D&D 5E Amenities For A Trusty Home Town?

[not-so-newguy]

"The adventure only happens in the dungeon." It's not a platitude which I always follow, but I'm trying to focus on that idea for this adventure.

I'm futzing with a town-to-dungeon adventure involving the Caverns of Thracia. I'd like to have a resourceful home base for the party; a safe place where the group can resupply, heal, and get info. Some low level utility magic may be available. I don't plan to cram everything into this town, but I want the group to be able to recoup and get back to adventuring.

With that in mind, I'm making a list of potential amenities for this makes believe town. If you'd like to add to that list, then please do.

Please let me know of any pre-made towns that might work

Feel free to leave any other advice that you might have.

AMENITIES
Smithy
Sage and assistants. A much larger collection of knowledge and books than a normal town should have, but it is no Library of Alexandria. A good source for history and translating languages.
Divine Healing, Church. 5th level cleric. 5 minor healing potions available per month. 2 Gentle Repose scrolls available per month.
Ye Olde Magick Shoppe. Low magic to no magic. Material components for all casters; costly components available at DM discretion or determined randomly. Supplies for writing spells. Perhaps a few utility spells.
Tavern. Gossip, hirelings, general asshattery.

 

[iserith]

I'd make a shop for each table in the PHB equipment section (one for armor, one for weapons, one for adventuring gear, another for trade goods, etc.). Make every single one of those merchants quirky and cagey, the type that really makes it hard to buy anything from them, and every time the PCs encounter them, they should have different accents than the last time. This will incentivize the PCs to just craft their own stuff so you can use the downtime activities and tool proficiency rules.

 

[Thunder Brother]

Apothecary/Herbalist: for your healing or poisoning needs
Roman-style Public Bath: what better way to unwind after a grueling adventure?
Fence/Antiquarian/Eccentric Collector: someone who will handsomely pay the party for all the weird loot they find.

 

[iserith]

Throw an orphanage in there too - The Children's Home for Future Adventurers.

Give the PCs 1 XP per GP that they donate to the orphanage. This XP goes to their backup character.

 

[Stormonu]

General store. Mostly mundane stuff for the locals, but also has a couple quirky Knick-knacks and common adventuring/wilderness gear. Works with a travelling merchant who does rounds between the local metropolis and smaller towns - if the store owner doesn’t have it in stock, he can usually order it and have it in a couple days.

Jeweler/Banker. Also doubles as the town’s tax assayer, will hold large sums of coins for the adventures while they go spelunking and can convert gems and jeweler into coin. Doesn’t do loans though to non-established villagers (i.e., must own property in the area) - adventuring life is too hazardous/easy to skip town. Might do “adventurer’s life insurance” though, since dead adventures rarely have relatives to come collect. Will definately need a bodyguard or three to keep thieves at bay.

Stables.. Need a place to stow horses between travels and adventures.

Gambler’s Den/House of Ill Repute/Theatre/Bawdry/etc. Any seedy establishment that thrives on coin from those willing to spend it on cheap (or expensive) entertainment.

 

[MattW]

The above businesses are good start but I would add the following

1. a brewery and/or a winemaker. (Even with magic, you can't expect people to drink the water. Yuck!)
2. Tannery/leathermaker (but this will be on the edge of town and downstream)
3. Spinners (turning wool or fibre into cloth, rope and other useful stuff)
4. The local fort/castle. If it's a town full of valuable businesses, someone will want to protect and tax it. This might also provide a place of refuge if the townspeople are under attack.
5. The mill (watermill or windmill). Someone has to grind grain for local bakers
6. Fairground or market place. There could be a weekly market and regular Feast Days
7. Fish ponds (much easier to farm fish than catch them in the river)
8. Alms House (possibly associated with the church). A place where pilgrims or sick people can be housed and looked after
9. An inn for travellers. This could also be a Post Office.
10. A pub or brewhouse for locals
11. There might be other businesses but it depends on the local economy Does it depend on lumber? If so, you'll need a sawmill and so on. If it's "sheep country" then there will be more spinners and the temple might include a veterinary doctor and so on



There should also be a reason why the town is in its location. Is it a crossroads for a couple of trade routes? Does it have the only ford or bridge across the river? Is it deliberately planned? Was it like a lot of towns in the Roman Empire and based around an old fort?

 

[MarkB]

Fixer-Upper Manor House
If the PCs are going to be based out of this town for awhile, maybe some of them might want to put down roots. Put in a formerly-elegant large house that's fallen on hard times, introduce them to the place, and emphasise it's potential for renovation.

If anyone bites, they can invest some of their coin in purchasing it cheap (maybe free with a small quest), then have the townsfolk work on restoring parts of it while they're off adventuring.

 

[MattW]

I should have asked how "medieval" you want the town to be. You may want to include a witch/midwife (who may be the local herbalist/brewer). There should probably be a manor house (maybe the PC's could become Lords of the Manor?)

 

[not-so-newguy]

I should have asked how "medieval" you want the town to be. You may want to include a witch/midwife (who may be the local herbalist/brewer).

It's "medieval-ly" enough to have a witch, midwife, wisdom!

 

[MattW]

How's this for an idea?

This picture could inspire something. With a little work this might be a memorable/exotic base.

I see it as a small town that grew up around a small arena that (in the "OLD DAYS" ) was once a training school for entertainers (it could be everything from gladiators to actors/philosophers). The old arena makes a good defensible position and is the location for a local market. .

It would also explain some of the things that you want to have in the town.

1. Your sages and clerics are the (distant?) descendants of the students and staff - and they still have access to the arena's library.

2. Your healers are maintaining a tradition that started with the old gladiators.

3. Your olde magic shoppe has a remnant of the arena's stock of weapons, healing and entertainment magic.