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.

 

[grimmgoose]

Want to give a quick summary as well ad why it only takes 35% of the effort... though i haven't really seen any complaints around effort...

Rather than Bastion Points or upgrade time or anything like that, it's simply:

When the players level up, they can choose to level up their Stronghold.

When they do so, they pick up a Stronghold Upgrade (like a Great Hall which improves persuasion checks when you host, or a Hospital that improves healing checks, or a Monument that can be taken if a PC dies, after which the party increases their Spirit Die).

After they pick an upgrade, they roll on the Stronghold Encounter table. It's a d20 table, where "nothing happens" or there's a "diplomatic mission", or a "siege", or a "plague", or a "natural disaster".

And that's it. The similarities are clear between the two, but the SW version just gets to the meat and the fun stuff without the fiddly nonsense that adds next to nothing. Changing it to 5E would basically only involve going through the upgrades and making system-based adjustments.

Edit: there is another twist that you can add, which are the "Advantages" and a "Complication" for your stronghold to give it flavor.

An Advantage (a good thing) could be your stronghold is in an exotic location, it produces some kind of item, or there's a mentor that lives within.

A Complication (a bad thing) could be that your stronghold is Contested (there is an invasive species that is a nuisance difficult to root out), or is well-known (your enemy knows about it), or has a dark history (foreboding).

 

[Imaro]

Actually, if it works as advertised, the player control is practically non-existent. They choose what special facilities are built, and while they're in the bastion or in communication with it they choose what those facilities produce. But outside of that, the bastion runs purely upon random chance.

Yeah nowhere does it say that PC's control the events or even the hirelings in a a Bastion. It says PC's are encouraged to name hirelings and give them personalities... but there's nowhere does it say it's required or that the DM can't do it.

 

[Imaro]

Rather than Bastion Points or upgrade time or anything like that, it's simply:

When the players level up, they can choose to level up their Stronghold.

When they do so, they pick up a Stronghold Upgrade (like a Great Hall which improves persuasion checks when you host, or a Hospital that improves healing checks, or a Monument that can be taken if a PC dies, after which the party increases their Spirit Die).

After they pick an upgrade, they roll on the Stronghold Encounter table. It's a d20 table, where "nothing happens" or there's a "diplomatic mission", or a "siege", or a "plague", or a "natural disaster".

And that's it. The similarities are clear between the two, but the SW version just gets to the meat and the fun stuff without the fiddly nonsense that adds next to nothing. Changing it to 5E would basically only involve going through the upgrades and making system-based adjustments.

Bastion points are no longer a thing... and this seems even more simplified and abstract than the current bastion system... which does seem to be one of the major complaints some in this thread have expressed.

Edit: This cuts effort by maybe 10% and its the 10% I wouldn't want to loose... the part where the players and DM come together to figure out how to resolve the event... a skirmish, a roleplaying scene, skill based encounter, an epiloguue, etc.

 

[grimmgoose]

Bastion points are no longer a thing... and this seems even more simplified and abstract than the current bastion system... which does seem to be one of the major complaints some in this thread have expressed.

It's simplified, absolutely. Unsure what you mean by "abstracted".

From my point of view: this gets to the meat of the fun. Build a stronghold, do cool things with it. The only thing you need to track is when you level up.

It gets out of the way, which is 90% of my problem with 5E's subsystems. Just get to the part where me and my friends can tell cool stories. I don't need a thing where players can be mini-DMs? Who is asking for this (other than WOTC, so they can monetize more people).

 

[Imaro]

It's simplified, absolutely. Unsure what you mean by "abstracted".

From my point of view: this gets to the meat of the fun. Build a stronghold, do cool things with it. The only thing you need to track is when you level up.

It gets out of the way, which is 90% of my problem with 5E's subsystems. Just get to the part where me and my friends can tell cool stories. I don't need a thing where players can be mini-DMs? Who is asking for this (other than WOTC, so they can monetize more people).

Then why do you even need mechanics?

Why don't you just have the DM create the stronghold, hirelings, etc. and run it like he does everything else? If I want something to just get out of the way or have minimal involvement from my players... I'd probably ask why I'm including it at all?

 

[grimmgoose]

Then why do you even need mechanics?

Why don't you just have the DM create the stronghold, hirelings, etc. and run it like he does everything else? If I want something to just get out of the way or have minimal involvement from my players... I'd probably ask why I'm including it at all?

Because this is a good halfway point between "DM Fiat" and "make a spreadsheet that details labor/material cost and time estimations".

 

[Yaarel]

When the bastion characters of one player interact with those of an other player, there can be many opportunities for fun social encounters between players.

 

[PurpleHazy]

I'm looking forward to these optional rules. I'm a bit of a number cruncher and options like this tickle that itch. Should be fun.

 

[Imaro]

Because this is a good halfway point between "DM Fiat" and "make a spreadsheet that details labor/material cost and time estimations".

I'd hardly claim the bastion system is so complicated that it needs a spreadsheet that details labor/material costs and time estimations... For me it strikes a good compromise between DM fiat, player involvement/investment and randomness (some of which is adjustable) without taking over the entire game

 

[Imaro]

When the bastion characters of one player interact with those of an other player, there can be many opportunities for fun social encounters between players.

Or even with DM npc's.