Factions

THE FACTION SYSTEM

The Struggle for Britannia: Warfare, Politics, Sigil Conquest & Silver Economics

The Faction System is an organized, large-scale player-versus-player (PvP) and political warfare system set exclusively within the Felucca facet of Britannia. Four ideological factions vie for military dominance, political power, and economic control over the realm's eight major townships. Players engage in town sigil conquest, hierarchical ranking, specialized tradecrafting, factional guard defense, and shard elections.

Overview & The Four Factions

Britannia is fractured into four distinct factions, divided along philosophical lines of Order, Chaos, Principle, and Nihilism. Each faction maintains a heavily fortified stronghold, an internal ranking hierarchy, unique craft hues, and allied creature guardians.

Faction	Philosophy & Alignment	Stronghold Location	Primary & Secondary Hues	Allied Guardian
Minax	Anarchic Evil / Chaos. Followers of the dark enchantress Minax.	Destard Mountain Fortress North side of the Destard mountains	Blood Red Black	Ogre Lords (30 Silver on kill)
Council of Mages (COM)	Arcane Order / Neutral. Scholars dedicated to magical sovereignty.	Moonglow Starfield Citadel Southern tip of Moonglow island	Blue-White Blue	Wisps (20 Silver on kill)
True Britannians (TB)	Loyal Order / Virtue. Royalists loyal to Lord British and the Crown.	Castle Britannia Within Lord British's Castle, Britain	Purple Gold	Silver Serpents (30 Silver on kill)
Shadowlords (SL)	Nihilistic Evil / Despair. Agents of Falsehood, Hatred, and Cowardice.	Yew Crypts Haunted crypts northeast of Deep Forest Healing	Black Dark Green	Daemons (30 Silver on kill)

Strongholds & Faction Signup Stones

Each faction maintains two critical stones:

1. Signup Stone: Located outside or near the entryway to the stronghold grounds, allowing un-guilded candidates to inspect and join the faction.
2. Faction Stronghold Stone: Located deep within the inner sanctuary of the base. This stone anchors the Faction Treasury, houses the voting booth during elections, facilitates member resignations, and serves as the staging tile for town sigil corruption.

Minax Stronghold

Destard Mountain Fortress Entry

The Faction Stone of Minax

Council of Mages Stronghold

Moonglow Island Starfield Bridge

The Faction Stone of COM

True Britannians Stronghold

Castle Britannia Courtyard, Britain

The Faction Stone of True Britannians

Shadowlords Stronghold

Haunted Crypts of Yew Forest

The Faction Stone of Shadowlords

Enlistment & Resignation

Requirements for Enlistment

• Individual Players: Double-click the signup stone outside any faction base and choose Join.
  • Account must not be under "Young" player status.
  • Account must be at least 30 days old.
  • The player must not possess any other character on the same account enrolled in a rival faction. Multiple characters on the same account may join the same faction.
• Guild Enlistment:
  • If an un-guilded member wishes to join a faction guild, the player must enlist in that faction first before accepting the guild invite.
  • A Guildmaster can enlist an entire guild by double-clicking the faction stone. All members (online or offline) become faction members.
  • Guild requirements: The guild cannot be allied with other guilds; no member may possess an alt character in an opposing faction; and no member may hold "Young" account status.

Non-Participant Immunity & Healing Restrictions

To protect the integrity of open-world warfare, non-faction characters (neutrals) are barred from performing beneficial actions (Healing, Bandaging, Curing, Resurrecting) on faction players or their combat pets while in Felucca. This eliminates third-party "blue healer" exploits during competitive engagements.

Resigning from a Faction

• Resignation Process: Double-click the internal faction stone inside your stronghold and select Resign.
• 3-Day Grace Period: You remain in the faction for exactly 72 hours (3 real days). During this term:
  • You cannot use faction stones or steal/corrupt town sigils.
  • You remain fully attackable by enemy faction members.
  • You can verify your remaining time by speaking aloud:

"What is my faction term status"

• Upon the next login after 72 hours, your character is cleanly removed from the faction system.
• Guild Resignation: Guild members cannot resign individually from a faction guild; you must first quit your guild, then resign from the faction. If a Guildmaster resigns the guild from factions, all guild members enter the 3-day countdown.

Combat Mechanics, Scoring & Ranks

Lawful Aggression & Combat Rules

1. Felucca Ruleset: Faction warfare operates strictly in Felucca. When faction members visit Trammel, faction status is inactive (though standard guild wars remain in effect).
2. Precedence Hierarchy: Combat legality is evaluated in strict order:

Character Reputation (Innocent / Criminal / Murderer) → Guild War Status → Faction Alignment.

