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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9596066" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/YPCACHt.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 476px" />Factions represent geo-political groups and international organizations that hold sway in the setting. In fact, the system originated in Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible, and more or less imports the core mechanics here but with some new additions like Contracts Tables. Simply put, the PCs can have one of three Statuses with a Faction: Allied grants them benefits due to the goodwill and trust engendered, Neutral is the default state for parties new and/or unknown to the Faction, while Hostile imposes penalties in the forms of hardship, harassment, and most commonly that Faction’s NPCs hunting the party down while in their territory.There are 11 Factions in the Silk Road Guide to Seafaring, and all follow the same format. Each entry details the common languages and belief systems, geo-political groups and organizational structure, common trade goods, a pair of stat blocks for NPC types common to the Faction, what other groups are their Allies and Enemies, what ships they use in their navy if applicable, common food and beverages found in a typical tavern for geo-political groups, and a Contracts Table for generating missions for PCs to take while visiting a city where that faction holds sway. Contracts range from 1 to 20, but the Contract Die rolled is dependent upon the PC’s level: at 1st level they roll with a meager d4, working their way up to a d20 at 9th level. Higher results net riskier but more profitable missions. Missions consist of 2-3 lines of text outlining the goals, rewards, and relevant opposition/dangers. The latter group are usually ships, monsters, or NPCs whose titles are bolded to reference a stat block from the 5e SRD or this book. Some contracts are straightforward enough to do with little to no prep, while others (particularly the higher-level ones) might need the DM to do some prep ahead of time.It’s also at this point that one notices a peculiar convention in this book: notably the Proficiency Bonuses of monsters and NPCs don’t line up in regards to the standard Challenge Rating in 5th Edition. For instance, a Parthian Shahbed is CR 3 but has a Proficiency Bonus of +3. I’m a member of the Red Panda Discord server, and the writer’s explanation is that a Proficiency Bonus represents something more immutable than Challenge Rating, which can differ depending on other factors. An archmage is used as an example, who would be a much lower CR than 12 if they changed out their default prepared spells to less combat-centric ones. While I don’t necessarily agree with this kind of game design, I figured that it’s worth highlighting for people who would also notice this while reading the book.Celts are not a single people, but a coalition of European tribes opposed to Roman expansion. Their greatest figure is Boudica, who operates out of Britain and is mustering a counter-offensive against the Roman Empire. She is the leader of the Iceni tribe, but the other notable groups include the Gaesatae who are infamous for charging fearlessly into battle naked, the Picts whose warriors bear blue tattoos, and the Veneti who form the Celt’s navy. In spite of being at war with Rome, both sides trade a lot of goods between each other due to physical proximity, and the Celts are the largest producers of mead and cider in the known world. Celtic societies are also known for druids, a specialized social class of priests who derive magical powers from nature.China is the undisputed military power of the east and home to the world’s greatest navy. Once a collection of feuding warlords, Emperor Guangwu’s successful campaigns united their territories under a single throne. China is too far away from Rome for regular contact, and thus war between the two is unlikely. Most contact between the superpowers is via trade on land and sea, and the city of Xi’an is the beating heart of the Silk Road. China’s chief exports are silk, yarn, and rice, and imports glassware from Rome and jade jewelry from the Southern Islands.Christians are a new religious movement originating in the Middle East but is rapidly spreading across the Roman Empire and beyond. Originally calling themselves Followers of the Way, members of the religion adopted the term Christian in the city of Antioch, which was quickly picked up by others. Their emphasis on monotheism and exaltation of the poor and meek over the rich and powerful resulted in their persecution in Rome. It is due to this persecution that Christians have been driven into the criminal underworld, making use of Thieves Cant to use secret markings such as the Ichthys symbol to identify each other. After Jesus’ death, Christianity’s earthly leaders are his original surviving followers known as Apostles, who gather together in councils to make decisions for the faith as a whole. Unlike the other factions here, there are no negative consequences for becoming Hostile to them, for they prioritize secrecy and survival over revenge.Jews are an ethno-religious group whose greatest number live in the Roman province of Judea but can be found across the world due to generations of war, displacement, and oppression forcing groups of them elsewhere. Like Christians they are persecuted by the Romans due to their religious beliefs, but unlike Christians they are greater in number and have more established groups to resist the Empire. The Zealots are the most notable, being a paramilitary group who conduct violent operations against Roman officials and their allies.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/VZmHXnO.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 257px" />India is the world’s foremost economic superpower, benefiting greatly from all sides of international trade and having friendly relations with every other faction besides Pirates. But unlike other Empires, India’s political structure is more malleable, with independent kingdoms ruled over by Rajas and Satraps. The Satavahana Dynasty’s Maharaja is supposedly the foremost authority, but the exercise of this power has not been put to practice yet. India’s primary exports are spice and textiles, but its geographic position makes it a hub for global seafaring, which at this point in history is its greatest asset.Islands of the Southern Sea represent the many peoples of the Pacific Ocean south of mainland China, from cultures as far flung as Malaysia to the city of Maynila in the Philippines. More so than any other cultural group here, seafaring is an intrinsic way of life to the average citizen, and they are no strangers to sailing for weeks or months in search of new islands should they run out of resources in their old homes. They have many unique languages, but Malay is the lingua franca of this region. Most seafarers in the Southern Sea can get by with just this tongue.Parthia is an Empire east of Rome that holds sway over much of the Middle East and Central Asia, with key ports in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. It is currently under control of Gotarzes the King of Kings, a wicked monarch who ascended the throne through back-stabbing and kinslaying. His brother Verdanes having gone into hiding as the only other contender. Parthia has not prospered under Gotarzes’ rule: military losses against Rome, increased resentment by citizens, and squandered wealth on grandiose and impractical projects caused his kingdom to lose much of its sway in world politics. Parthia’s navy is weak, focusing mostly on land trade routes along the Silk Road.Pirates are those who use violence and the threat of it to exploit other seagoing people for material gain. They come from all sorts of cultures and walks of life, and in recent times they’re coalescing into a larger alliance governed by a Pirate Queen who is modeled after the real-world <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teuta" target="_blank">Queen Teuta of Illyria.</a> The confederation fought several bloody battles against Rome, and in 66 BCE the pirates’ raid on the city of Ostia caused the Empire to declare war on them. Officially the Romans swiftly ended the menace of piracy, but in reality Nero brokered under-the-table deals with pirates to let them operate without interference. Provided that they don’t attack Roman ships and regularly supply Rome with slaves, Nero and his supporters will let them do as they please.Rome is the western world’s greatest superpower, and its most prominent enemies are Sheba, the Celts, and Parthia. As for Sheba, their kingdom is too far away across the Sahara to be directly invaded. As for the latter two, they are both still holding the line although it looks to be a losing struggle for them. At this point in time Emperor Nero is newly crowned, and commoners and nobles alike hold him in high regard. However, Nero’s worst nature is beginning to show, and his increasingly authoritarian and paranoid attitude marks a dark future. Rome is the leading producer of wine, olive oil, and glassware, and they’re the purchasers of most of China’s exported silk.Sheba is a southern kingdom holding territory in eastern Africa and parts of the Arabian peninsula. Its people worship the Abrahamic deity, but their religion is distinct from both Christianity and Judaism. Sheba still sees these groups as spiritual brethren, helping them escape religious persecution by providing them safe haven in the kingdom. Princess Ephigenia would be the inheritor of the throne, but she has run away and her current whereabouts are unknown. Hirtacus is the current King, who sought Ephigenia’s hand in marriage in order to cement his legitimacy in ruling the country. In reality, Ephigenia fled to avoid being forced to marry him. Hirtacus has also proudly announced to the world that Sheba has the Ark of the Covenant in their possession, guarded in the city of Aksum.