Bastion Map
Encourage players to create floor plans of their characters’ Bastions, configuring its facilities as they see fit and using the same techniques you use to create dungeon maps.
In addition to basic and special facilities, a Bastion can have the following features:
Closets. A basic or special facility can have one or more closets, washrooms, or similar enclosures. The closets must be inside the facility and can’t increase the facility’s area in squares. These features are free.
Corridors, Ramps, and Staircases. A facility can contain one or more corridors, ramps, or staircases leading to other facilities in the Bastion. These features are free.
Defensive Walls. A character can add defensive walls around their Bastion. A defensive wall is 20 feet high and may include a walkway along its top, with a means to access it (such as a ladder or lift). Each 5-foot square of defensive wall takes 10 days to build and costs 250 GP. If a character’s Bastion is completely enclosed by defensive walls and it comes under attack (see “Bastion Events” at the end of this chapter), reduce by 2 the number of dice rolled to determine how many Bastion Defenders are lost in the attack.
Doors and Windows. Each facility comes with one or more doors and shuttered windows, placed wherever the player sees fit. See “Doors” in chapter 3 for kinds of doors to choose from, including locked doors, secret doors, and portcullises. These features are free.
Combining Bastions
Two or more players can combine their characters’ Bastions into a single structure. Doing so doesn’t change the number of special facilities each Bastion can have, how those special facilities work, or who issues orders to each Bastion. Each Bastion retains its own hirelings, which can’t be sent to or shared with another Bastion. Bastion Defenders are handled differently: if some event deprives one character’s Bastion of defenders, another character can apply all or some of those losses to their Bastion instead, provided the two Bastions are combined.
Facility Space
The amount of space in a basic or special facility determines its maximum area in 5-foot squares, as shown in the Facility Space table. A player can configure the squares of a facility as they please on their Bastion’s map. The squares can be stacked so that a facility’s area is distributed over multiple levels or stories.
Space Maximum Area
Cramped 4 Squares
Roomy 16 Squares
Vast 36 Squares
Basic Facilities
A character’s Bastion starts with two free basic facilities, which the character’s player chooses from the Basic Facilities list below. One of the chosen facilities is Cramped, and the other is Roomy (see the Facility Space table). A Bastion can have more than one of each basic facility.
Basic Facilities
Bedroom
Dining Room
Parlor
Courtyard
Kitchen
Storage
A basic facility comes with nonmagical furnishings and decor appropriate for that facility.
Basic facilities don’t have any game effects, but they can inspire roleplaying opportunities and enhance a Bastion’s verisimilitude. A Bastion with a kitchen is functionally the same as one without, but the former gives you and your players a fun setting to start game sessions, have in-character discussions, or introduce new NPCs.
A character can add new basic facilities or enlarge existing ones by spending money and time, as discussed in the sections that follow. Any number of basic facilities can be added or enlarged at the same time. A character doesn’t need to be in their Bastion while basic facilities are being added or enlarged.
Adding Basic Facilities
A character can add a basic facility to their Bastion by spending money and time. The cost of adding a basic facility and the time required depend on the facility’s space, as shown on the table below.
Facility Space Cost Time Required
Cramped 500 GP 20 days
Roomy 1,000 GP 45 days
Vast 3,000 GP 125 days
Enlarging Basic Facilities
There is no in-game benefit to enlarging a basic facility, but a character might enlarge a facility for cosmetic reasons or to increase the Bastion’s size.
A character can spend money and time to increase the space of a basic facility in their Bastion by one category, as shown on the table below.
Space Increase Cost Time Required
Cramped to Roomy 500 GP 25 days
Roomy to Vast 2,000 GP 80 days
Special Facilities
Special facilities are Bastion locations where certain activities yield game benefits. A character’s Bastion initially has two special facilities of the character’s choice for which they qualify. Each special facility can be chosen only once unless its description says otherwise.
Unlike basic facilities, special facilities can’t be bought; a character gains them through level advancement. At level 9, a character gains two additional special facilities of their choice for which they qualify; they gain one additional facility at level 13 and another at level 17. The Special Facility Acquisition table shows the total number of special facilities in a character’s Bastion. Each new special facility immediately becomes part of the character’s Bastion when the character reaches the level.
Each time a character gains a level, that character can replace one of their Bastion’s special facilities with another for which the character qualifies.
Level Special Facilities
5 2
9 4
13 5
17 6
Requirements
Each special facility has a level. A character must be that level or higher to gain that facility. A special facility might also have a prerequisite the character must meet to gain that facility. For example, only a character who can use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus can have an Arcane Study.
Space
A special facility occupies a certain amount of space (see “Facility Space”). A player can configure the squares of a special facility as desired on the Bastion’s map. A special facility can be enlarged to grant additional benefits if its description says so.
Hirelings
A special facility comes with one or more hirelings who work in the facility, maintain it, and execute Bastion orders there, as described in the next section. A player can assign names and personalities to hirelings in their character’s Bastion using the same tools DMs use to create NPCs.
Each special facility in a Bastion generates enough income to pay the salary of its hirelings. Hirelings follow the orders they’re given and are loyal to the Bastion’s owner.
Orders
On a Bastion turn, a character in their Bastion can issue special orders - called Bastion orders - to one or more of their Bastion’s special facilities. A character needn’t issue orders to all the special facilities in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn.
The Maintain order is unusual; it is issued to the whole Bastion rather than to one or more special facilities. If a character isn’t in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn, the Bastion acts as though it were issued the Maintain order on that turn unless the owner can communicate with the Bastion hirelings using the Sending spell or similar magic.
The orders are as follows:
Craft
Hirelings in the special facility craft an item that can be made in that facility. During the time required to craft an item, the facility can’t be used to craft anything else, even if a special ability allows the facility to carry out two orders at once. The hirelings have proficiencies with Artisan’s Tools as specified in the facility’s description.
Empower
The special facility confers a temporary empowerment to you or someone else.
Harvest
Hirelings gather a resource produced in the special facility. During the time required to harvest a resource, the facility can’t be used to harvest anything else, even if a special ability allows the facility to carry out two orders at once.
Maintain
All the Bastion’s hirelings focus on maintaining the Bastion rather than executing orders in special facilities. Issuing this order prohibits other orders from being issued to the Bastion on the current Bastion turn. Each time the Maintain order is issued, the DM rolls once on the Bastion Events table. Bastion events are resolved before the next Bastion turn.
Recruit
Hirelings recruit creatures to the Bastion. These creatures might include one or more Bastion Defenders, whose main purpose is to defend the Bastion if it is attacked (see “Bastion Events”). The Bastion generates enough income to provide for the needs of its Bastion Defenders.
Research
Hirelings in the special facility gather information.
Trade
Hirelings buy and sell goods or services stored or produced in this special facility.
Special Facility Descriptions
Special facilities are presented in alphabetical order. The Special Facilities table lists all the special facilities presented in this section, along with their prerequisites and orders. Some facilities confer additional benefits, specified in their descriptions.
Level Special Facility Prerequisite Order
5 Arcane Study Ability to use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus Craft
5 Armory None Trade
5 Barrack None Recruit
5 Garden None Harvest
5 Library None Research
5 Sanctuary Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Craft
5 Smithy None Craft
5 Storehouse None Trade
5 Workshop None Craft
9 Gaming Hall None Trade
9 Greenhouse None Harvest
9 Laboratory None* Craft
9 Sacristy Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Craft
9 Scriptorium None* Craft
9 Stable None Trade
9 Teleportation Circle None Recruit
9 Theatre None Empower
9 Training Area None Empower
9 Trophy Room None Research
13 Archive None Research
13 Meditation Chamber None Empower
13 Menagerie None Recruit
13 Observatory Ability to use a Spellcasting Focus Empower
13 Pub None Research
13 Reliquary Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Harvest
17 Demiplane Ability to use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus Empower
17 Guildhall Expertise in a skill Recruit
17 Sanctum Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Empower
17 War Room Fighting Style feature or Unarmored Defense feature Recruit
*Certain orders that can be issued to these facilities have additional prerequisites.
