Fortresses, Temples, & Strongholds
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.
Building Your Home
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.
Additional Structures
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.
Damaged Structures
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
Types of Structures
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.
Furnishing Your Rooms
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.
Alchemist's Lab
Glass-blown tubes, alembics, piping, and jars line the walls in dusty candle-lit shelves. The air is musky with the smell of dried herbs, as to the side a cauldron bubbles rhythmically atop an open flame. Size Cost: 1 room point
Construction Cost: 2,500 gpConstruction Time: 15 days
Benefit: All transmutation spells cast within this room by the owners of this structure and their allies have twice their normal duration, and half their normal materials cost. In addition, alchemist’s supplies, a poisoner’s Kit and an herbalism Kit are always considered to be present here, and within this room any checks with these tools are made with advantage by individuals who have proficiency with them.
May Also Be Built As. herbalist, witch's hut
Animal Pen
A large pen made to securely hold willing or unwilling beasts. A small nearby larder ensures food will not be in short supply, should the creature find itself hungry.Size Cost: 1 or 2 room points Construction Cost: 2,500 or 5,000 gp Construction Time: 15 or 30 days
Benefit: This room allows creatures to be held securely and safely, whether or not they desire to be, until you choose to release them. The creatures held here may be of any type other than humanoid. This room may hold five creatures sized small, three sized medium, or one sized large. If built using two room points, this capacity is doubled, and the pens may also instead house one huge creature. This room does not automatically include creatures, which must be acquired through other means. You may buy and construct this room multiple times.
May Also Be Built As. monster cage, griffin roost, dragon trap, kennels, aviary, rookery
Arcanist's Study
Nothing in the multiverse is stranger or more dangerous than the study of a dyed-in-the-wool magic user. Oddities adorn every murky wooden shelf, from a relatively-usual human skull to a planar vortex in a jar or a preening pseudodragon atop a bookcase. The air reeks of spell components, and books of specific lore cover seemingly every surface.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Choose abjuration, conjuration, enchantment, or illusion. While present within this room, spells in the chosen school cast by the owners of this structure and their allies have twice their normal duration, and half their normal materials cost. Arcana checks made here that deal with this chosen school of magic have advantage. This room may be built multiple times, and each time a different school must be chosen.
May Also Be Built As. binding circle, interrogation chamber, mirror maze
Armory
A stockpile of common weapons and armor, an armory provides defenses to the defenseless, as well as granting common people the ability to strike back and defend their home.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: When the structure is under attack, any hireling that is not a spellcaster or soldier and that the structure requires for maintenance may visit the armory and afterwards count as a guard (Monster Manual). Hirelings equipped in this way may also be used offensively rather than simply in defense of the structure. Doing so deprives a structure of its hireling staff, however, and removing more than a quarter of your structure's hirelings from its grounds will cause any other benefits the structure provides to cease, as the hireling left behind struggle to cover for those absent.
Bank
An enormous room filled with shining marble, brass, and heavily locked vaults, a bank does an excellent job of containing coinage and valuables, using money to make money.Size Cost: 2 room points Construction Cost: 5,000 gp Construction Time: 30 days
Benefit: This room contains four 30-foot by 40-foot vaults, each with a 20-foot tall ceiling. The owner of this structure and their allies may stash any amount of gold or reasonably-sized treasure in one of the vaults, which requires a key to access (one key comes standard with each vault). Unguarded vaults may be broken into with thieves’ tools by making five successful DC 15 Dexterity checks within an hour. The vault doors are a three-foot thick, 5-foot radius circle of steel by default, with an AC of 19 and 25 hit points. When you first build this room, or as a room modification at a later time, you may expend an additional 2,500 gp and 15 days of effort to build mithral doors (AC of 21, 50 hit points) for the vaults, or you may expend an additional 5,000 gp and 30 days of effort to build the vaults with adamantine doors (AC of 23, 100 hit points).
In addition, if this room is staffed with at least 10 skilled hirelings trained in either Insight or Investigation, the room generates an income equal to 5% of the total currency stored there, every 60 days.
May Also Be Built As. treasure hoard
Baths
Steam rises and settles over a series of intricate, beautifully tiled pools. The trickling of water echoes throughout, and soft lights refract off lightly perfumed waves, creating a most relaxing atmosphere for those within.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: While taking a short rest within this room, the owner of this structure and their allies double the hit points they regain from using hit dice (including those granted by Constitution modifiers). Additionally, taking a short rest within this room grants a number of temporary hit points equal to the structure's total possible room points. These temporary hit points last until they are lost, or until the next long rest.
May Also Be Built As. festhall, hospital
Battle Ring
A dusty ring of honor stands, lined with racks of weapons, as a test of mettle for those who enter. Win or lose, sparring teaches everyone a little something.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Those that spend at least an hour sparring or training here become conditioned for battle, which lasts until their next long rest. When a creature that is conditioned for battle rolls initiative, it has advantage on the first attack it makes on its first turn in combat.
