Page 149 - D&D - Player's Handbook

serving as a courtier will stand you in good stead as an in those lands. If your background is as an agent for one
adventurer. of the main factions of the North and Sword Coast, here
are some possibilities.
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion
The Harpers. Founded more than a millennium ago,
Languages: Two of your choice
disbanded and reorganized several times, the Harpers
Equipment: A set of fine clothes and a pouch
remain a powerful, behind-the-scenes agency, which
containing 5 gp
acts to thwart evil and promote fairness through knowl-
FEATURE: COURT FUNCTIONARY edge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often
Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept
gain access to the records and inner workings of any no- at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other
ble court or government you encounter. You know who Harpers, sympathetic bards and innkeepers, rangers,
the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors and the clergy of gods that are aligned with the Harp-
you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in ers' ideals.
the group are. The Order of the Gauntlet. One of the newest power
groups in Faerun, the Order of the Gauntlet has an
SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS agenda similar to that of the Harpers. Its methods are
Use the tables for the guild artisan background in the vastly different, however: bearers of the gauntlet are
Player's Handbook as the basis for your traits and moti- holy warriors on a righteous quest to crush evil and pro-
vations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit mote justice, and they never hide in the shadows. Order
your identity as a courtier. agents tend to be proficient in Religion, and frequently
The noble court or bureaucratic organization where seek aid from law enforcement friendly to the order's
you got your start is directly or indirectly associated ideals, and the clergy of the order's patron gods.
with your bond (which could pertain to certain individu- The Emerald Enclave. Maintaining balance in the
als in the group, such as your sponsor or mentor). Your natural order and combating the forces that threaten
ideal might be concerned with the prevailing philosophy that balance is the twofold goal of the Emerald Enclave.
of your court or organization. Those who serve the faction are masters of survival and
living off the land. They are often proficient in Nature,
FACTION AGENT and can seek assistance from woodsmen, hunters,
rangers, barbarian tribes, druid circles, and priests who
Many organizations active in the North and across the
revere the gods of nature.
face of Faerun aren't bound by strictures of geography.
The Lords' Alliance. On one level, the agents of the
These factions pursue their agendas without regard
Lords' Alliance are representatives of the cities and
for political boundaries, and their members operate
other governments that constitute the alliance. But, as a
anywhere the organization deems necessary. These
faction with interests and concerns that transcend local
groups employ listeners, rumormongers, smugglers,
politics and geography, the Alliance has its own cadre
sellswords, cache-holders (people who guard caches of
of individuals who work on behalf of the organizations,
wealth or magic for use by the faction's operatives), ha-
wider agenda. Alliance agents are required to be knowl-
ven keepers, and message drop minders, to name a few.
edgeable in History, and can always rely on the aid of
At the core of every faction are those who don't merely
the governments that are part of the Alliance, plus other
fulfill a small function for that organization, but who
leaders and groups who uphold the Alliance's ideals.
serve as its hands, head, and heart.
The Zhentarim. In recent years, the Zhentarim have
As a prelude to your adventuring career (and in prepa-
become more visible in the world at large, as the group
ration for it), you served as an agent of a particular
works to improve its reputation among the common
faction in Faerun. You might have operated openly or
people. The faction draws employees and associates
secretly, depending on the faction and its goals, as well
from many walks of life, setting them to tasks that serve
as how those goals mesh with your own. Becoming an
the goals of the Black Network but aren't necessarily
adventurer doesn't necessarily require you to relinquish
criminal in nature. Agents of the Black Network must
membership in your faction (though you can choose to
often work in secret, and are frequently proficient in De-
do so), and it might enhance your status in the faction.
ception. They seek aid from the wizards, mercenaries,
Skill Proficiencies: Insight and one Intelligence, merchants and priesthoods allied with the Zhentarim.
Wisdom, or Charisma skill of your choice, as
appropriate to your faction FEATURE: SAFE HAVEN
Languages: Two of your choice As a faction agent, you have access to a secret network
Equipment: Badge or emblem of your faction, a copy of supporters and operatives who can provide assis-
of a seminal faction text (or a code-book for a covert tance on your adventures. You know a set of secret signs
faction), a set of common clothes, and a pouch and passwords you can use to identify such operatives,
containing 15 gp who can provide you with access to a hidden safe house,
free room and board, or assistance in finding informa-
FACTIONS OF THE SWORD COAST tion. These agents never risk their lives for you or risk
The lack of large, centralized governments in the North revealing their true identities.
and along the Sword Coast is likely directly responsible
for the proliferation of secret societies and conspiracies