So, 1001 Tavern Names for 4e.... I'll start with a few stupid ones:
1) The Gnome's Lair
2) The Expeditious Retreat
3) The Broken Rule
4) The Lusty Minion
5) The Old Hoe
Your turn...
The Witches Eye Inn.
Each tavern has a number placard below the sign outside that designates what branch it is.
This came about long ago in my uncle jeffs campaign, he got tired of thinking up names so we started calling every tavern The Witches Eye Inn, and it became a staple.. now each is a franchise. (Secretly the whole Inn thing is a front for the largest thieves guild spanning the world. started by my very first rogue character.)
6) The Wander Inn (haha)
7) [Location]'s Rest (ex. Silverymoon's Rest, Shadowfell's Rest)
8) The Smoldering Cauldron
9) The Broken Signpost
10) The Welcome Stop (hehe)
11) The Adventurer's Den (can also work with other names like The Druid's Den)
13) Luckless Palace
15) The Six Legged Toad
16) The Barbarian Boast
17) The Palace of Paupers
19) The Old Dun Cow.
20) The Upended Tankard.
21) The Lost Spot
22) The Mermaid's Revenge (we used it once in a port town, the DM of the adventure thinks the scariest movie ever is 'The Little Mermaid')
23) The Badger and the Jackel
24) The Harlot's Roar
25) Hobgoblin's Fork House
27) Ye Ole Inn-eth
1. Gold Dragon Inn (secretly owned by a sub-adult gold dragon shapeshifts into human form)
2. Boar's Nest (a nod to the Dukes of Hazzard's Boss Hogg - & the guy who runs it is a no good S.o.B. named "Boss Hogg" in Mythal)
3. Jack O' the Green (run by an old Druid)
4. Toad's Inn (tends to be the one where Half-Anythings's hang out)
5. Toadstool Inn (for Halflings & Gnomes - kind of a small tavern)
6. The Lion's Pride (Private Club only for members of the local Fighters Guilds)
7. Restful Willow Inn (very high class 5 star place)
8. Mad Hatter's Prize (place for Bards & Rogues to perform)
9. Dagger's Hall (Rogue owned, operated and used as a base for thieves)
10. The Blasted Tower (Private Club only for members of the local Wizard's Guild)
11. Lucky Jack's (gambling casino - run by the local Mob)
12. Travellers Keep (just a simple place for non-adventurers to get food, drink and sleep - run by a retired 14th level Ranger/Druid)
13. Pater Noster (run by a retired cleric/mage)
My favorites to use in a campaign are Lucky Jack's, the Boar's Nest and the Blasted Tower as they can provide a lot of adventure hooks for the PC's.
43 - The Sticky Wicket (No ideas for this one, I just like it.)
44 - The Faerie Ring (Specializes in elven wine... a more "genteel" environment.)
45 - The Hoop and Barrel (Clean and well-run, but the floor is three inches deep in discarded peanut shells. Good beer, fairly cheap.)
46 - The Cork and Bung (Wine and ale in a dank, tense environment)
47 - Booze (Ideally run by a half-orc or very straightforward dwarf... "Why bother with prettying it up? Just say what you sell." Actually quite popular.)
48 - The Last Gasp (Renowned as the last bar before entering a duchy where alcohol is outlawed. Tiny place, only visited by travelers.)
49. The Rusty Polyhederal
51. The Couped Boar (I don't know why I like this one so much, but it's been a fixture in every campaign that I've run...)
53. The Crown and Pickle
54. The Red Lion
55. Blackjack's Gaming House
56. The Hungry Hippo
57. The Bouncing Bugbear
58. Crate and Barrel :D
59. The Boar's Head
60. The White Rook
62. The Green Dragon Tavern (from 1E)
63. The Welcome Wench (from Homlett)
64. The Prancing Pony (from LotR)
65. The Rampant Lion
66. Trembling Wings Tavern
67. Red Taft Plume Tavern
68. The Dafty Alesman
69. Sans Sinister Inn/Tavern ("No Left Hand" inn/tavern)
70. The Starknight Tavern
71. Ring of Blades Tavern (with dueling ring)
72. Bertram's Tavern (run by a troll who used to be a former wrester [
if know the reference])73. The Spilled Grog Tavern
74. The Rusty Nail Tavern
75. Gibbering Mouther Inn (Innsmouth?
)54. The Red Lion
That's the name of a smoke/hobby/book shop in Salem, MA.