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/FIMb7ot.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 194px" />The Society is our final Faction. They are an international alliance of merchants operating out of the Silk Road, reigned over by the Vox Collegii. This council of 12 elders make decisions that affect worldwide trade, and they use masks to keep themselves anonymous from each other when meeting. The Society’s first and foremost goal is financial prosperity irrespective of political divisions. They’re more than willing to resort to illegal methods to further trade, such as evading embargoes and taxes. Every port city has its own local Council of Elders, although the closest thing the Society has to a headquarters is a nomadic fleet of ships forming a city known as Blackhaven. It is so named for functioning as a black market where anything can be sold, and where members of the Vox Collegii assemble to vote. The Society is willing to do business with anyone, and frequently makes use of persecuted Christians and Jews to facilitate underground trade. When it comes to hostilities, they only consider Pirates to be their enemies.When it comes to Allied/Enemy benefits and hindrances, earning Rome or China’s ire is quite debilitating given how much territory both groups cover. Christians can grant a free roll on Black Market tables in addition to Open Contracts, which ironically makes them a great faction for criminal-minded PCs. An Allied Society can do the same thing, but also halves the cost of upgrades and repairs to one’s ship (and double the cost if hostile), meaning you don’t want to get on their bad side. Allied Jews can supply a single Zealot to help the PCs safely navigate in a city controlled by a hostile faction, while being Allies with India lets them use their financial influence to shift one other faction of the PC’s choice one step better (hostile to neutral, neutral to allied) and the converse if one makes an enemy out of the subcontinent’s kingdoms.Other factions have more specialized benefits and penalties. For instance, Allied Celts grant free food and lodging to the PCs and their crew when visiting a tavern in their territory, while Hostile risks a 50% chance of encountering an enemy Veneti ship when in Celtic waters. Sheba is similar, but its Allied status has 2 dhow ships whose crew will fight alongside the party during a combat encounter while in Sheban waters. Parthia’s Allied status grants free repairs to the PC’s ships when they dock in the Empire’s port cities, but Gotarze’s vengeance knows no bounds and becomes a Hunting Faction* should the PCs become hostile. Pirates are unique in that they’re the only faction who might attack Neutral PCs during travel, but only if the PCs look to be a profitable and/or easy mark. Becoming hostile makes it personal, and they become a Hunting Faction.*Hunting Faction and Wronged Patron are two types of random encounters which add various kinds of enemies to harass the PCs.Thoughts: Thanks to clever use of tables, each Faction entry packs a lot of information in 2-4 pages each. Beyond just the immediate benefits and penalties of being Allies or Enemies, the stat blocks do a good job of representing general low-level NPC archetypes the characters are likely to encounter and fight alongside or against, and the overview of political organization and trade goods are immediately relevant to the campaign. The tavern menus and cultural traditions help liven up the setting while making regions feel distinct, and the Contracts Table entries are full of adventure hooks. I do feel that said table should be rolled in between sessions, as some entries might require some level of preparation that the DM cannot easily wing, which is the major minus side to this chapter.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/7sl9EB5.