Wayfinder (5e Guild)
Wayfinders[edit]
The Wayfinder guild consists of small gathering points scattered across the land where its members usually take on jobs being scouts, guards, and traders. While the guild doesn't have a large presence in any city or town, the guild does have a presence in most places that have a good amount of trade. In these places, the guild has small establishments which it calls outposts where guild members come to get jobs and claim their rewards for jobs.
Inside the Wayfinders[edit]
The Wayfinder guild actively encourages its members to travel frequently and accomplish the guild's goals of making money and becoming large enough to have real political power. The very design of the guild as well as handing out of incentives achieve these purposes. Because the guild has small outposts in a number of towns and because the guild's jobs often require being a trader or following traders who are always on the move, work for the guild is not consistent if you stay in one place for long periods of time. In addition, the guild pays its members well for valuable information on unexplored areas or for updates on whenever the status quo in areas has shifted. By gathering this information, the guild can make informed decisions on what ventures to pursue while at the same time looking for any unexplored opportunities. While it is not common to meet up with many guild members on a day-to-day basis, one notable exception to this are the guild's monthly meetups where any free guild members are invited to eat, drink, and share any recent information they have come upon.
The guild itself is divided up into four main divisions headed by the guild's three leaders or Guild Finders. All of the guild's lower ranked individuals, such as the Scout Finders and Area Finders, belong to one of these divisions. The divisions are divided as follows:
Guard Scout Division. Headed by Shayne "Seal" Tonnu the guard scout division is a group that is commissioned by other traders and adventures to protect and/or scout for them to avoid danger.
Exploratory Scout Division. Headed by Imru Dubed, the exploratory scout division is in charge of scouting unknown areas and reporting back any notable way points, natural resources, creatures in area, and other information. They are made up of members who are transferred over to this division after the guild verifies the individual's skill and loyalty to the guild.
Creation & Exploitation Division. Headed by Runu Derthiac, this division is a work in progress that is designed to control the Wayfinder's future creation of goods and the gathering of valuable resources such as animal hides, mineral or plant resources, and other things from Wayfinder territories.
Trade & Distribution Division. Headed by Runu Derthiac, the trade & distribution division is a smaller mercantile division who is in charge of moving and selling goods from city to city. The lack of unique products to sell means this division faces fierce competition from other existing trading groups.
Goals of the Wayfinders[edit]
The Wayfinders main goal is to eventually take control over the decision making of major towns and cities. To do so, they have gotten involved in trade between cities and are constantly looking to find new resources to monopolize in hopes of making more money. They then plan to use this money to gradually buy out traders and other smaller competition until they take control over the trade in cities.
Wayfinder Characters[edit]
Alignment: Those who join the Wayfinders tend to be mostly neutral with some good individuals.
Suggested Races: Any race is accepted given that the individual's acceptance won't bring problems to the guild.
Suggested Classes: The guild houses a wide variety of classes but is mainly composed of individuals from classes that are self-reliant and could more easily get themselves out of trouble. The guild hosts mainly bards, druids, monks, rangers, and rogues.
You might enjoy playing a Wayfinder guild character if any of the following sentences describe you:
- You enjoy traveling to new places and meeting new people.
- You want someplace to find work even in remote areas.
- You want to be a trader.
- You wish to learn survival skills.
Joining the Wayfinders[edit]
Joining the Wayfinders guild is typically a lengthy and arduous process where the guild tests and teaches individuals survival and scouting skills. To apply, an applicant must go to one of the guild's outposts, pay 10 gp to apply, and fill out and give some basic information to the Town Finder. It takes around a week for individuals with combat experience and plenty of survival knowledge to join the guild. Meanwhile, if the guild determines that an applicant has potential, the guild will teach those individuals survival skills at the cost of 50 gp per month. Each month when teaching an applicant, the guild will test an individual to see their progress, and if after three months they don't pass, the applicant is rejected. Those who do get into the guild are assigned to one of the guild's divisions by the Town Finder. After they are assigned to a division, the new guild member will be required to shadow an existing guild member in their division for one month.
Background: Wayfinder Scout[edit]
When you entered the guild, you were inducted into one of the guild's divisions, the Guard Scout Division, Exploratory Scout Division, or the Trade & Distribution Division. Regardless of what division an individual joins, guild members are given a fair degree of freedom to do what they want given that they take jobs from the guild every once in a while. In addition, when you joined, you were taught invaluable skills on how to keep yourself and any others you are traveling with alive in the wilderness.
Even with the skills the guild has taught you, becoming a Wayfinder member is a difficult and hazardous job, so why did you choose to join the guild? Were you already involved in trade or were an adventurer and wanted additional protection the guild can provide? Do you want to leave the village you have lived all your life and see the world? Or do you just want to make money and gain contacts with useful people through the guild? What are your plans once you have joined the guild?
Skill Proficiencies: Perception or Investigation and Nature
Languages: One standard language of your choice
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land)
Equipment: A hourglass, signal whistle, a local map of the area, a set of common clothes with a guild insignia, and a pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Predictive Explorer[edit]
From your teachings at the Wayfinder guild and practical experience, you have gathered a plethora of knowledge pertaining to various indigenous creatures and different situations that may arise while exploring. When in an environment, you can predict what type of creatures and fauna are likely to appear in said environment. In addition, should something be unnatural in the environment, as long as it is not magical, you can guess a few reasons as to what caused the unnatural phenomenon.
Wayfinder Spells[edit]
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature
Wayfinder spells focus on a variety of effects relating to scouting and a few other useful effects to have while in the wilderness. In particular, the spells relating to the collecting and spreading of your information while negating any information to your enemies are key spells for Wayfinder members to complete their jobs.
For you, the spells on the Wayfinder Guild Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| Cantrips | mending, message |
| 1st | alarm, create or destroy water |
| 2nd | pass without trace, skywrite |
| 3rd | nondetection, sending |
| 4th | freedom of movement, polymorph |
| 5th | commune with nature, legend lore, scrying |
Suggested Characteristics[edit]
While no two guild members are alike, in general those who join the guild are amicable due to guild members needing to interact with various different peoples outside of the guild.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | My days traveling long distances with little to do has given me incredible patience. |
| 2 | I wish to meet as many new people as possible and regale them the tales of my travels. |
| 3 | I hate walking when I have to travel and much prefer other forms of transportation. |
| 4 | I tend to always rush things and never feel like I have enough time for things. |
| 5 | I am always open to change my mind on things given new information. |
| 6 | I embody small aspects of different cultures that I come across on my travels. |
| 7 | The work I do at the guild is hard, but I can endure it. |
| 8 | All the people and places I have seen blend together. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Self-Serving. The guild is just a means to an end, and I will leave them when I accomplish my goal. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Caring. When traveling, I make sure to do whatever I can to help those in need. (Good) |
| 3 | Respect. I tend to be courteous to other people and treat them with respect. (Good) |
| 4 | Coexistence. The guild and I should do what we can to work with other existing traders and guilds. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Ambition. I wish to advance in the guild and play a major part in its decision making. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Fearless. I often am the first one to suggest taking chances and I enjoy going to new places and doing new things. (Chaos) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I value those who hire me for scouting or other tasks highly. |
| 2 | The friends and people I have met on my travels push me forward. |
| 3 | I have a strong comradery with my fellow guild members. |
| 4 | Certain contacts helped me out, and I owe my current success to them. |
| 5 | I have a hidden alcove I go to often that means the world to me. |
| 6 | A friendship has grown between me and a group of traders who I frequently cross paths with. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | If I don't believe a task will have a monetary benefit, I don't wish to take such a task. |
| 2 | Traveling is what I enjoy and I hate being stuck in one place for too long. |
| 3 | I idolize the higher ups in the guild. |
| 4 | Other guild members not in my division are less important to the workings of the guild. |
| 5 | I rely too heavily upon contacts and friends to find work at the guild. |
| 6 | I secretly hate other traders and individuals whose jobs compete with my guild. |
Contacts[edit]
The Wayfinder guild is spread over a large number of towns and villages, and while it doesn't hold much sway anywhere, the guild does have a number of contacts who can be found where the guild operates. These contacts mainly relate to those involved in the guild's business in one capacity or another. Most of the contacts tend to be friendly to guild members. This may be because the guild has a good reputation among some adventures and those who specialize in trade or that the contacts find Wayfinder members are helpful to them in some form. Regardless, one way or another these individuals can help Wayfinder guild members and serve as good campaign seeds. Examples of contacts are shown below.