[gump] It's a household name. [/gump]
77. The Grognard's Head
78. Kwitcher*****in' Kitchen (Hint: the starred out area rhymes with the 'Kwitch')
80.)The Laughing Elf: only the finest wines.
81.)Callahan's Place: run by the merriest redheaded barbarian of all time (sorry, I just had to...).
82.)The Last Inn and Tavern: on the Dwarfroad, just before the mountains (great ale, for those of you looking...).
83.)Streams of Whiskey: nothing but ye olde folke muzik, played by the roughest of bards.
84.)Rogue's Gallery: oddly enough, this is where the paladins hang out
.85.)Dragonsfoot Tavern: a small, ramshackle, open-air bar with the bar proper set into a fossilized dragon's footprint.
86.)Blades & Barter: the house rule: "Everything is for sale."
87.)That Tavern: everyone knows where it is.
88.)Slainte: where "Everyone knows your name."
12) The Slaughtered Prince
You win the thread, have a cookie
I shall have to rere-use that one in my campaign; whether or not it has earned it's name as it's fictional counterpart is yet to be seen.
90) the Flaming Dwarf (I know what your thinking, it's actually run by an azer ;)
91) the Bustee Wench (has a large, broken wrench above the door, run by a gnome with a speech impediment)
92) the Green Dragon, Inn (actually a dragon disguised by an illusion, walking through the door, is walking into it's mouth)
93) Foam and Froth Tavern (the beer is served with lots of head, the barkeep has a "spraying" problem)
91) The Drunken Dragon
99 - The Hog's Wattle. If you can get past the horrible, reeking stench of decay and the constant haze of smoke, you'll find... a humid pit of disease and cheap, watery booze.
100 - The Adamant Dwarf. Dead center in the main room is an adamantine "statue" of a dwarf raising his mug in a pointing gesture, his expression defiant. Seems that he was a regular there before he ran afoul of a hung-over archmage.
101 - The Divine Mount. Renowned for being the only combination tavern/taxidermist's shop in existence. Oddly enough, the "house special" rotgut is served from the same bottle as the preservative...
12) The Slaughtered Prince
Stardust FTW! One of the most underrated fantasy movies I've ever seen.
103. The missing pointless subsytem
That's the name of a smoke/hobby/book shop in Salem, MA.
[gump] It's a household name. [/gump]
It's also the name of a (now defunct) bar in Augusta, GA.
106. The Drunken Spider
107. The Dangling Demon (Sign with a lynched demon on it)
108. The Vomitting Toad (Best not to ask)
109. The Frisky Fairy
111. The Butchered Horse
112. The Gnoll's Woes
113. The Leaning Lampblack
114. Blue Bird Inn
115. Green Goat Tavern
116. The Golden Lamb
117. Yellow Bear Pub
118. The Red Fish
120. The Tavern
121. The Puke Bucket
122. The d20
123. That one place
124. 124
125. The crusty bartender
126. A.I.D.s
127. Who Farted
128. Krusty Krusk's
or some other alliteration
129: No Pub Worth Mentioning
131: The Definitely-not-a-front-for-an-assassin's-guild Inn
133. The Golden Scroll- Local Wizard Hangout
134. Eight Arms to Serve You- Local paladin hangout where the owner's pet octopus acts as the barkeep
135. The Stony Dwarf- Owned by a dwarf, who keeps a Dwarf Ancestor in his basement in case of trouble
136. Teh Bluudie Aks- owned by a half-orc barbarian who has no idea how to spell "bloody" or "axe"
137. The Surly Mermaid- Seaside bar that speaks for itself
138. The Shadowed Cavern- Bar built inside a cave, local hangout for rouges and assassins
140: The Red Tankard - post-Spellplague place owned by a dwarf and a thayan refugee, of all person
141) During one campaign, in the very first session the party managed to jump out of a window into a lake they knew was there, I couldn't resist calling it the Dew Drop Inn (everyone's used this at some point, I'm sure).
142) In one game, the players stayed out in the stables to avoid an assassin, so I dubbed that The Horseshoe Road Inn.
143) When the characters were met by an undercover priestess who pretended to be a...lady of ill repute to get them away from the common room, that tavern became the Come-On Inn.
144) One town under attack by a goblin army had the Bar Guest Pub.
145) A recently-robbed and -destroyed tavern was the Breakin' Inn; the next time the party visited the town, its successor was robbed and destroyed again (the Broken Inn), and then a third version was robbed, burned, and gutted (yep, the Broken Inn Two).
I think that's all for now
(149)"the cave inn" ussally found near a mountain
151. "Molly's Chamber"
152. "The Road House"
153. "The Nixie's Kiss"
154. "Hap's Place"
155. "The Hang Ogre"
156. "The North Star"
157. "Noem's Place"
our standard one is ,
(149)"the cave inn" ussally found near a mountain
Brilliant.
158. The Pink Cherub Inn - Leave your inhibitions at the door.
159. Dark Malt's Inn - The darkest ale in the Empire.
160. The Laughing Gargoyle Inn - For rent. See my campaign tread.
It's also the name of a (now defunct) bar in Augusta, GA.
The Red Lion is the most common pub name in Britain.
I either name inns after real pubs (too much experience) or pick the first two random nouns that come into my head (very risky), hence
161) The Virgin and Cucumber
162) The Cow and Stethescope (a real pub)
163) Beerz
Tiamat's consort is a small out of the way pub/inn in the adventurer's district of town. Its the best inn in that part of town. Its also the worst pub. The reason it is the best in, is actually because its the worst pub. The reason its the worst pub is, ironically, that its the best inn.
Tiamat's Consort is own by Gleb Horst. Gleb Horst is a normal happy man. Except his right leg is a pink tentacle. Gleb has a funny story about that leg. He was a soldier in the last war a decade back. In that war his leg was taken off by an errant eldritch blast. Bleeding to death and without a cleric is sight, his comrade called over the closest thing; the company wizard. The wizard informed Gleb that there was no way he could heal the wound proper, but he could perhaps polymorph the leg into a non-wounded appendage. Gleb would need to chose a particular limb though, as the wizard was currently flustered and in a panic at this point. Gleb screamed in his pain fueled delirium "PINK TENTACLE!" And the wizard made it so. Five years later the wizard tracked Gleb down and offered a flustering apology realizing now that he could have turned it into another human leg, and then offered to right this grevious wrong. Gleb told the wizard not to worry. He would rather like to keep it. Relations with Gleb's wife have never been the same since.
At this point Gleb laughs. No one is sure why. Many do not want to know.
Gleb does not carry traditional beverages in his tavern. He instead rates each of his personal brews on color. From weakest to strongest, there is Yellow, Red, Brown, and Black. No one drinks Black. Ever. It is rumored that the first and last man to ever drink Black became Tiamat's consort, hence the name of the tavern.
The proprietors of this small out if the way roadside inn are Twin Brothers. Jern and Haun Nerun have recently "purchased" the inn from its previous owner and established themselves under the new name.
169. The Lame Lion (the owner of the tavern was once a marksman famed across the realm for his accuracy. His mascot was a trained lion that accompanied him to his trick arrow shooting exhibitions. Long story short, arrow misses, lion maimed, fame and fortune gone, converted house into bar, enter PC)
170. Bugbear's Delight (Bugbears like violence and meat. Strangely enough, so do everyone else. This is a rough and tumble bar who's denizens would sooner stab you in the face and maim your corpse horribly than give up their seats. The owner's a minotaur. Yeah. He doesn't like being messed with.