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 468px" />What Factions are to groups, Patrons are to individuals. There’s 16 patrons in this book, and 13 of them are affiliated with one of the earlier Factions in some fashion. Patrons are wealthy and well-connected people who might take an interest in the PCs, offering to provide them with goods and services in exchange for the party furthering their goals. Most importantly, patrons are the primary suppliers of talents, and each patron automatically grants talents to the party at certain levels of experience. These are granted every odd-numbered level up to 7th, and then a final amount at 10th. King Gotarzes is an exception, where he gives 8 talents up front but no further talents can be gained, as his nature means that he inevitably plans to betray and murder the party.Talents are retroactively gained; if a 5th level party gains a new patron, they will get the talents from 1st and 3rd level as well. However, talents from multiple patrons cannot be combined for large singular purchases. For example, a party who has 5 talents each from 2 patrons cannot combine the two to buy a ship worth 10 talents.In addition to talents, patrons also provide unique benefits known as Boons, and Conditions reflect prerequisites or initial penalties/consequences the party takes on when accepting the patron. Ongoing Services reflect the patron calling in favors, requiring the PCs to conduct a mission or take on some task or else fall out of favor. Finally, Consequences of Betrayal explain what happens if the PCs act against the patron’s interest or fail to uphold their end of the bargain from Ongoing Services.Several of the patrons are NPCs who made earlier appearances in the Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible: Balbillus, Gotarzes, the Apostle Paul, and the Witch of Endor, to be specific. Of those four, Gotarzes is the likeliest in that adventure to be killed or otherwise thwarted by the PCs should the Silk Road be played as a sequel. In such a case, the book suggests continuing the story in whatever way fits the narrative, and that none of the other plots in this book are affected by his absence.I have noticed that several entries here give out an equivalent or similar number of talents. Balbillus gives out the most at 90 in total, but as his Ongoing Services require PCs to spend half of those to improve his quality of life at sea they come with a short leash. Nero and Teutana give out the second-most, each at 70 each over a 10-level career, while Emperor Guangwu has a lower yet still significant 62 total talents. Boudica, Felix, Kaha’i, Paul, and the Witch of Endor make up our “mid-tier” at 46 talents each, with Princesses Ephigenia, Shamitra, and Yamamato at 50, 54, and 56 respectively. As the aforementioned Princesses require undertaking quests to gain their patronage, they make for nice bonuses and rewards. Lydia gives out 51 talents which is decent, but as being Allied with the Society cuts costs to install ship upgrades and repairs in half, her purchasing power in talents are a far higher value. General Corbulo and Melchior the Magi give out the least with 35 talents each. Thus, they’re best taken on as secondary/auxiliary patrons rather than the first or primary for a campaign. Gotarzes is a special exception in only ever giving out 8, given that he’s less of a conventional choice and more of a “trap” option.Prefect Balbillus is the caretaker of the world-famous Library of Alexandria, and his position has led to a swelled head. He hopes to become a famous explorer despite having no talent for the vocation, and is more than willing to fund the PCs and make them do all the hard work. He is a great patron for PCs who want lots of talents, but he demands to be made part of the ship’s crew and half of all talents must be spent on directly improving his quality of life while at sea. He is also a nationalist elitist, and is unafraid to tell non-Romans how much nicer Roman ports are and has the delusional belief that everyone in the world is fluent in Greek.Queen Boudica is Europe’s foremost leader of resistance against Rome. Currently she is fighting a defensive front, building up alliances and resources for an eventual assault against the Empire. Taking her as a patron lets the PCs purchase a Veneti ship for 3 talents instead of 7, and also gives them 1 level of Infamy. While Boudica understands that “business is business” should PCs still trade and do missions for Rome, her patronage comes with the expectation that when she orders the PCs to do a mission, they must immediately do it without question.General Corbulo is a Roman soldier who is growing aware of and disgusted by his Empire’s secret deals with the pirates. While he cannot defy orders without suffering consequences, he is eager to find middlemen to strike out at the pirates and fight against his civilization’s corruption. Accepting his patronage puts the PCs on the warpath against Pirates, who become Hostile and they’re expected to attack pirate ships on sight as an Ongoing Service. In exchange, PCs can buy the Crew: Marines upgrade at 1 talent instead of 3.Princess Ephigenia would be ruler of Sheba were it not for King Hirtacus’s manipulations. On the run, she is willing to become a patron if the PCs can keep her safe as a crew member, but will give them 2 levels of Infamy and Hostility with Sheba as the party is publicly accused of kidnapping her. Her Boon lets the PCs spend talents in any port city, even with a hostile faction, due to her spotless