Factions
How clans, guilds and faiths compete for standing, what the leaders win, and the personal reputation the world keeps of you.
Three kinds of faction compete for standing in the Five Realms: clans, guilds and faiths. Each kind has its own board, and every clan, guild and faith on it holds a live standing built from what its members do. Beside that, the world keeps its own account of you as a person: your reputation.
| Board | Standing is called | Command |
|---|---|---|
| Clans | Clan Renown | clans |
| Guilds | Guild Repute | guilds |
| Faiths | Divine Influence | favor |
standings shows where your own clan, guild and faith stand, in what place, in
what words, and whether each is rising, steady or slipping. The same lines appear
under rep.
How standing is earned#
Standing comes from members being about their work, and the details differ by board.
- Clan Renown rises above all with the foes members bring down, more so when clanmates fight together, and with members being active, talking on the clan channel, and new members who stay. Exiles and departures cost it. Clans can also take renown from each other through challenges. See Clans.
- Guild Repute rises with members' kills, the work each guild values in its own members, talk on the guild channel, new members taking up the calling and members being active. Members who are cast out cost it.
- Divine Influence rises when a faith's clerics and paladins are active, when new followers join and stay, when the faithful talk on their channel and when followers are out in the world. Followers with a high reputation count for more. Tithes to your own god count too, though coin moves standing only half as far as deeds do.
Two characters of one account, or of one household, count as one person, and each kind of deed has a daily limit, so one tireless player cannot carry a faction alone. A new member's deeds count at half for their first three days.
The reckoning#
Each day at 06:00 UTC the boards are reckoned. Every faction loses a tenth of its standing, so a faction that goes quiet slips down the board. The three leaders of each board are then crowned. A new leader must pass the old one by a clear margin to take first place.
Standing is shown in words rather than numbers:
| Board | From lowest to highest |
|---|---|
| Clan Renown | Unheard, Fledgling, Skirmishing, Raiding, Warring, Conquering, Ruling, Reigning, Tyrannical, Imperial |
| Guild Repute | Defunct, Struggling, Fledgling, Stable, Growing, Thriving, Dominant, Prestigious, Unrivaled, Legendary |
| Divine Influence | Forgotten, Fading, Obscure, Modest, Established, Flourishing, Revered, Ascendant, Hallowed, Transcendent |
What the leaders win#
| Board | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clans | 10% more experience from kills | 5% | 2% |
| Guilds | Every power members use is 10% stronger, and a merchant's trading is worth 10% more | Nothing | Nothing |
| Faiths | Temple blessings from your own god last three hours instead of two | Two and a half hours | Nothing extra |
A crown's reward goes only to members who have earned for their faction in the last seven days and who joined more than three days ago. See The Temples for the blessings.
Your reputation#
rep shows six indicators the world keeps of you, each in words from Negligible
through Low, Moderate and High to Extreme. They rise from what you do, and each fades a little every day it is not
earned again.
| Indicator | Raised by | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Presence | Company, conversation, roleplay others reward, performing, defending the city, being named in the Rogue Times | How guards and innkeepers greet you; a well known name is marked on who |
| Trace | Thefts, forgeries and guild jobs | Marks guard their purses; shops charge more. A disguise hides half of it, and a sentence served wipes much away |
| Credibility | Quests finished, loans repaid, bargains kept, commissions delivered | Better shop prices, easier bribes, better loan terms; broken promises cost it |
| Threat | Hard foes and bosses killed, raiders cut down, bouts won | Creatures far below you may hold back; intimidation and bravado land more often |
| Scrutiny | Being caught stealing, arrested, warned or accused, or killing in the streets | The watch catches you more often, searches you and keeps you longer; shops charge more. It fades faster than the rest |
| Hardiness | Great foes survived, deep water | You hold your breath longer and get up sooner when knocked down or stunned. Each death wears it down |
Shopkeepers and innkeepers greet you according to your reputation, and ship prices, inn rooms and a home's upkeep move with it as shop prices do. Every one of these effects is modest, and none shuts you out of anything.
Reaching Extreme in Presence, Credibility or Scrutiny earns the title the
Renowned, the Trusted or the Notorious. A title once earned is yours to keep;
wear it with the title command.
The cities#
Aurin, Olympus, Morrigan and Iasos each keep their own Trust and Scrutiny of you,
raised by what you do inside their walls and in the lands around them as well as
counting toward your reputation across the realm. A city's watch reads its own
Scrutiny, and its prices weigh its own view of you most, so you can be wanted in
one city and welcome in another. A city appears under rep once you have given
it something to remember, and drops off the list when it forgets you.
Reputation on the rosters#
Your reputation shows beside your name on the rosters of your clan, guild and faith, and a member whose reputation stands high is shown in gold. In a faith, well regarded followers add more to its Divine Influence.
Related systems#
- Clans for clan rank, powers and challenges.
- Religion for the five faiths and their ranks.
- The Temples for the blessings a faith's crown lengthens.
- Groups for adventuring in company.