Page 98 - Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

side, you can count on access to the considerable re- Any guild could break the peace and send the entire
sources of the zonot as long as your research is going world spiraling into war, so all the guilds are potential
well. On the other hand, you can expect your Speaker to enemies-particularly if they direct their aggression at
try to meddle in your work to ensure that your efforts re- the Simic Combine. The Golgari Swarm has launched
main relevant to the overall goals of the Simic Combine. a direct attack against Zonot Four (located in the Sixth
District), and they could expand that attack to other
RANK4:CLADELEADER zonots at any time. Azorius arresters are prying into all
Prerequisite: Rank 2 and renown 50 or higher in the the zonots, looking for evidence of wrongdoing. Thus,
Simic Combine the Simic efforts at preparing for war are in danger, and
As a famous researcher or a successful project leader, the need for those efforts to be brought to fruition could
you stand ready to take on a supervisory role for an en- arise at any time.
tire clade. New clades rarely form, so you must wait for Your most obvious allies are those who seek to re-
your clade leader to retire (one way or another) before a strain the ambition of other guilds and maintain the
position exists for you to fill, except in truly exceptional balance of power. At various times, that category could
circumstances. Similar to a project leader, you are re- include members of any other guild, particularly the
sponsible for directing the efforts of researchers explor- Selesnya Conclave. Everyone (with the possible excep-
ing a wide variety of projects related to the focus of your tion of the chaotic Rakdos and Gruul) has an occasional
clade. Unless an experiment turns out to be especially interest in maintaining the status quo, no matter how
interesting, these efforts can carry on without your su- revolutionary that notion might seem at other times.
pervision. If you need to, you can enlist the aid of Sd 12
researchers (which use the stat blocks of commoners THE StMIC V IEW ON OTHER GUILDS
or merfolk from the Monster Manual), and you can The most insular members of the Simic Combine avoid
also request the support of hybrids, krasis, or any other interacting with other guilds entirely. No one but another
creature associated with the Simic Combine (see the list Simic scientist could ever fully grasp or appreciate the
in chapter 6) from the Speaker of any zonot where the work of the guild, and too many of the other guilds react
with fear to what they don't understand.
members of your clade live and work.
Because most clades span multiple zonots, you Azorius. "An absurd and inelegant construct, forever
have status equal to the Speakers of the zonots. You trapped in a maze of their own making. They would
have no voice on the Speakers' Chamber, unless you outlaw evolution if they could. And if any of them truly
can persuade one or more of its members to speak on seek utopia, the rest are far too busy shuffling papers to
your behalf. notice. Avoid their attention at all costs."
Boros. "They style themselves the agents of'justice.'
SPEAKER (SPECIAL ROLE) But the law is no better excuse for aggression than
Prerequisite: Renown 50 or higher in the Simic any other.''
Combine Dimir. "We need not compete. Let them be, and they will
let us be-but observe them closely."
You are eligible to become the Speaker of a zonot. The Golgari. "Less an organization than an infestation. They
selection of a new Speaker (in the event of an existing are nearly as adaptable as we are, and they seem intent
Speaker's retiring, dying, or otherwise leaving the po- on competition. More than any other guild, they pres·
sition) takes place through a combination of popular sure us to improve."
election and the input of the other eight Speakers, with Gruul. "The Gruul conceive of nature only in terms of
the current Prime Speaker having the final word. If you savagery and privation. But their ways are no less a
emerge as the victor after this rigorous process, you as- response to civilization than our own. They will survive,
sume the leadership of your zonot and are empowered barely, and perhaps one day they will understand."
to bring its concerns before the Speakers' Chamber. lzzet. "The lzzet have spent ten thousand years mimicking
You are a political leader rather than a scientific one, the appearance of research, producing more pyrotech·
so you have authority over other members of the com- nics than progress. Surely that is a performance to rival
bine only if they live and work in your zonot. If a clade the Rakdos."
has a laboratory in your zonot, you have the right (and Orzhov. "They hoard their treasure throughout their point-
responsibility) to supervise its activities to ensure com- less lives and lengthy afterlives. With such riches, we
pliance with laws and regulations, but not to interfere could swiftly bring about a future in which gold is as
in its research beyond that point. And if the clade leader irrelevant as death."
lives in a different zonot, you have no authority whatso- Rakdos. "Camouflage, mimicry, resilience, and versatility.
ever over that person. If the guilds were species, we would count the Rakdos
among the most impressive. But they aren't, and that
makes the Rakdos far more erratic-and dangerous.''
ENEMI ES AND ALLIES
Selesnya. "Like us, they seek a synthesis between 'natural'
The Simic Combine has an affinity for guilds that care and 'artificial' systems. Unlike us, they wish to achieve it
for the forces of nature, and as such it has worked along- by unconditional surrender. They are adequate partners
side the Selesnya, Gruul, and Golgari in the past. To a in stable times, but in the present climate they have little
lesser extent, the combine also has a rapport with the to offer."
other scientific guild, the Izzet. But overall, the Simic
attitude toward other guilds is one of healthy caution
bolstered by a general tendency toward isolation.

CHAPTER 2 I GUILDS OF RAVNICA 97