Castles & Construction

The players in a campaign often wish to establish a permanent base from which to operate, and their desire to defend this base will often lead to the construction of fortifications, if they do not build a castle outright. Here is a selection detailing various building materials, construction methods, and practicalities involved in the operation of a stronghold.

**Materials:**

Each material used in construction has a hardness listed, along with a health total and upkeep cost. Hardness is equivalent to damage deflection, while health is the amount of damage an amount of material can take before it breaks. Health is by inch of thickness. Upkeep is explained further below. These rules are for walls, and are slightly different from the sundering rules in appendix 2.

So a 2ft thick wall made of granite (a hard stone) would have hardness 20 and 192 health. It would therefore take at least 192 points of damage to break a hole in such a wall.

Below is a table giving construction costs for various castle features, the price column assumes construction using hard stone (unless otherwise noted). If a construction material other than hard stone is desired, soft stone is only 90% as costly, mudbrick 50%, wood and earth 30%, bronze 300% and iron 500%. If doing these calculations is too onerous or not of interest, it is entirely permissible to hand-wave or simply set costs which are consistent with the world. The primary aim is enjoyment, and this much math only qualifies as enjoyable on occasion. As it is not possible to construct out of ice using normal methods, pricing is the same as for bronze, as any construction effort must be pursued primarily by magic, and can likely only happen in arctic conditions. Glass is generally not a suitable material to build anything out of, but for those wishing to try, it costs the same as iron. This is not an exhaustive list of features, but should be used as a reference for any additional features a player might wish to build.

Arrow Slit: A vertical slit cut into a wall or battlement to allow for the firing of arrows or other projectiles at intruders.

Bastion Wall: The walls used to construct a keep or castle building. These walls may also be used to construct the outermost walls of a town or fort, but are not as strong as the curtain wall. Arrow slits and windows may be cut into this wall.

Battlement: The crenelations atop a wall or tower. The wall extends up 3ft, with the crenelations themselves extending 2ft up past that, so as to provide full or partial cover to any creature standing on the wall.

Catwalk: The wooden walkway which sits behind a wall, upon which defenders stand. It is necessary to include a catwalk with bastion walls if you desire defenders to be able to see over the wall.

Curtain Wall: The outermost wall of a fortress or castle. Doubling the height also means doubling the width, so a wall 40ft high would be 20ft thick. The wall comes with battlements and a walkway on top, with stairs to the ground every 100ft. The wall is solid, but consists of two outer layers of solid stone blocks on either edge, each of which is 2’ thick, and an infill made of loose stone. The infill is generally the same material as the wall, but may be changed to decrease construction costs.

Ditch: A simple trench dug in the earth, the excavated earth may be used to form a rampart when constructing a crude fort.

Drawbridge: Used to cross a moat, this structure is usually flanked by two towers in which the operating machinery is housed.

Moat: Unlike the ditch, a moat is lined with stone, and may be either filled with water, wild animals, or difficult vegetation. A moat serves to make direct assaults on the walls, along with tunneling efforts, more difficult. A moat may be crossed with either a temporary or permanent bridge.

Portcullis: Often used as part of a gate, a portcullis reinforces a door against ramming. The operational machinery is usually housed in towers flanking the gate.

Rampart: A long mound of packed earth, meant to provide cover and fortification.

Simple Wall: The walls which are used in the interior of castles, or which are used for the construction of buildings on castle grounds which are not the keep, such as stables or additional barracks. Windows and arrow slits may be cut into these walls.

Stairs: Towers come standard with this, they are necessary to reach the top of walls as well. Inside castles, they generally run clockwise, to advantage the defenders in the event of a breach.

Stone Building: Usable as a barracks, a stable, or any other simple building found within a castle. Walls are simple, there are two doors, and windows may be optionally added.

Tower: A round tower, with two internal rooms, and a crenelated roof. Up to four arrow slits, each facing a different direction, may be cut into the walls on each floor of the tower. The walls of the tower are assumed to be 18in thick.

**Construction and Upkeep:**

The endeavor of building a castle is vast, and costly. The time is impacted by the materials chosen, and by the labor force. The column in the table above lists the given construction time for each feature. The percent difference in price for the various materials also reflects the change in construction time, so a mudbrick curtain wall would cost half as much and go up twice as fast. This is the tradeoff between strength of materials and cost, with the stronger materials being harder to work with, and thus costlier. The upkeep costs, however, also reflect differences in a material, as a stronger material often requires less upkeep. The upkeep column on the materials table represents the cost per year to maintain a structure of a given material, including all repairs. So to maintain a mudbrick structure, 20% of the total cost of the structure must be paid each year to maintain the structural integrity of the building. Failure to pay these costs results in a degradation of the structure, and the loss of 1 health/ft3 of the unmaintained structure. If enough health is lost through lack of maintenance to equal two-thirds the structure’s total health, the structure becomes a ruin.

Of course, maintaining a structure also requires a staff in most instances. Castles need guards, cooks, blacksmiths, and dozens of other people who work to ensure the continued functioning of the estate. These people’s livelihoods are paid for through taxes on the peasants who live on the lands surrounding the castle. These taxes are paid in the understanding that the lord of the castle will provide protection from monsters, war, and other sundry terrible things which exist to make the lives of peasants difficult. Repeated failure to provide this may incite a rebellion. The lands which may be taxed are either those granted by the king, in the case of a bequeathed castle, or those which have been made safe, in the case of a new castle being established as a stronghold of civilization in the wilderness.

If the party builds a castle in the wilderness, and creates an area of safety in which people can live, then peasants will begin to immigrate there. The total number of peasants who come each year will be half the number the land can support at maximum, halving each year. So if the land around a castle can support 100 people, then 50 will show up the first year, 25 the second, and 12 the third. The party may take active measures to recruit people if they want to build their settlement faster, such as scouring war torn regions or offering incentives to new farmers or merchants. Each farmstead(~5 people) produces enough tax revenue to provide for one person in the castle, so in the above example, if there are 50 people in 10 farmsteads around the castle, they produce enough tax revenue for the lord of that castle to employ 10 people. If a region is stable in the long term, merchants might move into the area. Further information on inhabitants and the revenue they generate is in a later table. Of course, if the players simply want a stronghold, and don’t want to deal with such logistical problems, it can all be waved away. This is meant to serve the enjoyment of the players and GM alike, and if they wish to devote their time to killing monsters instead of accounting, that is their prerogative.

Castle Staff:

The table of castle staff lists the NPCs who might need to be hired to run the daily operations of a castle. The upkeep column lists the monthly cost of maintaining their employ, based on tax revenue. So if a farmstead produces a revenue of 1 each month, with that a lord might hire 1 cook, 1 guard, or 2 servants. Usually employment is done by the year, although mercenaries may be hired for shorter term engagements. It is expected that all persons employed in a castle will be housed in the castle, and fed from the supplies of the lord. The cost of feeding them is covered in upkeep, but housing should be considered during construction of the castle.

**Descriptions**:

Blacksmith: This metal worker is not only necessary for the upkeep of the castle, they provide valuable services to the various farmholds in the region. 1 blacksmith is necessary for every 50 people in a castle, however the cost of each blacksmith after the first may be defrayed if there are at least 50 people outside the castle who will need the services of the blacksmith, either other merchants, peasants or mercenaries. Thus for a castle with 30 people, supported by 80 peasants and 5 merchants, one blacksmith may be hired out of pocket, with another in the castle whose upkeep is paid for by the commoners.

Carpenter: This woodworker is similar to a blacksmith, in that their presence is often necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of a castle. The number necessary and the payment thereof functions like the blacksmith.

Chamberlain: This employee serves to run the castle in the player’s absence. If the players want a castle, but don’t want to deal with all of the rest of this, they can simply hire a competent Chamberlain, and they will deal with all the minutiae of running the estate, while the players frolick. Just make sure they don’t die, or turn against you.

Cook: Prepares meals. Each can prepare enough food for 50 people/day.

Engineer: This position is integral to the construction of a castle, and if a castle has an engineer and at least 2 each of blacksmiths and carpenters, and at least 4 laborers, they may halve the yearly maintenance costs they must pay to maintain the castle.

Groom: Runs a stable and cares for horses and carriages. Each groom can care for up to 20 horses or 5 carriages.

Guard: Like most mercenaries, the castle guards will not follow the party on adventures, but serve to guard the castle and the surrounding lands. Guards are base NPCs, and are generally equipped with a spear, a lowbow, a short sword, a wooden shield, and a chain shirt. The cost of maintaining this equipment is part of hiring the guard, and is covered by tax revenue if the castle has a blacksmith and carpenter. One guard must be maintained for every 5 revenue collected, or the task of protecting and policing the inhabitants of the settlement becomes unmanageable.

