Settlements

Settlements are the heart of any adventuring party's journey. They are where the PCs return to lick their wounds, toast their victories, and prepare for even greater dangers. It is in their squares and taverns that they turn loot into gold, find trusted allies, and acquire the equipment they need for the next foray into the unknown.

Name

Size

VILLAGE: 50–200 people. A handful of houses, a few families, and a single gathering place. Everyone knows everyone, and secrets are hard to keep. Simplicity and isolation define life in a village.

TOWN: 1,000–3,000 people. Small but lively. It usually has a market, a tavern, and perhaps a few artisans. It is a stopping point for travelers and a stage for alliances, disputes, and everyday stories.

CITY: 5,000–20,000 people. Walls, guilds, and temples rise among bustling streets. Its diversity brings opportunity and intrigue. Each district holds its own culture, power, and danger.

Problems

Every settlement has problems that need solving. It's not unusual for larger settlements to face several at once, weaving a web of intrigue and danger.

For adventurers, these problems are opportunities that can yield rewards, allies, and prestige within the community.

Major Problems

The GM can use the table below as a starting point to determine the great problem a settlement is facing:

TYRANNICAL LEADER: The local ruler imposes their will with an iron fist. The settlement lives in fearful silence, hostage to taxes and abusive militias. For the PCs , the cost of living is exorbitant. Beyond dealing with bribes, any display of wealth or insubordination will invite arrests, confiscations, and direct retaliation from the corrupt authorities.

POWER STRUGGLE: Factions wage war for control. The settlement lives in paranoia, split into hostile territories. For the PCs , neutrality is impossible. Buying supplies or renting a room will invariably offend one side. They risk being used as diplomatic pawns, being forcibly conscripted, or ending up in the crossfire.

DARK CONSPIRACY: Cults or monsters in disguise manipulate the place. Beneath a mask of normalcy, the reality is far darker: people vanish and outsiders are watched. No one can be trusted, which makes even simple activities very dangerous. Accepting missions can lead the PCs into traps, and asking too many questions will turn them into marked targets.

ANCIENT CURSE: A wicked spell or supernatural tragedy haunts the region. Life in the settlement is shaped by fear and strangeness. For the PCs , the curse changes the rules: it can corrupt supplies, interrupt the recovery of wounds, or cut them off from important resources.

DROUGHT, PLAGUE, OR BLIGHT: Natural disasters or diseases ravage the region. The status quo is one of famine, quarantines, and despair. The scarcity punishes the PCs severely: basic supplies and potions cost fortunes or simply don't exist. They run a constant risk of catching infections or suffering violent theft from locals desperate for food.

MONSTERS AND INVADERS: A savage horde or colossal creature threatens the settlement. There are curfews, panic, and a crippled local economy. For the PCs , there is no safety. Services close, long rests are interrupted by sudden attacks, escape routes are blocked, and militias may try to conscript them for the war.

Minor Problems

In addition to the major problem, here are some ideas for minor problems that the NPCs of the settlement might be dealing with:

LOCALIZED INFESTATION: Giant rats in the tavern cellar or termites gnawing the temple's roof beam. Is it a natural infestation, or did someone put it there?

HOUSEHOLD THEFTS: Clothes vanishing from the lines or pies disappearing from windowsills. Who would want such things, and why?

NEIGHBORLY FEUD: Two farmers quarreling over where one's fence ends and the other's begins. What deep secret between these neighbors is the feud hiding?

SPECIFIC SHORTAGE: The blacksmith is out of coal, or the healer can't find an herb common to the region. What's causing the shortage?

RUNAWAY ANIMAL: The mayor's prize pig has bolted into the forest, or the messenger's horse has gotten loose. Finding a lost animal? That sounds almost too easy.

DAMAGED STRUCTURE: The creek bridge has broken, the mill's roof has caved in, or a fallen tree blocks the road. Could someone, or something, be behind it?

TROUBLESOME VISITOR: An off-key bard, a peddler of fake oils, or a rowdy drunk in the square. What is this visitor's true intent?

