Factions and Sects
Depending on who's talking, a bod will be told that the Factions are either the lifeblood of the planes - or they're the worst blight upon them. Fact is, the Factions are massive groups of bodies who all join together under one 'core ideal' even if they don't always see exactly eye-to-eye. Chant is the Factions have been around as long as the Cage itself, but no bod rightly knows. A little over 600 years ago there used to be a few dozen Factions and the members would dual it out in the streets - enough so it endangered Sigil itself before The Lady herself issued the following: "By the order of the Lady of Pain, there will be but fifteen Factions in Sigil. Organize thy colors by a fortnight hence - or die." Thousands were said to have died in less than two weeks; but from that chaos came the current 15 Factions of Sigil.
Joining a Faction - A Character's Most Important Decision
(Reading and understanding the next two paragraphs can make or break a player's enjoyment of a character!)
Factions play a significant role in the server's narrative, and joining one aligns a character with others who have similar ideals, providing protection and support. Joining a Faction involves a trade-off between freedom and backing by a powerful organization. It's important to align your character with a Faction that fits their ideals and long-term plans rather than something seemingly popular or that has a friend or two within. Successfully doing so results in strong RP, while poor fits can lead to stalled progress.
As joining a Faction is a massive choice and a permanent commitment for a character, it is required that the player have at least one character at level 15 before joining a Faction. This is meant to give new players a chance to best learn the server's culture and how Factions come into play with one another. A Faction is an enormous group and each encompass a wide array of ideals -- it's vital to remember that the individual characters in a Faction do not represent the Faction as a whole and are only a small part of the thousands and thousands of members each Faction has total.
Leaving a Faction, Joining a Sect, or remaining Unaligned
- Leaving a Faction: is seen as betrayal and leads to a bad reputation with nearly all Factions; the character can become known as anything from unreliable to an outright traitor to be executed depending on the Faction. Members who turn their back on a Faction are called a 'Stag' - a reputation that's hard to shake. Leaving two Factions is all but unheard of, and only the most foolish would try 'Faction-hopping' and not expect a brutal ending at some point. Rumors tell of some who find ways to 'grease palms' and buy their way out of their Faction to soften the blow - but even then, no one much likes a turncoat.
- Joining a Sect: Sects are an option for characters who prefer more focused and self-driven RP without as much DM guidance. Sects are smaller than Factions and located in the Outlands or Outer Planes instead of Sigil, have more specific and rigid ideals, and usually have fewer players. If an ambitious or driven character joins a Sect, they will often find that they can make much quicker changes than within a Faction. Of course, staying in the spotlight as a Sect when the Factions are the main narrative and source of power in Sigil is a difficult task; but far from impossible.
- Joining neither a Faction or Sect: This is not a suggested gameplay route. Much of the server's roleplay is based on Faction beliefs and philosophy. The Renown System is based on Faction or Sect membership, which will result in the character taking an unusually long time before it can access epic levels. Furthermore, as a character advances and becomes more known and attracts more attention, without the backing of a group as powerful as a Faction or Sect, they will likely find themselves lacking allies who can truly help them.
Alignment: Faction and Sects
Much of Planescape's belief system often breaks down to Law vs. Chaos more than Good vs. Evil. Good and Evil may work together briefly for common goals, but Law and Chaos rarely do. Faction eligibility is more influenced by Law and Chaos than by Good and Evil. Sects, however, often focus on both Good vs. Evil and Law vs. Chaos due to their more rigid beliefs.
| Factions & Quick Overview |
|---|
| Athar: Known as 'Deifers', they believe the gods are not truly omnipotent, should not be allowed to pass judgment upon mortals, and do not deserve worship. |
| Believers of the Source: Known as 'Godsmen', they believe that anyone can achieve divinity through a series of tests and mastering a craft past the point of perfection. |
| Bleak Cabal: Known as 'Bleakers', they believe there are no true rules, laws, or meaning to the multiverse outside of the physical ones. They inherently deny all other belief systems. |
| Doomguard: Known as 'Sinkers', they believe in entropy. They see decay and destruction of everything as necessary; once the multiverse is destroyed all imperfections will be erased. |
| Dustmen: Known as 'The Dead', they believe this existence is a false state of limbo for those bound by emotional attachments. By letting go of emotions, one can obtain Nirvana. |
| Fated: Known as 'Takers', they believe in the concept of 'might makes right'. It is the born right of the strong to take from and exploit the weak. |
| Fraternity of Order: Known as 'Guvners', they believe that knowledge is power; they learn and exploit both the natural laws of the universe and the laws of society. |
| Free League: Known as 'Indeps', they are not a true Faction, but rather a large group that has banded together to reject Factions and keep one another safe. |
| Harmonium: Known as 'Hardheads' (which is an insult), they believe in universal peace and harmony through one rule - theirs, generally through whatever means needed. |
| Mercykillers: Known as 'Hounds' or 'Red Death', they believe in justice and retribution above all. Their name is not based upon "killing out of mercy", but rather "killing mercy". |
| Revolutionary League: Known as 'Anarchs', they believe social order and man-made laws are inherently corrupt and must be destroyed. (Contact a DM if you want to play an Anarch) |
| Sign of One: Known as 'Signers', they believe that reality is shaped by the collective will of everyone and the more powerful one's will is, the more they can impact reality. |
| Society of Sensation: Known as 'Sensates', they believe that true enlightenment is obtained through collecting and learning from as many experiences as possible. |
| Transcendent Order: Known as 'Ciphers', they believe that by tapping into the 'cadence' of the planes and acting through pure instinct they can achieve a higher state of being. |
| Xaositects: Known as 'Chaosmen', they believe the only truth is revealed in chaos. They have been accurately described as being "totally off their rockers, every one of 'em." |
Faction Ranks
Ranks are as follows (excluding Indeps, Xaos, and Revolutionary League, which do not have clearly defined ranks):
- Namer > Namer II > Namer III > Factotum > Factotum II > Factotum III > Prefect > Factor > Factol
- Namers: Pledge lifelong membership to the concept and core beliefs, but are often little more than those who pay 'lip service' and serve to pad out the numbers and provide a small drop of 'cosmic power' into the Faction through belief.
