The following is a guide for generating an organization of like-minded explorers, questers, do-gooders, and adventurers that your player characters can join. This is primarily for use in Dungeon World, in groups where a rotating cast of players will play for short mini-adventures that the guild has taken on.
When creating the guild these are my goals for the final result:
- It should have a history that can be built on
- The players and their characters should feel pride in the guild
- The guild should offer tangible benefits to the characters
- The guild should be set up in such a way as to bring in many quests to the players
Ask the group or individual players as many questions below as you want. Skip those that don't interest you, and leave blanks to be filled in later. Some followup questions and loaded suggestions are provided with each major question.
Was it created by the kingdom to combat a specific threat? Are its roots shrouded in mystery? Did a great hero found it to preserve their legacy?
Who or what did they defeat? What about that victory is most impressive?
What were their deeds? Did they wield famous weapons?
The sword of their first captain? The holy bones of their first martyr? A chalice used in secret rituals?
Build its honor? Save the people? Turn a profit? Serve the empire? Gather knowledge?
Is there a single leader or a circle of leaders? Are they elected?
How restrictive is it? Is there a task you must first complete? Do you have to be sponsored by an existing member?
Are they adventurers for hire? Are they petitioned by the public? Do they receive orders from nobility? Do the guild's seers receive visions of quests?
Do they fight a foe that wronged your family? Do they do charitable work in your home city?
What is required to achieve them? Why are those titles so respected?
How badly would you have fared without their help? What, if anything, did you pledge to do in thanks?
Did you know them before joining the guild?
Does the guild satisfy your thirst for knowledge? Fame? Purpose? Power?
What did they accomplish? Are they living or dead?
You can use this online generator I made or use the tables below.
Pick a format or roll on the list below.
| d6 | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Members of [the] Noun | Knights of the Shield |
| 2 | Noun's Members | Storm's Acolytes |
| 3 | Adjective Members | Crimson Warriors |
| 4 | Organization of [the] Noun | Order of the Faith |
| 5 | Noun's Organization | Purity's Legion |
| 6 | Adjective Organization | Heroic Watch |
Fill in the blanks with suggestions from the table. Use what you've learned about the guild to create a name that describes the guild.
This is completely optional, but you may add adjectives before the members or organization to give it some more flair. So the Knights of the Shield become the Holy Knights of the Shield or the Knights of the Golden Shield.
Use your guild name in a sentence and see if it sounds better with a The in front of it.
The online generator offers many more options, but you may use traditional dice on the table below to build your guild name.
| d | Members | Noun | Adjective | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knights | Faith | Holy | Church |
| 2 | Heroes | Myth | Legendary | Legion |
| 3 | Champions | Virtue | Broken | Company |
| 4 | Preachers | Mercy | Hidden | Choir |
| 5 | Children | Honor | Iron | Guild |
| 6 | Brothers | Word | Stalwart | Brotherhood |
| 7 | Sisters | Secrecy | Warring | Sisterhood |
| 8 | Adventurers | Noose | Bloody | Watch |
Once you have a name for your guild, you may want to tweak some of the previous facts you established about the guild. If your guild name is the Swords of the Gods, then maybe instead of striving to have the guild name him Hector the Great, the title would now be Hector the Greatsword. If your guild is The Veiled Congregation, then perhaps its guild halls are harder to find than previously established.
Each player will create an NPC member of the guild, then they will all be introduced. Each player will then need to make at least one Bond with an NPC that they did not create.
Decide whether you guild member will have one high level skill, or two lower level skills.
If you choose one high level, roll b[3d6]+1 and assign that score to one of the skills below.
If you choose two medium level skills, roll b[2d6] and b[2d4] and assigns those two scores to two skills below.
- Adept
- Burglar
- Minstrel
- Priest
- Protector
- Tracker
- Warrior
This is a large part, but not all of, what drives this guild member. It's something that you can count on them to do if they are left to their own devices.
- Protect the legacy of the guild
- Grow the guild's power
- Thwart the guild's enemies
- Increase the guild's knowledge
- Ensure the safety of the guild's members
- Recruit new worthy initiates
When you order a guild member to do something dangerous, immoral, or completely insane, you will need to roll+loyalty. The guild member's loyalty is 1d4+1.