Hi all,
I was thinking that perhaps the affiliations from the new PHII might work very well for the Factions. Affliations work as organziations that offer certain benefits for being members, and attaining certain ranks in the organziation. This rank is represented by a score, usually 0 - 30 (sometimes 50) and it can be increased, or decreased depending on the person's actions with the group. An affiliation can have a scale score (ie. the size and scope) ranging from 1 to 20, with 1 being the size of a neighbourhood in a city and 20 being a deific controlled plane spanning empire. Most of the Factions should be between 17 and 19.
Anyhoo, just thought I toss that out there.
That sounds like it could represent the 2e version of factions reasonably well, although I'd have to go check that part of the PHB2 to verse myself in it to be sure. However, I've come to like the 3e options (feats and prestige classes) better than the way it used to be done. I like the idea that gaining power in a faction comes from the character (and player) being willing to expend some of the character's finite resources (feats and levels) to represent that faction power.
Pants of the North!