Village¶
A rural community of 100 to 1,000 souls. Village leadership is most often a Council, an appointed Steward, or a military Commander.
A village is usually a few hundred yards across. At its center is a Village Green with a Village Lodge, a Tavern, and Common Shops. Around it is a Palisade, which can be defended by a Militia. There may be a small amount of crime, such as from Smugglers.
Around the village center is one or more Wards, which contain farming fields, fishing wharves, mines, etc.
How to build a village¶
- Pick or roll the number of wards in the village (d6: 1-3 = 1, 4-5 = 2, 6 = 3).
- Pick or roll that many wards from the Village Parts table below.
- Combine the parts from the Village Center row and the selected ward rows into one stat block.
- Name the village and add or change any other pieces or details desired.
Village Parts¶
| d12 | Name | Description | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Village Center | A rural community of 100 to 1,000. | Council (3-5 elders); Militia under a Sergeant; Commoner Households; Smugglers | Palisade (DC 15 to climb) | Village Green (central common, firepit, alarm bell, water well); Village Lodge (ruler's seat, village court, emergency shelter); Tavern; Common Shops (blacksmith, general store, bowyer, baker, butcher, brewer, tailor) |
| 1 | Farming Ward | Fields and barns beyond the housing. Straw thatch, cooking smoke. | — | Growing Season (spring sowing, summer tending, autumn harvest, winter idle) | Village Fields (crops and herds on the edges, see Households: Common Household); Grain Store (communal granary on stone piers, chained door, standard lock); Windmill (see Industrial Facilities) |
| 2 | Fishing Ward | Stilt houses along a river or bay. Drying racks, salt, smoke, the smell of fish. | — | Tide and Season (daily tides and seasonal fish) | Wharf (plank wharf along the shore, barrels, coiled rope, drying nets); Wharf Warehouse (plank shed at the water's edge, fish crates, salt sacks, drying frames); Fishing Boats (open boats, net-rigged, for river and bay) |
| 3 | Mining Ward | Rough housing at a mine mouth. Slag heaps, timber props, dust in the air. | Trade Goods Merchant (buys ore, sells necessities) | Shifts (day) | Mine (pit or drift, timber props, lantern racks, winches, Trade Booth at the mouth; see Industrial Facilities) |
| 4 | Quarry Ward | Workers' huts at the lip of an open pit. The ring of hammer and chisel. Dust and lime. | Trade Goods Merchant | Shifts (day) | Quarry (open pit stepped down, scaffolding, hoists, cut stone, Trade Booth at the top; see Industrial Facilities) |
| 5 | Logging Ward | Clearing hacked from the forest edge. Log piles beside a sawmill. The smell of fresh-cut pine. | Trade Goods Merchant | Felling Season (autumn and winter peak; spring thaw mills the backlog; summer slow) | Sawmill (water- or horse-driven, logs in and boards out, Trade Booth here; see Industrial Facilities) |
| 6 | Herding Ward | Pastoral land on open ground. Sheep, cattle, or goats grazing. Wool bales and milk pails. | Trade Goods Merchant (buys wool, hides, cheese) | Shearing and Driving (spring shearing; autumn drive to market) | Cattle Barn (covered shed, straw bedding, feed troughs, Trade Booth here); Corral (enclosure for shearing, driving, culling); Pastures (grazing land, boundary stones) |
| 7 | Trade Ward | Grown around a crossroads or river ford. Passing traffic more than the land. Hooves, wagons, salt, spice. | Merchant Caravan (based at the village) | Market Day (weekly or so; stallholders set up at the market square) | Small Market Square (paved clearing with stalls, see Traders: Shopkeeper); Inn (see Hospitality); Depot (caravan home base; see Caravans) |
