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Believers of 
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Fated
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Mercykillers 
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   League
Sign of One
Society of 
   Sensation
Transcendent
   Order
Xaositects

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This is my site dedicated to the conversion of the factions of Planescape to Third Edition.  Below is a FAQ I've compiled dealing with the contents.  If you're completely new to the concept of the factions, read below, and don't let anything in there scare you away.  It's hard to describe all in one go, but just get to the end of it and I promise it'll all make sense.

 

Part 1:  The Basics

 

Q:  What is this site?

A:  This site is dedicated to providing feats and prestige classes for the factions of Planescape campaign setting.  But even if you haven't ever played Planescape before, it should hopefully be very useful to you.

 

Q:  Is this a conversion?

A:  Sort of.  It's not as faithful to 2e as I could make it, and it uses an entirely different mechanic to represent faction abilities, and most of the feats and prestige classes aren't analogous to anything in 2e, just inspired by it.  So the answer is "kind of."

 

Q:  How often is this site updated?

A:  Once per week.  Or thereabouts.

 

Q:  What's Planescape?

A:  Planescape is a great campaign setting from second edition D&D.  It was set mainly in the Outer Planes, and more specifically in the city of Sigil, the City of Doors.  As anyone that's familiar with the Manual of the Planes knows, the Outer Planes are quite literally built of belief - each one represents a different belief system and alignment.  So, in Planescape, belief has the power to shape the world around them and mold the fabric of reality.  Potent stuff.  The most popular schools of belief are called "factions," and the members of each faction have developed unique powers that are fueled by their belief.

 

Q:  So the factions are like philosophers?

A:  Yeah, but philosophers with clubs.  The collective weight of each faction's belief gives them power, and each of them wants their own philosophy to triumph in the end.  One of the best ways to do that is to take control of the city of Sigil.  Sigil is purely neutral, but if one faction could gain control of it, they'd become immensely powerful, so they fight the kriegstanz, the undeclared war for the hearts and minds of Sigil.  It's mostly a political game, and the players and alliances are constantly changing.  But sometimes it erupts into bloody conflict.

 

Q:  OK, so what is so special about Sigil?

A:  To describe it briefly, Sigil is an impossible city built on the inside curve a twenty mile-long ring that floats above the Spire, a nigh-infinite tower of rock in the middle of the Outlands (the plane of true neutrality).  It might sound hard to reach, but it's not; Sigil is lousy with portals to all the other planes, making it the most important crossroads of the Outer Planes and the multiverse in general.  From Sigil, you can get to anywhere, provided you can find the proper portal.  And if you can't find any portals (and their locations are almost all closely guarded secrets), then it's impossible to leave.  That's why it's also called The Cage by some.

 

Q:  But I'm not playing a Planescape campaign.  Is the stuff here still useful to me?

A:  Sure!  The factions don't have to be in Sigil if you aren't running a planar campaign.  Any campaign could theoretically use these groups as philosophical schools in normal settings as well.  I've tried to make each faction pretty approachable to the casual D&D gamer, so each page gives a brief overview of faction philosophy if you've never heard of them before, or if you just haven't played Planescape in a while and need a refresher.  

 

Part 2:  Mechanics

 

Q:  How do I get access to these faction feats and prestige classes?

A:  It's very simple: join a faction.  Only by joining a faction do you gain access to these feats and prestige classes.  Generally, the factions don't have very strenuous requirements.  They expect new recruits to be green, and welcome the chance to indoctrinate them to their way of thinking.

 

Q:  Do I get any immediate benefits when I join?

A:  No, other than having a group of friends, and a place to hang your hat when your down on your luck.  Joining only allows you to begin picking up faction feats and prestige classes.

 

Q:  But in Second Edition I you got benefits as soon as you joined.

A:  Well, this isn't second edition, now is it?  In Second Edition, you got all kinds of stuff for free.  Look at the kits in the various class and race books, for instance.  But in Third Edition, you have to spend something to get abilities, and the currency is feats and levels.  Look at the Elven Bladesinger.  It was a kit in 2e, but it's a prestige class in 3e.  It's the same with the factions.  What were special abilities gained for free from the factions are now feats or prestige classes. However, that said, if you really want to give faction feats for free, you may instate an optional rule that allows characters to take one faction feat for free when they join a faction.  It should be noted that I don't endorse this rule, however.  It forsakes game balance to be more faithful to second edition Planescape.

 

Q:  Is this stuff balanced?

A:  I think so.  But to be honest, I haven't playtested most of it.  I think it's a bit more balanced than a lot of the stuff you'll find on the Internet (or even some of the 3rd party companies), but not as much so as, say, actual D&D stuff published by WotC.  I'm looking for feedback, though, so if you think something is too powerful, let me know.  One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that all feats and skills are not created equal.  Skill Focus (form the Player's Handbook), for example, is very weak.  All later d20 products by WotC have used Skill Emphasis, which grants a +3 bonus, and many feats now give a +2 to two separate skills, so don't email me telling me that some of my feats are obviously more powerful than Skill Focus; I know they are, and they're supposed to be.

 

Q:  OK, anything else I should know?

A:  Yes, as a house rule, I suggest that everyone gains access to the Cosmopolitan feat, from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.