Your character invests hard-earned gold in various pursuits—plundering tombs, battling foes, and accomplishing daring feats. But why would one choose to spend that wealth on a stronghold instead of acquiring a shiny new suit of armor or a magical sword?
A stronghold provides benefits meant to rival or surpass the advantages gained from spending the equivalent amount on weapons and equipment. These benefits offer stronghold builders (and their parties) resources, bonuses, powers, and abilities that directly impact their endeavors, making their tomb raiding endeavors smoother and more successful.
Haven: By default, unless the GM decides otherwise, you can always utilize your stronghold as a haven.
Types of Stronghold
Acquiring a Stronghold
There are two basic ways for a character to acquire a stronghold: they are (in order of most expensive to least expensive) build a new one, or renovate an old one.
Building a Stronghold
The cost (in gold) and time to build (in days) for each of the four strongholds are listed below.
| Stronghold | Cost to Build (GP) | Time to Build (Days) | Fortification Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep | 10,000 | 150 | +2 Morale per level |
| Tower | 8,000 | 120 | +1 Morale per level |
| Temple | 8,000 | 120 | +1 Morale per level |
| Establishment | 6,000 | 90 | – |
Castles: Complex Structures
A stronghold belongs to whoever pays the most for it, and they are its master.
Complex tasks take proportionally more time and money than simple ones, so a castle costs 10% more and takes 10% longer for every basic stronghold function it incorporates.
A castle cannot contain multiple of the same type of stronghold. If you build a castle with two towers, for instance, only one of them grants the benefits of spell research. Also, a stronghold’s benefit only applies to one character at a time. A character can switch between which stronghold benefits they receive by taking an extended rest (downtime activity).
Repairing a Ruin
Repairing a ruin saves you half the time and cost of the final stronghold. So repairing a ruined level 1 keep would only cost 5,000 gold and take 75 days.
Upgrading your Stronghold
Once built, your stronghold can be upgraded by taking more time and spending more money. You can spend more money to build a larger stronghold from the start, but there is no time or cost savings.
| Cost | Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Keep | Tower | Temple | Establishment |
| 2 | 5,000 | 50 | 3,000 | 40 | 3,000 | 40 | 2,000 | 30 |
| 3 | 10,000 | 100 | 6,000 | 80 | 6,000 | 80 | 4,000 | 60 |
| 4 | 15,000 | 150 | 12,000 | 120 | 12,000 | 120 | 6,000 | 90 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 200 | 18,000 | 160 | 18,000 | 160 | 8,000 | 120 |
| Size | Toughness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Keep | Tower | Temple | Establishment |
| 1 | 6 | 22 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 18 | – | – |
| 2 | 8 | 24 | 6 | 20 | 6 | 20 | – | – |
| 3 | 10 | 26 | 8 | 22 | 8 | 22 | – | – |
| 4 | 12 | 28 | 10 | 24 | 10 | 24 | – | – |
| 5 | 20 | 30 | 12 | 26 | 12 | 26 | – | – |
Strongholds by Class
Indeed, regardless of the type of stronghold you build—whether it’s a keep, a tower, a temple, or an establishment—it will enhance your character’s signature class ability and attract followers tailored to your class. Here are a few examples:
- Bard: Instead of a traditional theater, your bard might own a cozy tavern known for its lively performances and open mic nights.
- Monk: Rather than a monastery, your monk could have a tranquil garden retreat where they meditate and train with fellow practitioners.
- Barbarian: Your barbarian might refer to their stronghold as the “Warrior’s Den,” a rugged encampment in the wilderness where they gather their tribe and plan their next raid.
- Wizard: Instead of a tower, your wizard might inhabit a hidden arcane library filled with ancient tomes and mystical artifacts.
- Druid: Your druid could have a sacred grove nestled deep within a forest, serving as a sanctuary for wildlife and a center for nature worship.
- Rogue: Your rogue might operate from a network of safehouses and hidden hideouts across the city, known collectively as the “Shadow Network.”
Feel free to let your imagination run wild and customize your stronghold to suit your character’s style and narrative!
Domain Effects & Stronghold Actions
Owning a stronghold has profound effects on the surrounding land. As the ruler, you gain unique abilities that are exclusive to your stronghold, which serves as the center of your power. These stronghold actions are truly epic!
Whenever a stronghold action or demesne effect requires a saving throw, its difficulty class (DC) is equal to the stronghold owner’s spellcasting DC, unless specified otherwise. While players might be tempted to misuse their stronghold actions, employing them for unnecessary displays, they should be cautious. Overusing these privileges may strain the resources and patience of the land they govern, leading to consequences.
Class Feature Improvements
Establishing a stronghold enhances your class’s signature feature as your domain bestows additional power upon you. Usually, this enhanced class feature has a restricted number of uses, often based on your stronghold level. Once these uses are expended, you must take an extended rest to replenish the ability.
For multiclass characters, they can select any one of their class abilities to enhance and can change this selection following an extended rest.