Society for Study of the Obscure (Faction)

> *This page contains mechanical information for a specific faction. For more general information, see Factions.*
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The Society for Study of the Obscure, or simply the Society, is a loosely organized collection of researchers, investigators, and academics who seek to understand the otherworldly forces at work in the world, and use that understanding to protect those in harm’s way. The Society has members in all corners of the Archipelago but due to a habit of secrecy, is virtually unknown to the public. Members of the Society rarely gather in large groups, but they will often work with other organizations, providing expertise and advice to governments, educational institutions, and religious groups. Whether scientist, medium, detective, or knight, all those with a curious mind and strength of soul will find allies in this society.

## Rank 1: Member

You’ve joined the Society, but are still largely unknown both amongst your fellow Society members, and the organizations that regularly work with the faction. Your superiors in the faction might request that you contribute to a particular issue or task, otherwise you are largely left up to your own devices.

### Mechanics

***Paranormal Research.*** Thanks to your own research, or from what you’ve picked up from your colleagues, you have advantage on Arcana, History, or Religion checks regarding aberrations, celestials, fiends, and undead. This represents your own accumulated knowledge, as well as you knowing the best places to search for new information.

### Social

***I Know a Guy.*** You can request aid from your Society contacts; they will perform minor tasks and favors for you, so long as it requires no significant effort or risk on their part. Such favors might include a member allowing you access to their private library, creating a letter of recommendation for you, or assisting you with research. Such contacts can be found in Kairos, Kanara, New Gork, and Freeport, but not the Crater Agricultural Township.

## Rank 2: Field Agent

Your faction superiors have provided you training, whether formal or informal, to prepare you for face-to-face encounters with spirits and other paranormal creatures. In return, they expect you to perform potentially more dangerous assignments on behalf of the faction.

### Mechanics

***Secure Mind.*** You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, or possessed, but only as long as the saving throw was caused by an aberration, celestial, fiend, or undead.

***Supernatural Awareness.*** Choose Int, Wis, or Cha to use as your spellcasting ability for this faction. You learn the *Detect Evil and Good* and *See Invisibility* spells. You can cast each of them once without expending a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so when you complete a long rest. In addition, whenever you cast either of these spells, it does not require concentration if it did normally, and its casting time becomes a bonus action for you.

### Social

***Oh, It’s You.*** Other members of the faction often recognize your name. They might provide larger favors to you, such as allowing you access to a facility after-hours, but if the favor causes them any risk they will likely ask for compensation.

## Rank 3: Expert

You have many assignments under your belt, and you are widely known amongst the faction as one of the more talented members.

### Mechanics

***Secure Mind Improvement.*** You are immune to being charmed, frightened, or possessed by aberrations, celestials, fiends, and undead.

***Spirit Medium.*** You may cast *speak with dead* once per long rest. However, calling a spirit to return to its corpse, even for a brief conversation, is a big ask. You must tempt a spirit to return with either Life or Treasure. If you choose Life, you must spill some of your living blood. Roll a number of d4s equal to your proficiency bonus. You take that much slashing damage, which cannot be resisted or reduced in any way. If you choose Treasure, you must gift the spirit a well-crafted art item worth at least 25 gp, which disappears when you complete the spell. The DM might determine that a specific kind of treasure, or an increased value, is required to tempt a particularly picky spirit. Alternatively, they might decide that either Life or Treasure would not tempt a particular spirit (for example, an ascetic monk’s spirit not being tempted by Treasure). In such a case, you would simply have to use the other option.

### Social

***I've Heard About Them.*** Organizations who regularly collaborate with the Society might request you by name, and you may have limited public recognition for your expertise. You are among the most trusted and capable agents of the Society, and the missions you are assigned by your superiors reflect this. Your colleagues will go out of their way to help you if you request it, but they will never fight for you or join you on an adventure.

## Rank 4: Savant

Your experience marks you as one of the most capable members of the Society. Your superiors value your opinion and regularly consult you on matters ranging from where to direct the faction’s research, to how to approach unfamiliar problems. You are expected to reliably contribute when the Society faces a significant challenge, and you also have the responsibility of helping train new members.

### Mechanics

***Visions of the Past***. You can call up visions of the past that relate to an object you hold or your immediate surroundings. You spend at least 1 minute in meditation or ritual, then receive dreamlike, shadowy glimpses of recent events. When you do so, choose one of the following options:

* ***Object Reading.*** Holding an object as you meditate, you can see visions of the object’s previous owner. You learn how the owner acquired and lost the object, as well as the most recent significant event involving the object and that owner. The player gains all information that would be gathered by the sensor of a *Scrying* spell located next to the object, for a duration of 10 minutes each for acquiring the object, losing the object, and the most significant event. If the object was enclosed within a small container such as a box or purse, the *Scrying* sensor appears just outside of that container. This information is condensed into 1 minute of visions.
* ***Area Reading.*** As you meditate, you see visions of recent events in your immediate vicinity (a room, street, tunnel, clearing, or the like, up to a 50-foot cube). You learn about the most recent significant event that you do not already have knowledge of, as long as that event took place within a number of days equal to the ability score you chose as your spellcasting ability for this faction. Significant events typically involve powerful emotions, such as battles and betrayals, marriages and murders, births and funerals. However, they might also include more mundane events that are nevertheless important in your current situation. The information you gain is as if gathered through the sensor of a *Scrying* spell lasting either 10 minutes or the duration of the event, whichever is shorter, located at the center of the location (though its sensory range includes the whole cube).

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

### Social

***Household Name.*** While most of the public has no idea the Society exists, you have a measure of public recognition thanks to your deeds. Ordinary folk look on you favorably, and will perform small tasks or favors for you if doing so poses no risk to them.