Page 17 - Dungeon Master's Guide

_ lost settlements are agricultural villages, supporting Cities typically thrive in areas where large expanses
themselves and nearby towns or cities with crops and of fertile, arable land surround a location accessible to
meat. Villagers produce food in one way or another-if trade, almost always on a navigable waterway.
not by tending the crops, then supporting those who do Cities almost always have walls, and the stages of a
by shoeing horses, weaving clothes, milling grain, and city's growth are easily identified by the expansion of
the like. The goods they produce feed their families and the walls beyond the central core. These internal walls
upply trade with nearby settlements. naturally divide the city into wards (neighborhoods
A village's population is dispersed around a large area defined by specific features), which have their own
of land. Farmers live on their land, which spreads them representatives on the city council and their own noble
videly around the village center. At the heart of the administrators.
\·illage, a handful of structures cluster together: a well, Cities that hold more than twenty-five thousand people
a marketplace, a small temple or two, a gathering place, are extremely rare. Metropolises such as Waterdeep in
and perhaps an inn for travelers. the Forgotten Realms, Sharn in Eberron, and the Free
City of Greyhawk stand as vital beacons of civilization in
TowN the D&D worlds.
Population: Up to about 6,000
Government: A resident noble rules and appoints a lord ATMOSPHERE
mayor to oversee administration. An elected town -------
What do the adventurers first notice as they approach
council represents the interests of the middle class.
or enter a settlement? The towering wall bristling
Defense: The noble commands a sizable army of
with soldiers? The beggars with hands outstretched,
professional soldiers, as well as personal bodyguards.
pleading for aid outside the gate? The noisy hubbub of
Commerce: Basic supplies are readily available, though merchants and buyers thronging the market square?
exotic goods and services are harde·r to find. Inns and The overpowering stench of manure?
taverns support travelers. Sensory details help bring a settlement to life and
Organizations: The town contains several temples, vividly communicate its personality to your players.
as well as various merchant guilds and other Settle on a single defining factor that sums up a
organizations.
settlement's personality and extrapolate from there.
Towns are major trade centers, situated where important Maybe a city is built around canals, like real-world
industries and reliable trade routes enabled the Venice. That key element suggests a wealth of sensory
population to grow. These settlements rely on commerce: details: the sight of colorful boats floating on muddy
!.he import of raw materials and food from surrounding waters, the sound of lapping waves and perhaps singing
·illages, and the export of crafted items to those villages, gondoliers, the smells of fish and waste polluting
as well as to other towns and cities. A town's population the water, the feel of humidity. Or perhaps the city is
i more diverse than that of most villages. shrouded in fog much of the time, and you describe the
Towns arise where roads intersect waterways, at the tendrils of cold mist reaching through every crack and
meeting of major land trade routes, around strategic cranny, the muffled sounds of hooves on cobblestones,
defensive locations, or near significant mines or similar the cold air with the smell of rain, and a sense of
natural resources. mystery and lurking danger.
The climate and terrain of a settlement's environment,
C ITY
its origin and inhabitants, its government and political
Population: Up to about 25,000 position, and its commercial importance all have a
Government: A resident noble presides, with several bearing on its overall atmosphere. A city nestled against
other nobles sharing responsibility for surrounding the edge of a jungle has a very different feel than one
areas and government functions. One such noble is on the edge of a desert. Elf and dwarf cities present
the lord mayor, who oversees the city administration. a distinct aesthetic, clearly identifiable in contrast to
An elected city council represents the middle class human-built ones. Soldiers patrol the streets to quell
and might hold more actual power than the lord any hint of dissent in a city ruled by a tyrant, while a city
mayor. Other groups serve as important power fostering an early system of democracy might boast an
centers as well. open-air market where philosophical ideas are traded as
Defense: The city supports an army of professional freely as produce. All the possible combinations of these
soldiers, guards, and town watch. Each noble in factors can inspire endless variety in the settlements of
residence maintains a small force of personal your campaign world.
bodyguards.
Commerce: Almost any goods or services are readily GOVERNMENT
available. Many inns and taverns support travelers.
In the feudal society common in most D&D worlds,
Organizations: A multitude of temples, guilds, and
other organizations, some of which hold significant power and authority are concentrated in towns and
power in city affairs, can be found within the cities. Nobles hold authority over the settlements
city's walls. where they live and the surrounding lands. They collect
taxes from the populace, which they use for public
Cities are cradles of civilization. Their larger building projects, to pay the soldiery, and to support a
populations require considerable support from both comfortable lifestyle for themselves (although nobles
urrounding villages and trade routes, so they're rare.

CHAPTER 1 I A WORLD OF YOUR OWN