FORBIDDEN ROMANCE: The baker's son loves the blacksmith's daughter, but the families despise each other and ask for help keeping them apart (or bringing them together). What secrets are these families hiding?

RUMORS AND GOSSIP: Someone is spreading lies about the local widow being a witch or about the innkeeper watering down the beer. Who would want to defame this NPC , and why?

LOST OBJECT: An engagement ring has fallen down the well, or a goat has swallowed the key to the guard's warehouse. How did the object end up there?

BAD OMENS: The cows' milk soured overnight, or crows are behaving strangely in the cemetery. Something supernatural is about to happen.

UNPAID DEBT: An NPC owes money to out-of-town criminals and needs protection or help negotiating. What has this NPC conveniently forgotten to mention?

Taverns and Inns

The tavern or inn is a special place in any settlement. Every settlement has that one spot where the villagers go for a beer, where a stranger can find rest, and where adventures truly begin.

Name

The right name is half an inn's charm. It's what makes travelers choose one door among so many.

The GM can pick one of these structures to set the inn's name:

1. The [Adjective] [Noun]
2. The [Noun] and the [Noun]
3. The [Part or Belonging] of the [Noun]

And then choose or roll for the elements of the name:

Innkeeper

The innkeeper is the soul of the inn. Confidant, gossip, and keeper of secrets. They hear everything and almost always know more than they let on.

Quirk

Every inn has something that makes it unforgettable. A strange custom, a striking decoration, or a mystery that travelers talk about for generations.

Other Locations and Services

Beyond a tavern or inn, a settlement can have all sorts of other locations offering services the characters can make use of.

Each location should have at least one NPC tied to it: someone who works, rules, or simply lives there. This NPC is the face of the place and the one who offers services, information, and jobs to the PCs .

Below are some examples commonly found in a settlement:

MAIN SQUARE: The central area where announcements, meetings, quick deals, and public events take place. It tends to draw informal trade, the swapping of news, and heavy foot traffic, especially on busy days.

TEMPLE OR SHRINE: A religious building where locals come to pray and to hold ceremonies and funerals. It has clergy, local rules, and set hours, along with donations and appeals for community aid.

FAIR OR MARKET: A cluster of stalls and shops for buying and selling food, tools, and everyday goods. It's also a place for gathering information, casual hiring, and settling small debts.

BARN OR STABLE: A support structure for travel and cargo, with animals, carts, feed, and storage space. It serves as an arrival and departure point for goods.

BLACKSMITH OR FORGE: A workshop where metal tools, hardware, weapons, and armor are made and repaired. It usually works to order and keeps a queue as demand dictates.

INN OR TAVERN: A place for meals and drinks, with rooms when there's an inn. It works as a spot for meeting, hiring, trading news, and lodging travelers.

TOWN HALL OR COUNCIL CHAMBER: The administrative seat where decisions, permits, complaints, and levies are recorded. It gathers the local authorities and usually has formal rules for petitioners.

CEMETERY OR OSSUARY: An area set aside for burials and the keeping of remains. It's maintained by a family, temple, or local authority, with traditional hours and practices.

BAKERY AND COMMUNAL OVEN: A place where bread and simple food are made and sold. The communal oven also lets locals bake their own for a fee.

MILL: A milling facility that turns grain into flour. It may be communal or private and usually charges a share of the yield or a fee for the service.

CARPENTER OR JOINER: A workshop that builds and repairs furniture, doors, carts, and wooden pieces. It handles quick repairs or custom orders, depending on the size of the job.

WAREHOUSE OR PRIVATE GRANARY: A controlled depot for storing grain, taxes paid in kind, and reserves. Access is restricted and requires authorization, registration, and oversight.

GUARD POST, BARRACKS, OR GATE: The settlement's control and security point, with patrols, searches, and incident logs. The gate regulates comings, goings, and curfew hours.

HEALER OR APOTHECARY: Care for wounds, herbs, remedies, and health advice. It can prepare simple concoctions, sell supplies, and charge for consultations.

BUTCHER OR SMOKEHOUSE: A place for slaughtering, butchering, and selling meat, as well as curing it with salt and smoke. It also buys game and usually follows local sanitary rules.

SADDLERY OR LEATHERWORKER: Makes and repairs saddles, harnesses, straps, bags, and leather goods. It works to order and keeps a basic stock for travelers.

QUARRY, CHARCOAL BURNER, OR WOODCUTTER: An area for extracting stone, timber, or coal. It supplies material for building and the forge and relies on labor, tools, and transport.

COURT, PILLORY, OR PUNISHMENT SQUARE: A space where disputes are judged and punishments are carried out or proclaimed. It serves as a symbol of authority and public intimidation.

JAIL OR DUNGEON: A place for temporary detention, holding prisoners, and interrogations. Visits are controlled, and its administration is usually tied to the local guard.

DOCKS, BRIDGE, OR CROSSING: Infrastructure for crossing rivers or operating boats. It includes toll collection, cargo handling, and schedules based on current and traffic.

WEAVER OR DYER: Produces cloth and simple garments and offers dyeing and mending services. It serves locals and traders and relies on water, dyes, and skilled labor.

BREWERY OR DISTILLERY: Local production of beer or spirits, sold by the tankard or the barrel. It may operate alongside a tavern and draws regular customers.

LIBRARY, SCRIBE, OR SAGE: A place for reading, copying documents, keeping records, and consulting knowledge. The scribe drafts contracts, letters, and inventories for a fee.

BANK: A house of credit and custody where valuables are stored, exchanged, and lent, with records, fees, and collateral, serving merchants, nobles, and travelers who would rather not carry money.

POST OFFICE, MESSENGER, OR RELAY STATION: A service for sending letters and packages and swapping mounts along established routes. It keeps to routines, deadlines, and fees based on distance.

TRAINING YARD OR ARENA: An area for physical training, guard instruction, controlled duels, or combat events. It usually has clearly defined hours and rules.

GLASSBLOWER'S WORKSHOP: A workshop specialized in vials, windows, and delicate glass pieces, with slow, costly production focused on commissions, fine repairs, and supplying apothecaries and scribes.

FLETCHER: Makes and sells arrows, bolts, strings, and bow components. It also does maintenance and adapts ammunition for different needs.

GUILD OR TRADE HOUSE: The seat of a professional organization that controls access to work, prices, and apprentices. It can offer contacts, contracts, and rules for those working in the trade.

AUCTION HOUSE OR PAWNSHOP: Buys, sells, and pawns used goods. It appraises items, offers advances, and holds periodic auctions, usually with fees and records.

NOBLE MANOR OR LOCAL LORD'S HOUSE: The administrative residence of the local power, where petitions, audiences, and levies are handled. Access is controlled by servants and guards.

BATHHOUSE: A hygiene service with baths, towels, and sometimes a barber. It may have separate hours, rules of conduct, and charges per use.

SEWER ENTRANCE OR SERVICE PASSAGE: Access to drainage, maintenance, and little-used internal routes. It tends to be filthy, poorly lit, and useful for anyone who needs to move around without drawing attention.

CARTOGRAPHER OR SURVEYOR: A professional who produces maps, measures terrain, and records routes. They also sell copies and update information on paths and landmarks.

TRAVELING CIRCUS: A temporary troupe of performers and workers who put on shows and games. It stays only a few days, draws crowds, and stirs up sales and trouble.

Exploring a Settlement

When the PCs arrive at a settlement, the GM should present the players with a map highlighting its most important locations. From these, they can then choose the next place in the settlement they want to go and what they want to do there.

Settlement Events

When the characters travel between places in a settlement, the GM can roll on the table below to determine a hook to reveal to them.

Activities in Settlements

Here are some interesting activities a PC can undertake in a settlement:

Gather Rumors

Spend some time in taverns, squares, or markets chatting with locals to pick up rumors or dig out specific information about an NPC , place, or event of interest. To get information, the character must succeed on a Persuasion check with a difficulty based on how obscure the information they're after is, at the GM 's discretion. Each attempt takes one shift .

Find Buyers for Loot

Visit inns, pawnshops, and markets looking for buyers for the spoils gathered on your adventures. The character can sell junk and equipment at their listed prices and haggle over the value of treasures . The number of junk and equipment a character can sell per shift depends on the size of the settlement: 1d4 for villages, 1d6 for towns, and 1d8 for cities.

Buy Supplies or Raw Materials

Visit the local fairs and bazaars to stock your inventory with vital survival items such as travel rations, oil, and torches, or with raw materials for crafting equipment and other items. Buying all the supplies needed for an adventure, or enough raw material to create an item, can take up to one shift .

Commission Equipment

Seek out armorers, blacksmiths, or leatherworkers to buy or order sturdier or custom-made pieces of equipment . The character pays the value of the equipment and, if the item requires crafting, must wait until the work is finished. Placing an order for a piece of equipment takes little time, but the whole crafting process takes, on average, one day for every 20 coins of the item's final value.

Visit a Temple and Worship

Go to a sacred place to actively honor a deity by praying, meditating, or performing sacred rituals. At a temple, the devout can perform acts of faith such as praying or meditating, holding a vigil or penance, or making an offering to their deity, which grants them Favor . Praying, meditating, and making an offering last up to an hour, while a vigil or penance takes at least one shift . See Acts of Faith for more details.

Register Spells

Transcribe into your own grimoire a spell found in dungeons in the form of scrolls, tomes, or other material supports. The mage spends one unit of ink and quill and makes an Occultism check against a difficulty of 7 + the number of spells already registered in the grimoire , destroying the original on a failure if the spell's material support is fragile. It takes one shift . See Registering Spells for more details.

Prepare a Concoction

Use an alchemy laboratory to prepare various kinds of mixtures, including antidotes, poisons, and potions. Assuming the character has access to the necessary instruments and ingredients, they must succeed on a Create Concoction check with a difficulty based on the concoction being prepared. It takes one shift for simple concoctions, one day for advanced ones, and one week for superior ones. See Preparing a Concoction for more details.

Create Items

Use workshops, forges, or tools to make and repair mundane equipment, weapons, or other objects. The raw material for the crafted item costs half its final value and must be acquired separately. The character consumes the raw material and must succeed on a Create [Item] check based on what is being crafted, at the GM 's discretion. Each attempt, besides consuming the raw material, takes one shift for every 10 coins of the item's final value.

Develop a Concoction Recipe

Use alchemical laboratories or apothecary facilities to test reactions and discover new compounds. Assuming the character has access to the necessary sources of knowledge, tools, and materials, they must succeed on a Create Concoction check for each ingredient of the concoction being developed, with a difficulty based on the concoction. Each attempt takes one shift for common ingredients, one day for rare ingredients, and one week for legendary ingredients. See Acquiring New Recipes for more details.

Research a Subject

Consult libraries, council archives, or local sages to uncover clues about unexplored places, monsters, or legends. Assuming the character has access to the necessary sources of knowledge, they must succeed on an Academics or Occultism check , depending on the nature of the information they seek, against a difficulty based on how obscure that information is, at the GM 's discretion. Each attempt takes at least one shift .

Consult a Specialist or Sage

Hire the services of a trained NPC in the settlement to solve a problem such as translating an inscription, identifying an item's origin, or uncovering information about a creature. The party pays the value of the service , handing the task off to them. The hiring is quick, but the wait for the service can take some time, depending on how complex the answer is.

Work as a Specialist

Actively offer your specialized skill services to the local community in exchange for a living. The character earns 1d4 × 5 coins per day of work per level of a skill, except Academics and Occultism . It requires dedicating 2 shifts focused on the work.