May Also Be Built As. training grounds
Boutique
Fresh flowers adorn windowsills and an intricate handcarved sign swings gently in the breeze outside this shop. The wares here are often of fine quality, and both locals and visiting travelers prefer to do their business here. Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: When you first build this room, choose one merchant from the Merchants table in the Traders and Merchants section. This merchant is in permanent residence at your structure, though the quality of their goods changes every 7 days. If the merchant's goods are of a quality less than medium, you may reroll any number of times until you receive a result of medium or greater quality.
You may change the merchant in residence here at a later time by paying 1,000 gp to renovate the boutique. This process leaves the boutique unavailable for 15 days, after which a new merchant is selected, as they were when this room was first created.
If your structure is located in an area that can reasonably expect trade, this room generates an income of 30 gp X 3d4 every 30 days. This room may be built multiple times.
May Also Be Built As. brightsmith, boathouse, cafe, coach house, quartermaster, tinker's shop
Caravansary
A small roadside house for travellers, filled with the smells of cooked food and pack animals. Outside, visiting merchants bark their wares, enticing locals with colorful goods from distant lands.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Roll four times on the Merchants table in the Traders and Merchants section. These merchants are present at this location for 7 days, after which they depart and four new randomly-rolled merchants arrive, continuing this pattern every 7 days. This room generates an income of 20 gp x 2d10 every 30 days.
Catacombs
Deep, dark, and dreary, this sodden collection of stone cellars and hidden pathways holds many forgotten secrets.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Dead bodies may be interred here, and suffer no degradation for the purposes of necromancy spells. When this room is first built, it comes with five skeletal servants, each one counting as an unpaid, unskilled hireling for any structure or room requirements. These servants have an AC of 10, 1 hit point, and a Strength of 8, and cannot speak or attack (unless equipped by the Armory and doing so in defense of your structure). The servants do as commanded by the owner of the structure and their allies, and stand motionless in place if commands conflict, waiting until new commands are given. These skeletal servants can perform simple tasks that a human servant could do, such as fetching things, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, and pouring wine. If a skeletal servant leaves the structure it was created in for more than 7 consecutive days, it disintegrates into dust.
Every 30 days on the advent of a full moon (or other celestial event of equal significance), an hour-long ritual may be performed by any character or hireling that can cast at least one necromancy spell. When the ritual is complete, it raises an additional five skeletal servants (if there are an adequate number of dead humanoid bodies entombed in this room) that join the others in the service of your structure. A structure may have a maximum number of functioning skeletal servants equal to 20 times the structure's total number of room points.
May Also Be Built As. tombs, bonepile
Chapel
A small chapel containing religious imagery, seating, iconography, and proper accoutrement, alongside a modest library of holy texts and literature. The air hums with the resonarnce of hymns, and the comforting soul of the divine.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: This room is under the effects of a permanent hallow spell, the details of which are decided upon when the construction of this room is completed. Religion checks made here that deal with the lore surrounding the deity, philosophy, or religion the chapel is associated with have advantage. This room may be built multiple times, and each time a different religion or philosophy for the chapel may be chosen. If parishioners visit this room and provide tithes, this room generates an income of 10 gp x 4d6 every 30 days.
May Also Be Built As. shrine, spirit lodge, dark altar
Clock Tower
Rising high above a central point and easily visible to all, the stylized yet simple face of this enormous clock hides a complex assembly of gigantic gears, all turning in unison with an expertly synchronized motion.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days Requirements: Knowledge of clockwork technology, a structure with at least 3 total room points
Benefit: The presence of a clock tower greatly increases the efficiency of your workforce and thus your entire structure, requiring you to spend less on maintenance and wages to achieve the same effect. Reduce the total amount the structure’s hirelings must be paid by 10 gp daily.
Dining Hall
A large room complete with long tables, chairs, and adjacent kitchen, lit by ornate candelabras and chandeliers. The smell of well-cooked meals long passed lingers on in this place, welcoming guests and residents with the promise of a full, satisfied belly.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Every 7 days, a banquet may be held in this room. The owner of this structure rolls 1d4 (or 1d8 if the banquet includes a meal prepared by an individual with proficiency in cook’s utensils), and divides out the result as points of inspiration to those present. Only one point of inspiration may be given to any one individual. If the meal would have special, beneficial properties (as with the goodberry spell or similar), those properties apply to all individuals present that consume the meal.
May Also Be Built As. ball room, mess hall
[Unavailable currently in setting date]
Docks, Air
The wind whistles by the tall spindly silhouette of the docking tower, and the ballasts belonging to the anchored ships rustle against one another as the ships themselves creak and moan. The heavy, cold stone of the tower is as sure an anchor to a sky ship as a hunk of curved iron, and though the ships may sway, their mooring here remains safe.Size Cost: 2 room points Docks, Air
Construction Cost: 10,000 gp Construction Time: 30 days Requirements: Knowledge of air travel technology, a structure with at least 3 total room points
Benefit: A number of airships equal to your structure's total room points may moor safely at this room, which is likely a spire or free-floating dock. Mechanical elevators and cranes are also present to raise and lower cargo. Roll once on the Merchants table in the Traders and Merchants section. This merchant is present for 7 days, after which they depart and a new randomly-rolled merchant arrives, continuing this pattern every 7 days. This room generates an income of 15 gp x 2d10 every 30 days.
