Faction Builder Toolkit List & PnP Cards

FACTION BUILDER TOOLKIT

This deck offers tools for collaboratively building factions, primarily for classic fantasy games (Godbound, 13th Age, Blades in the Dark) but also for modern urban fantasy games (Urban Shadows, Changeling the Lost, Dresden Files Accelerated). This includes the text of the cards and a Print & Play version of the card deck. The text is shared as Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 4.0. The material here is not AI generated and permission is explicitly not given for generative AI use. 

Factions

Side A of each card has a pair of types– vampires, merchants, assassins. The GM, player, or table can draw 3-5 cards and pick one. Place the chosen card with the chosen side facing upright. 

Side B of each card has three descriptors- wary, outsider, calculating. Again drawn three to five cards. Then pick one or two descriptors, each on different cards to add to the type. The card’s format allows you to slide the Side B cards under the type card, leaving your choices exposed at the top and/or sides.

You can do this several times to build up a set of new factions for your campaign.

This can be combined with the Citybuilding Toolkit deck (also available from Age of Ravens). Build the city first and then create these factions based on that.

Faction Actions

Side A also includes a tool for determining what factions do in between phases of play. When “time passes” or a game has formal downtime, the GM can draw one (or more and pick one) to show what plots and operations the faction has set in motion.

If you need more details, the GM can randomize if the action targets another faction (1-4) or is aimed internally (5-6). If it affects other factions, roll randomly from your list of factions to see who it targets.

The action list has 30 options, each repeated once in the set. Notes: This material builds on the ideas of factions and their use in play, particularly from 13th Age, Blades in the Dark, Dresden Files Accelerated, Godbound, Green Law of Varkith, Urban Shadows, and World of Darkness. Card art is by grandfailure (via Adobe Stock).