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What kind of enhancements (magical or otherwise) have you seen in your fantasy cities?
This isn't limited to Kingmaker, but I imagine a lot of the examples will be.
I haven't played kingmaker yet, but I'm thinking decanter of endless water aqueducts, construct driven machinery of some kind for the public good, etc.
Dotting for interest
Homeless shelters with plates that are magical items that cast create food and water?
"Weather machines" which cast control weather so the conditions are always mild for the season (no major storms).
Elf gates? Perhaps a lake and/or riverside city could have a gate large enough for ship traffic that connects to an ocean port?
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Magical public transit. Teleportation terminals, a public flying carpet schedule, hippogriff rickshaws...
A theater house that uses illusionary special effects, magically transforms its actors in lieu of disguises, etc. Maybe it uses "pre-recorded" illusions or divination devices to broadcast performances throughout the city, or record then for "repeat performances" so that there's always something playing even when the actors need a break?
For clarity I don't mean just ideas. I mean stuff that you've actually done in game.
SO if you say "magical public transit" How did you do it? Teleport circles? Undead rickshaws? Construct trains?
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Unseen servant rickshaws could be interesting. But I've yet to play a game with that kind of thing.
Well the only real city I can recall was one still being built, but it had some interesting elements.
The first was a plumbing system which actually tied into the poisoning of the town and what we did with that is have my alchemist trace it to its source and use his background to neutralize the poison with silver.
We also had a tour of city hall which my character was given when he demanded that he see some bodies that were supposedly recovered from the mine we were sent to investigate. Which ended in the basement where we found the bodies of the mayor and her aide.
Turns out the entire thing was a ploy and that recently the mayor and her aide were replaced with dopplegangers. And when we got too close they poisoned the plumbing system as a distraction.
Also I believe there was some sort of bathhouse there owned by 2 grippli, but I can't remember what the point of that was.
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In the city-state magocracy of Aoq, the city walls are ancient and divinely enchanted, so it's in people's best interests to continue building inside them, so a lot of magic has gone into fitting many buildings into a small space, and in making the planet's most crowded city habitable.
-The walls: The walls project an invisible sphere of force five kilometers in diameter and centered one mile below ground. It's very resistant to traditional damage and, as the setting is E8, it's exceptionally difficult to bypass.
-The gates: The gates monitor everyone who leaves and enters, and are under the effects of Zone of Truth for when the guards ask for a name, what goods they have with them, and the purpose of a visit. Any inhabitant that must leave the city more regularly than once a month can apply for a magical ID which will alert the guard of its presence and allow them to bypass this, but only functions for that individual.
-The housing: The city has built straight up in a lot of places and not everything is as structurally sound as it used to be, magical aid to keep buildings from falling over is rampant - more often patch-jobs than long term fixes. Many houses of the better off have 'magical elevators' to reach them if the entrance is above ground level. These function as a permanent, are-based Levitate spell. Those houses of the worse-off have ropes to climb.
-Public transport: Knowing one's way around the city and knowing it intimately are very different things in Aoq, illusionary walls, walkways and bridges over streets, tunnels that look out of use, there are a lot of shortcuts in the city, to visitors, a guide is recommended to avoid getting lost horribly at all times. To those who need to travel across a large distance in town, well, teleportation is very expensive and not much of an option except for the ruling elite. For the working class however, a solid metal can of a 'skycar' with a fire resistance enchantment and enough explosives are new and usually aimed well enough to hit the landing pad across town. Bit of a bumpy ride, but it's a price of convenience.
-Shopping: With so many shops in a small city, it's no surprise someone made a way to get the best prices. The Arcanum Exchange takes prices of items from shopkeepers all over town via cheap messaging cantrips, sorts them, and displays them on various boards around town. For specialist items, one can turn up at the Exchange's main building and find anyone who might be able to produce it. Once, via said cheap messaging cantrips, an order is placed for an item that's either to-order or standard stock, it's usual to just turn up and get the product, but Aoq does have a parcel delivery system for those without the time to do so, smaller packages are often delivered by bound earth mephits, larger deliveries are up to the recipient to arrange.
-Underground: The city expanded down as much as up. The under-city is actually a single massive cavern below the city-proper with buildings built on the cavern floor. It has its own artificial sun which varies in brightness throughout the day. The people down here are sometimes considered to be the poor or out-of-luck, but ask them and most would say they prefer it down here. Law enforcement is more lax, and they'll say it's more like the life they had before coming to the city, where things seemed less hectic. With the massive openness of the cavern, people from the under-city love their gliders, and aerial finesse is a serious sport down here.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the details of Aoq, I honestly skipped most of it in the setting guide since it's unlikely the PCs will ever go there, but it is one of my favourite places in the region.
