I Cast...Brainstorm issue 6!

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This week — How to make towns and cities feel distinctive, 3 unusual halflings, and 3 city encounters

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In this issue...

• Making Towns and Cities Feel Distinctive

  • Scale

  • Energy

  • Fashion and Culture

• Three Unusual Halflings

  • Nelton “the Fist” Festiff

  • Sidler

  • Iristin Maybrook

• Three City Encounters

  • The Happy Couple

  • The Insult

  • The Carriage

• Brainstorming Links

• What I’m DM-ing

• Ye Olde Shoppe

Making Towns and Cities Feel Distinctive

Its likely that at some point in the adventures you run, the characters will encounter some sort of civilization — a village, a town, a city…heck, maybe even a hamlet. No judgments here. I love to run long campaigns where the PCs go from level 1 to level 10 or higher, and along the way they may visit dozens of such places — as part of a quest, or looking for a safe place to rest, or some other reason.

My intention every time is make each one of those places feel distinctive, real, and alive. In practice, though? I probably just describe a couple buildings they see on the way to the next location or event.

This is something I really want to improve in my games, so what I’ve started doing is changing my focus (as I imagine and describe the places the characters visit) from the map view to the street view. Most of our maps are drawn from a birds eye view, so its easy to just fall into describing everything from that POV — there’s a building here, a street there, a square, a dock, etc. But now I try to put myself in the city, on the street level, looking up and around instead of down from on high.

I find it really helps me keep things interesting and authentic. Some of the things I think about are —

Scale

Think about, not just the size of the village or city itself, but of the locations and things in it. How large or small are the structures? How close are they crowding the street? Try to connect these details to a feeling.

If the front gate is flanked by two huge towers, describe them foreboding structures that fill the PCs vision, blotting out everything else, with stern guards frowning down at them with crossbows at the ready.

Or if there’s a town square with a communal fountain shooting water into the sky, let the players know that the characters can feel the cool spray from the fountain a good twenty feet away from the structure, and as they look up, they see a rainbow.

Also consider the view off into the distance. If the homes and businesses in a small village are tiny, single floor cottages, then as the PCs walk down the street or exit a tavern, maybe add that the characters see giant, breathtaking mountains looming overhead.

Energy

Places where there are a lot of people — tavern common rooms, neighborhoods, and even whole towns — tend to have an energy or vibe.

Is it a sleepy town of academics, or a rough and tumble haven for pirates and rogues? Is a place of business, with everyone hurrying around in a frenzy trying to make a gold piece, or a quiet place of contemplation? Is it a verdant place with open spaces and happy families, filled with the laughter of children? Or an oppressive, dark place where no one speaks lest they say the wrong thing, and call down retribution from the stern clerics who rule there?

Sometimes the energy is the result of something that’s recently happened — a beloved leader’s recent passing, or the local tarrasque-racing team bringing home the championship.

Awareness of whatever energy exists can hit the PCs right up front when they first enter, or occur to them after hours or days. And it doesn’t always have to be clear why the energy exists. Let the players dig into why the whole town seems cheery and jovial after having been invaded by a demonic army, or wonder why the packed tavern they just entered feels more like a funeral than a celebration.

Fashion and Culture

Every village, town and city will evolve its own fashion, culture, slang, and other things, if given enough time, especially if the community is insular, or the location is remote. Distinctive cultural details might be limited to a neighborhood, an organization, or even a caste, but in all cases, the questions is — what is something distinctive about this place and its people?

Do the middle class and merchant class wear giant, colorful hats with attached veils, as an homage to their beloved queen?

Do the working class and poor all wear stripes on their sleeves, based on their craft or job? If so, maybe in this particular place, the guilds are at war.

Do the wealthiest nobles all carry elaborately crafted fake birds around in little carriers, as a nod to their compassion and connection to nature, without any of the actual expense or work of taking care of a living thing?

Just one strong detail can really make the places in your world feel more alive, and more memorable.

Three Unusual Halflings

I received a request for some halfling NPCs, (hi, Rico!), so here are a few odd ones.

