Ravnica for Goblins
The Boros Legion
History: Founded by Razia, the sword-wielding archangel of fiery righteousness, the Legion stands as a living embodiment of justice, honor, and unity against the forces of evil. Her army consisted of humans, giants, minotaurs, and angels of war seemingly made in Razia’s own image. Razia led the Legion, not just as Guildmaster, but as inspiration and demigod deserving of worship. That is, until her assassination at the hands of Szadek, the Dimir Parun during/shortly after the Decamillennial.
The actual breaking of the Guildpact is a long & convoluted ordeal. The short version is that Szadek tried to kill the Selesnyan Parun/God Mat’Selesnya, but failed. A Boros Wojek (soldier) named Agrus Kos arrested Szadek. Szadek, being a member of House Dimir, could not be arrested because the Dimir’s purpose is to oppose the Guildpact while the Boros’ purpose is to enforce the Guildpact. This infinite loop resulted in the 10,000 year Guildpact suffering a fatal error and falling apart.
Since then, the Guild was briefly under the leadership of Pierakor az Vinrenn D'rav, better known as “Feather”, a firemane angel formerly Agrus Kos’ partner as part of her penance for an undisclosed crime. She was only Guildmaster from the death of Razia until the Guildpact was fully broken, which is probably some sort of record for shortest term in office. Aurelia, one of Feather’s own creations (don’t know how that works with every angel being both female and, well, angel) challenged Feather, stating that no disgraced angel should have the right to lead the Boros. Feather was imprisoned, freed during a mysterious operation led by a goblin mob boss, and went into self-imposed exile beyond the city walls. Aurelia has led the Legion since.
Organization: The Boros Legion has had two systems of organization since its creation. The Old Hierarchy, during Razia & Feather’s reigns as Guildmasters prior to the breaking of the Decamillennial:
Power Band 1: Razia
Power Band 2: Warleaders (oldest & wisest strategists among the war angels)
Power Band 3: Firemane Angels (incarnations of holy war)
Power Band 4: Battleforce Angels (rank & file of angelic warriors)
Power Band 5: Boros Guildmages/Firefists (highest rank achievable for mortals)
Power Band 6: Commander-Generals (one for Wojek, one for regular army)
Power Band 7: Section Commanders (10 Wojeks, one for each district of city)
Power Band 8: Skyknight & Shift Captains (highest rank among patrols)
Power Band 9: Wojek Embermages (battle mages)
Power Band 10: Lieutenants/Skyknights & Skyjeks (most clever/experienced among patrols)
Power Band 11: Wojek Sergeants & Sunhome Enforcers (standard patrols who have proven themselves worthy of guarding the Guildhall)
Power Band 12: Wojek Apothecaries & Flame-Kin (healers & elementals created by the angels)
Power Band 13: Constables, Commandos, & Swiftblades (specialized ground soldiers for making strong statements in battle)
Power Band 14: Thundersong Trumpeters (low-ranking but important, they announce the arrival of the Boros Legion into battle)
“The Grunts” (rank & file members making up the majority of the army)
Under Aurelia’s leadership, the Legion has been reorganized into four much larger, much more focused “theatres”, as well as numerous local forces spread throughout the city. These theatres specialize in threats to the public order. This New Hierarchy isn’t particularly subtle in what it deems to be a “threat to the public order”.
The Theatre of Order deals with Rakdos outbreaks, mobs, rampages, and club activities.
The Theatre of Integrity works to root out Dimir operatives, both within the city and within the Boros. They have a subdivision, the Dead Brigade, specifically tasked with neutralizing dangerous spirits.
The Theatre of Fortification develops weapons and strategies to increase the Legion’s effectiveness. One of its most promising projects is the Warmind Initiative, a collaboration with the Izzet League to develop new technologies to further aid in efforts to keep the peace.
The Theatre of Recruitment searches for potential recruits to the Legion among the Guildless in the city.
Alignment Spectrum: The Boros Legion is about as close to getting paid to be a hero as is possible in a D&D setting. Boros members are iconic in their passion, determination, and belief in upholding justice. They are almost always Good, and usually either Lawful or Chaotic in how they bring it about. Passive Neutrality doesn’t suit them well, unless they want to remain a grunt for their entire career. A Boros soldier exists as the model of heroism all Ravnican citizens should strive to be.
There are two paths that can lead a Boros to villainy, but they share a common issue. Members of the Boros are trying to live up to the example first set by Razia and carried on by subsequent Guildmasters. Living up to such heroic standards at all times can be impossible.
The first path is by extremism. Ravnica is a chaotic place at best, and for someone who puts their life on the line to uphold order only to see other Guilds blatantly undoing everything you work for, it can become too much. The Boros are meant to be the divine hammer of righteousness against the forces of evil. Why do we allow a Demon to hold power in our city? Why do we allow the deceased relics of immeasurable greed to use our laws to feed their own gluttony? The hardest thing for a member of the Boros to grasp is the reality that true peace on Ravnica is an impossibility and that semi-chaotic state of peace-ish must be the ideal you strive towards. Once you let go of that ideal and cross that line, you become a threat to Ravnica.
The second path to villainy is corruption. Being a hero can be a thankless job. The pay is garbage, the work is exhausting, and you’re expected to give up everything for the city, including your life if need be. What is the reward? The city remains standing another day. A name etched among the countless millions of fallen Wojeks over the millennia. Who’s to say anything if you did take a bribe here or there, if it works out for everyone in the end? Who could possibly reprimand you for a small exchange of information with a Dimir agent if the Legion still took down a threat, stopped a dangerous incursion, and protected the citizens? The problem is trust. A phalanx is only as strong as the weakest link. If one member falters, the whole formation falls apart.
Signature Elements: Emblazoned with their signature red & white armor, the Legion can be recognized by their courage, their teamwork, their passion, and their strength. They are always the first one into battle because it is where they shine brightest (both figuratively & literally). Their magic is usually either fire or lightning-based, but radiant is always present when the Angels join the fray. Boros hit hard, never surrender, and fight until the fight is won. One thing you will never see is a lone Boros. Even among the highest ranking members, a Boros is only as strong as the comrades they fight with. That is and will always be their greatest strength. Whereas the Azorius prefer to use detainment magic against threats and only rely on actual weapons as a last resort, the Boros are the best hand-to-hand combatants on the entire plane and use magic (mostly fire & radiant magic) as a fallback or to bolster their already impressive skill. Their main weapons of choice are swords & shields, but spears and dual-wielded blades are quite common. Carrying over from the Old Hierarchy days, Commandos are renowned for their skill with maces, glaives, and warhammers to break through enemy lines. Most of the Legion is human, most of the Commandos are either minotaur or giant (races built for hitting hard), and a decent number of goblins can also be counted among the ranks. Paladins, Fighters, Barbarians, Clerics; Boros usually specialize in combat and little else. Bards are completely viable as battle trumpeters, healers, and inspiring leaders. Strict spellcasting is a rough gig in a Guild that wakes up every day expecting combat, but as long as you can hold your own and support your allies in the heat of battle, you can make it work.
Your Role in Ravnica: As part of the Boros Legion, you have two duties that must be carried out at all times to the best of your abilities. They can be best thought of as your Sword & Shield. Shield is your vow to safeguard the innocent. Whereas the Azorius Senate is more concerned with cataloguing & recording damages/charges incurred, the Legion is here to protect the citizens of Ravnica that cannot protect themselves. You put your life on the line for every Ravnican citizen, regardless of their Guild loyalties or your personal issues with them. The Boros is a shield that cannot be broken, no matter how hard evil may smash at it. This is just as important to your fellow Legion members. No legionnaire ever fights alone, that is an unbreakable law. When your comrade drops their shield, you lend them yours. If a threat endangers both civilians and your squad, the squad protects the innocent for as long as they draw breath. Boros Legion will die rather than break their code.
Sword is your vow to vanquish evil. While the Azorius lean hard into detainment, arresting, and legal process; Boros hit threats until they stop being threats. Ravnica has real dangers that don’t listen to reason and your job is to make sure they are stopped. Boros act while Azorius wait around considering repercussions. As a member of the standing army, you carry orders from angels themselves to use whatever force it takes to bring down a foe. Safety’s off, swords out, give ‘em hell. This comes with it a unique responsibility to be the one who hits hardest in battle. Boros do not hold back and they don’t play games. You hit whatever monster as hard as you possibly can before it can hurt anyone. Whatever the cost. If you fall, your comrades protect you, but the longer the threat remains at large, the greater a danger it becomes.
Your Territory: The Boros & Azorius have taken to splitting the Tenth District between each other. In order to prevent their forces from being spread too thin, different Guilds station patrols in different Precincts. The Boros have the majority of their forces stationed in the constant warzone of Precinct 4, where they deal with Gruul raids, Izzet experiments, and Rakdos nightclubs on a daily basis. It’s the best place to keep Sunhome, the Boros Guildhall & Fortress, wherein the Legion is trained, armored, and most heavily defended. They also station patrols, barracks, & armories in Precinct 6, in order to keep an eye on Golgari & Rakdos operations throughout the area. Lastly, Precinct 2 is firmly Azorius, but what few Boros live long enough to retire can be found living out their years in relative peace. They may not be the warleaders they once were, but they still keep an eye out for wrongdoings and can still throw a punch if need be.