reputation and connections.Felix is a Roman crime lord more properly known as Bulla Felix (“the lucky charm”), and is a folk hero among the common people while being hated by authorities. Accepting him as patron saddles the PCs with 2 levels of Infamy, but they gain a Banner of a Smuggler (unique upgrade that can only be granted, not bought, lets the PCs roll on the Black Market Contracts table any time they’d roll on the Open Contracts table). For an Ongoing Service, there’s a 10% chance every time the PCs dock at a port that Felix will give them a mission generated by the Black Market Contracts table they’re expected to complete.King of Kings Gotarzes is a paranoid and vindictive man, much like Emperor Nero. But unlike Emperor Nero, his alliance with the PCs is doomed to be short-lived. He will pay an impressive 8 talents up front in exchange for a list of 3 missions, and plans to betray them as soon as the tasks are complete. His betrayal basically adds 1 Infamy and Parthia/Gotarzes as a Hunting Faction and Wronged Patron result.Emperor Guangwu is a skilled military tactician and politician who is ruthless to his enemies, but good-natured to those who are loyal to China and its people. PCs who seek his patronage must undergo questioning by him and his resident court Xiezhi (a lie-detecting celestial) in order to determine their worth and intentions. In addition to giving out a good amount of talents, Guangwu’s major boon is that PCs can hire Terra Cotta Warriors with the Crew: Marines upgrade if they’re in the port cities of Luoyang or Xi’an. As said constructs are CR 3, they’re a notable increase in power over the default upgrade’s CR ½ limitation!<img src="https://i.imgur.com/kvrOhKj.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 348px" />Wayfinder Kaha’i is a famous monster hunter from the Southern Islands. After slaying a sea creature that killed his family and tribe, he vowed to wander the waters and rid the world of other dangerous sea monsters. He will give the PCs a Conch of Summoning as a boon, which can be used to summon one of four unique sea monsters from this book depending on the region they’re in. Said sea monsters are much more likely to attack the PCs as random encounters as part of Kahai’s Condition. His patronage comes with the expectation that should they run into him as a random encounter, they must accompany him on a monster-hunting side quest.Vox Collegii Lydia is one of the 12 elder members of the Society. Working for her is simple: the PCs must install a Smuggler’s Hole upgrade onto any ships they purchase. Her boon is that they add 1d4 to any roll on the Open Contracts Table, but their Ongoing Service requires the PCs to accept the job if it involves shipping cargo and they have the room to spare on their ship.Magi Melchior is a senior member of the magi, a reclusive order of spellcasters. Operating out of the Parthian city of Teredon, he favors explorers first and foremost. PCs who wish to take him on as a patron must showcase their proficiency in either Calligrapher’s or Cartographer’s Tools, and need to document their oceanic voyages through journals and maps which can be sold to Magi conducting research in most major cities. In fact, selling such discoveries earns twice as much gold as normal when a Magi is the buyer.Princess Shamitra is next in line of northern India’s Satavahana Dynasty. In order to gain her as a patron, the PCs must complete her personal quest in the city of Barbarikon. Upon doing so, PCs can install Cargo Hold expansions for free, although they still take up upgrade slots. Her family is focused on gaining more reliable means of shipping India’s surplus of goods, and thus her Ongoing Service requires the PCs to take on a job that involves shipping cargo every time they pass within 1 hex of an Indian port.Emperor Nero is a man who demands much, but can give much to people who manage to meet his exacting standards. Those who take on his patronage must submit a vial of their blood to his resident archmage, but his boon lets the PCs purchase Quinqueremes and Triremes at half price. Their Ongoing Service requires them to return to Nero in Rome to receive a new mission from him whenever they enter Roman territory. Those who betray Nero not only add Rome and Nero as hostile factions/wronged patrons, the archmage places a Blood Curse on the party. This imposes disadvantage on random encounter rolls until the curse is removed or they retrieve their vials.Apostle Paul is one of the foremost figures in Christianity at this time, and much weighs on his shoulders when looking after his people. Given that Paul and Christians in general are viewed as rabble-rousers by most governments, PCs taking him on as a patron get 1 level of Infamy. But their boon is that they get an Ichthys fish symbol on the bow of one of their ships, working as a