1. Free Aggression: All opposing faction members highlight orange and can be freely attacked anywhere in Felucca, including guarded town limits.
2. Friendly Fire / Innocence: Faction mates highlight green and are treated as innocents. Attacking or killing a friendly faction member flags you as a criminal/murderer.
3. Guarded Area Magic: Faction combatants may cast the full offensive spell repertoire in guarded cities without guard interference, provided the target is an enemy faction combatant.
4. Party Restrictions: Members of rival factions cannot form or join a party together.

Death Penalty (Stat / Skill Loss)

When a faction combatant is slain by an enemy faction player (or commits suicide while in a faction), they suffer an immediate temporary 33% skill loss penalty for 20 minutes. This applies to active combat skills and ensures that battlefield victories have decisive tactical weight. Death by neutral creatures, monsters, or faction mates does not trigger this skill penalty.

Looting Rules

• Opposing faction corpses can be freely looted without criminal flag only if the looter dealt lawful combat damage to the deceased during the encounter.
• Placed floor traps that damage an enemy also add the trapper to the lawful looting list.
• If a wounded faction player recovers to 100% maximum health before perishing in a separate encounter, prior attackers' looting rights expire.

Kill Points, Percentiles & Deficit

Every player's combat ranking is determined by Kill Points:

• Point Exchange: Slaying an enemy awards 10% of the victim's total kill points (rounded down), transferred directly from the victim to the victor.
• Low Point Minimum: If the victim has 19 or fewer points, the victor receives a minimum of 1 point.
• Deficit System: When a player with 0 kill points is slain, they accumulate Deficit Points (capped at a maximum of 6 deficit).
  • When in deficit, each death adds 1 deficit point.
  • Slaying an opponent while in deficit uses earned kill points to clear deficit before adding positive score.
  • Slaying a victim capped at 6 deficit awards 0 kill points (anti-farming protection).
• Score Atrophy: At approximately 10:00 AM shard time daily, all players holding 10 or more kill points lose 10% of their points (minimum 1 point), keeping the competitive leaderboard active.
• Honoring Leadership (Point Transfer): Once every 24 hours, a faction member with at least 10 points may transfer score to a comrade by speaking:

"I honor your leadership"

The targeted faction mate receives 4 points, while the giver expends 5 points (1 point is consumed as a system tax).

Rank Hierarchy & Daily Titles

Scores are recalculated daily to place faction combatants into percentile ranks, granting martial titles and determining how many faction items may be equipped:

Rank	Score Bracket	Minax Title	Council of Mages	True Britannians	Shadowlords	Faction Items
1	Below 20%	Defiler	Mystic	Defender	Servant	4
2	20% – 39%	Defiler	Mystic	Defender	Servant	4 (Mount access)
3	40% – 49%	Defiler	Mystic	Defender	Servant	4
4	50% – 59%	Executioner	Diviner	Sentinel	Keeper of Lies	5
5	60% – 69%	Executioner	Diviner	Sentinel	Keeper of Lies	5
6	70% – 79%	Executioner	Diviner	Sentinel	Keeper of Lies	5 (Commander Candidacy)
7	80% – 89%	Warlord	Luminary	Crusader	Bringer of Sorrow	6
8	90% – 94%	Warlord	Luminary	Crusader	Bringer of Sorrow	6
9	95% – 99%	Dread Knight	Archon of Principle	Knight of Virtue	Agent of Evil	7
10	Top 0.9%	Avenger of Mondain	Inquisitor of the Council	Knight of the Codex	Purveyor of Darkness	8
Commander	Elected Leader	Faction Commander	Faction Commander	Faction Commander	Faction Commander	9

Silver Currency, Crafting & Faction Equipment

Earning Silver

Silver is the official currency of the faction system. It appears as shimmering blessed silver coins that cannot be stolen or lost on death:

• Player Kills: Slaying an enemy faction member awards 40 Silver pieces per 1 kill point earned. (Victims in deficit award zero silver; repeat kills on the same individual within a short duration are throttled).
• Faction Monsters: Killing enemy-affiliated creatures in Felucca yields silver bounties:
  • Minax Ogre Lords: 30 Silver
  • Council of Mages Wisps: 20 Silver
  • True Britannians Silver Serpents: 30 Silver
  • Shadowlords Daemons: 30 Silver
• Town Conquest: Successfully capturing a city deposits 10,000 Silver directly into the faction treasury.