171: The Ghoul's Galley ( a bar haphazardly converted from the crypt of a wealthy noble. It's well hidden and illegal; partly because it's infringing on the property of a noble and partly because it partakes in the sport of ghoulfighting. Tavern goers bet on different ghouls and release them into an arena built in the center of the tavern. The ghouls fight obviously to the death.)
172: The Grell's Eye (a misonomer, because Grell's have no eyes. The owner of the bar is a rough talking dwarf who appears to be mildly insane. Though he is completely capable of fending for himself, his disorder has drastically altered his thought processes and as such he will only fight monsters whose names begin with "g".)
173: The Backward Palm (an infamous Rakshasa tavern and clubhouse. It is strictly Rakshasa only. Any non-Rakshasa's that wander into the well lit, warm and utterly decadent clubhouse are given the best Rakshasan hospitality can offer. They are usually found in little bags dumped on the side of the road. And I mean little bags.)
174: The Warforged Tavern ( The warforged I'm talking about is a being who is known by many as "Sam". Sam was a warforged mercenary who was gravely damaged during a battle with a eidolon. A novice wizard knew that without Sam's help he would die, and desperately tried to cast a Raise Dead spell on him, not knowing that a steel body and magically granted mind did not pass for a soul. But the strands of fate are sometimes woven in patterns no one can predict . The spell... worked. Sam awoke with no recollection of the event and seemed surprised when he discovered he was made of metal. He retired from adventuring and opened a tavern. He said it was "the most human thing he could think of".
I'm very new to this game and haven't even played my second adventure yet. Comment kindly...
I keep coming back to "The Traipsing Vrock."
Is that #176?
177: The Dew Drop Inn
My fave so far is "The Hang Ogre," lol.
179. The Hawk & Blade
And my favorite for heavy commerce port cities
180. The Loading Dock
183. The Black Cat Inn and Tavern
184. The High View Inn (near Medford, WI) - Just needs to be located at a locally high point.
186. Olde Towne Inn (Westby, WI) - In the old quarter of the city
186. Duck Inn (Delavan, WI)
And that brought to mind this other fine joint in Fells Point, Baltimore, MD:
187. The Admiral Fell Inn - Perhaps there was an Admiral Fell in your campaign's history. Or not.
188. The Owl's Eyes - The sign depicts a wide-eyed owl and a beer tankard
190. The Castle Gates Pub & Inn
191. Drunken Beer Tavern Pub (owned by a half-elf who has no idea what "redundant" means)
190. The Castle Gates Pub & Inn
191. The Drunken Tavern Pub for Beer (owned by a half-elf who doesn't know what "redundant" means)
194 - The Wet Whistle
195 - The Dwarven Half Pint
196 - Road's End Pub
197. The Diminutive Pygmy (A tavern sized for smaller races ran by a eccentric human whom was inspired to open such due to a finding of halflings as /adorable/).
198. The Peddlers Club (Despite its name; it is located in a upscale merchant area and used as a masquerade/gentleman's club).
199. No Vacancy (The name has long since been scratched out; yet the former status remains. A mostly derelict inn ran by scavengers).
200. The Gold Floater (A floating tavern used primarily for gambling by less reputable folk and sailors from down river). :D
202 - The Drip (What exactly is that referring to?)
203 - Moe's Tavern (NO! Not that "Moe".)
208. The Sneezing Walrus
209. The Starving Weasel
210. The Lucky Traveller
211. The Thirsty Lemur
212. The C*ck and Hen (Replace the asterisk with an 'O' to get an oft-used synonym for rooster!)
213. The Ball and Chain
214. The Fish and Whistle
215. The Satyr's Revenge
216. The Weeping Widow
217. The Missing Orphan -- Best Meat Pies in Town!
218. The Chubby Friar
219. The Drowned King
220. Bloodbath & Beyond
221. Darling Dana's Den of Debauchery - UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT (Now a stuffy, clean and, above all, quiet wine bar run by an elf named Piotr. There's a dress code, and barely any prostitutes.)
