Criminal Faction generator table

By Crystal Geyser, in Dark Heresy House Rules

In the style of the WH40K generator tables, I have made one for criminal organizations/radical resources, which can be used by acolytes as allies or enemies. Here are the tables and a few examples:

The Criminal Faction Generator

D20 Roll

Organization Type

Description

1

Religious Sect

Fanatics and cultists dedicated to religion

2

Crime Gang

Drug runners, human traffickers, etc.

3

Merchant Guild

Rich tradesmen and entrepreneurs

4

Void Pirates

The scum of the spacelanes

5

Death Cultists

Psychotic killers and masters of murder

6

Rogue Trader

Issued with a warrant of trade

7

Noble House

Navigators, Warlords, and many others

8

Logistics

Hackers and computicians

9

Tech-Cult

A faction of the Adeptus Mechanicus

10

Assassin’s Guild

Hired murderers with a flair for class

11

Dark Scholars

Hoarders of lore and secrets

12

Vigilantes

Seekers of justice outside the law

13

Renegade Guard

A traitorous regiment of the Imperial Army

14

Psyker Conclave

A cabal of witches, wyrds, and sorcerers

15

Corrupt Government

A decadent planetary governor or a bored prince

16

Artisans and Craftsmen

Makers of weapons, art, armor, etc.

17

Terrorist Cell

Enemies of the Imperium within its borders

18

Scum Clanners

Crime families and mafias, thicker than blood

19

Mutants and Twists

The reject stock of humanity

20

The Insane

Privy to things man was not meant to know

D10 Roll

Alignment

Description

1-5

Themselves

The faction has no allies and is exclusively human

6-8

The Xenos

The factions allies or employs xenos specimens and tech

9-10

The Ruinous Powers

The faction is sworn to the Chaos Gods

D10 Roll

Alignment (The Xenos)

Description

1

Dark Eldar

The piratical druchii of Comorragh

2

Stryxis

Rodent-like traders and gypsies

3

Slaugth

Mggot-men and whisperers

4

Necrons

The Ancients

5

Rak’Gol

Reavers and destroyers

6

Orks

Barbarian xenos thugs

7

Tau

An advanced but young culture of xenos

8

Hrud

Scavengers and stalkers

9

Tyranids

The voracious Hive Fleets

10

Various

It matters not what sources

D10 Roll

Alignment (The Ruinous Powers)

1-6

Chaos Unidivided

The untapped power of the warp itself

7

Khorne

The Blood God, the Skull Lord

8

Nurgle

The Grandfather, the Plague God

9

Slaanesh

The Dark Prince of Pleasure

10

Tzeentch

The Architect of Fate and the Changer of Ways

D10 Roll

Strength

1

Loathed

The faction reluctantly commits crime

2-7

Utile

The faction views its crimes as a means to an end

8-10

Fanatical

The factions takes pleasure in the violating the Emperor

D20 Roll

Tools of the Trade

1

Poisons

2

Anarchy

3

Vehicles

4

Subterfuge

5

Bribery

6

Extortion

7

Warfare

8

Precision Strikes

9

Fronts

10

Mercenaries

11

Advanced Tech

12

Bombings/Arson

13

Terror

14

Creatures/Daemons

15

Psykers

16

Primitive Tech

17

Ritual Slaying

18

Hacking

19

Mutants

20

The Occult

D10 Roll

Organization Size

1

Entrepaneur

One man against the universe is a dangerous thing

2-5

Group

The faction is limited to one planet or ship

6-9

Faction

The faction is rooted on many ships or linked worlds

10

Corporation

The faction is spread across an entire fleet or sector

D10 Roll

Age

1-2

Novice

New players in the game, but no less deadly

3-8

Veteran

The faction has a history that makes it formidable

9-10

Ancient

The faction is a venerable conspiracy

D10

Roll

Publicity

1-2

Total Secrecy

No information can be collected on their identity

3-8

Rumors Abound

Talking to right people can bring up some information

9-10

Under the Eye

The Arbites and the Inquisition know well of the faction

D10 Roll

Calling Cards and Evidence

1

Scarification

The bodies were horribly mutilated

2

Vandalism

An icon scrawled on a wall

3

Signets

A strange rune

4

Signature Weapon

Some sort of plasma, perhaps?....

5

Unusual Materials

What is this metal that repairs itself without blessing?

6

Code Phrase

Some sort of secret language, Lord Inquisitor

7

Manifestos

An essay on the doctrines of the Arroneus Verdus

8

Uniform

All the killers were described wearing the same clothes

9

Shock and Awe

No-one else uses fluorescent dyes in their grenades

10

None

The faction is very clever

D10 Roll

Identification and Membership

1

Pride in the Colors

I see you bear the livery of our corporation...