Your Guildhall: Sunhome is the headquarters, castle fortress, sleeping barracks, training ground, weapon forge, and war temple of the Boros Legion. Sunhome is a towering, inspiring monument to heroism & valor. To call it well-defended would be a dramatic understatement. This is the single largest collection of fighting soldiers on the plane. Even with forces constantly being deployed throughout the city, there’s always more legionnaires in Sunhome. Even in the event of a mass invasion, there is no army on this plane that can take the Guildhall from the War Angels that call it their home. You’d have better luck clearing out Tiamat’s nest.
Your Guildmaster: Aurelia the Warleader is not only a Guildmaster, but a comrade and an inspiration to the entire Legion. Whereas Razia existed as an untouchable demigoddess and Feather was exiled for unspecified crimes before she’d spent too much time in the role, Aurelia leads from the front line of battle. She is your fellow legionnaire, your shield brother, and the one who gives you the strength to keep fighting even when the odds seem impossible. No one shall taste defeat while they fight by Aurelia’s side. Personality-wise, Aurelia alternates between warm & friendly leader, and furious valkyrie. Her generosity is just as legendary as her wrath.
Why You’re Awesome: If ever there were a Guild designed for being “the hero”, it would be the Boros Legion. Your sworn duty is to excel in combat, defend the weak, inspire the hopeless, and look badass while you do it all. The finest of armor & weaponry that can both blaze & shock like lightning. Add in the boundless reinforcements you can call upon for assistance as you rise through the ranks, and you can build an army for whatever a mission may require. Giants for Huge+ threats. Skyjeks for aerial assault. Minotaurs for breaking through enemy lines. And if the angels get into the mix? No entrance has ever been more worthy for “Flight of the Valkyries”. It welcomes Min-Max Munchkins with open arms. That said, it has roleplay requirements to ensure one doesn’t show off too much. The Legion holds unity above all else, if you go off on your own or abandon your duties to the citizens of Ravnica, you are out. The Boros carry heavier responsibilities than members of other Guilds because they are trained to do so. You must set an example for others with your willingness to self-sacrifice for a greater purpose. Supporting your allies is always more important than showing off.
Why You’re Problematic: If the Boros Legion has one weakness, it would be their often blinding zeal. Having no interest in politics, Boros almost never look beyond the obvious threat they see. You definitely have personal prejudices with regards to identifying threats based on your experience. Gruul are savages. Rakdos are insane. Dimir are liars. Orzhov are cheats. Most of these Guilds do present threats to daily Ravnican life, but no Guild is without sin. A fat Orzhov pontiff caught stealing from debt collections may be the obvious culprit, but they may have just been a pawn in someone else’s game. A street brawl between a tattooed Gruul Berserker and a posh Selesnyan Druid can be the fault of an Izzet researcher who dropped an unstable device while walking through the market. The problem with the Boros is that they need to see the world in black & white, good & evil. When things start getting morally gray, they start to hesitate. As stated before, the Boros Legion is founded upon ideals set by celestial warriors, which the average person may be unable to live up to. A Boros’ worst fear is delivering righteous justice to an innocent. It also doesn’t help that the pay is laughable. A Boros PC starts off with the least gold of any Guild, even the Gruul. You are expected to do this for the greater good, not personal success. Lastly, unlike members of the Azorius or Orzhov, Boros don’t know the specifics of Guildpact laws/magic. You act in the spirit you believe the laws were written for, and rarely know what they actually say.
Myths: You are a jackbooted military police.
Boros are dumb.
You are buzzkills.
Boros can only solve problems with violence.
Any man who takes orders from women, angels or not, must have no balls.
Boros can’t do anything besides fight.
You are nothing if someone gets you alone.
Boros act outside the laws and yet claim to be righteous defenders of them.
You march towards your own death every day.
Boros always hit to kill.
Reality: You are the chosen defenders of Ravnica and all of its Guilds.
Boros Legion are the finest warriors on the plane.
You are protectors of the weak.
Some threats don’t care about diplomacy.
Any man who speaks so shamefully within earshot of Aurelia will lose their balls.
Boros study magic, crafting, forging, and art; in addition to fighting.
You are never alone.
Boros care more for morals than rules lawyers.
The only death you fear is the one you could not prevent.
The last time Boros arrested someone it broke the world.