222. The Spot (The hip tavern, frequented by hot young adventurers that make your party feel old)
223. The Bleeding Predator
224. The Job (So you can tell your wife you've got to spend a late night at the Job)
225. The Filthy Commoner
226. The Scorned Woman
227. The Tended Garden (the working girls here have a reputation for their unusual... landscaping)
228. The Moose and Squirrel
229. The Sleep and Drink
230. The Eat and Drink
231. The Sleep Inn
232. The Sneaking Goblin
233. The Stinking Orc
234. The Stupid Ogre
235. The Filthy Kobold
236. The Ugly Westerner
237. The Cheating Southerner
238. The Twisted Blade
239. The Knotted Arrow
240. The Locked Scabbard
241. The Bated Dagger
242. The Envenomed Blade
243. The Sleeping Snake
244. The Crunchy Frog
245. The Frozen Yeti
246. The Blinded Beholder
247. The Ill Illithid
248. The Jealous Giant
249. The Nasty Gnoll
250. The Flaming Troll
251. The Generous Guest
252. The Tipping Traveller
253. The Destitute Barmaid
254. The Golden Showers Gambling Paradise
255. The Gilded Lily
256. The Silver Stream
257. The Platinum Hammer
258. The Copper Plate
259. The Tin Whistle
260. The Burlap Sack
261. Henry Hatsworth's Horrible Hotel - Hot Heaping Helpings of Hash, Helpful Hirelings, Hard Hooch & Wh*res, Wh*res, Wh*res!
262. The Severed Hand
263. The Missing Finger
264. The Skinned Thief
265. The Wandering Eye
266. The Travelling Hands
267. The Forced March
268. The Welcome Rest
269. The Easy Lay - Loosest Women in Town!
270. The Dragon's Bane
271. The Sleeping Bear
272. The Mangled Minotaur
273. The Burning Zombie
274. The Burning Witch
275. The Jeweled Dagger
276. The Jewel of (City)
277. The Leaking Bucket
278. The Crusty Bread - Best Sandwiches in Town!
279. The Murdered Merchant
280. The Choking Child
281. The Budgeoned Blacksmith
282. The Burned Barmaid
283. The Flayed Fisherman
284. The Flaming Fletcher
285. The Flogged Farmer
286. The Mangled Mason
287. The Asphyxiated Aristocrat
288. The Hanged Highwayman
289. The Poisoned Priest
290. The Wasted Wizard
291. The Plagued Pirate
292. The Sacrificed Salesman
293. The Clobbered Cleric
294. The Maimed Messenger
295. The Creeping Fog
296. The Black Clouds
297. The Raging Crabs
298. The Drowning Baby
299. The Selfish Trader
300. The Wheel and Axle - Purveyors of Fyne Food and Exotick Drynk From Across the Known Wyrld
Ahem.
Translation: Gold & Silver Inn
304. Innit?
305. The Gilded Grue
306. Sods n Suds
308. The Achin' Drum
309. Trollies' Pub
...Beer beer beer, tiddily beer beer beer...
311. The Four Winds
313: The Dragon's Teat (run by a female dragonborn barbarian. Go ahead. Make a joke.)
314: The Medusa's Kiss
315: The Gelatinous Rube
317: The Toxic Stout, "Where every sip gets a free Raise Dead!" (Dwarven Tavern)
318: The Feats of Third (rated in the top 100 most predictable services in the land)
319: The Pixie's Fart
320: The Black Pudding, "Where the desserts eat you!
321: Shang Hai's
323: The Bone Fiddle Inn (this dawned on me: the Bone Fiddle Inn is named after a bone fiddle hanging above the central fireplace. It is made of the bones of a young girl, who was tossed in the river by her sister many years ago. Her ghost will likely show up when the PCs arrive and cause trouble.