Creating a Conspiracy

Building a conspiracy is a collective effort and should involve the input of all the players. While we need not make every decision before the game starts, it should be completed by the end of Book I, and the sooner it is done the sooner I can as the Dungeon Master begin seeding hooks and opportunities to shape and grow it.

 

Step One: Conspiracy Concept

The first step should simply be a collective ideation process where each would-be overlord gives their expectations and what they would be most interested to see come of it, and any cool ideas they have for what their evil empire might look like and how it would operate. There are a few campaign specific considerations: for instance, this conspiracy will be subordinate to, as you all are, to the wider cult of Asmodeus you are being recruited into, and it will be expected to incorporate his worship in some manner and pay him and the other lords of Hell homage. Read ahead through some of the options as well if you like to help shape this discussion.

 

Step Two: Select a Hierarchy

This is no disorganized horde or anarchic band of rebels, but an organization that reflects the strict hierarchies of the Nine Hells in its character and operations. The exact form by which this hierarchy manifests can vary. Your choice of Hierarchy will result in three ability boosts and one ability flaw. It is roughly analogous to a character’s Ancestry.

A conspiracy can incorporate elements of multiple hierarchies, but at the end of the day, you need to answer the fundamental question of where authority is derived from within it. You can change the Hierarchy down the line, but it will result in a period of anarchy to complete the transition.

 

Army

The conspiracy is organized with strict ranks and chains of command, often with followers dedicating their entire lives to it. Though not necessarily military in nature, it trends towards that kind of structure all the same. This affords a great deal of personal oversight for the cabal, and tends to most efficiently make use of resources, but the fact that it requires essentially ever member to live only as a member of the conspiracy and give up their previous lives means it has difficult acting in secret, as its members are strangers to Goodly society.

• Boosts: Power, Depth, Free.
• Flaw: Secrecy.

 

Cult

A Cult is dominated by charismatic leadership, where the veneration or adulation of some central figure or figures forms the font of authority within the organization. This can be religious in nature, worshiping either a deity of the cabal’s choosing or the masterminds themselves, or simply based on their magnetism and force of will. Cults exert great control over their membership and can infiltrate society unseen, but recruitment is difficult and often requires filtering out those with sensibilities resistant to such brainwashing.

• Boosts: Grasp, Secrecy, Free.
• Flaw: Depth.

 

Enterprise

For members of an Enterprise, this is their job, their profession, perhaps even vocation. The cabal are their paymasters and employers, nothing more, nothing less. They likely are signed to contracts and it may even have a respectable front that it draws in new members from, making it easy both to recruit and expand. However, at the end of the day members are far less willing to go the extra mile or risk their lives, limiting how directly its resources can be used.

• Boosts: Reach, Depth, Free.
• Flaw: Power.

 

Feudal

A Feudal conspiracy is one wrapped up in direct relationships of high and low, lord and vassal, master and slave. It is much more personal and based then on these social bonds, which brings with it a certain emphasis on loyalty. Through networking with those with particular skills and keeping as mostly a social network, one can leverage their talents with great focus. However, with power so distributed and focused on individuals, it is vulnerable to corruption and incompetence.

• Boosts: Power, Reach, Free.
• Flaw: Guile.

 

Movement

A Movement is tied more to an idea than any singular leader, bringing followers to its cause sometimes even unbidden. Its hierarchy is one based on information and its distribution, where those who know the right codes and rites can distribute orders across a cell-like structure. This makes Movements particularly hard to dislodge or attack directly, but it also means that it requires a certain hands-off approach from its masterminds.

• Boosts: Secrecy, Guile, Free.
• Flaw: Grasp.

 

Tribe

A Tribe is founded around some sense of shared identity, where all the members feel that they are part of some greater whole. The cabal are like patriarchs or matriarchs to this “found family”, though in some cases it might also literally involve ties of blood or marriage. The Tribe grows fast and strong, resisting outside influence, but their clannish nature can limit how easily they can extend themselves.

