Factions in D&D 5E Campaigns

One interesting element in the Dungeons & Dragons 5E game that has actually gotten fairly limited attention is the group of factions that are available for player characters to join.

Factions were primarily created for use in the Adventurer’s League, the D&D organized play program run by Wizards of the Coast. But the factions can also play an interesting role in your home campaigns, both as organizations which the PCs can join, and as adversaries to thwart.

In the article “Faction Talk, Part 1,” they explain the factions as follows:

In the Forgotten Realms, five factions have risen to prominence. Seeking to further their respective agendas while opposing destructive forces that threaten the folk of Faerun, each faction has its own motivations, goals, and philosophy. While some are more heroic than others, all band together in times of trouble to thwart major threats.

Here are the five factions (the links take you to a more detailed description on the official D&D website:

• The Harpers—The Harpers is a scattered network of spellcasters and spies who advocate equality and covertly oppose the abuse of power. The organization is benevolent, knowledgeable, and secretive. Bards and wizards of good alignments are commonly drawn to the Harpers.
• The Order of the Gauntlet—The Order of the Gauntlet is composed of faithful and vigilant seekers of justice who protect others from the depredations of evildoers. The organization is honorable, vigilant, and zealous. Clerics, monks, and paladins of good (and often lawful good) alignments are commonly drawn to the Order of the Gauntlet.
• The Emerald Enclave—The Emerald Enclave is a widespread group of wilderness survivalists who preserve the natural order while rooting out unnatural threats. The organization is decentralized, hardy, and reclusive. Barbarians, druids, and rangers of good or neutral alignments are commonly drawn to the Emerald Enclave.
• The Lords’ Alliance—The Lords’ Alliance is a loose coalition of established political powers concerned with mutual security and prosperity. The organization is aggressive, militant, and political. Fighters and sorcerers of lawful or neutral alignments are commonly drawn to the Lords’ Alliance.
• The Zhentarim—The Zhentarim is an unscrupulous shadow network that seeks to expand its influence and power throughout Faerûn. The organization is ambitious, opportunistic, and meritocratic. Rogues and warlocks of neutral and/or evil alignments are commonly drawn to the Zhentarim.

Their Purpose

Within the Adventurer’s League program, a character may join a faction in order to earn special in-game benefits. Each adventurer gains renown for playing through an adventure (either a single award at the end of the adventure, or a certain amount per 4 hours of play for hardcover adventures). As the character gains more renown, they increase in rank in their faction. Many adventures include special secret missions for characters who are part of a faction (a different secret mission for each faction).

As a character gains higher ranks in a faction, they can take advantage of special rules during downtime, such as lower costs for training, access to magic items, access to raise dead and resurrection spells, and the granting of inspiration at the beginning of a game session.

Joining a faction is an interesting option in the organized play program, and provides another layer when playing through adventures that provide tangible rewards to the player character.

What About Home Games?

Of course, if you’re not participating in the Adventurer’s League program, then factions have no use, right?

Actually, the factions as such are interesting parts of the Forgotten Realms setting, and provide great opportunities for adventure separate from the AL program. In fact, any of the factions can be a starting point and/or focus for a campaign.

For example, the Harpers can be used as an espionage organization. Imagine James Bond in the Forgotten Realms, investigating and eliminating threats to the people of Faerun. A Harper-focused game wouldn’t be about exploring dungeons and killing monsters. Rather, it could be focused on major urban centers, interacting with NPCs, uncovering dastardly plots, and so forth.

A game using the Order of the Gauntlet, on the other hand, could be focused on roving knights who travel the land bringing order and peace to areas under the threat of marauding goblinoids, or invasions from the underdark, or an evil dragon.

But assuming you’re running a more typical D&D game, with a range of races and classes in the party, the factions can also play a large part in the game. These organizations are all trying to have an impact on the world of Faerun, and it’s likely that they will eventually work at cross-purposes as their goals conflict. Player characters who go exploring an old dungeon based on rumors of fabulous treasure might find themselves at odds with one group or another who know more about the dungeon and what lies in the deepest reaches, and who might want to prevent the PCs from disturbing some ancient creature, or bringing back some powerful cursed item.

Alternately, one of the factions may hire the PCs—or manipulate them with rumors or suggestions—to achieve their goals. The Harpers, the Lords’ Alliance, and the Zhentarim are the most likely to do something like this, and the characters may not even know that they’re working toward a faction’s goals until later in the adventure (or at all).

And then there is the Zhentarim, a faction that should be considered a villainous organization. Certainly, the PCs may find themselves in situations where they can put a stop to Zhent operations to the benefit of local towns or villages. And once they are on the wrong side of this faction, they can expect retaliation to come in some form or another.

What’s Next?

Over the next weeks, I’m going to explore the five factions. I’ll delve into their history in the Forgotten Realms, look at their main objectives, discuss their methods, and present ways to use these factions in your game outside of the Adventurer’s League program, including a number of adventure hooks for each.

Hope to see you then!