Stronghold Builder's Guidebook

CONTENTS

Contents

Introduction ...............................................................4 What's Inside..........................................................4 How to Use This Book ...........................................4

Chapter 1: Building a Stronghold..............................4 Step 1: Select a Site................................................5 Climate/Terrain Type...........................................5 Primary Settlement .............................................6 Nearby Features..................................................6 Behind the Curtain: Nearby Features in the Campaign..............................................6 Site Example: Brightstone Keep.........................7 Step 2: Choose a Size ............................................8 Size Estimates.....................................................8 Size Example: Brightstone Keep ........................8 Step 3: Purchase Components and Walls .............8 A Stronghold Builder's Glossary........................8 Component Example: Brightstone Keep............8 Do-It-Yourself Spellcasting .................................9 Wall Example: Brightstone Keep ........................9 Step 4: Purchase Extras and Wondrous Architecture.......................................9 Step 5: Determine Final Price................................9 Site Modifiers......................................................9 Build Time...........................................................9 Extras Example: Brightstone Keep ...................10 Free and Unusual Labor ...................................10 Staff Costs .........................................................10 Landlord ............................................................10 Step 6: Map Your Stronghold ..............................11 Mapping Techniques ........................................11 Organizational Tips ..........................................11 Step 7: Get Approval ............................................13 Final Cost Example: Brightstone Keep ............13 Behind the Curtain: Build Times and Medieval Realism..............................................13

Chapter 2: Stronghold Components .......................14 Component Descriptions.....................................14 List of Components ..........................................14 Books.................................................................25 Torture ...............................................................32 Building Up and Down.....................................33 Clusters .............................................................33

Walls .......................................................................34 Material Descriptions .......................................34 Freestanding Walls............................................36 Layered Walls ....................................................37 Lead-Lined Walls...............................................37 Wall Augmentations .........................................38 Augment Object.................................................41

Doors, Windows, and Locks ................................41 Windows............................................................42 Locks .................................................................42 Staff ...................................................................42

Extras ....................................................................43 Magic Items ......................................................43 Cursed Magic Items .........................................44 Artifacts .............................................................45 Moats and Trenches .........................................47 Mobile Strongholds ..........................................47 Portals ...............................................................49 Create Portal......................................................50 Spells .................................................................50 Permanency or Magic Item? ............................50 Improved Arcane Lock........................................51 Traps ..................................................................61 Other Ways to Beat a Trap................................64 Repairing and Resetting Mechanical Traps .....67 Weapons............................................................67

Wondrous Architecture ........................................69 Creating Wondrous Architecture......................70 Disabling Wondrous Architecture....................70 Wondrous Architecture Descriptions ..............70

Chapter 3: Strongholds in Your Campaign .............87 Building a Stronghold ..........................................87 Location, Location, Location............................87 Lining Up Workers............................................88 Running a Stronghold ..........................................89 Delegate ............................................................89 Making It Pay ....................................................90 The Ties that Bind ............................................91 Protecting a Stronghold .......................................91 For the Dungeon Master ..................................91 Let Others Do Your Work for You ....................92 You Don't Live in a Vacuum.............................92 Keep a Low Profile ............................................92 Use It or Lose It ................................................92 Hire Those You Can Trust ................................93 Outposts ...........................................................93 Keeping Watch ..................................................93 Assaulting a Stronghold.......................................94 Strike Team .......................................................94 Laying Siege ......................................................96 Smoking Them Out ..........................................96 Attacking the Structure.....................................97 Begin with the End in Mind ...........................100 Commandeering a Stronghold ..........................101 Welcome Home ..............................................101 Disarming a Stronghold .................................101 Containment or Abandonment ......................101 Rearming a Stronghold ..................................101 Retrofitting a Stronghold................................102 Retaining Staff.................................................102 Destroying a Stronghold ....................................102 Neutralizing It.................................................102 Looting ............................................................103 Bringing It Down ............................................103 Sealing It Away................................................103

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CONTENTS

Chapter 4: Example Strongholds...........................104 The Cheap Keep .................................................105 The Basics .......................................................105 Getting In ........................................................105 The Interior .....................................................105 The Second Floor............................................107 The Coral Castle .................................................107 The Basics .......................................................107 Getting In ........................................................108 Defense ...........................................................108 Room Descriptions.........................................108 The Dwarven Redoubt........................................110 The Basics .......................................................110 Getting In ........................................................110 Defenses..........................................................111 Room Descriptions.........................................111 The Floating Tower.............................................116 The Basics .......................................................116 Getting In ........................................................116 Defenses..........................................................116 Room Descriptions.........................................116 The Citadel of the Planes ...................................120 The Basics .......................................................120 Getting Around ...............................................120 Plane of Shadow Rooms ................................122 Elysium Rooms ...............................................123 Arborea Rooms ...............................................124 Plane of Fire Rooms .......................................124 Ysgard Rooms .................................................125 Hell Rooms .....................................................126 Abyss Rooms ..................................................127 Astral Rooms ..................................................127 Plane of Water Rooms ....................................128 Carceri Rooms.................................................128

List of Tables

Table 1?1: Climate/Terrain Modifiers to Stronghold Price.....................................................6

Table 1?2: Primary Settlement Modifiers to Stronghold Price.....................................................6

Table 1?3: Nearby Feature Modifiers to Stronghold Price.....................................................7

Table 1?4: Stronghold Sizes ......................................8 Table 1?5: Construction Discounts from

Spellcasting ............................................................9 Table 1?6: Landlord Funds ......................................11 Table 2?1: Stronghold Components .......................15 Table 2?2: Height and Depth Adjustments

to Cost...................................................................33 Table 2?3: Sample Clusters .....................................33 Table 2?4: Interior and Exterior Walls .....................34 Table 2?5: Wall Materials.........................................35 Table 2?6: Freestanding Walls .................................37 Table 2?7: Wall Augmentations...............................38

Table 2?8: Doors ......................................................41 Table 2?9: Windows .................................................41 Table 2?10: Locks.....................................................42 Table 2?11: Typical Staff Members..........................42 Table 2?12: Stronghold Locomotion.......................47 Table 2?13: Stronghold Mobility .............................48 Table 2?14: Stronghold Planar Mobility..................48 Table 2?15: NPC Binding Costs ...............................51 Table 2?16: Base Cost and CR Modifiers for

Mechanical Traps .................................................62 Table 2?17: Raw Materials Cost and CR Modifiers

for Magic Device Traps ........................................64 Table 2?18: CR Modifiers by Poison Type...............65 Table 2?19: Craft (Trapmaking) DCs .......................66 Table 2?20: Siege Weapons .....................................68 Table 2?21: Special Ammunition ............................68 Table 2?22: Wondrous Architecture ........................72 Table 3?1: Elevation Bonus on Spot Checks ..........94

Key to Map Symbols

Door Double Door Table & Chair Statue Chandelier Plant Bed Rug Fireplace Cabinet Side Table Couch Shelves Folding Screen Alcove Stairs Spiral Stairs Summoning Circle Railing Curtain Barrels

Ballista Ladder Trap Door Crenelation Weapon Rack Window Arrow Slit Jugs Sink Overhead Rack Cistern Winch Murder Holes Portcullis Desk Manacles Bars Bench Well Pew Altar

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INTRODUCTION

IntrOductiOn if they have performed a heroic deed for the realm. After all, the king finds it easier to assign the charac-

Whether a high-towered castle, deep dungeon, or ters a hundred acres on the kingdom's borders than to

wooden citadel hidden among the trees, the strong- give them treasure-chests full of gold.

hold plays an important part in any D&D campaign.

The DM could build an entire campaign around the

Often the sites the characters visit--palaces on float- characters' refurbishment of a old stronghold in an

ing clouds, dwarven fortresses carved into sheer cliffs, out-of-the-way place. The adventurers must travel

and haunted wizard towers--remain as memorable as there, evict whatever monsters are using the strong-

the foes the characters face when they get there. Strong- hold as a lair, and discover its secrets as they explore it.

hold Builders' Guidebook gives you a system to create Eventually, they must deal with the stronghold's legal

memorable locations for the adventures you create. owners or whatever political authority rules the

With this book, you can build the castle your character region. As they repair and refurbish the stronghold,

has always dreamed of. You have the tools to create a they have to keep the workers and the building safe

nigh-impenetrable dragon's lair for the climax of your from predators and political rivals. Once that's done,

next adventure. You have dozens of new room features there are always improvements to be made and adven-

to sprinkle throughout any dungeon.

tures in the surrounding countryside under the

stronghold's protection.

WHAT'S INSIDE Nonplayer characters (NPCs) use strongholds, too. The Stronghold Builder's Guidebook gives DMs a broad

Stronghold Builder's Guidebook contains information for menu of options for the lairs, temples, dungeons, and

both players and Dungeon Masters (DMs). Players now other strongholds that adventurers often have to

have a new way to spend their characters' hard-earned infiltrate or assault. Rather than yet another dun-

gold, while DMs have detailed rules for creating their geon, the characters may face an elven stronghold

next dungeon, castle, or other adventure site.

made of living wood or a floating castle at the center

Building a Stronghold (Chapter 1): This chapter of a hurricane.

sets the foundation for strongholds, giving player and

DM alike a step-by-step process for designing a strong-

hold, filling it with gear and people, and figuring out how much it all costs. A character with the right resources can create anything from a dungeon deep in the Underdark to a castle among the clouds.

