How to Make a Tavern from Scratch - D&D 

“Bottles Yaga” A tavern that looks like a giant steel tankard on massive walking chicken legs, that walks around in the woods serving witches and fairies, with Baba Yaga’s distant cousin (she claims) as the owner and operator.

"...His son, Draknu Yaek..." I imagine that old farmer Barley took in a young outcast Illithid out of the goodness of his heart and young Draknu is trying his best.

The Seeker in the song: Putting a man's failing tavern out of business by showing his clients way cooler places

"The Old Haunt" A large gothic tavern on the outskirts of a city that's ruined upper storey exists partly on the Ethereal Plane, serving both the living and the dead. Owned by a pair of siblings' one of whom died in the ruining and now haunts the upstairs as it's ghostly bartender.

"The Shining Honey": What used to be an oversized giant beehive was left abandoned after an owlbear attack. A traveling family of halfling druids decided to set up shop, and figured out how to keep producing the honey. Over the course of a century, an entire village was built in this hive, with the Shining Honey towards its center.

"The Barber's Secret" A tavern who's only entrance is through a trap door found in a barber shop. It was once a speakeasy when the town was under a strict prohibition law, but has since become a favorite meeting place for the locals after the law was lifted. it features a surprisingly roomy bar area bellow, the Barber shop on the ground floor and guest rooms on the second floor. It's run by the Barber and his wife as well as a few assistants who mainly serve tables and clean the guest rooms. If you happen to know the pass phrase from back in the prohibition, something like "I think I've a terrible headache coming on" The barkeep will reply "Then I've got just the thing to help you with that" and serve the house special. "For All That Ales You" A hearty rich ale made with spices and herbs that removes most minor ailments from the consumer. Edit: forgot to mention that the staff also includes a Barber shop quartet for entertainment because of course it would!

"Tenth Circle" A tavern that plays up a hellish theme, with stone walls and multiple blazing hearths, and the serving wenches are all attractive Tiefling girls... well, actually a handful are Tieflings and a larger number are more mundane ladies under simple illusions. The twist: the proprietor/bartender is an actual Succubus hiding in plain sight, on a long-term mission to act as an information broker and contact point for numerous cultists and agents. The bigger twist: The Succubus has, to her own surprise, come to honestly enjoy running a tavern, and is worried that one of the diabolic projects she's supposed to be supporting will ruin the life she's built.

Months ago I designed a fun tavern and inn that was in an old gold mine where the tables were mine carts on powered tracks and the tables moved around from table to kitchen and such to get drinks and food, I'll have to revisit and add onto it

"The Wizards Mistake" An archmage got hella drunk one night, put a teeny tiny portal to the water plane inside the bottom of a hip flask and threw it out of his tower. Little did his drunk self know the wizard accidentally linked a bar tap from a tavern he visited in a Geenies palace to the flask. Later when the city found the source of its random floods a civil servant wandered home with a leaky pocket and set up a bar around the seemingly infinite grog pot.

My favorite sentence of this video is Runesmith saying he's going to make the underdark a unique culture/world instead of a dark reflection. More fun in my opinion that still allows the dark elements without it being the be all end all

"Cog's Rest" A Dwarven Engineer was sent out to recover a massive bronze cog that sprang loose from one of the mechanized mountain strongholds, but upon finding it realized that a small community had developed around it, shearing the bronze off and smelting it into bars for trade. After haggling with the community and allowing them to hollow it out, the Dwarf moved in, relocated his family there and serves fine Dwarven ale to whomever stops by. The ceiling is a bit low, though, and if you leave your drink uncovered for too long it might start to stink like pennies.

"Your first game either started in prison or in a tavern." The first game i ran started in both actually.

"Eldritch Eat and Drink" This tavern was once a series of underground tunnels, a lair made by a certain aberration who is so perplexed and curious about the nature of smaller, simpler beings that he made the tunnels with elaborate decor just to see how they react. The place eventually became a gathering hub for adventurers and the way they socialize garnered his interest. It entertains him. Seeing them tell stories while consuming sustenance in the process brings him intrigue and thus he filled the tunnels with livestock, hired a bunch of servants, and transformed it into a massive tavern-hotel thing where the aberration serves usual food as well as some deluxe cuisine that is deemed out-of-this-world. And while business is running, the aberration watches intently to the simple beings socializing, listening to their stories and socialization and getting entertained himself. He is the owner but because his form is incomprehensible to the folks her servants would just tell the customers that the owner is a shy kobold who sits in his private room doing business transactions. All in all, everyone is welcome to the Eldritch Eat and Drink! "The service makes a beholder blow their minds!"

Headcanon: The seeker's an alcoholic who just keeps getting kicked from each tavern she visits.

"Bottled bones" In the middle of a large dungeon, is a rotten wooden doorway that seems out of place, with a bearmug on it. Inside is a tavern in which the tired monsters rest after getting beaten up by adventurers. The barkeep is a death knight named Sir Reynald Strongbones and drinks are served by his zombie Squire: Globber. Guests include ghosts, whights, and a single mummy lord, along with whatever monsters are in your dungeon. The monsters don't attack the players here, they're given gross slimy drinks and brains to eat, and some monsters might challenge the heros to an armwrestling match or a game of cards

Loved the trailer, definitely backing this kickstarter!

