New player's Faction questions


Pathfinder Society


Hello, I consider myself a "new" player in the world of d20 -related games, as I've never made it past level 4, due to GMs losing interest, players moving, etc.

Anyways, I joined my local hobby shop in its new pathfinder campaign, and I was given a number and registered here. While doing that, it asked what Faction I belonged to, so I became curious. After a while of trying to research without JOINING a Faction, I decided to ask here a few questions.

Beforehand, this isn't a plea for recruitment, I'm looking for answers, not people responding with "please join us" posts. I do apologize for having to say that, but anyone with message board or MMO experience understand where I come from with that.

SO, now to my questions:

What are the factions about?
Is there a purpose to joining one?
Does/can it affect my character in sessions?
We're playing starting in a story from Rise of the Runelords, I don't know how that ties in with whatever current story is happening, but do factions exist or matter in this story?
What if I am in a Faction and play a campaign with players from opposing factions?

I'm sorry if that's a lot to ask at once, or seems ignorant, I just want to get my facts straight before I start climbing into beds, heh

Thank you for any help provided!


I assume that my character was already in a Faction that you HAVE to be in one? Or is that just the default? Or did the GM from the campaign choose that?

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/5

The best place to start is the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organised Play, in particular chapter 4: Factions (pages 13-18).

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

Every Pathfinder Society character belongs to a Faction. There really isn't a way not to be in one. I don't know anything about MMORPG Factions, but I highly doubt they are the same.

It sounds like you're just going through an Adventure Path, though, and the GM is trying to give you Society credit. Or are you making a Pathfinder Society character?

If you're not interested in Pathfinder Society at the moment, my suggestion would be just to go with the "Grand Lodge" Faction. It's kind of the default Faction for new players. It really will have no impact on the character you are playing in the AP.

The Guide that Paz linked will help you to understand Pathfinder Society, and what it is.

Another useful resource is the Pathfinder Society Field Guide, though it's not free. Within it gives a better description of the 10 Factions, though 2 are no longer around or available to be selected. This Guide lists various vanities and benefits to belonging to a Faction that the other Guide does not.


Thank you for the assistance, you answered most my questions and provided a helpful link, thanks again.

5/5 5/55/55/5

Mediaflare wrote:
What are the factions about?

Hello and welcome to the institution!

The factions are people with different ideas of what the pathfinder society is, what the pathfinder society can be, and what the pathfinder society can be used for. While we are all murderho... erm adventurer archeologists, factions provide additional, alternate, or expanding ideas for different characters to answer the eternal questions of

Who am I as a person?
Why am I throwing myself into a life threatening situation?
Why the hell am i traveling with these people?

The last two are incredibly important in organized play. Sitting down with a new dm and new players it could easily take 4 hours just to figure out "whats my motivation mr devile?" and "remind me why I didn't just cover you in BBQ sauce and feed you to the dragon so I could escape".

Quote:
Is there a purpose to joining one?

You don't have to. If you don't like any of them you can pick "Grand lodge", which is the non faction faction

As a character a faction is a way of saying something about your character. A silver crusader is probably trying to bring light into the pit of darkness that has become many parts of the world. A sczarni is in the society to cover their smuggli...erm "duty free non traditional export" business. An andoran is a staunch fighter of freedom.

Good faction missions provide you a chance in the spotlight, sort of like a Worf Episode in startrek. You'll get a few minutes where the plot is about your character, get a chance to shine, and remind the folks at the table that you're not just adventurer number 37283-7, faceless blasty wizard.

Quote:
Does/can it affect my character in sessions?

There are small but often interesting bonuses if you complete faction missions for your character in season 5. Different factions also have a few different vanities. There's an effect, but its a LOT smaller than your class and a little smaller than your race.

Quote:
We're playing starting in a story from Rise of the Runelords, I don't know how that ties in with whatever current story is happening, but do factions exist or matter in this story?

You should have gotten a chronicle sheet. What was the name of the adventure on it?

Quote:
What if I am in a Faction and play a campaign with players from opposing factions?

the tenets of the society still hold: its report, explore, cooperate. Most of the factions more or less get along, or don't directly oppose each other. Few (no?) scenarios pit factions head to head, precisely to avoid the characters from trying to kill each other and develop hurt feelings among the players.

Most characters will cooperate in my experience, after all the folks sitting around the table with you are what the game is all about. My silver crusade druid has helped with so many Qadirian and osirion faction quests he puts in requests for reimbursement.

Usually the Andoran (Freeeedooom!) and chelaxians (devil worshiping slavers) have a lot of banter but thats it.

Quote:
I'm sorry if that's a lot to ask at once, or seems ignorant, I just want to get my facts straight before I start climbing into beds, heh

No problem! its a lot to take in at once, and the guide can be a little minutia focused.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

(psst... don't listen to the Wolf, he's of the Norse Faction!)

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

Mediafire:

My take on the factions is as follows.

You have the big 4.

Andoran

Qadira

Cheliax

Taldor

Osirion

These are the 5 which originally appeared in Season 0 (yes thats right, we start at 0 then 1, 2 and so on). Back then each scenario had a faction quest. You needed to complete this (or if you were lucky you might have a fellow player who could if you could not).

Most of the time you had variations like

*Rescue X from slavery
* Plant secret letter on npc found
* Pick flowers

and so on.

I wont explain what each of the 4 are. If you have glanced at Golarion wiki or inner sea world guide, these are the big 5 nations that surround the Inner sea. Each has their own quirks, some lay claim to others as wayward provinces and so on. Each have tried at some point to lay claim to Absalom (Absalom is in fact wreck central in terms of all the ruined siege engines and ships left behind)

Later on we got 4 more factions added

These being

Silver Crusade

Lantern Lodge (no longer a valid choice)

Shadow Lodge (sadly no longer a valid choice)

Sczarni

These are the non country dependant choices. Silver Crusade basically being a collection of good aligned people (typically divine types) who band together to try to force the society to be more 'good'

The Sczarni are a 'family' from Varisia (and were Im guessing mostly Varisians to begin with). They are a grouping who are all about personal development ie enriching themselves and often have a tenuous connection to the Pathfinder society at best.

Now in terms of Rise of the Runelord in Campaign mode. Factions basically do not matter.

Im in a group which is basically doing what you are doing (we are just further along). We are keeping to Society rules when making characters but Im not actually playing a character than exists for Society play. Each book of the AP has a 'zone' where if you play it and want to , you get a Chronicle sheet which can be assigned to a character of a certain level. I have 3 of these so far. One from Hook Mountain, One from Skinsaw murders and one from the first book.

What happens is that at the start of the particular Zone, our gm puts out a sign up sheet of who we intend to assign the chronicle sheet to. Its possible to 'hold' a sheet too (ie if you dont have a character who can immediately benefit from it, you still get the sheet you just will apply it at a later date)

You can of course refuse the sheet entirely, thats your call to make.

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