I'm a new DM. I'm running three different Lost Mine of Phandelver games right now as I learn the ropes. I'm having lots of fun and I'm getting great feedback from my players. Throughout the LMoP adventure book there are several entries where an NPC is supposed to offer membership in a faction to a character once they meet certain criteria. I found a small section about factions in the Dungeon Master's Guide and a description in the Basic Rules of the factions mentioned in LMoP but I'm unclear what the point is.
There doesn't seem to be any real benefit to my characters joining these factions so I'm wondering if I should even bother role playing those offers. I have a lot of new players in my campaigns and if they ask me questions about why their character should join the Lords' Alliance, for example, I don't really know what to say.
Can anyone enlighten me? Is there a point to this?
Each Faction offers major advantages that depend on them. Examples include special magic items (the faction called "The Harpers" have Harper Pins for example), political influence, training, and of course, missions. You are already on one adventure, but what will you do when you finish it?
The Lords Alliance is known to give their members magic scrolls, as well as provide equipment that looks common, but is more powerful.
The current plan when this adventure finishes is to take everyone who wants to keep playing and put them through the Essentials Kit that uses the Dragon of Icespire Peak plus the follow-up adventures that came with it. Part of this will involve them making new characters. But of course they'll still keep their characters from this adventure.
So I'm guessing things like the Harper pins come up in other adventure books?
It’s largely what the DM makes of it-and what the player suggests if they’re interested in factions. I’ve found if no players ever bring factions up, the DM just won’t focus on it
There’s some interesting ideas for faction rules in the ravinca book. They call it guilds instead of a factions, but same thing. As you move up the ranks, you start getting people who work for you and such. That said, I think it would work more with a homebrew campaign. But it could maybe give you some ideas if you want to start doing your own thing.
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I'm a new DM. I'm running three different Lost Mine of Phandelver games right now as I learn the ropes. I'm having lots of fun and I'm getting great feedback from my players. Throughout the LMoP adventure book there are several entries where an NPC is supposed to offer membership in a faction to a character once they meet certain criteria. I found a small section about factions in the Dungeon Master's Guide and a description in the Basic Rules of the factions mentioned in LMoP but I'm unclear what the point is.
There doesn't seem to be any real benefit to my characters joining these factions so I'm wondering if I should even bother role playing those offers. I have a lot of new players in my campaigns and if they ask me questions about why their character should join the Lords' Alliance, for example, I don't really know what to say.
Can anyone enlighten me? Is there a point to this?
Each Faction offers major advantages that depend on them. Examples include special magic items (the faction called "The Harpers" have Harper Pins for example), political influence, training, and of course, missions. You are already on one adventure, but what will you do when you finish it?
The Lords Alliance is known to give their members magic scrolls, as well as provide equipment that looks common, but is more powerful.
The current plan when this adventure finishes is to take everyone who wants to keep playing and put them through the Essentials Kit that uses the Dragon of Icespire Peak plus the follow-up adventures that came with it. Part of this will involve them making new characters. But of course they'll still keep their characters from this adventure.
So I'm guessing things like the Harper pins come up in other adventure books?
It’s largely what the DM makes of it-and what the player suggests if they’re interested in factions. I’ve found if no players ever bring factions up, the DM just won’t focus on it
Try this for ideas....it’s free
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/306676
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
There’s some interesting ideas for faction rules in the ravinca book. They call it guilds instead of a factions, but same thing. As you move up the ranks, you start getting people who work for you and such. That said, I think it would work more with a homebrew campaign. But it could maybe give you some ideas if you want to start doing your own thing.