Player Owned Castle

[DarkelvenSFi]

I've introduced a Deck of Many Things into a high level campaign. The issue I've got is that one of the players pulled out a card that gave the player a small castle (to be placed anywhere they wanted), and a noble title.

Now I'm at something of a loss of how to handle the campaign with a player owned castle. I'm fine with implementing plot devices and extras to incorporate the property (could be quite fun and interesting), but my problems are;

The description gave few details of the castle, nor any details of upkeep (cost), revenue (if applicable), staff, or other features. So, does anyone know of any resource I can get my hands on that dictates these things? If not, any comments on the following would be appreciated:

Number of staff to manage it (such as a proxy ruler while the player is adventuring)
Cost of the staff (maids, cooks, stablehands, armourers, garrison, etc)
Any revenue generated by the castle (such as taxes from trade routs, settlers, and similar)
Details of how many people could/would settle
Trade details
Rules for determining the creation of an army
Cost and benefit of enhancing the castle; building stables, smithy, moat, barricades, wells, etc

Ok.. I'm getting carried away, but I'm foreseeing potential directions the player(s) may want to take with this.

These are fairly high level characters with a decent amount of gold. If they sense a way to make a profit from the castle, they'll want to pursue it.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ScionJustice]

It's in the Stronghold builders guide.

 

[Jack Simth]

A couple of things....

1) If you incorporate it into the campaign more than once or twice with anything that has a reasonable potential to cause them to lose the castle, your players will get the impression that you hate player strongholds ("because you keep trying to take it away from them" from their perspective).

2) Historically, castle layouts varied rather wildly, based on what made sense to the builder and the reason the castle was built. Yours is a magic castle, and isn't required to do that.

3) Make costs and upkeep a break-even scenario, treating the castle as a safe retreat-point (although some people will follow) and a safe-storage area. Perhaps there's a lot of peasantry doing some sheep herding and farming, and paying taxes, but the taxes all go towards the tax collectors, gaurds, and groundskeepers, keeping the castle up, comfortable, and stocked... but also eating up all the tax income.

 

[Kask]

Now I'm at something of a loss of how to handle the campaign with a player owned castle. I'm fine with implementing plot devices and extras to incorporate the property (could be quite fun and interesting), but my problems are;

Give him another "deck" and make sure he pulls the lose all wealth card...

 

[risner]

Now I'm at something of a loss of how to handle the campaign with a player owned castle.

Stronghold Builders Guide (3.0 book) covers the cost to build a stronghold (castle) and the upkeep costs.

 

[DarkelvenSFi]

Thanks

Cheers for the responses. Helps a lot.

They've been looking at setting up a 'home' with defences (like a golem) for a while. The castle should do this nicely.

I'll have the expenses/revenue system break even; in terms of what the player receives. But I may add some funds specifically for them to make additions to the castle; such as an armoury or alchemy lab, more defences, etc.

And given the chance to use another deck of cards.. most of the players wouldn't. Between 3 and 6 cards picked each, and one got three wishes, fought a dread lord, and got the keep (mostly good). Another got 2 wishes, lost 10,000 exp, lost all wealth, and then had his soul trapped in another dimension (used a wish to break free). A third lost 2 points to all saving throws (drew the same card twice), gained the enmity of an outsider, gained a 4th level fighter, had a friend turn against them (the fourth level fighter), and then a 'know the answer to your next dilemma'.

Given another deck; the one that had a good result has too much to lose. The others would be too afraid to try it out lest they get more of the same.

In hindsight.. it was likely a bad thing to introduce into the campaign. But it came with a good story.

 

[Kask]

Another got 2 wishes, lost 10,000 exp, lost all wealth, and then had his soul trapped in another dimension (used a wish to break free).

Wow, you're generous. A wish doesn't free someone who has drawn the Void card.

 

[Jlord]

I've introduced a Deck of Many Things...

oouugh...

sorry, bad experiences. 3 out of every 4 campaigns die due to the direct result of this item being introduced (in our group at least)

here is an idea that might be worth running with...
I say make the castle ridiculously too good. make it the biggest, bestest castle in the land, and make it enormous. this will do a few things: namely it will require a large amount of upkeep and people to run and defend. secondly it will become a very envious prize. I cannot think of other nobles sitting by while some non-noble is magically granted nobility and the greatest castle in the world. it would be laid siege quickly. unless you already have a heavy campaign going on, starting a city and defending it would be a campaign in itself. also the other players may want a piece of the glory for themselves and use their own followers to take some of these other noble's castles and start their own cities. instead of heading out to slay the monsters, you slay the monsters that attack your town. look into mind flayers and other monsters that would strive in a city. when the pc's tire of this, they can find an interesting way to break out, or they can make new character's who start out in the city that their own character's created. worth thinking about.

 

[allenw]

Have you looked at Cumberland Game's Fief?

Fief: By Lisa J. Steele

It is more history than game oriented, but you should be able to find lots of plot ideas.

As to strongholds -- when this came up in one of our games, I thought of it like the Avengers' Mansion or Xavier's school -- and told the PCs that -- it would be a place where adventures would happen from time to time, property damage was likely, etc.

Safe storage/refuge is an issue, given the value of any magical gear. The PCs may have to spend serious money on enchantments and guards with decent levels/gear to actually be safe if they aren't generally in residence or don't have PCs who are inactive in various sessions on "monitor duty".

 

[allenw]

Alternatively, you could use the quick-n-dirty solution I recall from my college campaign, and make the "small keep" a "Daern's Instant Fortress" (SRD:Instant Fortress - D&D Wiki).