Ok, so I'm curious to see what strategies and party combinations you would use to build your own town/city in DND. Like, if you and your party just said you wanted to build a fully functioning city, how would you go about it? Not talking convincing people to live there and the "normal" means, but utilizing your characters to do so. What would they look like?
For example, a character with the Awaken spell might create a town of talking animals like something straight out of Sonic. Or an artificer can build a bunch of robots utilizing tiny servants and steel defender as a base for an entirely robotic city!
Obviously some stuff would depend on your DM, but what are your thoughts?
The only ones who can literally build a city using only what their characters can do, are necromancers. Maybe artificers too?
Ok, at an extreme reach maybe a high enough level wizard can create a city and populate it with simulacrums.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
The answer depends on how much time a party has to build a city. If the party wanted to build it as fast as possible, I suppose they could pay commoners to build a city. Although anything can be entertaining players & DMs who are creative enough, I don't think building a city would be much fun for a party. Maybe they could re-claim an abandoned town instead. Do you have any story lines readily available for PCs who are running a town (that aren't completely dedicated to the complicated accounting that would be required :)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Started playing AD&D in the late 70s, took a 40 year hiatus, re-started with 3.5 and 5e in 2023
The party would want to use spells like Move Earth, Stone to Mud, Mud to Stone, and some necromancy so they could have a small army of ditch diggers and things.
I'd say ... Move Earth, X to X, whatever spells - those are useless compared to either hiring or animating a larger workforce. You run out of spellslots in minutes, whereas a bunch of undead diggers or haulers go on around the clock without pause. Never underestimate the power of good old fashioned industrial enterprise.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
A druid is the only one that can really reliably build a city, you want Move Earth, Wall of Stone, Control Water and Plant Growth to do it. Because populating a city is usually a non-issue. If you provide water, food and shelter someone is going to turn up and live there.
Control Water let's you redirect rivers, and create reservoirs.
Move Earth enables you to build foundations and sewer tunnels.
Wall of Stone enables you to quickly build buildings.
Transmute Earth turns mud paths into paved streets, and muddy ditches into the starts of sewer pipes.
Plant Growth and Animal Friendship/Speak with Animals enables you to have Oxen plow and seed fields with minimal oversight and have them grow into abundant food.
Bonuses:
Conjure Animals / Animal Friendship enables you to recruit Badgers to dig sewers / drainage or irrigation ditches, or beavers to build dams and cut down trees for lumber. Awaken allows you to turn some beavers into master carpenters. Or turn Spiders into master weavers to make clothing and bedsheets.
Ok, so I'm curious to see what strategies and party combinations you would use to build your own town/city in DND. Like, if you and your party just said you wanted to build a fully functioning city, how would you go about it? Not talking convincing people to live there and the "normal" means, but utilizing your characters to do so. What would they look like?
For example, a character with the Awaken spell might create a town of talking animals like something straight out of Sonic. Or an artificer can build a bunch of robots utilizing tiny servants and steel defender as a base for an entirely robotic city!
Obviously some stuff would depend on your DM, but what are your thoughts?
Paladins and clerics would likely want to create a theocratic society.
Wizards would make cities brimming with runes and enchantments, imagine Tenser's Floating Disks on every street corner as a free magic taxi system.
Druids and rangers would probably not want to make a city at all, but they could make hidden groves or towns built entirely in giant trees.
The only ones who can literally build a city using only what their characters can do, are necromancers. Maybe artificers too?
Ok, at an extreme reach maybe a high enough level wizard can create a city and populate it with simulacrums.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
The answer depends on how much time a party has to build a city. If the party wanted to build it as fast as possible, I suppose they could pay commoners to build a city. Although anything can be entertaining players & DMs who are creative enough, I don't think building a city would be much fun for a party. Maybe they could re-claim an abandoned town instead. Do you have any story lines readily available for PCs who are running a town (that aren't completely dedicated to the complicated accounting that would be required :)
Started playing AD&D in the late 70s, took a 40 year hiatus, re-started with 3.5 and 5e in 2023
The party would want to use spells like Move Earth, Stone to Mud, Mud to Stone, and some necromancy so they could have a small army of ditch diggers and things.
I'd say ... Move Earth, X to X, whatever spells - those are useless compared to either hiring or animating a larger workforce. You run out of spellslots in minutes, whereas a bunch of undead diggers or haulers go on around the clock without pause. Never underestimate the power of good old fashioned industrial enterprise.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
A druid is the only one that can really reliably build a city, you want Move Earth, Wall of Stone, Control Water and Plant Growth to do it. Because populating a city is usually a non-issue. If you provide water, food and shelter someone is going to turn up and live there.
Control Water let's you redirect rivers, and create reservoirs.
Move Earth enables you to build foundations and sewer tunnels.
Wall of Stone enables you to quickly build buildings.
Transmute Earth turns mud paths into paved streets, and muddy ditches into the starts of sewer pipes.
Plant Growth and Animal Friendship/Speak with Animals enables you to have Oxen plow and seed fields with minimal oversight and have them grow into abundant food.
Bonuses:
Conjure Animals / Animal Friendship enables you to recruit Badgers to dig sewers / drainage or irrigation ditches, or beavers to build dams and cut down trees for lumber. Awaken allows you to turn some beavers into master carpenters. Or turn Spiders into master weavers to make clothing and bedsheets.
That's kind of ironic
Any sufficiently widespread magic is indistinguishable from technology.
The second funniest thing to make a D&D party do is explain morality
Try your hand at the Ultimate Skill Build Challenge!
I probably nitpick and scrutinize too much