Post/Author/DateTime	Post
meaux1 06-11-07, 10:03 PM	So I am getting ready to start a campaign at 1st level. I'll be creating the world as I go so I don't need to worry about anything major at first. For character creation, I'll be allowing most anything the players want to play and I'll "make it fit." What I need is a small village or town that I can use as a base of operations. I am not very good at writing up towns. Does anybody know of any good small towns that I can "hijack?" I've got lots of adventures and books that I can refer to. I have a large number of Dungeon magazines as well so even those will help. As far as what I am looking for, I am thinking something out of the way, and a good mix of terrain nearby. It would also be isolated for the most part so that I can keep the players in that area for the first 4 level or so. Oh, and I'm not looking to have any oceans or major bodies of water nearby (except maybe a river or two). Thanks in advance.
Mr. the Hun 06-11-07, 11:33 PM	If you own or can get a copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide II, there's a small city called Saltmarsh that's extensively mapped out, including a good number of completely fleshed out buildings, over forty adventure hooks and over fifty NPCs. It's a good place to get started. Only problem, of course, is that it's seaside, but it's not too hard to simply change it. I'm using it myself, and it's proven to be extremely easy to adapt. I've changed the thieves guild, some of the geography and a few of the building sites and it's incredibly easy. Hope this helps.
meaux1 06-12-07, 07:21 AM	I think Saltmarsh might be a bit larger than I need for the first few adventures, but using it as the "next base" will probably work. It isn't too big or small so it should work great for that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Heros_Backpack 06-12-07, 12:57 PM	There was a 1st lvl Dungeon adventure (Siege of the Spider Eaters) about a year ago that was set in a small isolated island town. Would that be any use?
Apupunchau 06-12-07, 01:39 PM	There was an article about building the world starting with the town your player's are coming from I believe in a Dragon Magazine but I don't remember which one. And it had some fairly good ideas. First take a look at what kind of characters your player's are playing if you say have a ranger and a druid and barbarian maybe they live in a small tribal village and you cna flesh it out form there. Have a cleric and a paladin in your group maybe they're from a remote monastery and the small down that surrounds it. Have a first session that's all character creation then look at the party. If they are all humans you'll get something different then if they're all elves or if they're all dwarves. If the party is diverse or uses races not in the PHB what would the town be like. If the players already have their characters done you could maybe tell us what they are and we could come up with a down that fits the needs of your players.
meaux1 06-12-07, 03:15 PM	If the players already have their characters done you could maybe tell us what they are and we could come up with a down that fits the needs of your players. Knowing my players, I am most likely to get mostly humans and then one other race. Depending on the player, that one other race is likely to be an elf or a dwarf... Followed by some random race from Eberron. I won't be getting any warforged I'm sure. As far as classes, I typically get a mix or variation of "the big 4." I'm thinking it might be fun this time through to only allow classes outside the core book just to see what gets played. But that is still up in the air, and the players might not go for that so it is kind of dependent on what the players really want to do.
Apupunchau 06-12-07, 04:05 PM	So we can start by working with what you got. Mostly Human with one maybe two other races. So we can assume the whole town is mostly human but there are some of these other races, a small minority. First thing you've got to decide is how are these races treated. Are the human townspeople suspicious of them? Have they always been their? Did the land once belong squarely with them and the humans were allowed to make this town? Or are they settlers here like the humans? Here are some ideas depending on the race Dwarf 1) The town is near a small dwarven satellite mine from a dwarven city a few days away. The dwarves in the mine have taken to spending time in the village where they are welcome as long as they don't get rowdy. Some of the dwarves have even begun to live in the town maybe starting their own businesses. This will allow for dwarves as well as maybe a slightly higher than average town wealth. It gives dwarven characters an amiable start with the locals. 2) The town had been there for sometime and the townsfolk lived a nice rural life. A dwarven surveying contingent found precious ore and gems near by and set up shop. The town was flooded with these expensive materials and the rich got richer while the poor stayed the same and the backwater town became a trading post. The dwarves are tolerated but not liked because with the coming of the money they brought the town also started to have crime and a socially divided populous. This also allows dwarves but adds a good start for rogue characters as well boosting the starting wealth of the town. I have some others for different races but I'm at work and it's taken me awhile just to get this typed. Once you know for sure about your characters then it'll be easier to give you a few options that will fit your particular game. Race adn Character class are important as well as any ideas that players have about their characters.
meaux1 06-13-07, 04:26 AM	Maybe I'll have the players throw some ideas at me this Thursday when we play our regular game (about to start Grasp of the Emerald Claw). That way I can get an idea as to what the players want to do with their characters. Then I can let you know what the players are doing. That will probably help a lot. They might change a few things by the time we actually get to the playing of the new characters in a few weeks, but that should be easy to handle. My basic idea on this whole thing is to create as little of the world as possible to start and see where it goes. Most of the time I take the opposite approach on my worlds, I'm seeing what the other side holds right now.
