Developing Town

[Scott]

I've started an OD&D style town and dungeon campaign. I'd like to breath some life into town. It's set in Greyhawk. What do you think are the essential locations to get started? A temple or two, a few inns/taverns, Striped Mage type to identify magic, maybe more than one option? How much detail would you use for various merchants? An apothecary/alchemist where basic potions can be purchased? What are your thoughts?

[grodog]

I guess it depends in part on your sense of how large the town is, and what kind of town it is---a boom town, on a trade route, a border fort, etc. The essentials to me include these types of vendors pulled from the Outdoor Geos listing:

- armorer
- blacksmith
- bowyer
- cartographer/scribe
- crier
- fletcher
- fortune teller
- guards/men-at-arms
- innkeeper
- jeweler
- leather worker/tanner
- locksmith
- merchants/caravans/traders
- money-changer/money-lender/bank
- rich patrons
- rope maker
- sage, scholar, scribe, or clerk/scrivener
- swordsmith
- ship's captain
- thieves

I'd mix it up a bit and allow for some overlap, professional/personal rivalries, etc. by having 1-4 of the key ones, or with some that have overlapping general skills vs. specialists.

I would also think that you need at least one of each of the following classes, for training PCs purposes:

- an MU of at least 7th level (to scribe scrolls and brew/ID potions; an alchemist or apothecary is obviously an option there too)
- at least one temple with a cleric of at least 7th level, preferably a few few faiths represented
- some freelancing or passing-through thieves, even if there's no guild (or perhaps seasonal ones, a la Rhenne/Attloi)
- a fighter of at least 5th level

Allan.

[geneweigel]

I'm just roll and go for everything town related but there is so much legwork thats been there. I were to give a recommendation I might sell you short because its just second nature by now.

Besides the above Allan mentions in geomorphs, the baseline for me is the random encounters in the DMG (1979) pg 190-194. (especially page 194 with what kinds of magic someone is likely to have). Here is what is written in the preface on page 190:

CITY/TOWN ENCOUNTERS
The prime city or cities/town or towns in a campaign will usually have predetermined
denizens and many encounters will be set according to facts
thus developed. All sections of these prime inhabited areas will not be
matrixed, and all other cities/towns will be basically undeveloped. For all
such areas the CITY/TOWN ENCOUNTER MATRIX is useful.
All encounters must be in their appropriate areas. A ghost will not be encountered
in the main square of a city, rats in a palace, etc. If the roll indicates
an improbable encounter, just ignore it, and no encounter has taken
place. Check for encounters every three turns as normally, or otherwise as
desired.
Disguise all encounters by using vagueness and similarity.

Another thing to take into account is the consultations of the gold line of Grenadier miniatures from 1980. The figures in these sets were filling a void by making them necessary. So they went to TSR directly and found out what does D&D need from miniatures and what is it like. There are hints of this is the details of the sets:

www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=AD%26D_-_Small_Figure_Sets

I would look at all of these except the monsters but especially look at HIRELINGS, WIZARD'S ROOM and SPECIALISTS (the first version of SPECIALISTS had a half-orc cleric). These give an idea of what is going to be available.

"Identify" casting is usually something I'll reserve for a small "thorp" somewhere but when characters get to the towns they'll be going to non-rugged, non-adventuring fixtures to ID material. The cheapest BTB is the bard in towns because they can "legend lore" in various degrees. The characters will only go sage level to identify in cities and only if its a key magic item. The usual buyers are not going to buy shit and they have to know what magic items are what ASAP. The characters are getting "gp sale value" for experience after all so they know to get the most for what it is even if they don't know what it is yet. So they'll be going to the different places to get the best price and what the buyer can tell them. After all, "identify" and "legend lore" doesn't come with a sealed authenticity so if the local caster of those isn't buying they're kind of useless middle man. The buyers have to have these abilities on the scene. So whatever "powers" they have it will usually be spot on.

[Scott]

Bards aren’t very common, and they’re transient, so I wouldn’t use them as ‘go to’ locations.
It’s Greyhawk, and you have a couple of neophytes from the Wild Coast staying in the Foreign Quarter.
We’ve got the Green Dragon Inn (where they’re staying).
St. Cuthbert has always played a part in the campaign, so that’s probably the first temple they’ll deal with. But a few others will need to be introduced.
The Striped Mage is a given. There is a wizards guild too as an alternative.
I use the training rules, so what about training for fighters? Yggsburgh had the Swordsmen Brotherhood. I’m thinking I’ll just import that.

[geneweigel]

Merchant ability is something that is Gygaxian but its just not rated so while not official it might act like the bard's non-magical Legend Lore ability (acquired through training). In this excerpt from GREYHAWK ADVENTURES: SAGA OF OLD CITY (1985) Chapter 11. The merchant has no power but has an ability of identifying magic also in general this is how I perceive D&D shopping (also with a non-Scotch dwarf to boot! ):

The gate guards eyed Gord most suspiciously, asked him a couple of questions in oddly stilted Common, and then
allowed him to pass into Leukish. The city was bustling with activity, and Gord simply drifted with the traffic, studying
everything he saw. Soon he arrived in a rectangular marketplace filled with carts and booths. His practiced eye noted
that there were no discernible thieves loitering about—although some may have been working; of that he could not be
sure. The people here were mostly Urnstmen, with a smattering of outlanders and demi-humans. The goods were
typical of such a faire, ranging from all manner of foodstuffs to clothing and household goods.
Knowing that the interesting items would be at the far end near the largest buildings, Gord went in that direction.
Sure enough, there were the metalsmiths. After spending a considerable amount of time examining various dirks and
daggers, Gord was quite disappointed. The weapons were finely wrought, but they just weren't the equal to the blade he
had lost during the battle with the sea monster.
The grizzled seller of weapons at the last stall noted Gord's intensity in examining the poniards, did his best to help
by extolling the virtues of each dagger, and then ceased the sales pitch with the following advice:
"You seem, sir, a connoisseur of such blades. These are all excellent dags, but what you seek is not here. I suggest
you go to the shop of Hengel. If you can meet his price, you will have your weapon."
"Where is this Hengel's establishment?" asked Gord.
Following the directions of the fellow soon brought Gord to the narrow way leading to a close, as it was described to
him. There Gord saw a busy smithy and a shop beside it. The forge was working arrowheads, so he passed immediately
into the store. A gnarled old dwarf, of great size for one of his sort, was there polishing weapons with an oily cloth.
"Goodag," he said to Gord. "How to serve a… Rhenneeclad… stranger from… Vild Coste?"
"Greyhawk, actually. I am here for a dagger."
"Yah, sure!" the dwarf exclaimed enthusiastically. "Big, little, long, short, narrow, broad, and more. Ve got dem all.
Vhich?"
To simplify the process, Gord launched into a detailed description of his lost dagger. He carefully explained its size,
shape, decoration, and balance. When he completed the exposition, the dwarf asked some additional details that
surprised Gord, for the fellow was accurate in the suggested conformation and decoration of the weapon.
"Und now der veppon iss… ?"
Gord recounted the tale of the sea serpent's attack and defeat. At the point where he told about casting his dagger
into the monster's eye, the dwarf shook his head sadly. The blade, he informed Gord, was most certainly a magic one,
but a weapon designed for demi-humans, not folk such as Gord. Had he only been able to have one for himself, Hengel
said, Gord could have had his pick of the other magicked daggers in his place!
"One what?" Gord inquired.
"Oh," said the dwarf sadly, "der longtoothed vun you vas telling about."
Never having heard of a longtoothed one before, Gord found it hard to share the dwarf's sense of sadness, although
he keenly regretted losing the dagger and was excited at the prospect of replacing it.
"I'll show vat I do haff," Hengel said. Then he paused in his rush toward a cabinet. "You pay mit gold? Or is der
