IntroductionI have been playing D and D 3.5 for over 10 years now and I feel like it's time to give a little back, so I am creating an Affiliation like those shown in PHBII. It is a low level orginisation that works for the Queen of Farrah and is especially capable of dealing with the threats posed by the Vatala (The Big Bad).
The
main benefit to you a reader will be in the tactics sections which will cover various levels of cheese for how to use a smallish force of low level characters.
Organisational GoalTo follow all directives of the Queen and her descendants and ensure the stability and safety of Ferrah.
Affiliation Type
It doesn't comfortably fall into one of the 10 categories presented in PHBII so I'd say it's a mixture of druid
circle, fighting company, government, spy ring and temple. The Queen's Blade is broken into 3 smaller sub affiliations with direct recruitment from a Church, Druid Circle and the Military it's self.
The Queen's Blade is broken into 3 key parts, The Blades, The Daggers and The Books
BladesSymbol: Simple short sward on a patch
Goal in the Organisation: The muscle
Affiliation Score Modifier
Required to be a member
1 Rank in Concentration and Survival
Character level - - - - +1/2 PC’s level
Bard with Dragonfire inspiration - - - - +2
Bard with Song of the Heart - - - - +2
Druid with Quick Trait - - - - +2
Marshal with Motivate Dextarity + Hardy Soldiers Lesser and Major Auras - - - - +6
Marshal with Draconic Aura Feat - Vigor - - - - +2
Cleric with Divine Metamagic - Persistent Spell - - - - +2
Cleric with Extra Turning - - - - +2
Ground Units 9 with 2 in training
Size: 15
Level: 3+
Mobility is key in warfare as well as survivability. Mobility is addressed by the Team Rush teamwork benefit from PHBII and outfitting at least a level 2 Druid (ability to ignore terrain) with numerous speed boosts to be able to travel straight across the country to the required destination. For tactical speed boosts we rely on the marshal for her Motivate Urgency Aura and the Cleric for Elation the spell.
Composition
1/2 elf / half elf - anywhere in the squad
2 Bard - Anywhere in Squad
Dragonfire Inspiration
Standard Inspiration
2 Druid
Small animal companions so they can be carried
2 Persist Cleric
Divine Metamagic - Persistent Spell
Extra Turning
Divine Favor - lvl 1
Elation - lvl 2
2 Marshal
The first with - Motivate Dextarity + Hardy Soldiers + Draconic Aura Feat - Vigor and
The second with - Motivate Charisma + Motivate Urgency
1 ranged leader
Base attack bonus +6. Far Shot and Precise Shot
8 ranged basics
Spot 3 ranks + Point Blank Shot
2-4 of which can be casters - equiped with the gnome calculus
1 mele leader
5 mele basics
Essential Blade equipment
Custom psionic item of damp power 1/day - 5600gp
Sending stones 1400GP
Field Provisions Box 2000 GP - food for 15
Badge of Valor 1.2k
Bag of holding Type I 15 lb. 250 lb. 30 cu. ft. 2,500 gp
Command item of silence 1/day 2.4k - offencive counterspelling
Command word alarm - 1800GP put overlapping alarms around camp - half mental half audible in case silence is used.
6 Chain shirt 100 gp - 600gp
6 Long Spars 310gp - 1860
6 Greatswards 350gp - 2100
7 Leather Armor 10gp - 70
7 Compisit long bows 100 + 300 + 100 per 1 str (generally 1) 3500
2 Gnome Calculus (A&E) 50gp - 100
4 Goodberry Wine 250gp - 5 doses 8 HP - 1000
8 Tanglefoot Bags 50 gp - 400
2 Potion Belt 60 - 120
20 Blessed Bandage : 10 [MiC] - Built into armor around neck so it can just be slapped on a fallen comrad - 150
Every member carrys a leather door draft stopper filled with salt to be able to make a ring on the fly (doubles as a sap 1d3dmg)
15 Salt Sticks 1.5lb 6 gp each - 90
16 Caltrops 1gp
24506gp out of 37500 which is the starting gold for 15 level 3 NPC's
Mounted units 3 with one in training
Size: 15
Level: 5+ Leader 6+
Surprisingly less able to get around long distance because they are restricted to the roads the horses aren't able to take advantage of the Team Rush teamwork benefit.
Key Feats
Mounted Combat
Power Attack
Ride By attack - Spirited Charge
Improved bull rush - BAB +6 - Shock trooper
Equipment
4 Field Provisions Box 2000 GP - 8000
15 Masterwork lances 310 GP - 4650
15 Full plate 1,500 gp - 22500
15 Shield, heavy wooden 7 gp - 105
15 Short Bow 30 gp - 450
15 Horse, heavy 200 gp - 3000 - (dragonells wont cut it in a dragon poor world - phantom steeds maybe - CL 14 so they can fly at 200ft? but only hp 21 AC 18 Soooo expensive)
15 Chain shirt Barding 400 gp - 6000
15 Military Saddle 60 gp - 900
15 Saddlebags 4 gp - 60
15 Bit and bridle 2 gp - 30
45695
Ranged Units 3 with 1 in training
Size: 15
Level: 3+
Basic strategy and difference to ground units.
