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A Bastion is a location that belongs to a player character: a home, a stronghold, and a place of power that the character develops over the course of a campaign. A Bastion offers a character temporary refuge from the dangerous world of adventuring, and it provides opportunities for a character to craft magic items, conduct research, harvest poisons, build ships, and carry out a range of other activities.
Introduction
Not every character needs to have a Bastion. It's fine for some players in your campaign to opt in to Bastion ownership and others to opt out.
There's no need to choose between going on adventures and commanding a Bastion; a character can do both at once. A Bastion has special facilities that generate benefits. and these facilities can also undertake projects while the character is otherwise occupied.
Most importantly, a Bastion is a creative playground for a player and a shared storytelling space in the campaign. Be as permissive as you can with the stories players tell in their Bastions, but players should know their control might be limited by the campaign's larger story, which you strive to make fun for everyone.
Gaining a Bastion
The shape, style, and function of a character's Bastion are up to the player to determine. For example, a Wizard might build a tower, a Cleric might establish a shrine, a Fighter might build a fortified keep or similar stronghold, and a Rogue might establish a guildhall or lodge.
Characters of other classes might choose one of these forms or combine them— a Paladin's Bastion might be similar to a Cleric's shrine but as fortified as a Fighter's stronghold. And multiple characters can combine their Bastions to form a single large structure (see Bastion Map).
Every Bastion has facilities that serve basic needs as well as special ones, such as libraries, menageries, and workshops (see Basic Facilities and Special Facilities).
Bastion Turns
As time passes in the campaign, players take Bastion turns to reflect the activity occurring in their Bastions, whether or not the characters are present. On a Bastion turn a character can issue orders to the special facilities in their Bastion or issue the Maintain order to the entire Bastion (see Orders).
Frequency of Bastion Turns
By default, a Bastion turn occurs every 7 days of in-game time. Here are common examples of players taking one or more Bastion turns:
• The characters are on a long journey away from their Bastions. After the characters have been away for 7 days you might say, "Time for a Bastion turn. Since you're not there, we'll assume you issue the Maintain order for your Bastions." Then roll for events as described in the Bastion Events section in this chapter.
• The characters spend 7 days or more in their Bastions between adventures, You might say, "You have six weeks to spend in your Bastions. Go ahead and resolve six Bastion turns."
• The characters return to their Bastions in the midst of an adventure. You might say, "You have just enough time to take a Bastion turn before you leave again in the morning,"
• The characters are adventuring near their Bastions and resting in their Bastions at night. You might say "lt's been a week since your last Bastion turn, so you can take one now."
You can slow the frequency of Bastion turns to better serve the needs of your players and your campaign. For example, if the characters have months between adventures, you can call for a Bastion turn every month instead of every 7 days, so the characters aren't issuing so many orders or reaping too many benefits at once.
Bastion Map
Encourage players to create floor plans of their characters' Bastions, configuring its facilities as they see fit and using the same techniques you use to create dungeon maps (see Dungeons in chapter 3 and Adventure Maps in chapter 4 of the 2024 DMG).
In addition to basic and special facilities (described later in this chapter), a Bastion can have the following features:
Closets. A basic or special facility can have one or more closets, washrooms, or similar enclosures. The closets must be inside the facility and can't increase the facility's area in squares, These features are free.
Corridors, Ramps, and Staircases. A facility can contain one or more corridors. ramps, or staircases leading to other facilities in the Bastion. These features are free.
Defensive Walls. A character can add defensive walls around their Bastion. A defensive wall is 20 feet high and may include a walkway along its top, with a means to access it (such as a ladder or lift). Each 5-foot square of defensive wall takes 10 days to build and costs 250 GP. If a character's Bastion is completely enclosed by defensive walls and it comes under attack (see Bastion Events at the end of this chapter) reduce the number of dice rolled by 2 to determine how many Bastion Defenders are lost in the attack.
Doors and Windows. Each facility comes with one or more doors and shuttered windows, placed wherever the player sees fit. See Doors in chapter 3 of the DMG for kinds of doors to choose from, including locked doors, secret doors, and portcullises. These features are free.
Combining Bastions
Two or more players can combine their characters' Bastions into a single structure. Doing so doesn't change the number of special facilities each Bastion can have, how those special facilities work, or who issues orders to each Bastion.
Each Bastion retains its own hirelings. which can't be sent to or shared with another Bastion, Bastion Defenders are handled differently: if some event deprives one character's Bastion of defenders, another character can apply all or some of those losses to their Bastion instead, provided the two Bastions are combined.
Facility Space
The amount of space in a basic or special facility determines its maximum area in 5-foot squares, as shown in the Facility Space table. A player can configure the squares of a facility as they please on their Bastion's map. The squares can be stacked so that a facility's area is distributed over multiple levels or stories.
Facility Space Table
| Space | Maximum Area |
| Cramped | 4 squares |
| Roomy | 16 squares |
| Vast | 36 squares |
Basic Facilities
A character's Bastion starts with two free basic facilities, which the character's player chooses from the Basic Facilities list below. One of the chosen facilities is Cramped and the other is roomy (See the Facility Space table). A Bastion can have more than one of each basic facility.
Basic Facilities include: Bedroom, Dining Room, Parlor, Courtyard, Kitchen, Storage
A basic facility comes with nonmagical furnishings and decor appropriate for that facility. Basic facilities don't have any game effects, but they can inspire roleplaying opportunities and enhance a Bastion's verisimilitude. A Bastion with a kitchen is functionally the same as one without, but the former gives you and your players a fun setting to start game sessions, have in-character discussions, or introduce new NPCs.
A character can add new basic facilities or enlarge existing ones by spending money and time, as discussed in the sections that follow. Any number of basic facilities can be added or enlarged at the same time. A character doesn't need to be in their Bastion while basic facilities are being added or enlarged.
Adding Basic Facilities
A character can add a basic facility to their Bastion by spending money and time. The cost of adding a basic facility and the time required depend on the facility's space, as shown on the table below.
Time/Cost to add 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
There is no in-game benefit to enlarging a basic facility, but a character might enlarge a facility for cosmetic reasons or to increase the Bastion's size.
A character can spend money and time to increase the space of a basic facility in their Bastion by one category, as shown on the table below.
Time/Cost to Enlarge Basic Facilities
Space Increase | Cost | Time Required |
Cramped to Roomy | 500 gp | 25 Days |
Roomy to Vast | 2000 gp | 80 Days |
Special Facilities
Special facilities are Bastion locations where certain activities yield game benefits. A character's Bastion initially has two special facilities of the character's choice for which they qualify. Each special facility can be chosen only once unless its description says otherwise.
Unlike basic facilities, special facilities can't be bought; a character gains them through level advancement. At level 9, a character gains two additional special facilities of their choice for which they qualify; they gain one additional facility at level 13 and another at level 17. The Special Facility Acquisition table shows the total number of special facilities in a character's Bastion.
Each new special facility immediately becomes part of the character's Bastion when the character reaches the level. Each time a character gains a level, that character can replace one of their Bastion’s special facilities with another for which the character qualifies.
Special Facility Level Acquisition
Lvl 5: 2 Special Facilities
Lvl 9: 4 Special Facilities
Lvl 13: 5 Special Facilities
Lvl 17: 6 Special Facilities
Requirements
Each special facility has a level. A character must be that level or higher to gain that facility. A special facility might also have a prerequisite the character must meet to gain that facility. For example, only a character who can use an Arcane Focus or a tool as a Spellcasting Focus can have an Arcane Study.
Space
A special facility occupies a certain amount of space (see Facility Space). A player can configure the squares of a special facility as desired on the Bastion’s map. A special facility can be enlarged to grant additional benefits if its description says so.
Hirelings
A special facility comes with one or more hirelings who work in the facility, maintain it, and execute Bastion orders there, as described in the next section. A player can assign names and personalities to hirelings in their character's Bastion using the same tools DMs use to create NPCs (see chapter 3 of the DMG).
Each special facility in a Bastion generates enough income to pay the salary of its hirelings. Hirelings follow the orders they're given and are loyal to the Bastion’s owner.
Orders
On a Bastion turn, a character in their Bastion can issue special orders—called Bastion orders—to one or more of their Bastion's special facilities. A character needn't issue orders to all the special facilities in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn.
The Maintain order is unusual; it is issued to the whole Bastion rather than to one or more special facilities. If a character isn't in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn, the Bastion acts as though it were issued the Maintain order on that turn unless the owner can communicate with the Bastion hirelings using the Sending spell or similar magic.
The orders are as follows:
Craft. Hirelings in the special facility craft an item that can be made in that facility. During the time required to craft an item, the facility can’t be used to craft anything else, even if a special ability allows the facility to carry out two orders at once. The hirelings have proficiencies with Artisan's Tools as specified in the facility's description.
Empower. The special facility confers a temporary empowerment to you or someone else.
Harvest. Hirelings gather a resource produced in the special facility. During the time required to harvest a resource, the facility can't be used to harvest anything else, even if a special ability allows the facility to carry out two orders at once.
Maintain. All the Bastion’s hirelings focus on maintaining the Bastion rather than executing orders in special facilities. Issuing this order prohibits other orders from being issued to the Bastion on the current Bastion turn. Each time the Maintain order is issued, the DM rolls once on the Bastion Events table at the end of this chapter. Bastion events are resolved before the next Bastion turn,
Recruit. Hirelings recruit creatures to the Bastion.
