: Lidone (10), Acenda (2)

Lidone: Galvia (13), Acenda (-5)

Acenda: Lidone (-6), Galvia (-2)

10 days (Acenda begins building extra border defenses, attempt made to assassinate Lidone’s
leader, Galvia arrests group of men on suspicion of heresy)
Galvia: Lidone (10), Acenda (0)

Lidone: Galvia (10), Acenda (-9)

Acenda: Lidone (-6), Galvia (-2)

15 days (Lidone creates taxes on imports, Lidone hires more mercenaries, Galvia creates new law
requiring visitors to attend church, Sorenth declares war on Lidone)

Galvia: Lidone (8), Acenda (-3)

Lidone: Galvia (10), Acenda (-17)

Acenda: Lidone (-17), Galvia (-5)

As you may have noticed, the events that transpire will affect each nation's diplomacy with each
other depending on each nation's agenda and values. If a trade agreement is suggested, then
nation's that want more trade will be more favorable; meanwhile others might not care either way. If a
nation's leader is almost killed, then that nation will be suspicious of all the bordering nations. All the
additions and subtractions I made above were completely arbitrary: there is no exact number to
add/subtract every time. The timeline is simply a guide of events to come. Some of the events you
can drop hints of to your party so they have a chance to alter events. However, some events you
might never mention until they happen in an effort to take the party by surprise. The next step would
be to detail out the main components of each city. I will make two example organizations that could
be found in any city.

Name: Leighton Nobility

Leader: Zalec Leighton

Power: The Leighton’s hold considerably power in the nation, primarily in the form of their
extraordinary wealth.

Allies: Rayport noble family, Merchants Guild

Enemies: Thieves Guild, foreign merchants

Agenda: create safe trade routes (hire mercenaries to eliminate bandits), eliminate merchant
competition (sabotage trade efforts), ensure political power is friendly to cause (monetary
donations)

Easily bought: yes, but the price is high

Name: Church of Pelor

Leader: Leomorn Briald (Cleric)

Power: The Church of Pelor wields religious and magical power in the nation, and is constantly
expanding its ranks

Allies: the local healers/apothecaries, the common folk

Enemies: all “evil” churches

Agenda: increase number of followers (spread the word of Pelor), build more churches, rid the land
of darkness (send out clerics on adventures)

Easily bought: no, though some may be corruptible.

Well, there you have it! Each of these categories can be expanded on even more, and you can have
many more organizations that hold power in your nations. Remember, the amount of detail you need
to put into this outline is totally up to you, so know your own limits!

Edit: Format and content

Guild Secrets:

Using and Designing Guilds, Secret Societies, and

Cults
by Andy Collins, Dragon #296

This article lays out a framework to help you build organizations for your DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS campaign. Using a system similar to the DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide's
town generator, you can craft anything from a tiny boating partnership in the local village
to a sprawling thieves' guild in your favorite metropolis, including the organization type
and size, dominant alignment, resources available, leadership, racial demographics,
and class and level makeup of the entire group.

Step 1: Type

If you haven't already decided on the type of organization you want to create, use Table
1: Organization Types to randomly generate this information.

Step 2: Alignment

The alignment of an organization need not match the dominant alignment of its
community, although many do. If you haven't already selected your organization's
alignment, roll randomly on Table 2 Organization Alignment. Most organizations tend to
be lawful (the most stable of alignments). Some alignments might not match well with
certain organization types (see Table 1: Organization Types for typical alignments), but
that doesn't mean you can't creatively mix these two elements to form a unique
organization.

Lawful Good: A lawful good organization strives to help others, but tempers its
kindness with a devotion to the letter of the law and an attention to detail and policies.
Many centers of learning are lawful good.

Neutral Good: These organizations seek to help those in need, with little regard toward
influencing a community's power structure. Many charitable organizations are neutral
good.

Chaotic Good: An organization of this alignment works tirelessly to protect people from
tyranny. Chaotic good organizations are always trying to do the right thing, but a lack of
communication and forethought often causes plans to fail or members of the group to
work at cross-purposes. Such a group might serve as anything from peaceful protesters
to freedom fighters.

Lawful Neutral: Most lawful neutral organizations exist for their own purposes as much
as for their members. They tend toward bureaucracy and codified regulations, and they
stress the need for order above all else. Many trade guilds are lawful neutral.

True Neutral: Truly neutral organizations care little for the surrounding community,
instead spending their time furthering their own goals. They tend to be the most
welcoming of differing viewpoints. Many arcane guilds are true neutral, respecting each
wizard's right to her own beliefs.

Chaotic Neutral: While most chaotic neutral organizations claim to fight for personal
freedoms and against the encroachment of governmental power, many simply exist to
fight for the sake of creating contention. Chaotic neutral organizations might be groups
of vandals, anarchists, or revolutionaries.

Lawful Evil: A lawful evil organization uses the community's laws and regulations to
their best benefit, furthering their goals at the expense of those less able to exploit such
rules. Perhaps ironically, lawful evil organizations can (and do) exist quite well in
otherwise lawful good societies, simply because they are willing to follow the laws
(unless they can get away with breaking them). Expansionist or monopolistic trade
guilds might be lawful evil.

Neutral Evil: A neutral evil organization looks out for the needs of its members above
all else. Most thieves' guilds are neutral evil.
Chaotic Evil: Such an organization exists solely to help its individual members spread
hatred, destruction, and mayhem. A murder cult is one example of a chaotic evil
organization.

Step 3: Size

Determine how large the organization is and where it is based. If you haven't already
chosen a size based on your campaign needs, roll on Table 3: Organization Size. The
size (Minor, Medium, or Major) will help you determine the organization's member
population.

Step 4: Member Population

After determining the relative size of your organization, use the appropriate column on
Table 4: Organization Membership by Town Size to determine the population of your
organization. If you've already decided on the membership size and population, you can
skip this step.

Step 5: Resources

Just like a community, every organization has a gold piece limit to its resources based
on its size and population. The gold piece limit is an indicator of the maximum amount
of money the organization can afford to spend in any given week, on any one item, or in
pursuit of any given objective.

The gold piece limit noted in Table 4 is for a medium organization. A minor organization
has a gold piece limit of one-half the indicated value, while a major organization has a
gold piece limit of twice the indicated value.

Step 6: Demographics

To effectively use an organization in play, you must know the composition of the
organization. The following guidelines allow you to determine the most common classes
and races represented and the levels of the various members belonging to the group,
from the leader down to the lowest-ranking associates.

Class Demographics
The mix of classes represented in any given organization depends on whether that
group is exclusive (limiting its membership to a single occupation), mixed (with a
dominant class and a small representation of other classes), or integrated (including
members from a wide variety of classes).

You should be able to decide on a primary class based on the type, alignment, and
location of your organization. For instance, most trade-based organizations count
experts as their primary class, while religious organizations number adepts, clerics, and
other divine spellcasters in the majority. Most thieves' guilds are mixed, with the majority
of their members being rogues but with a fair number of experts, warriors, fighters,
bards, and other characters. A typical wizards' academy might be exclusive (limiting its
membership to pure wizards) or mixed (with sorcerers and other arcane casters joining
the assemblage). An adventurer's guild is likely to be highly integrated, with members of
all walks of life. Don't forget to include one or more NPC classes in your demographics,
particularly warriors and experts.

Highest-level Members

Use Table 6 and Table 7 to determine the highest-level character in the primary class of
your organization. Roll the dice indicated for the class that you have determined is
primary, and apply the modifier based on the size of the community found in Table 9.

For secondary and following classes, use Table 8 to determine the highest-level
character based on the town size. For instance, in a small city, the highest-level
character ot the organization's secondary class will be one-half the result derived from
Table 6 or 7, while the highest-level character of the organization's tertiary classes will
be one-fourth the normal result. Characters of other classes will be 1st level.

In larger communities, there is a chance that the highest-level character in the

secondary class will use the normal result from Table 6 or 7, and a chance that the
highest-level character in the tertiary class will be determined just as for the secondary
class. The highest-level character in all other classes will be half the result derived for
the tertiary class (which might be one-fourth, one-half, or even equal to the result
derived from Table 6 or 7). Round fractional results down, but treat any result of less
than 1st level as 1st level.

Note that in any organization, there is a 5% chance that a single member who doesn't
belong to the organization's primary, secondary, or tertiary classes will have a level
equal to (or maybe even higher than) the highest-level character in your organization's
primary class. This character might represent a "wild card" in the organization, a unique
member, or might simply be a fish out of water.
Total Characters of Each Class

Use the following method to determine the levels of all the characters in an organization
of any given class.

If the highest-level character of a given class indicated is 4th level or above, assume
there is one additional character of that class of half that level. If this results in a
character who is 4th level or higher, assume that there are two characters of half that
character's level. Continue until the number of 2nd- or 3rd-level characters is generated
- do not generate 1st-level members in this manner.

After you have determined the number of 2nd- and 3rd-level characters of each class,
divide the remaining population so that it matches the class demographics of the
organization. For instance, if 37% of an organization are rogues, then 37% of the
leftover membership are 1st-level rogues. Repeat for each class present in the
organization.

You can also round out any organization with a few characters of classes not
represented in the organization's typical mix. For instance, even if your thieves' guild
doesn't have a listing for wizards, you can still add one to the membership. Don't forget
to include multiclassed or prestige-classed characters as appropriate.

Note that your final membership numbers - particularly the 1st-level characters of PC
classes - might not match up well with the expected quantity of that class in the
community (as per Chapter 4 DMG). Don't worry too much about this - ultimately, the
DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide's method of determining the number of characters with
PC class levels might be too conservative for your campaign, particularly if you have
many cities and metropolises (which are likely to have large, powerful organizations). If
you need a rationalization, consider the possibility that the organization has drawn a
great number of members from outlying towns and villages. Also, remember that many
low-level characters might belong to more than one organization!

Leader of Organization

The leader of an organization is usually the highest-level character of the primary class.
Roll on Table 10: Organization Leader or select an appropriate character to lead the
group.

Racial Demographics
Most organizations mirror the local racial mix, though exceptions are not uncommon.
Use Table 11: Racial Demographics or select an appropriate racial mix for your
organization.

Step 7: Flesh Out the Details

At this point, all that's left is to breathe life into the framework you've created. Provide
the organization with a name, turn your NPCs into full-fledged characters (with
personalities and backgrounds as appropriate), and link the organization to your
campaign history.

Now's the time to determine other crucial details about the group you've created. Is it a
secretive organization whose existence is known only to its members? Even a craft
guild might pride itself on secrecy and mystery. How hard or easy is it to join the group?
What kind of insignias, code words, pass-phrases, or secret hand-hakes does the group
use? Does the group enjoy support (whether public or private) from local authorities, or
is it a renegade assembly? Is the organization well-respected by the populace, or are its
members social pariahs?

These and other unique facets are what will turn your organizatio

...