2

Tattoos

Often animal or arcane motifs

3

Signets

The symbols of powerful dynasties and houses

4

Hereditary Traits

Either gene-factored or familial

5

Totemic Animal

The crest or symbol of the organization

6

Code Phrase

A secret language known only to them

7

Sign Language

A secret language known only to them

8

Electronic

Seemingly meaningless binary

9

Mortification

A signature wound shared by all

10

Bionics

A signature implant shared by all

D10 Roll

Motivations

1

The Great Game

The faction thrives on politics and mental challenge

2

Indulgence

The faction exists for its own pleasure

3

Life is Hell

The faction seeks shelter from the harshness of the Imperium

4

Survival

The faction fears for its existence in the galaxy

5

Improvement

The faction wishes to better the Imperium

6

Cult of Personality

The faction follows the orders of its leader

7

Boredom

The faction seeks to amuse itself

8

The Truth

The faction has uncovered a universal philosophy, and commits crime to either spread this belief or punish nonbelievers

9

Domination

The faction wants power over its territory and expansion

10

Arcane

The faction seeks to know the way of the universe

D20

Services Available

1

Military

2

Surveillance

3

Exploration

4

Pleasure

5

Chemistry

6

Information

7

Assassination

8

Commerce

9

Performance

10

Theft

11

Gambling

12

Inquiry

13

Communications

14

Smuggling

15

Transportation

16

Entertainment

17

Utile Goods

18

Livestock

19

Slaves

20

Cover-Ups

D10

The Price of Business

1

Arcane Lore

Knowledge of dark and forbidden things

2

A Favor

They will call again, at a time of their choosing

3

New Specimen

Is that the recently deceased corpse of a genestealer?

4

Device

My, what a lovely callophean psy-engine!

5

Rare Item

Procure this for us in return for our services

6

Ally

You will make useful friends in the future....

7

New Member

They will take their tithe in the flesh of your party

8

Advertisement

Spread the word throughout the shadows

9

Straight Money

Only the thrones

10

A Sacrifice

Our masters demand it

D10 Roll

Territory

1

Hive Complex

A mega-metropolis for the masses of humanity

2

Feral Tribe

Primitive dwellings are all they can muster

3

Void Zone

A sector of space

4

Fortress

A military installation or stronghold

5

Penal Colony

Criminal recruitment grounds

6

Starship

A starship

7

Imperial City

Schools and churches miles high

8

Noble Holdings

Manors and lands of the aristocracy

9

Frontier Town

Unexplored territory, with little infrastructure

10

Space Port

A place of exchange between the worlds of the Imperium

D10 Roll

Terrain Type

1

Jungle

The area is lush and forested

2

Desert

The area is parched and dry

3

Volcanic

The area is in a state of eruption

4

Urban

The area has teeming infrastructure

5

Wasteland

The area is useless and blasted

6

Toxic

The area is contaminated

7

Infested

Something has taken root in the area

8

Haunted

Shades move in the shadows and gloom

9

Aquatic

The area is flooded

10

Ruined

The infrastructure is crumbling

D10 Roll

Territory Rule

1-3

Direct

The faction has power over the region

4-7

Moderate

The faction is known but keeps itself hidden

8-10

Secret

None know of the factions presence

Some examples:

First Party

First Party is an ancient assassin’s guild that has prided itself for millennia on its ability to deliver the guttural thrill of murder to its clients. This release is considered by many as a form of entertainment or recreation – First Party are, essentially, victim dealers, taking the middle men out of murder as much as they can while also making a profit. The only other motivations expressed by the agents of First Party is the simple truth that life is murder - so why not make it fun? First Party often entraps their clients with promises and bribes, often offering to allow their clients to keep their murder weapons, but with one condition – the weapon must be of xenos provenance, provided by First Party, and in return they must receive another weapon of exotic nature. For those who care not who they slay, the weapon may be anything the buyer can provide – for those who want a specific target captured and brought before their knees, in a specific environment or manner, a more specific cost is therefore counted. Buyers capable of providing truly wondrous and unique items, such as a glowing staff of the Ancient Tomb Worlds or an undiscovered form of Tyranid biomorph-blade, the potential options for murder are near limitless. Some hypothesize that First Party is systematically choosing its victims and weapons so as to frame peoples of influence, nut others suspect a darker conspiracy such as the ritual or the occult. Agents of First Party are generally seen wearing crisp white suits, the clean nature of which belies their bloody trade.

