Strongholds & Followers by Matt Colville (5th Edition Compatiable)

There is more to the game than fighting monsters.  Build a stronghold, and influence the world.

Strongholds & Followers is a supplement for 5th Edition that gives your character something to spend their money on and extend their influence in the local area. Raise armies! Research spells! Spy on your enemies!

More than just a set of rules and charts, this book also describes a style of play that assumes your character becomes more interested in influencing the world around them. You’ll still adventure and fight monsters, but this supplement gives you tons of fun things to do during your downtime.

It only takes one character building a stronghold to radically change the nature of a campaign and introduce new narrative opportunities for GM and players alike! Huge new story opportunities arise! This book includes tons of examples for GMs to inspire them.

 A Style Of Play

More than just a set of rules and charts, this book also describes a style of play that assumes your character becomes more interested in influencing the world around them. You’ll still adventure and fight monsters, but this supplement gives you tons of fun things to do during your downtime. 

Maybe only one or two players in any group are interested in this sort of thing, but it only takes one character building a stronghold to radically change the nature of a campaign and introduce new narrative opportunities for DM and players alike! HGhostfire Gaminguge new story opportunities arise! This book includes tons of examples for DMs to inspire them. 

Types of Strongholds:

• Keeps let you raise armies, and the rules include a new, basic version of my forthcoming Warfare rules.  
• Towers let you conduct spell research. 
• Temples let you buff armies and towns. 
• Establishments generate revenue and gather intelligence on your neighbors. 

Class Feature Improvements:

Founding a Stronghold enhances one of your class abilities! A Paladin gets an improved Divine Smite, a Bard gets an improved Inspiration. The improvement is temporary through, requiring the character to return home if they want to refresh their cool new ability. Gives PCs a reason to go home! 

Followers:

Once your stronghold is built, you get to roll on the followers chart! Local people hear about your new stronghold and, already impressed by your heroic deeds at lower-level, arrive to pledge service. You might attract… 

Units:

A mercenary company or displaced soldiers from a recently lost battle arrive and pledge service! You’ve got a very tiny army! The book comes with the basic version of my Warfare rules designed to sit on top of normal encounters.

Adventurers:

Lower-level heroes who pledge service and can be sent out into the world to do your bidding! Includes a Questing system, and optional rules for taking your adventuring followers with you without slowing everything down because you’re running multiple characters.

Artisans:

Blacksmiths, farmers, scribes, tailors. All grant you or your stronghold some new ability. And! Many of them can make magic items for you! 

Harvest Monster Bits, Make Magic Items 

Bring your scribe the heart of a dragon, and they can make scrolls of protection against dragons! Bring your alchemist the brain of a Mind Flayer, and they can make potions of Mind Flayer control! Your blacksmith (with a wizard’s help) can make Arrows of Slaying! Swords with extra bonuses vs monster types! My group has been using a variation of these rules for over 30 years!

Ambassadors:

An emissary from a nearby Orc tribe arrives to establish an alliance. Now you can buy Orc units! And, of course, an alliance with the Orcs or Elves or Dwarves comes with all sorts of interesting political ramifications. 

Special Allies:

Powerful nearby entities like what you’re doing and want to help. Dragons, Giants, even Demons and Angels depending on your character’s alignment! They’re far too powerful and proud to do your bidding, but they might help out at a critical moment or deliver important news and advice about the greater world and other planes of existence! Plus, players think having a Dragon as an Ally is cooool. It might even let you ride it! I mean, probably not, but maybe!