Wayfinder Contacts[edit]
| Contact | Description |
|---|---|
| Town Finders | Town Finders primarily provide additional information on guild jobs and other information on the guild to those that ask and are often the first source of information for new guild members. |
| Klen Feorn | An enigmatic ranger who is covered with furs which they use to hide their face and appearance. They often suddenly appear whenever a guild member needs guidance or help far away from town. It is said the ranger is part of the guild, but no one can confirm the statement and Klen also won't answer questions relating to them being in the guild. |
| Way Monsters | A group of traders who operate within the guild. They specialize in the buying and selling of monster corpses and their parts. |
| Anna Vetal | A female tiefling monk who is a prominent Area Finder within the guild. She is a survival expert and guild teacher who teaches new recruits. Beyond teaching new recruits, she also can be hired as an instructor who teaches unarmed fighting. |
| Terris Uric | A male goblin druid that is known for being one of the guild's premier Special Finder scouts. They enjoy posting difficult scouting jobs at the guild as his way of testing guild members' skill, and otherwise likes messing around with members of the guild. He takes a fancy to any guild members who prove they can hold their own, and he personally knows many of the guild's upper escalons. |
| Nycoron Aejorn | A male dwarf fighter who has questionable survival skills and is still a Scout Finder. They usually take jobs as guards for trade caravans and have traveled extensively throughout their career at the guild. If one can get ahold of him, he is an excellent source of information on the customs of different towns he has visited, as well as random other information. |
| Virrona Adviel | A female water genasi rogue who takes on a number of different jobs and responsibilities at the guild. She is a Region Finder that works as a part time urban stealth instructor; she undertakes a number of scouting jobs in both urban and wilderness settings; plus, she works in partnership with newer Region Finders helping them manage their area besides managing her own region. She has a number of experienced Town Finders and Area Finders who work under her who help her manage all of her jobs and she is one of the best sources of information on the plans of the guild's higher ups for those she can trust. |
| Isodis Nerixina | A female elf rogue who is a traveling merchant within the guild. She is always looking for more traders to help her as well as any new business opportunities. Many have tried their hand at helping her by becoming traders but have had to quit as they were not profitable enough to make a living off of being a merchant. She is committed to the guild but frustrated that being a merchant within the guild isn't too profitable a venture due to competition from other traders and guilds. |
Non-Wayfinder Contacts[edit]
| Contact | Description |
|---|---|
| Uca Renin | A female halfling alchemist who has a history with the guild's higher ups. She sells potions to brand new guild members at a slight discount. |
| Troad Sarkin | A wandering male orc abjurer trader who buys and sells lower rarity magical items. He frequently trades with adventures and gives out information to guild members on which adventures are hiring scouts. |
| Local Governments | Various local governments hire the guild to scout out whether there are any dangerous creatures or encampments nearby the town. |
| Cecilia Iticer | A female dragonborn noble who enjoys going on remote trips into the wilderness to find artistic inspiration. She will pay the guild every once in a while to find hidden niches, unique natural scenery, and other places that may inspire her. |
| Boarco Traders | A group of seasonal traders who visit towns in the spring. Every year, the group hires a few Wayfinder members to be scouts and guards while also trading some of their excess goods to the guild for them to sell. |
| Esmond Dort | A wandering human bard who often gets lost exploring places when traveling from town to town and asks the guild for assistance with the sending spell. Besides often hiring people at the guild to help her/him when they get lost, they are an excellent source of recent gossip and rumors. |
| Galavant Caravan | A trading caravan that trades high end goods and exclusively hires scouts and guards from the guild. |
| Dragonetworks | A small information network that works almost in subsidiary to the guild. Their operations are limited to just a few villages, but within those villages, they are an excellent source of local information. |
How Do I Fit In?[edit]
What does your character want to do at the guild? Do you tend to associate with those in your division? Although everyone at the guild is fairly independent, the guild hopes that by having its members attend monthly get togethers, spend time at the guild, and go on group jobs will help build comradery between guild members. The work at the guild tends to be somewhat dangerous after all, so it is a good idea to have a friend or someone you can rely on at the guild.
Wayfinder Party[edit]
Parties belonging to the Wayfinder guild function somewhat differently than individual guild members. Wayfinder parties can usually take harder quests for the guild that require more manpower and are usually only hired as scouts by large groups due to the increased expenditure of hiring a party.
Rank and Renown[edit]
The Wayfinder guild separates its ranks into lower positions that require enrollment into one of the guild's divisions and upper positions that just work for the guild instead of any singular division. While the rankings are strict, the powers held by members in the same rank might not be equal. For example, very experienced Area Finders might hold sway equivalent to Town Finders.
Guild Finder. (Upper Position). The three Guild Finders, Shayne "Seal" Tonnu, Imru Dubed, and Runu Derthiac, are those in charge of the Wayfinder guild. These three members all have equal positions within the guild where each one is in charge of managing their respective divisions as well as a dizzying number of other tasks relating to managing the guild.
Region Finder. (Upper Position) Regions Finders are individuals who control the larger workings of the guild. They typically are in charge of operations that require the coordination of many towns and are the ones in charge of large regions containing many towns and swaths of wilderness.
Special Finder. (Upper Position) The Special Finder rank is held by veteran explorers of the guild who have built up enough rapport and connections in and outside the guild to get assigned this rank. As a whole, the rank is meant for individuals who would not be great managers, but whose power and connections are vital to the guild. They often undertake special operations within the guild, and they report to Region Finders and Guild Finders.
Town Finder. (Upper Position) Town Finders are in charge of operations within a town or village and the local surrounding areas. However, if they are stationed in a very large town, there may be multiple Town Finders in that given town. These individuals are in charge of the day-to-day operations of the guild at the local level and their activities are vital to the guild's success.
Area Finder. (Lower Position) Area Finders are guild members who are experts within their division. Their work is often quite dangerous or requires a lengthy amount of traveling. Within the guild itself, Area Finders have a great deal of flexibility on what type of jobs they take. In addition, they usually have some amount of say determining smaller guild matters that Town Finders dictate to them.
Scout Finder. (Lower Position) Scout Finders are Wayfinder guild members in a division that make up the majority of the guild. They tend to take more mundane work in cities and the local surrounding areas. Although not experts, most Scout Finders have good survival skills and are otherwise well trained to complete their tasks as the guild.
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