| 8 | Crossing Ward | Grown around a ferry, bridge, chasm span, marsh path, or mountain pass. The village lives on the toll. | Crossing Master (Professional; carries signet, charter, ledger) | Toll (crossing charges a fee) | Crossing (ferry, bridge, span, path, or pass, by terrain); Toll House (small building, counter, ledger, locked strongbox); Stables (long low building for travelers' horses) |
| 9 | Craft Ward | Specialty craft village. | Artisan (master of the craft; see Traders: Artisan); Trade Goods Merchant | Craft Specialty (pick or roll d6: 1 Pottery, 2 Weaving, 3 Glassmaking, 4 Brewing, 5 Ironwork, 6 Masonry) | Craft Hall (communal workspace, kiln/forge/loom/vats, Trade Booth in the hall); Craft Workshops (household workspaces including the Artisan's); Storehouse (general storage, chained door, standard lock) |
| 10 | Religious Ward | Grown around a hermitage of monks or nuns. Prayer bells, worked gardens, pilgrim guests. | Head Monk (leads the hermitage; see Faithful); Monks (2-6 brothers or sisters) | Domain (pick or roll d6: 1 Knowledge, 2 Life, 3 Light, 4 Nature, 5 Tempest, 6 War) | Religious Hermitage (see Faithful) |
| 11 | Arcane Ward | Grown around a wizard's tower or scholar's retreat. Strange lights at night, odd silences by day. | Hedge Wizard (in residence; see Hedge Wizard); Apprentices (1-3 juniors; see Apprentice Wizard) | Tradition (pick: Wizard, Sorcerer, or Warlock) | Arcane Hermitage (see Arcane) |
| 12 | Military Ward | Standing garrison. Drills in the parade ground, uniforms, muster horn. | Garrison (standing military unit; see Military) | Drill (morning); Stockade (replaces the village Palisade; high timbers with inside walkway, DC 20 to climb) | Barracks (long low building, bunks, arms locker, mess hall; see Fortifications); Watchtower (20- to 30-ft tower, signal fire at top, horn for alarm) |
Optional additions¶
Any of these may be added:
- Shrine. Devoted to a specific deity or spirit.
- Scribe. A literate commoner who writes letters for a few coppers.
- Dovecote. Message-carrying birds.
- Hired Hall. A rented large room for weddings or feasts.
- Hedge Doctor. Nonmagical healing.
- Oracle. Charms, fortune-telling, folk magic.
- Charitable House. Poorhouse or orphanage.
- Pillory. Public punishment post at the Village Green.
Example: Hollowfen¶
A village with a Farming and Fishing ward at a bend in the Marchwater river, with an added Shrine to the river god. Reeve Thannin Barn and a Council of four elders govern.
Hollowfen¶
Small civilian settlement
Alignment neutral good | Population 400
A small agricultural community. Fields upstream, wharves on the river bend.
Creatures¶
Reeve and Council. Reeve Thannin Barn (Professional) and four elders meet at the Village Lodge. See Rulers: Council.
Militia. 1 Sergeant and 20 villagers who muster when the horn blows. See Militia (village).
Commoner Households. 40 families: 30 at the Fields, 10 at the Wharf.
Smugglers. The miller runs more than grain on his cart. See Criminals: Smugglers.
Features¶
Defenses. Palisade around the central village (DC 15 to climb).
Growing Season. Spring sowing through autumn harvest. The Fields are rich alluvial soil.
Tide and Season. The Marchwater runs stocked with trout in spring and salmon in autumn.
Locations¶
Village Green. Central common. Firepit for festivals. Alarm Bell and Water Well sit here.
Village Lodge. Reeve Barn's seat. Court sits here on Thursdays.
Shrine. Devoted to the river god; a stone altar carved as a leaping salmon.
Tavern. The Flood Mark. Loud on market days.
Common Shops. Blacksmith, general store, bowyer, baker, chandler.
Village Fields. 300 acres upstream, under cultivation.
Grain Store. Beside the Village Lodge; raised on stone piers.
Windmill. On the knoll east of the Green.
Wharf. On the river bend; a plank wharf with drying nets.
Wharf Warehouse. Behind the Wharf.
Fishing Boats. Six open boats, net-rigged.
