A castle on a wind-swept cliff, overlooking a verdant, bone-strewn valley where an ancient battle took place. Set against the seaside, an open-air ivory-columned temple spreads its arms wide to welcome in the elements. At a dusty crossroads, a lone trading post invites all travellers, especially those with purses filled with gold, or lips laden with rumors.
As storied as these locations may be, they were all founded at one point by historical figures. Bold, noteworthy folk of many walks of life, who invested coin and manpower into building these landmarks for purposes inscrutable, either lost to the passage of time or handed down in song and story between the generations. Immortality is available to all adventurers with sufficient coin, should they wish to build it.
The image of the mounted hero is indelibly marked in our imagination. But the core rules of the world’s greatest roleplaying game don’t support this fantasy as well as they could. This section expands and explores where the rules fall short, and presents alternative mounts in Essa that capture the excitement of riding a powerful beast.
Should players wish to build a structure, they must pay the associated construction fee and invest the proper construction time to build it, as indicated on the Buildable Structures table. If this structure will be on owned land in a kingdom or other governed region, players must typically buy the land to be allowed to build by the government, at a price determined by its size and location. The price of land typically runs between 100 gp and 1000 gp for a small to well-sized plot, but can stretch upwards of 5,000 gp for a large, expansive plot. The DM determines land prices, and not all land is inherently for sale.
The cost of construction includes materials and labor, and players need not be present during construction. If a character is present and contributes to labor each for the entire duration of the construction time, you may reduce the structure’s total cost by a percentage equal to half the character’s level, rounded up. Multiple characters may work on a structure for its entire construction time in this way to secure this benefit multiple times.
The Skilled and Unskilled Hirelings columns indicate how many hirelings the structure and its expansions require to function (see the Hirelings, Soldiers, & Casters section later on for more). For the purposes of this chart, soldiers and spellcasters qualify as skilled hirelings.
Hirelings must consistently be paid the wages indicated in the Hirelings, Soldiers, & Casters section, and failure to pay hireling wages causes the structure and its expansions to provide no benefit. After 7 days of failure to pay, hirelings will abandon their posts.
Coven. Less of a structure in the traditional sense, a coven is a hidden convocation of tents, huts, or wagons centered on a site of great supernatural power. This may be an intersection of ley lines, a ring of antediluvian standing stones, the prison of an unfathomable being, or similar. Practitioners, cultists, and pilgrims journey to and from this site, which contains enough space to shelter up to 40 individuals. This structure includes a free Illusory Shroud that costs neither room points nor gold.
Ziggurat. An imposing spire reaching up towards the heavens, the tall glass windows of a ziggurat glow with an eerie light. Though they may be ancient remnants or newly-constructed, a ziggurat is typically consecrated to a mysterious and potent extraplanar entity, acting as a channel for their eldritch power. A ziggurat can comfortably house 20 individuals, and includes a free Invocation Chamber that costs neither room points nor gold.
You may also rebuild a damaged structure you happen upon, should the DM determine you can make a legitimate claim to its ownership. You do not have to pay full price for such a structure and may not necessarily have to purchase the land this structure is on. The construction time and cost of a damaged structure varies directly with the amount of damage the structure has taken. As an example, if a structure is only 25% damaged, repairing the structure and rendering it active would require 25% of the normal construction cost and time. Examples of what specific percentages of damage would look like may be found on the following table.
Damage Percent - Appearance
0% - Structure is immaculate and fully functional
1-25% - Some wear and tear, roofs and walls have holes
26-50% - Major components missing, some rooms collapsed
51-75% - Nature reclaimed structure, parts must be dug out
76-100% - Scattered ruins, little more than foundation
The following is a list of structures that are available to build, and any attributes they may have.
Abbey. A religious retreat for those so inclined. Often dedicated to a particular deity or holy or monastic order. Made plain or ornate, befitting its order, out of local stone or wood. Contains mostly communal living quarters for up to 100 persons, and a free garden that costs neither room points nor gold.
College or large school. A center of scholarly learning, concerned with a particular vocation, magical practice, or bardic tradition. Contains lavish private quarters for up to 10 instructors and communal, if not entirely stark, living for up to 90 students. Comes with a free theater that costs neither room points nor gold.
Cottage or medium house. A small to medium cozy hovel, shop, or home that can house a maximum of 5 people in close quarters. Made of thatch, lumber, brick, or similar. After you build this structure, you may later build one room at half of its normal gold cost here.
Dungeon or barrow. An underground dwelling, dank, pungent, and dark. Perhaps composed of mineshafts, carved stone, or ancient sunken ruins. Dimly lit by torches, lava, or phosphorescent fungi. Contains communal living quarters for up to 50 tightly packed humanoids, and free jails that cost neither room points nor gold.
Guildhall or lodge. A large and often-storied house dedicated to housing members of a guild, typically all of a single profession or adventurous bent. Contains semiprivate quarters for up to 25 individuals, and a free dining hall that costs neither room points nor gold.
Keep or small castle. Fit to rule over a fiefdom or barony, this structure is equipped with heavy stone walls, turrets, and spires. There is a private room for the master of the keep, as well as private rooms for up to 50 distinguished guests. This structure may also house up to 450 servants or men-at-arms in less comfortable, occasionally communal living space. This structure comes with a free war room that costs neither room points nor gold.
