Well simply put, I'd say simple things like blacksmiths, food stores, and clothing shops would be in villages unless their small but rich. Cities can contain just about anything, which varies from size to size. Maybe a magic shop with common to rare items, maybe extremely pricey rarer items. They could have a wizards shop with books, scrolls, wands, maybe specialized items for casters. While I don't think most people do it, pet shops are fun to.
A small village may be reliant on travelling merchants and not have any proper stores for adventures. (0-1 shops)
A small town might have a blacksmith and general goods store. Enough to buy/sell cheap weapons and armor and adventure necessities like rations and torches. (1-3 shops)
A large town might have more specialty shops where all manor of adventuring gear can be bought. Clothes, tools, kits, basic healing potions, better weapons/armor, etc. Little to no magic items of even lowest rarity. (2-6 shops)
Busy cities would have multiple shops of the same kind competing, might be able to find common and uncommon magic items. You should be able to sell all your loot in a city, too. (5-20 shops, higher number of specialty shops e.g. jewler, tanner, apothecary, etc)
I usually place a blacksmith in every village, but he may likely only be able to make and repair farming implements and the like. He may be able to sharpen weapons or fix some simple problems. I usually have a dry goods merchant in each village but the supply is stuff the village will need. I usually have a stable in each village and there is someone able to repair simple leather accessories and carts, but not make anything substantial from scratch. In small villages there are often townsfolk that are able to perform small tasks that are specialized but they don't have a shop to market their wares so you need to ask around. One example is a candlemaker. I will have someone in town able to make candles but they do it at home and the town folks know they can buy candles from her. Tailoring is the same sort of thing. Most homes mend their own clothing but one or two homes have a parent there able to tailor better garments. They may need a supply of fine cloth from the party to make something especially nice, but they have the skill. In most villages in D&D there would not be enough folks to support shops so I attempt to come up with a realistic proportion. Also to compensate, I use traveling caravans that deal with the local dry goods shop to provide stock items that wouldn't be made in a small village. Good luck.
I always add at the very least to all my towns: a place to buy foods, place to buy clothing, place to be amused (circus, brothel, pet shop, palm reader, book shop, ext), place to sleep (inn, tavern, brothel wold work fine), if there a war efforts in the area I like adding a blacksmith (most people add them in every town), there should be an explanation as to why people get food and all its items port and stuff like that. there you're all good EZ town making, give everything a reason and laziness makes plot holes good day.
Don't get too wrapped up in realism, by and large it will be lost on your players provided you don't go overboard. Make your city/town/village as big or small as you need to advance (or ******) your plot. Some good examples of shops.
In a large city:
three or four black smiths (Towns MIGHT have one, villages probably none.) [skilled would have apprentices] Weapons Smith (The average blacksmith would have about as much idea as how to make a sword as you would) [skilled would have apprentices] a Silver/gold smith [skilled would have apprentices] Pewter smith [skilled would have apprentices] Coopers (barrels and pails) [skilled would have apprentices] Tinker (mends pots pans and the like) weaver [skilled would have apprentices] tailors [skilled would have apprentices] Market for food items (vendors are regional dependent) Cobbler [skilled would have apprentices] Masons [skilled would have apprentices] Carpenters [skilled would have apprentices] Wood Carver [skilled would have apprentices] Leather workers [skilled would have apprentices] Tannery (makes leather, would be well out side town as this is a VERY bad smelling trade) [skilled would have apprentices] Inns Spinners (thread and yarn) Mill works (wood) Mill works (Grain for flour) Brewer [skilled would have apprentices] Distillery (in reality distilled spirits are not period but its your world) Livery (live stock) Fletcher (makes arrows) [skilled would have apprentices] Bakery (primarily bread) [skilled would have apprentices] Butcher [skilled would have apprentices] Candle Maker [skilled would have apprentices] Glass Blower (very expensive probably only in extremely large cities) [skilled would have apprentices] Shipwright (obviously you would need a port) [skilled would have apprentices] Potter [skilled would have apprentices] Kiln Operator Charcoal Maker
Remember! you have all these shops and the owners likely live up stairs but not always, as would any apprentices but other help would need a place to live so be sure to include buildings for them to live in.
super helpful! brainstorming as a pc for upcoming campaign and was thinking about.... "who would possibly make a lens in this world" and sure it's subjective.... and dependent on so many factors.... but helps solidify a few ideas and the logistics of something my character will be looking for/trying to patch together.
An odd shop to have that I have been testing is a summoner's shop. In this, anyone with magic can purchase the remnants of a great creature. They may be purchasing a vial of blood, a bottle with ashes, or a tooth. It doesn't really matter. After they have the object that belonged to the deceased creature, they can cast a spell and summon a slightly weaker version of that creature. It is similar to the naruto universe where they can summon and command the creatures to fight for them or aid them in other tasks. This is an odd shop, but I encourage people to add it because it could be a very interesting feature of your campaign. It also adds the fact that your characters won't take the damage from a rain of fire from a powerful opponent that can't be killed easily. It can function as a filler player, in a way.
I would only like to add that the website Donjon has a wonderful discussion of this topic from an article of 8-12 pages written years ago. It has an extensive list of trades and a number of townspeople that would be needed to support one of these shops.
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Hi does anyone have an idea of the number of shops in a village and in a city and what they might be and contain.
Depends on the size of the town and what trade routes it may be on. Here are some town maps with keys to help give you an idea:
Well simply put, I'd say simple things like blacksmiths, food stores, and clothing shops would be in villages unless their small but rich. Cities can contain just about anything, which varies from size to size. Maybe a magic shop with common to rare items, maybe extremely pricey rarer items. They could have a wizards shop with books, scrolls, wands, maybe specialized items for casters. While I don't think most people do it, pet shops are fun to.
Also known as CrafterB and DankMemer.
Here, have some homebrew classes! Subclasses to? Why not races. Feats, feats as well. I have a lot of magic items. Lastly I got monsters, fun, fun times.
A small village may be reliant on travelling merchants and not have any proper stores for adventures. (0-1 shops)
A small town might have a blacksmith and general goods store. Enough to buy/sell cheap weapons and armor and adventure necessities like rations and torches. (1-3 shops)
A large town might have more specialty shops where all manor of adventuring gear can be bought. Clothes, tools, kits, basic healing potions, better weapons/armor, etc. Little to no magic items of even lowest rarity. (2-6 shops)
Busy cities would have multiple shops of the same kind competing, might be able to find common and uncommon magic items. You should be able to sell all your loot in a city, too. (5-20 shops, higher number of specialty shops e.g. jewler, tanner, apothecary, etc)
Thanks everyone! :D
Did you make these? Where did you get them
Hey. For example my homebrew town of Silverpearl contains:
- Harbor
- Marketplace with 8 merchants
- Three taverns: one cheap, one standard and one luxury
- Inn
- Blacksmith
- Leatherworker
- Bookstore
- Potion store
- Jeweller
- Temple
I usually place a blacksmith in every village, but he may likely only be able to make and repair farming implements and the like. He may be able to sharpen weapons or fix some simple problems. I usually have a dry goods merchant in each village but the supply is stuff the village will need. I usually have a stable in each village and there is someone able to repair simple leather accessories and carts, but not make anything substantial from scratch. In small villages there are often townsfolk that are able to perform small tasks that are specialized but they don't have a shop to market their wares so you need to ask around. One example is a candlemaker. I will have someone in town able to make candles but they do it at home and the town folks know they can buy candles from her. Tailoring is the same sort of thing. Most homes mend their own clothing but one or two homes have a parent there able to tailor better garments. They may need a supply of fine cloth from the party to make something especially nice, but they have the skill. In most villages in D&D there would not be enough folks to support shops so I attempt to come up with a realistic proportion. Also to compensate, I use traveling caravans that deal with the local dry goods shop to provide stock items that wouldn't be made in a small village. Good luck.