It depends on the city. A "typical city" will usually have magically operating water systems, mass transit, street lights, public address, mostly stuff to make living in a city more comfortable and less likely to suffer plagues or rampant crime.
The richest and most powerful cities will have much more ostentatious magical items, such as magical fountains, entertainment illusions, magically enhanced architecture (there is a floating palace in the capital city of the richest nation), portals to distant locations, temperature control of major public buildings, etc.
Public display of magical artistry and skill is a means of demonstrating international prestige.
It depends on the city. A "typical city" will usually have magically operating water systems, mass transit, street lights, public address, mostly stuff to make living in a city more comfortable and less likely to suffer plagues or rampant crime.
The richest and most powerful cities will have much more ostentatious magical items, such as magical fountains, entertainment illusions, magically enhanced architecture (there is a floating palace in the capital city of the richest nation), portals to distant locations, temperature control of major public buildings, etc.
Public display of magical artistry and skill is a means of demonstrating international prestige.
Not ideas, but specific things you've seen/used in cities. :-)
I forget what spells were used, but we essential created large public TVs that we could instantly address the entire city. It was used to update the public with important information, most importantly when the city walls were breached during a siege and we had to evacuate them.
I forget what spells were used, but we essential created large public TVs that we could instantly address the entire city. It was used to update the public with important information, most importantly when the city walls were breached during a siege and we had to evacuate them.
You need an intelligent item that controls them named Hal.
Not sure what you mean by that coffee, those are things used in my campaign world. And more.
I forget what spells were used, but we essential created large public TVs that we could instantly address the entire city. It was used to update the public with important information, most importantly when the city walls were breached during a siege and we had to evacuate them.
Claxon, in my world there isn't a "receiving device" for these sorts of public announcements, there are large holographic illusions projected above the city. There are more private means that the powerful city leaders use to communicate that do have "receivers', mostly in the form off crystal balls.
Not sure what you mean by that coffee, those are things used in my campaign world. And more.
Gotcha. Well some of what you're talking about is pretty self explanatory (street lights), but how did you do Mass transit? I'm looking not just for ideas, but for the details on how.
Also, it seems like you do a magic as tech thing, which I like.
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I had a game that went 1st-20th. No afterlife, no soul, no gods, but was possible to do reincarnation if you saved the mind. I did have multiple planes & Outsiders.
Players built a Wondrous Item in the centre of the city. Was a 1 charge/day resurrection machine Tree. Cost a fortune.
There was a spell to link minds. They set up a mass casting to link people's minds - permanently - to the tree. Required willing participants. They later gave the tree the ability to do it, which required making it an Intelligent Item.
Then they built a very, very large astral-like-metaplane for the minds to interact with so they wouldn't go mad. At this point they were pretty much 20th level, and metaplanes get weird around this sort of thing, so I allowed it.
Was the number one cost of everything they built over the entire campaign. If you "linked" with the tree you could talk to it. If you died your soul went to it, and it could return you to life if it liked.
I gave them a game with no souls, gods, or afterlife.
So they built them.
I had a game that went 1st-20th. No afterlife, no soul, no gods, but was possible to do reincarnation if you saved the mind. I did have multiple planes & Outsiders.
Players built a Wondrous Item in the centre of the city. Was a 1 charge/day resurrection machine Tree. Cost a fortune.
There was a spell to link minds. They set up a mass casting to link people's minds - permanently - to the tree. Required willing participants. They later gave the tree the ability to do it, which required making it an Intelligent Item.
Then they built a very, very large astral-like-metaplane for the minds to interact with so they wouldn't go mad. At this point they were pretty much 20th level, and metaplanes get weird around this sort of thing, so I allowed it.
Was the number one cost of everything they built over the entire campaign. If you "linked" with the tree you could talk to it. If you died your soul went to it, and it could return you to life if it liked.
I gave them a game with no souls, gods, or afterlife.
So they built them.
That's cool.
Not sure what you mean by that coffee, those are things used in my campaign world. And more.Gotcha. Well some of what you're talking about is pretty self explanatory (street lights), but how did you do Mass transit? I'm looking not just for ideas, but for the details on how.
Also, it seems like you do a magic as tech thing, which I like.
I don't think I do "magic as a tech thing." I think I use magic as a "problem solving thing" and sometimes it can be used to solve the same problems that technology does. Sometimes better, sometimes not as good. Again, scalability is a huge difference between magic and technology.
Mass transit is done differently in different cities. The main capital city uses what are essentially magical platforms which people can walk onto and will whisk them to a pre-determined destination, sort of like glorified airport moving sidewalks, but not constrained to land. The elven city uses a wide variety of magical chariots that respond to requests from passengers and are generally in the shape of animals the elves love. The main wizard/sorcerer city mostly operates with a series of linked portals. Although that system is actually worldwide if you have the right command words and the wealth to use them. Most require sacrificing a gem or some other valuable item to trigger.
If by "how" you mean "what spells did you use to create them" I just flat out made them up and the explanation is that most of them are custom magical creations, sometimes requiring the cooperation of multiple powerful wizards.
Not sure what you mean by that coffee, those are things used in my campaign world. And more.Gotcha. Well some of what you're talking about is pretty self explanatory (street lights), but how did you do Mass transit? I'm looking not just for ideas, but for the details on how.
Also, it seems like you do a magic as tech thing, which I like.
I don't think I do "magic as a tech thing." I think I use magic as a "problem solving thing" and sometimes it can be used to solve the same problems that technology does. Sometimes better, sometimes not as good. Again, scalability is a huge difference between magic and technology.
Mass transit is done differently in different cities. The main capital city uses what are essentially magical platforms which people can walk onto and will whisk them to a pre-determined destination, sort of like glorified airport moving sidewalks, but not constrained to land. The elven city uses a wide variety of magical chariots that respond to requests from passengers and are generally in the shape of animals the elves love. The main wizard/sorcerer city mostly operates with a series of linked portals. Although that system is actually worldwide if you have the right command words and the wealth to use them. Most require sacrificing a gem or some other valuable item to trigger.
If by "how" you mean "what spells did you use to create them" I just flat out made them up and the explanation is that most of them are custom magical creations, sometimes requiring the cooperation of multiple powerful wizards.
I really do appreciate the input and don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just looking for things in this thread that go just a little bit beyond DM fiat.
All every fantasy city needs, are sewer tunnels.
All every fantasy city needs, are sewer tunnels.
... We don't need no stinkin' sewer tunnels!
At least not when we have demiplanes dedicated to recycling waste...
If the city is not in a very arid area, building a lot of channels for transport is a good way to stimulate economics.
Making laws that will make it mandatory to use stone or bricks for building houses as this will lessen the fire hazard (major reason of city damage). The romans actually had a fire department in a city.
A cat patrol for reducing the mice and rat problem.
Windpowered industry: sawmill, mill (flour), Waterpumping Mill (cultivating wetlands), Hammer mill (automated hammering for a smithy).
Ore/Metal smelters.
Acadamy for specialising crafts.
I forget what spells were used, but we essential created large public TVs that we could instantly address the entire city. It was used to update the public with important information, most importantly when the city walls were breached during a siege and we had to evacuate them.Claxon, in my world there isn't a "receiving device" for these sorts of public announcements, there are large holographic illusions projected above the city. There are more private means that the powerful city leaders use to communicate that do have "receivers', mostly in the form off crystal balls.
Ours weren't devices with reception, it was some spell that allowed us to project a specific speaker as an illusion into several designated areas of the city simultaneously. Since it was more of an RP thing it was less important to decide exactly how it functioned.
claxon, the reason the private communications required a receiver is that it was a two-phased verification that ensured to the sender that the receiver was authorized to receive the message.
Let's just say that conspiracy and subterfuge is rather common in the geopolitics of my campaign world...
Dotting, because interesting topic.
claxon, the reason the private communications required a receiver is that it was a two-phased verification that ensured to the sender that the receiver was authorized to receive the message.
Let's just say that conspiracy and subterfuge is rather common in the geopolitics of my campaign world...
As it was in ours.
We had a room deep underground that was encased in adamantine after it was built. It was warded with non detection, and dimensional anchor. Inside was a room full of stone busts. I forget the spell, but there is one that allows you to project your consciousness into a bust of yourself. We used it to allow communication between all people considered important enough to have a bust. It allowed for very private communication.
Claxon, hey, that's a cool idea... I might look that up myself. :)
Oooh very clever!
We had a room deep underground that was encased in adamantine after it was built. It was warded with non detection, and dimensional anchor. Inside was a room full of stone busts. I forget the spell, but there is one that allows you to project your consciousness into a bust of yourself. We used it to allow communication between all people considered important enough to have a bust. It allowed for very private communication.
The spell is Enter Image.
While not a place actually played in, I did construct a flying cloud city/home for a deity. This was 2ed. Used the "divine blood" method of solidifying a cloud. On this cloud was placed the capital city of the god, but in a low tech setting, to go with the nature aspect of the god. The main access was by gates. The best know was a Stonehenge like construct that allowed travel to a number of other gates at other divine locations (such as major temples). This allowed regular merchant traffic for a wandering cloud city. Lesser known gates led to the homes of other gods of the pantheon. While there were lesser temples to the other gods of the pantheon, there was not much special. Items of flight were much more common. I had a weather rock. Instead of telling what the weather is, it told the weather what to become. It also controlled the winds about the cloud, allowing it to be sailed anywhere. I had a crystal ball like lens that did not scry, but rather made the entire cloud into an eye. This let you look down upon the world with a huge eye in the sky. A "gods-eye" for a god's eye view. I did detail the Druid's Grove (per the 2ed book of druids), The cloud's residents include a large portion of Nymphs, with attendant fun to be had. One effect their presence has had, is to give the main lake next to the city the property of temporary charisma enhancement when used. I also detailed several of the long term residents. A Silver dragon who choose to reside there as a human, a tribe of oni who chose to relocate there so they could pursue their weapon crafting trade. Also there were a mage school, a thief school, a ranger school, and many lesser schools. There was even a Swanmay lodge. One of the special items available from the cloud were detailed maps. Being several miles up lets you get a great perspective to mapping while remaining out of danger of actually being in the territory.
As the years passed, I added to it, more as specific items, people, or buildings, and less about everyday magic. Everyday was low magic use, but with a high magic background for wondrous items and creatures. Due to story elements, there was a large amount of dragon leather. Also, the nymphs had a secondary task for guarding the cloud which basically outfitted each with three wands: Lightning, Fireball, and Flame Extinguishing. Had a Giff who loved Fire Trap arrows. He became the planner of the cloud's defenses. This came into play when attacked by dragons, thieves, and spelljamming vampires.
/cevah
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The Black Pudding Sewerage Company, established 1995
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One of my homebrew cities, Xyr, has the older and wealthier portion on top of a large mesa. The sprawling new city below has many coal using buildings. There is a large and permanent gust of wind spell surrounding the mesa to keep the bad air from getting in. All of my homebrew cities have teleport/phasing/ect wards of varying strengths and methods.
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And a (LN) city run by multiple necromancer guilds. There are multiple stations in the sewers that use death magic to detroy diseases and long term recyling magics for about anything that ends up in the sewers. As the cargo docks are at the base of a cliff, there are elevators with milimal mechanical guidance and propulsion provided by multiple skeletal legs linked to a single mechanical lever.
Casting thread resurrection because I still think its an integrating topic. Plus new stuff has been added.
For example epic tier 10 levitate and some time its a really cheap way to make a flying house, city, platform, whatever.
The only thing I ever used besides permanent light spell street lights was something I developed on a thread about magic traps used en masse. Speaking Fonts.
The city of Arabellyn is one of the few places in Karnoss where arcane magic is as well respected as divine. In that city water is paramount; Arabellyn overlooks the Icwyl Sea and both Pharasma and Gozreh are worshipped by the citizens. Wizards and scholars have experimented with water as a delivery system for arcane magic for years and woven cantrips into the city's water supply permanently for public use. One of these effects is called a Speaking Font.
Citizens speak into the burbling water of a Speaking Font and designate a recipient. That recipient must be at the other end of the font so the message can be whispered to them from the Font on the other end. Unlike Sending spells these are live delivery systems so generally one recipient is waiting by a Font when expecting a transmission.
I know this isn't like, groundbreaking or anything, but it's the only thing I've actually used. I don't really go in for uber-magic cities in my world. Usually I have things like having a messenger service in the city that's really just a Ranger with trained animals or the Animal Messenger spell. I don't usually have flying carpets or levitates and such.
Oh, I did do one other thing: zombie gardeners.
Back in D&D there was the core goddess of magic and death (I forget her name). I had a monastery with an extensive graveyard and crypts below that. The nuns had a program to commoners to grant them an even higher place of esteem in the beyond by donating their body to menial tasks - zombie servants and such. Now the monastery had since been ruined and many of the zombies dispersed into the land but the one group whose programming still held were the grave tenders.
These zombies came out after nightfall and cleaned headstones, pulled weeds and generally maintained the place. I know zombies couldn't use a skill like this and I know it doesn't make a lot of sense logically, but what the heck. It worked with the adventure I wrote - the game opened with a particular night when the graveyard was FULL of these zombies and on that night, as a right of passage teens from the nearby town would go out to the ruins, stand at the lower part of the stone wall and try to get as close to the zombies as possible.
I just thought it was a cool image is all.
I had a Necropolis being controlled by the big bad lich villain.
His main schtick was that he could control anything in the city using an undead computer.
It used the raising and lowering of skeleton's hands instead of binary to compute, based on Deep Rot.
The party eventually got him by figuring out the combination to his tower-safe by using Control Undead, and exploded his phylactery by using the computer to control one of the many magical lightning bolt ballista located throughout the city.
That was a fun campaign.
I've used scrying mirrors for cameras to get my players to pay the full amount of gold to enter a town after dark. It was 10 GP, they were loaded, and they still tried to haggle with the guard.