Noble estate with manor. A fine manor house on a wide tract of land, expertly manicured or tailored how you wish. Contains private rooms for up to 15 individuals, as well as lower quality and well-hidden semi-private quarters for a serving staff of up to 35 persons. Comes with a free library that costs neither room points nor gold.
Outpost or fort. A forward, rough military establishment hewn from rock or timber, this structure is a friendly presence in a hostile land. Contains private quarters for up to 25 officers and common bunks for up to 225 soldiers and staff. This structure comes with a free armory that costs neither room points nor gold.
Palace or large castle. An opulent, beautiful, enormous structure, the worthy seat of a kingdom or empire. Contains personal chambers for the structure's owners, private quarters for up to 200 distinguished guests, and somewhat shabby residences for up to 1,800 servants and soldiers. This structure comes with one free room of your choice, so long as the room would typically cost only 1 room point. This room then costs neither room points nor gold.
Temple. A large, solemn place carved in the image of a god or gods, decorated to suit their personalities, using whichever materials, forms, and iconography that the associated deities find most pleasing. Contains communal bunks suitable for up to 100 pilgrims or acolytes, and private quarters for up to 25 ranking members of the clergy. Comes with a free chapel that costs neither room points nor gold.
Tower, fortified. A large single spire set somewhere high and remote with an excellent view, fortified towers are typically used as military lookouts, wizard’s spires, or immense lighthouses. Includes private rooms for up to 25 occupants; tightly-packed bunks for up to 100 visitors, acolytes, or staff; and a stables that costs neither room points nor gold.
Trading post or large house. Either a single, large building or a simple and colorfully adorned set of shacks, tents, or shops set up against a harbor, river, or crossroads, each holding wares ranging from astounding to mundane. Comes equipped with private lodging for 5 important persons and bunks or hammocks for up to 45 travellers, traders, or passing merchants. This structure also includes either a caravansary or lodgings that cost neither room points nor gold.
Any time after a structure is built, the owner may choose to furnish already available rooms within the structure. The owner then expends the related gold cost of the room to provide for materials and labor, and, after the construction time indicated elapses, the room is furnished. Note that each room also carries a size cost in room points, and that your structure may never for any reason have more points used up by built rooms than are available under its listed total room points on the Buildable Structures table.
As with the structures themselves, characters need not be present while the rooms are being furnished, but if they are present and labor for the entire duration of an room's construction time, they may reduce the room’s total cost by a percentage equal to half the character’s level, rounded up. More than one character may secure this benefit for one room at the same time. Work may be done to furnish multiple rooms at the same time, but laboring characters may only gain a discount on one of them.
Individual rooms can be built up, improved, and modified in a small variety of ways. You may choose to purchase a modification from the list below for either a room being built, or for one that has already been built. If the room is being built, the modification adds its build time to the total build time. If a modification is purchased for an existing room, the modification’s building begins immediately, and the room will not provide a benefit until this building is complete.
Some modifications have requirements, which the owner or at least one of the owner's allies within the structure must be able to fulfill in order to build.
Any large-scale structure requires constant work and upkeep to remain operational, and roving heroes aren't usually predisposed to building maintenance. Hirelings are individuals that can perform ordinary or skilled tasks at your behest, expecting payment in return. Soldiers are hirelings skilled in the art of combat, while spellcasting hirelings are those with at least a cursory grasp of magic.
Hirelings of any sort must be paid to retain their services, and hirelings will typically desert their service after 7 days without pay. If hirelings required by a structure are not paid or desert, the structure and its rooms will cease functioning and provide any benefits.
Running a structure is an expensive enterprise, and one that can become unprofitable if not done with money in mind. In addition to the way some rooms inherently generate income, below are a few more ways to help your structure make a profit.
Tithes and tuition. If your structure is one that draws daily visitors in the form of worshippers or students, you can demand a fee each day for the services they receive. This could range from 1 sp a day for a poor man’s shrine to 10 gp daily for a world-class arcane education. A shrine or temple may receive 50-250 visitors in a day, while even a large college or school should expect a maximum of 100 students. Keep in mind that higher prices may attract less visitors.
Right of passage. Merchants and travellers must pay coin for the right to use toll roads near your structure. A small fine of 1 cp is typical of most toll roads, but some lucrative trade routes charge exorbitant fees of up to 5 gp. Traffic varies on most roads from 2 to 200 traveling groups a day depending on logistics and economic factors. Most merchants will do everything they can to avoid paying a pricey toll, and placing too exorbitant a toll near your structure may cause a reduction in the quality of your merchants, as listed in The Invisible Hand at Work optional rule.
Protection. Nearby villages could pay taxes for protection to a military presence in their region. Taxes could run from a reasonable 2 sp a day to an extreme 10 gp daily. The larger a nearby population center is, the more willing and able it would be to pay a greater tax. Take warning that peasants feeling taxes are unfair are very prone to violent revolt.
Other sources. As always, dungeon masters should remain open to player ideas, particularly on how to use a structure. Players will undoubtedly have ideas not covered here, and it is up to the DM to accommodate them however they can.