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gibbo88
2009-08-06, 08:43 PM
Hi Playgrounders, in the campaign I'm currently in the group recently cleared out some Formians that were camping out below/in a tower. In this world there is only druidic/ranger magic since the Gods had a big war and no longer answer any prayers and there was a massive drop in population during said war for various reasons. Anywho, so my character thinks it would be a good idea to make this tower as a checkpoint for the caravans that most people travel around and live in. So that if a caravan is running late they can dispatch people to have a look and see what has happened. (This is the reason for attacking formians, they had sieged one of the caravans and we didn't have enough power to stop them and were told if we killed the Queen they would have no one to control them.)

I have the following description for the area, and I should get a map next session but I want to have a plan that the character would have come up with, without hurrying one out during the session.

"Tower above ground is not in great shape...still standing but in mid-stages of decay, roof in bad quality, walls damaged...seems solid enough though. Nearby terrain is rocky mountainside for a min of say 1/2 km down on to plains, up onto mountains. Mountainside kind of like the Darling Scarp (that is a scarp formation in Australia)"

So I will need stone workers obviously (this is hard enough given that for the last 200 years or so there have been few (<5) permanent structures made).

What other things could people suggest that I would need for the tower and support structures? If you need more info I'll provide what I can.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-08-06, 09:48 PM
What level, what casters do you have, what cash are you willing to spend, and can you get imprtant NPCs(merchants who ship that road, nobels who buy from the merchants) to give you finances or soldiers?

Also, more information is always good. If there are any factors that I forgot to ask about, we would still benefit from knowing.

gibbo88
2009-08-06, 09:55 PM
We are currently level 5, but there is a fair majority of NPC's a decent jump above that...though I have no idea as to the power level they get to. If I can convince the leader of the caravan that its a good idea, he can most likely convince others that it is. Soldiers I am thinking can come from the forces of each of the caravans and, most likely, all people at the tower would have to have some reliable means to defend themselves. Because of the lack of magic I was thinking mundane defenses would have to be the main idea, and there is a series of caves below the base so we can most likely make those better to retreat into and trap them or whatever.

The way the caravans go is that they all have things they are particularly famous for, say one might be known for its booze while another may be great and producing livestock etc. Most of the trade works on a bater system at the moment, which may be the main stopping point for the base, since it basically would be a not for profit thing.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-08-06, 10:14 PM
The way the caravans go is that they all have things they are particularly famous for, say one might be known for its booze while another may be great and producing livestock etc. Most of the trade works on a bater system at the moment, which may be the main stopping point for the base, since it basically would be a not for profit thing.What is this MADNESS?!? Not-for-profit? No. You do it for the percentage. Every caravan that registers with you provides a small portion when it shows up to cover expenses. Whether it's booze or supplies or slaves, you take enough to cover start up and continued matinance, with an additional expenditure to cover your eventual death and ressurection. Contributions now from the caravans can mitigate future payments(since you need the immediate financing). If they don't have anything you'll want, they can bring along, say, spice or jewels or something that won't add to their load instead, and you can use it to buy more from the next caravan to come through with something that you want.

As for the actual base: Iron-clad defenses aren't as important, though useful. You likely will be tougher and not much more rich than the caravans, so people won't go after the base that often. Your focus should be on quick-response forces, calvary mostly in a non-caster world, that are good at locating lost groups, hitting the bandits hard, and getting back. Your calvary and horse-transported foot are best at that. You'll want good archers and otther ranged on the walls so that you can provide cover for caravans coming in under fire, and you'll want a network of informants in the countryside that will tell you if bandits show up and where.

gibbo88
2009-08-06, 10:24 PM
I like the funding idea, and it would definitely help with the payments.

Also, I think if there was enough people at one point we could work as a mercenary group of some description as well as guarding the tower, provided we have higher level people. The group has managed to do several important things, so there is bound to be people who want to serve with them.

Urist Ironblood
2009-08-07, 11:34 AM
Definitely make your tower a trading post! Send word with the caravans that any caravan willing to make a supply trip exclusively to your tower, bearing a full load, will have their supplies purchased on very favorable terms. Merchant companies that send at least one supply caravan every two months will maintain "favored trader" status and all caravans from their company will get discounts on repairs and boarding.

You could consider offering low-maintenance repairs: keep a leatherworker to tidy up their tack and harnesses, a wheelwright to straighten their wheels, and a smith to do replace metal parts. They'd be useful trades in your tower anyway, so consider letting them sell their services to the caravans.

You might want to have a stable of draught-horses for replacing lamed or tired horses from the caravans, as well as fast cavalry horses for chasing down bandits... but that's going to require lots of grain.

If you can afford optics (or if they exist in your world) a watch keeper with a telescope would be useful. If not, a system of sentry flags would allow the tower to communicate with anyone in sight. You could send messages like "east road clear, west road reports bandits" or "open for business" or "no vacancy".

You should ask the PCs to consider what the financial arrangements will be for the NPCs who live and work in the tower. Right off the bat I imagine something like the following division of labor:

Administrator serves as the PCs' representative and has authority over the Tradesman and the Captain of the Guard. The Tradesman is responsible for the commercial operation - taking in money, arranging caravan schedules, attracting craftsmen to take up residence, and handling the balance of goods. The Captain of the Guard provides for arming, training, recruiting, and patrolling. The Administrator handles municipal affairs, settles disputes, and pays all wages and rations, as well as approving and paying the expenses that the Captain and Tradesman incur. His ultimate job is to set aside a suitable monthly or yearly tribute to your PCs (the founders) and communicate with them via messenger about the needs of the tower.

In any case, you're going to need:
- A barracks / armory
- A dining hall
- Dormitories (for natives) and an inn (for travelers)
- A courtyard where merchants can set up stalls, or semi-permanent shops if the local weather isn't suitable year-round
- Stables
- Stockrooms
- Forge

Start with the minimum cavalry force you'd like to deploy on a single raid, and then start adding up the logistical costs of supporting them. Keeping a dozen light cavalry raiding or patrolling will require 12-16 soldiers, 18-24 horses, which requires a certain number of squires/stable hands. If you don't want the tower to be undefended when the cavalry ride out you'll need archers or heavy infantry in the tower, necessitating an officer corps (say three sergeants and a captain) which means at least two manservants for your officers. Every time your manpower tally hits 30 or so, you're probably looking at adding one more body just to handle food or cleaning duties.

I'd try to draft a stable population of 50-75 heads and see what kind of division of labor you're looking at. Consider using off-duty soldiers for moving sacks of grain, feeding the horses, or even practicing some of the trades; if you can stack duties you'll save on room and board.