Forming a New Society (CShaH)

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Some characters may decide that they want to start a sorcerous society of their own. If you decide to allow such an undertaking, you should make sure your players know what they are getting into.
Characters who set out on this course must answer the same questions that you, as a DM, must answer when designing a new group. Refer to the "New Sorcerous Societies" section in this chapter for the sorts of questions they'll need to answer.
First, the character forming the group must decide on the goal or ideal that will drive the group. It must be something that the character firmly believes in, lest the new members decide to go elsewhere in search of the truly dedicated. For a sorcerous society to grow, its concept must be one that appeals to outsiders or one that can be used to convert outsiders to the cause. This is the most important decision that can be made when forming a new society. If the underlying theme of the society is unappealing or too obscure for most to grasp, the group will never grow. Only once this decision has been made can a character begin forming his group.
At the outset, this is a very difficult undertaking. If the character's society will impinge upon the territory of another existing society, they will face strong opposition. The existing society will either threaten the characters or find some way to make their lives very difficult. Such actions can entail anything from subtle blackmail to an assault by several holy slayers. It is during their formative time that new societies are most in danger; they don't have the support to stand up to a bigger group and lack the resources to expand quickly.
Characters must then decide on how to expand their ranks. Will they contact wizards that they already know and invite them in, or will they seek out new allies? Problems can easily arise here if the characters start tapping into the "personnel pool" of an existing society. For instance, recruiting elementalists of the fire province will surely draw the wrath of the Brotherhood of the True Flame.
The character that is forming the group is also responsible for deciding who is qualified to join the group and what sort of initiation the new society will have. Characters who elect to let anyone join will find themselves overrun by spies and traitors in short order. Those that are too selective run the danger of never expanding into a respectable society.
The initiation can't be too hard or too easy. Either way could alienate prospective members. Too easy and those who would join will think the group is desperate, weak, and in need of new blood. Too hard, and the initiates may never survive to join, or will believe the group to be too arrogant. Though difficult, it is well worth the effort once the society reaches a respectable size. At this point, the society is truly a force to be reckoned with and may make an important mark on the Land of Fate.
Running the sorcerous society can be trying as well. Characters must do their best to make sure that the group doesn't stray off its intended purpose. If the society starts to go off on a wild tangent, members will start to leave, feeling that their goals are not being taken seriously.
Another problem with running a society is rivalry among the members. This problem can be cured by making sure that all members are treated equally, but such equitable treatment is very difficult to maintain. Do you treat high-level wizards better than low-level wizards? If not, you run the risk of offending the most powerful members of your society. On the other hand, favoring those of a higher level can alienate the weaker members, who are far more numerous. Fairness is the key, but each society will have a different idea of what is fair.
And if people do start to leave the society, how will they be stopped from revealing the society to outsiders? Assassination is an option, but one that can scare off new members and make current members fearful of their superiors. Blackmail is another course to take, but this can backfire: the ex-member may do far more damage with his information than the group could ever do to him.
What happens if another group attacks the character's society? Will the character order his group to go to war with the offenders? Or will the society go underground, hoping to avoid the worst danger by remaining unseen?
There are numerous other questions that will doubtless come into play as the society progresses and grows. All must be answered by the characters, and all will challenge wizards in ways they may have not been challenged before.
So why would anyone want to get involved in starting such a society? For many of the same reasons that wizards join these groups. They provide protection for all members and allow the group to accomplish goals that can be beneficial for all members. For the leaders, they can provide wealth and security that might be hard to obtain otherwise. The most altruistic of characters may really believe that what they are doing is for the good of all concerned. Power-hungry characters will see the sorcerous society as a means to an end.
Whatever the reason for starting a sorcerous society, the DM must keep things entertaining. While it is important to spend some time on logistics (such as where to get supplies for the society or where to build the main base of operations), most of the game should focus on the adventures that running a sorcerous society will create. Some examples are:
* Defending the group from another society. Perhaps the leader and his companions must infiltrate and destroy a society bent on their destruction. This could easily take up several sessions as the character and his allies gather intelligence about their enemy, come up with a plan of action and implement this plan.
* A major artifact that the group desires comes to light. Only the society's leader is powerful enough to retrieve the artifact, which is in a far-off area guarded by powerful creatures. Alternately, the artifact is held by a rival society.
* After a lengthy absence, the leader of the society discovers in-fighting upon his return. Without a leader, the society has begun to degenerate into squabbling factions. Strong action must be taken to unify the various cliques within the society before it disintegrates altogether.
* A spy has infiltrated the organization and the leader and his allies must discover who it is and what society the spy is working for. Care must be taken to root out the spy without wrongly accusing (and offending) loyal members.
Any of the above ideas, and many more, can easily crop up in a game. This serves to make the society a dynamic, growing entity and keeps the characters on their toes and the excitement level high.