Hey I'm a DM and I'm currently in the process of creating a towns map where my party will dock at, the market stalls, the NPCs who will run the stalls, and all the other buildings and citizens involved. I would love some name suggestions for people, places, and what kind of unique items an arctic fishing town might have that can't be found anywhere else? I have a pretty good list, but hearing from others always helps.
Wow, an arctic fishing town sounds like a really cool setting. You've probably already considered Scandinavian- or Inuit-sounding names, I assume.
What types of stalls do you have that need names?
As for items, when I think of an arctic fishing town, I think harpoons,spears, crossbows with lines affixed to bolts, saws for cutting through ice, nets, barrels of blubber. Kayaks or something like them. Wood might be rare up in the arctic, so maybe more hut-like structures with skins as 'siding.' Google the Toggling Harpoon for an interesting Inuit twist on the standard harpoon.
It might be neat if you had your arctic fishing town of folks that are from other parts of your world, but then maybe not far away is a village of regional natives. It might be a cool contrast to show how 'southerners' survive in the north and what they bring with them, as opposed to the natives who have been there for many generations.
I just go down the alphabet putting each letter followed by each vowel and see what my brain fills in from there. For starting on vowels, follow with each consonant sound also. Grab the ones that sound "right" for the culture you are trying to create, and record the rest in a word doc or spreadsheet to come back to later.
EDIT: Also, don't forget the gimmicks that sell the atmosphere and make this one town memorable. As a player, I love these things.
Example: Wolf traps of baleen wire in frozen fat that are used when populations grow too much and they encroach on the town. They are sharp barbs that are spooled up and strung together, then frozen inside undesirable meat chunks or fats and scattered in the far outskirts of town for the wolves to eat. All the population control, none of the hunting effort or risk in that extreme environment. This might be a bit gruesome, but is an example of something the players will use to remember "that one arctic fishing town."
A lot of areas like the one you describe (arctic fishing town with no vegetation) don't have a lot of mammalian meat/vegetation. There aren't any moose running around because they have nothing to eat, so any kind of moose furs, beaver furs, etc would be a rarity. Any of that stuff that the players own or wear would make them seem very wealthy, even if furs are common where they come from.
There's a lot of gross things that people from those areas do to get the nutrients they need like eating fish eyes/organs for the nutrients they provide that you can't get from meat and fat. Some peoples eat the digesting/pre-digested vegetation out of animals stomachs, because it's too hard on their stomachs to process - but if it's pre-processed it's much easier for them.
Alongside vegetation being more scarce, this would make wood tools/houses scarce as well. Most of these peoples would use bones/animal skins to make their shelters.
Of course, all of these things apply to normal civilizations on our own Earth, and can be different if you want it to be.
These are some of the items I made for my arctic town, feel free to use and re-balance them for your game:
Icefire Vodka: An alcoholic beverage made from snow potatoes. Drinking it results in a general icy-hot feeling throughout one's body. Mechanically it provides resistance to arctic environments for one hour.
Oil of the Snow: A slurry-like mixture made from snowflakes that have fallen on the local leyline convergence points (change for your setting as appropriate). When used to coat a weapon, converts damage to cold and the weapon is considered magical.
The following are just potions I let my players make from some of the herbs they find in the arctic:
Chilling Tonic:
4 Heart of Ices, 3 Fennel Silk
For the next 3 hours you are unaffected by heat conditions as your body is supernaturally cooled. You however gain vulnerability to cold damage. 3 charges.
Death’s Chill Poison
3 Heart of Ice, 2 Wyrmtongue Petals, 2 Arctic Creepers
A particularly devilish poison. Over 1d6 hours, the target will steadily succumb to increasingly violent chills as the inside of their body freezes. During this time they are slowed and cannot take reactions. At the end of the duration, the target dies if their constitution score is below 12 as their blood clots in their veins, otherwise they recover over a period of 1d4 days. The effects of this poison are undetectable on a dead body effect.
Snow Wall Slurry
5 Powder Ridge Tree Sap, 2 Heart of Ice, 3 Emetic Wax, Elemental Water
This thick, viscous mixture can create structures out of ice. Pouring the mixture out of this bottle results in the liquid expanding and quickly freezing, allowing you to create almost any structure you wish. This bottle contains enough to create 10 foot square worth of material. The ice melts after 1 hour or half that in a hot environment.
