Sign of One
"I think, therefore you are."
--Signer Proverb
Also known as:
Signers
Factol: Darius
Home Field: The Beastlands
Sigil HQ: Hall of Speakers (Clerk’s Ward)
Allies: Sensates
Enemies: Bleak Cabal (Especially), Harmonium
Philosophy
The planes contain all things, but in all those things, every individual, every creature, is unique. With each individual being so different from all the others, it is obvious to us that the self, the individual, is so very important to The Multiverse. Everything in the entire Multiverse exists because each individual believes in its existence. It is there because we imagine it and then we confirm it. Everything is relative to us, the myriad collection of selves.
You exist because I, and because others, imagine you to exist. I exist because you, and because others, imagine me to exist. If everyone who knew of your existence denied it, would you not cease to exist? Could you prove otherwise? Would it matter?
Some Signers believe they are the centre of The Multiverse, that they have imagined all things. Some less self-centred Signers believe The Multiverse is formed through a consensual and subjective reality. That things exist the way they do because the majority agrees it should exist that way. The barmies in the Gatehouse that seem to make no sense? Perhaps they aren't so crazy afterall, maybe they are just seeing The Multiverse differently than most people agree.
Influence
Out on the planes, Signers find the Beastlands to be most to their liking. In the Beastlands, every type of landscape imaginable is present; it is truly a remarkable demonstration of the expanse of imagination. Not to mention that the petitioners here take the form of animals, proving that it is not form that is the key, it is the self. In Sigil, the Sign of One runs the Hall of Speakers, where they preside over the making of laws. It is a testament to the Signers' ability to appreciate all perspectives that anything ever gets done here.
Politics
The Signers share a sort of open-minded search for truth with the Sensates, who often ally with them. The Harmonium, however, often finds their self-centredness annoying, and the Bleak Cabal detests the fact that they insist not only that The Multiverse has a plan, but that they are behind it all.
Eligibility
The Sign of One welcomes all kinds, but there are those of the lawful alignments that find it hard to believe that they are behind it all and that they are not just part of some other plan.
Some Signers seem like vague daydreamers, while others display impressive gifts of observation. But the one quality all Signers exhibit is open-mindedness: After all, when a body can imagine anything or anyone into existence, The Multiverse gets treated to a wide diversity of creatures and creations! No true Signer takes offence at even unpopular statements or beliefs from someone they encounter. A fiend from Carceri deserves a bearing as much as a deva from Elysium or a local thief that robbed some cutter’s case. Signers generally also seem more self-centred than most folks. See, exterminating a rival or betraying a friend becomes more attractive alternatives when a body views others as products of one’s imagination without subjective realities. Such self-centredness means Signers have difficulty understanding (or caring about) others’ feelings. They suffer -2 penalties on all encounter reactions and NPC loyalty checks.
Alignment
The Sign of One bars no one from joining. ’Course, remember that lawful types consider The Multiverse a complex but orderly place that exists objectively and can be analyzed by bashers who live in it. Such folks can’t tolerate the subjective nature of reality Signers espouse. Lawful good folk, for instance, feel awfully peery of the views of evil beings. Even lawful neutral types seem uneasy about the lack of order in the Signer creed. Only lawful evil characters, with self-serving behavior, might appreciate the philosophy of the Sign of One for allowing them to seize the advantage wherever they choose. Cutters of neutral or chaotic alignment can feel at home in this faction.
The former understand how positive and negative thinking can help a body balance tragedy with triumph in life. Chaotic Signers let whims direct their thoughts and like to imagine new things into existence just for the sake of change. Good Signers revive practices from the faction’s early years, like teaching their fellows how to think positively. In the reality they envision, folks all treat each other kindly. Evil Signers try to make rivals think negatively. They imagine a cosmos where they enjoy power and recognition. And more neutral Signers envision a life where bashers mind their own business.