Thanuir 06-13-07, 07:27 AM	You might find some inspiration from random nations (http://random-generator.com/index.php?title=PlacesToGo), towns (http://random-generator.com/index.php?title=SmallTown) and farms (http://random-generator.com/index.php?title=FantasyFarmstead). Refresh the pages for more results. See also random town names (http://random-generator.com/index.php?title=Fantasy_Town_Names).
meaux1 06-15-07, 02:23 AM	Well, I had the characters created. I've got three humans and a half elf. This will hopefully keep things pretty easy as choosing a town. Oh, and thanks Thanuir that is a pretty cool page. I'll probably use it a lot as I go on.
Apupunchau 06-15-07, 10:55 AM	What classes? What Alignments? and how small do you want the town? Thorp sized mabe 80 people, Hamlet sized up to a few hundred Village almost a thousand or Small Town sized up to 2000.
meaux1 06-15-07, 06:31 PM	There is a ranger, a rogue, a wizard, and a cleric. Everybody is good aligned and the town needs to be pretty small. Up to 1,000 people is fine. 500 would probably be better but up to 1,000 is fine too. The cleric is of an unnamed good aligned faith. I'm creating the world as I go, so I had the player pick a couple domains, and I'll work from there. They picked magic and healing. Kind of odd, but that's ok.
Apupunchau 06-15-07, 06:35 PM	Ok I think I have a few good ideas.. lastly which one is the Half-Elf?
Apupunchau 06-16-07, 06:03 PM	Ok here you go one town. Since you hadn't replied about which character the half-elf was I left one free half-elf. If any of them except the ranger is half-elf thigns will work out although I'll need to make some changes to the church if the half-elf is the cleric. If the half-elf is the ranger then one of the 500 level 1 commoners is a half-elf. Obviously you don't need to use this whole sale but it may be a good start. Crestridge (size Village) Population: 623 (62 additional non adults) Government: Mayor w/ City Council Alignment: Neutral Good (The people of Crestridge concern themselves with doing things right and working hard. they've had little use for harsh laws but they understand what right and wrong is.) Crestridge is a small huma settlement on the height of a bizarre ridge that overlooks a large plains area. On the ridge itself is a large forest that used to hold a large settlement of elves. The humans that first settled here came from the barbarian tribes that still roam the plains lands below. When they settled they were watched with curiosity by the elves of the forest. The elves and humans came to an agreement as long as the settlement did expand past a certain area the elves would train their people in all of their more "civilized" ways. The elves taught the settlers the ways of the forest warden (ranger), the song of memory (bards), and even those who showed potential their Arcane Secrets and Druidic ways. For centuries the village prospered under the guiding hand of the elves. Crestridge met the first other humans from a kingdom far away a little more than a century ago. Those humans brought with them trade and human religion. After a decade or so the elves began to mysteriously vanished from the lives of the human settlers of Crestridge and the huamns with short memories began to forget what the elves had taught them. Currently Crestridge is a mostly human village with a few remaining elves and some of the offspring of mixed marraiges. At this point even those young elves have forgotten the druid traditions of their people and the religion of the humans has begun to spring up. The people of Crestridge have tried to keep alive the Songs of Memory and the Arcane teachings of the elves with some small success but the one thing they have always kept is the ways of the Forest Wardens as the elite guards of Crestridge. Humans 598, Half-Elves 12, Elves 7, Other 6 (3 Halflings, 1 Gnome, 1 Half-Orc, 1 Aasimar) Leaders of Crestridge Liam Calin is the long time mayor of Crestridge and his closest council includes Arwth who is the oldest elf and oldest resident of Crestridge, Old Colin the Elder the oldest of the human populations and Keel Borden the Blacksmith and probably one of the hardest working na d most respect citizens in town. Some of the older more prominent families in the city also have members on the council. Mayor Liam Calin – Human Level 3 Aristocrat Arwyth Goldenbough – Elf Level 14 Commoner Old Colin the Elder – Human Level 7 Commoner Keel Borden – Human Level 6 Expert (Black Smith) 5 Councilmen – Level 1 Aristocrats (all Humans) Crestridge Wardens The wardens are the elite defense force of Crestridge. They patrol the forest which has become quite a bit more dangerous since the disappearance of the elves, as well as