Fortifications¶
Fortifications range from a small watchtower to a great walled hold.
Theme: Outpost¶
A watchtower or palisaded compound with a small standing garrison for watching a road, crossing, or frontier. An Outpost may stand alone in the wild or sit within a larger settlement.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Military: Garrison optional Military: Scouts Faith: Chaplain |
Defense: Palisade or Curtain Wall, Watch Bell, Watch Fire, Gate Infrastructure: Well |
Fortifications: Watchtower, Barracks, Armory Public Works: Stables optional Facilities: Kennels Sacred: Chapel |
Theme: Foreign Compound¶
An Outpost owned by a foreign power inside another realm: an embassy, a trading concession, etc. An Ambassador and staff of attachés, a household of servants, and guards live there.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Rulers: Ambassador, 2-4 Attachés, 4-8 Clerks Military: 1 Sergeant, 8-16 Guards Households: 8-16 Servants optional Faith: Chaplain |
Defense: Palisade or Curtain Wall, Watch Bell, Gate Infrastructure: Well Trait: Personality |
Government: Embassy Hall, Attaché Offices Facilities: Garden Public Works: Stables Sacred: Chapel Residence: Staff Quarters, Guest Quarters |
Theme: Border Crossing¶
Customs post at a domain border. Manages tolls and inspects goods. A Customs Officer works there. Guards organized as inspection Patrols check wagons. Clerks handle paperwork and stamps. Smugglers may be involved.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Rulers: Customs Officer, 2 Clerks Military: 1-2 Patrols Households: Support Staff optional Criminal: Smugglers |
Defense: Palisade or Curtain Wall, Watch Bell, Watch Fire, Gate Infrastructure: Well |
Government: Customs Hall Facilities: Mess Hall Fortifications: Barracks, Watchtower Hospitality: Inn Sacred: Chapel |
Theme: Great Keep¶
A tall, stout tower rising over a small enclosed courtyard. May be a border keep, a road toll station, a minor lord's seat, or a redoubt.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Rulers: Lord or Castellan Military: 1-2 Sergeants, 2-4 Squads Households: Lord's Household optional Rulers: Court Faith: Chaplain |
Defense: Curtain Wall (small ring), Portcullis at Gatehouse, Watch Bell, Watch Fire Infrastructure: Well optional Defense: Moat |
Fortifications: Gatehouse, Great Keep, Barracks, Armory Public Works: Stables Sacred: Chapel optional Fortifications: Strongroom Fortifications: Cells |
Theme: Fort¶
Fortification built to hold a border, guard a road, or maintain presence. Walled compound with a Great Keep, barracks, gate, and parade yard.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Military: Garrison Faith: Chaplain |
Defense: Curtain Wall, Watch Bell, Watch Fire Infrastructure: Well optional Defense: Sallyport |
Facilities: Mess Hall Fortifications: Gatehouse, Great Keep, Barracks, Armory, Watchtower, Parade Ground Public Works: Stables Sacred: Chapel Residence: Officers' Quarters optional Fortifications: Cells |
Theme: Stronghold¶
High curtain walls around two yards with a Keep at the center and a fortified Gatehouse as the main entrance. Held by a Lord, a Warden, or a Constable. A Stronghold may act as a border keep, form the core of a Stronghold settlement, or sit at the top of a great city as its Citadel.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Military: Garrison Households: Lord's Household (Lord or Warden with staff) optional Rulers: Court Faith: Chaplain |
Defense: Curtain Walls, Portcullis at Gatehouse Infrastructure: Well optional Defense: Moat Defense: Sallyport (hidden postern) |
Government: Great Hall Facilities: Kitchens Fortifications: Gatehouse, Great Keep, Barracks, Armory, Strongroom, Dungeon Public Works: Stables Sacred: Chapel optional Facilities: Garden Sacred: Tombs of the Kings |
Theme: Penal Work Camp¶
Labor camp for prisoners under armed guard. The Warden's keep is at the gate and the guards' barracks are along the wall. The prisoners' barracks are further in near a work pit (quarry, mine, or dig site) where the convicts labor.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Rulers: Warden Military: 2-3 Sergeants, 4-6 Squads Criminal: 40-80 Prisoners Households: Support Staff |
Defense: Palisade or Curtain Wall, Watch Bell, Watch Fire, Gate Infrastructure: Well |
Facilities: Mess Hall Fortifications: Warden's Keep, Barracks, Convict Barracks Public Works: Work Pit |
Theme: Prison¶
Walled compound holding convicts.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Rulers: Warden Military: 2-4 Sergeants, 6-10 Squads Faith: Chaplain Criminal: 100-300 Prisoners Households: Support Staff |
Defense: Curtain Wall, Watch Bell, Watch Fire | Facilities: Prison |
Details¶
Creatures¶
Ambassador. See Rulers: Ambassador.