Faction Equipment Imbuing

Artisans within a faction can expend silver while crafting in a faction-controlled town to imbue goods with enchanted faction properties:

• Equipment Properties:
  • Blessed Status: Faction gear is blessed for 21 real days (3 weeks). It cannot be stolen and remains on the player upon death. After 21 days, the enchantment fades and the item becomes standard mundane equipment.
  • Hue Customization: When crafting, the artisan selects either the faction's Primary or Secondary hue.
  • Equip Limits: Only members of the crafting faction with sufficient rank may equip faction gear (from 4 items at Rank 1 up to 8 items at Rank 10, or 9 for Commander).

Item Category	Silver Cost	Minimum Rank / Skill	Properties & Enchantments
Metal Armor	1,000 Silver	Rank 1+	Plate, chain, ringmail; blessed for 21 days; faction hued.
Leather Armor	750 Silver	Rank 1+	Studded & regular leather; blessed for 21 days; faction hued.
Melee Weapons	1,000 Silver	Rank 1+	Swordsmanship, Fencing, Mace Fighting; blessed for 21 days.
Archery Weapons	1,000 Silver	Rank 1+	Bows, crossbows, heavy crossbows; blessed for 21 days.
Clothing & Robes	500 Silver	Rank 1+	Cloaks, robes, sashes, doublets, kilts; blessed for 21 days.
Spell Scrolls	500 Silver	Inscription 90.0+	Imbued Heal, Greater Heal, Harm, Fireball, or Lightning.
Faction War Horse	500 Silver	Rank 2+	Purchased from town Stablemaster; enhanced strength and stamina.

Spell Scroll Staff Imbuing

A faction scribe possessing at least 90.0 Inscription can apply a Faction Spell Scroll to an exceptionally crafted wooden gnarled staff. The staff becomes charged with spell casts:

Charges = 40 ÷ Spell Circle (rounded down)

• Lightning (Circle 4): 10 charges
• Fireball (Circle 3): 13 charges
• Greater Heal (Circle 4): 10 charges
• Harm (Circle 2): 20 charges

Staves cannot be recharged; once exhausted, a new staff must be crafted and enchanted.

Faction Floor Traps

Tinkers with at least 90.0 Tinkering can fashion tactical floor traps for 1,000 Silver each. Traps arm players with defensive area denial during city assaults and base defense.

• A faction may have a maximum of 15 active traps placed worldwide across all cities and strongholds.
• Traps only trigger against opposing faction members.
• Traps trigger repeatedly unless successfully disarmed.
• Revealing Traps: Using the Detect Hidden skill reveals any trap in range to all players for 60 seconds. An ambient warning alert also pings nearby enemy faction members.
• Disarming Traps: Only opposing faction thieves/engineers with the Remove Trap skill can permanently disarm and dismantle a faction trap.

Trap Type	Authorized Placement Zones	Tactical Effect
Gas Trap	Faction Stronghold Only	High-potency poison cloud, causing escalating poison ticks.
Explosion Trap	Any Controllable Town	Immediate concussive fire blast dealing direct burst damage.
Saw Trap	Friendly-Controlled Town Only	Whirling blades dealing heavy physical bleed and laceration damage.
Spike Trap	Friendly-Controlled Town Only	Ground impalement dealing instant piercing damage.

Town Conquest & Sigils

The cornerstone of territorial dominance is the control of Britannia's eight major townships:

• Britain (Pedestal located south of east Britain mage shop)
• Skara Brae (Pedestal located north of provisioner)
• Magincia (Pedestal located southwest of tavern)
• Minoc (Pedestal located south of tavern)
• Moonglow (Pedestal located east of provisioner)
• Trinsic (Pedestal located east of meeting hall)
• Vesper (Pedestal located near town bridge)
• Yew (Pedestal located west of healer)

The Conquest Cycle

1. Stealing the Sigil	A faction rogue with at least 80.0 Stealing double-clicks the town pedestal to steal the Town Sigil. The thief and all equipped gear immediately hues bright purple. The thief is prohibited from casting Recall, Gate Travel, Teleport, Polymorph, or Incognito; cannot use disguise kits or moonstones; and cannot place the sigil into floor containers. The carrier can use Hiding and Stealth. Logging out drops the sigil back to its home pedestal. The runner has exactly 1 hour to carry the sigil into their faction stronghold tile, or it teleports home.
2. Stronghold Corruption	Once placed upon the faction stronghold tile, the sigil begins a 24-hour corruption timer. Rival factions can breach the stronghold and steal the sigil. If moved, a 15-minute grace period exists to restore it without resetting the 24-hour timer. If a rival faction carries the sigil to their own stronghold, their own corruption timer begins.
3. Delivering the Sigil	Once the 24-hour corruption completes, the sigil is fully corrupt. The faction has 1 hour to transport the corrupted sigil back to the town's pedestal. Placing it onto the pedestal finalizes the conquest! The town falls under your faction's banner for a minimum of 7 days, and the faction treasury receives 10,000 Silver.
4. Perpetual Ownership	Towns never revert to neutral status; ownership persists until another faction successfully steals, corrupts, and re-deposits the sigil.

