Bastions are one of the most unique ways you can flavor your character in Dungeons & Dragons. Over the course of a long campaign, building and expanding upon your bastion with new special facilities, hirelings, and more can prove rewarding on both a roleplay and optimization level. But, how exactly do you level up your bastion?
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There’s a variety of elements worth considering when it comes to improving your bastion. These range from the cost to run facilities, materials needed, ongoing player expenses, and more. It can seem daunting, but we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to level up your bastion.
What Does Your Player Bastion Start With?
At level five, players earn a bastion they can call their very own. These can look like anything from a blank patch of land that the players can build upon or an already existing structure like a castle or a fort.
Whatever the description of your bastion, there are a few things bastions start with at level five.
- Two Basic Facilities – Each bastion starts with two simple rooms of their choice that are purely cosmetic. These can include a bedroom, a dining room, a kitchen, and more.
- Two Special Facilities – Each bastion begins with two special facilities that grant in-game bonuses like resources or gold. These range from Arcane Studies to Theaters.
- Hirelings For Special Facilities – Whenever you construct a special facility, the special facility comes with hirelings that can operate it. The economic output of the special facility pays for their salaries by default.
When looking at special facilities to construct, make sure you are the appropriate level for each facility and that you meet any additional prerequisites found in the facility’s description.
How To Improve And Add To Your Bastion
There are two different methods for adding on to your bastion. These rules vary depending on the type of feature you’re trying to add.
How To Add Basic Bastion Facilities
To add a basic bastion facility, players must spend money and time doing so. However, they don’t need to be physically at their bastion to do this; rather, their hirelings can take care of the physical labor needed.
When it comes to determining the time and money needed to add a basic facility, it all depends on the size of the facility. Use the below table, also found in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, to determine cost and time.
|
Facility Space |
Cost |
Time Needed |
|---|---|---|
|
Cramped |
500 GP |
20 days |
|
Roomy |
1,000 GP |
45 days |
|
Vast |
3,000 GP |
125 days |
How To Enlarge Basic Bastion Facilities
The process for enlarging a basic bastion facility is quite similar. Refer to the table below to determine the cost and time required for enlarging a preexisting facility.
|
Space Increase |
Cost |
Time Required |
|---|---|---|
|
Cramped to Roomy |
500 GP |
25 days |
|
Roomy to Vast |
2,000 GP |
80 days |
Adding or expanding basic facilities is purely cosmetic. There is no in-game benefit or tangible reward earned for adding or expanding these spaces in your bastion. But that doesn’t mean it can’t add great flavor to your bastion.
How To Add Special Bastion Facilities
As mentioned, each player bastion begins with two special facilities already in tow. Unlike basic facilities, there is no way to purchase special facilities.
Rather, players earn more special facilities for their bastion through their normal player progression. When players hit certain levels, they gain more special facilities, as shown in the table below.
|
Player Level |
Special Facilities |
|---|---|
|
5 |
2 |
|
9 |
4 |
|
13 |
5 |
|
17 |
6 |
How To Enlarge Special Bastion Facilities
The process for enlarging a special bastion facility is slightly different. Essentially, while special facilities can be expanded, you can only do so if the description of the facility allows for it.
For example, in the description for the Arcane Study facility, no rules are given for enlarging it from roomy to vast. However, if a character’s bastion has an Archive, you can expand the facility from Roomy to Vast by spending 2,000 GP.
All in all, there are six special facilities that can be enlarged. See the below table for reference.
|
Special Facility |
Enlarging Benefit |
|---|---|
|
Archive |
You gain two additional reference books to add to your archive. |
|
Barrack |
A vast barrack can accommodate up to 25 Bastion Defenders. |
|
Garden |
You gain one additional hireling and double the amount of garden types included in the space. |
|
Pub |
An expanded pub can have two magical beverages from the Pub Special list on tap at a time. You also gain three additional hirelings. |
|
Stable |
Can host up to six large animals instead of three. |
|
Workshop |
Gain two additional hirelings and three additional Artisan’s Tools. |
How To Create A Bastion Map
What’s On Your Starting Bastion Map?
Creating a bastion map is an important step in leveling up your bastion. When you first get your bastion at level five, you should create a starting map that lays out your two starting basic facilities and your two starting special facilities.
Map your bastion by using a sheet of grid paper, in which each square on the grid represents five square feet. Depending on the size of the bastion facility, map out each space like so.
|
Space |
Maximum Area |
|---|---|
|
Cramped |
4 squares |
|
Roomy |
16 squares |
|
Vast |
36 squares |
Your two starting basic facilities have size limitations. One must be cramped and the other must be roomy. Special facilities have their own starting size, which can be found in the special facility description.
From there, you can map out your bastion facilities and connect them in any way you see fit. Architectural elements like corridors, stairways, closets, doors, and windows are all considered free elements that you can add at any time to connect your bastion together.
For non-facility features like defensive walls or turrets, work with your DM to determine cost and time needed to construct these. As an example, the 2024 DM’s Guide suggests ten days and 250 GP to construct 5 square feet of defensive walls in a player’s bastion.
How Do You Add To Your Bastion Map?
After you’ve laid out your starting bastion map, you can add new special and basic facilities as you level up and pay for them, respectively. Simply add each new space with the appropriate number of grid squares, and connect them via hallways, stairs, and corridors.
When expanding a pre-existing facility, simply add the deficit number of new squares to your already existing room or talk to your DM about moving the room to another.
Draw your map in pencil, so that you can easily reconfigure rooms and hallways if needed. Consider any reconfigurations as part of the regular construction process for adding new facilities, unless your DM says otherwise.
Sometimes, there’s nowhere to go but up. It’s also a good idea to use multiple sheets of grid paper to represent the different floors of your bastion. This will help maintain continuity and also place fewer limitations on you as a player.
How To Use Roleplay To Level Up Your Bastion
Remember, the above rules are just that – rules. You should work with your DM to find ways to roleplay bastion level ups. This can look like one of two things.
- Earning A Bastion Reward For Roleplay – If your DM allows it, consider working with them to determine if quality roleplay might earn you a new basic facility. For example, a wealthy benefactor might agree to pay for the upgrade if you successfully woo them.
- Roleplaying A Bastion Level-Up – As your bastion progresses, use roleplay to explain how and why the bastion has leveled-up. Did a hireling discover a secret special facility that was lying dormant? Did you find a clever way to repurpose an old broom closet into something more impactful?
Design Bastion Hirelings
You should also feel free to give personalities and character descriptions for your bastion hirelings. This will help make your bastion feel like a real-living place with a life of its own. Here are some examples of how to tailor hirelings to your bastion.
- A Grumpy Barkeep – If your bastion has a pub, consider flavoring one of your hirelings to be the barkeep, a rough and tumble sort who’s seen it all and is extremely jaded.
- The Squirrely Scribe – If your bastion has a scriptorium, characterize your hireling as a nervous scribe who’s eager to do their best, but often falls a bit short with their clumsy antics.
- The Steadfast Lieutenant – If your bastion has a war room, come up with a stoic personality type for your hireling lieutenant. Who knows, their steady counsel might just bloom into a trusted friendship.
Describe Your Bastion Facilities
As you level up your bastion, jot down some physical descriptors for each room and facility you build. Don’t be afraid to make the character of your bastion completely your own!
Additionally, your bastion doesn’t have to be a conventional structure. Don’t limit yourself to just a castle or a fort. Consider some unconventional bastion types below.
- The Floating Fortress – For a character with a sailor background, work with your DM to determine if a ship can serve as your bastion.
- The Underground Lair – For rogues, consider where you might hide your bastion in plain sight, perhaps down a sewer grate in a vast metropolis or tucked away down an alley.
- Converted Opera House – For a bard, what would a bastion look like as a renovated opera house, converted to excite even the most jaded of bards?
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