Faction (Planescape)

The factions of Planescape are fictional philosophical and political organizations in the Planescape campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Introduced in the 1994 Planescape Campaign Setting, the original fifteen factions served both as character affiliations and as institutions responsible for much of the administration of Sigil. Each advanced a different explanation of reality in a setting where belief can physically affect the multiverse.

The factions became one of the setting's defining features. Contemporary critics treated their competing ideologies as central to Planescape's emphasis on role-playing and philosophical conflict, while later commentary discussed their use as character archetypes, political institutions and expressions of the player's internal conflicts.

Conception and design

Designer David "Zeb" Cook summarized the intended tone of the setting as "philosophers with clubs". Faction membership was presented as an optional but important component of character creation. Each group supplied a worldview, institutional support and mechanical advantages and disadvantages in addition to a character's race, class and alignment.

The factions initially received relatively brief descriptions in the campaign boxed set. The 1995 supplement The Factol's Manifesto expanded them through accounts of their histories, internal divisions, leaders, headquarters, rivalries and abilities available to members.