D&D (2024) Dungeon Master's Guide Bastion System Lets You Build A Stronghold

The Dungeon Master's Guide's brand new Bastion System has been previewed in a new video from Wizards of the Coast.

Characters can acquire a bastion at 5th-level. Each week, the bastion takes a turn, with actions including crafting, recruiting, research, trade, and more.

A bastion also contains a number of special facilties, starting with two at 5th-level up to 6 at 17th-level. These facilities include things like armories, workshops, laboratories, stables, menageries, and more. In total there are nearly thirty such facilities to choose from.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

No i think it's pretty succeeding since the one that gets the most riled up about how bad it is is the one that's getting repeated mod warnings. So it must be doing something good on making someone like that so angry.

Glad to see you have nothing to contribite to the conversation.

 

[CleverNickName]

Sigh.

 

[GobHag]

Personally @Not a Decepticon I think it's great that there's a subsystem where a player can just say 'This is my space, Yo--the GM--have to ask me permission to do naughty word up stuff about it'.

 

[Iosue]

Sigh.

I, for one, greatly appreciated your cautious optimism! But...I understand.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yeah sure, is the game about preventing the king's death or the fallout of the king's death. I'd complain if it was the first, won't care if it's the 2nd.

Perhaps the game is about what happens in the setting and what the PCs do? No exterior plot.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yeah I know. if you don't agree, don't do it. If you agree, do it.

Then I have to ask why you asked what the issue was.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

And if this is a minigame to play between the sessions, it's even worse, as I have players who believe the game begins and stops at a session and resent being given "a homework assigment". The are great players but this "fun minigame" would probably made them leave the table.

It's something players can do if they want to. It's not compulsory homework! No one has to have a bastion. No one has to do anything with it if they have it.

There are some players who get a bit antsy between sessions and are looking for something they can fiddle with. This is for them.

 

[hopeless]

So you think the video is misrepresenting the rules? That's not great either, to be honest.

There's more to this than you realise.
I've preordered this book as its the only one I'm actually interested in.
I believe these rules can be used with other editions and games not just 5.5 or whatever they're calling it.
Once they released the phb they released the errata and I believe this will be no different.
However having reached page 17 of this discussion you got me interested enough to buy a copy so I'm VERY curious about this!

 

[hopeless]

This bastion system is bad news

It’s horrible that WoTC didn’t take any feedback and they are using class features, of all things, to gatekeeper players from facilities that fit their characters

For example, a sun soul monk who serves Lathander is not allowed to have a sanctum. A zealot barbarian can’t have a sanctum. And a drow swords bard who worships eilsitraee is not allowed to have a sanctum.

It’s even worse when you consider artificers and forge clerics can’t even have a smithy

Which is where your DM comes in.
Just because the book says no doesn't mean its no to them!
Those parts have hirelings for example what if they're the ones that have access and your character is working or helping them and they're repaying your aid with access?

 

[Not a Decepticon]

It's something players can do if they want to. It's not compulsory homework! No one has to have a bastion. No one has to do anything with it if they have it.

There are some players who get a bit antsy between sessions and are looking for something they can fiddle with. This is for them.

Who has time for that? If it is a minigame for players, why does it waste pages in dmg?