Member Traits

Harper agents are trained to act alone and rely on their own resources. When they get into scrapes, they don’t count on their fellow Harpers to rescue them. Nevertheless, Harpers are dedicated to helping one another in times of need, and friendships between Harpers are nigh unbreakable.

Masterful spies and infiltrators, they use various guises and secret identities to form relationships, cultivate their information networks, and manipulate others into doing what needs to be done. Although most Harpers prefer to operate in the shadows, there are exceptions.

Goals

• Gather information throughout Faerûn.
• Promote fairness and equality by covert means.
• Thwart tyrants and leaders, governments, and organizations that grow too powerful.
• Aid the weak, poor and oppressed.

Beliefs

• One can never have too much information or arcane knowledge.
• Too much power leads to corruption. The abuse of magic in particular, must be closely monitored.
• No one should be powerless.

Leadership

At the peak of the organization is the Council of High Harpers, several of which are Chosen of Mystra. Each has earned their place through long and notable years of loyal service to the Harpers’ cause. The High Harpers direct the larger organization, keeping an eye on how small efforts and evils affect the bigger picture. Not all High Harpers are on the Council and should generally not be an option for characters.

Harper Deities

These are likely the most common deities that would bestow a charm or blessing upon members of this faction.

• Oghma, god of knowledge
• Selûne, goddess of the moon
• Milil, god of poetry and song
• Tyr, god of justice
• Leira, goddess of illusion

Harper Ranks

Rank	Renown	Title	Perk
1	1	Watcher	Consumable item Permanent item Downtime activity
2	5	Harpshadow	Consumable item Permanent item Downtime activity
3	15	Brightcandle	Consumable item Permanent item Supernatural gift
4	15	Wise Owl	Consumable item Downtime activity Sidekick
5	50	High Harper	Downtime activity Supernatural gift

Consumable items. Once per week, a character can select one consumable item associated with its current rank or lower and can only have one provided consumable in its possession at a time. Consumables provided by a faction can not be sold or traded, but can be used on other players. The item is lost at the end of the upcoming week.

Permanent items. A character has access to the current rank’s items, and of all lower rank items. These items can not be sold, traded, or gifted but might be replaced if destroyed or lost.

Rank 1 – Watcher

Required Renown: 1

This is the rank a character receives when first joining a faction. It is available at character creation or any time the character wishes to join. Perks include:

Consumable item. Once per week, an agent can receive a Potion of Healing when requested or retrieved from a faction loot satchel.

Patron Benefits. Assignments, Safe House, and Fences.

Permanent item. All agents are given a Harper Pin and a Faction Loot Satchel in the shape of a silver-capped scroll or map case.

Downtime activity. The agent can choose to complete a faction job.

Rank 2 – Harpshadow

Required Renown: 5

At this rank, characters have shown that they’re aligned with the faction’s goals and are able to take on more responsibility. Perks include:

Consumable item. Once per week, a Potion of Greater Healing or 10 pieces of Silvered Ammunition when requested or retrieved from a faction loot satche.

Permanent item. Agents are granted a Scribe's Pen and a Harper Token.

Downtime activity. Once, an agent may request training in arcana, history, or performance, training with one musical instrument or gaming set, or training in one language. Receiving training in a language or weapon typically takes at least ten workweeks, but this time is reduced by a number of workweeks equal to twice the character's Intelligence modifier (an Intelligence penalty doesn't increase the time needed), with a minimum of two workweeks.

Rank 3 – Brightcandle

Required Renown: 15

Characters are reliable faction members, entrusted with many secrets and deserving of additional support during adventures. Perks include:

Consumable item. Once per week, a Potion of Superior Healing or 10 pieces of Adamantine Ammunition when requested or retrieved from a faction loot satchel.

Permanent item. The agent's pin is magically upgraded and given additional properties, including those of a Ring of Free Action. Additionally, an agent receives an additional Harper Token and either a +1 weapon and +1 shield (if proficient), a +1 rod of the pact keeper, or a +1 wand of the war mage (if applicable). The items disintegrate upon leaving the faction.

Supernatural gift. The faction can call upon a deity to bestow a Charm of Clairvoyance upon the agent.

Rank 4 – Wise Owl

Required Renown: 30

Consumable item. When requested or retrieved from a faction loot satchel, a Potion of Supreme Healing or a spell scroll valued at 2,500 gp or less (typically up to a 5th level spell).

Permanent item. Agents are granted one additional Harper Token.

Downtime activity. Once, an agent may request the faction acquire a specific known magical weapon of common or uncommon rarity, for which the character will need to trade one of its existing magic items of equal or greater rarity. This search takes two weeks. The character does not need to be present during the search.

Sidekick. An agent gains one 6th-level sidekick that can adventure, go on assignments, or perform other tasks such as maintain a house or small inn.

Rank 5 – High Harper

Required Renown: 50

Characters are ensconced within the leadership of the faction and have a great degree of influence, guiding faction decisions. Perks include:

Downtime activity.  Once, at the agent’s requested location, the faction will sponsor a spellcaster to cast Galder's Tower, Teleportation Circle, Private Sanctum, Mighty Fortress, or Guards and Wards repeatedly for one year to make the spell permanent. The character does not need to be present for the repeated casting of this spell.

Supernatural gift. Once, the faction can call upon a deity to bestow a Blessing of Speed upon the agent.

Group Patron Benefits

Having the Harpers as a Group Patron provides the following benefits to the entire party.

Assignments. Your group may be assigned quests to further the factions goals.

Safe House. The Harpers have secret members in almost every town and city. Your group knows how to locate these members and can use their houses to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. While the Harpers are famed for helping the poor, they rarely live like them.
This perk is effectively the same as the Safe Haven faction agent background feature.

Fences. Because the Harpers are devoted to tracking down magic items, they have a network with access to a larger variety of magical items than anywhere outside of the Red Wizards of Thay. Each member of your party gains access to certain magic items for a suitable donation. The different costs of acquiring these magic items are described in the following table.

Items Acquired via Harper Fences

Magic Item Required Trade Cost

Armor, +1 of your choice Armor, +1 200 gp

Bag of holding, bag of tricks, boots of elvenkind, cloak of elvenkind, cloak of protection, robe of useful items, winged boots Uncommon magical bag, boots or cloak 75 gp

Eyes of charming, eyes of minute seeing, eyes of the eagle, gloves of missile snaring, gloves of swimming and climbing, gloves of thievery, hat of disguise Any uncommon magical wondrous item 75 gp

Wand of magic detection, wand of magic missiles, wand of secrets, wand of the war mage, wand of web Any magical wand 100 gp

Weapon, +1 of your choice Weapon, +1 100 gp