[Unavailable currently in setting date]
Docks, Planar
A rippling hole in the fabric of space and time is enough to send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced wizard. Yet, here one exists, stable and large enough for one of several exotic and otherworldly skiffs and ships to make their way through.Size Cost: 2 room points Docks, Planar
Construction Cost: 15,000 gp Construction Time: 30 days Requirements: Knowledge of planar travel technology, a structure with at least 3 total room points
Benefit: A number of spelljammers or similar dimensional ships equal to your structure's total room points may moor safely at this room, which is likely an immense hangar or free-floating dock built into a stable portal to another realm. Roll once on the Merchants table in the Traders and Merchants section. This merchant is present for 7 days, after which they depart and a newly rolled merchant arrives, continuing this pattern every 7 days. This room generates an income of 20 gp x 2d8 in strange currency (such as electrum or fragments of astral diamonds) every 30 days.
Docks, Water
The waves lap lazily against wooden pilings and the bells of tall ships clang idly. The air is entwined with the briny smell of fresh fish and the loud conversation of burly dockworkers as travellers come and go from this port of call.Size Cost: 2 room points Construction Cost: 10,000 gp Construction Time: 30 days Requirements: Structure must be adjacent to water
Benefit: A number of ships equal to twice your structure’s total room points may lay anchor safely at this room, which is likely a harbor or waterfront. Roll twice on the Merchants table in the Traders and Merchants section. These merchants are present for 7 days, after which they depart and two new randomly-rolled merchants arrive, continuing this pattern every 7 days. This room generates an income of 25 gp x 2d10 every 30 days.
Escape Tunnel
Deep beneath the earth, a tunnel lined in ancient masonry runs from your structure to some safe and innocuous point in the outside world. Should the worse come to pass, you at least have a way out.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: A secret tunnel runs from a point in your structure you choose to another point outside within a mile, also of your choosing. This room automatically benefits from the Hidden improvement.
May Also Be Built As. escape portal
Garden
The smell of green, growing life fills the air here. Lush vines laden with savory tomatoes grow alongside mandrake root, ephedra, and even more esoteric herbs.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Contains an assortment of herbs and grown vegetables. Every 30 days, the garden provides enough ingredients to make either 10 potions of common quality, 4 potions of uncommon quality, or one potion of rare quality. After the herbs have been picked, the chosen potions must be successfully brewed as a batch with an alchemist supplies check. The DC for this check is 10 for common potions, 15 for uncommon potions, and 20 for a rare potion. A failure destroys the herbs gathered from this garden until they regrow after another 30 days. Your DM may rule that certain potions are unable to be brewed with herbs from the garden. You may build this room more than once.
May Also Be Built As. greenhouse, druidic grove
Graveyard
Rows of rough-hewn gravestones rise from the ground like jagged teeth, punctuated with the occasional stately monument denoting the death of someone of station. It is quiet here, but the silent air runs thick with the dark energy of death.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Dead bodies may be interred here, and suffer no degradation for the purposes of necromancy spells. If the graveyard is empty, it can be assumed to contain an additional 1d8 bodies every 7 days. When cast in this room by the owner of this structure or their allies, the spells animate dead and create undead each create an additional undead minion of the lowest possible CR. Additionally, Arcana or Religion checks made here that deal with necromancy or the dead have advantage.
May Also Be Built As. crypt, mausoleum, necromancer’s laboratory
Illusory Shroud
Not all things were meant for all eyes. This room contains a complex working of arcane runes and foci, humming with a distant power, that project a constant illusion hiding your structure from view.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Your structure is under the unending effects of a hallucinatory terrain spell, the details of which you determine when you first build this room. If you choose, this spell may also affect the area around your structure in a distance of up to 300 feet in all directions. At any time, the owner of this structure or an ally that they designate may change the nature of this illusion by entering the room and using an action to do so, determining whatever new attributes of the illusion apply. The illusion may be temporarily disabled with such an action, as well, or re-enabled with a similar action at a later time.
Invocation Chamber
The thrum of ancient and powerful eldritch magic permeates this room, its vibrations apparent to all that enter. At its heart sits an immense crystal the size of a man, glowing with an unearthly light, as visions and revelations stir just beneath its surface.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Once per day, a creature that possesses the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, has access to 5th-level spell spots, and is either the owner of this structure or one of their allies, may use this room to invoke a powerful entity, beseeching it for aid or knowledge. That creature then casts either contact other plane or scrying without expending a spell slot, even if they do not know the spell they have chosen. When cast in this way, the Intelligence saving throw required by contact other plane has advantage, and a creature targeted by the scrying spell has disadvantage on its Wisdom saving throw.
Once every 30 days, a creature that meets the above requirements and can cast at least one 6th-level spell may cast the planar ally spell within this room, even if they do not know it, without expending spell slots or uses of class features. A planar ally conjured within this room cannot leave it for 8 hours without permission from the creature that summoned them, and is unable to attack or bring harm to their summoner while their summoner remains within this room.
