Dungeon Master's Guide
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
To make a home base come alive, you'll need to<br />
invest some time fl eshing out details, but the players<br />
can help you with that work. Ask them to tell you a bit<br />
about mentors, family members, and other important<br />
people in their characters' lives. Feel free to add to and<br />
modify what they give you, but you'll start with a solid<br />
foundation of the non player characters (NPCs) who are<br />
important to the characters. Let the players describe<br />
where and how their characters spend their time- a<br />
favorite tavern, library, or temple, perhaps.<br />
Using these NPCs and locations as a starting point,<br />
flesh out the settlement's cast of characters. Detail<br />
its leadership, including law enforcement (discussed<br />
later in the chapter). Include characters who can<br />
provide information, such as sages, soothsayers,<br />
librarians, and observant vagabonds. Priests can<br />
provide spellcasting as well as information. Make note<br />
of merchants who might regularly interact with the<br />
adventurers and perhaps compete with one another for<br />
the party's business. Think about the people who run<br />
the adventurers' favorite tavern. And then add a handful<br />
of wild cards: a shady dealer, a mad prophet, a retired<br />
mercenary, a drunken rake, or anyone else who adds a<br />
dash of adventure and intrigue to your campaign.<br />
ADVENTURE SITE<br />
A village harboring a secret cult of devil worshipers. A<br />
town controlled by a guild of wererats. A city conquered<br />
by a hobgoblin army. These settlements aren't merely<br />
rest stops but locations where adventures unfold. In<br />
a settlement that doubles as an adventure location,<br />
detail the intended adventure areas, such as towers<br />
and warehouses. For an event-based adventure, note<br />
the NPCs who play a part in the adventure. This<br />
work is adventure preparation as much as it is world<br />
building, and the cast of characters you develop for<br />
your adventure-including allies, patrons, enemies, and<br />
extras- can become recurring figures in your campaign.<br />
SIZE<br />
Most settlements in a D&D world are villages clustered<br />
around a larger town or city. Farming villages supply the<br />
town or city population with food in exchange for goods<br />
the farmers can't produce themselves. Towns and cities<br />
are the seats of the nobles who govern the surrounding<br />
area, and who carry the responsibility for defending the<br />
villages from attack. Occasionally, a local lord or lady<br />
lives in a keep or fortress with no nearby town or city.<br />
VILLAGE<br />
Population: Up to about 1,000<br />
Government: A noble (usually not a resident) rules the<br />
village, with an appointed agent (a reeve) in residence<br />
to adjudicate disputes and collect taxes.<br />
Defense: The reeve might have a small force of soldiers.<br />
Otherwise, the village relies on a citizen militia.<br />
Commerce: Basic supplies are readily available,<br />
possibly from an· inn or a trading post. Other goods<br />
are available from traveling merchants.<br />
Organizations: A village might contain one or two<br />
temples or shrines, but few or no other organizations.