A Fortress is not merely a building; it is an extension of the land it occupies. As such, its potential is directly tied to the development of the Community that supports it.
Construction & Cost
Building a seat of power is a monumental undertaking that drains local resources. To establish a Fortress, a community must invest 2 Wealth. This represents the stone, timber, labor, and land rights required to lay the foundations. Once established, the Fortress grows organically with the community; gaining new levels and slots does not cost additional Wealth, only time.
Fortress Capacity
The size of a Fortress is determined by the Community Level. As the community grows, the fortress can expand, adding new wings, towers, and outbuildings.
Standard Amenities: Every Fortress acts as a home for its owner and their retinue. Regardless of size, every Fortress comes equipped with the necessities of life at no cost to Capacity. These include:
A Kitchen, Pantry, and Cellar.
A Master Suite.
A Dining Room and Common Area.
Basic Servants' Quarters.
Specialized Facilities: Beyond the basics, a Fortress is defined by its specialized rooms. The interior space available for these upgrades is measured in Slots. A Fortress possesses 3 Slots for every 1 Level of the Community it is in.
Architecture
When a Fortress is first established, the builder must choose an Archetype. This choice defines the structural focus of the stronghold, granting specific benefits to both the Community's growth and its military capabilities.
Keep
Designed for war, these structures feature reinforced masonry, kill zones, and imposing towers. They serve as the shield of the community.
Community Bonus: The imposing presence of the Keep strengthens the region's defenses. The Community gains +2 to its Defense.
Warfare Bonus: The Fortress acts as a force multiplier for existing fortifications. When resolving damage against the Community's Fortifications, increase Armored Defense by 2.
Abbey
Grand cathedrals or shrines that inspire awe and devotion. These places serve as the spiritual heart of the region, ensuring the people endure hardship.
Community Bonus: The Abbey creates a rigid, enduring social fabric. The Community gains +2 to its Resilience.
Warfare Bonus: The priests and healers within the Abbey work tirelessly. When calculating the Recovery phase after a battle near this Fortress, the army recovers 50% of disbanded soldiers.
College
Libraries, lecture halls, and laboratories dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. It is a bastion of intellect against a chaotic world.
Community Bonus: The concentration of scholars aids in solving problems. The Community gains +2 to Lore Pursuits.
Warfare Bonus: The College is protected by complex abjurations. All Allied Units within or adjacent to the Fortress gain +2 Passive Armor against Magical Attacks and Siege Weapons.
Exchange
A fortified marketplace or trade house designed to protect assets and facilitate high-stakes commerce.
Community Bonus: The Exchange attracts merchants and capital. The Community gains +2 to its Wealth.
Warfare Bonus: Money can solve logistical problems. When organizing an army at this Fortress, the Community may spend 1 Wealth to bypass the Cornerstone Requirement for a single upgrade (e.g., equipping units with Heavy Armor without an Armorsmith, or Warhorses without a Stable). This represents importing goods or hiring specialists for the upcoming battle.
Town Hall
A seat of government focused on diplomacy and law. It serves as the rallying point for the people and a symbol of civic pride.
Community Bonus: The Town Hall legitimizes the community's authority. The Community gains +2 to all Logistic Pursuit rolls.
Warfare Bonus: The centralized leadership improves coordination. The Army's Command Capacity is increased by 1, allowing you to field an additional Commander beyond the normal limit.
Lodge
Structures grown rather than built, weaving living trees and stone into a defensive lattice. The land itself fights for the defenders.
Community Bonus: The Lodge harmonizes civilization with nature, ensuring the health of the land and people. The Community gains +2 to Hearth.
Warfare Bonus: The Fortress is surrounded by grasping roots and shifting earth. All terrain within 2 spaces of the Fortress cost 1 extra movement per space for enemy units.
Facilities are the specialized rooms and structures that transform a generic fortress into a unique base of operations. While Cornerstones define the broad infrastructure of a Community, Facilities represent the functional spaces where work is done, resources are refined, and power is consolidated. Each Facility occupies a specific number of Slots, forcing strategic choices about how to develop the Fortress.
Alchemist's Laboratory
A room cluttered with bubbling beakers, drying herbs, and strange mineral samples. The air is thick with acrid fumes and the scent of sulfur, providing the perfect environment for volatile experiments.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: Players with the Alchemist Job reduce the time required to craft items by 25%. Alternatively, players without the job may commission Alchemical items to be crafted here at standard time and cost.
Animal Pens
A set of brick stables, kennels, or aviaries designed to house and care for animal companions and mounts. It is kept clean and stocked with high-quality feed to ensure the animals are always ready to ride.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: Any Mount or Animal Companion stabled here is exceptionally well-tended; after finishing a Long Rest here, the creature increases its Movement by 2 until the start of its next Long Rest. If the Community possesses the Stable Cornerstone, this facility also increases the Army's Livestock Limit by 20.
May Also Be Called. Menagerie, Roost, Hatchery
Arcanist's Study
A quiet, isolated tower or chamber humming with residual magic, perfect for the study of the arcane arts. The air here smells of ozone and old parchment, and the walls are often lined with strange diagrams.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Arcane Framework
Benefit: Players may cast Identify on an object within this room as a ritual requiring 1 hour, without expending Mana or a Spell Slot. Reduces the time and gold cost to transcribe spells into a spellbook by 25%. When finishing a Long Rest here, Arcane casters may choose one spell they know and temporarily replace it with another spell from their list of the same Circle. This change lasts until they finish a Long Rest outside the Fortress.
May Also Be Called. Ritual Circle, Arcane Laboratory
Armory
A secure storage facility for weapons and armor, complete with maintenance benches and grindstones. It ensures that every soldier defending the walls is equipped with well-maintained gear.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Armorsmith Cornerstone
Benefit: Units defending the Fortress gain +1 Passive Armor. Players can repair arms and armor here for free, or purchase basic equipment at 75% cost.
May Also Be Called. Arsenal, Quartermaster Storehouse, Depot
Barracks
A functional and disciplined living space for the fortress guard, ensuring a ready force is always at hand. It includes bunks, weapon racks, and a mess hall for the soldiers.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: When Warfare Combat begins, the army stats with 20 soldiers in reserve. Out of combat, armies Replenish at a rate of 20 soldiers per week.
May Also Be Called. Guardhouse, Bunkroom, Garrison
Baths
A steamy, tiled chamber featuring heated pools and calming aromatics. It serves as a place of relaxation and hygiene, washing away the grime and fatigue of the road.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: When a character finishes a Short Rest here, they recover all Vitality. Additionally, they may choose to either recover 1 spent Vitality Die OR roll 1 Vitality Die to recover Health.
May Also Be Called. Sauna, Hot Springs, Wash House, Steam Room
Caravansary
A bustling hub of trade and logistics where merchants can rest, store goods, and negotiate deals. It turns the fortress into a key node in the local trade network.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: When the Community rolls to generate Wealth, add +1 to the result.
May Also Be Called. Trade Post, Wagon Train
Catacombs
A consecrated burial ground or cool underground ossuary designed to respectfully house the remains of the fallen. It ensures that the dead rest easily—or that they can be consulted when necessary.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: Corpses stored here are preserved as if by the Gentle Repose spell, extending the time limit for resurrection. Additionally, players may cast Speak with Dead on a corpse within this facility as a ritual (requiring 1 hour).
May Also Be Called. Graveyard, Mausoleum, Tomb, Necropolis, Crypts
Chapel
A serene space dedicated to quiet contemplation and prayer, often containing a small shrine or altar. It provides a respite from the chaos of the outside world, allowing the weary to heal their spirits.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Religious Framework
Benefit: A character who finishes a Long Rest here gains Vigor equal to their Level.
Dungeon
A grim section of the fortress located underground or in a secure wing, featuring reinforced iron bars, heavy shackles, and sound-damped walls. It is designed to hold captives securely and peel away their secrets.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: The Target Number to pick locks, bend bars, or force open doors in this facility is equal to 10 + the Fortress Level. Additionally, creatures have disadvantage on Intimidation rolls made against them when confined within these cells. Capacity: 10 Medium creatures.
May Also Be Called. The Brig, Oubliette, Stockade, Holding Cells, Jail
Enchanter’s Workshop
A quiet, dust-free chamber etched with containment circles and filled with delicate focusing crystals. Unlike a library used for research, this room is designed for the physical act of binding magic into objects.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Arcane Community 2 or Enchanter Job
Benefit: Players with the Enchanter Job reduce the time required to craft items by 25%. Alternatively, players without the job may commission Enchantments and Magic Items to be crafted here at standard time and cost.
May Also Be Called. Artificer's Studio, Imbuing Chamber
Feasting Hall
A warm, boisterous room filled with trestle tables and the smell of roasting meat. It is here that warriors share stories and drink, building the determination needed to face death.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: When a Player finishes a Long Rest here, they gain Valor equal to half the Fortress Level (rounded down, minimum 1).
