Cutefinder: Guild Information

This is copied verbatim from the Obsidian Portal wiki and formatted appropriately; it is uncertain how much of this continues to apply.

Guild Hierarchy and Heraldry Traits

Guild Hierarchy

The Hierarchy is both important and unimportant to the Guild. For those that require it, especially the Imperials, it helps show who has seniority in a mission, and thus who is often to be addressed with additional information, complaints, requests, et al.

(Note 1: Mission allowances do not stack, they will likely average out amongst the members, and also will not be guaranteed to be the maximum amount, based on the party, the quartermaster, and any attempts to socialize oneself some more funds.)

(Note 2: The Maximum GP of magical items one can own does not apply to Minor Consumables like Potions and Scrolls, Basic [+1] Enchanted Gear or Intrinsic/Permanently Bound items. If unsure, ask.)

Guild Trainee (0 levels gained while with the guild)

Despite the fact that one is likely not new to fighting at this point, the Guild has a ‘Trainee Period’, regardless of skill level, to make sure one is accustomed to ( and fit for ) the guild life. During this time, if on one’s own, one regularly is given lower end jobs, usually helping exterminate vermin in a bar’s cellar or pulling weeds. ( at least you usually get paid AND get a nice meal for the weed pulling. )

Benefits: The guild is essentially 'feeling your personality out' at this point. They want to know what kind of jobs you can and can’t do, and will often excuse bad behavior, to a degree. Maximum 1000gp worth of magical items owned.

Guild Initiate (1 level gained while with the guild)

At this point, the guild has accepted you, and gives you slightly more rope on your leash, although most quests will still not take you very far from your guildhall as of yet. The guild is more likely and willing to spend small resources to ensure you complete your job, and might even allow you to lead around trainees to take part in low level missions that require more than a single pair of hands.

Benefits: The guild trusts you. To a point. Before every mission you may receive up to 500gp in consumable items. Maximum 2000gp worth of magical items owned.

Guild Member (2 levels gained while with the guild)

The guild now trusts you to be able to travel to surrounding cities, villages, forts and guildhalls on your own. Jobs get better, even the mundane ones, and you’re allowed to accept jobs from other guildhalls, provided you are willing to pay your own travel expenses.

Benefits: Before every mission you may receive up to 1000gp in consumable items. Maximum 4000gp worth of magical items.

Guild Veteran (4 levels gained while with the guild)

You have lived long enough, done enough, fought enough or learned enough to make a name for yourself not only with the guildhalls but with the surrounding areas. You can expect to be requested for missions on occasion, and the guild considers you a trusted companion. You can now request certain guild services above and beyond the regular care package all guild members receive. At this point, you probably have a private room in the guildhall or maybe even a shared home outside of the guildhalls shared with other guild members.

Benefits: Before every mission you may receive up to 2000gp in consumable items and guild services. Maximum 6000gp worth of magical items.

Guild Hallborne (6 levels gained with the guild, or 'born of the guild')

To some guild members, the ones from other lands or from lowly upbringings, this is something to aspire to. A hallborne is a sibling of the guild, receiving treatment and respect further even than a veteran. Beyond this lay only the path of guild heroes come and gone. No matter where you go, the guild will do it’s best to give you support and aid. You may live wherever you like, inside or outside a guildhall. No where is too far away to locate you for work, and they respect any desire a Hallborne may have for secrecy or hermit-tendencies.

Benefits: Up to 3000gp in items and services, with an additional 500gp per level. There is no real limit to the worth of your magical items beyond this point, but they still exercise caution. Treat as 8000gp worth of magical items owned + 1000gp per level.

Note: It is possible to have no place in the guild hierarchy, in which case your starting equipment is dictated by normal rules for character creation, but you do not have any guild allowance.

Guild Heraldry

Guild Heraldry is used to determine where you come from, both in the world, and as a member of the guild. When one joins the guild, you are essentially cutting off allegiances with your original home to become a member. However, the guild values a sense of family and belonging, and encourages it’s members to remember where they came from, usually because the work that a guild member does keeps that place safe, in case of the areas inside Kova. Your heraldry affects certain things, like goods and services you can request from the quartermaster, as well as other perks...

First, one picks a guildhall, then an 'origin', either Imperial, Native, Outsider or Guildborne.

Behemoth

Guildhall Behemoth encourages strength, be it physical, mental or social. They are more aggressive, and also tend to ‘overcomplete’ jobs on occasion. Why chase away some pests when you can make an example of them? Behemoth also boasts a fair number of skilled workmen. They are the ones to turn to when looking for freshly forged equipment, be it armor or weapons, as well as a number of offensive devices and items. (The Forge)

Emblem: A strange form, it’s always hard to describe, like an elephant.. but with claws? It is a beast, whatever it is, with teeth… or… fangs… claws? Beaks? Clutching a cracked orb. Plain White Wax with the beast imprinted into it in Black Wax)

Ercinee

Guildhall Ercinee are the pathfinders, the travelers, the guides and pilgrims. It would be a mistake to call them ‘passive’ however, as others might do. When challenged, especially during a mission, Ercinee tries to ensure you have the tools necessary to fight your way, tooth and claw, out of any predicament. Their offerings include tools for travel, minor magical trinkets, things that would help you be prepared while not weighing you down. (The Trade-Jacks)

Emblem: A bird, trailing fire from it’s wings and claws, with multiple outlines drawn around it to make it seem radiant. Green Wax)

Bukavac

Bukavac are stalwart defenders, but they also understand the need to be subtle. They often suggest taking a less direct path to victory, while keeping one’s blades sharp at all times. Like Ercinee, they offer a wide assortment of tools and trinkets and services, but often have an offering of stranger things, with such a close proximity to Mosulk and the Port. It’s even been suggested they have their own secret hidden port for smuggling things just for the guild. Baseless accusations. (The Black Market)

