[RPG] How much does a road cost? How about town walls

dnd-5epricingrealm-management

My campaign has just finished Hoard of the Dragon Queen, and the players want some downtime activities. I'd like to give them the option of renovating the Hunting Lodge they captured from Talis, and also help renew the quality of life in Parnast after long occupation by cultists.

So I'd like to give them a bunch of possible investments for their newfound fortune. Are there standard costs for roads of various types (dirt, clay, paving stones) in various environments (mountains, forest, swamp, etc)? What about town walls, defenses (wood, stone, guard towers)?

Best Answer

There's almost rules

Actually, not quite. There aren't rules for building or maintaining roads, and certainly not which makes considerations for environment. D&D 5e trusts this kind of adjustments for your (the DM's) good sense.

That said you have some guidance to base yourself on. The Building A Stronghold section in the Dungeon Master's Guide (p. 128) includes some costs and construction times for things like towers (fortified; 15,000 gp), keeps (50,000 gp), or forts (15,000 gp).

You might be able to find more detailed descriptions for older editions or on the web, but they might not translate properly. Your own judgement is trusted, and I would personally advice that you set the cost to be substantial relative to their wealth; but then make particularly good use of the Hunting Lodge/settlement in your campaign going forwards.

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