Evil organizations are a staple of fantasy worlds such as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons. Cults, corrupt officials, assassins' guilds, bandits, and raiders are all intimidating villainous groups for good characters to fight or evil characters to join.
Thieves Guilds are one of the most infamous groups in any D&D setting. They are powerful and influential cabals who hide in plain sight, subtly pull the strings controlling the city t🎶hey reside in to push their agenda. A well-designed thieves' guild can be the focus of a D&D campaign, so here are a few tips on how to get the best out of it.
7 ꧋ Designing The Base
A thieves' guild's base of operation can be a fascinating place for your players to explore. Whether they align with the guild and get to explore the base on good terms or try to break in to oppose them, a well-designed headquarters for these criminal organizations can be an immersive part of your world.
The most iconic location for a thieves' guild to set up their base is the underground levels of the city such as the sewers. The intertwined tunnels and inhospitable nature of the sewers can make for a great hiding place, and yet give the thieves easy access to the city streets. But still, abandoned warehouses, mysterious mansions, or half-sunken ships near the docks can also be great options if you want to set your thieves' guild apart from the majority.
6 Honor Amon🍌g Thieves 🍸
Catching members of disorganized street gangs is not a challenge for the city guards. If they get one, they can be easily persuaded to give up others in exchange for their own freedom. But what makes a thieves' guild a constant and malicious presence in a city is its members' loyalty to each other and the guild as a whole.
Even if the city officials or the party manages to capture a member of the thieves' guild, getting them to give up other members or the guild's location shouldn't be an easy task. The thieves' guild can have enough influence and power to ensure their members' safety and freedom even when they are caught, or be so intimidating that they would rather spend years in jail than rat out on the guild.
5 ꦑ How The Members Join
One of the biggest questions that comes to mind when facing an evil organization is how they recruit new members into their group. How does a thief go from picking pockets in alleys to becoming a ruthless member of the thieves' guild? The answer to this question can be a major aspect of designing your guild.
Does the guild find pro🔴mising individuals and approach them? Do they have challenging and intricate initiation tests for new members? Or do they take their valuables or loved ones as ransom to ensure their loyalty? Knowing the answer to this question can set up an exciting adventure for characters who want to 🦂join the guild or learn about them.
4 🧜 The Role Of The Leader ꧑
A criminal group is only as strong as their leader. The leader of the thieves' guild is one of the most important NPCs to design. They need to be charismatic and intimidating, smart and calculating, and have powerful personal connections within the city.
Another important aspect of the leader should be the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:s♍tory of how 🎐they reached that position. They might've started the guild from scratch, have been selected by the previous leader before they died, or defeated the previous leader in combat. The process of choosing a leader is an important part of the guild's identity, and the leader's personality can have a considerable effect on the guild's behavior.
3 🌳 They Need Influential Contacts 𒈔
The thieves' guild might be the seed of corruption in a city, but they won't survive without corruption in different levels of government. Having certain contacts among the city guard and government officials who work for the guild's benefit, who would take bribe to look the other way, or help the guild when they are in trouble, will ensure the guild stays in power.
Discovering and exposing these corrupt individuals can be an exciting political adventure for good aligned characters. On the other hand, a corrupt city guard can be a ꦗ168澳洲幸运5开奖网:great introduction point for 🎉evil characters who want to join the guild's ranks.
2 Different Specialties🐼
Thieves' guilds can operate in many ways, and they might differ from city to city. Specifying the guild's specialties and principles give them their own identity, and distance them from the generalized idea of a group of thieves.
They can, and should be more than that. A guild can specialize in large scale thefts, pick pocketing, smuggl♔ing, mugging, or other forms of crime. They can also have certain principles on avoiding violence and bloodshed, or only targeting wealthy individuals and𝓡 states.
1 🌌 Last Line Of Defense In Times Of Crisis 💮
There are famous stories of the Mafia or the Yakuza coming to the people's aid in times of desperation. While these might seem like acts of kindness, the underlying reason might be more selfish than they appear. Crime syndicates can only make a profit in a functioning society. They need a productive city to leech onto for their own share, and anything that threatens the livelihood of the citizens, is a threat to them as well.
Destructive and apocalyptic events can be one of the most memorable moments in a D&D campaign. And when the governing body of a city fails to protect their citizens, the thieves' guild can act as a second government, providing aid and protection, and becoming a possible ally until the bigger evil has been defeated.