May Also Be Called. Mead Hall, Banquet Room, Great Hearth
Forge
A hot, soot-stained workshop dominated by a roaring fire and the ringing of steel on anvil. It is stocked with high-quality coal, iron, and tongs, allowing for the shaping of metal into tools of war.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: Players with the Blacksmith Job reduce the time required to craft items by 25%. Alternatively, players without the job may commission Weapons and Armors to be crafted here at standard time and cost.
May Also Be Called. Smithy, Foundry, Ironworks
Great Hall
A cavernous room decorated with banners, trophies, and symbols of office, serving as the seat of authority. It is here that the lord holds court, hosts feasts, and plans campaigns.
Size: 3 Slots
Prerequisites: Fortress Level 5
Benefit: Once per or week, the owner may issue an Edict. This grants the Community Advantage on all rolls related to one specific Attribute (Force, Spirit, Reputation, etc.) for one day.
May Also Be Called. Throne Room, Audience Chamber, High Court
Greenhouse
A glass-walled structure or protected garden bed kept warm year-round, cultivating rare herbs, medicinal plants, and poisonous fungi. It ensures that fresh ingredients are always available, regardless of the season.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: The steady supply of fresh ingredients reduces the Gold Cost to craft Alchemical items, Potions, and Poisons by an additional 10%.
May Also Be Called. Arboretum, Garden, Conservatory
Guest Quarters
A suite of well-appointed rooms designed to host visitors in comfort and style. It ensures that diplomats, nobles, or allies can stay at the fortress without disrupting the daily operations of the owner.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: The Fortress can comfortably house important dignitaries or an entire adventuring party (beyond the owner's retinue) without cramping the residents.
May Also Be Called. Dormitory, VIP Suite, Visiting Chambers
Lighthouse
A towering spire equipped with a massive brazier, mirror array, or magical crystal that cuts through fog and darkness. It serves as a guiding light for travelers, warning them of hazards and guiding them safely to port.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: Navigation made within 20 miles of the community is made with advantage. Additionally, the clear guidance allows vehicles to move with confidence; ignoring the movement penalties from fog or difficult weather within this area.
May Also Be Called. Beacon, Signal Tower
Mine Shaft
A vertical tunnel system digging deep beneath the foundations of the fortress. It extracts not only iron and metals, but also rare geodes and crystalline deposits used for binding magic.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: The steady supply of raw ore and gemstones reduces the Gold Cost to craft Weapons, Armor, Magical items, and Enchants by an additional 10%.
May Also Be Called. Quarry, Excavation Site, Crystal Grotto
Observatory
A high vantage point equipped with telescopes, lenses, or magical tools, allowing observers to see far beyond the horizon. It serves as the eyes of the fortress, spotting threats long before they arrive.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: Armies ignore the Hidden condition of enemy units within 5 spaces of the Fortress.
Oculus
A tower room dominated by a massive, rotating model of the multiverse, or a dark chamber containing a pool of perfectly still, silvered water. It is built to amplify the mind's eye to pierce the veil of distance and reality.
Size: 2 Slots
Prerequisites: Fortress level 5
Benefit: This facility serves as a Spell Focus for all Scrying and Divination spells. Additionally, a player may cast Contact Other Plane from this room once per day.
May Also Be Called. Planar Orrery, Scrying Pool, Astrolabe
Primal Heart
A specialized garden, totem lodge, or ring of megaliths that artificially sustains a pocket of deep wilderness. It attracts spirits that would otherwise shun the stone walls of a fortress.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Spirit Stone, Fortress level 5
Benefit: When this facility is built, choose a Terrain Type (Forest, Swamp, Mountain, etc.). Primal Casters within the Fortress may bond with spirits from that terrain, in addition to the actual local terrain. Additionally, players may freely cast Commune with Nature here.
Reliquary
A silent, incense-filled chamber housing the bones of saints, sacred texts, and holy icons. It allows the faithful to center their souls and cleanse the afflicted.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Chapel, Fortress level 5
Benefit: Players may cast Lesser Restoration within this room as a ritual (requiring 1 hour), without expending a spell slot or increasing their Threshold. Additionally, when a Divine Caster finishes a Long Rest here, their soul is fortified; their Divine Threshold is increased by their Devotion until the start of their next Long Rest.
May Also Be Called. Sacristy
Scriptorium
A quiet room lined with bookshelves, scroll racks, and maps, serving as a personal repository for knowledge. It provides a focused environment for cross-referencing the community's records with private texts.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: Players gain a +2 to Intelligence rolls made to gain knowledge through research within this room. Alternatively, players may commission a Resident Archivist to conduct the research for them. This process takes a number of Days equal to the Target Number minus the Community's Lore Pursuit.
May Also Be Called. Archive, Study, Private Library
Spirit Stone
A small cluster of standing stones or a carved totem pole dedicated to the local spirits. It acts as a beacon, drawing the spirits of the surrounding land into the fortress.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Primal Framework
Benefit: Anyone may cast Animal Messenger from this location freely. Additionally, the concentration of spiritual energy makes it easier to commune; the time required to Bond with a Spirit is reduced from 10 minutes to 1 minute.
May Also Be Called. Totem, Fairy Ring
Teleportation Circle
A chamber dominated by a complex ring of etched runes, often filled with quicksilver, crushed gemstones, or glowing ley-residue. It hums with a low vibration, serving as a bridge between points in space.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Arcane Framework level 5
Benefit: This facility serves as a permanent anchor for space-bending magic. Teleportation spells targeting this circle never suffer from mishaps or off-target errors. Additionally, when a caster may use this circle to teleport to another teleportation circle as long as they know the location of both circles.
May Also Be Called. Waygate, Transfer Ring, Portal Room
Theater
A grand stage with velvet curtains and acoustic architecture, designed to captivate audiences and stir emotions. It serves as a venue for high culture, propaganda, and subtle diplomacy.
Size: 1 Slot
Benefit: Players gain Advantage on any Performance skill roll made while performing on this stage. Additionally, you may invite a guest to attend a performance here. If they accept, make a Performance skill roll against their Social Defense. On a success, the target is moved by the art and begins the subsequent social encounter with 1 Favor.
May Also Be Called. Opera House, Amphitheater, Playhouse, Concert Hall
Toxicant Refinery
A hidden or heavily ventilated room lined with glass vials containing venom, toxic flora, and paralytic agents. It allows for the careful extraction and refinement of deadly substances without risking the crafter's life.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Underworld Community 2 or Toxicologist Job
Benefit: Players with the Toxicologist Job reduce the time required to craft items by 25%. Alternatively, players without the job may commission Poisons and Toxins to be crafted here at standard time and cost.
May Also Be Called. Poisoner Den, Blight Lab, Toxin Cellar
Training Grounds
A large, open yard featuring archery targets, melee dummies, and pits for wrestling. It is filled with the sounds of shouting instructors and clashing steel, ensuring that soldiers are at their physical peak.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: Units attached to this Fortress are drilled here and gain a +1 to the first Attack Roll they make in any battle. A player who spends a day training here gains a +1 to Attack Rolls for the following day, until they finish a Long Rest.
Players may utilize the facility and hire instructors to learn new techniques. By spending 1 Week of downtime and paying a Gold Cost (determined by the Narrator), a player may learn a new Combat Talent a replace an existing Combat Talent.
May Also Be Called. Drill Yard, Dojo, The Lists, Sparring Pit, Proving Grounds, Arena
Vault
A heavily fortified room behind reinforced doors and complex locks, designed to protect the community's most valuable liquid assets. It stands as a promise that the community can weather financial storms.
Size: 2 Slots
Benefit: Once per Community level, when the Community builds a Cornerstone or takes an action that reduces Wealth, reduce that Wealth cost by 1 (minimum 0).
May Also Be Called. Bank, Treasury, Strongroom, Counting House, Hoard
War Room
A secure chamber dominated by a massive tactical map and decorated with the banners of the region. It is here that the generals plan campaigns and analyze enemy movements.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Fortress Level 7
Benefit: Once per day, while your Army is defending the Community, you may issue a command from this room to a single Unit. That Unit gains Advantage on any single roll of your choice.
May Also Be Called. Strategy Hall, Map Room, Command Center
Wizard's Tower
A soaring spire that scrapes the sky, crackling with raw energy. It acts as a lightning rod for ley-lines, storing vast amounts of mana to be unleashed by the master of the tower.
Size: 1 Slot
Prerequisites: Acanist's Study, Fortress level 5
Benefit: When in Warfare, the Range of any Arcane spell cast from this tower is doubled. Additionally, the tower's ambient magic substitutes for physical reagents. When casting a spell within the tower that requires material components with a gold cost, that Gold Cost is reduced by 50%.