Creating a village where your character would stay

[Jon_Dahl]

My current group has been staying in the same locale for dozens of sessions and they've always visited the same city. I like it, actually and it makes a lot of sense storywise.

I'm challenging myself a little bit, just for fun.
I'm trying to create a village of few hundred people that would be so appealing that the PCs would just stay there.
I have few restrictions:
- It can't be too obvious for the players. I don't want to force them to stay. Nobody loves a desperate DM.
- I want to be loyal to 3.5. DMG's rules for "Generating Towns". It means that the village can only have low-level NPCs and over 90% of the village are 1st-level commoners etc.
- The village should be an ideal medieval village, with perhaps only a hint of low-level fantasy. No crazy stuff. No halfling carousels, no elephant breeders, no friendly dragon visiting the market square.

I'd like to be able to exclaim: "Hey, you weren't supposed to stay here!"
I found lots of good ideas from DMG II but it's not enough really. I'd like to hear your own ideas, so no book suggestions please.

What would make your character stay in a village "a little while longer"?

 

[radja]

You can make them stay longer by having the king/baron/whatever political leader giving them titles and limited rulership over the village. With rulership comes the right to levy taxes. Ofcourse, the characters will get some responsibilities. They in turn have to pay taxes to the ruler and make sure the village is defended and safe (e.g. by setting up a militia, hiring guards or doing it themselves). I have done this with some parties before, and usually they end up expanding the village significantly, and keep coming back to their home base.

 

[amerigoV]

Step 1) Send to village on FedEx quest.
Step 2) Shoot in knee with arrow.
Step 3) Profit!

(hehe - 3 memes in three steps - I am rather proud of that)

Are you trying to expand out the village they are currently hanging out? Or are they hanging out in a place and you want to make a new one for them to hang out in?

I would try not to make the place too "bland" - sure, no halfling breeders (although the thought of a bunch of halfings in a Hutch is intriguing), but the people and place needs a bit of character, or "charm" as small towns like to tout.

Stuff that you can make into an adventure or hidden secret if you wanted to. For example, a buddy jumped into my game for a few sessions and had a PC that was known in town for making little goblin statues (like little statues people put on their porch). Turns out, the guy would have shipments of goblins brought in and he would petrify them. Its the dirty little secrets in small towns that make them interesting

 

[BriarMonkey]

... giving them titles ...

I would add to that, land.

If this village is in a more remote area, or on a frontier, it would serve the nobles well to have powerful allies in front-line areas. This serves not only to give the PCs a base of operations and resources, but potential plot hooks too. Not to mention ties to nobility that can be used later (such as the PCs rising on the political scale).

Of course, not all players respond to titles and land. In that case, the village would have to be located such that it makes a logical sense for the characters to use it as a base of operations. Though, keep in mind if it sits within a day of four major dungeons, that might stretch the players' buy in to the environment. But, if it is close enough to a couple significant landmarks that attract unwanted attention (such as a trade route would attract bandits; maybe rich hunting [plains or forest] would attract gnolls; mining might attract deep gnomes; deserts might attract remoraz; etc.) it would give the PCs enough to do to possibly have them take an interest in the area (particularly if those initial encounters lead to bigger things).

And don't forget the townsfolk themselves. Players will often settle in an area where they can acquire what they need with resonable ability. If this village sits astride a trade route, the villagers themselves don't need much because trade will fill the gap for what the PCs can get ahold of. But, if it doesn't have such trade, you may want to have a few well planned NPCs that can fill certain roles - such as a blacksmith/weaponsmith, priest, general marketer, sage, etc. These will be where the PCs interact to get new equipment, upgrade, and sell. But don't be shocked if the PCs eventually move on to somewhere larger, simply because the local economy can't keep up.

 

[fba827]

someone is crafting something for them that will take 1 week to complete (or some other time amount that isn't so short it's inconsequential, but isn't too long that the PCs would just totally leave the area and come back later)

one (or all) of the PCs is invited to an event (perhaps an event in their honor if they're a big deal) and that event is taking place in a week or two.

while this one breaks your requirement of low level fantasy, i'm still including it in case it spawns a lesser idea... but something about the village is found. perhaps a relic gets unearthed in a farmland making it a bigger mystery to get the PCs involved in unearthing whatever else might be buried here and what it all means. or a teleportation circle is found in a barn nearby that takes them to various places thus the town turns more in to a 'hub' that they keep coming back to inbetween adventures.

maybe they learn that a horde of orcs (or whatever) might be coming that way. so they help the townsfolk setup defenses (allowing you time to play up the get-to-know some individuals in town and make personal connections) and then help defend when the time comes

 

[the Jester]

A really good, very friendly bar/tavern.

EDIT: And a bunch of nearby adventure sites.

 

[Gilladian]

I run an E6 campaign. I have a town of about 1,100 people a long hour's hike from a major dungeon. Another hour's hike in a different direction is a tower that the PCs reclaimed and now reside in. They also own (and lease out) a manor house and a farm. One of the PCs did own a cottage in town, but then he died...

They have close ties to the village temple, a liking for the sage (admittedly he's 6th level and a BIT over the top for the town, but he's there because of the dungeon), and now they are becoming loyal to the sheriff and the mayor. They also have an enemy adventuring party, and at least one well-to-do merchant in town heartily dislikes them.

The town sits on a busy trade-route, and there are both bandits and a "bestial host" in the nearby forests causing trouble.

I think a small village would be TOO simple for a band of adventurers past 4-5th level. The economy won't support them. But if you want to try, think about the following options:

1) the village is on a trade route that brings many wealthy or extensive caravans through on a regular basis. Some could even winter over there, doubling or tripling the size of the village for months at a time.

2) the village has some valued resource or famous craftsperson/people in it. The red river clay produces unmatchable pottery, and the motifs the locals use are so artistic that collectors come there on a regular basis; or the local dwarven smiths swear that the water from the village well makes iron of higher quality than anywhere else, or...

3) there's a holy site nearby that draws pilgrims from all over the world. Maybe it isn't a HUGE draw, but the person honored at the site is a famous scholar or mage or some such, so the people who come are interesting and important.

 

[Tonguez]

double

 

[Tonguez]

i'm still including it in case it spawns a lesser idea... but something about the village is found. perhaps a relic gets unearthed in a farmland making it a bigger mystery to get the PCs involved in unearthing whatever else might be buried here and what it all means.

I did this. The PCs came across a wizards tower which had been built after a relic was unearthed in the adjacent small farming hamlet. The evil wizard had enslaved the hamlet to meet his needs whie he was investigating the artifact.

anyway the pcs killed the wizard and freed the village. The villages then begged the PCs to stay as their protectors and more importantly to ensure the artifact didn't fall into the wrong hands. The PCs agreed and are continuing research on the artifact. (pcs get a base and lands plus social influence. The artifact mcguffin keeps them occupied when not exploring and may lead to a bigger megaplot)

now this hamlet and tower are a days ride from the main trade town, along an overgrown forest track, The forest is full of wolves, bandits and pixies. There is also a savage cult in the area, which may be connected to werewolf sightings.(so lots of plot hooks in the wilderness and a nearby large settlement if it is required)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

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