In trying to assign a faction to a new character (a Monk, specifically), I encountered great difficulty in selecting a faction that fits. He prefers order and law, so Andoran's free-spirited approach is a poor fit. That said, he's not "neutral, honest, don't detect evil me bro", so Cheliax wouldn't work either. I didn't want another character in Grand Lodge. I wanted something different. But as you'll see, we'll be coming back to Grand Lodge in the end. He's a monk, and doesn't care for power. Osirion is out, and so is Taldor. These two seem to be more or less the same faction to me: a broken nation wants to be powerful again. He doesn't care for wealth, so that means Qadira and Sczarni are out. Again, very little distinguishing these two. It seems that the former is only a shade less seedy than the latter. Otherwise, I'm having trouble distinguishing them. He's not out to save the world, so Silver Crusade doesn't fit. I admit I'm simplifying here, but the Guide to Organized Play doesn't really differentiate the two pairs of factions very well.
At this juncture, a very fair question is "You've turned your nose up at all the factions. Why's this monk a Pathfinder if he doesn't get on with any of the factions?". Essentially, Stagmar adventures to bring pride to his family and to become a better martial artist. Wealth and power don't mean much to him. Through process of elimination I'm left with Grand Lodge. Yet even this doesn't fit. And here is the crux of the problem: Grand Lodge has become a "default" faction for a lot of characters when there's no better fit, even when it doesn't fit at all. This, combined with what seems to be a lot of duplication of goals in the existing factions, presents players who aren't interested in politicking and wealth with a difficult choice for their faction. My wizard is in the same situation. Talathel explores to learn more. Power through knowledge fits a wizard well. He'd be Osirion if he cared for their politics. But he has no ties to that nation, and has no interest in politics besides. Again, he's in Grand Lodge as a default.
This is as much a request for guidance as it is an observation that neutral-leaning characters with no interest in wealth and / or power have very few choices as regards faction. Have I missed something obvious? Am I simply doing it wrong? I realize that it's impossible to accommodate everyone, and this isn't meant as a criticism of everyone's hard work on the factions. Maybe I just have a penchant for playing characters that don't fit the mold. I'll accept that, along with the hope that things will improve in the future.
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Perhaps Osirion?
The country is Lawful Neutral. Its ruler is LN and values civilization and order.
Osirion has a major monastary of Irori in it:
http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Tar_Kuata
Sure, you aren't looking for personal power, but you can still stand by the nation and help it out. Being recognized by the country would fit with bringing pride to your family.
I'm not particularly involved in PFS, so I can't give you advice relating specifically to it, but in a general sense, Osirion sounds to me like it fits him better than the other choices.
Hmm. Allegiance to the nation, rather than strictly the faction, per se. That could work... something to consider. Thanks for the insight.
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Grand Lodge is the "default" because it's the most quintessentially "Pathfinder" of all the factions, and the assumption of the campaign is that all of the characters are agents of the Pathfinder Society. If your character isn't a good fit for Grand Lodge, why is he even in the Pathfinder Society to begin with?
It's not that he's not a good fit for Grand Lodge; I just have one character there already and wanted to do something different.
Venture-Lieutenant, West Virginia—Charleston
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I do think that Osirion is probably the best fit for him. Osirion is focused more on gaining knowledge, even if it is not strictly for the glory of Osirion. This is in contrast to Taldor, who only wants knowledge as a means for gaining power. Also, Taldor is much, much more political than Osirion is.
As an illustration, in the old faction mission system, the average Osirion faction mission would require you to retrieve a book or magical item, but conversely, the Taldan faction mission would require you to insult, defame, support or bribe someone.