I get a large portion of my maps from Ventus Maps on tumblr, though he has his own website now as well.
Why do you ask? Is this for my campaign?
;) i'll never tell
I always add at the very least to all my towns: a place to buy foods, place to buy clothing, place to be amused (circus, brothel, pet shop, palm reader, book shop, ext), place to sleep (inn, tavern, brothel wold work fine), if there a war efforts in the area I like adding a blacksmith (most people add them in every town), there should be an explanation as to why people get food and all its items port and stuff like that. there you're all good EZ town making, give everything a reason and laziness makes plot holes good day.
Don't get too wrapped up in realism, by and large it will be lost on your players provided you don't go overboard. Make your city/town/village as big or small as you need to advance (or ******) your plot. Some good examples of shops.
In a large city:
three or four black smiths (Towns MIGHT have one, villages probably none.) [skilled would have apprentices]
Weapons Smith (The average blacksmith would have about as much idea as how to make a sword as you would) [skilled would have apprentices]
a Silver/gold smith [skilled would have apprentices]
Pewter smith [skilled would have apprentices]
Coopers (barrels and pails) [skilled would have apprentices]
Tinker (mends pots pans and the like)
weaver [skilled would have apprentices]
tailors [skilled would have apprentices]
Market for food items (vendors are regional dependent)
Cobbler [skilled would have apprentices]
Masons [skilled would have apprentices]
Carpenters [skilled would have apprentices]
Wood Carver [skilled would have apprentices]
Leather workers [skilled would have apprentices]
Tannery (makes leather, would be well out side town as this is a VERY bad smelling trade) [skilled would have apprentices]
Inns
Spinners (thread and yarn)
Mill works (wood)
Mill works (Grain for flour)
Brewer [skilled would have apprentices]
Distillery (in reality distilled spirits are not period but its your world)
Livery (live stock)
Fletcher (makes arrows) [skilled would have apprentices]
Bakery (primarily bread) [skilled would have apprentices]
Butcher [skilled would have apprentices]
Candle Maker [skilled would have apprentices]
Glass Blower (very expensive probably only in extremely large cities) [skilled would have apprentices]
Shipwright (obviously you would need a port) [skilled would have apprentices]
Potter [skilled would have apprentices]
Kiln Operator
Charcoal Maker
Remember! you have all these shops and the owners likely live up stairs but not always, as would any apprentices but other help would need a place to live so be sure to include buildings for them to live in.
Hows that? If ya need more message me.
Ken
The Stores Handbook - Extra Resources for 5th Edition Dungeon Masters (Andrew Cawood)
playing since 1986
Mortuary/crematory :)
super helpful! brainstorming as a pc for upcoming campaign and was thinking about.... "who would possibly make a lens in this world" and sure it's subjective.... and dependent on so many factors.... but helps solidify a few ideas and the logistics of something my character will be looking for/trying to patch together.
An odd shop to have that I have been testing is a summoner's shop. In this, anyone with magic can purchase the remnants of a great creature. They may be purchasing a vial of blood, a bottle with ashes, or a tooth. It doesn't really matter. After they have the object that belonged to the deceased creature, they can cast a spell and summon a slightly weaker version of that creature. It is similar to the naruto universe where they can summon and command the creatures to fight for them or aid them in other tasks. This is an odd shop, but I encourage people to add it because it could be a very interesting feature of your campaign. It also adds the fact that your characters won't take the damage from a rain of fire from a powerful opponent that can't be killed easily. It can function as a filler player, in a way.
Holy Thread Necromancy, Batman!
I would only like to add that the website Donjon has a wonderful discussion of this topic from an article of 8-12 pages written years ago. It has an extensive list of trades and a number of townspeople that would be needed to support one of these shops.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt