A character normally gains their Bastion upon reaching level 5.
Player Reference
Bastion Rules
A complete reference for creating, expanding, operating, and defending your Bastion.
By default, one Bastion Turn occurs for every seven days of in-game time.
One Basic Facility starts Cramped and one Roomy. You also choose two Special Facilities you qualify for.
At level 17, a Bastion normally contains six Special Facilities.
What Is a Bastion?
A Bastion is a location controlled by a player character: their home, stronghold, headquarters, and a place that grows alongside them throughout the campaign.
It provides a refuge between adventures and can support activities such as crafting magic items, research, harvesting special resources, constructing ships, recruiting creatures, trading, and other projects.
Characters do not need to remain at their Bastions for them to function. Facilities and hirelings can continue working while their owners are adventuring elsewhere.
Bastions are optional. Some characters in a party can own one while others choose not to.
Beyond their mechanical benefits, Bastions are intended as player-controlled creative and storytelling spaces within the larger campaign world.
Gaining a Bastion
If Bastions are available in the campaign, a character normally receives one upon reaching level 5.
The Bastion can come into existence however fits the story. A character might inherit land, receive an estate as a reward, occupy an existing structure, restore ruins, establish a guild, build a tower, fortify a keep, or create another appropriate stronghold.
Construction can be assumed to have been progressing behind the scenes during the character's earlier adventuring career, allowing the Bastion to be ready when level 5 is reached.
Its theme and appearance are up to the player and DM. Class does not restrict its form: a Wizard might own a tower, a Fighter a keep, a Cleric a shrine, a Rogue a guildhall, or characters can mix these ideas freely.
Bastion Turns
Bastion activity is resolved through Bastion Turns. They represent what occurs at the stronghold while time passes in the campaign, whether the owner is present or away.
During a Bastion Turn, the owner can issue orders to eligible Special Facilities or issue Maintain to the entire Bastion.
Frequency
The default interval is one Bastion Turn every 7 days of in-game time.
Seven days pass while the party travels. A Bastion Turn becomes available even though the owner is away.
Six weeks spent between adventures can produce six Bastion Turns.
Characters can return home long enough to resolve a Bastion Turn before leaving again.
A party sleeping at its Bastion while adventuring locally can still resolve the weekly turn when seven days pass.
DM Timing
The interval can be lengthened to suit the campaign. For campaigns with months of downtime, the DM might use one Bastion Turn per month instead of every seven days.
Bastion Map
Players are encouraged to create floor plans for their Bastions and arrange facilities as they wish, much like designing a dungeon map.
Closets & Small Enclosures
Facilities can contain closets, washrooms, and similar small enclosed spaces at no cost.
They must remain within the facility's existing area and don't add extra squares.
Corridors, Ramps & Stairs
Facilities can contain connections leading to other facilities, including corridors, ramps, and staircases.
These architectural connections are free.
Doors & Windows
Facilities include doors and shuttered windows placed wherever appropriate.
They can include ordinary doors, locked doors, secret doors, portcullises, and similar features. These are free.
Defensive Walls
Defensive walls can be constructed around the Bastion. They are 20 feet high and can include a walkway and a means of access.
Each 5-foot square of wall costs 250 GP and requires 10 days to build.
If defensive walls completely surround the Bastion, an Attack event rolls 2 fewer dice when determining lost Bastion Defenders.
Facility Space
Every Basic or Special Facility has a size category. The category determines its maximum area in 5-foot squares.
Those squares can be arranged however the player wishes and may be spread across multiple floors or stories.
| Space | Maximum Area |
|---|---|
| Cramped | 4 squares |
| Roomy | 16 squares |
| Vast | 36 squares |
Combining Bastions
Two or more characters can combine their Bastions into one larger structure.
Each character's Bastion remains mechanically independent. Combining them does not change how many Special Facilities each character receives, how those facilities function, or who issues their orders.
Hirelings remain attached to their owner's Bastion and cannot normally be transferred or shared between the combined Bastions.
Bastion Defenders are an exception. If an event causes one owner's Bastion to lose defenders, another owner in the combined Bastion can absorb some or all of those losses with their own defenders.
Mobile Bastions
A campaign can allow a Bastion that is itself a vehicle, such as a ship, airship, or another mobile headquarters.
A Mobile Bastion has two requirements: it must take the form of a vehicle, and one of its Special Facilities must provide propulsion.
Examples of facilities capable of serving this purpose include the Lyrandar Helm, Navigator's Helm, and Orien Helm.
When several Bastions are combined into one vehicle, each Bastion must have the same type of propulsion facility. All participating owners must issue the Empower order to those facilities simultaneously for the combined vehicle to travel.
A combined Mobile Bastion can operate for longer than eight hours per day because its facility hirelings can work in shifts. For example, three Navigator's Helm facilities can allow navigation around the clock using three eight-hour shifts.
A Mobile Bastion can encounter hazards and obstacles while traveling. An encounter can temporarily disable one or more facilities, potentially including the facility responsible for propulsion.
The map should fit reasonably within the chosen vehicle. The DM can slightly adjust facility dimensions where needed.
Restriction:
Mobile Bastions cannot have defensive walls.
Basic Facilities
Every new Bastion begins with two free Basic Facilities. The player chooses both.
One begins Cramped and the other Roomy.
A Bastion can contain multiple copies of the same type of Basic Facility.
Bedroom
Dining Room
Parlor
Courtyard
Kitchen
Storage
Basic Facilities include appropriate ordinary furnishings and decoration at no additional cost.
They don't normally provide mechanical benefits. Their purpose is primarily architectural, narrative, and roleplaying-oriented.
Basic Facilities can be added or enlarged by spending time and GP. Multiple construction projects can proceed simultaneously, and the Bastion owner doesn't need to remain at the Bastion while the work is underway.
Adding Basic Facilities
| Facility Space | Cost | Time Required |
|---|---|---|
| Cramped | 500 GP | 20 days |
| Roomy | 1,000 GP | 45 days |
| Vast | 3,000 GP | 125 days |
Enlarging Basic Facilities
Enlarging a Basic Facility normally has no mechanical benefit, but can increase the Bastion's physical size or support the player's desired layout.
| Space Increase | Cost | Time Required |
|---|---|---|
| Cramped → Roomy | 500 GP | 25 days |
| Roomy → Vast | 2,000 GP | 80 days |
Special Facilities
Special Facilities are the parts of a Bastion that provide game benefits and perform Bastion Orders.
A new level-5 Bastion begins with two Special Facilities chosen from those the character qualifies for.
A particular Special Facility can normally be selected only once unless its own rules explicitly allow otherwise.
Unlike Basic Facilities, Special Facilities aren't bought with GP. They are gained through character advancement.
Special Facility Acquisition
| Character Level | Total Special Facilities | Facilities Gained |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | 4 | +2 |
| 13 | 5 | +1 |
| 17 | 6 | +1 |
Replacing Facilities
Whenever a character gains a level, they can replace one existing Special Facility with another Special Facility for which they qualify.
Requirements
Every Special Facility has a minimum character level. The owner must meet that level before acquiring it.
A facility can also have additional prerequisites. These might involve spellcasting, the ability to use a particular focus, proficiency, class features, or other qualifications defined by that facility.
Space
Each Special Facility occupies a specific amount of Bastion space. Its squares can be arranged freely within the map.
Some Special Facilities provide additional benefits if enlarged. Those benefits are described in that facility's Cauldron entry.
Hirelings
Special Facilities include one or more hirelings who maintain the facility and execute its Bastion Orders.
Players can give these hirelings names, personalities, and other NPC details.
Each Special Facility generates enough income to pay the salaries of its own hirelings. Hireling wages therefore don't normally need to be paid separately by the character.
Hirelings are loyal to the Bastion's owner and carry out the orders they receive.
Bastion Orders
During a Bastion Turn, an owner who is present can issue Bastion Orders to one or more Special Facilities.
Not every facility needs to receive an order on every turn.
Maintain is different from other orders: it applies to the entire Bastion rather than one facility.
If the owner isn't present, the Bastion automatically operates under Maintain unless the owner can communicate orders to the hirelings using Sending or similar magic.
Hirelings create an item that the facility is capable of producing.
While an item is being crafted, that facility can't begin another Craft project, even if it can normally execute multiple orders simultaneously.
Facility hirelings have whatever Artisan's Tool proficiencies their facility specifies.
The Special Facility grants a temporary benefit or empowerment to the Bastion owner or another eligible recipient.
Hirelings gather a resource produced by their facility.
While that Harvest project is underway, the facility can't begin another Harvest project, even if it could otherwise execute multiple orders.
Every hireling focuses on upkeep rather than normal Special Facility work.
No other Bastion Orders can be issued during the same turn.
Each time Maintain is issued, the DM rolls once on the Bastion Events table. The resulting event is resolved before the next Bastion Turn.
Hirelings recruit creatures to the Bastion. These can include Bastion Defenders.
The Bastion generates enough income to support its Bastion Defenders.
Facility hirelings gather information on behalf of the Bastion owner.
Hirelings buy or sell goods and services stored or produced by their Special Facility.
Bastion Events
Bastion Events occur when the Maintain order is issued.
Immediately after Maintain is issued, the DM rolls once on the Bastion Events table to determine what happens before the next Bastion Turn.
The event is resolved immediately. If several characters controlling separate Bastions all issue Maintain on the same turn, the DM rolls separately for each Bastion—even when those Bastions are physically combined.
Because Maintain often occurs while the owner is elsewhere, Bastion Events can also be played out from the perspective of the Bastion's hirelings.
| 1d100 | Event |
|---|---|
| 01–50 | All Is Well |
| 51–55 | Attack |
| 56–58 | Criminal Hireling |
| 59–63 | Extraordinary Opportunity |
| 64–72 | Friendly Visitors |
| 73–76 | Guest |
| 77–79 | Lost Hirelings |
| 80–83 | Magical Discovery |
| 84–91 | Refugees |
| 92–98 | Request for Aid |
| 99–00 | Treasure |
All Is Well
Nothing mechanically significant happens. Roll 1d8 for a small piece of Bastion color.
| 1 | Accident reports are unusually low. |
| 2 | A troublesome roof leak has finally been repaired. |
| 3 | The Bastion has avoided any notable vermin problems. |
| 4 | A familiar hireling misplaced their spectacles again. |
| 5 | A hireling has taken in a stray dog. |
| 6 | A pleasant letter arrives from a friend. |
| 7 | A prankster has been hiding rotten eggs in people's boots. |
| 8 | Someone claims to have seen a ghost. |
Attack
A hostile force attacks but is ultimately defeated.
Roll 6d6. Each die showing a 1 kills one Bastion Defender.
If there are no Bastion Defenders, a randomly selected Special Facility is damaged instead. It shuts down for the next Bastion Turn, then repairs itself at no GP cost.
A completely enclosed defensive wall reduces the number of dice rolled for Defender losses by 2.
Criminal Hireling
Authorities or bounty hunters arrive with a warrant for one of the Bastion's hirelings.
The owner can retain the hireling by paying 1d6 × 100 GP.
Otherwise the hireling is taken away. If this leaves a Special Facility without hirelings, that facility can't be used on the next Bastion Turn. Its hirelings are then replaced automatically at no cost.
Extraordinary Opportunity
The Bastion receives an unusual opportunity, such as hosting an important celebration, financing powerful research, or satisfying an influential noble.
Accepting costs 500 GP. The Bastion gains increased attention, and the DM immediately rolls another Bastion Event, rerolling another Extraordinary Opportunity.
Declining costs nothing and produces no further effect.
Friendly Visitors
Visitors ask to briefly use one of the Bastion's Special Facilities and offer 1d6 × 100 GP.
Their use doesn't interfere with orders already being executed there.
Guest
A friendly guest arrives. Roll 1d4 to determine their general nature.
| 1d4 | Guest |
|---|---|
| 1 | A renowned individual stays for 7 days and leaves behind a letter of recommendation. |
| 2 | Someone seeking sanctuary stays for 7 days, then provides a gift worth 1d6 × 100 GP. |
| 3 | A mercenary joins as one additional Bastion Defender until dismissed or killed. |
| 4 | A friendly monster stays as a guest. If the Bastion is attacked while it remains, no Bastion Defenders are lost. It leaves after defending the Bastion once or when dismissed. |
Lost Hirelings
A randomly selected Special Facility loses its hirelings.
That facility can't be used on the next Bastion Turn. Replacement hirelings arrive afterward at no cost.
Magical Discovery
The hirelings discover or accidentally create one Uncommon Potion or Scroll of the owner's choice at no cost.
Refugees
2d4 refugees seek shelter from a disaster, monster attack, or similar danger.
If no Basic Facility is large enough to house them, they camp outside.
They offer 1d6 × 100 GP for protection and hospitality and remain until a new home is found or a hostile force attacks the Bastion.
Request for Aid
A local leader asks the Bastion for assistance. The owner can dispatch Bastion Defenders.
Roll 1d6 per Defender sent.
On a total of 10+, the problem is solved and the reward is 1d6 × 100 GP.
On a total below 10, the problem is still solved, but the reward is halved and one dispatched Bastion Defender dies.
Treasure
The Bastion acquires an art object or magic item.
If the owner is currently there, they can claim it immediately. Otherwise it goes into Bastion storage.
| 1d100 | Treasure |
|---|---|
| 01–40 | 25 GP Art Object |
| 41–63 | 250 GP Art Object |
| 64–73 | 750 GP Art Object |
| 74–75 | 2,500 GP Art Object |
| 76–90 | Common Magic Item |
| 91–98 | Uncommon Magic Item |
| 99–00 | Rare Magic Item |
Magic items are rolled from an appropriate Arcana, Armaments, Implements, or Relics table.
Haunted Bastions
In campaigns using Haunted Bastions, supernatural phenomena can interfere with facilities and sometimes provide unexpected advantages.
The first Special Facility created in the Bastion becomes Haunted.
Irreplaceable
A Haunted Special Facility can't be replaced with another facility until its Haunted condition has been removed.
Repeating
While at least one Haunted Special Facility exists, whenever the owner gains or replaces a Special Facility, roll any die.
On an even result, the newly acquired facility is Haunted too.
Triggering a Haunting
Whenever an order is issued to a Haunted Special Facility, or Maintain is issued to the Bastion, roll 1d6.
On a 1, roll on the Bastion Hauntings table. A Bastion can experience only one Haunting per Bastion Turn.
| 1d100 | Haunting |
|---|---|
| 01–07 | Cursed Hireling |
| 08–15 | Free-Roaming Spirit |
| 16–22 | Friendly Ghost |
| 23–29 | Hidden Room |
| 30–38 | Lightning Storm |
| 39–47 | Living Dead |
| 48–55 | Mist Wanderers |
| 56–63 | Mysterious Priest |
| 64–71 | Ill Luck |
| 72–79 | Poltergeist |
| 80–86 | Spatial Warp |
| 87–93 | Spectral Vision |
| 94–100 | Vistani Visitors |
Cursed Hireling
One hireling becomes cursed. They refuse to leave their facility, and all work performed there requires twice as long while the curse remains.
Free-Roaming Spirit
One randomly selected Special Facility becomes Haunted. If every Special Facility is already Haunted, reroll.
Friendly Ghost
A benevolent spirit possesses one hireling. If that hireling's facility produces items or GP, it produces twice the normal amount.
The spirit leaves after 14 days.
Hidden Room
Spirits reveal a hidden closet. Add one 5-foot square to the Bastion. The DM can decide whether anything is found inside.
Lightning Storm
All Trade orders issued this turn have no effect, including the order that triggered the Haunting.
A Bastion with a Lightning Generator is unaffected.
Living Dead
Mindless undead emerge from the Mists. Resolve an Attack Bastion Event, but roll 3d6 instead of 6d6.
Mist Wanderers
1d4 strangers emerge from the Mists looking for shelter.
If the Bastion has room, they become hirelings. Otherwise they remain for 1d4 days before disappearing into the Mists.
Mysterious Priest
A hooded priest arrives. Roll any die.
Even — Inquisitor
If the Bastion contains an Ancient Altar, Arcane Study, Cabinet of Curiosities, or Séance Parlor, the priest destroys one and it must be replaced.
If none are present, resolve an Extraordinary Opportunity Bastion Event instead.
Odd — Exorcist
If the Bastion contains a Reliquary, Sacristy, Sanctuary, or Sanctum, the priest offers to remove Haunted from one facility.
Ill Luck
Harvest orders issued during this turn have no effect, including the one that triggered the Haunting.
Poltergeist
Empower and Research orders issued this turn have no effect, including the triggering order.
Spatial Warp
Roll 1d4.
On a 4, replace one Special Facility with another facility the owner qualifies for.
On another result, enlarge one Cramped Special Facility to Roomy or one Roomy facility to Vast at no cost.
Spectral Vision
A ghostly scene from the past plays out. The character gains insight into the spirits or local history comparable to information gained through Legend Lore.
Vistani Visitors
Vistani travelers request one night's shelter. If welcomed, they offer a glimpse of the character's fate through Augury or a tarokka reading.
If refused, the highest-level Special Facility that isn't already Haunted becomes Haunted.
Bastions in the Mists
Bastions can exist within the Domains of Dread, particularly in campaigns centered on one domain or where characters can reasonably return to their strongholds.
Bastions can theoretically exist in any domain. Borca, Darkon, Lamordia, Mordent, and the Shadowlands are especially suitable because of their size or the behavior of their Darklords.
A Bastion might be inherited rather than built from scratch: a ruined fortress, isolated tower, abandoned manor, or another structure can be restored and customized.
How a Darklord reacts is determined by the DM. The Bastion shouldn't simply be invalidated because it exists; instead, a Darklord might ignore it, investigate it, manipulate it, or use it as another connection binding the characters to the domain.
Fall of a Bastion
Divestiture
The owner can voluntarily give up the Bastion at any time. Its hirelings are released and the stronghold is abandoned.
The site is eventually emptied and looted and can meet whatever fate is appropriate to the story.
Neglect
If no orders are issued for a number of consecutive Bastion Turns equal to the owner's character level, the hirelings abandon it.
The site is eventually looted.
Ruination
Drawing the Ruin card from the Deck of Many Things immediately deprives the character of their Bastion.
The player determines the Bastion's disastrous fate together with the DM.
Starting Again
Losing a Bastion doesn't permanently remove access to the Bastion system. The character can establish another one.
The replacement receives the number of Special Facilities appropriate to the character's current level and starts with two Basic Facilities: one Cramped and one Roomy.
Custom Rules
Arrow's Cauldron includes several optional Bastion rules that expand the official system with additional management, infrastructure, and realism.
These rules don't replace the normal Bastion rules unless specifically enabled or used by the Bastion owner.
Realism Mode
When creating a Bastion in Arrow's Cauldron, the owner can enable the Realism option.
Realism changes how hirelings and Bastion infrastructure work. Special Facilities no longer automatically include the hirelings required to operate them.
Instead, hirelings must be recruited manually and the Bastion must be capable of housing and supporting them.
Starting Basic Facilities
A Bastion using Realism starts with three Basic Facilities instead of two.
This is because hirelings require three types of infrastructure:
Hirelings need somewhere to sleep.
The Bastion needs enough food capacity to support its workers.
Hirelings also need sufficient dining space.
Hireling Capacity
The number of hirelings a Bastion can support depends on the size of its Bedrooms, Kitchens, and Dining Rooms. A new hireling can be added only if all three capacities still have room.
| Facility | Cramped | Roomy | Vast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | 2 beds | 5 beds | 12 beds |
| Kitchen | 4 hirelings | 10 hirelings | 24 hirelings |
| Dining Room | 4 seats | 10 seats | 24 seats |
All Three Requirements Matter
Having ten available beds isn't enough if the Bastion can feed only four people. The lowest remaining infrastructure capacity effectively limits how many additional hirelings can be recruited.
Hiring Workers
Hirelings are recruited separately from the Special Facilities they operate.
Once recruited, a hireling can be assigned to an appropriate Special Facility. Hirelings can't be assigned to Basic Facilities.
This means constructing a Special Facility doesn't necessarily make it immediately operational. The Bastion must also have an appropriate worker available to staff it.
Hireling Wages
Special Facilities no longer automatically generate enough income to pay their hirelings.
Every hireling instead earns a wage based on their job. Those wages are paid automatically from the Bastion's Treasury at the end of each Bastion Turn.
The Bastion therefore needs enough available money to cover its payroll.
Unpaid Hirelings
If a hireling isn't paid at the end of a Bastion Turn, they stop working in their assigned facility.
If wages remain unpaid for several Bastion Turns, unhappy hirelings can eventually leave the Bastion or riot.
Treasury Matters
In Realism Mode, the Bastion Treasury isn't just spending money for construction and purchases. It also functions as the operating account that keeps the Bastion's workforce employed.
Additional Floors & Basements
Arrow's Cauldron allows a Bastion to expand vertically instead of treating the entire stronghold as a single floor.
New levels can be constructed above ground as additional floors or below ground as basements.
Facilities belong to a specific Bastion level and consume space from that level's available capacity.
This allows large Bastions to develop naturally over time: towers can grow upward, fortresses can gain multiple stories, and underground complexes can spread beneath the main structure.
Facility Storage Capacity
Facilities aren't treated as having unlimited storage.
Every facility has a small amount of space where items associated with that room can be kept, but dedicated Storage Facilities provide substantially more capacity.
Players who expect to accumulate equipment, crafted goods, treasure, supplies, or other inventory will eventually need to build dedicated storage space.
Normal Facility Storage
| Space | Item Capacity |
|---|---|
| Cramped | 5 items |
| Roomy | 12 items |
| Vast | 25 items |
Dedicated Storage Facility
| Space | Item Capacity |
|---|---|
| Cramped | 25 items |
| Roomy | 75 items |
| Vast | 200 items |
Capacity Uses Quantity
Stored item quantities count against the facility's capacity. A facility with room for five more items can't accept a stack of ten.
In Short
Arrow's Cauldron Adds Management Depth
Realism can require manually recruited and paid hirelings.
Hirelings need beds, food, and dining space.
Bastions can expand with floors and basements.
Facilities have limited inventory capacity.
Dedicated Storage becomes valuable as the Bastion grows.