Bastion building is an interesting new feature of Dungeons and Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guidewhich allows players to create and customize their own bases. The book includes tons of rules and mechanics for how these bastions work and how dungeon masters can create encounters around them. An essential part of these bastions are their facilitieswhich come in basic and specialty varieties. These are rooms that players or mercenaries can use to craft new items, empower the group, and gather resources.
Each Bastion has several basic facilities that it needs to include, but there are 30 different special facilities that players can choose to invest in. They range from mysterious study rooms to taverns that player characters can frequent, and provide groups with the opportunity to transform their base into a full-fledged community hub. Certain Bastion installations have level and skill prerequisites, and some will be more useful for certain character builds than others. But of the 30 options, these 10 are the most interesting that all parties should at least consider.
10
A workshop allows players to create their own adventuring gear
Getting Gear and Inspiration
The first is the workshop, which is available at level five for any type of group or character. As far as installations go, this one is quite simple: the workshop allows the creation of various magical and non-magical pieces of adventuring equipment that the party may need. Players choose six types of Craftsman’s Tools when they add this facility, and these six tools can be used to create any of the items they are associated with. This allows the mercenaries in the group to craft a ton of new gear for themselves before each adventure.
The facility can only create common or uncommon magical items after level nine, and even then, the people working there need certain proficiencies to do so. Still, this potentially allows for the mass production of magic ammo and the like. More, spending a brief rest at the facility grants Heroic Inspirationwhich is a great bonus feature in addition to the main use of the workshop.
9
Gardens allow the creation of important potions and poisons
Never run out of healing potions again
Gardening can be very useful in the world of D&Dand having a garden in the group’s Bastion allows them to access all sorts of important resources. That is, the garden can be used to grow ingredients for certain potions and poisons. But that’s not all; There are technically four types of gardens, each of which can grow certain types of crops. One is used to make flowers for players to sell, another to prepare rations, and the other two for potions and poisons.
Potions are much more useful in the thick of combat with the 2024 potions rule changes, so bringing a bunch of them to the party is always a good option.
A Bastion can house multiple gardens, so players can have several of these projects underway at the same time. Like the workshop, the garden is available on level five. Harvesting doesn’t cost money, but it takes seven days, which means can keep the party supplied without breaking the bank or the game’s balance. And at higher levels, players can try to get a greenhouse, which can produce more powerful potions and elixirs in the same period.
8
Game rooms are great for making money
Keep your party well funded through gambling
The games room is available on level nine and offers a consistent way for players to earn some additional income. It effectively functions as a game room, allowing NPCs to enter and test their luck. Just like in real-world gambling, the house always wins and players are guaranteed at least some money per week with this venture. The exact value, however, depends on chance.
Depending on what players play in relation to your game room, they can earn ten to six hundred gold pieces in seven daysjust giving an order, being a great way to get rich in D&D. It’s a fairly profitable room to include in a Bastion, which is quite simple and requires little supervision. Furthermore, if players themselves want to relax after an adventure, they always have access to dice or a deck of cards.
7
Meditation chambers make the rest of the bastion better
Empower your contractors with this facility
The Bastion itself can benefit from the effects of certain rooms, most notably a meditation chamber. This facility is available at level 13 and offers better chances of Bastion events going in the player’s favor. Mechanically, allows players to roll twice for the next event and get the best result.
But that’s not all, because the players themselves also gain some benefits from using the camera. Meditating within it provides one week advantage on two types of saving throws. The choice is up to the player, meaning mages can choose Constitution and Wisdom to ensure they don’t lose concentration on their spells or fall prey to those of their enemies.
Create your own tavern
To interact with the community outside of their Bastion, players could choose to own and operate a pub. It’s an interesting option, considering how many D&D The games begin in a tavern, as it puts control of that facility in the group’s hands. It can be used to obtain information about people in the area, since the bartender can hire spies to find out what’s happening within a 50-mile radius.
But, in addition, the pub can be used to prepare special drinks that can liven up the party. There is five types of drinks to choose from, most of which offer a special flavor for the whole day for player characters. They range from providing darkvision, to giving characters a climbing speed, to providing resistance to necrotic damage. Since these drinks are available on tap, group members can return for refills while the facility is in use. It’s a fun way to gather information and gain access to some useful perks.
5
Shrines are awesome at high levels
Empower your party with this powerful room
Coming to one of the most powerful options, the sanctuary is a facility only available to players after the 17th level. Players have access to ninth-level spells at this point, which means the facilities have to be very powerful to keep up, but the sanctuary manages to do just that. Requires at least one party member with a holy symbol or druidic focus as a spellcasting focus, but can benefit the group overall once built.
The shrine has three main benefits: it grants access to a special charm that allows players to cast the healing spell without components or slots, it gives a character temporary HP equal to the player’s level every day for seven days, and it makes the magic word of recall always prepared. These are two different sixth-level spells this room grants the partywhich is quite significant, even at higher levels.
An ideal room for wizards and arcane enthusiasts
Another ease of elaboration, the scriptorium is great for characters with spellcasting abilities. It allows for the creation of spell scrolls at a faster rate than players would normally be able to keep up with, although it is limited to spells of 3rd level or lower. Still, the scriptorium allows mercenaries to make a scroll for any spell on the wizard or cleric list below that level, meaning it can be used to duplicate some of the best spells in the game.
The Scriptorium also has other uses. It can be used to duplicate any non-magical book or to mass produce a small publication, which can be important for disseminating information in certain campaigns. There are many creative ways to use a setup like this, which makes up for how expensive it is to operate consistently.
3
Teleportation circle is a fun way to introduce new NPCs
Random Wizards will fulfill your requests
The teleportation circle might be the strangest installation players can build in their bastions. Aside from its obvious use as a permanent teleportation circle that players can use to return to their base, This feature can be used to invite powerful wizards to pay a visit. Granted, there’s a good chance the wizard will refuse, but this leaves random spellcasters able to meet up and help the party get past level nine.
After that, the sorcerer simply stays in the Bastion for up to two weeks. The rules specify that they will not help defend you and will leave if threatened, but while they are there, players may request that they cast a wizard spell of fourth level or lower. This brings a lot of versatility to the teleportation circle room, especially for groups that don’t already have a wizard. Additionally, at 17th level, players can have the wizard cast a spell of eighth level or lower, which brings some really interesting options.
2
A sacristy can make your party more magical
Refill spell slots and craft new equipment
Like the sanctuary, the sacristy is only available to characters with a druid or holy symbol focus. But This facility can be done at level nine and can undoubtedly be used to greater effect.. Its most basic function is to create holy water, a pretty niche but potentially powerful substance in the right campaign. But the much better use of the room is to make magical items from the relic table.
Like the workshop, it can only make common or uncommon items, but it can still be very useful for making some basic adventuring gear for mid-level groups. Perhaps more importantly, get some rest in the sacristy Restores a spell slot of fifth level or lower. Spell restoration is a very powerful skill, and this place can do it once a day.
1
A training area can give party members important new skills
Make up for any areas of expertise your group is lacking
Finally, the training area is a great way to hone a group’s strengths. Just like the garden, there are several types of training areas, and a Bastion can have several of them. What the area does is allow the party to hire a trainer for battle, skills, tools, unarmed combat or weapons, who can teach certain techniques to a group member for a week.
These trainers provide some pretty powerful abilities. One can give players an extra d4 to add to unarmed damage, while another can grant proficiency in certain skill checks. The trainer in a given area can be changed weekly to allow players to experiment with these different buffs. They last a week and can really make a difference at initial and intermediate levels of Dungeons and Dragons.