Jails
Dark, and pungent prison cells, laden with rust and grime, greet unwelcome or belligerent guests. Hopefully, some time in uncomfortable conditions will show them the error of their ways.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: You have cells available to securely hold a number of humanoids up to five times your structure's total room points. Prisoners may only escape if they are unguarded, and either have access to this room's key (five of which come with this room), or by using thieves’ tools to make four successful DC 15 Dexterity checks. This room is equipped for non-magical humanoids, and will not thwart magical attempts at escape unless the appropriate wards under the Warded improvement are purchased for this room.
May Also Be Built As. prison, torture chamber, sacrifice pit
Library
Stacks of books piled high to the ceiling, light filtering in from dusty windows, the library is a sanctum of knowledge and research. Material on any subject matter may be found here, if one has the time to search for it.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: When taking at least an hour to perform an Intelligence or Wisdom check to find specific knowledge within this room, you gain advantage on the roll. Even if you do not (or cannot) succeed on this roll, you can typically uncover a hint as to where else in the world this information may be found.
May Also Be Built As. archives, museum
Lighthouse
A burning light that shines out like a brilliant star along the coastline, a lighthouse is a welcome sight for mariners and travelers well-versed in the perils of the sea.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days Requirements: Structure must be adjacent to water
Benefit: Ships traveling on water that are allied with the owner of this structure and are within a distance of this structure equal to two days of normal travel are able to navigate more accurately with the presence of a lighthouse. Within this distance, these ships can travel twice as fast without worrying about the dangers the sea presents, doubling their effective speed while not in combat.
May Also Be Built As. beacon
Lodgings
At the end of a long day, a hot meal, warm bed, and cozy fire are often just enough to keep most people happy. Enticing more individuals to dwell in your structure means being able to provide all three of these amenities.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: This room may hold and house either an additional 50 hirelings or individuals in communal bunks, or it may hold up to 24 hirelings or individuals in six private bedrooms, up to 4 persons per bedroom. You choose one of these options when you first build this room. If you build this room in a structure that can reasonably expect paying travelers, you choose to provide private bedrooms, and no more than four of your hirelings live in this room, this room then generates an income of 30 gp x 1d10 every 30 days. This room may be built multiple times.
May Also Be Built As. barracks, guest rooms, spare cots, servant's quarters
Magical Enchanter
Delicate strands of the arcane are woven together here, empowering simple items to become magical wonders.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: A spellcaster hireling or a character with the Spellcasting or Pact Magic features may use this room to make any magic item that is not a potion or artifact. Crafting magic items requires the ability to cast at least one spell of a certain level, with higher level spells corresponding to rarer items. The gold cost, time necessary, and spell slot requirements are as follows:
Rarity - Crafting Time - Total Cost - Spell Slot
Common - 3 days - 75 gp - 2nd
Uncommon - 15 days - 375 gp - 2nd
Rare - 150 days - 3,750 gp - 3rd
Very Rare - 1,500 days - 37,500 gp - 6th
Legendary - 15, 000 days - 375,000 gp - 9th
May Also Be Built As. altar of blessings
Market Stalls
Festive flags span across this open and vivacious courtyard while the sounds of animated haggling and the subtle clink of currency changing hands punctuate the air. Business is good enough here to warrant a permanent residence from merchants seeking small fortunes.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Choose three merchants from the Merchants table in the Traders and Merchants section. These merchants are in permanent residence at your structure, though the quality of their goods changes every 7 days. If your structure is located in an area that can reasonably expect trade, this room generates an income of 30 gp X 2d6 every 30 days. This room may be built multiple times.
May Also Be Built As. shops
Maze
The high walls of this place arc up nearly out of sight, threatening to blot out the sun and sky. Creatures that find themselves wandering these labyrinthine corridors often feel a sense of hopelessness and impending doom, though whether this is enchantment or a product of the architecture itself, none can say.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Requirements: A structure with at least 3 total room points
Benefit: When you create this room, it replaces the entrance to your structure with an elaborate maze which creatures without a flying speed must make their way through in order to enter your structure. You may choose to include a hidden passage that bypasses the maze at no additional cost, which follows the rules for the Secret Passage room modification.
Creatures attempting to navigate the maze must make a number of successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) checks (their choice) equal to the structures total room points. An hour must pass between making each of these checks, and failing three of these checks in a row causes a creature to become lost, resetting its count of successful checks to 0. If creatures are traveling through the maze as a group, one member of their group may make a single check for all the creatures in the group. The owner of this structure, their allies, creatures familiar with the maze, or any creature with a climb speed may make these checks with advantage.
The walls of this maze have an AC of 17; 27 hit points; a height of 40 feet, immunity to all damage except bludgeoning, thunder, necrotic, acid, force, and damage from a pick; and ignore any damage done to them from one source that would not instantly reduce them to O hit points with a single Attack action or spell. In place of a check to navigate the maze, a creature may choose to attack the maze’s walls, using their Attack action or a spell to attempt to inflict the necessary damage. Successfully destroying a section of walls counts as a successful check, while failing to destroy a section of wall counts as a failed check. Destroyed walls magically repair themselves after 30 days.
