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.

 

[M_Natas]

I think it's +25% on Gygax's DMG charts!

OK, so I couldn't help myself and just checked - it's actually +50% on those charts, which creates a base of 100% (50% base, +50% for the resurrection). On those same tables, even a +1% further adjustment upwards (eg from CHA, or status, or whatever) will make that person fanatically loyal.

Which seems reasonable to me.

And on that charts what would happen if you kill a retainer for funsies or kick a puppy or something else?

 

[pemerton]

If their is an exploit in the game, they will use it and as a game designer such exploits must be closed.
Having a part of the game that is protected from any and all consequences of the players actions is a bug, not a feature. A design error.

What does exploitation of a bastion look like?

 

[pemerton]

And on that charts what would happen if you kill a retainer for funsies or kick a puppy or something else?

The loyalty charts are on pp 36-37 of the AD&D DMG. The following are listed under "special circumstances" (which is where the raise dead +50% is also found):

killed faithful henchman or hireling in front of a witness(es) [-40%]

tortured faithful henchman or hireling in front of a witness(es) [-30%]

reputed to have slain faithful henchmen or hirelings or actually left them to die [-20%]

rumored to have tortured faithful henchmen or hirelings [-10%]

discharged faithful henchmen or hirelings without cause [-5%]​

There's also a separate alignment chart, where being evil reduces loyalty of followers by about 15% compared to being good.

 

[Micah Sweet]

If it’s not a bastion, bastion rules clearly do not apply. So it’s no different to if a tried to build a stronghold under the 2014 rules. The DM is under no obligation to make it easy for the player. Bastions, like PCs, have plot armour.

I see no in-setting reason why bastions would have plot armor, based on what they represent in the world. Therefore, in my game, they don't.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I see no in-setting reason why bastions would have plot armor, based on what they represent in the world. Therefore, in my game, they don't.

Sure, and the rules, from what we know, support that, since the DM is under no obligation to award a plot armoured bastion to the players. How useful the rules will be for non-plot armoured strongholds remains to be seen, but I suspect not very.

 

[M_Natas]

What does exploitation of a bastion look like?

Now we are in speculative territory, because the Bastion rules are not even out yet and I never had a place in any campaign I DMed that was free of player action consequences.
But just from the top of my mind:

• declaring war on the Kingdom and then go back to the Bastion, where the war is not allowed by the rules to affect them.
• using the Bastion to hold prisoners or protect people, were by the ingame logic people would try to free or kidnap that person.
• daring the Assassins Guild to Kill them and nothing going in the Bastion to not have assassins coming after them
• fighting a dragon or bbeg or other big boss monster just outside the Bastion, going in the Bastion to rest and then go out to continue the fight ...

Like, just look at Baldurs Gate 3, where the long rest camp is always safe and just a button click away, no matter where you are and how people abuse to spam long rests, no matter where they are in the game.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Like, just look at Baldurs Gate 3, where the long rest camp is always safe and just a button click away, no matter where you are and how people abuse to spam long rests, no matter where they are in the game

BG3 disables access to camp in some areas.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure, and the rules, from what we know, support that, since the DM is under no obligation to award a plot armoured bastion to the players. How useful the rules will be for non-plot armoured strongholds remains to be seen, but I suspect not very.

Probably, but I'd like to see the actual rules anyway, in case there is something I can pull out.

 

[pemerton]

I see no in-setting reason why bastions would have plot armor, based on what they represent in the world. Therefore, in my game, they don't.

By definition, "plot armour" is not grounded on in-setting reasons. It's grounded in "meta-" reasons. REH's Conan has plot armour - he even survives being crucified in the desert - because he is REH's cash cow. PCs have plot armour because they are players' playing pieces in the game. Some NPCs have plot armour because they play a pacing role in the game. And bastions have plot armour because they are a particular part of a player's game position.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

By definition, "plot armour" is not grounded on in-setting reasons. It's grounded in "meta-" reasons. REH's Conan has plot armour - he even survives being crucified in the desert - because he is REH's cash cow. PCs have plot armour because they are players' playing pieces in the game. Some NPCs have plot armour because they play a pacing role in the game. And bastions have plot armour because they are a particular part of a player's game position.

Conan has plot armour because of the genre. It's accepted that swords and sorcery heroes do. If your D&D game is not based on a genre that features plot armour, then characters and places (vehicles being the most common example of this) don't have it.

The Millennium Falcon has plot armour, the Liberator does not.