deal to be a trade?" He eyed Gord's clothing suspiciously as he asked these questions.
Without thinking, Gord reached into his sash and drew out the leather bag in which he kept his wealth. His whole
attention was so caught by the weapons that he actually shook the bag's contents out onto the counter. The dwarf's eyes
fell greedily upon the outpouring, a small pile of platinum and gold, with only a couple of electrum and silver pieces
intermixed. Atop all was the cat's-eye ring.
"Zsoo…" Hengel could hardly tear his gaze from the metal. "You haff much vealth for vun zo young!" He finally
managed to look up at Gord, avarice filling his eyes with brightness. "Now I show you all!"
Too late to rectify his mistake, Gord thought. What a fool to display the contents of one's purse to anyone—let alone
a dwarf! There was no help for it now, and he must be ready for anything.
Hengel had the cabinet open and was hastily rummaging around inside it. He turned, arms loaded with parcels
wrapped in velvet. He placed all of them on the counter near Gord's heap of coins, unwrapping each of them quickly
but carefully. There were five daggers there, each beautifully fashioned, each in its own sheath.
"You chooz vhich you vant," the dwarf said, "and I tell you how much."
Gord bent over and let his eyes play back and forth over the array, not touching any of them right away. While he
was so occupied, Hengel scampered to the door, barred it, and dropped its curtain, saying, "No sense in letting anyvun
bodder you vhile you is choozing!"
Gord was ready to grab one of the weapons and defend himself against attack, but the dwarf merely came back to
the counter and stared at the coins. When Gord hefted the first of the blades, it began to glow, and he nearly dropped it
in surprise. His exclamation caused Hengel to shift his gaze away from the coins to see what was going on.
"Der longtoothed vun neffer did dat, cause you ain't a demi-hooman," the dwarf said matter-of-factly This short
explanation completed, the dwarf returned to his loving contemplation of the money, and Gord resumed inspection of
the daggers.
He definitely did not like a weapon that shed light when it was drawn—too much attention there, even though Gord
could see advantages to such illumination at times. The second blade was of deep black metal, very sharp and deadly
looking, but Gord noticed it had a few tiny pits on it. That one he replaced in its sheath, grateful for his keen eyes, and
also set aside as undesirable.
Of the three remaining, all but one glowed when held unsheathed. The last weapon he handled had beautiful balance,
and it was almost as large as the one he had lost. Gord noted that its blade was covered with silver-inlaid runes, and his
hand tingled slightly when he grasped the dagger and held it in fighting position. He tried a few passes with it,
imagining an opponent before him.
"Zuch an eye you haff!" Hengel said. "You hold der best uff my daggers!" His deep brown eyes sad above the great
brush of beard, Hengel stared solemnly at Gord and added, "It has der dwveemer zo dat it ignores armor und—"
"What's dwveemer?" interrupted Gord.
"Magick! Shpells und zuch!" the dwarf said a bit crossly. "Don't be shtoopid!"
Hengel's accent was getting worse, Gord thought to himself. He meant dweomer, as in dweomercraefter, a
spellbinder. The dwarf must be losing his composure because of his fascination with the precious blade in Gord's hand.
"Tell me more about this weapon," Gord said firmly.
Hengel took it from him and unceremoniously hurled it at the stone floor. Much to Gord's amazement, the point
went in, and the blade buried itself two or three inches deep. The dwarf broke into a faint smile as he beheld Gord's
shocked expression, then said: "Schtone, schteel, vateffer, der blade sees only like it vas flesch! Uff magick protections,
is another schtory… but demin or deffil is zlized mit easyness! You haff chust enuff here to buy it, too!"
The dwarf was fast, but not as quick as his customer. As Hengel's hand darted for the treasure on the counter, Gord's
small knife intercepted it, guarding the ring-crowned pile.
"Not so fast, my friend," said Gord coolly. "I didn't say I wanted to buy it." He looked at the greed written across
Hengel's face, shook his head, and continued. "No! At such a cost, I am not at all interested." He scooped his treasure
back into his purse, pulled the drawstring shut, and turned for the exit. "I shall look elsewhere…. Good-bye!" he
concluded.
"Vait! Schtop!" Hengel cried as Gord's hand started to unbar the door. "Perhaps I vas too kvick in… aah… counting
der zum uff your vealth." He thrust himself between customer and door, wringing his large, gnarly hands.
Gord dangled his purse from his left hand, watching the dwarf's eyes following its motion. "Let us bargain further,
then," he said, turning back toward the counter.
It took almost half an hour to come to a mutually acceptable price, and Gord was on the verge of walking out twice
more before the dwarf finally yielded. Hengel had tried his best to get the cat's-eye ring as part of the deal, but Gord
had resisted—all the harder when the dwarf had reduced the number of gold orbs he also asked for in order to gain it.
That made the young man very suspicious. The ring must have value beyond gold and gemstone, he thought.
Eventually, Gord paid over six orbs—all the gold he possessed.
The dwarf was not interested in platinum, although the plates were more valuable than gold orbs by a tenth. Hengel
obviously cared much more about the yellow metal that his kind habitually favored. He was clutching the orbs fervently
when Gord departed. Somehow, Gord understood, for he was holding the haft of his new weapon tightly himself. It had
cost him dearly to obtain it, and he would treasure it accordingly.
He walked around the area for an hour or so thereafter, stopping in the meantime for some cold food and a flagon of
ale at a local tavern, before returning to the marketplace. If anything, the market plaza was more crowded than it had
been earlier. Gord was about to hurry through when his eye was caught by a swatch of the brightly colored, telltale garb
of the Rhennee. Sure enough, there was Adaz, intent on her study of the wares of a goldsmith's booth. He was merely
going to pass without speaking, for he was certain she wouldn't notice him, when her posture alerted him that she was
doing something other than browsing. He glanced at the jeweler and the others nearby, sized up the situation, and
moved quickly to the girl's side.
"Don't bother with such inferior trash, Adaz, my sweet!" Gord smiled broadly as he said this and took the girl's arm
in his hand. The motion concealed his deft removal of the earrings she had slipped into her sleeve.
Adaz looked up at him, startled, then angry. Before she could utter a word, though, Gord was speaking loudly again.
"Let me see your selection, dear." He took her hand, and as if by magic the purloined jewelry was there. "Just as I
said! Far too common and simple for someone so lovely!" Gord tossed them to the startled owner, and the fellow barely
caught them. Two other men who had been moving stealthily toward the Rhennee lass also stopped short.
"Now then, fellow, let's see something good. Don't bother with stuff fit for fat merchants' wives!" Gord commanded.
The goldsmith was taken aback, but he countered quickly. "You don't have enough—" he started, then caught
himself and reworded his objection. "You didn't say what sum you'd pay. How can I select without knowing the depth
of your purse?"
Gord ignored the impertinence. He pointed imperiously at a pair of small but brilliant rubies enmeshed in fine golden
wire. "Those, smith, are more to our taste. Fetch them!"
The man brought them to Gord as commanded, but while so doing he jerked his head toward the pair of stalwarts
who served as his guards, and they moved to either side of Gord and Adaz. The girl had finally caught the drift of what
was going on. She moved closer to Gord and smiled wanly at him. Her olive skin appeared pale.
Without seeming to notice the guards nearby, Gord carefully examined the earrings, allowing the slanting afternoon
sunlight to play upon the sparkling facets of the gems, the rays turning them to fiery blazes of crimson. "They are
acceptable, but worth no more than a plate," he said as he stared at the proprietor of the booth, face set, eyes narrowed.
"A plate? Hah! A plate each, I say! Do you think me a dolt or an idiot?" the fellow shouted back. The haggling
began. Gord agreed too quickly to a price of two orbs, handed over two lozenges of platinum, received a pair of luckies
in return, and still holding Adaz by her shapely arm strode away. She said nothing, for she knew that Gord had saved
her from being arrested for theft, but that he was furious over what the rescue had cost him. When she ran her free
hand over his bicep, Gord didn't respond.

[Scott]

I was planning on introducing a go to merchant with a pretty wide range of goods, probably a Bakluni.
Maybe a dwarf or a gnome for gems, precious metals.
An alchemist to identify and sell potions.
A few regulars at the inn should be developed. Spies, for the thieves guild, a powerful good force (Tenser?), rival adventurers, a mentor, etc.

[Scott]

The priests of St Cuthbert are probably one of the bigger cults in the city, and there’s probably a grand temple, but not in the Foreign Quarter. I would expect there to be a presence though, so a smaller chapel/shrine seems appropriate. A Chapel of Fharlanghn also seems like a good fit for the Foreign Quarter. 6th or 7th level seems like a good cap for priests in these smaller locations. Anything more than that and the PCs would have to try to get an audience at a bigger temple, maybe run into Serten.

[grodog]

When you were suggesting a town, I didn't think you meant the City of Greyhawk, Scott---figured you were looking to develop a smaller settlement. For a city the size of Greyhawk, I'd throw the phonebook at the place, and everything's available somewhere, for the right price....

Allan.

[Scott]

Yeah, I know that. But you can't develop the phonebook overnight. I'm trying to decide on what the essentials are for staring the campaign. What needs detail vs. what will probably be hand waved or skipped entirely. More detail can always be added as the campaign develops, but what should you start with?

[GRWelsh]

I've always envisioned the Green Dragon Inn being in a section of the Foreign Quarter that caters to adventurers and well-heeled travelers, with establishments like stables, smithy, armorer, provisioner, leatherworker, tailor, cartwright, moneychanger, jeweler and bank all within spitting distance. Magic-users probably have to go south into Clerksburg to get certain accoutrements like books, vellum, finer inks, etc. The Striped Mage and the Society of Magi would be able to cast spells at cost, and perhaps buy/sell/trade magic items. Weird way, if located, can be another magical trading post. A chapel dedicated to Fharlanghn would not be out of place in the Foreign Quarter, if you decide that temples are allowed there... I'd always assumed that all temples were in the Temple Quarter, perhaps due to some city ordinance (otherwise, why wouldn't they be scattered throughout?).

The nuts and bolts approach would be to respond to questions players most commonly ask when in town. Where can we stay? Are there other places to eat or drink or meet adventurers and find hirelings? Where can we buy armor and weapons? Where can we buy provisions and gear? Where can we buy horses? Where can we sell/buy gems and jewelry? Is there a bank where can store our belongings? Where can we sell or buy magic items? Is there anybody who can identify these magic items for us, or cast remove curse, or raise dead, or restoration?

Then add some color, like a Bakluni carpet merchant, perhaps an entrance to the sewers, local encounters like pick-pockets, beggars, mountebanks, swindlers, other NPC adventurers and travelers. Maybe steal a few establishments from LANKHMAR - CITY OF ADVENTURE (1985) and plop them down in Greyhawk... They'd be a good fit!

[Scott]

Did EGG's Greyhawk have a Temple Quarter mentioned? I placed most of the main temples in the High and Garden quarters.
I wasn't thinking about full temples in the Foreign Quarter, just small chapels/shrines. I wouldn't put a Fharlanghn temple in the city, just a small chapel. The Foreign Quarter seems like the appropriate place for the god of travelers to have a presence.
I imagine that St. Cuthbert's temple in Greyhawk may be one of the god's main temples, so it's probably grand. But, since Greyhawk is one of main areas where Cuthbert's followers can be found, and it's a sprawling metropolis, seven miles or more north south, I think it would be natural for his priests to be found in multiple location.

I thought about Lankhmar as a possible source of material.