Rolls: Assassin’s Guild, The Xenos (Various), Utile, Bribery, Faction, Ancient, Rumors, Uniform, Sign Language, the Truth, Entertainment, New Specimen, Desert Imperial City, Direct

The Sculptors of Spirits

The Sculptors of Spirits are a faction of sculptors inhabiting the pleasure worlds of the Cyrenoth systems, based on a planet known for its furious volcanoes and tropical oceans. Ever decade, when the volcanoes erupt in a shower of molten magma, the artists of the Sculptors wade into the boiling stone clad in heavy environment suits, carrying with them an array of sculpting tools and blocks of the strange, diamond-like stone harvested from the world's quarries. It is said that only the heat of the volcanoes is enough to soften the diamonds so they can be sculpted, and the artists claim that once immersed the lava the gems become as pliable and liquid as wax itself. The diamonds are used not only for sculptures, but are also melted down into paints,c rafted into jewelry, and pressed into ink. Stories tell of a darker provenance, however. Patrons of the Sculptors make nervous jests of their paintings' subjects moving while they turn their backs, or sculptures subtly changing their expressions and postures. It is from this lifelike quality that the artists take their name - for surely the statues and painting cannot truly be moving...right? Works by the Sculptors can be found across the entire sector in the homes of planetary governors, many of whom have invested in private security and counter-surveillance measures due to reports of "feeling watched".

Rolls: Artisans and Craftsmen, The Ruinous Powers (Undivided), Loathed, Creatures/Daemons, Corporation, Ancient, Rumors Abound, Signature Weapon, Electronic, Survival, Surveillance, New Specimens, Imperial City, Volcanic, Secret

Curator Jareth Lekter

Curator Jareth Lekter is something of an antiquity aboard Port Hospite. While others bustle and hustle about their way, purchasing curios and trinkets from the vendors and haggling with captains over transportation fares, Lekter sits alone in his shoppe, mulling away the days polishing his toys. A thin, emaciated man with sunken, hollow eyes and lank black hair, Lekter is never seen outside of his trim ebon suit and the stark, chromium confines of his shoppe. The shoppe is open only to the cleanliest, regardless of wealth or stauts. Many a drunken Rogue Trader or voidsick merchant has been turned away, while prim and well-mannered workers are allowed entry. Lekter appeared in Port Hospice a few months ago, and when asked why he refused entry to a bloody, battered Arbite, Lekter replied, "He might have bled on my toys." Lekter's "toys" are indeed wonders of craftsmanship, gleaming silver gadgets, timepieces, holos, and bionics inscribed with his signature geometric runes. Many of those who buy his toys do not return for more, but no matter, as there are always those willing to put up thousands of thrones for a gleaming set of scribe-tines or a glowing emerald ear stud.

Rolls: Death Cultists, The Xenos (Necrons), Fanatical, Fronts, Entrepaneur, Novice, Rumors Abound, Signets, Signets, Boredom, Theft, Straight Money, Space Port, Moderate.

The Greene Priests

The Greene Priests are a loathed and embarrassing mote on the proud record of the Adeptuss Mechanicus. While not heretical or technically criminal to any degree, the cult is nevertheless persecuted by the Martian priesthood so that the "stain of nostalgia may be swept from the hem of the Omnissiah's robes as soon as possible." These "nostalgic" tech-priests eschew the general smoke-belching, cog-turning devices of the Mechanicum Proper in favor of simple devices such as bow drills, wooden pulleys, grox-hair ropes, and good old-fashioned firestarters. The faction was birthed when a Mechanicum explorator fleet set sail for the Unbeholden Reaches, but was waylaid by a powerful warp storm. In the resulting chaos, the ships transgressed to realspace. Since then the ships have remained in contact, but spread across space, and have since resorted to living out their lives on their wrecked ships. The Greene Priests believe that primitive tech is the Omnissiah's most basic and pure blessing, and that modenr tech has made the Imperium a hell unfit for inhabitation. They desecrate their bionics with bones and teeth, fetishes, wooden baubles, and shrubbery. The only contact the Priests make with outsiders who stumble across their ship is to occasionally trade these small totems for other items in return for furthered word of their nirvana-esque discovery. The Mechanicum takes umbridge to this and does its best to suppress word of these liberals, successfully enough so far to have routed any attention from the Battlefleet or the Inquisition.

Rolls: Tech-Cult, Themselves, Fanatical, Primitive Technology, Faction, Novice, Total Secrecy, Scarification, Tattoos, Life Is Hell, Commerce, Advertisement, Flooded Starship, Moderate.

Hope you like it! Post your own results and feel free to share.

I'd be honored!

I would like to include it on my blog too.

Alex

Go right ahead, Alex.