Faction Governance & Leadership

Territorial control empowers three public offices within a faction: the elected Faction Commander, the appointed Town Sheriff, and the appointed Finance Minister.

The Faction Commander

• Election: Every 7 days, an election cycle occurs:
  • Campaigning (24 hours): The first 10 eligible candidates holding Rank 6 through 10 may register on the faction stone.
  • Voting (24 hours): All registered faction members cast one immutable vote on the faction stone.
  • The candidate with the highest vote tally assumes office for a one-week term.
• Commander Powers:
  • Treasury Allocation: Directs silver from the central Faction Treasury into specific captured town treasuries.
  • Tithing Control: Sets the global player silver tithe from 0% to 100% in increments of 10% (one adjustment allowed per 24 hours).
  • Appoint Officers: Selects one Sheriff and one Finance Minister for each conquered city via the townstone.
  • Global Faction Broadcast: Once per hour, speaks aloud:

"message faction"

This opens a text prompt dispatching a global message to all online faction comrades.

The Town Sheriff

Each conquered town possesses one Sheriff appointed by the Commander. By speaking:

"I am sheriff"

The Sheriff accesses the garrison interface to hire and command Faction City Guards.

• Guard Capacity: A town can maintain up to 10 guards of each type (maximum 40 guards total per city).
• Tactical Standing Orders: The Sheriff sets orders against each rival faction:
  • Ignore: Guards permit enemy presence without reaction.
  • Warn: Guards give verbal proclamations alerting citizens to the enemy's presence.
  • Attack: Guards attack enemy faction combatants on sight. (Guards never attack neutral non-faction citizens).

Guard Tier	Minax	Council of Mages	True Britannians	Shadowlords	Silver Cost
Tier 1 (Light)	Henchman	Henchman	Henchman	Henchman	5,000 Silver
Tier 2 (Medium)	Mercenary	Mercenary	Mercenary	Mercenary	6,000 Silver
Tier 3 (Heavy)	Berserker	Sorcerer	Knight	Death Knight	7,000 Silver
Tier 4 (Elite)	Dragoon	Wizard	Paladin	Necromancer	8,000 Silver

The Town Finance Minister

Each conquered town possesses one Finance Minister appointed by the Commander. By speaking:

"I wish to access the city treasury"

The Finance Minister commands the fiscal policies of the town:

• Vendor Taxation: Adjusts NPC vendor purchase prices throughout the city from 1/3 normal price up to 3x normal price (in increments of thirds). This tax applies to all shoppers realm-wide, generating municipal revenues deposited into the town treasury.
• Control Extension: May spend 20,000 Silver per day (up to 7 additional days maximum) to lengthen town control without re-stealing the sigil.
• Purchasing Specialized NPC Vendors:

Vendor Type	Silver Cost	Max Per City	Inventory & Purpose
Stablemaster	5,000 Silver	1	Sells sturdy Faction War Horses (500 Silver) to Rank 2+ faction riders.
Reagent Vendor	5,000 Silver	10	Stocks wholesale mage reagents for frontline spellcasters.
Ore Vendor	3,000 Silver	10	Stocks raw iron ore for faction blacksmiths and armorers.
Wood Vendor	3,000 Silver	10	Stocks timber and shafts for faction carpenters and bowcrafters.

Summary of Essential Faction Speech Commands

Spoken Command	Authorized Role	System Action
What is my faction term status	Any Resigning Member	Displays the exact remaining hours until clean resignation from the faction.
I honor your leadership	Combatants with ≥ 10 Kill Points	Prompts target cursor to transfer 4 kill points to a faction comrade (costs 5 points; once per 24h).
message faction	Faction Commander	Broadcasts an instant guild-wide speech notification to all online faction members (1 hour cooldown).
I am sheriff	Appointed Town Sheriff	Opens the city defense menu to hire faction guards and configure Ignore / Warn / Attack orders.
I wish to access the city treasury	Appointed Finance Minister	Opens the municipal ledger to adjust town vendor taxes, extend town control, and hire NPC vendors.

Reference grounded in the classic Stratics Faction System and UO Renaissance game archives. All illustrations and diagrams are hosted on the local wiki server.