• Boosts: Grasp, Guile, Free.
• Flaw: Reach.

 

Step Three: Select a Crop

Your conspiracy will consist of dozens, perhaps one day hundreds or thousands of minions, but you have to start somewhere. The first recruits that form the initial Crop of your conspiracy will, no matter how diverse what comes afterwards, send significant ripples through the character of the organization. Like the Backgrounds this is most analogous to, these are far more customizable options. The six I list here are specifically tied to setting hooks that you can take advantage of during Book One.

Each Crop grants two starting skill proficiencies and two ability boosts, as well as a bonus feat, which they gain even if they don't meet the prerequisites.

 

Convicts

Like yourselves, your first minions were once prisoners who now owe their freedom to the cabal. They are resourceful and survivors, who are devoted to never being imprisoned again. Your conspiracy is influenced by the logic of the penitentiary, with pecking orders and spats of violence used to assert it. They are naturally distrustful of society and the law, even beyond what might be expected of minions of evil, and do not easily give up, having a well-earned determination.

• Abilities: Two ability boosts, one of which must be to Guile.
• Skills: Trained in Underworld and Security.
• Feats: Like Roaches.

 

Monsters

You drew the first Crop from outside of society, from those who stalk the Alflaw or deeper places still. This might be literally inhumans, anywhere from filthy sewer goblins to slavering orcs, but it could also be Vendalic swordswomen trying to reclaim the old ways or Dulacs who wish to liberate their people through bloodshed. Your Conspiracy thumbs its nose at the way society is done, and is willing to do whatever it takes without ethical limit to pursue their aims, their bodies often twisting to reflect their inner natures.

• Abilities: Two ability boosts, one of which must be to Power.
• Skills: Trained in Beastlore and Esoterica.
• Feats: Monstrous Affinity.

 

Deserters

Talingarde has not seen true conflict for nearly a century of peace, and those who man the forts and walls are callow and untested. It would be simple to break the will of some of them, and reveal to them the futility of their charges, luring them to join the winning team. Surprisingly, such a Crop would be surprisingly loyal and adapt well to the hellish hierarchy, and certainly would have nowhere else to turn if they were turned out from the Conspiracy’s embrace.

• Abilities: Two ability boosts, one of which must be to Grasp.
• Skills: Trained in Warfare and Logistics.
• Feats: Mailed Fist.

 

Heretics

Not all flourish under the auspices of the Axiomatic Church. Some naturally chafe under its strictures, and ask too many inconvenient questions. Though the darkest days of witch hunts and the burning of apostates is mostly behind, if one knows where to look you can also find dissidents. Your conspiracy’s first members are well acquainted with keeping the attention of the Inquisition off their affairs, and that subtle awareness extends down to later recruits. While all such evil organizations likely abhor the Church, a Heretic conspiracy takes this to another level, though this likely means the masterminds must provide some alternative belief system for them to take on.

• Abilities: Two ability boosts, one of which must be to Secrecy.
• Skills: Trained in Communion and Espionage.
• Feats: Hellish Bureaucracy.

 

Ruffians

It doesn’t need to be complicated. There are always those who either don’t have the opportunities to succeed, or are looking for shortcuts. In this golden age, crime has subsided tremendously, but it is not absent. Hiring some mercenaries, toughs or bandits is easy enough, and there always are more of them. This is a Crop that is ultimately down to earth, and most concerned about the here and now. A sense of practicality extends through the whole outfit, much in contrast to the pulpy villainy of the cabal.

• Abilities: Two ability boosts, one of which must be to Depth.
• Skills: Trained in Business and Underworld.
• Feats: Insider Trading.

 

Forgotten

There are many who have been left behind by the current regime. The proud aristocrats of Rusante, the old druidic circles who once crowned the Kings of Sarum, cabals of wizards who despise the restrictions put on them by imperial and canon law. They are fewer in number and cautious, having been burned by previous conspiracies, but if their trust is won, they bring a certain unique potence and sense of nobility and purpose to the conspiracy. An arrogance, too, a belief that they are the true and rightful rulers of Talingarde.

