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Faction War (2e)

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SIGIL'S BEEN AT PEACE FOR OVER 600 YEARS. ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END.

Six centuries ago, events surrounding the Great Upheaval imposed an uneasy peace in the City of Doors. Since that time, the 15 factions have quietly conducted their philosophical battle for the hearts and minds of all Cagers - and always stopped short of all-out war. But now tensions are flaring, tempers are rising, and the Cage is about to explode into conflict!

Faction War is a 128-page adventure that tracks the war from its nefarious origins through its bitter battles to its ultimate resolution and beyond - and puts the future of Sigil in the hands of the player characters. This book reveals secrets, unravels musteries, brings long-simmering plots to ahead, and marks the beginning of a new era for the City of Doors.

It also features the following:

  • new details on Sigil's wards, personalities, and politics
  • adventures that draw the player characters into the heart of the struggle and toward the secrets surrounding the war's beginning and ultimate end
  • extensive notes on the aftermath of the conflict
  • a detailed Timeline of the war, including additional events that the DM may use expand the adventure

Faction War builds on story elements first explored in the PLANESCAPE accessories In the Cage, Factol's Manifesto, and Uncaged: Faces of Sigil. Familiarity with those products is recommended but not required.

Product History

Faction War, by Monte Cook and Ray Vallese, is perhaps the most controversial Planescape product published. It shook up the political structure of the city of Sigil by setting factions against one another, wiping some out and dramatically changing others. The adventure ended with the philosophical and political landscape of Sigil dramatically changed. Many Planescape fans didn't feel this change was necessarily for the better.

Interestingly, designer Monte Cook has since written that a follow-up adventure had been planned, which set many of these changes back to status quo, making the shakeup fairly temporary in nature and filling the void that the factions' removal had left behind. The Planescape line was cancelled by TSR before this adventure could be published, leaving Faction War as canon and the final product in the line.

Large Avalanches from Small Stones. Duke Rowan Darkwood is a man with a hunger for power - enough of a hunger that he seeks to upsurp the Lady of Pain herself. Considering that the Lady of Pain is a ruler so powerful that she can forbid Sigil to the gods themselves, the duke's dark quest seems perhaps too ambitious to the casual observer; however, his attempted coup ends up throwing Sigil into a vicious war, with disastrous consequences.

The player characters are largely stuck on the sidelines as the city explodes around them. Finding out about the magical tools Darkwood is using in his bid for power, they have the opportunity to try to act against him.

Along for the Ride. A common critique of this adventure (apart from that noted above) is that, as it is written, the PCs are largely irrelevant to the plot. Some 2nd-edition adventures have a reputation for railroading PCs, disregarding their actions in order to achieve a specific plot ending. Faction War is one of these. It's still an interesting and illustrative example of how civil war might unfold in such a dense and interconnected city such as Sigil, but in many ways it is as much a narration as it is an interactive roleplaying game.

Rich with Detail. The adventure itself is rich with detail about Sigil and its inhabitants. Opportunities for roleplaying and character development abound, and the flexible encounters are as non-linear as the DM chooses to make them.

About the Creators. Monte Cook and Ray Vallese were two of the architects of David "Zeb" Cook's Planescape game/setting, carrying fans along through Planescape adventures for years.

About the Product Historian

History and commentary of this product was written by Kevin Kulp, game designer and admin of the independent D&D fansite ENWorld. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to kevin.kulp@gmail.com.

We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

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Reviews (2)
Discussions (10)
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Jorge M February 26, 2024 2:53 am UTC
POD Please!
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Ethan K January 24, 2024 1:49 am UTC
POD please!
Reply
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Ethan K January 29, 2024 4:21 am UTC
Seriously—since it’s the last official TSR Planescape module, a print version needs to be made available. It would also be awesome if someone could write the sequel Monte Cook talked about—along the same lines as when someone wrote GW5 and GW11 to finish the Gamma World story arcs TSR left unfinished when they cancelled GW 2e and GW 3e, respectively.
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stefano R November 11, 2022 3:40 pm UTC
Give us Appelcline back
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Brandon G August 04, 2022 2:35 pm UTC
Begging for a Print On Demand option!!
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Xavier C May 29, 2022 10:44 am UTC
POD please
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Christopher T February 04, 2022 12:42 pm UTC
POD, please.
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Frederic L April 12, 2021 1:33 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Print on demand please!
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Nicholas P January 13, 2021 5:12 pm UTC
POD please
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Justin C February 04, 2019 3:01 pm UTC
Really needs a PoD, preferably hardcover. One of the more expensive books on ebay.
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Product Information
Gold seller
Author(s)
Rules Edition(s)
Pages
133
Edition
1.0
Publisher Stock #
TSR 2629
File Size:
60.64 MB
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File Last Updated:
January 29, 2021
This title was added to our catalog on January 22, 2013.