Attaché. A staff officer at a Foreign Compound, whether military, commercial, or cultural. Uses the Professional or Noble stat block. Loot: ledger and sealed dispatches; badge of office (25 gp); 3d10 gp.
Castellan. See Rulers: Castellan.
Chaplain. See Faithful: Chaplain.
Clerk. See Rulers: Clerk.
Commander. The Fort's Commander. See Military: Garrison (theme).
Constable. The Outpost's ranking officer. See Military: Garrison (theme).
Court. See Rulers: Court.
Customs Officer. The Border Crossing's Steward. Uses the Professional stat block, or Noble for an important crossing. See Rulers: Steward (theme). Loot: signet, badge of office, keys to the Customs Hall vault, 1d10 gp.
Garrison. See Military: Garrison (theme). The fortification's standing armed force.
Lieutenant. See Military: Lieutenant.
Lord. See Rulers: Lord, and Rulers: Court for a Lord with his Court.
Lord's Household. See Households: Aristocratic Household (theme). An aristocratic household under a Lord or Warden: chamberlain, attendants, servants, household knights.
Patrol. A team of guards patrolling an area. 1 Sergeant and 10 Guards. Loot: as stat blocks.
Prisoners. Uses the Commoner stat block, or Thug for a more dangerous prisoner. Unarmed, lightly clothed, manacled when moved.
Scouts. See Military: Scouts.
Servants. See Households: Servants.
Squad. A small team of 5 Guards. Loot: as stat blocks.
Support Staff. Cooks, medics, quartermasters, hostlers, armorers, stable hands. Uses the Commoner or Professional stat block.
Warden. See Rulers: Warden.
Features¶
Curtain Wall. Stone or masonry wall around the installation, 20 to 40 feet tall and thick enough to walk atop. There are battlements along the wall walk and towers at intervals. DC 22 Strength (Athletics) to climb the exterior. Simple fortifications have a single ring; grand strongholds have two.
Moat. A ditch encircling the outer wall, often flooded. 10 to 20 feet across and 10 feet deep. Crossed by a drawbridge at the Gatehouse.
Palisade. 10-foot timber or earth wall around the compound, sharpened at the top with a walk on the inside for defenders. DC 15 Strength (Athletics) to climb.
Personality. Persistent trait. d6: 1 formal (protocol first; refuses meetings without proper procedure); 2 open (welcoming; hosts locals, cultivates goodwill); 3 aloof (staff keeps to itself; the compound is a piece of home in exile); 4 factional (attaches to a party at court; opposes another); 5 embattled (relations with the host power are strained; the compound is on quiet alert); 6 corrupt (the Ambassador or Attachés run a private enterprise on the side).
Portcullis at Gatehouse. Iron grille hoisted by chain. Once dropped, requires the winch and two men 3 turns to raise. In an assault, defenders may drop it behind attackers to trap them.
Sallyport. A small hidden postern door in the outer wall.
Watch Bell. Heavy iron bell at the gate or in a tower. Rung at attack, fire, or major arrivals. Loot: the bell is worth 30 gp.
