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Hello everyone!
In our current home campaign we took over the base camp of a small mercenary company - no, not by force, their commander died and one of us became the new one - and now we are thinking about stuff we definitely need to fortify it and give us other benefits.
Our main job by leading that mercenary group is to keep the roads and trading routes in a small part of the River Kingdoms safe.
It is a rather small camp with a palisade wall around it. There is a small river next to it and it is in close distance to a rather large city (Daggermark). We already built a watchtower and dug up a small trench around the palisade wall.
We have 2000 Gold to spend for stuff we need in there. We already have some basics like tents, a forge, one or two wagons, some horses and such stuff. I am looking for interesting and useful stuff/tools/whatever that could help a small, just starting-out mercenary company.
We already thought about buying a ballista and mounting it on top of the watchtower. The mercenaries themselves are geared out and we already "acquired" some "voluntary donations" of further gear (armor, weapons) through the generosity of some bandits that troubled the region.
Other stuff I thought about getting were:
- an alchemists laboratory (for one of our PCs and for general use)
- a stash of alchemists fire and similar stuff (flexibility against certain enemies)
- some sets of manacles and chains (hey, we ARE responsible for the security of the region)
- first aid kits
- some emergency healing potions (small ones)
- camouflage nets (for smaller outposts at certain points of interest along the roads)
I am eager to hear other suggestions, maybe by some people who were in a similar situation.
What stuff did you need? What did you realize was invaluable or extremely useful?
What was in hindsight a bad investment?
Plus:
What kind of spells are useful in a situation like that? (useful for fortifications, for sustaining a group of mercenaries, for keeping an eye on the region, etc)
Thanks in advance for your help!
--Malthus
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Thanks for the quick answers already!
@John Napier:
We already plan to expand the camp into a more fort-like thing and replacing the tents and such with actual wooden or stone buildings. But thanks for the list of stuff we'd realistically need!
@Saldiven:
A well is really not a bad idea... though if we really were to be under siege, then that small wooden palisade wouldn't stand against anything. ^^
Still something useful to consider, thanks!
Our group contains (we are all level 5):
- an elvish rogue/wizard (she became the leader of the mercenary company and is a little upset about it - "What am I supposed to to with a small army? I want to sneak!")
- a half-elf knight (she SHOULD have become the leader, but kind of... embarassed herself during the fight)
- a half-elf magus (me, i am second-in-command and am most often training the mercenaries)
- an elvish arcanist (she loves alchemy-stuff)
- a human druid (he is already befriending the local animal populace and telling them that we might need some trees)
- a half-orc barbarian (he mostly screams and glares at people)
So we have most of the spell lists covered and i am collecting spells like a madman and giving them to the rogue/wizard and the arcanist, so we have them all in our spellbooks.
--Malthus
You need to keep the roads safe. Which means that the first priority should be organising proper patrols. Preferably mounted. PCs can't be everywhere. And even with divination magic, especially at such a low level, you'll need people to go and get better information.
So you need to organise patrols to cover as much of the land as possible. Probably no less than 5 people in each one. Ideally with rotating shifts, so that, when 3 patrols are out, one more rests/trains at the camp.
Those patrolling don't actually need to be able to tackle the enemies themselves, you have PCs for that, but they should be able to ride horses.
Now let's see what you need for a start:
- 20-25 horses.
- A stable supply of food for horses and people.
- Medicinal help for horses and people(Druid could do it, but you'll need someone else in case he is out - so two more people)
- You have a forge so I suppose you do have a smith guy who will repair equipment of your people, if not you'll need one or preferably two of them.
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Dogs are a really good idea, not only guard dogs but hunting dogs too. They don't need to fight, but they can really help with many things especially with those that like to hide or use invisibility.
Ideally you'll also want to have a way of supplying your people with some form of getting magic attacks on their weapons even temporary. It could be a difference between life and death for NPCs with no magical support.
For a start potions probably are a best bet of getting magic weapons even if somewhat pricey in the long run.
Personally, I wouldn't worry greatly about defending your camp.
Your job is to go out and kill bandits. They want to avoid you and not be killed. Attacking your camp isn't something they should be wanting to do.
(Also, from a meta-game standpoint, if you don't spend resources on the camp, it really can't be a target as any damage done to it, particularly when you aren't there, will be inconsequencial).
Make it nice enough to be fairly comfortable and provide your day to day needs but it is a home and resupply point, not a castle. A simple wall it good, more to deter theft and delineate territory than for defense, but I'd personally think that is you need, at least at this point. If you plan on trying to actually carve out a kingdom can claim territory, and thus be the target for hostile armies, things would change.
A sutler, though they likely appear spontaneously if the camp is big enough. Ditto for washing women.
I disagree to a point with DJ.
If you become effective enough at hunting bandits, you will make yourself a target. Someone, eventually, will come after you. And, if they're intelligent, they'll do it before you become too strong.
I just don't see it. Bandits, who you will defeat if you find them, decide their best bet is to attack you instead? Doesn't seem very rational or likely to me.
Now, we can play the meta-game, where yes, adventures will come to you sometimes, including attacks, but since we are already looking at it from a meta perspective, we can also assume that however much you fortify, the threat will end up being the same. Red Queens Race situation where the stronger you make your fortress, the more powerful the army that attacks it will be.
So I'd just stick with what makes sense for the situation. You are effectively a police force, and a police force doesn't need a fortified police station, the bad guys don't have a goal of attacking the police station, they have a goal of attacking where the police are not. Sure, if they can take out the police they are in good shape, but it is easier to do that via an ambush where they have an advantage, or even just a straight up fight on neutral ground rather than attacking you at home.
Equally, since someone is presumably paying you, you must be in their territory, and usually people don't appreciate fortified strongholds being built in their territory.
You need some kind of bard or performer to keep your people untertained when evening comes and to keep morale hiiiiiiigh ! :D
Don't forget literal tons of hemp rope. Someone has to hang the bandits and that someone needs lots of rope. A couple of tons of ale wouldn't hurt either.
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Thanks everybody for the helpful replies! You gave me some great input on how to improve our standing in the region and how to do our job better.
So first thing will probably be: we need more mercenaries... with just the ~15 we got, safely patrolling the roads will be next to impossible. Next in line are the horses and stuff like signal arrows and such.
But top of the list are the tons of ale and the performer Thunderlord and Jackson mentioned... gotta keep morale high!
Actually, bandits do have an incentive to attack your camp while you're out hunting for them. If they can steal stuff from your camp and trash what they can't take, and kidnap or kill whatever small number of people they find there, and then leave before you come back, they've dealt you a blow that will make it harder for you to fight them in the long run (among other things, making it harder for you to get support people to work for you), and if they use stolen resources and/or hostages intelligently, they may even strengthen themselves in absolute terms.
A sutler, though they likely appear spontaneously if the camp is big enough. Ditto for washing women.
Why not washing men?
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You're adventurers, so think like adventurers. Adventurers don't need wells (given that Create Water is a cantrip). They need things like:
A miniature library for looking up information about monsters, etc.
A secret escape tunnel so they can break out from under siege and assassinate the enemy commanders.
Their own inn, so quest-givers can show up and offer rewards.
Etc.
But first, ask yourself whether you want to be tied down to a single location or whether you'd be better off having a mobile camp that can be dismantled and moved by carts to wherever the CR-appropriate bad guys are.
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You'll want to build a small dock for river transportation by canoe and for river traffic to stop and trade. It also attracts plot hooks. Doesn't have to be in the fort.
You'll want a garden for the druid to care for outside or inside the fort, which will also result in tasty veggies to provide variety to your diet. If attackers burn your garden to the ground, oh well. This is just flavor, doesn't advance plot.
Targets for archery and melee practice.
I agree on the performer (or just give a guy a guitar or harmonica), dogs, a well, crafting/alchemy facility, thunderstones, armory, a kitchen (people presumably eat around a camp fire), a medical tent, and an office ideas.
You should also figure out which NPC is in charge for when the party (which includes the first and second in command) go out to deal with plot hooks. You're probably going to do it old school Star Trek, not next generation where the captain sensibly stays on the ship when it's time to investigate the plot hook.
So, start talking to the mooks.
Prestidigitation changes flavor of food, which will be absolutely key for morale--your beans taste like chocolate cake! But are still cheap and nourishing!
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{. . .}
You'll want a garden for the druid to care for outside or inside the fort, which will also result in tasty veggies to provide variety to your diet. If attackers burn your garden to the ground, oh well. This is just flavor, doesn't advance plot.
{. . .}
Actually, it's not just flavor. It's also your daily dose of fiber.
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@Matthew Downie:
That... is actually a really good idea!
A miniature library sounds like just the thing we would need, thinking that 3 of our 6 people are prepared arcane casters in some way! And our druid is looking for books on healing everywhere we go, so that makes 4/6 people. Great idea, thanks!
The inn I thought about already as well, but I figured there were some other buildings we'd need more than that.
We are now at two small wooden buildings inside the fort, an armory/storehouse and a small infirmary (Druid: "No, I can NOT properly treat people in a dirty tent!"... well, he's got a point). On top of those are small watchtowers, accessible from inside those buildings as well as outside via a ladder.
And the escape tunnel sounds neat!
We will most likely be staying in the River Kingdoms for a long while and I really enjoy the thought of building our own "stronghold". I really loved that concept in Baldurs Gate 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 (among others) and I always wanted to have an aspect like that in an actual roleplaying group. :)
@roguerogue:
The port is not an option, as the river is not exactly a river, but more like a small stream, maybe 2 or 3 meters wide (tops). But the garden is a lovely idea as well, our druid is going to love this! And some of our mercenaries too; it was our (the players') job to create the mercenaries beforehand without knowing what we'd need them for and I made two with a background as farmer. :)
Thanks again everybody for the nice input! That is exactly the reason, why I decided to join this forum... so many helpful people and nice ideas I simply wouldn't have thought of. :)
--Malthus
So it really cuts down on the ability to patrol, but it sounds like you need about 5 people on camp duty, 5 out on the roads, and 5 sleeping. Numbers can be adjusted a bit if you don't plan on night patrols, but you probably still want at least half the mercenaries in camp at any given time to maintain a group like that with no nonfighting members.