The Shaman
First Post
The Thieves' Guild.
Any Thieves' Guild will do.
Any Thieves' Guild will do.
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Your favorite in-game D&D organization
- Thread starter Bullgrit
- Start date
Derulbaskul
Adventurer
I run my games in FR and so:
Eldreth Veluuthra: I love my racist Nazi elves as Sammael mentioned above.
Zhentarim: As I ignore FR novels, my Zhentarim have always been ruthlessly and clinically efficient. I love the mix of beholders, clerics, wizards and organised soldiers.
The League of Six Rings/The League of Six-Fingered Gentlemen: This is a fairly recent addition to my FR games. The idea was originally put forward in Dragon 355 (IIRC) in an article about demonic cults in the Realms. Basically, it's a cult of Graz'zt that is corrupting the church of Waukeen. I love the idea of a secret society that is creating wealth and fostering trade ostensibly in Waukeen's name, but is actually a demonic cult dedicated to stealing Waukeen's divinity for Graz'zt and sponsoring a sect of heretics with that church (Harlot's Coin heretics).
Eldreth Veluuthra: I love my racist Nazi elves as Sammael mentioned above.
Zhentarim: As I ignore FR novels, my Zhentarim have always been ruthlessly and clinically efficient. I love the mix of beholders, clerics, wizards and organised soldiers.
The League of Six Rings/The League of Six-Fingered Gentlemen: This is a fairly recent addition to my FR games. The idea was originally put forward in Dragon 355 (IIRC) in an article about demonic cults in the Realms. Basically, it's a cult of Graz'zt that is corrupting the church of Waukeen. I love the idea of a secret society that is creating wealth and fostering trade ostensibly in Waukeen's name, but is actually a demonic cult dedicated to stealing Waukeen's divinity for Graz'zt and sponsoring a sect of heretics with that church (Harlot's Coin heretics).
House Medani in Eberron - a fantasy corporation of Counter-Intel agents and private eyes. 
There's an organization in the Dresdenverse whose MO is metaphysically cutting parts out of other entities minds and piecing them into their brain for power (the mental equivalent of cutting off pieces of your body and sewing in supernatural entities pieces int here). It's so ... intriguing.
There's an organization in the Dresdenverse whose MO is metaphysically cutting parts out of other entities minds and piecing them into their brain for power (the mental equivalent of cutting off pieces of your body and sewing in supernatural entities pieces int here). It's so ... intriguing.
Allenchan
First Post
Eberron - The Red Gauntlet - An elite mercenary group of irregulars that served in the Last War... just great flavor and plot potentials.
Forgotten Realms - The Eldreth Veluuthra - Elves that dont just think they're better than everyone else, they do something about it.
Golarion - The Church of Naderi - A new interest of mine, I admit, but a goddess of suicides and romantic tragedies? Awesome.
Greyhawk - The Scarlet Brotherhood - As others have mentioned, fantasy Nazis have so much potential.
Forgotten Realms - The Eldreth Veluuthra - Elves that dont just think they're better than everyone else, they do something about it.
Golarion - The Church of Naderi - A new interest of mine, I admit, but a goddess of suicides and romantic tragedies? Awesome.
Greyhawk - The Scarlet Brotherhood - As others have mentioned, fantasy Nazis have so much potential.
Here's one I'm developing for my homebrew which is low magic world. The populace is terrified by magic and this group help uses that fear for their own ends.
The Red Cloaks
Founded by a self proclaimed holy man of the noble class, the Red Cloaks make it their goal to eradicate magic and preach their version of the Maker (the god who created this world). The Red Cloaks tithe the communities for their service, own temples in many large human cities, and have much political influence amongst the nobles.
The Red Cloaks are headed by fifteen 0 level Sorcerers that use Truth Rods to identify and paralyze its magic using victim. Truth Rods can only be handled by 0 level Sorcerers and, yes, they are magical items. These leaders all worship Vecna, although the rest of the group truly believes they are doing the Maker's work.
The Red Cloaks
Founded by a self proclaimed holy man of the noble class, the Red Cloaks make it their goal to eradicate magic and preach their version of the Maker (the god who created this world). The Red Cloaks tithe the communities for their service, own temples in many large human cities, and have much political influence amongst the nobles.
The Red Cloaks are headed by fifteen 0 level Sorcerers that use Truth Rods to identify and paralyze its magic using victim. Truth Rods can only be handled by 0 level Sorcerers and, yes, they are magical items. These leaders all worship Vecna, although the rest of the group truly believes they are doing the Maker's work.
What?! We get to mention our own?!
The Unkindness. Having named themselves after a gathering of Ravens (and the name of the carrion-feeding cavalry that followed the Lady of Plague), this secret society of ghouls play aristocrats. They wear fine clothing and feast on people in a proper dining setting. Despite their charnel hunger, they are not a threat - unless they win the cold war against their adversaries and thus raise the Lady of Plague's ghost.
The Unkindness. Having named themselves after a gathering of Ravens (and the name of the carrion-feeding cavalry that followed the Lady of Plague), this secret society of ghouls play aristocrats. They wear fine clothing and feast on people in a proper dining setting. Despite their charnel hunger, they are not a threat - unless they win the cold war against their adversaries and thus raise the Lady of Plague's ghost.
Jacob Lewis
Ye Olde GM
Nothing beats a good old-fashioned 3-hole punch, though back in the day it was the awesome Trapper Keeper. Now, Word Docs and Notepad. Can't trust those online subscription services for...
Oh! In-game groups of people...nevermind.
Oh! In-game groups of people...nevermind.
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
Merchant houses.
- Travel from here to there and have adventures on the road (or boat)
- Run a shop (adventures occasionally walk in your door, seeking to damage the merchandise) and try to gain enough GP so you can buy the Fighter a set of Full Plate Armor for his birthday
- Thieves' Guild is a natural enemy
- Intrigue scenarios: bribe somebody you can't beat up
- "Frontier" adventures: help out the locals, and try to build up a loyal clientele for your benevolent monopoly
- Haggle with various resource suppliers for a good price on their goods
- Explore the edges of the map a bit to find the source of some rare trade good (such as spices or frankincense)
- Interact with a variety of social classes with different expectations for your behavior
If your group each has a different idea of "what would be fun to do", they can all take turns getting to do what they want.
- Travel from here to there and have adventures on the road (or boat)
- Run a shop (adventures occasionally walk in your door, seeking to damage the merchandise) and try to gain enough GP so you can buy the Fighter a set of Full Plate Armor for his birthday
- Thieves' Guild is a natural enemy
- Intrigue scenarios: bribe somebody you can't beat up
- "Frontier" adventures: help out the locals, and try to build up a loyal clientele for your benevolent monopoly
- Haggle with various resource suppliers for a good price on their goods
- Explore the edges of the map a bit to find the source of some rare trade good (such as spices or frankincense)
- Interact with a variety of social classes with different expectations for your behavior
If your group each has a different idea of "what would be fun to do", they can all take turns getting to do what they want.
Chad Hooper
First Post
Ones that are resources for the PCs:
Mercenaries' Guild: A place to look for jobs and a training resource for all fighting arts. Maintains a hostel in each large city where members can get food and lodging. Of course, members may have obligations to go along with the benefits.
Mages' Guild: Training source for all things magical, a source for new spells, and possibly a source for rarer spell components. Also responsible for maintaining certain enhancements to larger cities such as water purification systems. Members will have obligations as well as benefits.
Churches and the Druids: To clerical characters what the Mages' Guild is to wizards. Again, obligations to go with the benefits.
Resources for DM and sometimes PCs:
Thieves' Guilds: Training, equipment, plot hooks, recurring enemies, potential allies.
Assassins' Guilds: as above but in my campaign more about plot hooks and potential/recurring enemies (all good aligned PCs).
Intelligence Services: our current rogue is actually an operative of Elven Intelligence. Training and equipment are provided by them to her similar to how Thieves' Guilds and Mercenaries' Guilds work for other characters. She also is expected to report as often as possible on her findings/doings and may occasionally receive assignments (plot hooks and/or side quests).
My personal favorite, original to Melkar:
The Kudaji: Among gnolls, when a child is born with all-black fur it is seen as the Mark of Yeegnoghu (sp?). These children are trained in the god's service differently than his normal clerics and are the gnolls' Special Forces and assassins. All are trained as either fighter/clerics, cleric/thieves, or the occasional triple class covering all three.
A Kudaji of just a level or two ahead of one of my PC groups made a great/maddening recurring enemy for years of play. One of the players from that group will start cursing at any mention of the name Wernak to this day
Mercenaries' Guild: A place to look for jobs and a training resource for all fighting arts. Maintains a hostel in each large city where members can get food and lodging. Of course, members may have obligations to go along with the benefits.
Mages' Guild: Training source for all things magical, a source for new spells, and possibly a source for rarer spell components. Also responsible for maintaining certain enhancements to larger cities such as water purification systems. Members will have obligations as well as benefits.
Churches and the Druids: To clerical characters what the Mages' Guild is to wizards. Again, obligations to go with the benefits.
Resources for DM and sometimes PCs:
Thieves' Guilds: Training, equipment, plot hooks, recurring enemies, potential allies.
Assassins' Guilds: as above but in my campaign more about plot hooks and potential/recurring enemies (all good aligned PCs).
Intelligence Services: our current rogue is actually an operative of Elven Intelligence. Training and equipment are provided by them to her similar to how Thieves' Guilds and Mercenaries' Guilds work for other characters. She also is expected to report as often as possible on her findings/doings and may occasionally receive assignments (plot hooks and/or side quests).
My personal favorite, original to Melkar:
The Kudaji: Among gnolls, when a child is born with all-black fur it is seen as the Mark of Yeegnoghu (sp?). These children are trained in the god's service differently than his normal clerics and are the gnolls' Special Forces and assassins. All are trained as either fighter/clerics, cleric/thieves, or the occasional triple class covering all three.
A Kudaji of just a level or two ahead of one of my PC groups made a great/maddening recurring enemy for years of play. One of the players from that group will start cursing at any mention of the name Wernak to this day
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