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Why you should make a newspaper (Factions System)

A newspaper, or broadsheet can act as a fantastic way to hand deliver news about the world and plot hooks directly to your players. Between news articles, advertisements and "help wanted" posts you can provide wealth of information to your player relaively easily.

One of the main tricks to get intresting news for your paper is a faction system. This system is based off of the games by Sine Nominee Publishing and Blades in the Dark. The use of dice rolls can give you unexpected results, which can pump up your creativity and make your world feel more alive to both you and the players.

Faction System

Each faction is made up of a few elements, you can include your faction in the Faction Sheet:

Name: The name of the faction

Teir: Ranging from I-V (or I-III for smaller groups) these are the sizes and powers of your factions. Generally start with your largest scale and smallest scale (eg. town, region, principality ect), and figure out the steps between them. When factions fight they will roll with these numbers as a bonus.

Strength: There are 3 strengths a group can have Might, Wit or Wealth. Mighty factions have martial superiority, Wit factions have secrets and politics, Wealth factions leverage resources and money. 

Characters: Come up with 3 characters that will be relevant to a party meeting the faction, the first should be the leader generally. These are the characters the party will meet so they don't need to be the biggest or most powerful characters just approachable or iconic ones.

Relationships: The Enemies and Allies of the faction.

Base of Operations: The home turf of the faction, this could be a city, kingdom or building depending on the scale of your campaign.

Goal: Each faction should have a current short term goal they are working towards, this will likely be achieved during the course of the game. This should have a clock with 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 segments depending how hard it will be to achieve.

Extra Components (can be ignored for a simpler game):

Bases: Factions can have additional bases, of a number equal to their Teir. This base makes a location their Turf, giving them a +1d for their turns. Building a base must be completed as a goal.

The Faction Turn

A faction turn occurs between sessions or adventures, it is a non-specific amount of time where the factions act in the background. The GM should select which factions are Active, meaning currently involved in the story or of intrest to the story, factions can become active or inactive as their role waxes and wanes. Each faction should then take a turn, from smallest teir to largest, they will try to achive their goal by rolling a check, first however:

• If the goal is on Enemy Turf the factions make contested rolls of 2d6+teir, if the defender wins the attacker does not get to take an action.
• If the goal is on an Allies or their own turf they can add half of the allies tier (rounded up) extra dice to the roll.
• If the goal is in line with the factions strength they may add +1d to the roll.
• If the players have influenced a goal or action, just change it in accordance with their effects, or grant bonus' if the outcome is unclear.

Check: to roll a check for the faction roll 2d6+tier+bonus dice, filling in their clock as below:

12+: Critial! 4 segements

11-9: 3 segments

8-6: 2 segments

5 or less: 1 segment

If factions goals bring them into direct conflict they may enter a War, factions at War have the goal "War with <faction>", with segments equal to 2+2×[Teir of enemy], they will make a contested roll to fill their clock whomever fills their clock first wins. The losing faction must either lose 1 teir or change their base of operation/lose a base. 

Finally a faction can increase their tier as a result of a large enough goal or set of goals. If the setting is constrained then a faction might have to win a war in order to increase in teir.

The Newspaper

With this we arrive at the newspaper, I have written a few of these for my games. They add flavor and hooks into the world. Each faction turn look for remarkable, fun or flavorful events that have occurred and write them an article, embellishing as much as you wish. You can then add fluff articles, additonal plot hooks or even retellings of the player characters deeds.

You can also include the writers of these articles, either having one writer for a broadsheet, or a handful of writers giving you a varity of tones. 

1d6 Writing Styles:

1. Robotic. Writes like wikipedia and avoid biased language

2. Impassioned. Writes emotionally and with a clear objective or side

3. Informal. Writes in a casual and personal manner

4. Pretentious. Uses large words and dramatic metafore, usally incorrectly.

5. Neutral. Writes similar to Impassioned but tries to be neutral.

6. Dramatic. Wrties like an epic or story, embelleshing every detail.

Now at the next session you can hand your players a broadsheet, which they are able to look through, find hooks, local politics and fun flavor for the world. Here's an example of one I wrote, canon spelling mistakes included.

But remember the first rule of Prep: If you aren't enjoying it, and it's not vital for the next session: Don't do it. Hopefullly this tool can help add something to your game but if it isn't find a tool that will. 

Ancient Spells of the Gods (GLOG: Spells)

These spells are not like regular spells, they cannot be cast with magic dice, but instead cast as long as one has reached the requirements to cast them. They must be challenged and found, you cannot transcribe these spells or teach them to another. 

Song of Orpheus 

Orpheus lost his love, Erydice, while entrapped in the curse of his muse. Without his love he delved into the depths of the world, he sung a song or morning so powerful it split the earth and opened a way into the underworld where he negotiated with Desponia, the Queen of the Dead. However he could not master himself, he failed the deal and was entrapped forever distant from his love.

To learn the song of Orpheus one must have lost a love, a person who has lost a love of their life can hear the song emanating from beneath the earth. By digging into the earth, the lover can find a cave, at the height of which lies a salt statue of Orpheus himself. Stepping into the cave the lover will find their lover's apparition, ready to dance with them. At the conclusion of the dance they must make a choice, to take their lovers hand and descend into the underworld together or to let them go, allowing them to fully pass beyond. One who lets them pass beyond, may take the lyre from the statue, holding the spell of Orpheus.

Orpheus' Lament

Slow spell, Concentration

While you sing the song of mourning the ground opens in front of you and you, and any companions, can walk through stone, as a passage opens in the solid ground. The First Verse lets the group travel through natural stone and earth, the Second let one walk through worked stone and magical spells, the Third lets one walk to the lower planes, the staircase leading to the domains beneath the earth.

Each verse becomes more difficult than the last, the caster loses 1 stamina for each hour singing the first verse, 2 for each singing the second and 3 for each hour of the third. If the caster runs out of stamina they take a wound Sore Throat when the caster stops singing they must save and on a failure they begin to become petrified, turning into a statue of salt. This can be prevented or undone with rare magical materials, such as a Basilisks stomach bile.

This spell is sentient, but can only communicate in emotional chords, it is kind, loving and always falls in love with the caster. It never wants to go back to Desponia and will do whatever it can to avoid being reclaimed by her. However it fears loss and wishes to petrify it's caster to forever keep them together. 

The Lost Storm 

The god Talos was the warrior of the gods, he fought and felled the titans of the sky and storm. His power grew until, in arrogance, he challenged the sea. There he found his match, and Oceanus stole his storm leaving it as a mark of his failure.

In the heard of the Pirates Sea, then called the Sea of Gods, one can find The Storm sailors pray to talos to guide them away from this storm, for the gods wrath spells doom for them.

However if one were to find the heart of the storm they could learn a spell of the gods and call upon his storm. Through the storm harsh winds and rough seas will require the crew of a ship to work hard to prevent capsizing or sinking.

The First Mile of the storm rains in burning acidic rain, dealing 1d6 damage for each minute a creature spends under it. Furthermore it begins to dissolve metal or organic materials. Some materials are not dissolved by this rain, they must be found to keep sailing.

The Second Mile lightning seeks the souls who pass into the domain. Each creature that is struck must save or take 10d6 damage as the lightning hits them (half on p, none on s).

The Third Mile the rain freezes into dagger like shards, this will tear apart anything softer than steel and deal 2d6 damage against characters hit.

The Fourth Mile causes frost to climb over solid surfaces, attempts to move require special equipment or risk slipping and falling. Fog rises preventing one from seeing beyond their arms reach, and howling winds swallow words spoken.

The Eye of the Storm is a mile wide calm area, the winds are completely still and sunlight streams from a gap in the clouds at all times. Here a Isle can found formed from a towering sword, atop the sword a carving can be transcribed to learn the spell, this must be transcribed in steel for all other materials will be destroyed by the spell's power.

Storm of Talos

Ritual (5), Concentration

Over the 5 rounds of the ritual the storm begins to gather above the caster, any beings with magical talent can feel the power emanating from the spell. Once it is cast the Storm described above begins, each mile forms above the caster, effecting them and anything in a mile for a round, before moving an out as the next mile begins until the caster is safe within the eye. The Storm moves with the caster while the maintain concentration, multiple characters can carry the concentration together, the storm remaining while at least half of them hold onto the spell. When the spell ends, by the concentration ending or the casters choosing to end it, the storm fades over minutes.

The spell is sentient and is a spirit of war, it seeks battle and war and advocates for violence when it can solve a problem. It does however understand peace and when it must be used, it cannot stand to see betrayal or injustice. It struggles to understand the limitations of mortals, seeing any enemy as worthy of it's use.

Chains of Tartarus

Deep beneath the earth lies the prison of the Titans, digging even deeper Tartarus binds the titans so they will never escape. To find the chains one first must make it to The Grey Waste where they must avoid the agents of Hades and Desponia, there in the deepest part of the land they can find massive chains made of disgil descending into the depths of Carseri. This chain is bound to various alcoves and cells where other creatures have been imprisoned by the powerful magic.

To learn the spell you must claim one of these cells each holds a bound creature, the deeper one descends the stronger the cells become. You must defeat the guardians, copies of the caster and any other's who guard their prisoner, shatter the chains holding closed the alcove and survive whatever it held being set free. Then you may find the vows Tartarus uttered to bind the titans as he dug, which you may utter again to cast the spell.

Vow of Tartarus

Ritual (10)

With the true name of a creature you can see you can begin to bind them, they are slowed and stunned while you cast the ritual. At the end of the ritual chains and burst from the ground and drag them into the depths, where they are bound into the alcove you claimed. However if the ritual is interrupted your magic will backfire and you must save or become bound in your own cell.

You may choose the appearance of the cell and how the passage of time is perceived inside. You cannot bind a creature with more HD than the creature that was already contained within the cell. Once you've cast this spell your alcove is filled, and you cannot cast the spell unless you were to free the creature inside or claim another alcove.

If somebody else defeats your guardian, a copy of yourself and any allies you bind alongside you, they can free the bound creature and claim the alcove for themselves. 

The Name of Death

By defeating an avatar of death you may earn it's name. 

Die
Fast

A creature you can see dies, however Death now knows your name.

Nameless God

The void is a layer in the plane of Dreams, it is where the forgotten things lies. Lost dreams, forgotten moments, and even dead secrets can be found in this place. Deep in this plane a quiet shrine can be found, it's stonework worn away, by taking a rubbing of the worn stone a few worn letters can be found. With this fragment of a name the spell worms it's way into your brain.

The Ancestor
Slow
You summon a shadowy creature that resembles you, it acts as you command. You can pass through the Ancestor and vice versa. The ancestor may only remain for the scene before fading away out of view. The Ancestor cannot be summoned more than once per day.
When it is first called the Ancestor has no details and has the statistics of a 1 HD commoner, you may make one skill that the ancestor has. When you have summoned the ancestor a number of times equal to it's HD it increases it's HD by 1.
When the Ancestor Reaches 3 HD, you may choose a feat for the Ancestor to gain, you must also choose a gender & ancestry for your ancestor. When the Ancestor reaches 5 HD you may choose a class for the Ancestor to take one level in, you must now choose a voice for your ancestor. Your ancestor no longer increases in HD at this level.
When you reach your final level or die the Ancestor may claim a name, they become a player character at 1st level with the Feat and Class you chose for them. When they reach their final level they will ascend, becoming a minor god, of a domain appropriate to their nature. You, or your party, may then ask one Wish of them, which the nameless god will grant you if it is within their power.

The Ancestor is sentient, their personality develops as you discover them, they cannot talk until their final level, before then they can only whisper in your ear. 

Each time this spell is completed, and a minor god ascends the nameless god gains one letter of their name when the god has regained it's name in full it will rise again, a full god, shaped by those who discovered it.