D&D 5E Help Me Develop a 5e Town

[Mistwell]

All RPGs have an implied setting. Things about the world that are suggested by the rules. Sometimes it's directly described, in the fluff descriptions of things. Sometimes it's merely implied, by the commonality of certain magic or abilities in the game rules. But whatever the game, and surely in 5e, there is some sort of elements of a setting implied by the rules.

I'm curious what those implied setting elements might be for an average town.

For this example I will use a town in my current game. Mostly because I need to develop that town, and could use some ideas. But I also think it can serve as a good example for implied setting concepts in 5e.

Here is a brief description of the town:

The town of East Gantrick, a free city nestled beside a forested mountain range. While a majority of residents are human, all races are welcome, provided they don't make trouble for others.

Rumor is that in ages past, East Gantrick was ruled by a ruthless mad king from a fortress in the mountains. He was defeated, his stronghold sealed up, and peace reigned (or at least, that's the rumors you've always heard). These days, the town is ruled by a peaceful council and priesthood that is corrupt, but otherwise not too bad.

The town has an Adventurers Guild, and a fair sized temple to the deity of Life, and that's about all the known locations so far.

So how would the 5e implied setting add to this town? What sorts of shops and other locales would you find in it? Would it likely be lit by magic or mundane means? Would there be magical protections for the town or mostly mundane? For mundane protection, what sorts of classes would usually be found in their ranks? Anything implied about trade goods by the implied setting?

 

[Hereticus]

I've use our own planet as my campaign setting in every edition since AD&D. The geography is enhanced to be more extreme, and I usually include some ancient civilizations in their mythological prime.

In my last Pathfinder game I started everyone in Constantinople, adopted from White Wolf's Dark Ages game. It worked great!

 

[Piratecat]

Someone sealed up that stronghold. Sure, wizards were involved, but so were stonemasons and carpenters. The event has echoed down in their guild and family names.

Miners still bring ore and maybe even precious metals out of the mountains, so you'll have assayers, jewelers, trading posts, moneychangers, wagon caravans, and some corrals for horses and other steeds. Without lots of fertile land (and clearing trees - hiya, elves!), they won't be growing their own grain, either. Do they import it? Fruits and vegetables probably come from local gardens.

Oh, and I'd like to think that gnomes handle most of the local livestock, but that's only because I want elite warhogs and battlerams from their pigs and sheep.

 

[Piratecat]

Most of the city's magical protections — and physical defenses — lie on the west side of town, the opposite direction than you might expect. Sure, the eastern edge leads to merchants and the four-walk road (so named because it's four days of walking to get to the next city), but East Gantrick's high priest has long ago come to an accommodation with the Elven bandit leader who haunts those forests. The bandits will make strangers happy to reach the city's civilization, they'll harass any true threat that comes that way, and they act as an early warning signal of invasion. No, the real threat comes from High Gantrick and the West Ruins, two ruined cities to the west who once boasted the lion's share of trade, sorcery, artisans, wealth and prestige. They came down in fiery ruin when the King fell. No one is sure why, but East Gantrick's civic leaders spend a fair amount over at the adventurers' guild, sending off dupes suckers adventurers off into the ruins to find them treasures, tools and lost trade secrets.

 

[mflayermonk]

I imagine there would be a secret society, the Bomkf (Binders of the Mad King's Fortress), that would exist in the town to prevent visiting adventurers and the occasional powerful and overly curious mage from poking around the hills and trying to find the sealed fortress.

 

[Boarstorm]

How large of a town is it? That might have some bearing on demographics later. % of population that are magic users, etc. Could impact the continual flame street lights issues and such.

 

[Aloïsius]

I think mistwell ask for stuff being the "in world" translation of 5e-ism.
For example, magic item shop were an "in world" translation of 3e-ism.

As 5e has turned the dial down on magic item, I don't think something like a red wizard enclave will exist in East Gantrick. You will probable find an alchemist or two, same with an herborist. There maybe a few arcane spellcasters in the town, some of them with a political role, but no "wizardry academy".

Now, if there is an adventurer guild, let's have a look at the various backgrounds for the various classes and try to find what they imply for this town. Pirates ? No. Urchin ? yes, probably, because of the mild corruption of the city. Thus, thieves guilds/gangs.

We have a preview of the DMG, and it seems obvious that rare material (gems and stones) have a high magic value, and thus an even higher monetary value (because, they also can be used as jewelry). So miners climbing the mountains to find amethysts and other crystals are probably an important part of the town economy.


However, I think the first choice to make when designing this kind of cities is to determine the power level of the setting. Is there a tarraque sleeping nearby, or are bulettes the worst kind of creatures around ? Are there dragons frequently flying over the city, or are these creatures of legends, living in a far, far away country ?
If the setting power level is high, then the city itself must be highly protected : a single red dragon could be able to set it ablaze easily if he attacks during a foggy night, if there is no magical defense and high level characters to defend the town.

 

[Everyday Paladin]

As Boarstorm says, a bit more information would be useful. Things like population are a huge factor.

How big is this town/city? Most cities in medieval times had a few thousand residents, at most. Only the major cities of Europe had large populations comparable to those we often see in DnD settings.

It's in forested terrain, so I'd think they could be a supplier of lumber. Lumber is most easily transported via waterways, but could be moved over land or via magic, if you wish. Likewise, it wouldn't be strange to have skilled leatherworkers, and maybe clothiers, in town.

Suppliers of raw materials likely sell to merchant guilds. These guilds then sell to the craftsmen, who create and sell finished goods. The guilds could be powerful organizations, with guildsmen making up a large portion of the ruling council of East Gantrick.

The general stores we see in nearly every DnD town did not exist in the real medieval world. That doesn't mean you can't use them, but I tend to prefer more true to life businesses in most of my settings. People by goods directly from the craftsman who makes them. You'd have smiths (for general metalwork), woodworkers, leatherworkers, a tavern (or taverns?), and maybe an inn, if enough trade passes through town. Weaponsmiths (who make weapons and armor) may or may not be present, and may be bonded to the ruling council, meaning they only do work for the council. If your characters want arms, they have to go through the council. Are there productive mines nearby? Prospectors are likely in the area, one way or the oh her, looking to find that mineral vein that will make them wealthy.

EDIT: I just remembered the Adventurers Guild. Unbonded weaponsmiths make sense, in light of that guild. With a sizable population of adventurers in town, a lot changes. Adventurers probably pour a lot more gold into the economy than your average citizen. Other things I've mentioned, like magic streetlights and defenses, may be much more likely in an "adventurers' town". More craftsmen would possibly be needed to cater to adventurers' needs, probably meaning a larger town than I'd been imagining.

Basically, I try to figure out how day to day life works in a town and build accordingly. I don't like creating NPCs and organizations that exist solely for a single, metagame reason. I like everyone and everything to have a logical place in a living world.

For example, is there a Mage Guild? If so, what do they do to make ends meet on a day to day basis? If East Gantrick lights its streets magically, that may imply a very wealthy town, depending on how common such magic is in your world. Is this something a single Town Mage with a few apprentices could handle? It doesn't sound like work for a powerful guild of mages, or whatnot.

Based upon its location, and with no information regarding levels of magic and technology in your world, I'd say East Gantrick's defenses and public works should be largely mundane. In most settings, magic doesn't come cheap, and this town doesn't sound like they have a pressing need to invest in expensive magic.

Mflayermonk suggested a group of mages might maintain a vigil over the ruined keep. Are they based in town, or are they watching from afar, via magic and vigilant locals? I'd say the latter, allowing them to pursue other concerns (and make a living) more freely. Such a Mage could make for a valuable contact or ally beyond the town in future adventures.

What about the Adventurers Guild? (I'd completely forgotten to account for this. EDIT inserted above.) How was it established? The area must be full of monsters, treasure-laden ruins, or something similar to support the adventurers' trade. With the wealth adventurers bring, maybe this town does have the hold and means for magical defenses and amenities.

 

[Everyday Paladin]

I think mistwell ask for stuff being the "in world" translation of 5e-ism.
For example, magic item shop were an "in world" translation of 3e-ism.