These creatures might include one or more Bastion Defenders, whose main purpose is to defend the Bastion if it is attacked (see “Bastion Events” at the end of this chapter). The Bastion generates enough income to provide for the needs of its Bastion Defenders.
Research. Hirelings in the special facility gather information.
Trade. Hirelings buy and sell goods or services stored or produced in this special facility.
Special Facilities Descriptions
Special facilities are presented in alphabetical order. The Special Facilities table lists all the special facilities presented in this section, along with their prerequisites and orders. Some facilities confer additional benefits, specified in their descriptions.
| Facility type | Level | Requirements | Benefits |
| Arcane study | 5 | Uses arcane focus | Craft an arcane focus, book or magic item |
| Armory | 5 | None | Makes bastion defenders harder to kill |
| Barracks | 5 | None | Recruit up to 12 bastion defenders |
| Garden | 5 | None | Harvest for rations, potions of healing, antitoxins or basic poison. Can also sell produce for gold. |
| Library | 5 | None | Research to acquire information |
| Sanctuary | 5 | Uses holy symbol or druidic focus | Craft a sacred focus and cast healing word |
| Smithy | 5 | Has fighting style or unarmored defense | Craft weapons, armorand equipment, including magic armaments |
| Storehouse | 5 | None | Buy and sell items at a profit |
| Workshop | 5 | Expertise in a skill | Gain heroic inspiration or craft adventuring gear and magic items |
| Gaming hall | 9 | None | Earn gold from gambling winnings |
| Greenhouse | 9 | None | Eat fruits that provide lesser restoration or create potions of greater healing or poisons |
| Laboratory | 9 | None | Craft potions, poisons and concoctions |
| Sacristy | 9 | Uses holy symbol or druidic focus | Regain a spell slot on a short rest here and produce holy water or a temporary sacred item |
| Scriptorium | 9 | None | Copy a book, multiple sheets or create a scroll |
| Stable | 9 | None | House horses, mules and similar beasts. Gain advantage handling these beasts and buy and sell similar beasts |
| Teleportation circle | 9 | None | Invite mages to stay and cast a spell in the bastion |
| Theater | 9 | None | Stage performances to receive theater dice. These can be used like bardic inspiration with a longer duration |
| Training area | 9 | Has fighting style, unarmored defense or expertise in a skill | Gain an expert training benefit for 7 days like damage reduction or skill proficiency |
| Trophy room | 9 | None | Learn lore about a legend, monster or famous item. Discover magical trinkets |
| Archive | 13 | None | Gain effects of legend lore and a listed, rare book |
| Meditation chamber | 13 | None | Roll twice for bastion events and pick one, advantage on 2 saving throws |
| Menagerie | 13 | None | House and acquire creatures that can defend your bastion |
| Observatory | 13 | Uses a spellcasting focus | Random chance of having a boon bestowed by an unknown power |
| Pub | 13 | None | Research local events. Create magical beverages for enlarge, spider climb, necrotic resistance, frightened immunity or darkvision |
| Reliquary | 13 | Uses holy symbol or druidic focus | Allows casting of greater restoration and create an amulet that can ignore material components of a spell up to 1,000gp |
| Demiplane | 17 | Uses arcane focus | Gain 5 x level of temporary hit points, create basic, non-magical object |
| Guildhall | 17 | Expertise in a skill | Guild members perform special assignments |
| Sanctum | 17 | Uses holy symbol or druidic focus | Gain temporary hit points equal to level and cast heal and use sanctum as destination of word of recall (which you have prepared) |
| War room | 17 | Has fighting style or unarmored defense | Reduces numbers of lost defenders when bastion is attacked and amass additional guards |
Fall of a Bastion
A player character can lose their Bastion in the following ways:
Divestiture
A character can give up their Bastion anytime, releasing the Bastion's hirelings and abandoning the location. The divested Bastion is quickly vacated, is eventually looted, and might even be burned to the ground.
Neglect
If a character issues no orders to their Bastion for a number of consecutive Bastion turns equal to the character's level (typically because the character is dead or otherwise out of commission), the hirelings abandon the Bastion and the site is eventually looted. If the character returns later; they can start a new Bastion, perhaps building it amid the ruins Of the old one.
Ruination
Drawing the Ruin card from the Deck of Many Things (as described in chapter 7 of the DMG) instantly deprives a character of their Bastion. When such an event occurs, the player can decide what terrible fate befalls the Bastion. The Bastion might be sacked by enemies or destroyed by an earthquake, for example.
Regardless of how the Bastion falls, the player can work with the DM to establish a new Bastion and determine how it comes into being. Use the Special Facility Acquisition table to determine how many special facilities come with it. The new Bastion also starts with two basic facilities (one Cramped and one Roomy) of the player's choice.