Class
Signers welcome members of any character class. Thing is, certain classes, like paladins, likely won’t feel comfortable in the faction. Paladins who do join hope to teach all beings a proper reverence for self as the font of all creation. They believe many Multiverse exist side by side: one for each individual. Fighters in the Sign of One seek to prove their status as the chosen of The Multiverse through brilliant combat. They believe defeating an enemy in combat will send him spiraling down into negative thinking and thus ensure that his defeat persist through time. Signer rangers and druids think they have a special duty to envision havens for animals and to benefit the natural world, since the flora and fauna can’t do it themselves. Priests in the faction revere their gods as products of their own imagination, the way the faction’s wizards think of their spells. (The faction’s spellcasters love researching spells and possess wide repertoires. – Ed.) The faction’s thieves practice imagining themselves moving stealthy as much as they actually practice stealth. When they get caught, they rarely credit their captor’s vigilance. Rather they blame themselves for envisioning failure. Signer bards feel their gift to sway audiences gives them great power.
Race
The Sign of One, among the most diverse of factions, encourages all and sundry to rub elbows within the organization. Tanar’ri are Signers, as are baatezu, titans, hellcats, and aasimon, as well as bariaur, tieflings, and half-elves of the Outlands . . . and on down the line.
Benefits/Penalties
Because the Signers believe that all The Multiverse is nothing more than an illusion agreed upon by the consensus, they often see right through illusions created by individuals. Therefore, a Signer automatically receives a saving throw against any illusion they are confronted with, regardless of whether or not a normal save has been provoked. In addition, once per day a Signer factotum or factor can try to imagine an item into existence (or out of existence) through force of will or personality. The factotum or factor can imagine the item as per a spell-like effect mimicking the minor creation spell. To succeed, he must make a mental Ability Check (player's choice between Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) against a DC of (21 - base Ability modifier [minimum DC of 5]), and for purposes of duration and size of the object allowed, the caster level of the Signer equals half her character level, round up. If she fails, she cannot use the ability for a week.
Knowing that you are responsible or partly responsible for the entire Multiverse puts a great deal of pressure on one's ego. If a Signer rolls a "1" on either an illusion saving throw or the minor creation effect, their ego takes a hit and they begin to doubt their place in The Multiverse. In essence, this causes them to fade out of the Imagining slightly, becoming shadowy versions of themselves. Not only do they appear slightly translucent, but they also lose one-fifth (20%) of their hit points (round up), only cause 20% as much damage on any attack they attempt, and find themselves unable to use any special abilities related to race, class, or feat. Each day, the Signer can attempt to make a successful imagining attempt as if they were using the minor creation effect, with the object in question being themselves (this is the only exception to the normal limitations of the spell). Success on the check returns them to their normal state.
Sigil - Planar Legends: Members of the Sign of One can cast See Invisibility 1/day.
The Sign of One Membership
The Sign of One does not recruit new members as actively as other factions. See, bashers need to prove they can alter The Multiverse before the faction’ll admit them. The Signers recognize the chosen by allowing faction hopefuls to register their visions for the future at headquarters. Bashers whose predictions come to pass become Namers, but their faction allows them to do little more than serve as runners and legislative clerks and hold various menial jobs in the Hall of Speakers. They spend their free time improving their concentration, to prepare for greater faction duties. Namers of 10th level or higher can ascend in the ranks the same way they got in – successfully predicting future events. (Each rank in the Sign of One has a special conclave devoted to evaluating members of the level below, checking their recorded predictions, and promoting the most talented.)
Factotums enjoy the privilege of going on faction missions and speaking at major events in the Cage and elsewhere. Some perform guard duty within the Hall (such at Rilith’s Tomb), and the best can join special "think tanks" concentrating on the Signers’ vital goals. A character must have reached 17th level to become a factor. These Signers work as personal assistants to the factol, guard faction outposts, and supervise factotums involved in complex missions. As factors have worked tirelessly to improve their concentration abilities, they form the core of the Sign of One’s "think tanks."