D&D (2024) Dungeon Master's Guide Bastion System Lets You Build A Stronghold

The Dungeon Master's Guide's brand new Bastion System has been previewed in a new video from Wizards of the Coast.

Characters can acquire a bastion at 5th-level. Each week, the bastion takes a turn, with actions including crafting, recruiting, research, trade, and more.

A bastion also contains a number of special facilties, starting with two at 5th-level up to 6 at 17th-level. These facilities include things like armories, workshops, laboratories, stables, menageries, and more. In total there are nearly thirty such facilities to choose from.

 

[S'mon]

>It's off limits to the Dungeon Master... by design.<<

Hmm. Reminds me of the player group who ragequit the campaign when an orc horde threatened their stronghold. Yeah, no.

 

[SkidAce]

That's what I'm getting. Let's face it, lots of dms see anything not a class feature as an avenue to punish players. Background npcs are just there to be hurt to "motivate" pcs, but never ever ever to be in any way helpful.

I dont agree that its like this across the board, or even in a majority of games.

I do agree its poor form for the DM, but its self correcting IMO, they learn NOT to do those things.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

It's off limits to the DM because it would be too hard for AI DM on d&d beyond that WotC wants to replace us with.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The mechanic here is "dms shouldn't arbitrarily use this against players." Hardly a major limitation of dm agency.

Sure, but why are you specifically making a point of saying so?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Heh, killed momentarily. To serve again for as a future Defender after a Revivify spell, and some rest-and-recuperation.

Well, changing "killed" to "injured" should not IMO be a matter of reflavouring.

 

[Yaarel]

Well, changing "killed" to "injured" should not IMO be a matter of reflavouring.

Heh, literally "killed", then resuscitated via Revivify.

 

[Yaarel]

A comment in the earlier video for the DMs Guide, Everything You Need to Know, mentions it being "sneaky" to put bastions in the DMs Guide.

Possibly a main motive for it there is to encourage players to buy (or at least consult) a DMs Guide ... for the purpose of encouraging players to learn how to become DMs themselves. In this context, having a bastion gives the player a "taste" of what it is like to be a DM. Meanwhile, the players are probably looking at other parts of the DMs Guide as well, once there for the bastions.

Bastions are a painless way to train more DMs.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I dont agree that its like this across the board, or even in a majority of games.

But it's not rare

I do agree its poor form for the DM, but its self correcting IMO, they learn NOT to do those things.

Many do not.

Sure, but why are you specifically making a point of saying so?

Because there's a distinct worry that new dms will see a stronghold and think "the only interesting way to use this is to take it away from the players."

 

[Micah Sweet]

But it's not rare

Many do not.

Because there's a distinct worry that new dms will see a stronghold and think "the only interesting way to use this is to take it away from the players."

I find the idea of that worry leading to restrictions in the ruleset to be very, very sad.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I find the idea of that worry leading to restrictions in the ruleset to be very, very sad.

Mayhaps, but I'd rather have those restrictions than ruin thousands of players' first games.