Local Troubles¶
Villages often have problems. Pick or roll.
| d100 | Trouble |
|---|---|
| 01-02 | A trader was found dead on the road with his purse untouched. Did someone want to keep him quiet? |
| 03-05 | The harvest has failed this year. The Council is calling a village meeting to ration the storehouse. |
| 06-07 | Another farmer has been spotted with a prized animal that went missing from here a month ago. The owner wants his animal back and someone to answer. |
| 08-10 | A symbol was painted on the granary door in the night. Nobody knows what it means and nobody wants to touch it. |
| 11-12 | The Well ran dry three days ago. Someone must find out why. |
| 13-15 | A villager has not come home. Two nights gone. His family are asking questions, but nobody has an answer. |
| 16-17 | A body was found in the village well. It is not from here. |
| 18-20 | Three villagers have vanished from the same stretch of the road in a month. Nothing found but tracks that lead nowhere. |
| 21-22 | The Priest has been missing from morning service for three days. The shrine is locked from the inside. |
| 23-25 | Someone stole from the common storehouse. Half the households have picked a suspect. |
| 26-27 | Livestock have been killed in the north field and drained of blood. No tracks the shepherds recognize. |
| 28-30 | A trade partner arrived, refused to pay the agreed price, and drew a blade before backing down. |
| 31-32 | A grave was disturbed last night. Someone dug down and took something out, or put something in. |
| 33-35 | Bandits have been picking off travelers on the north road. Three losses this month. The Watch is too small and the road is the only way in. |
| 36-37 | A wanted man from another village is hiding here. The other village's Watch is expected tomorrow. |
| 38-40 | A stranger has taken a room at the inn. He does not eat with the other guests, speaks only when addressed, and pays in coin older than the village. The innkeeper's dog refuses to enter his room. |
| 41-42 | A Council Elder is dying and two households are quietly preparing to fight over the seat. |
| 43-45 | A midwife has been accused of witchcraft after a child was born wrong. Half the village wants her burned. The Priest has not spoken. |
| 46-47 | Three children have had the same dream about a black door in the woods. |
| 48-50 | A gift for a distant lord went missing on the road. His steward is expected within the week. |
| 51-52 | A distant Lord is paying a Councilor coin to bend the village to his will. Someone in the Councilor's household knows and hasn't spoken. |
| 53-55 | A butchered animal was left at the crossroads. The village is uneasy about what it means. |
| 56-57 | The shrine's altar was found broken and its relic missing. The Priest is quiet. |
| 58-60 | A hunting party of nobles is expected to pass through this week. Last time, they ruined some property. |
| 61-62 | A villager's grown son has come home with a bounty on his head. His mother has hidden him in the loft; his father does not yet know. |
| 63-65 | A traveler arrived asking after a name no living villager remembers, and left before answering questions. |
| 66-67 | The village dogs have started avoiding a specific house. |
| 68-70 | Two of the village's oldest households have refused to attend Council. The seats are empty and votes are stalled. |
| 71-72 | A survivor from a raided farm has stumbled into the village half mad, saying names of neighbors no one recognizes. |
| 73-75 | Three villagers have started refusing to eat with their families and speak only in whispers among themselves. |
| 76-77 | A drunkard has been claiming for weeks that he saw someone burying a chest by moonlight. Yesterday he was found beaten in a ditch. |
| 78-80 | A cold spot has appeared in a Council Elder's house that no fire can warm. His wife will not sleep in the room. |
| 81-82 | A villager owes a dangerous man in the next town. The debt is due this week. He does not have it and is asking neighbors for help he cannot repay. |
| 83-85 | Smoke was seen on the horizon last night. No messenger has come from the nearest village. |
| 86-87 | The Watch caught a stranger reading a Council Elder's private correspondence in the Council Lodge. He will not say who sent him. |
| 88-90 | A pilgrim has arrived preaching a doctrine no one has heard before. A few villagers are listening intently. |
| 91-92 | The forest's edge has crept closer over recent months. |
| 93-95 | A courier died on the doorstep of the inn, clutching a sealed letter. The seal is not from any local lord. |
| 96-97 | A wandering child arrived at the village alone, dirty, exhausted, and speaks a language nobody recognizes. |
| 98-100 | A scout from an outside band was captured and is being held in a barn. He will not speak but wears a strange charm at his throat. |