Work as a Sage

Actively offer your services as a scholar or occultist to the local community in exchange for a living. The character earns 1d4 × 10 coins per day of work per level of Academics or Occultism . It requires dedicating 2 shifts focused on the work.

Play for Spare Change

Play and sing in a busy part of a settlement, whether a square, a market, or a tavern, in exchange for a few coins. The character makes a Perform (Play and Sing) check with a difficulty based on how busy the place is and receives, at the end of one shift , 5 coins for each success level of the check.

Fulfill Faction Obligations

Act within the settlement to honor your agreements with a guild, league, or cult, securing the organization's benefits. The character takes on the assigned task, rolling the skill checks appropriate to the situation. It takes anywhere from one shift to several days, depending on how complex the obligation is.

Seek Influence

Try to gain diplomatic favors, legal immunity, or financial backing from important figures, such as the Local Lord or the Captain of the Guard. Seeking influence is a complex activity that can involve steps such as gathering important information about a target and then convincing them to trust the character. As a complex activity, it can take several days.

Commit Crimes

Carry out illicit activities in the settlement, such as picking passersby's pockets, breaking into warehouses, or smuggling goods. The activity may involve Stealth checks to go unnoticed, Mechanisms to pick locks and padlocks, and Deception to fool guards or other NPCs , risking starting a fight or being hauled off to the dungeon on a failure. Doing this takes at least one shift .

Gamble

Join the dice or card tables at the inns to try to multiply your own gold. Playing games of chance usually involves Deception checks, to cheat, or Empathy checks, to read your opponents, wagering a sum of coins and running the risk of losing money or causing a scene. It takes one shift , usually at Evening.

Fight in the Arena

Take part in duels, jousts, or combat tournaments at the local arena or training yard in exchange for cash prizes and reputation. The character engages in real combat against other fighters, animals, or even monsters, risking having their Stamina reduced to zero and suffering wounds that may require days of recovery or even lead to death.

Carousing

Pay for drinks, banquets, and music for the patrons of a tavern or inn. For every 100 coins spent on the carousing, the party receives one Boon . At the end of the carousing, the GM rolls 1d12 plus the number of Boons received and checks the result on the carousing consequences table to find out what happened. Carousing takes at least one shift , usually at Evening and/or Night.

Carousing Consequences

To determine the carousing consequences, the GM rolls 1d12 + the number of Boons the party received:

NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS: The carousing was great; you drank, sang, and woke up refreshed (and with your Boons secured!).

HEAVY HANGOVER: The night took its toll. The character wakes with a splitting headache. Characters who fail a Physique check against a difficulty equal to 7 + the number of Boons received have a negative chance on any task requiring mental effort throughout the whole of the next day.

TROUBLE AT THE TAVERN: Things got a little out of hand. The character lost money in a heated game of chance or woke up with a mild wound from a bar brawl. Characters who fail a Physique check against a difficulty equal to 7 + the number of Boons received suffer a wound of severity 1d3 or lose 1d6 × 10 coins.

THE MYSTERY IN YOUR POCKET: Emptying their pockets the next morning, the character finds a strange trinket and has no idea how it got there.

THE PARTY'S NEW "MEMBER": The revelry and the tales told inspired a local. A peasant or admirer has decided they want to be an adventurer and now follows the party.

THE SECRET FROM THE NEXT TABLE: In the middle of the drinking, tongues loosened. The party managed to overhear a dark rumor or a dangerous secret that no one else in the city knows.

THE DARING THEFT: In the middle of the crowd, someone lifted the party's purse and stole an important item. Fortunately, the thief was careless and left clear tracks for you to follow.

THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY: Luck smiled on the party! A noble loved the characters' energy and wants to hire them for an off-the-books job, or you cleaned someone out at the tables and won a treasure map.

DANGEROUS ATTENTION: The echoes of your extravagance reached the wrong ears. Rumors about the party's possessions have painted a target on your backs, drawing the attention of a corrupt noble, extortion from a thieves' guild, or the interest of a mysterious cult.