Knight Errant: Similar to an officer, a knight errant is an NPC with some class levels. As all other NPCs, they will not join the players on adventures, but will instead pledge to follow their banner in time of war, and will aid in the defense of the castle. Knights errant will show up to especially prosperous or dangerous castles depending upon which suits them, and either seek lives of leisure or the pursuit of glory. Having a force of knights errant permanently kept in a castle is rare, but most have 1-10 loosely associated, who can be called upon in times of war.

Laborer: Usually just a peasant who wants to do something that isn’t farm work. Laborers do most of the heavy lifting during construction of a castle, and also serve to aid the blacksmith, engineer, and carpenter.

Officer: An officer is necessary to command a group of guards, with one officer being necessary for every 20 guards, and another officer (of upkeep 3) for every hundred. Officers have 4-6 class levels, but will not join the party in adventures unless there is a war.

Sage: A sage is a learned scholar sometimes maintained in a castle to answer inane questions and maintain a library. The sage is also capable of doing alchemical research, but this will raise their upkeep to 3. Alternatively, the sage may be employed to do magical research, which will also raise their upkeep to 3, but give the owner of the keep a 20% discount when acquiring new spells through purchase to add to their spellbook.

Servant: A servant deals with keeping the castle cleaned, and helps the cook and chamberlain. Usually one servant is needed, along with another servant for every 20 people living in a castle.

The loyalty of these people, and the hiring of NPCs for less permanent positions, is explored above.

Pop. on the table refers to the total population of each unit, including dependants. The column AL refers to available labor, the number of individuals which may be called upon to form a peasant levee, militia, or corvee labor force. Depending on social organization, such service might count as part of their tax burden. Taking the labor away from farms, mines, or lumber mills halts the production of revenue from these sources. Labor may be taken from farms in the off season, when there is no work to be done on the farm, without penalty, although farmers might resent being formed into levees every season, depending upon societal organization and expectations.

Farmstead: This is a single-family farm, which produces subsistence level food, with enough surplus to provide tax revenue and barter for needed supplies.

Cooperative Farm: This is a farm run by 2-4 families working together, using more land and able to grow a wider variety of crops. About 20% of farms in a community will be cooperative farms.

Herder: This is an area-dependent profession, as grasslands are necessary for herders to prosper. They are focused almost entirely on raising animals, and pay tax in the form of live animals and animal products.

Merchant: These are the people who run caravans, operate general stores, and ensure the flow of goods. Most settlements will have at least one merchant, and further merchants will arrive at an amount of 1/50 households. More merchants may show up independent of this number if the community is on a major trade route.

Mines: Valuable gems and metals, and even such things as iron and tin must be dug out of the ground somewhere. Revenue from a mine is the amount of taxes paid by the mine operators for land-use rights and the military protection of the lord. Mines require a broad food base to support, and food must be either imported, or grown locally. A mine also requires the presence of material to be mined; the presence of such might be the cause for the founding of the community.

Bank: Not all settlements will have a bank. A settlement with multiple merchants, an inn, and some other form of revenue will likely also have a bank. Sometimes the lord of the keep will open a bank within the keep, in which case the revenue generated balances out the upkeep necessary for a banker, resulting in a net 0.

Fishermen: This profession is only possible in coastal or riverine communities, but can be quite profitable. A fisherman operates similarly to a herder or farmer.

Inn: Not all communities will have one of these, but many will.

Lumber Mill: This requires the presence of forests, and allows for the export of timber and wooden goods.

If more revenue is generated than is spent in upkeep, it may accrue as physical wealth at a rate of 50 gp per point per month. Other items may be added to this list as suits the GM’s fancy or the whims of the players. Perhaps there is a desire to establish an alchemical research institute, a vineyard, a caravanserai, or some other form of revenue generating enterprise. The given values here may be used as a basis when determining the revenue such things generate.

The revenue generated by a dependent kingdom is itself taxed if it owes loyalty to some greater state. Margraves pay tribute to barons, who pay to dukes, who pay upwards to the king. Ten percent of all excess revenue generated must be paid in tribute each month. Further, should the country go to war, each lord is expected to provide troops and supplies commensurate with their station.

The maximum number of dependents a given stronghold can support is determined by the GM, as are the number of merchants attracted. The presence of resources for mining or timber should be determined when scouting for locations to build a stronghold.