The druid marshal has a talismans of the disk and each member of the squad is in full plate on a platform of shape sand which creates a half wall either on one facing or all facings depending on the amount of sand used and it's weight (doesn't have to be shape sand, could be an actual wooden box for all I care basically it grants +4 Ac to the archer. The druid marshal then runs around surrounded and directed by the swarm of archers with ridiculous AC and a tower shield pointed towards the enemy for total cover. Thine Uncle is Bob.
Differences in items
14 full plate
1 +2 str item
1 Tower shield
1 custom magic item of shield
1 custom magic item of protection from evil
Composition
1/2 elf / half elf - anywhere in the squad
2 Bard - Anywhere in Squad
Dragonfire Inspiration
Standard Inspiration
2 Druid
Small animal companions so they can be carried
2 Cleric
2 x persistant cleric
Divine Metamagic - Persistent Spell
Extra Turning
Divine Favor - lvl 1
Elation - lvl 2
1 x Marshal 2 Druid 2
Motivate Dextarity + Hardy Soldiers + Draconic Aura Feat - Vigor 7 Rangers
2 ranged leader
Base attack bonus +6. Far Shot and Precise Shot
8 ranged basics Fighter or Ranger
Spot 3 ranks + Point Blank Shot
DaggersGoal in the Organisation: The eyes and ears
Symbol: A small dagger held in the queen's hand on an otherwise normal copper piece
Affiliation Score Modifier
Character level - - - - +1/2
10 or more ranks in Diplomacy - - - - +3
10 or more ranks in Gather Information - - - - +3
10 or more ranks in Hide and Move Silently - - - - +3
10 or more ranks in Disguise - - - - +3
10 or more ranks in Sleight of Hand - - - - +2
Leader
The Unseen Hand - Often a favored Understudy of the Leader of the Books, does tasks attends meetings, has a higher than average social status but generally below notice.
Items of Note
Travel undetected - 1/day item of Shaddow walk 25.92k - can travel 500 miles with 11 others. Not teleporting Wizard lvl 6 spell
Members of note
Handsy
An Ethereal Filcher who occasionally lifts objects on request, surprisingly effective despite frusterating for the books that have to create the items to fit it
The Whisper Twins
Two Whisper Gnomes, Peace and Quiet one has a focus on Diplomacy and the other on Stealth but i couldn't tell you which was which
Special Training
Units
Size: 2
Level: 6 +
3 units per capital/ former capital and one per major metropolis
Recruits should be taken from promising Blades so they are a higher level and well versed at combat and more able to justify the significant expenditure of gold per person.
Both should be charismatic due to the nature of the work and diplomacy, bluff, disguise and gather information are key skills .
Thinker - Knowledges and Diplomacy focoused - potentially Druid or Marshal
Doer - Sneaking, open locks, disable traps etc Rogue Bard etc
Arcane casters are not often Daggers to allow for longer operation times of up to 20 hours a day.
When a Dagger team arrives in a city they immediately recruit sharps (the name given to sources) or reconnect with old ones
Retirement
There is no true retirement from the Daggers, you are given a large sum of cash to put a down payment on an inn or other social store and move into semi-retirement whilst gathering information subtlety (-20) for the rest of your life and accommodating other agents that encounter you.
Movement
Overland
6 m/h for 16 hours hustle and push twice 12m/h for 4 = 144 miles in a day on roads
Direct path if druid in the group
Essential equipment
2 Continuous custom item of Protection from Evil/Good/Law or Chaos. 4000GP
2 Ring of sust 2.5k
2 Hat Of Disguise 1.8k
1 Gloves of Object reading 3k
2 Third Eye Dampening 2.5k
1 Vanisher Cloak 2.5k
1 Pass without trace continious 2k
1 Sending Stones 1.4k
1 Magic item of Endure elements 1k
1 Hand of the Mage 900
1 Talisman of the disk 500 - alternate who's on disk x 2 daily movement
1 Shape Sand 100 - to make a seat/bed for said disk
1 Gotta go fast boots 4k
2 Potion Belt 60 - 10 potions
2 Goodberry Wine 250 - 5 doses 8 HP
4 Tanglefoot Bags 50
4 Eggshell grenades
2 Universal Solvent 50
2 Silent Shoes 30
2 Blessed Bandage : 10 [MiC]
38020 = 3 x player lvl 6 wealth - cut down somehow
BooksSymbol: Undecided
Goal in the Organisation: The voice of Her Majesty and supporting and maintaining the rest of the Organisation.
Character level - - - - +1/2
Per 5 ranks in Craft Armorsmithing - - - - +2
Per 5 ranks in Craft Weaponsmithing - - - - +2
Per 5 ranks in Diplomacy - - - - +2
I am presently tossing up between using the forges from the Races of the stone or simply having a custom magic item of fabricate 1/day and items to buff the craft skill which honestly would be easier and more efficient