defend the town proper. The Wardens are led by Ian Hedrick with his two aides Voile Leafwind, an archer without peer, and Janus Thorn, a master wilderness scout. The elf maiden Yvonne Moonshade who sadly didn't take will to the rigors of Warden training still showed to be handy with a blade and has been put in charge of the village defenders the Watchmen. High Warden - Ian Hedrick Human Level 12 Ranger (Two Weapon Fighting) Bow Master - Voile Leafwind Half-Elf Level 6 Ranger (Ranged Specialist) Scout Master - Janus Thorn Human Level 6 Ranger (Two-Weapon and Stealth) Lieutenant - Yvonne Moonshade Elf Level 1 Fighter 2 Elite Scouts - Level 3 Ranger (1 Halfling, 1 Half-Elf) 2 Elite Archers – Level 3 Rangers (1 Elf, 1 Human) Wardens - 8 Level 1 Rangers (1 Halfling, 1 Gnome, 2 Elves, 1 Half-Elves, 2 Humans) (one of these is the player) Watchmen - 28 Level 1 Warriors (22 Human, 2 Half-Elf) Church of Pertronus the Giver The church of Pertronus is a small but growing religion in Crestridge. With the elvish druids all gone the people look to Pertronus to fill their needs. Like the ways of the elves Pertronus brings both healing and a connection to the magic of everyday life. The religion of Pertronus includes Claerical Healers, Arcane Wizards, Armored Templars and Unarmed Monks. (I have a slight change to this if the player playing the cleric is the half-elf) Defender of the Faith - Dara of the Eldritch Blade Human Level 1 Paladin. Conduit of the Giver - Player Cleric (human) Arcane Seer – Keela Vos Human Level 1 Wizard Pious of Pertronus – Brother Fallon Aasimar Level 3 Monk Initiates of Pertronus – 2 Human Level 1 Monks Sheriff's Department With trade coming from the larger human nation and the barbarian tribes below the Sheriff's department has had to expand. Darius Longfellow has been the sheriff for over a decade now and Burlough Frist and Mlasit Silver Brook have been able deputies. A number of patrolmen have been trained as well as the skills of a sneaky halfling by the name of Marlo Littlefingers who tends to hear things people wish he wouldn't and could talk a secret out a mute. Sheriff - Darius Longfellow Human Level 8 Warrior Warrior Deputies - Burlough Frist (Human) and Malist Silverbrook (Half-Elf) Level 4 Warriors Patrolmen - 4 Level 2 Warriors (all human) Marlo Littlefingers – Level 2 Halfling Rogue Barbarians at the Gate Faress the Lion is brother to the leader of the Pride tribe of Barbarians. The Pride tribe has managed to keep friendly ties with the people of Crestridge for over a century, since before the elves left. As the tribe leaders brother Faress is the word of the tribe when dealing with the people of Cresthill. Urgu the Runner is the son of Faress and his speed allows him to run important messages back and forth to the Pirde. Urgu also has his wife Neela who is a master weaver a skill she uses to bring income into the tribe and to trae for goods. Faress the Lion - Human 6th Level Barbarian Urgu the Runner - Human 3rd Level Barbarian (run feat) Barak Spearhunter - Half-Orc 3rd Level Barbarian Neela - Human 3rd Level Expert (Craft Weaving) Barbarians Hunters - 4 1st Level Barbians (all Human) Barbarian People - 13 1st Level Commoners (all human) , 4 1st Level Experts (Skinner, Butcher, Salve Maker (Alchemist) and Leather Worker) (all Human) Keepers of Memory The keepers of memory are the remainder of the Arcane Faith of Magic and Music left by the elves. Brother and Sister Ilthay and Portia two of the remaining elves lead the keepers of memory trying to keep what they can actually remember of their people alive. Ilthay Spellbinder – Elf Level 3 Wizard Player Character – Level 1 Wizard (Leaving a half-elf free in case the wizard is the Half-elf) Portia the Memory Keeper – Elf Level 2 Bard Memory Keepers – 2 Human Level 1 Bards Citizens The rest of the citizenry is fairly unremarkable. Farmer Johnston has the biggest farmstead in Crestridge. His encroachment on the forest has always been a problem with the elves until they vanished. Darla Fink is a young woman who came to Crestridge from the larger nation. She has yet to cause any trouble in Crestridge but she is a runaway from a thieves guild elsewhere and trouble could very well follow her. Farmer Johnston - Human 1 Level 7 Commoner 4 Level 3 Commoners (All Human) 500 Level 1 Commoners (All Human) 2 3 Level Experts 13 Level 1 Experts Darla Fink - Level 1 Rogue Player Character – Level 1 Rogue
meaux1 06-18-07, 01:37 AM	Sorry it took so long to reply... I wasn't near my computer for most of the weekend. The Half-Elf however, is the rogue. This town is really cool btw. I have to say that this was much more work than I was expecting. I'll probably use quite a bit of it. Thanks for the help.