Banner of the Smuggler. Paul’s Ongoing Service requires the PCs provide aid to any Christians they encounter while traveling.Pirate Queen Teutana the closest we’ll get to a villainous patron who will either not betray the party (Gotarzes) or has increasingly high standards that it’s inevitable that the party will “betray” them (Nero). Teutana is straightforward in what she wants and demands: for the PCs to attack passenger ships and steal their cargo, where they can sell their ill-gotten gains at pirate coves for double their market price. Her boon grants the PCs a Banner of Piracy (ignore random encounters that involve enemy pirate ships, AoE fear based effect to those who see the banner, captains of ships affected will order their ship to retreat or surrender), but her Conditions boost the party’s Infamy Level to 5.The Witch of Endor is a mysterious woman of unknown goals and allegiance. What is known is that she’s a powerful mage who is always looking to the future. She will ask for a vial of blood from every party member as a condition, and as a boon her network of artisans can halve the cost of repairs for the PCs’ ships. If met as a random encounter, she will send them on a quest she expects them to do immediately. Betraying the Witch imposes a blood curse in the same fashion as betraying Nero.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/QnIU7Ki.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 237px" />Princess Yamato is a Japanese woman who gave up a life of nobility to become a traveling adventurer, and thus she can only be gained as a patron by finding her as part of a quest and convincing her to return to Japan to fulfill her oath. As China and Japan are allies at this point in time, her boon is that the PCs’ status with China cannot become hostile unless they fall out of favor with Yamato first by betraying her, which imposes hostility as well as 1 level of Infamy. Unlike the other patrons listed she has no Ongoing Service, for completing Yamato’s quest earns the party her friendship. She’s thus willing to help them with no strings attached.Thoughts: There’s enough patrons here to cover a variety of campaign styles and quests. While some patrons will automatically set certain factions to hostile, this is a rare exception. In most cases it’s possible for PCs to take on patrons who would be at odds with each other. This can become a delicate balancing act, for should an Ongoing Service generate a mission that would put them at odds with the other patron, this can force the group to please one patron at the expense of betraying the other.Some patrons feel more encouraged to be picked by the book than others. For instance, Melchior has no real downsides or onerous tasks, and as exploration is going to be something all PCs do in this campaign there’s no real reason to not take him on if they have the right proficiencies. Vox Cellegii Lydia and Princess Shamitra lean in heavily on the trade empire aspect of Silk Road, with mandatory cargo shipping missions a minor price to pay for some very good benefits. Additionally, Emperor Guangwu is the most reasonable of the high-talent patrons. His territory covers a wide base, and Terra Cotta Warriors are very handy to have in a fight. Nero’s benefits are balanced out by his negative personality traits and demanding nature, while Balbillus forces PCs to spend said talents in particular ways. He’s also a cultural faux pas waiting to happen when visiting non-Roman territories.Conversely, certain patrons are less appealing. Pirate Queen Teutana is “hard mode” for most campaigns, as Infamy Level 5 turns all other factions hostile and will most certainly put PCs out of reach of most patrons. Her generous number of talents may not outweigh this Faustian alliance for most gaming groups. Additionally, while the Apostle Paul is given as a sample starting patron for a campaign’s beginning, his meager number of talents is going to strongly encourage parties to obtain other patrons to gain better and more customizable ships. As an example, Paul only gives out 2 talents at 1st level, and a party can only buy a Corbita, Dhow (which cannot be purchased while in Rome), or Liburna with this amount.Thoughts So Far: The rules for ships, factions, and patrons are well-detailed and provide much in the way of customization and personal progression. I can see players having fun picking from the list of ships and upgrades to fine-tune their fleets and maritime bases of operations. The contracts tables are great ways to generate encounters and mini-adventures, which combined with the upcoming Ports of the World chapter really fleshes out the setting’s sandbox nature.Join us next time as we take a deep dive into the sandbox with Tools & Tables and the first half of Ports of the World!</blockquote>

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