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There’s a reason almost every adventure starts in a tavern! Taverns are the perfect spot for bringing yourDungeons & Dragonsparty to a central location to start their journey. Taverns alone can tell a party the vibe of their city or kingdom, the kind of people they may deal with, and where the plot may lead.
Taverns can be as simple or as complex as you want them. From the Dungeon Master’s point of view, they may already be too focused on the plot and characters to care about them, but there are a few easy things you can do to give taverns a bit of life!
What Exactly Is A “Tavern”?
While the “tavern” term is the most commonly used in D&D, there are other words that are commonly associatedthat each come with their own definitions:
Despite each having its own meaning,they are fairly interchangeable in Dungeons & Dragons. This is especially the case when describing a place’s name; for example, the “Sleeping Lion Inn” may also have a bar inside.
Tavern Creation And Personalization
Much like the rest of their campaign,Dungeon Masters can be as creative as they desire regarding the overall creation of a tavern.From only giving a general description of the overall appearance to mentioning that the nails in the floorboards are made from Mithral, it’s all up to how vividly you want to describe it.
There are only a handful of things that most would call “required” when creating a tavernto ensure your players have a good enough image of the place they are walking into. Of course, all this is interchangeable and completely up to your discretion.
A neat checklist of things to ask yourself when creating it is the following:
Tavern Appearance
Like designing a town or city, the tavern’s appearancecan be based on its environment.A tavern built in a region that commonly snows may be made of oak logs and fitted with fur, while one built downtown in a grassy city may be made from stone.
In addition, the condition and appearance of the tavern can indicate itslocation status and notoriety.A run-down, seedy tavern can indicate that the party is entering a dangerous part of town. In contrast, a neat and tidy one can indicate that military or political officials visit often.
Small details can be added not just to describe what the tavern looks like, but to help foreshadow to the players the environment they are walking into.
Tavern Patrons
Similar to using appearance to show the kind of environment the party is in,the patrons inside can be used to show what the city populace is like.
Creating patrons for taverns isalmost like crafting one or two NPCs and replicating them throughout a space. While Dungeon Masters may not be expected to write a whole back story for every patron in a tavern, having one or two personality traits prepared in case the party talks to them is a great way to add more character to its residents.
Aside from their personality,the types of people present can further foreshadow and add plot details to your story.If your party is hunting for a missing criminal, perhaps adding one or two patrons with a sigil printed on their arm that means “DANGEROUS” is a way to cause them to start interacting.
Tavern Bartender/Workers
The best part of creating a tavern is coming up with the person who runs it.This will be the primary NPC that your party talks to most of the time. Many Dungeon Masterslike to get creative and wackywith their character design.
Designing the bartender typically requires a bit more detail, such as asking yourself:
In the end, many Dungeon Masters have fun coming up with bartenders on the fly. Since major plot movements often don’t occur in a tavern, this is the DM’s time to practice their improv skills and have fun with the rest of the party by introducing them to a completely out-of-the-ordinary character.
Tavern Menu And Games
While adventurers may go to taverns to relax or get information,they often just want to drink and play games.
ThePlayer’s Handbookhas a whole table titled “Food, Drink, & Lodging,” whichgives a general list of what most taverns and restaurants would sell.This is incredibly handy for giving your players a simple food menu without having to get too fancy with things.
Alternatively,you can also create your own drink and foodto give your tavern even more personality. Similar to how real-life taverns may have specialty drinks, nothing stops you from doing the same thing.
Perhaps a tavern called “The Broken Goblin Bone” sells something called “Goblin Snot,” a shot glass full of thick green ooze that tastes surprisingly sweet. Or a more refined tavern may sell “Dragon Wine,” which is said to be red wine sprinkled with the ashes of a dragon (it might not be comfortable with any Dragonborn characters, however).
Like drinking,taverns are known to have plenty of games to play (or gamble on).There aredozens of different games you can choose from, but the most common include the following:
