What is missing from this city

I have a problem. I am mapping out a city in my world and can not figure out what I have left out.

The city in question is between a small and large city and its is primarily a trading city. The dwarves, halflings, and humans live there, with the humans being the main race.

So far this is what the city has:
Many residental areas both big and small
Market Square
Four Various Temples
A Fort (Where the city begin)
A Caravan Construction Plant
A Bank
Various blacksmiths, armorsmiths, and weaponsmiths
A Library
A Bounty Office
A magic shop
Military Headquaters
Warehouses
Walls
Towers
Two Taverns
Two Parks

I still have four large buildings and I can't decide what they are. Please Help

A city hall?
A museum?
An office building?

I assume you mean two detailed taverns. A city should have lots more than two places to get a drink.

Is this city large enough to have some kind of university? Whether it's a magic school or something more mundane it introduces lots of cool plot potential.

How about something really obnoxious like a tannery. Apparently they produce an amazingly bad smell.

An actual inn that serves ONLY as a sleeping place?

A Jail?

An insane asylum?

An apothecary?


Why the magic shop?

What's the population?

Stables and a place to buy horses.
Grain storage.
Guild houses; each trade guild probably has their own meeting house, plus there might be a large building where many guilds can gather and do business.
Farmer's exchage, near the market places.
Some sort of apothecary or leech.
Brothels, at least three or four and those are the ones not run out of various houses.
Thieve's Guildhouse.
Inns! Taverns are usually places to just drink and maybe eat. Inns will have rooms and meals.
A jail.


As was said above, more than 2 taverns. A large trading city probably has at least 20-25 waterholes of various sizes and clientele - a metropolis probably has over 100. Military and guardsmen don't drink where the corn merchants drink who don't drink where the wool and cloth merchants drink who don't drink where the common laborers drink, etc.

Taverns, like inns and brothels and some other types of service organizations predominately serve a certain income range, a city area, a trade or, especially in D&D, a race. There would be an elf bar, a dwarf bar (gold, gold, gold, gold!), orc bar, etc. Similarly, there will also be more than one market; usually at least two and sometimes more depending on how large the city is. There will probably be an animal market where you can buy sheep, goats, etc, and (maybe) a slaughterhouse near that -- both are usually outside the city walls because of the astonishing pollution they produce. Just like tannerys (hides are soaked in large vats of urine).

Ooh, a barbershop?

a well/ water source and distribution
sewer/waste management
city dump (where does garbage go)
barracks for the town guard
clothing shops/stalls
fabric shops/stalls
merchantile store (general store, adventurer supplies that aren't potions, weapons, armor)
mill
barrel maker (coopers I believe they're called)
wagon makers (not a "caravan construction plant")
seamstress/tailor business (probably run out of home or downstairs shop).
hat maker

Janx

Thanks for your help guys.

Most of the stuff you guys mentioned I had but as part of other buildings. Like the barracks were part of the military section of the city.

I added brothels, a few more taverns, inns, a stable (with the ability to buy horses), a jail, a main trade house, and a university.

And to answer der_kluge's question about the magic shop. The wizard who makes his home in the city decided to open one as a way to make a little money since his adventuring days are over.

The population was about 13,000 people of various races, but since the war in my world, the population dropped to about 7,000 people.

I only need one more building and was hoping it was a industrial building. I welcome more ideas on what should be in the city.

Also can you guys give me a few ideas on what should be in a Dwarven Metropolis Port City?

ThorneMD said:

Also can you guys give me a few ideas on what should be in a Dwarven Metropolis Port City?

Click to expand...

Plenty of elven slaves?