Watch Fire. Raised iron brazier on the wall or tower, kept lit through the night.
Locations¶
Armory. Weapons and armor storage for the garrison. Rows of spears, stacked shields, barrels of arrows. Strong lock on the door. Loot: 20 to 40 sets of spears and shields.
Attaché Offices. Workrooms for the Attachés (military, commercial, cultural). Each has a desk, a locking chest, and sealed dispatches. Loot: ledgers and dispatches.
Barracks. The garrison's quarters. Long low buildings against the inner face of the outer curtain. There are wooden bunks in rows, with personal chests at the foot of each. Off-duty soldiers play dice and drink. When the building is used by a Militia, it serves as a Muster Hall: a long room with a hearth; racks of spears and shields along the walls and no bunks. Villagers gather here to arm and receive orders. Loot: personal effects, spare weapons, dice and cards.
Cells. A simple block of two to eight iron-barred cells cut into the rock below the Great Keep or the Gatehouse. Straw on the ston floor and a bucket per cell. A guard station at the entrance with an iron door and a rack of manacles. Loot: guard's keys, prisoners' confiscated valuables in a locked chest, a register of who is being held and why.
Convict Barracks. Long low building with barred windows and a locked door. Straw pallets in rows with a latrine at the back. Convicts are locked in for the night.
Customs Hall. Where inspections happen. A long room with tables, scales, crates for confiscated goods, and a strongbox for the day's toll receipts. Loot: day's tolls (5d10 gp); confiscated goods; the Customs Officer's records.
Chapel. Altar, benches or kneelers, and a small bell tower. Loot: holy symbols and a prayer book.
Dungeon. A prison cut into the rock below a Great Keep:
- Guard station: iron door at the entrance; rack of manacles and keys; a small hearth; two Guards.
- Cell block: two to eight barred cells, straw on stone, a bucket per cell. Barred windows if any.
- Interrogation room: optional. Near the guard station. Has a heavy chair, iron rings in the walls, and metal tools.
- Oubliette: optional. A small shaft dropping to a windowless pit cell, opened only from above.
- Records niche: a locked chest or shelf with the register of prisoners.
Loot: guard's keys, prisoners' confiscated valuables in a locked chest, the register of prisoners.
Embassy Hall. Has a formal receiving room, an office, a records room, and the Ambassador's residence on the upper floor. Loot: the Embassy treasury (5d100 gp) behind a strong lock; sealed dispatches.
Garden. A walled garden within the yard. May have exotic plants or a fountain.
Gate. iron-banded doors set in a stone frame, sometimes with a small guardroom attached. Two garrison soldiers on watch at the door. The wall at the gate is the Curtain Wall or Palisade for the installation. Loot: duty roster, gate keys.
Gatehouse. A fortified building at the wall, with an arched passage through the ground floor:
- Outer door and passage: the heavy iron-banded outer door opens onto an arched stone passage. Two garrison soldiers stand watch at the door. This passage is dangerous for attackers if they are trapped.
- Guardroom: off the passage on the ground floor. Rack of weapons, small hearth, a table for dice and duty rosters. The Sergeant sits here.
- Murder-hole gallery: the floor above the passage. Openings in the floor for attacks against creatures in the passage below.
- Winch room: where the Portcullis is raised and lowered.
- Captain's quarters: optional. The Captain of the Guard's chamber and private office on an upper floor. Small hearth, a bed, a locking chest.
- Roof and battlements: the top of the Gatehouse. Battlements and a signal fire.
Great Hall. A long stone hall with a high timbered roof and hearths at each end. The Lord holds court, feasts, and receives visitors at his high table. Retainers eat at the low tables running down the room. Tapestries or hunting trophies adorn the walls. Wine is in the cellar below.
Great Keep. A stone tower at the heart of the compound. Three to six stories tall with walls up to 12 feet thick:
- Great door and vestibule: the heavy iron-banded front door at the base of the tower. A guardroom is just inside.