• Abilities: Two ability boosts, one of which must be to Reach.
• Skills: Trained in Prestige and Thaumaturgy.
• Feats: Sorcerous Supremacy.

 

Step Four: Choose a Whip

By this point, you have a clear idea of how the conspiracy is structured and who makes up its core membership. Now you must decide collectively the primary means of “motivation”, what keeps them in line and from betraying the whole operation to the forces of Good. Much like with Hierarchy, a conspiracy likely uses all of these at times, but you must choose the primary one that is foundational to the conspiracy’s overall character.

When you select your Whip, you choose a boost to one of two abilities, and then get four free boosts after that. You also start with a custom feature for each, and become proficient in one saving throw.

 

Hatred

The members of the conspiracy are primarily driven out of antipathy for some enemy: Mitra, the Church, the Empire, the House of Darius, kids these days, anything that can unify them and keep them on task. This can be onerous to wrangle, but also surprisingly effective so long as the enemy is in sight. We should probably avoid race hatred as a motivation here, but there are plenty of other possibilities to explore.

• Abilities: One boost to either Power or Grasp, then four free boosts.
• Saving Throw: Trained in Grasp.
• Feature: Sworn Enemy. Name an organization, culture or deity, or something similar. Your conspiracy is driven by hatred against this perceived enemy, and gains a +2 status bonus to any checks involving targeting this enemy.

 

Fear

Ultimately your minions serve because they are personally afraid of you or what you might do, either to them or their loved ones. You must constantly remind them of this threat, and surveil them carefully, as fear can easily turn into betrayal. This fear can also help keep your minions from discovery as they fear equally the possibility of being caught, and such a primal emotion can make one a tenacious survivor.

• Abilities: One boost to either Secrecy or Reach, then four free boosts.
• Saving Throw: Trained in Secrecy
• Feature: Paranoia. Whenever you would fail a Secrecy-based saving throw, you may roll it again as a Fortune effect. You must use the second result.

 

Thirst

You offer something that is deeply pleasurable or exhilarating to your minions. Indulgence and seduction, gluttony and abandon, anything that is about sensation and experience can qualify here. They are sometimes difficult to control in their passions, and seize the world like a parade of maenads, or a swarm of locusts. So long as their appetites are sated, they will happily obey. The issue is what happens when the fields are fallow.

• Abilities: One boost to either Reach or Depth, then four free boosts.
• Saving Throw: Trained in Depth.
• Feature: Debauched, Dead and Loving It. Whenever you would be forced to spend or lost an Asset, you may replace it with Amenities instead.

 

Greed

Related to but different than Thirst, Greed is about possession and acquisition. Whether wealth, power, land or something else, you offer something that feels more tangible to them, a means to advance, or even simply a paycheck. Ultimately, Greed is tied to insecurity in one’s position, and thus if minions whipped by Greed do not feel there’s any room for such advancement, they are quickly going to look for opportunities elsewhere.

• Abilities: One boost to either Depth or Guile, then four free boosts.
• Saving Throw: Trained in Depth.
• Feature: Grubby Little Fingers. The first time you would gain an Asset during a Conspiracy turn, you may take one more, at the cost of 1 Dissent.

 

Lies

What your minions believe is at its root a fiction. Perhaps they believe they are truly on the side of righteousness, or perhaps that they are merely part of a legitimate organization. Perhaps they think they are simply against bad government and still are loyal servants of the king, like the peasant rebellions of our history. This is a delicate web to weave. If one can maintain it, it is rewarding in insulating the Overlords from blowback, but it can backfire tremendously if one snarls the threads.

• Abilities: One boost to either Secrecy or Guile, then four free boosts.
• Saving Throw: Trained in Secrecy.
• Feature: Scapegoats. The first time an organization would become suspicious of the conspiracy, you can prevent it by laying out some dupes and incurring 1 Ruin.