Apupunchau 06-18-07, 12:47 PM	Sorry it took so long to reply... I wasn't near my computer for most of the weekend. The Half-Elf however, is the rogue. This town is really cool btw. I have to say that this was much more work than I was expecting. I'll probably use quite a bit of it. Thanks for the help. I'm glad you like it. I basically just took an idea based on what your player characters were and fudged a little with the building a city section in the DMG. Obviously since I used the DMG there isn't anything but core stuff in there but somethings are easily changed. I suggest changing a couple of the rangers out for scouts and maybe adjusting how many ranger levels the high warden has and give him a prestige class. Hopefully I helped contribute something to your world. I tried to leave enough freedom for you and your characters as well as some ideas for plot hooks if they like. Although I'll assume they may have already done character backgrounds. I was actually going to do some full character writeups for some of the major personalities in the city but I thought you might like to do that. I really like doing this kind of thing and with no time to run a game of my own helping other folks out give me a chance to exercise my creative juices.
meaux1 06-18-07, 06:32 PM	This town will actually work pretty well for what I have planned. I will have to change some stuff (as would be expected if you are lazy and don't design it yourself) but the core ideas will be there. The history stuff is pretty cool to. I've already got some adventures planned that will go along that theme. I'm planning on having the party in this area only up until level 5 or 6. Then maybe they will return at some later point, but I don't really know yet since as I mentioned before, I'm not planning as much of it as I can. Once I get the adventure going, maybe I'll post a campaign journal type thing... Would I post that here or on the Adventure thread?
Apupunchau 06-18-07, 06:45 PM	No clue I mostly reply to posts not start them.
Knute 06-19-07, 02:20 PM	I hope you don't mind if I yoink this city myself. Thought I'd post my first ideas for an adventure. Adventure Ideas Nico Fabjab-pundar Long Feather and his household of gnomes have scouted the surrounding countryside for a place to build his latest invention, a windmill. He's not exactly sure what he is going to do with the thing but he knows a good place to put it when he sees one. On the edge of the ridge facing into the wind there is a rocky promontory the town is not using. With a honeyed tongue and the gift of a +1 sword pundar has bought the promontory from the town for gnome kind – and himself specifically. He has named it “Fabjab-pundaria” although the town shows no sign of following his example. Some in the town are not happy with these results. The promontory has strategic value and many simply don't trust the gnomes. 1st Level – The gnomes will need escorts for a supply caravan from their homes to the construction site. To win favour from the town they are hiring local muscle wherever possible and paying in gold. Some of the members of the isolated village are excited by the prospect of a paid trip to a new Gnomish Town. The characters could be hired to protect the caravan on this journey. Although they are only 1st level they will be better trained than the shopkeepers, bakers, & farmers who are cashing in on the invitation. 2nd Level – The material is arriving but someone is stealing it. Will the players apprehend the thieves? 3rd Level – The promontory is not so unused. It holds the remains of a deserted Elven fortification. Unfortunately the ruins are not empty. The characters get approached by the gnomes to empty it out. They get approached by factions from the town asking them to not help the gnomes anymore. The gnomes are chaotic good and have been straight with the players but the dissenting factions involve the old elven leaders – what will they do? The gnomes maintain they have clear title to the land from the town and that it was not listed among the protected areas by the elves.
Apupunchau 06-19-07, 03:22 PM	That's really good. Now I'll have to come up with a small gnomish village for poor Nico Fabjab-pundar Long Feather to come from. I'll do that tonight it should be fun.
Knute 06-19-07, 05:20 PM	In the gnome town many people call Nico just "Nico Fabjab-punder". He added 'Long Feather' to sound tough.:D The Fabjab-punders are a tinkering family of some size. The town is mostly gnomes with a little higher wealth than normal because they make\sell magic items and potions. Some areas are under protective illusions\traps and they are at least as Xenophobic as Crestridge but not as 'elfy'. Most magic item sales are done by caravans visiting other cities. Beyond that - go nuts. Knute
deanruel 06-19-07, 08:12 PM	If you want a drop-in town that already has plenty of background and fluff made then may I suggest a thread I created to do just that? The Build A City Thread has a town called Eckland (a play on X-land to show that it could be anywhere) that can be used in any campaign setting with only minor tweaks to fit your idea's. Give it a look, it's in my sig.
meaux1 06-20-07, 04:51 AM	That's really good. Now I'll have to come up with a small gnomish village for poor Nico Fabjab-pundar Long Feather to come from. I'll do that tonight it should be fun. That sounds like it would be a cool town... I would be very interested in seeing it. I don't typically use gnomes, so it would all be new to me. I also really like that story arc Knute. With what you've listed there, there are lots of ways you could go with that. Maybe I'll yoink it ;)