- Audience hall: Where the Commander or Lord receives visitors. There is a long table, banners, and a dais at the far end with a high seat.
- War room or private study: off the audience hall. Book shelves and maps on the walls and table.
- Records room: ledgers, correspondence, muster rolls, requisition books. A senior Clerk or Chamberlain holds the key.
- Strongroom: the household treasury and archive. See the Strongroom entry.
- Commander's or Lord's quarters: private apartment on the upper floors. Sleeping room, small hearth, and private hall for the Lord's family.
- Officers' or knights' quarters: private quarters on a lower floor of the tower.
- Dungeon or Cells entrance: optional. A trapdoor or staircase leading down to the cells.
- Interior stair: the spiral or straight stair connecting the floors.
- Roof and battlements: the top of the keep. Battlements, a signal fire, and a flag. Highest lookout in the compound.
Loot: the Lord's or Commander's personal effects (fine clothes, private correspondence, 5d10 gp); ceremonial armor or weapons on display; the fort's or household's records; the Strongroom's contents (see that entry).
Guest Quarters. Richly appointed rooms for visiting diplomats, couriers, and dignitaries.
Kennels. Long rectangular housing for dogs.
Kitchens. Large open hearth, a spit rack, tables, and a root cellar below.
Mess Hall. Long room with tables and benches and a hearth.
Officers' Quarters. Housing for the garrison's officers. Private rooms with bed, writing table, small hearth, and a locking chest. Loot: personal effects, the officer's records, strongbox (5d10 gp).
Parade Ground. Packed dirt or gravel yard with a flagpole where the garrison musters and drills. The Great Keep or Officers' Quarters often overlook it. Larger and more formal at a Palace Precinct, where the ground hosts public displays.
Stables. Long wooden building of horse stalls. Hay and grain is stored in lofts above. Small forge in an attached shed. Loot: tack and saddles (10 gp), spare horseshoes, riding horses (75 gp), war horses (400 gp).
Staff Quarters. Small rooms off a central corridor for Clerks and Servants. A common hall for meals.
Strongroom. A vaulted stone chamber with an iron door. One key is held by the Chamberlain and one by the Lord. Holds the household treasury, important records (charters, correspondence, contracts, wills), and small valuable items. Loot: 2d6 × 100 gp plus heirloom jewelry pieces; household records.
Tombs of the Kings. A vaulted crypt beneath the Great Keep or in a separate stone building. In a royal Stronghold, extensive and tended by a small Order:
- Antechamber: the entrance chamber. A small altar for the Priest, a table and chairs, and a locked door leading down.
- Main crypt: the great vaulted chamber. Effigies of past Lords or Kings on stone biers along the walls. Tombs with carved sarcophagi.
- Side chapels: Smaller vaulted chambers off the main crypt; one per dynasty or noble house.
- Sealed lower vault: optional. A stair descending to an older, sealed level. Reserved for the founding line, or the disgraced, or the dangerous dead.
- Guardian tomb: optional. One tomb known to be warded and protected against intrusion or escape.
Loot: funerary offerings (coins, jewelry, ceremonial arms); some pieces be be cursed.
Watchtower. 30 to 40 foot tower; may be part of a wall or standing alone. Signal fire and horn at the top for alarm. DC 20 Strength (Athletics) to climb the exterior.
Inn. See Hospitality: Inn. A small inn at the Border Crossing, for travelers waiting for customs.
Prison. See Civic Facilities: Prison.
Warden's Keep. Small fortified building at the gate with a heavy door, an office, a records room, and the Warden's quarters. Loot: signet or badge (5 gp), keys, records of sentences and payments, treasury with 1d100 gp.
Well. See Civic Facilities: Well.
Work Pit. Quarry, mine, or dig site where convicts labor. Timber props, tool sheds, water buckets. Loot: ore or stone in progress; tools.