- Factotums: Are much more dedicated to the Faction as a whole - often seen preaching and actively abiding by the core beliefs of the Faction, working to further Faction goals, and actively recruiting new Namers. For every several hundred Namers, you can expect to find perhaps one Factotum.
- Prefects & Factors: Are seen as ideal and leading members; known to be core examples for others to live by, and, in the case of Factors, viewed to be almost an ideal version of some aspect of the Faction's belief, or are those who have personally helped shape a Faction's identity over time. Most Factions have one Prefect for every one thousand or so members and one Factor for every several thousand.
- Factol: The leader of a Faction; their word is law and they shape and meld the Faction's identity according to how they believe it to best align with the ideals. The word and power of a Factol is like that of the leader of a real-world country. (Note that a player cannot become a Factol).
As members progress through the ranks, they give up increasingly more of their freedom and agency to better adhere to the overall core identity of the Faction - in effect, they wield more power and influence within the Faction and Sigil as a whole, but their own goals often take a backseat; unless of course, they happen to align - which any ambitious member tries to make happen.
| Sects & Quick Overview |
|---|
| Anarch's Guild: The Anarch's Guild exists almost exclusively within the chaos master of Limbo, mastering the art of shaping the chaos soup and controlling it. |
| Children of the Vine: Vaguely related to the Sensates, the Children of the Vine believe nothing should be denied or resisted, and even the most insane and deranged whims have merit. |
| Converts:: The Converts believe that through seeking knowledge they learn the truth, and do so by learning as much as they can from each Faction without truly committing to any. |
| Epicureans: The Epicureans are members of the Mercykillers - a sect within the Faction, with a firm belief in the concept of Moderation - a concept that runs counter to the current Factol. |
| Dispossessed: The Dispossessed are the exiled, the unwanted and the banished. They're an antagonistic group with a hostile take toward nearly everyone. |
| Guardians: The Guardians act in what they believe to be the Common Good for all to battle evil as a whole. They avoid politics and needless entanglements, focusing on battling evils. |
| Mathematicians: A splinter group of Guvners, the Mathematicians are not Fraternity members but are allied with them. They believe the Multiverse can be unlocked via logic and math. |
| Merkhants: Possessing wealth beyond measure and trade empires at their fingertips, the Merkhants are the elite among the already small group of rich and influential Golden Lords. |
| Opposition: The belief of the members of the Opposition sect is a simple one: Adversity builds strength, and if you agree with nothing and fight everything, you grow forever stronger. |
| Order of the Planes-Militant: The Planes-Militant is one of the military forces of Excelsior and a force of extremely lawful paladins that obey a lawful code of conduct and all orders. |
| Ragers: Ragers live for one thing, and one thing alone: The thrilling rush of a deadly battle and the joys of splitting their foes in half. Nothing brings them as much joy as a good battle. |
| Ring-Givers: The Ring-Givers believe that by giving away material possessions, they overcome enslavement to the cosmos and gain the true desires of their heart through poverty. |
| Verdant Guild: The Verdant Guild operates in the Outlands - primarily around Faunel and the Outlands to see nature protected and preserved. They actively battle against the Vile Hunt. |
| Vile Hunt: A quickly growing sect, the Vile Hunt actively believes sentient beasts are abominations to be destroyed. They currently focus on hunting the Beastlands petitioners. |
Sect Ranks
Ranks are as follows:
- Namer > Namer II -> Factotum > Factotum II -> Prefect > Factor > Factol
The overall concept is roughly the same in terms of ranks for a Sect; and like a Faction, players may not become the Factol. Sects tend to be much smaller and heavily based in the Outlands and Outer Planes.
Roster
If you're interested in getting a general idea of who's in what group, we have a Faction Roster on the wiki! You can also add your character to the list. (Please note it may not be entirely accurate.)