I learned while playing Fate Core that every thing can have a level and attributes. Another game that takes a similar attitude is the Cypher System, by Monte Cook Games.
Everything in this game, has a level. In some things it is an implied level. You don't need to know a piece of tissue paper has a level 0, you can just rip it in half. You don't need to know that punching down a mountain (in most games) is impossible, so you don't have to give it a level of 11 or greater (the system caps what is possible at 10). Heavy parchment, on the other hand, may need you to beat a Level 1 (Target Number 3) or higher to rip it in half because it is tougher than tissue. In the same spirit you probably need to place a level on an ancient enchanted stone door, even if it is 10, because the PCs could through Effort and ingenuity break it down.
NPCs and Monsters have levels that indicate their combat prowess. Some times additional Level's are mentioned for things they are very good or very bad at. A giant maybe a Level 7 creature, but as it is very large and very slow to react, it could be Level 5 at dodging and Level 4 at Intellect Defense.
In my recent games, a PC is going up against the local branch of a large company that has all but taken over a small town. This company isn't one enemy, but it does act as one. So, giving it a Faction Level makes sense. This would be the same as any other Leveled object or creature. Health, Recovery, Resources, and Actions would all fall in line with the Level as logic dictates.
Take the Mining Company, in this case the Bryndis Mining Cooperative for example. It is Level 6. It has men working for it, it has money, it has its own lawyers, it has paid bribes to certain officials, it has hired some mercenaries. All of those are actionable resources. They can take action with these resources and these would be within 1 to 2 points of Level 6.
What if, though, the PCs take it upon themselves to drive it out of the town. Now, you have to consider how a dispersed, but Leveled, entity could be hurt. You can't just come at it like it is a Goblin because its resources are diverse. Instead you take action against its resources.
Like all CS entities it has Health equal to Level x 3. So it will need to have 18 points of "Damage" to become a non entity, at least locally. How do you hurt such a thing? You cut off its resources.
In the case of mercenaries you kill them, drive them out, or convince them to abandon their contract. In the case of bent politicians you expose them or blackmail them, or , yes, even kill them, so that level of pressure is removed. Each telling blow against the entity would be worth 1 to 2 points of damage.
In the current game I am playing the Bryndis Mining Cooperative has a level of 6 and Health of 18, but it was exposed to the town constable that they gained their largest mine through murder and legal tampering. This turned a major branch of the town government against them. An investigation was opened. This causes them a level of damage.
In a future adventure I find out the bandits plaguing the area are not only working for the mining company, but are mercenaries directly controlled by them. This evidence is gained through reliable sources in the presence of the constable and a trusted citizen. Rumors begin to spread against the company and it takes another point of Health reduction.
Surly, though this will rouse the ire of the company against the PCs and the Constabulary. So maybe they send more of their mercenaries to quell the PCs. Perhaps they start a counter rumor that the PCs are trouble makers. If the PCs can defend against them or turn the tables this would be damage as well, but if they are successful they would heal some of the damage taken.
Now that we have the basic concept lets build a Faction, and then tear it down.
I think we should start with a classic. An evil warlord (L5) and his Necromancer “advisor” (L5) have gained control of a small barony and have recruited hobgoblin soldiers (L3) and a scattering of weak undead (L2). The local governments from the surrounding baronies know that they are out classed on the battle field so it is up to plucky adventures to tear down this dictator. Since everything is better with a proper name we will call this Barony Last Keep (it is on the frontier) so we will call the faction by the same name.
Looking at the various resources of this barony there would be a fortification, two small armies, a lot of cash revenue (as they are bilking the locals in terror out of everything of worth), and the personal power of the two leaders. The faction has to be judged as a whole, not by the power of those in charge. While hobgoblins and zombies are weak individually, there are a lot of them. The faction as a whole would have a Level of 4 or 5. Probably closer to 5 as it has two armies and one of them is fearless. There is no hard and fast rule for applying these Levels. Instead we have to employ a certain amount of intuition. The Warlord knows how to organize, and the necromancer can ruthlessly replenish the undead losses. This leans the total power closer to a 5.
A Level 5 foe would have a Faction Health of 15. Each point represents a unit of power. You can be abstract about this in the development stage, but to defeat the faction you must remove its assets. When you attack an asset it will typically be either at the Level of the Faction or within one point lower or higher.
There are several ways of removing Faction Health. For instance, you could destroy the asset: kill all the hobgoblins and they would no longer count into the equation. You can create a counter asset: convince a group of religious soldiers that the undead menace has to be stopped and their assistance is vital. You could use some diplomacy or trickery. Pit bands of hobgoblins against one another and let them do the work for you. Any of these methods would neutralize assets and this impact the Factional Health.
I represent Factional Health on a simple line of x’s grouped in 3s.
“Xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx” Your goal is to remove the x’s by neutralizing the Assets involved. Each time you have a significant victory, say you take out a large squad of hobgoblins, or you do bring in an independent band of holy warriors, you mark off an x. When you are down to the last X you will note it is different. This is usually when you face the leaders or their most powerful assets.
While you are chipping away at the Factional Health, the enemy is not standing idle. Pick a reasonable unit of time for your campaign. I suggest a month, but there could be good reasons to use a week (a small local asset) or a season (a widely spread and national asset), and when that amount of time passes the Faction will regain 1 factions health. You add an x back to the equation. This represent repair or replacement to an Asset or even the creation of a whole new Asset. Lets say the holy warriors destroy a large number of zombies. First, you caused damage by recruiting them, secondly by their actions once recruited. The Faction will react to this. Perhaps the necromancer releases a powerful wraith to slay the leader of the holy warriors. The creation of this wraith (after a month of effort by the Necromancer) heals 1 point of to that faction. Should over the next month through sneak attacks it devastates your holy allies, that would heal another point. This keeps pressure on the PCs to continuously chip away at the enemy.
Lets suppose your PCs are very effective and fast on their feet and over a couple months cause 6 points of damage to the Factional Health track. This attrition would add up and the Faction would be reduced by 1 Level. So now instead of facing a 5 (+/- 2) challenge in a typical encounter you would instead face a 4 (+/- 2). Note that doesn’t change the level of the Warlord or the Necromancer. In the final confrontation they will still be powerful enemies, but their faction would have by then disinter grated around them.
So in short:
Conceptualize a Faction.
Decide what its most obvious Assets would be.
Assign a Level to the Faction
Create a Factional Health bar.
Think of ways to “attack” the faction, and enact them.
Every two sets of xxx remove 1 level from the faction. I have found if this is done in a 1 to 1 rate is drops the power of the Faction to quickly to be satisfying.
Make sure the Faction takes actions of its own to neutralize the threats as they see them (some parties are very stealthy).
Every “unit” of Faction time heal 1 point to the faction.
In the final encounter keep in mind the individual power of the leaders, not just its remaining factional strength.
Winning this final victory the faction is destroyed. Even if every asset hasn’t been point by point neutralized it has lost cohesion. Even should the villains survive the final confrontation, they are now just NPCs not Factional leaders, because they have no faction left.
I hope this is of use to you plucky adventures
Happy gaming
W.D.
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