So, I've been running the 2024 ed. campaign since March. My players have only just gotten to the point where they can start looking at Bastions. I'm looking for some feedback, though: some "lessons learned."
For those of you who have bastions in your games, what are your thoughts? Do you like 'em? Are they worth the extra time and attention they require?
Not. This sentence in particular bothers me: "If you decide to have Bastions in your game, the characters acquire them when they reach level 5." What if you're in the middle of a dungeon?
I am not a super fan of the implementation. Poof you have stuff does not make sense to me. I think you can make it work. I just feel "You and the players can decide together how these Bastions come into being. A character might inherit or receive a parcel of land on which to build their Bastion (see “Marks of Prestige” in chapter 3), or they might take a preexisting structure and refurbish it. It’s fair to assume that work has been going on behind the scenes of the campaign during a character’s early adventuring career, so the Bastion is ready when the character reaches level 5." is way lighter on this than it should be. And personally I am in the nothing is for free camp so the "free" rooms are paid for in the same style as the adding basic rooms chart. And special rooms I am coming up with costs for as we are only level 6 I have not priced out the higher level features yet as a I play with it. The level 5 ones I priced at 4500. The one benefit for the players here, is the only limit on special rooms is their wallet. Which thankfully now gives them a reason to make money instead of just sitting on a horde like you are a dragon in disguise. Though I did have to end up being a bit more generous with cash than i am used to.
That isn't to say I can't see these being "free" in the right campaign where like you are working for royalty or something. But without some crazy benefactor hook in the campaign, buying a house and land costs money.
I do in general like the bastion turn mechanic though.
Bastions are fine. Not great but ok. Well at least the idea is.
They are basically a home base for your character. Someplace you can sort of safely store your extra stuff and once in a while it will pull a small profit for you. But they are not perfectly safe or secure. They are basically houses and not castles.
They are only for one character and a few henchmen. Not a whole party.
But my DM allowed us to combine our bastions into a single facility. Then add a simple wall around it, it sort of did become a castle, or at least a start of one.
Not. This sentence in particular bothers me: "If you decide to have Bastions in your game, the characters acquire them when they reach level 5." What if you're in the middle of a dungeon?
They find the writ of ownership within the dungeon and now have it waiting for them when they emerge? Or maybe you told your players you'd be using bastions and construction/renovation was started before level 5 but they know that's when it'll be ready and waiting for them when they leave the dungeon? Or they've already been using some ruins as a base of operations since level 1 or 2 or 3 and it only mechanically becomes a bastion at 5th level?
Are you interpreting that line as "at level 5 the characters must drop everything and attend to their bastion once they hit level 5"? Or worse still, that a bastion materialises at 5th level? If the characters are already in the middle of something else such as a dungeon when they hit that level, obviously the bastion will wait for them to finish.
They are only for one character and a few henchmen. Not a whole party.
This isn't accurate per the bastion rules. They can have a garrison, an armory, defenses. You can also combine multiple characters bastions into a single structure so they can totally be for a whole party.
But my DM allowed us to combine our bastions into a single facility. Then add a simple wall around it, it sort of did become a castle, or at least a start of one.
Not. This sentence in particular bothers me: "If you decide to have Bastions in your game, the characters acquire them when they reach level 5." What if you're in the middle of a dungeon?
Those characters would acquire them when they get back, have downtime and interest in doing so.
Not. This sentence in particular bothers me: "If you decide to have Bastions in your game, the characters acquire them when they reach level 5." What if you're in the middle of a dungeon?
You missed out the following very relevant sentences:
If you allow Bastions in your campaign, characters acquire their Bastions when they reach level 5. You and the players can decide together how these Bastions come into being. A character might inherit or receive a parcel of land on which to build their Bastion (see “Marks of Prestige” in chapter 3), or they might take a preexisting structure and refurbish it. It’s fair to assume that work has been going on behind the scenes of the campaign during a character’s early adventuring career, so the Bastion is ready when the character reaches level 5.
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So, I've been running the 2024 ed. campaign since March. My players have only just gotten to the point where they can start looking at Bastions. I'm looking for some feedback, though: some "lessons learned."
For those of you who have bastions in your games, what are your thoughts? Do you like 'em? Are they worth the extra time and attention they require?
C. Foster Payne
"If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around."
Not. This sentence in particular bothers me: "If you decide to have Bastions in your game, the characters acquire them when they reach level 5." What if you're in the middle of a dungeon?
I am not a super fan of the implementation. Poof you have stuff does not make sense to me. I think you can make it work. I just feel "You and the players can decide together how these Bastions come into being. A character might inherit or receive a parcel of land on which to build their Bastion (see “Marks of Prestige” in chapter 3), or they might take a preexisting structure and refurbish it. It’s fair to assume that work has been going on behind the scenes of the campaign during a character’s early adventuring career, so the Bastion is ready when the character reaches level 5." is way lighter on this than it should be. And personally I am in the nothing is for free camp so the "free" rooms are paid for in the same style as the adding basic rooms chart. And special rooms I am coming up with costs for as we are only level 6 I have not priced out the higher level features yet as a I play with it. The level 5 ones I priced at 4500. The one benefit for the players here, is the only limit on special rooms is their wallet. Which thankfully now gives them a reason to make money instead of just sitting on a horde like you are a dragon in disguise. Though I did have to end up being a bit more generous with cash than i am used to.
That isn't to say I can't see these being "free" in the right campaign where like you are working for royalty or something. But without some crazy benefactor hook in the campaign, buying a house and land costs money.
I do in general like the bastion turn mechanic though.
Bastions are fine. Not great but ok. Well at least the idea is.
They are basically a home base for your character. Someplace you can sort of safely store your extra stuff and once in a while it will pull a small profit for you. But they are not perfectly safe or secure. They are basically houses and not castles.
They are only for one character and a few henchmen. Not a whole party.
But my DM allowed us to combine our bastions into a single facility. Then add a simple wall around it, it sort of did become a castle, or at least a start of one.
They find the writ of ownership within the dungeon and now have it waiting for them when they emerge? Or maybe you told your players you'd be using bastions and construction/renovation was started before level 5 but they know that's when it'll be ready and waiting for them when they leave the dungeon? Or they've already been using some ruins as a base of operations since level 1 or 2 or 3 and it only mechanically becomes a bastion at 5th level?
Are you interpreting that line as "at level 5 the characters must drop everything and attend to their bastion once they hit level 5"? Or worse still, that a bastion materialises at 5th level? If the characters are already in the middle of something else such as a dungeon when they hit that level, obviously the bastion will wait for them to finish.
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This isn't accurate per the bastion rules. They can have a garrison, an armory, defenses. You can also combine multiple characters bastions into a single structure so they can totally be for a whole party.
That's literally in the rules for Bastions
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
Those characters would acquire them when they get back, have downtime and interest in doing so.
You missed out the following very relevant sentences: