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Character owned buildings

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Ahrimon
Sep 27, 2011 17:44:27 Does anyone know of any 4e books that have guidance on character owned buildings? I'm mostly looking for some ideas on costs. I know AV2 has some items, but is there anything covering the more mundane?

Thanks
#2
DeathByDonut
Sep 27, 2011 18:57:14 As far as official written cost for mundane buildings. No. Not that I am aware of.

One thing I always suggest is give land out as a reward, and make the PCs build their own buildings, or have them built. Roleplay out the negotiating of price with the locals. Maybe if the PCs do a quest for the villagers, they'll build the houses for free while the PCs are gone. Have them find ruined structure with heavy hints that if they clear out the existing monsters they can claim the stronghold for themselves. (This is one I am fond off, because back when I played more. That's our group did, we'd get sent to/find a stronghold/castle/dungeon, clear out the existing monsters. Take a little time to give it a little TLC, new locks, traps, magical wards and such, then we'd have our own base.)

It's often cheaper to repair and existing structure than to build a building from the ground up. If the PCs are just looking for little cottages in the village or a city. Have them rent to own, or buy outright on whatever you think the NPC who is negotiating can get out of them (As more likely the case in real estate, than set prices)

Maybe a small cottage near the town markets is going for 1000 gold, while a bigger house on the bad parts of town is only a couple hundred gold. Why do the adventurer's want to buy buildings, they should be out adventuring not stuck to a certain place, where their houses may be broken into/burned down (from retaliation or accident)/taken over by squatters?

Why bother with buildings in the first place? If characters are powerful enough or rich enough, why not let them find/buy/create their own demiplane, a secure dimension all their own. This is far more secure than a mere building with some locks.

Just my ideas on the subject. Good luck, and happy DMing
#3
Ahrimon
Sep 27, 2011 20:54:37
Thanks for the ideas DBD. I'm doing a neverwinter campaign and I wanted to start my group off with a plot of land and an old run down building as part of the backstory to get them there. It's barely livable as is and this gives the characters more ties to the city and role-play opportunities in the city. Of course they could just ignore it and live in an inn, but it's thier option.

They're all first level and I wanted to figure out a good baseline cost for what repairs & improvements would cost. Then I can filter that treasure into the game. If the players want to spend extra they can, if they want to live in the dirt with their shiney gold, then that's their choice.
#4
Langrishe
Sep 28, 2011 17:21:03 Below are the costs for buying buildings in 3.5e which will give you an idea. Not sure what the cost would be in 4e. However I found this info in the DM Guide page 101 under the URBAN ADVENTURES chapter.

I had my players clear out a lighthouse full of monsters and the leader of the local village offered it to them at the low price of 500gp to bring it back to working order. I set its sell price as 10,000gp between a tower and a grand house.

Simple house: 1,000 gp
Grand house: 5000gp
Mansion: 100,000 gp
Tower: 50,000gp
Keep: 150,000 gp
Castle 500,000gp
Huge castle: 1,000,000 gp
+ Moat with bridge: +50,000gp
#5
Ahrimon
Sep 28, 2011 23:51:15 Cool, thanks. Much appreciated!
#6
ToeSama
Sep 29, 2011 7:01:22 Mordenkainen's Magical Emporium has a listing of building costs for 4e if that's what your looking for. It even has a sample of other types of edifices that they could purchase, such as floating castles.

Happy Gaming
#7
pluisjen
Sep 29, 2011 7:04:19 I have the basics for a kingdom control system in 4e in my sig, you can probably adapt it really easy to what you're going for.
#8
yronimosw
Sep 29, 2011 9:44:40 ...and, I wouldn't sweat hassling the players for upkeep costs in the name of keeping things "fair" - any upkeep costs you handwave are more than made up for with the wealth of plot-hooks and adventure ideas the structure can provide (NPC servants who need or offer help, secrets buried in the basement, monster or villain sieges, quests to find building materials or other special supplies, patroling the lands and ground, NPCs who suddenly show up with their own titles to the land, the regional government raises a special levy and the PCs must decide whether to pay it themselves or extort it from the peasants on their land, and so much more!)
#9
kueryd
Oct 02, 2011 7:12:34 There is a Strongold article in Dragon 395
#10
1337DnDMTCn3rd
Oct 19, 2011 12:51:26 How the heck do you scrounge up 1,000,000 GP?
#11
yronimosw
Oct 19, 2011 15:02:24
How the heck do you scrounge up 1,000,000 GP?

Traditionally in the real world, you buy an independent castle not by scrounging together enough money to buy it honestly, but by clawing your way to the top of the social, political, economic, and military food chain through strength and violence, with a good healthy dose of fraud and living beyond your means mixed in. After all, successfully building a castle helps to give a warlord the might he needs to make right the fraud and theft needed to survive investing in a castle he couldn't afford ahead of time. This becomes a viable decision, as long as he has the strength and charisma to back up his deceptions and demands for tribute: with a strong castle, you have a powerful tool to back up your demands for taxes and tribute with, and a base with which to launch wars against your creditors.

The other, more common option would be to accept a castle as an "offer you can't refuse", from someone who can afford it by controlling the wealth of an entire nation - an offer that carries with it the implication of subservience, fealty, and obligation. If you accept a 1,000,000gp castle from someone, expect that your debt to him/her will cost you far more than 1,000,000gp - it will cost you your pride, independence, and possibly your life in the event that you have to defend "your" shiny new castle in your master's endless wars and schemes. Typically, a full-sized castle is a soul-crushing gilded cage....
#12
Drecon84
Oct 25, 2011 8:57:47 Or you could conjure up an army to lay siege to and conquer the castle of course.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Ahrimon Sep 27, 2011 17:44:27	Does anyone know of any 4e books that have guidance on character owned buildings? I'm mostly looking for some ideas on costs. I know AV2 has some items, but is there anything covering the more mundane? Thanks
#2 DeathByDonut Sep 27, 2011 18:57:14	As far as official written cost for mundane buildings. No. Not that I am aware of. One thing I always suggest is give land out as a reward, and make the PCs build their own buildings, or have them built. Roleplay out the negotiating of price with the locals. Maybe if the PCs do a quest for the villagers, they'll build the houses for free while the PCs are gone. Have them find ruined structure with heavy hints that if they clear out the existing monsters they can claim the stronghold for themselves. (This is one I am fond off, because back when I played more. That's our group did, we'd get sent to/find a stronghold/castle/dungeon, clear out the existing monsters. Take a little time to give it a little TLC, new locks, traps, magical wards and such, then we'd have our own base.) It's often cheaper to repair and existing structure than to build a building from the ground up. If the PCs are just looking for little cottages in the village or a city. Have them rent to own, or buy outright on whatever you think the NPC who is negotiating can get out of them (As more likely the case in real estate, than set prices) Maybe a small cottage near the town markets is going for 1000 gold, while a bigger house on the bad parts of town is only a couple hundred gold. Why do the adventurer's want to buy buildings, they should be out adventuring not stuck to a certain place, where their houses may be broken into/burned down (from retaliation or accident)/taken over by squatters? Why bother with buildings in the first place? If characters are powerful enough or rich enough, why not let them find/buy/create their own demiplane, a secure dimension all their own. This is far more secure than a mere building with some locks. Just my ideas on the subject. Good luck, and happy DMing
#3 Ahrimon Sep 27, 2011 20:54:37	Thanks for the ideas DBD. I'm doing a neverwinter campaign and I wanted to start my group off with a plot of land and an old run down building as part of the backstory to get them there. It's barely livable as is and this gives the characters more ties to the city and role-play opportunities in the city. Of course they could just ignore it and live in an inn, but it's thier option. They're all first level and I wanted to figure out a good baseline cost for what repairs & improvements would cost. Then I can filter that treasure into the game. If the players want to spend extra they can, if they want to live in the dirt with their shiney gold, then that's their choice.
#4 Langrishe Sep 28, 2011 17:21:03	Below are the costs for buying buildings in 3.5e which will give you an idea. Not sure what the cost would be in 4e. However I found this info in the DM Guide page 101 under the URBAN ADVENTURES chapter. I had my players clear out a lighthouse full of monsters and the leader of the local village offered it to them at the low price of 500gp to bring it back to working order. I set its sell price as 10,000gp between a tower and a grand house. Simple house: 1,000 gp Grand house: 5000gp Mansion: 100,000 gp Tower: 50,000gp Keep: 150,000 gp Castle 500,000gp Huge castle: 1,000,000 gp + Moat with bridge: +50,000gp
#5 Ahrimon Sep 28, 2011 23:51:15	Cool, thanks. Much appreciated!
#6 ToeSama Sep 29, 2011 7:01:22	Mordenkainen's Magical Emporium has a listing of building costs for 4e if that's what your looking for. It even has a sample of other types of edifices that they could purchase, such as floating castles. Happy Gaming
#7 pluisjen Sep 29, 2011 7:04:19	I have the basics for a kingdom control system in 4e in my sig, you can probably adapt it really easy to what you're going for.
#8 yronimosw Sep 29, 2011 9:44:40	...and, I wouldn't sweat hassling the players for upkeep costs in the name of keeping things "fair" - any upkeep costs you handwave are more than made up for with the wealth of plot-hooks and adventure ideas the structure can provide (NPC servants who need or offer help, secrets buried in the basement, monster or villain sieges, quests to find building materials or other special supplies, patroling the lands and ground, NPCs who suddenly show up with their own titles to the land, the regional government raises a special levy and the PCs must decide whether to pay it themselves or extort it from the peasants on their land, and so much more!)
#9 kueryd Oct 02, 2011 7:12:34	There is a Strongold article in Dragon 395
#10 1337DnDMTCn3rd Oct 19, 2011 12:51:26	How the heck do you scrounge up 1,000,000 GP?
#11 yronimosw Oct 19, 2011 15:02:24	How the heck do you scrounge up 1,000,000 GP? Traditionally in the real world, you buy an independent castle not by scrounging together enough money to buy it honestly, but by clawing your way to the top of the social, political, economic, and military food chain through strength and violence, with a good healthy dose of fraud and living beyond your means mixed in. After all, successfully building a castle helps to give a warlord the might he needs to make right the fraud and theft needed to survive investing in a castle he couldn't afford ahead of time. This becomes a viable decision, as long as he has the strength and charisma to back up his deceptions and demands for tribute: with a strong castle, you have a powerful tool to back up your demands for taxes and tribute with, and a base with which to launch wars against your creditors. The other, more common option would be to accept a castle as an "offer you can't refuse", from someone who can afford it by controlling the wealth of an entire nation - an offer that carries with it the implication of subservience, fealty, and obligation. If you accept a 1,000,000gp castle from someone, expect that your debt to him/her will cost you far more than 1,000,000gp - it will cost you your pride, independence, and possibly your life in the event that you have to defend "your" shiny new castle in your master's endless wars and schemes. Typically, a full-sized castle is a soul-crushing gilded cage....
#12 Drecon84 Oct 25, 2011 8:57:47	Or you could conjure up an army to lay siege to and conquer the castle of course.