9.3 Faction Terms

The following terms will be used in these rules to describe a faction. I have tried to keep certain terms that work the way they do on the character level (like wounds) the same, while others are changed to emphasize that they work somewhat differently (like engagements instead of strikes).

Core
There must be one or more characters (PCs or NPCs) at the heart of a faction. If these characters are killed or abandon the faction, it may break apart or die completely. Core characters are usually exposed on a character level if the faction has no pillars left.

Faction Dice
These dice are earned through character actions (or other sources of income for some NPC factions), for example a successful rallying campaign, religious mission, or shadow depository raid. In Anima Prime, this is often linked to achieving goals throughout the PCs’ adventures. Faction dice are used to build up the faction through creating and upgrading pillars and to pay for certain actions. They can also be turned into engagement dice.

Faction Pool
This is the place where each faction stores their faction dice. Every faction has only one faction pool. There is no limit to the number of faction dice a faction pool can hold.

Pillar
A faction can only achieve things if it has units to act for it, which are called pillars. Pillars are always comprised of characters, so even when a pillar is based on the social reputation of the faction, it needs to include characters who defend, act for, or otherwise actively support that reputation. Pillars can range from battlefield units to spies to propaganda groups. Pillars have three stats (defense, competence, wounds) and can have boons. The GM may limit the number of allowed pillars per faction.

Defense
This is a pillar stat describing how difficult it is to disrupt (injure, kill, break apart) the pillar. Just like defense on the character level, an attack on the pillar must net more successes than the pillar’s defense to inflict a wound.

Competence
This is a pillar stat describing how competent the pillar is at disrupting other pillars. During an engagement, this pillar contributes dice in the amount of its competence rating.

Wounds
This is a pillar stat describing how many wounds a pillar can take before it is taken out. Wounds are depicted by wound circles that you mark off as the pillar takes damage. A pillar with all of its wound circles marked is deemed defeated and cannot act in any way (and its boons are inactive) until it has healed at least one wound. If it takes a wound when all of its wound circles are already marked, it is permanently destroyed.

Boons
Pillars can have special abilities called boons. A list of boons is provided in their own chapter toward the end of this document.

Engagement Dice
These dice are earned through character actions or transferred from faction dice and represent an advantage that one faction has against another. They are used during engagements to inflict wounds on the other faction’s pillars.

Engagement Pool
This is the place where a faction stores their engagement dice against a specific other faction. A faction has (theoretically) one Engagement Pool for each other faction that it could clash with, but usually you only start keeping track of a pool once you accumulate engagement dice against a specific other faction (so you might never start Engagement Pools against friendly or far-removed factions). There is no limit to the number of engagement dice an Engagement Pool can hold.