As 5e has turned the dial down on magic item, I don't think something like a red wizard enclave will exist in East Gantrick. You will probable find an alchemist or two, same with an herborist. There maybe a few arcane spellcasters in the town, some of them with a political role, but no "wizardry academy".

Now, if there is an adventurer guild, let's have a look at the various backgrounds for the various classes and try to find what they imply for this town. Pirates ? No. Urchin ? yes, probably, because of the mild corruption of the city. Thus, thieves guilds/gangs.

We have a preview of the DMG, and it seems obvious that rare material (gems and stones) have a high magic value, and thus an even higher monetary value (because, they also can be used as jewelry). So miners climbing the mountains to find amethysts and other crystals are probably an important part of the town economy.


However, I think the first choice to make when designing this kind of cities is to determine the power level of the setting. Is there a tarraque sleeping nearby, or are bulettes the worst kind of creatures around ? Are there dragons frequently flying over the city, or are these creatures of legends, living in a far, far away country ?
If the setting power level is high, then the city itself must be highly protected : a single red dragon could be able to set it ablaze easily if he attacks during a foggy night, if there is no magical defense and high level characters to defend the town.

I didn't see this post, somehow, before typing my own. Lots of good points here.

I definitely agree that the bar has to be set for the setting itself before a town should be crafted. You've likely already done this in your mind, but we won't be able to give as useful of input until we know how these dials are set.

 

[Mercurius]

[MENTION=2525]Mistwell[/MENTION], I'm in a similar situation - building a town and region for 5E. It is the same homebrew setting I used in 4E, but I'm using this opportunity (we don't start until January) to adjust and develop some things. Ironically enough the name of the starting town is Mistfall, so named because it is right up against a cliff over which a river falls, which churns up constant mists as they hit the hot springs below. Mistfall is on an island in the river just past the falls.

Anyhow, as someone mentioned, 5E has a lower magic and more traditional feel than 4E, to some degree 3E. For me this requires little adjustment, as I excised some of the gonzo elements of 4E - there are no tieflings or dragonborn, at least not in this region (and not unless a player insists), and magic is quite rare, even frowned upon or at least feared. But I'm also wanting to veer from "Medieval plus a bit of magic," which I find a bit boring. In a way I'm going for a bit more along the lines of "5E + American Frontier + twinges of Walking Dead." The aesthetic isn't one of Medieval heraldry and culture, but more frontierish, with flavor of non-human cultures. More similar to Eriador in Middle-earth or the North or Dalelands in the Forgotten Realms than Medieval England or France.

Anyhow, Mistfall has about 1,000 inhabitants. It is the largest settlement in a collective holding called Mist Haven, which also includes another town of similar size, a handful of villages, and a bunch of thorps/hamlets and farms, with a total population of around 7,000 in the 200 square mile region - which, according to this generator, is "adequate" population density - not ample, but not arid or inhospitable. The towns and holding is well fortified, because it is amidst a larger region called the Fringe Lands, which is about the size of the Dalelands and is frontier-ish, between more civilized regions to the east and wilds to the north and west. Scatttered throughout the Fringe Lands are about ten Havens, more densely populated and protected areas, one of which is Mist Haven. They're inspired by the Dales of the FR, but adapted to a more hostile region.

Anyhow, the tech level is Medieval, and there aren't abundant magic items, but there is an herbal apothecary that sells potions and ointments, and the dwarf-owned shop, Hod's Emporium, has a few low-powered magic items for sale (in, of course, a back room for more clearly well-to-do customers). The Fringe Lands has a fair number of explorers and adventurers, so there's a market for potions and magic. There is an adventurer's guild, the Seeker's Guild, with a small chapter in Mistfall. There are also an assortment of shops, a few taverns, and a couple temples as befits a town of its size. I figure that a population of 1,000 is large enough to have "one of everything" beyond more exotic things.

I share all of this just as a way to give you a sense of how I'm thinking about and dealing with similar issues. I think it really depends upon the specifics of your setting, as 5E seems to be less reliant on an implied setting and more intended to support a variety of approaches.