How to build a city

[theSaboteur]

I'm currently running a campaign well into its eighth month of weekly/biweekly play. My players are well into the epic tier and have acquired a sizable amount of astral diamonds, platinum pieces, and other treasures that could easily be sold for hundreds of platinum a piece. In short: their characters are very rich, very influential in the game world, and have gained enough renown to be known across their planet.

They came to me this week and asked if they could pay artisans from around the world to build them a castle while they were off on their adventures. I said yes, since I saw that as being a fairly simple task. I just multiplied a figure that I used to calculate the cost of building a very small house earlier in the campaign. But it turns out they want more.

When they said castle apparently they meant "city-fortress". They want a garrison of troops to guard the castle (ethereal, corporeal, or otherwise), a bazaar, housing for residents, and a type of mage hall, all along with the standard castle stuff (big meeting rooms, dining halls, dungeon, etc.)

There's a whole bunch of other stuff really specific to our campaign (it borrows heavily from the Ghost Walk D&D 3.0 setting), but I'll be able to make up the cost of all that stuff on my own with a little bit of creativity.

But here's my question: What do I charge to build a city, and how long do I make this take?

What would you ballpark it at in GP? Should I make them undertake a quest that will net them enough astral diamonds/other wealth to have it built? Should I just tell them "No, that's not going to happen, aim smaller." because it can't happen in a reasonable amount of real world time?

If anybody has had experience with characters trying to make extremely large structures/settlements, your advice on the matter would be really appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sporemine]

Check out the 3.5 edition "stronghold builder's guide" it's hard to find but you can get it on ebay or download a pdf.

It really helps

Kudos

-Sporemine

 

[Meatboy]

I think a question you may want to ask your players is not what they want to build but rather how they want to build it. In a world with magic sure they could hire a slew of workers, architects, masons and what not then spend decades building their dream castle. This of course would take untold resources and money. Or they could try to find a few dozen off duty wizards and get them working on some kind of ritual that would allow them to turn the building materials, or maybe a mountain, into their castle.

Sorry if that didn't answer your question well but its just something to think about. As for an actual price I'd ask yourself how much wealth do want to characters to keep? and then just make sure they must use the rest on various costs. You already said you did some math on it so just use that as starting point and go wild. You'll probably find that no matter how wealthy the characters are that once they start doing this it will go away quickly.

 

[Warrior147]

Assign costs to different parts of the castle. For example:

Wooden Wall (15 cm thick)
Level: 1
Cost per Square Metre: 10 gp
HP per Square Metre: 20
Defences: AC 12, Fort 12 Ref 8
Climb DC: 30
Break DC: 26

Masonry Wall (30 cm thick)
Level: 1
Cost per Square Metre: 50 gp
HP per Square Metre: 100
Defences: AC 18, Fort 18 Ref 12
Climb DC: 20
Break DC: 35

Wooden Floor
Level: 1
Cost per Square Metre: 20 gp
HP per Square Metre: 10
Defences: AC 8, Fort 8 Ref 4
Climb DC: 30
Break DC: 26

A tower would consist of walls arranged in a square or circle, with a floor every 3 metres or so.

Include materials such as hewn stone, masonry, brick, adamantine, wood, or steel.

Add options for bridges, doors, portals, arches, battlements, cannons, and catapults, and more.

Let the PCs mix and match bits and pieces to create the castle, or do so yourself.

Arrange for the castle to be constructed. If the PCs wish to be involved, create an NPC overseer and some major masons/mages.

Allow the PCs to furnish the castle with magic items, artefacts, furniture, and decorations, making them buy the items.

 

[weem]

Also, you could involve quests in this.

For example...

...a wizard could tell them that if he had X component(s) he could use a ritual to protect the fort in some way.

...a masons guild could agree to do it for money AND some kind of favor. Evil-ish PC's could be asked to hinder/take-out a rival guild. Not-so-evil PC's could be asked to attain some magic hammer said to have been used to construct some ancient architecture - and with it, they could build an even better fortress, etc.

Anyway, just some more ideas of this costing more than just money.

 

[Sporemine]

Mabye you should try telling them that "they are not famous/powerful enough for this massive undertaking. They could be however if they found X or killed X. That would lead into a great quest and give you more time to figure this out.

Kudos

-Sporemine

 

[Quickleaf]

Epic in 8 months? Wow, that would take our group 2-3 years of play, but we meet every 2 weekl or monthly.

I have a couple suggestions...

1. Check out the Birthright stuff, in particular http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/BRCS:Main_Page and http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/BookofRegency.pdf.

2. I highly recommend Atlas' Games http://www.atlas-games.com/product_tables/AG3220.php

3. If there's time include sub-quests during the castle's construction which allow the PCs access to the new "lair items" in Adventurer's Vault 2 (if you're playing 4th edition), or other rare materials/masons/designs.

 

[Mesh Hong]

How long will it take to build a large castle?

- Years

How long does it take to build a city?

- It doesn't.

You don't build a city. Cities grow from large towns, that grow from towns, that grow from the merging of villages, that grow from villages, that grow from hamlets, that grow from a natural resource or a crossing of roads along a trade route.

I think it would be best to sight and build a keep or fortified manor house. If this is sufficiently grand and employes enough tradesman and workers then they will move to the area for the duration of the works. This will encourage secondary services and trades to move to the area, and before you know it you will have a small village. A small village will require some local farming which requires more associated trades. The completed Manor House will require staff and guards which will encourage people to stay, etc etc

This is the birth of a city, but to say that you can "build" a city is more than a little outrageous.

Unless:-
You can throw a shed load of magic at it or you can persuade an actual God to lend a hand.

 

[Meatboy]

What may be easier as well as less time consuming for the players is to either buy a pre existing castle from a destitute noble, or they find out about a great fortress that fills most of their needs it just has a nasty undead, or dragon, or undead-dragon infestation that they need to clear up then they can spend the money making repairs and such and they don't have to wait 20 years for it to be finished.

 

[Mesh Hong]

What may be easier as well as less time consuming for the players is to either buy a pre existing castle from a destitute noble, or they find out about a great fortress that fills most of their needs it just has a nasty undead, or dragon, or undead-dragon infestation that they need to clear up then they can spend the money making repairs and such and they don't have to wait 20 years for it to be finished.

This right here is all round the best solution. This is a story section that the PCs are definately invested in (they want the castle) and you can build in several nice encouters where they could gain an advantage against their enemy but only by damaging the castle (oh the dilema!).

Would the PCs really want to collapse that unstable tower onto the sleeping Dragon or do they want to save the tower for when they move in?

good stuff.