If this structure also contains an Animal Pens or Jails room, the captive creatures contained within them may be released into the maze. While these captive creatures are within the maze, both the Animal Pens and Jails still count as if they were occupied, and the captive creatures are unable to escape the maze. If any creatures attempting to navigate the maze fail two checks in a row, they encounter the captive creatures, which may result in combat depending on the inclinations of the creatures involved.
Meditation Chamber
A calm, relaxing energy fills this room, which may be a small garden set against a waterfall, an enclosure of raked sand surrounding smoothed rocks, an artistic calligrapher’s workshop, or similar. Those that spend time here feel a satisfaction with the way things are, their body's energy more fully aligning with that of the world.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days Benefit: Once each day, a creature may spend a short rest within this room. If they do so, they may once take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action as a bonus action. If this creature possesses Ki, they also gain 2 ki points above their normal ki point maximum. These Ki points do not return after they are spent. A creature loses any of these benefits when they take a long rest, and once these benefits are used the creature requires a long rest before they are able to gain them again.
Mill
The grinding and churning of the mill beats a constant tempo of progress and production. A mill is the heart of civilization, carrying lifeblood to all its other aspects.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days Requirements: One raw resource (wood, metal, grain, fish, wool, gems, or similar) harvested and under the control of the owner of this structure or their allies, within 7 days’ travel of the structure.
Benefit: If this room is fully staffed by at least 10 unskilled hirelings and at least 3 skilled hirelings proficient in a relevant set of artisan’s tools, it can produce refined materials from available raw resources. If these raw resources are supplied, the mill can generate salable materials worth 1d10 x 100 gp every 30 days. These materials may be sold to interested buyers, consumed in place of hirelings’ wages if they are food, or used in place of gold cost for crafting, if applicable. This room may be built multiple times.
May Also Be Built As. cannery, loom, lumber mill, mint, smelter, windmill
Poisoner's Grotto
A shaded field of poisonous plants and herbs grow here. Everything from fly amanita to nightshade spring up by the bushel, ripe for picking and refining into poisons.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Every 30 days, this room provides enough ingredients to make a quantity of items (as listed) from one of the following groups:
Poisons
Quantity - DC - Items
10 - 5 - acid, antitoxin
3 - 10 - assassin's blood; drow poison; poison, basic; truth serum
3 - 15 - essence of ether, malice, pale tincture, potion of poison
2 - 15 - burnt othur fumes, oil of taggit, torpor
2 - 20 - midnight tears
Once the ingredients are harvested, they must be successfully brewed as a single batch with an alchemist’s supplies or poisoner’s Kit check. This check’s DC is listed with the items it creates, and if this check fails, it destroys gathered ingredients used to brew the items until a new batch regrows after 30 days. The majority of these items are in the Dungeon Master's Guide, pages 257-258. You may build this room more than once.
Portal Conflux
The cobblestones laid into the floor of this chamber rattle with the ebb and flow of the arcane energy pouring through the wide portal mouths that encircle the room's perimeter. Through the surface of each, a visitor may view new lands, cities, and even alien worlds.Size Cost: 2 room points Construction Cost: 15,000 gp Construction Time: 45 days
Requirements: A structure with at least 3 total room points, a character or hireling capable of casting 7th level spells
Benefit: When you create this room, it contains a number of portals equal to half this structure's total room points (round up). Each of these portals follows the rules of the gate spell, excepting that they allow for two-way travel, do not require spell slots or a materials cost, do not require concentration, cannot forcibly draw creatures through them, and have an indefinite duration. Similar to the gate spell, deities and other planar rules may deny a portal’s creation in their realm or presence. These portals may only be destroyed with a casting of dispel magic or similar, or with the destruction of this room or the structure itself. If the room and structure still stand, a destroyed portal may be reformed after 30 days, leading to a location chosen by the owner of this structure or one of their allies.
Ritual Circle
Concentric and intersecting circles, carved deep and laced with precious metals, glitter in faint candlelight against the stonework floor. The air hums with the deep potential of magical power, and smells faintly of expended residuum.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Spells may be cast as rituals in half the usual time here without expending any components that do not have an associated cost in gold. If a ritual has components with a gold cost, this cost is halved when the ritual is performed in this room. While here, the owners of this structure and their allies have advantage on all rolls required by rituals.
Safe Room
Tucked between the walls of this structure, this room appears on no maps. While its very existence appears forgotten, it contains everything necessary to shelter a number of creatures from harm indefinitely.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Away from sight in an obscure corner of the structure, this room is a shelter that the owner of this structure and their allies can escape to in times of need. When you build this room, it automatically benefits from the Hidden room modification with no additional cost. This room is constructed from walls made of mithral with an AC of 21; 40 hit points; immunity to all damage except necrotic, acid, force, and fire; and ignore any damage done to them from one source that would not instantly reduce them to O hit points with a single Attack action or spell. Entering this room, even via a secret passage, places you outside these mithral walls, which must be broken down or opened with a command word (known to the owner of the structure) to themselves be entered.
All the amenities of life are contained within these mithral walls, allowing up to 4 creatures a limitless supply of pure water, preserved food, and clean air, along with bedding, waste disposal, and supplies to live a modest lifestyle without any cost. More creatures may be housed inside the safe room, but the lifestyle quality decreases with more creatures sheltered within the room. This room can support up to 6 creatures with a poor lifestyle, 8 creatures with a squalid lifestyle, or 10 creatures with a wretched lifestyle. The room does not contain enough food, water, or air to support more than 10 creatures, and attempting to shelter more than 10 creatures within the room subjects each creature in the room to a level of exhaustion for each day they spend within the room.
Sewers
Full of waste, refuse, and the occasional crocodile, the sewers do an excellent job keeping filth under the streets, rather than on top of them. Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Creatures that dwell within a structure containing this room lead healthier lives and live in a much more sanitary environment. As such, these creatures have advantage on saving throws made against disease and the poisoned condition as long as they are within 10,000 feet of the structure. Occasionally, strange items wash up in the sewers. Every 30 days, roll 1d6. On a roll of 1 or 2, a random item from the Trinkets table on pages 160-161 of the Player's Handbook is found, intact and (mostly) clean.
Smithy
The twang-clink of metal on metal, the roar of the fire, and the hiss of steam create a symphony of construction that fills this room. Newly-forged weapons and tools line the walls, glittering with firelight from the forge and the promise of practical use.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: When you first make this room, choose a specific type of artisan’s tools, such as smith’s tools. These tools are always present in this room, and individuals that are proficient with these tools can create items in half the normal time while working in this room, using the crafting rules on page 187 of the Player's Handbook. Creating these items still requires paying as much as one would crafting them normally (that is to say, half their market value), but progress towards their creation when crafting here is in 10 gp increments per day, instead of 5 op increments.
If a skilled hireling proficient with an appropriate type of artisan’s tools is assigned to this room, they count as furniture and interior decor, jewelry and gems, knickknacks, leatherworking, mechanical contraptions, medium and heavy armor, tools, vehicles and transportation, or weapons merchant (your choice) that is always present here. The quality of this merchant's wares changes every 7 days. If such a hireling is assigned, this room generates an income of 15 gp x 1d10 every 30 days. This room may be built multiple times, but a different set of artisan’s tools must be chosen each time.
May Also Be Built As. crafts workshop, forge
Siege Workshop
A tidy, if eclectic, workshop full of all manner of gears, wheels, and mechanical elements. The hiss of smelted iron mingles with the back-and-forth saw rhythm of precision woodcutting, as weapons of war are churned out for your structure's defense.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: A team of at least 10 properly-skilled hirelings can build siege equipment here. The workshop may build one of the following options at any one time, the statistics for all of which are found in the Dungeon Masters Guide, page 235:
Ballista. Takes 15 days, costs 1,000 gp in materials and labor.
Cannon. Takes 15 days (and a knowledge of gunpowder), costs 1,500 gp in materials and labor.
Cauldron, suspended. Takes 15 days, costs 1,000 gp in materials and labor.
Mangonel. Takes 30 days, costs 3,000 gp in materials and labor.
Ram. Takes 15 days, costs 1,000 gp in materials and labor.
Siege Tower. Takes 60 days, costs 5,000 gp in materials and labor.
Trebuchet. Takes 60 days, costs 5,000 gp in materials and labor.
Your structure may only physically house a number of siege weapons equal to its total room points at any one time.
Stables
The sounds and smells of horses and stranger animals still animate these cold stone stables. Straw matting, walter, and feed are available, providing mounts the shelter and relative comfort they need to properly recuperate.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Your structure gains the ability to house and support horses or other animals trained to be used as mounts, and can hold four of these creatures for each unit of your structure’s maximum room points. Mounts that receive a long rest within this room have their movement speed increased by 10 feet until their next long rest. This stable does not come equipped with mounts, and mounts must be acquired by other means.
Tavern
Downtime and drink are essential to adventurers and garrisoned soldiers alike. A tavern always carries within it the often sweet fragrance of what it brews, from plum brandy to apple cider to hoppy ale to refined wine. Typically, taverns find themselves filled with the heat and crackling staccato of a log fire, the honeyed lyrics of bard song, and words whispered between furtive folk.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Taverns are a gathering place for those with quests and rumors to spread, and a typical trip to this tavern will dispense 1d4 - 1 of each, every 7 days. Further, the presence of a tavern gives the owner of this structure and their allies advantage on all Persuasion checks involving those who regularly use the tavern. This is generally expected to be almost all of those that live within the structure, as well as an assortment of those that live nearby.
If at least one appropriately skilled hireling is staffed here, they count as an alcohol and refreshment merchant, and the quality of their stock changes every 7 days. The tavern generates 2d10 kegs of alcohol worth 5 gp each every 30 days, or worth 10 gp each if the tavern is staffed for at least 7 days by a character or hireling proficient in brewer's supplies. In addition to the kegs it creates, this room generates an income of 10 gp x 1d10 every 30 days if it is staffed by at least two hirelings.