Stronghold Components (Chapter 2): Find all the building blocks of your stronghold here, from banquet halls to catapults to perpetual hurricanes surrounding

Chapter 1:

Building a StrOnghOld

your fortress.

Every stronghold begins with a simple idea. Some-

Strongholds in the Campaign (Chapter 3): This times a stronghold fills a specific need in the fantasy

chapter includes tips for running a stronghold-based world of D&D, such as a cliff-top castle that provides

campaign and dozens of ways to use Stronghold Builder's protection for an important trade route. Other times

Guidebook in the adventures you're already running. It the stronghold functions as an adventure location,

also gives a rundown on how to attack and defend a such as a dungeon of bone that serves as a vault for an

stronghold.

important artifact. Some characters will want to build

Example Strongholds (Chapter 4): From a simple strongholds to serve as a mark of status and a safe place

keep to a floating fortress, this final chapter provides to recover between adventures.

room-by-room descriptions and maps for five detailed

Coming up with the right concept for your strong-

strongholds you can use in your own campaign.

hold is Step 0 of the building process. You need not

nail down all the details right away, but you should

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK know in general terms what you want before you start making plans and purchases. As in real life, remember

This book aims to give players the rules to construct to keep one eye on how much money you're spending.

their own headquarters, places where they can rest and If you don't have enough gold for the stronghold of

train between adventures or take refuge when pursued your dreams, you may have to cut back on your plans

by powerful foes. Characters with enough gold and or delay building until you raise more money. Alterna-

magic at their disposal can construct massive fortresses tively, you might find a partner such as a friendly

limited only by their imagination.

wizard to cast spells on your behalf or a noble patron

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Noble patrons in particular are more likely to reward adventurers with a plot of land or hundreds of workers

to help pay for your keep if you agree to watch over her lands.

CHAPTER 1: BUILDING A STRONGHOLD

STEP 1: SELECT A SITE

Your stronghold might be a coral castle hundreds of feet underwater, or a fortress high atop a mountain in the Barrier Peaks. It could stand alone in the desert guarding the only water for hundreds of miles, or it could be a nondescript noble villa in the heart of a bustling metropolis. Before you raise the first wall of your stronghold, you need to know about the ground where you'll place your future home.

Selecting a site for your stronghold involves three steps: Choosing a terrain type, deciding the distance between your stronghold and its supporting settlement, and identifying any unusual features nearby. Your choices modify the final cost of your stronghold, so keep track of the price modifiers at each stage.

Climate/Terrain Type

First, decide on the dominant climate and terrain type that surrounds your stronghold, using the eleven types listed on Table 1?1. Choose one climate type (cold, temperate, or warm) and one terrain type (aquatic, desert, plains, forest, hill, mountains, marsh, or underground); climate/terrain types are described in Chapter 6 of the DUNGEON MASTER's Guide. If you choose underground terrain, don't choose a climate type. Underground strongholds are usually dungeons, but occasionally a traditional palace will be built in a particularly large Underdark cavern.

The price modifiers in Table 1?1 reflect the relative ease of using the terrain as a foundation, how produc-

tive workers are in that environment, and how available construction materials and finished goods such as furnishings are. In some cases, a particular terrain type might be good for some strongholds but not others. Mountains, for example, can be expensive places to build a traditional castle, but the availability of natural caverns makes them efficient sites for dungeon strongholds.

Strongholds built in particularly unusual places such as the swirling chaos of Limbo or the hazy mists of the Astral Plane use the exotic entry on the table below. The high price modifier reflects the special precautions required to keep workers productive and the under-construction stronghold safe in such strange environments.

If you're constructing a mobile stronghold (one that walks, flies, or otherwise moves), choose mobile terrain on Table 1?1 and skip to Step 2 below. The price break reflects your ability to move your under-construction stronghold from place to place. Rather than bring raw materials to your construction site, you can bring your site to the source of the raw materials.

Your stronghold need not have the native terrain as its actual foundation--you're defining the surrounding landscape. For example, a stronghold that covers a small island would be in aquatic terrain even though it's not underwater. A castle constructed in a forest clearing would be in forest terrain, and so

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