Emblem A pair of eyes and horns with ‘wavy patterns’ around them. Dark Blue Wax)

Mogaru

To the untrained, untaught eye, one might assume that the Capitol City Guildhall is the one in charge. This would be incorrect for two reasons. One, the Guild is commanded by a council of members from each Guildhall, and Two, their Guildhome is Drahkan, a place much easier to defend in times of need. Mogaru however does not fail to meet expectations. They do not take a mission considering defeat. Perhaps this could be considered a failing. They do not think so. Mogaru’s supplies come in the form of exploring gear kits, things one could use to get around any terrain you might come across. A wise thing to offer considering they often are the ones who accept jobs to delve into the massive ruins beneath the Capitol. It is also spoken that Mogaru has a large collection of ‘safe’ (read: approved by Drakhan Researchers) magical items. (The Armory)

Emblem: What appears to be a large upright creature, in profile, with spines running down it’s head and back. A flame symbol is drawn inside it’s chest. Red Wax)

Drakhan

Guildhome Drakhan is a marvel, a massive spire of dense, raw stone, magnificently shaped, tunneled and built into by the Guild, Drakhan is a place of study, and the guild’s safe haven. Mysterious, unidentified and suspicious items both magical and otherwise are all brought here to be inspected. If they are safe, they are often returned to the finder, provided it does not go past the guilds guidelines for safe ownership of extraordinary equipment. Drakhan is a home of the patient and paranoid equally. They can offer anything any other guildhall might offer, since they can request it quickly enough, but what they really have is a deep vault of wealth, monetary, information and material. (The Vault)

Emblem: A dragon with wing’s spread, hovering over a tower. Silvery Wax)

Ravager

Guildhall Ravager, living in symbiosis with the Natives, much that Ercinee does with the Imperials, they have a very different outlook compared to the other guildhalls. They believe in trying to be prepared for the unknowable, to be able to adapt to any situation. The fact that they live in the manastorm desert helps with this, as they are often having to accommodate both in clothing styles and crops with the wildly shifting weather and seasons. The things they offer differ based on the current weather pattern of the Manastorm. (The Nomadhome)

Emblem: A triad of symbols, mostly formless, in a triangle formation. The top symbol is an orb with wings, the bottom left symbol a triangle with claws coming out of the bottom, and the bottom right symbol a square that almost looks like it’s made of two clutched fists. Orange Wax)

Imperial

An imperial is just that, originally a member of one of the Kova Imperialist’s many villages or forts, you are likely used to a life of equal parts leisure and work. The life of an imperial is an oddly balanced one. An imperial upbringing is likely to stick with you, a ‘city’ lifestyle and a rather hardworking mentality, supported by the imperial way of bestowing power and property on those that earn it.

Native

The natives are, all things considered, an odd bunch. Whether a believer or not, it is impossible to ignore that compared to the rest of the world, Kova as a landmass is entirely unusual and out of place for this world. The ‘old believers’ continue to insist that this is because the natives of Kova are not of this world. The non-believers simply think that Kova’s high ambient magical potential is the reason that there are so few humans and other ‘bland’ types around. Their lives are centered around a tribal society where people of different races find themselves sliding easily into roles rather stereotypical for their kind, but find encouragement to broaden their horizons and try to push themselves to learn new things often.

Outsider

There is not much one can say here. Outsiders are outsiders. They admittedly are sometimes less trusted than either Imperials or Natives. The specifics here really depend on where you come from and how well known those lands are.

Guildborne

For one reason or another, you were borne into the guild. This does not necessarily mean you were BORN into the guild, although it’s certainly an option. Sometimes children are brought back from missions, and sometimes they are simply left on a Guildhall or guild member’s step. Orphaned one way or another, these children are brought up in a lifestyle more competitive than the Imperials, but also more tight knit than the tribal Native lives. One who has been Guildborne is not EXPECTED to join the guild, but they certainly encourage it as opposed to say, living a ‘normal’ life.

Like before, if not a member of the Guild, one can opt to show their affiliation to another cause—if any— in place of a guildhall.

(GM NOTE: It was 2 AM when I wrote this, and you know what? No, I’m probably not going to better explain what any of that means, you likely will pick a guildhall either close to where your character lived, or one that sounds nice. ’ -’)

New Magic Item: Armament Scrolls

Scrolls tend to have limited utility in a martial conflict. They are easy to slice in twain if somebody tries to draw one to cast it, and can be difficult to even find the time to draw them to begin with. Fortunately, the Guild's artificers have made a technical breakthrough, creating an affordable and accessible method to bind scrolls to a given piece of equipment with a wax seal, unique to each guildhall.

Armament scrolls can be crafted by anyone with the Scribe Scroll feat and proper Guild training. They have a craft DC of +3 compared to a regular scroll and a base cost of just 10gp (multiplied by spell level and caster level as usual). However, they are limited in that they are bound to the piece of equipment they are made to enhance, and thus can only carry spells that have that equipment as a target. It is a standard action to break the wax seal to an armament scroll and read the inscription to trigger the item.

Armament scrolls are made of rice paper and very fragile, easily ruined by exposure to water or inclement weather unless given a smear of waterproofing glue (+100gp). They have an AC of 8, 1 hit point, 0 hardness and a break DC of 5.

Armament scrolls are also hard to safely detach from an item without being destroyed in the process, meaning they cannot be transferred to another item or used to scribe the stored spell into a spellbook except by succeeding at a Disable Device check with a DC of 20 + the scroll's caster level. Taking 20 on this check is possible, demonstrating long and painstaking work to remove the armament scroll in question.