DnD Bastion System Introduced in New Unearthed Arcana
New character “homebase” feature revealed in latest One D&D playtest material
One of the great things about a long term Dungeons & Dragons campaign is seeing characters growing in power and influence. In some cases, this means establishing a party headquarters, whether it be a simple tavern or a sprawling keep. In fact, the concept of a home base actually stretches back to the earliest editions of the game and is even discussed (albeit briefly) in the 2014 Dungeon Master’s Guide. The idea has also been fleshed out in third-party DnD materials like MCDM’s Strongholds and Followers and Warlock Homebrew’s Fortresses, Temples and Strongholds.
Now, Wizards of the Coast has unveiled a new set of rules centered around building and maintaining a player base of operations. Known as “Bastions,” they’re featured in the latest Unearthed Arcana playtest. The idea is to offer players a place to kick back after a long hours of adventuring, while offering a variety of in-game benefits. The rules around Bastions – if they’re received favorable feedback during the playtest – are likely going to appear in the new 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, an update to the 2014 DMG that will still use the fifth edition rule sets.
So are Bastions worth adding to your game? Below we break out all the details.
What is a Bastion?
As detailed in the latest Unearthed Arcana, a Bastion is essentially a stronghold or base of operations available for players and their party. These unique sanctuaries serve as a retreat where characters can strategize between quests. They also come equipped with a variety of facilities that can either provide a variety of benefits or generate passive income. It’s up the players and the Dungeon Master to determine what structure works best and fit it into the context of the campaign setting and story.
Players can also access “Bastion Points” (BP) that they can use to further flesh out the structure of gain additional benefits. Every 7 days, players engage in a “Bastion Turn” where they can issue orders to their facilities. These orders are broken down into basic actions including Research, Hire, Craft, Trade and Recruit. Bastion Events may also occur (either randomly or at the DM’s discretion), which further round out the experience.
It’s essentially a kind of property management mini-game that works alongside character downtime in between adventures.
Designing a Bastion
Any player reaching Level 5 can build an individual Bastion. That being said, player scan also decide to merge their facilities into a collective headquarters for their adventuring party. Each bastion includes either Basic Facilities (such as sleeping quarters, kitchens and storage spaces) as well as Special Facilities (such as armories, gardens and libraries) – the latter of which offers additional in-game benefits. Players can also choose to customize each, making them larger and more luxurious.
Each of the Special Facilities provides a variety of advantages. For instance, the Pub special facility allows players to create their own signature drink that conveys magical abilities. Similarly, the Menagerie facility lets players bring in their own exotic creatures which can be used to defend the Bastion or even adventure with the characters.
As players level up, so to do Bastions (with each Bastion maintaining its own separate level). High-level bastions might attract Mages and Archmages willing to cast essential spells on the party’s behalf. By Level 17, a War Room can even be added, allowing players to amass an army for large-scale battles.
The Potential Limitations of Bastions
Despite the appeal and in-depth mechanics, not all players are likely going to enjoy Bastion system. One of the biggest drawbacks is something that longtime RPG designer Sly Flourish recently pointed out: it’s yet another point system that players and DMs need to track. It also complicates how gold is spent, since the system is more reliant on Bastion Points than any sort of wealth.
Timing could also be problematic for some campaigns, since each Bastion Turn takes place over a week. That could require some tricky juggling of both the narrative and the rules if players are away for long stretches of time during an adventure.
Final Thoughts
While it’s great that Wizards of the Coast is experimenting with something like Bastions, it’s also clear that it’s not something for everyone. It’s a fairly complex and rules-heavy feature that can be a little clunky (the playtest materials alone are over 20 pages long). That being said, it does offer a ton of potential when it comes to a part of DnD that could definitely use some more attention from Wizards of the Coast. It remains to be seen, however, if players will actually embrace it.
The new rules are currently featured in the “Bastions and Cantrips” Unearthed Arcana playtest, which is open for feedback until October 19th. Below is also a recent video from Wizards of the Coast which discusses Bastions in more detail.
More D&D News Coverage
For more from the world of Wizards of the Coast, visit our D&D News page.
Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
*We are a member of the Amazon and DMsGuild affiliate marketing programs, which provide us with a small commission on any sales at no additional cost to you the consumer.