Hey I'm a DM and I'm currently in the process of creating a towns map where my party will dock at, the market stalls, the NPCs who will run the stalls, and all the other buildings and citizens involved. I would love some name suggestions for people, places, and what kind of unique items an arctic fishing town might have that can't be found anywhere else? I have a pretty good list, but hearing from others always helps.
Wow, an arctic fishing town sounds like a really cool setting. You've probably already considered Scandinavian- or Inuit-sounding names, I assume.
What types of stalls do you have that need names?
As for items, when I think of an arctic fishing town, I think harpoons,spears, crossbows with lines affixed to bolts, saws for cutting through ice, nets, barrels of blubber. Kayaks or something like them. Wood might be rare up in the arctic, so maybe more hut-like structures with skins as 'siding.' Google the Toggling Harpoon for an interesting Inuit twist on the standard harpoon.
It might be neat if you had your arctic fishing town of folks that are from other parts of your world, but then maybe not far away is a village of regional natives. It might be a cool contrast to show how 'southerners' survive in the north and what they bring with them, as opposed to the natives who have been there for many generations.
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
A few things came to mind! And cool setting idea, like Nayt88 said.
ITEMS
NAMES
Aala, Aemea, Aisal, Ao-en, Aulmin, Ayela, Amber, Andel, Akeer, Bael, Barbosa (jk)...
I just go down the alphabet putting each letter followed by each vowel and see what my brain fills in from there. For starting on vowels, follow with each consonant sound also. Grab the ones that sound "right" for the culture you are trying to create, and record the rest in a word doc or spreadsheet to come back to later.
EDIT: Also, don't forget the gimmicks that sell the atmosphere and make this one town memorable. As a player, I love these things.
Example: Wolf traps of baleen wire in frozen fat that are used when populations grow too much and they encroach on the town. They are sharp barbs that are spooled up and strung together, then frozen inside undesirable meat chunks or fats and scattered in the far outskirts of town for the wolves to eat. All the population control, none of the hunting effort or risk in that extreme environment. This might be a bit gruesome, but is an example of something the players will use to remember "that one arctic fishing town."
Experience: 5e Only - Playing, DM, world building.DM for Home-brew campaign based on Forgotten Realms lore. 5 player. Also play in party of 8.A lot of areas like the one you describe (arctic fishing town with no vegetation) don't have a lot of mammalian meat/vegetation. There aren't any moose running around because they have nothing to eat, so any kind of moose furs, beaver furs, etc would be a rarity. Any of that stuff that the players own or wear would make them seem very wealthy, even if furs are common where they come from.
There's a lot of gross things that people from those areas do to get the nutrients they need like eating fish eyes/organs for the nutrients they provide that you can't get from meat and fat. Some peoples eat the digesting/pre-digested vegetation out of animals stomachs, because it's too hard on their stomachs to process - but if it's pre-processed it's much easier for them.
Alongside vegetation being more scarce, this would make wood tools/houses scarce as well. Most of these peoples would use bones/animal skins to make their shelters.
Of course, all of these things apply to normal civilizations on our own Earth, and can be different if you want it to be.
Tryin to make a change :-\
Unique items for an arctic town
For a tavern - spiced ale the gives resistance to cold for 15 minutes.
For a general store - cans of blubber to use in place of firewood.
Blacksmith - daggers made from the horns of an abominable yeti. Counts as magical for overcoming resistance.
Shaman/priest - amulets of [insert deity here] that ward off the effects of exposure to extreme cold.
Lord's manor - white wolf leather armor. Advantage on Dex (stealth) checks made in snowy climates.
These are some of the items I made for my arctic town, feel free to use and re-balance them for your game:
The following are just potions I let my players make from some of the herbs they find in the arctic:
Chilling Tonic:
Death’s Chill Poison
Snow Wall Slurry
You're doing a bang up job
These have all been incredible suggestions thank you so much :0 It has helped me think of a lot of things I should sell than I did before!