May Also Be Build As. brewery, public house, speak-easy
Theater
An enormous hall complete with seating, a large stage, and excellent acoustics. This room is well equipped for plays, concerts, and speeches, making them feel that much more true-to-life.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: When on the stage, the owner and their allies gain advantage on all Charisma checks. In addition, when an individual on stage makes a Persuasion, Deception, or Performance check with a result above 15, any of their allies present gain a point of inspiration. This latter benefit may only occur once every 7 days.
May Also Be Build As. lecture hall, balcony with adjacent courtyard
Topiary Garden
The wind whistles through this verdant garden, rustling the leaves in the large shaped hedges that make up this place. Though it is peaceful, those that enter here can't help but shake the feeling that they are being watched.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: This room is populated with a number of awakened shrubs equal to five times your structure’s total room points, each of which counts as an unpaid, unskilled hireling for the purposes of any structure or room requirements. The owner of this structure or one of their allies may order these shrubs to undertake any task a human servant could perform, which they will complete to the best of their abilities.
Additionally, these shrubs may be ordered to combine, forming large topiary structures more capable of combat. Five shrubs may combine into a single entity, which uses the statistics of an awakened tree, and follows any orders from the owner of this structure and their allies. If this awakened tree is reduced to O hit points and dies, so do all the shrubs that make up its body. This tree may be ordered to split apart at any time by the owner of this structure or one of their allies. If it does and is missing hit points, one of the shrubs that makes up the tree dies for every 12 hit points the tree is missing. While formed into a tree, the constituent shrubs no longer count for the hireling requirements of a structure. Shrubs may also be ordered to form a tree and attack automatically when they see unknown intruders, or specific creatures or types of creatures designated by the owner of this structure or their allies.
Any dead shrubs regrow after 30 days, up to the maximum initially present when this room was first constructed. You may find the statistics for both the awakened shrub and awakened tree on page 317 of the Monster Manual.
War Room
Improperly planned, war can be a nightmare. With adequate planning, supply lines, and intelligence, though, warfare becomes a much more feasible enterprise.Size Cost: 1 room point Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: Soldiers friendly to the owner of this structure may have their journeys (of up to 7 days) planned within this room. Doing so effectively doubles the overland speed of these soldiers, causing them to complete the planned journey in half the normal time. In addition, when a structure that contains a war room is under attack, all creatures fighting in the structure's defense add 1d4 to their attack rolls to hit.
May Also Be Build As. bureaucrat’s office
Traders and Merchants
d100 - Merchants1-6 - Alcohol and refreshment7-10 - Animals (mundane mounts and pets)11-15 - Books and maps (mundane)16-19 - Flowers and seeds20-25 - Food and animal parts26-29 - Furniture and interior decor30-34 - High fashion35-38 - Jewelry and gems39-43 - Knick-knacks44-48 - Leatherworking49-52 - Mechanical contraptions53-57 - Medium and heavy armor (and shields)58-61 - Potions, poisons, and herbs62-66 - Religious idols and blessings67-71 - Songs and instruments72-75 - Spell tomes and scrolls76-80 - Thieving supplies81-86 - Tools87-91 - Vehicles and transportation92-96 - Weapons97-100 - Legendary merchant (roll once on the Legendary Merchants table) Modifying Your Rooms
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.
Extra-Dimensional
The air inside the room seems somehow thicker, slightly more viscous. Outside shuttered windows, stars and comets cascade by, shining like a thousand diamonds against a swirling ethereal sky. Construction Cost: 7,500 gp Construction Time: 30 days
Requirements: A character or hireling that can cast 8th-level spells
Benefit: This room’s door is actually a portal to a pocket dimension, containing the room itself. The laws of time and gravity in the expansion are yours to set, within limit, only once when you first modify the expansion. Gravity can be half to twice as strong, and time can move at halfpace to double time, relative to the outside. The room also has the immunity to scrying, tracking, and similar that being located on a different plane provides.
Hidden
There's no telling what secrets a cleverly-designed structure may hide. Behind tapestries, false book-cases, or hidden switches lurk chambers tucked away where none may find them, save those that know the secret to accessing them.Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Benefit: This modification may be added onto any room to hide it from view. The owner of the structure and any allies they designate know the secret to enter the hidden room. All others must first make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discover the presence of a hidden chamber, followed by a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to uncover how to enter, once they are aware of its presence.
Secret Passage
An airy draft billows behind the walls of this room, traveling unseen from one room to the next. An astute few know the secret to accessing this passage, which remains hidden to all but the most observant.Construction Cost: 2,500 gp Construction Time: 15 days
Requirements: At least two furnished rooms, a structure with at least 3 total room points
Benefit: This modification is built in two rooms simultaneously, though it only requires one construction cost to be paid. A secret passage makes a hidden connection between these two rooms, behind walls, under floors, and generally out of view. Similar to a hidden room, the owner of the structure and any allies they designate know how to enter this secret passage from either of its entrances, and can move freely between these two rooms. All others must first make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discover the presence of a secret passage, followed by a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to uncover how to enter, once they are aware of it. You may built multiple secret passages into one room, but each passage must connect to a different room.