 

Despair

Rarest of the whips but potent when it can be applied, Despair relies on the utter submission and destruction of hope in its followers. It requires more than simply making them afraid, but destroying or marring what they hold dear, breaking down their beliefs and leaving nothing but ash, and demonstrating there is no hope but surrender and acquiescence. This is shockingly effective in ensuring the absolute loyalty of one’s minions, but even a single glimmer of hope inspired by Good can render it fragile.

• Abilities: One boost to either Power or Grasp, then four free boosts.
• Saving Throw: Trained in Grasp.
• Feature: Salt the Earth. Treat all Carnage Thresholds as 1 lower..

 

Step Five: Record Conspiracy Details

• Calculate your conspiracy’s ability modifiers after applying all boosts and flaws.
• Record the conspiracy’s level as 1.
• The conspiracy’s Agenda Die is a D4, and its Agenda Dice total is 5.
• The conspiracy’s Control DC is 14.
• The conspiracy’s Consumption is 0.
• The conspiracy’s Dissent is 0.
• The conspiracy’s Infamy is 0.
• Mark all Ruin boxes as 0, and each threshold as 10.

 

Step Six: Choose Leaders

Distribute among the PCs the cabal leader roles detailed on the Conspiracy Subsystem page. After you select your invested leaders, each of you can select one of the Favored Skills for each position that the conspiracy isn't already trained in, and mark it as trained. You should have at this point seven skills with trained proficiency.

 

Step Seven: Establish Headquarters

You will need to determine your base of operations. Over time, your conspiracy will accumulate several strongholds, which they can move and store their Assets in. Wicked towers, hidden temples, ruined castles… You will have the opportunity to claim more as the game goes on but you must start somewhere in likely somewhat humble origins. Towards the end of the game, you’ll have several, and the Dungeon Grid subsystem will allow you to construct devious ways of defending them against interlopers (as well as lure adventurers to their doom as a means of passively acquiring Lucre, Bodies and Souls).

Your first stronghold will be gifted by your patron over the course of the first adventure, and is predetermined for you. You will have the opportunity to make it your own, or abandon it for something more your speed down the line. You can also use your conspiracy’s actions and resources to build new ones and can move your headquarters there. Your headquarters should be your best defended locale: while you can spread your Assets out as you like, attacks on your headquarters will leave you particularly vulnerable to Ruin.

 

Step Eight: Detail Your First Henchman.

While you can command your minions directly, you will rely on henchmen to lead them in most regards. You will start with a single henchman of level 1, whom I want to give you all a lot of creative control over. I will integrate their recruitment into the story, but you can collectively decide their name, Ancestry, Culture, Background and Class, and any other details you wish to keep. They should, like your other choices, inform the nature of the conspiracy at large.

A henchman is not a disciple (i.e. a cohort that accompanies you on adventures) nor are they an agent that acts independently on your behalf. They are an intermediary between the cabal’s will and your minions, and will often be the voice of whats going on the ground. While your first henchman will be a fully detailed NPC, you will as the organization levels up gain many more that might be less spotlighted, and ultimately they are just as disposable as your minions are, but there’s something sentimental about your first.

 

Step Nine: Finishing Touches.

With the big decisions made, it's time to calculate modifiers for each of the conspiracy’s skills. Unlike character skills, you can use multiple abilities with each skill. Certain combinations of ability and skills translate to specific conspiracy actions, usually about two to three for each skill, which will be listed on the sheet for totals. You should also list the proficiency and status modifiers separately, without ability bonuses for when you take actions outside of the preset ones, to be determined by the Dungeon Master. If a kingdom is not proficient in a skill, the proficiency bonus is +0; if a kingdom is trained in a skill, the proficiency bonus is that kingdom's level plus 2.

Finally, name your evil conspiracy and think of a symbol or logo that they used to represent themselves.