Nelton “the Fist” Festiff

Adult LN halfling gladiator — violent, cantakerous, pompous
The Fist is a locally famous former gladiator with a chip on his shoulder ten times his size. Known as a vicious competitor in the pits, fueled by an inexhaustible furnace of anger, the Fist retired from professional fighting years ago and hasn’t transitioned to civilian life very successfully. His anger hasn’t subsided, and in fact, the longer he goes without hearing the roar of the blood-thirsty crowds, the more he seeks out a violent outlet for his rage. The Fist can often be found walking through town with his brass tipped walking stick, looking for the largest, strongest, most heavily armed stranger he can. When he sees someone sufficiently dangerous-looking, he steps in their path and feigns beings knocked to the ground, only to leap up and challenge the confused visitor to single combat.

Sidler

Young adult CG halfling spy — good-hearted, private, driven
Chances are the PCs won’t notice Sidler at first — a young halfling with a dirty face and threadbare clothes. But as he loiters in the shadows of the run-down taverns and alleyways he frequents, Sidler will most likely notice them. He’s a quiet sort, who waits, watches, and listens, and if he hears any of the simple, good folk around him talking about a problem they can’t figure a way out of, he inches closer, taking in all the details. You see, Sidler loves to fix problems, especially ones that come in the form of the criminals, abusers, and bullies who often prey on simple, good folk. And his tactics are simple, too — sneak in, fix the problem for good, and sneak out. What his real name is, and what drives him so relentlessly to do this work, have yet to be revealed.

Iristin Maybrook

Elderly CE death cultist — talkative, cute, deceptive, diabolical
Sweet, grandmotherly Iristin Maybrook runs a school in a small village where everyone knows everyone, and everyone’s business. Except in Iristin’s case. What the people of the small village don’t know is that the friendly, chatty halfling is a powerful death cultist — a fanatical follower of an evil god, seeking to destroy the world and remake it as a place of suffering and pain as a gift for her deity. The children in Iristin’s school know this, however. Everyday, she fills their heads with fantastic tales of how wonderful the world would be if they worked together to remake it, and the charmed children have agreed to keep Iristin’s secret, and do one other thing — wait for the day when Iristin calls them to help her create paradise, and help her paint it red with the blood of the non-believers.

Three City Encounters

To help your towns and cities feel more alive, like real places that don’t just pause in place when the PCs aren’t there to observe them, it can help to add small encounters that aren’t connected to anything else — they’re just other folks’ stories that the PCs get a glimpse of from time to time.

The Happy Couple

As the PCs move through the town, and the streets are filled with shoppers, craftsmen, and other folk going about their day. Suddenly, a man bursts from a nearby building holding his hands over his head, blood trickling into his eyes from a cut across his forehead. “Help! She’s trying to kill me!” he yells, as passing townsfolk watch with bemused smiles.

If the PCs don’t intervene, the man runs down the street, turns a corner (or blends in the crowd) and disappears. “Looks like Marc has made his loving Galinda angry again,” one of the nearby townsfolk says. Everyone laughs and goes on their way.

If the PCs stop the wounded man, or offer to help, he tells them “That woman! I married a she-wolf!” Then he stops with a look of horror on his face — a middle-aged woman is standing in the open doorway with a cast iron frying pan in her hand, glowering at the man. Without another word, Marc scurries off in the opposite direction.

If the PCs approach the woman, and ask whats going on, she curtly tells the PCs that Marc knows what he did, and he’s lucky she grabbed this — she shakes the frying pan at them — and not her cleaver! Then she slams the door.

Later — On some following evening, the PCs see Marc and Galinda leaving a tavern together, arm in arm. They’re whispering and laughing with each other as they pass the PCs, with the only evidence of their previous altercation the rather large bandage wrapped around Marc’s head.

The Insult

As the PCs travel through the city at night, they hear slurred, loud, tuneless singing from multiple voices. Three young adults in rumpled clothing turn the corner and stagger toward the PCs, obviously intoxicated. They have arms around each other’s shoulders, and are singing a song about a local merchant’s son — Borly Borwibbon. The song, in graphic detail, recounts a time Borly once drank so much that he wet his pants.

The trio stops walking when they reach the PCs and mingle amongst the group as they continue the song. The youngsters sing so loudly that lights start turning on in the buildings on either side of the street. Shutters fly open and townsfolk yell from their second floor bedrooms for the group to be quiet, but the trio only laugh and sing louder while pulling the PCs close and encouraging them to join in the chorus about “ol' damp britches himself, Borly Borwibbon, who drank to much and then stank like a midden!"

Suddenly, the yelling from the buildings stops, and all the window shutters slam shut. The youngsters — Flistor, Garl, and Sersa — sing for a bit longer, then suddenly stop when they notice a group of seven men walking closer, led by a pear-shaped, sour-faced young man in fine clothes, a breastplate, and a rapier.

“Oh, hello, Borley,” says Sersa. “Wet yourself lately?”

Borwibben immediately draws his rapier, and his companions pull out cudgels. He advances on Sersa, who hides behind the PCs. If the PCs do nothing, Borley (a noble) and his companions (toughs) will subdue the three singers, and he will bloody both sides of Sersa’s face with his rapier before stalking off with a warning to never speak of him again.

Borley is a bully who hates Flistor, Garl and Sersa, (they all grew up in the same neighborhood), but he’s not so brave as to fight well-armed adventurers, even if numbers are to his advantage. If the PCs intervene, he first tries to use his wealth to convince the PCs to look the other way, and if that doesn’t work, he’ll sheath his rapier and walk away with a cold stare for Flistor, Garl and Sersa that bodes trouble.

Later — The PCs see Flistor and Garl , looking nervous. If the PCs talk to them, they reveal Sersa was found that morning in her chambers, beaten to within an inch of her life. Obviously, they say, Borly sent an someone after her, and they refuse to go home until they can find Borly and somehow make amends for their insult.

The Carriage

As the PCs pass an expensive shop that sells high end jewelry, magic items, or something else equally valuable, they notice a gorgeously crafted orange and red carriage pulling up in front of it. A uniformed servant reins in the two white horses pulling the carriage, and a guard hops off the rumble seat in back and opens the carriage door. An adult noble with a limp and long flowing white hair exits the carriage and enters the shop, followed by the guard.

The driver won’t share any information with the PCs, and will warn them that he will call the guard of they don’t move along. If the PCs ask a passerby about the carriage or the noble, there’s a 50% chance they’ll know the name Tsien Golann, the member of a wealthy family. Tsien is the black sheep of the clan — a lazy ne’er-do-well who has lived off his family his whole life.

If the PCs wait or have business in the area, they’ll eventually see Tsien and the guard leave the shop, settle into the carriage and drive off. If the PCs approach, Tsien will call for his guard and flee into the carriage, calling for the driver to take off. As the carriage rolls away, Tsien will yell “Tell him he’ll get his money soon!”

Later — Yelling, and the rumbling of carriage wheels erupt at the far end of the street. The orange and red carriage speeds around a corner, almost running over the PCs, who have to dodge out of the way. As it passes, the PCs see the driver isn’t the same one they saw earlier. The guard is also missing, replaced by two dour looking men in the rumble seat.

If the PCs chase the carriage and somehow get it to stop, they’ll have to fight the driver, the ruffians in the rumble seat, and additional fighters waiting inside the carriage, (however many toughs or other types that will make it a challenging fight for the PCs). Inside the carriage, they’ll find Tsien unconscious and hogtied.

If the PCs do nothing, in a day or two they’ll hear about a powerful noble who was kidnapped over an unpaid debt.

Brainstorming Links

If you love D&D and other RPGs as much as I do, you probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me. If you haven’t already, please check ‘em out!

The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com

The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com

DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social

RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/

Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/

Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple

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What I’m DM-ing

• A weekly Curse of Strahd campaign via Roll20 using 2014 5th edition rules

• A weekly Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, in-person, with 2024 5th edition rules

• A series of one-shots in a bi-weekly game at a bar in LA

• Two different campaigns with my kids, (Rime and Storm Kings Thunder) when schedules align

What I’m Playing

• A 5th ed. Dragonlance campaign as a 9th level Tinker Gnome Gadgeteer Rogue, named Professor Flondersnoot

• About to start playing Vecna: Eve of Ruin as Clybb Thistlebridge, a 9th level Halfling great-weapon Fighter

• And in all my free time, I play a LOT of Hearthstone!
  
  
  

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