Teleportation Rune
A small rune resembling a gate is carved into a flagstone, support beam, or the underside of a table here. For those select few who know its true meaning, the rune is as functional as a doorway while being significantly more subtle.Construction Cost: 3,500 gp Construction Time: 25 days
Requirements: A structure with at least 3 total room points and a character or hireling that can cast 5th level spells
Benefit: When this rune is first created, choose a command word. Any creature that touches this rune and speaks its command word may instantly teleport to any other room of their choice in the same structure that also contains a copy of this rune build as a modification in that room. All such runes within one structure share the same command word, and if only a single of these runes exists within a structure, it does nothing until at least one other rune is built in a different room.
Trapped
This room hides a deadly secret, and only you know where it may be found.Construction Cost: Varies (see below) Construction Time: 7 days
Requirements: Varies (see below; none if none are listed)
Benefits: This room contains one of the following traps, which you choose when you build this modification. Details on these traps may be found on pages 122-123 of the Dungeon Masters Guide. This modification may be built multiple times in a single room for multiple traps.
Falling Net. Costs 750 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in either Survival or nets. Fire-Breathing Statue. Costs 1,250 gp, and requires a character or hireling that either can cast at least 2nd level spells or is proficient in alchemist’s supplies. Pit, simple. Costs 500 gp. Pit, hidden. Costs 1,000 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in Survival, carpenter’s tools, or mason’s tools. Pit, locking. Costs 1,500 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in Sleight of Hand, blacksmith's tools, or thieves’ tools. Pit, spiked. Costs 2,000 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in Survival or blacksmith’s tools. If the pit is also hidden or locking, it must also meet their requirements, above. Poison Darts. Costs 1,250 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in Survival or the poisoner’s Kit. Poison Needle. Costs 1,500 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in Survival or the poisoner’s Kit. Rolling Sphere. Costs 2,000 gp, requires a character or hireling proficient in Survival or mason’s tools. Sphere of Annihilation. Costs 5,000 gp, requires a character or hireling that can cast at least 7th level spells.
Warded or Spell-Bound
The magical energy of a persistent spell suffuses this room, protecting it or providing some less obvious, more obscure benefit.Construction Cost: Varies (see below) Construction Time: 7 days
Requirements: A character or hireling that can cast the listed spell.
Benefits: This room is constantly under the effect of one of the following spells, the details of which you decide when you build this modification and may only be altered later by rebuilding this modification and paying the cost a second time. These spells are always considered to fill the entire room and are cast at the lowest level possible, with the owner of the structure and those they designate considered to be the spell’s casters. Saves made against spells cast with this modification are made against a DC of 15. You may build this modification multiple times, choosing a different spell for each.
Alarm. Costs 1,000 gp.
Animate objects. Costs 3,000 gp. This room is haunted by animated objects equal to one casting of this spell at its lowest level. These objects will automatically attack creatures that would be hostile to the owner of this structure after a minute these creatures spend at least a minute in this room, and are capable of sensing the intentions of such creatures. Once per round, these objects will follow the commands of the owner and their allies if they are in the room, and if they expend a bonus action to command the objects. Antimagic field. Costs 4,500 gp. Circle of power. Costs 3,000 gp. Magic circle. Costs 2,000 gp. Reverse gravity. Costs 4,000 gp. Unseen servant. Costs 500 gp per unseen servant. This room contains up to 10 unseen servants who respond to the wishes of the owner and their allies.
Zone of truth. Costs 1,500 gp. When you build this modification, choose whether it affects all creatures, the owner and their allies, or enemies of the owner.
Hirelings, Soldiers, & Casters
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.
Hirelings
Service of following hirelings may be retained by purchasing them at their listed price or paying their listed cost per day.Hirelings - Pay - Proficient in...
Hireling, unskilled - 2 sp/day - ---
Hireling, skilled - 2 gp/day - 1 skill or set of tools
Cultist - 2 gp/day - ---
Cult fanatic - 25 gp/day - ---
Unskilled hirelings have no special skills to speak of, though they can clean, cook passably, and keep a structure cared for in ways that do not require a particular skillset.
Skilled hirelings each come proficient in a particular skill or set of tools, and have a +5 bonus to checks they make with this proficiency. This bonus is considered to include both their relevant ability modifier and their proficiency bonus. You determine which skill or set of tools the hireling is proficient with at the time you first hire them.
Soldiers
Trained in the ways of battle, the following soldiers may be retained at their listed cost per day. Their statistics are found on the associated page of either the Monster Manual or Volos Guide to Monsters, as noted.Soldiers stationed within a structure count as required skilled hirelings, but no longer count towards this requirement while dispatched or relocated elsewhere.
Spellcasters
Magically gifted and skilled in arcane, divine, or primal arts, these hirelings may be retained at their listed cost per day, and their statistics found on the associated page of the Monster Manual or Volo's Guide to Monsters.Spellcasters stationed within a structure count as required skilled hirelings, but no longer count towards this requirement while dispatched or relocated elsewhere.
Making More Money
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.