Strongholds
Building a stronghold in an OSR game is a significant undertaking, involving several steps from planning to long-term management.
Construction Process
Here’s how player characters (PCs) can construct strongholds or other buildings:
- Permission: First, PCs might need permission from local authorities, though this isn’t usually required in uncharted wilderness.
- Clear Land: For wilderness construction, all monsters within a 6-mile radius (one hex) must be killed or driven off.
- Design & Cost: The player creates the stronghold’s plan and calculates its cost based on established prices.
- Review: The GM must review and approve the player’s plans.
- Hire Engineers: For every 100,000gp of the stronghold’s cost, the PC must hire one engineer.
- Construction: Once the land is clear and materials are on-site, construction begins. The time required is one day of game time per 500gp of the total price.
- Prepare for Settlers: If the PC aims to attract settlers and found a dominion, an even wider area around the stronghold must be cleared of dangers.
Building in Towns
Building within an existing town or city has different rules:
- Permission: Local rulers are unlikely to allow castles or fortifications, though other buildings might be permitted.
- Reduced Costs: Due to easier access to materials and labor, costs are significantly reduced:
- Stone buildings: Cost is reduced by 60%.
- Wooden buildings: Cost is reduced by 80%.
Domain Management
Once a stronghold is built, ongoing management is necessary, especially if you want to establish a larger domain.
- Maintaining Cleared Lands: To prevent monsters from returning, PCs should hire mercenaries to patrol. Patrols can cover an 18-mile radius (or 6 miles in inhospitable terrain like swamps/mountains). Larger areas require additional garrisons.
- Attracting Settlers: To draw settlers, PCs must not only ensure the safety of the surrounding lands but also fund the construction of other buildings (housing, shops, infrastructure) and potentially advertise. The GM determines the costs and how many settlers are attracted.
- Taxation: If settlers move into the PC’s domain, the character can expect to collect 10gp in taxes per year from each settler.
Construction Process
Here’s a step-by-step guide for player characters (PCs) to construct strongholds or other buildings:
- Permission: PCs might need permission from local authorities. This is usually not required in uncharted wilderness.
- Clear Land: If building in the wilderness, all monsters within a 6-mile radius (one hex on a typical map) must be killed or driven off.
- Design & Cost: The player creates the stronghold’s plan and calculates its cost using the established revised prices.
- Review: The GM must review and approve the player’s plans.
- Hire Engineers: For every 10,000gp of the stronghold’s cost, the PC must hire one engineer.
- Construction: Once the land is clear and materials are delivered, construction begins. The time required is one day of game time per 50gp of the total price.
- Prepare for Settlers: If the PC wants to attract settlers and found a dominion, an even wider area around the stronghold must be cleared of dangers.
Building in Towns
Building within an existing town or city has different rules:
- Permission: Local rulers are unlikely to allow castles or fortifications, though other types of buildings might be permitted.
- Reduced Costs: Due to easier access to materials and labor, costs are significantly reduced:
- Stone buildings: Cost is reduced by 60%.
- Wooden buildings: Cost is reduced by 80%.
Domain Management
Once a stronghold is built, ongoing management is necessary, especially if you aim to establish a larger domain.
- Maintaining Cleared Lands: To prevent monsters from returning, PCs should hire mercenaries to patrol. Patrols can cover an 18-mile radius (or 6 miles in inhospitable terrain like swamps/mountains). Larger areas require additional garrisons.
- Attracting Settlers: To draw settlers, PCs must ensure the safety of surrounding lands and also fund the construction of other buildings (e.g., housing, commercial facilities, infrastructure) and potentially advertise. The GM determines costs and settler numbers.
- Taxation: If settlers move into the PC’s domain, the character can expect to collect 10gp in taxes per year from each settler.
Structures: Prices and Descriptions
Here’s a list of common stronghold components, their revised base costs, and brief descriptions:
- Barbican: 3,700gp. A heavily fortified entry/exit point in a castle wall, including two small towers, a gatehouse, and a drawbridge.
- Bastion: 900gp. A semi-circular tower built against a castle wall. It has a 30′ base, is 30′ high, with 5′ thick walls.
- Civilian Building, Stone: 300gp. A two-level building with stone outer walls (1-2′ thick, e.g., 30’x30′ total 120′ outer wall), wooden stairs, doors, floors, roof, and an attic.
- Civilian Building, Wood: 150gp. A two-level building with wooden stairs, doors, floors, roof, and an attic. It has a 120′ long outer wall (e.g., 30’x30′).
- Drawbridge: 50gp. A raisable wooden bridge (10′ long) crossing a moat, often attached to a gatehouse.
- Gatehouse: 650gp. A fortified entry/exit point in a castle wall, including a portcullis. It has a 30’x30′ base, is 20′ high, with 5′ thick walls.
- Keep: 7,500gp. The fortified, central building of a castle. It is 60′ square, 80′ high, with 10′ thick walls.
- Moat: 40gp. A defensive ditch, often filled with water. It is 100′ long, 20′ wide, and 10′ deep.
- Subterranean Passage: 50gp. A typical 10’x10’x10′ dungeon passageway.
- Tower, Large: 3,000gp. A round tower, either freestanding or built into a castle wall. It has a 30′ base, is 40′ high, with 5′ thick walls.
- Tower, Small: 1,500gp. A round tower, either freestanding or built into a castle wall. It has a 20′ base, is 30′ high, with 5′ thick walls.
- Wall, Castle: 500gp. A stone wall with battlements. It is 100′ long, 20′ high, and 10′ thick.
Non-Standard Dimensions
You can build structures with custom dimensions, using specific cost formulas:
- Bastions: For custom bastions, use the tower guidelines below, then divide the calculated cost by two.
- Castle Walls:
- A 100′ length of 30′ high wall costs 750gp.
- Every additional 10′ of height beyond 30′ (up to a maximum of 60′ high) costs 500gp.
- Towers: Cost is determined by the tower’s height and the diameter of its base (in feet).
- Maximum Height: Twice the base diameter.
- Up to the Base Diameter (in height): Each 10′ of height costs 20gp × the base diameter.
- Above the Base Diameter (in height): Each 10′ of height costs 40gp × the base diameter.
- Example Calculation: A 60′ high tower with a 40′ diameter base:
- First 40′ (up to base diameter): (40′ diameter × 20gp) per 10′ × 4 (for 40′) = 800gp × 4 = 3,200gp.
- Remaining 20′ (above base diameter): (40′ diameter × 40gp) per 10′ × 2 (for 20′) = 1,600gp × 2 = 3,200gp.
- Total Cost: 3,200gp + 3,200gp = 6,400gp.
Interior Features
You have two ways to account for interior details:
- Simple Approach: Increase the stronghold’s total cost by 25%. This covers common interior details like reinforced doors, stone stairs, flagstone flooring, tile roofing, windows (with bars and shutters), and standard furnishings.
- Detailed Approach: If you want more precise costs or specific additions, consult the following per-unit pricing:
- Arrow Slit: 1gp
- Door, Iron (3′ wide, 7′ tall): 5gp
- Door, Reinforced Wood (3′ wide, 7′ tall): 2gp
- Door, Stone (3′ wide, 7′ tall): 5gp
- Door, Wood (3′ wide, 7′ tall): 1gp
- Floor, Flagstones or Tiles (10’x10′ section): 10gp
- Floor, Wood (10’x10′ section): 4gp
- Roof, Tiled (10’x10′ section): 10gp
- Roof, Wood (10’x10′ section): 4gp
- Secret Door or Trapdoor (Normal): 5 times normal cost
- Shifting Wall (10’x10′ section): 100gp
- Stairs, Stone (3′ wide, 10′ long section): 6gp
- Stairs, Wooden (3′ wide, 10′ long section): 2gp
- Trapdoor, Iron (4’x3′): 12gp
- Trapdoor, Reinforced Wood (4’x3′): 4gp
- Trapdoor, Stone (4’x3′): 12gp
- Trapdoor, Wood (4’x3′): 2gp
- Window: 1gp
- Window Bars: 1gp
- Window Shutters: 0.5gp