Encourage players to create floor plans of their characters’ Bastions, configuring its facilities as they see fit and using the same techniques you use to create dungeon maps.
In addition to basic and special facilities, a Bastion can have the following features:
Closets. A basic or special facility can have one or more closets, washrooms, or similar enclosures. The closets must be inside the facility and can’t increase the facility’s area in squares. These features are free.
Corridors, Ramps, and Staircases. A facility can contain one or more corridors, ramps, or staircases leading to other facilities in the Bastion. These features are free.
Defensive Walls. A character can add defensive walls around their Bastion. A defensive wall is 20 feet high and may include a walkway along its top, with a means to access it (such as a ladder or lift). Each 5-foot square of defensive wall takes 10 days to build and costs 250 GP. If a character’s Bastion is completely enclosed by defensive walls and it comes under attack (see “Bastion Events” at the end of this chapter), reduce by 2 the number of dice rolled to determine how many Bastion Defenders are lost in the attack.
Doors and Windows. Each facility comes with one or more doors and shuttered windows, placed wherever the player sees fit. See “Doors” in chapter 3 for kinds of doors to choose from, including locked doors, secret doors, and portcullises. These features are free.
Combining Bastions
Two or more players can combine their characters’ Bastions into a single structure. Doing so doesn’t change the number of special facilities each Bastion can have, how those special facilities work, or who issues orders to each Bastion. Each Bastion retains its own hirelings, which can’t be sent to or shared with another Bastion. Bastion Defenders are handled differently: if some event deprives one character’s Bastion of defenders, another character can apply all or some of those losses to their Bastion instead, provided the two Bastions are combined.
Facility Space
The amount of space in a basic or special facility determines its maximum area in 5-foot squares, as shown in the Facility Space table. A player can configure the squares of a facility as they please on their Bastion’s map. The squares can be stacked so that a facility’s area is distributed over multiple levels or stories.
Space Maximum Area
Cramped 4 Squares
Roomy 16 Squares
Vast 36 Squares
Basic Facilities
A character’s Bastion starts with two free basic facilities, which the character’s player chooses from the Basic Facilities list below. One of the chosen facilities is Cramped, and the other is Roomy (see the Facility Space table). A Bastion can have more than one of each basic facility.
Basic Facilities
Bedroom
Dining Room
Parlor
Courtyard
Kitchen
Storage
A basic facility comes with nonmagical furnishings and decor appropriate for that facility.
Basic facilities don’t have any game effects, but they can inspire roleplaying opportunities and enhance a Bastion’s verisimilitude. A Bastion with a kitchen is functionally the same as one without, but the former gives you and your players a fun setting to start game sessions, have in-character discussions, or introduce new NPCs.
A character can add new basic facilities or enlarge existing ones by spending money and time, as discussed in the sections that follow. Any number of basic facilities can be added or enlarged at the same time. A character doesn’t need to be in their Bastion while basic facilities are being added or enlarged.
Adding Basic Facilities
A character can add a basic facility to their Bastion by spending money and time. The cost of adding a basic facility and the time required depend on the facility’s space, as shown on the table below.
Facility Space Cost Time Required
Cramped 500 GP 20 days
Roomy 1,000 GP 45 days
Vast 3,000 GP 125 days
Enlarging Basic Facilities
There is no in-game benefit to enlarging a basic facility, but a character might enlarge a facility for cosmetic reasons or to increase the Bastion’s size.
A character can spend money and time to increase the space of a basic facility in their Bastion by one category, as shown on the table below.
Space Increase Cost Time Required
Cramped to Roomy 500 GP 25 days
Roomy to Vast 2,000 GP 80 days
Special Facilities
Special facilities are Bastion locations where certain activities yield game benefits. A character’s Bastion initially has two special facilities of the character’s choice for which they qualify. Each special facility can be chosen only once unless its description says otherwise.
Unlike basic facilities, special facilities can’t be bought; a character gains them through level advancement. At level 9, a character gains two additional special facilities of their choice for which they qualify; they gain one additional facility at level 13 and another at level 17. The Special Facility Acquisition table shows the total number of special facilities in a character’s Bastion. Each new special facility immediately becomes part of the character’s Bastion when the character reaches the level.
Each time a character gains a level, that character can replace one of their Bastion’s special facilities with another for which the character qualifies.
Level Special Facilities
5 2
9 4
13 5
17 6
Requirements
Each special facility has a level. A character must be that level or higher to gain that facility. A special facility might also have a prerequisite the character must meet to gain that facility. For example, only a character who can use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus can have an Arcane Study.
Space
A special facility occupies a certain amount of space (see “Facility Space”). A player can configure the squares of a special facility as desired on the Bastion’s map. A special facility can be enlarged to grant additional benefits if its description says so.
Hirelings
A special facility comes with one or more hirelings who work in the facility, maintain it, and execute Bastion orders there, as described in the next section. A player can assign names and personalities to hirelings in their character’s Bastion using the same tools DMs use to create NPCs.
Each special facility in a Bastion generates enough income to pay the salary of its hirelings. Hirelings follow the orders they’re given and are loyal to the Bastion’s owner.
Orders
On a Bastion turn, a character in their Bastion can issue special orders - called Bastion orders - to one or more of their Bastion’s special facilities. A character needn’t issue orders to all the special facilities in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn.
The Maintain order is unusual; it is issued to the whole Bastion rather than to one or more special facilities. If a character isn’t in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn, the Bastion acts as though it were issued the Maintain order on that turn unless the owner can communicate with the Bastion hirelings using the Sending spell or similar magic.
The orders are as follows:
Craft
Hirelings in the special facility craft an item that can be made in that facility. During the time required to craft an item, the facility can’t be used to craft anything else, even if a special ability allows the facility to carry out two orders at once. The hirelings have proficiencies with Artisan’s Tools as specified in the facility’s description.
Empower
The special facility confers a temporary empowerment to you or someone else.
Harvest
Hirelings gather a resource produced in the special facility. During the time required to harvest a resource, the facility can’t be used to harvest anything else, even if a special ability allows the facility to carry out two orders at once.
Maintain
All the Bastion’s hirelings focus on maintaining the Bastion rather than executing orders in special facilities. Issuing this order prohibits other orders from being issued to the Bastion on the current Bastion turn. Each time the Maintain order is issued, the DM rolls once on the Bastion Events table. Bastion events are resolved before the next Bastion turn.
Recruit
Hirelings recruit creatures to the Bastion. These creatures might include one or more Bastion Defenders, whose main purpose is to defend the Bastion if it is attacked (see “Bastion Events”). The Bastion generates enough income to provide for the needs of its Bastion Defenders.
Research
Hirelings in the special facility gather information.
Trade
Hirelings buy and sell goods or services stored or produced in this special facility.
Special Facility Descriptions
Special facilities are presented in alphabetical order. The Special Facilities table lists all the special facilities presented in this section, along with their prerequisites and orders. Some facilities confer additional benefits, specified in their descriptions.
Level Special Facility Prerequisite Order
5 Arcane Study Ability to use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus Craft
5 Armory None Trade
5 Barrack None Recruit
5 Garden None Harvest
5 Library None Research
5 Sanctuary Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Craft
5 Smithy None Craft
5 Storehouse None Trade
5 Workshop None Craft
9 Gaming Hall None Trade
9 Greenhouse None Harvest
9 Laboratory None* Craft
9 Sacristy Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Craft
9 Scriptorium None* Craft
9 Stable None Trade
9 Teleportation Circle None Recruit
9 Theatre None Empower
9 Training Area None Empower
9 Trophy Room None Research
13 Archive None Research
13 Meditation Chamber None Empower
13 Menagerie None Recruit
13 Observatory Ability to use a Spellcasting Focus Empower
13 Pub None Research
13 Reliquary Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Harvest
17 Demiplane Ability to use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus Empower
17 Guildhall Expertise in a skill Recruit
17 Sanctum Ability to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting Focus Empower
17 War Room Fighting Style feature or Unarmored Defense feature Recruit
*Certain orders that can be issued to these facilities have additional prerequisites.