"Sir the entire east wall of the establishment is missing." "Oh, um, yes. Sinkhole opened deeper about a month ago. We're calling it an 'open floor plan'."

"The woozy mimic" a small tavern in the middle of a vast hilly area, the tavern is nice and cozy for travelers, and the barkeep is a retired adventurer but is still chiseled with a sword on his back (which is a mimic), and the waiter is a talking mimic in a wheelchair.

"The Rope Trick" A tavern suspended entirely by ropes and chains on the underside of a cliff. It is accessible by a small, square outhouse like-building, in which a lever can be pulled that activates the elevator inside and drops you right outside the tavern on a wooden plane, also suspended by ropes. The tavern was created by the various flying races (I have some original races that have flight outside of winged tieflings in my world) who were tired of the ogres who lived under the cliff destroying their infrastructure in raids. This way, they could enjoy the tavern without having to rebuild it every few months. Because the non-flying races could not easily travel to and from the tavern, the elevator was created, and eventually a small town sprung up around the tavern due to its popularity. Sometimes the tavern-goers will watch the ogres below fight and take bets on who will win.

"The Fool's Haven" It's odd to think of a place for resting in Avernus, where the Blood War is happening with no signs of stopping. But that's exactly what The Fool's Haven is. Run by a devil who was once human, this is the place for all residents of the Nine Hells to rest after a long, in some cases, bloody day's work. In fact, the devils here are too tired and would rather sleep here that it's one of the few safest places in the Nine Hells for unfortunate mortals, if you don't start a fight. Carved to the side of a treacherous mountain, The Fool's Haven can be described as a mixture of dwarven and elven architecture. It has two floors, the ground floor where you'll meet most of the guests, and the second floor, where it's mostly comprised of rooms that devils use to take a quick nap. The main attraction, a standard to all taverns, is the lobby where the owner sits in the middle, ready to give out knowledge using divination or play a game of luck. Surrounding her are carved tables and seats for guests with special stalactites that provide light to the tavern. As already stated, the regulars here are the most docile devils in all of the Nine Hells. They don't bother or even try to kill mortals that stumble in, that's what's Avernus is for. Rather, they would chat with the friends they made, make the new devils feel welcome and prepare them to the perpetual conflict that is the Blood War, or drown their sorrows and regrets with the neverending supply of alcohol and food. Oh, before I forget to mention, everything is free here, the drink, the meal, the rooms, all of it. Only Mammon and his servants care about gold, even though it holds no power here. So unlucky mortal, if you manage to find The Fool's Haven, consider yourself lucky. Rest, feast, and prepare to return to your harsh trial.

“The Card Sharp” A tavern in a dingy city, with a gambling hall adjacent. A seedy tabaxi owner and a good amount of muscle to make sure people pay up. Also tons of secret back doors as well as private chambers for “business” meetings, including a scry proof room. Of course, if you are actually staying there over night, you might as well assume some gold is going to be stolen.

How about one in the Underdark called "The Slavers Respite" and its just a front for dark elves to capture new free labour.

The Canyon Crawl, a massive complex of taverns, pubs, breweries, and inns built in a set of ruins in a desert canyon, the tavern itself carved deeper into the canyon wall and is more like a dungeon composed entirely of multiple taverns, inns, and breweries. It's just social encounters unless a barfight breaks out and the party either starts it or gets roped in

"The Redcliff residence" is an older tavern, the original founder created it on top of red stone cliffs. Each part of the tavern is on a diffrent cliff, the methods of travel in this tavern are bridges, ladders and natural paths all in good condition. Most of the staff are in the founders family, and the guests include adventurers & bocals of nearby forests and caves. Some sections include; the main lobby, standing on the largest cliff, the guest rooms all scatered across diffrent cliffs, a kitchen and farm area located on the bottom of the cliffs, several bathrooms are on every cliff and if the cliffs happen to fall, they will remain still because of enchantments put on each cliff. The feel you are gonna get in this tavern is of a cozy cabin on a mountain top

"The Greasy Cog" This was a back alley bar in the industrial sector of my steampunk city called Elderion. It's a place for the factory workers to chill out that isn't on the streets patrolled by the police. It was created out of the repurposed bones of an old, small factory that got relocated, so it smells familiar to anyone who gets their hands dirty, and the ale is brewed in the old furnaces and vats. Off in the back is the entrance to a sort of pocket dimension where the assassins' guild operates out of (don't ask about them; they don't exist). It's had a history of barfights that got out of hand so there's a one-way modified Magic Circle on the bar itself to protect the middle-aged tiefling named Jaara who's been working behind it for 15 years.

I guess my days of "The Adjective Animal" are over

I would call this one "The watering hole" and make it have many floors, so that you can easily access it from above and below, making it a transit point. Maybe the innkeeper rent places to merchants selling equipment to explorer and buying back whatever they found. Throw in a small boat merchant too.

One of my players came up with the idea of a completely organic town called Shrub. So using the structure here's a shot at it! If anyone likes it feel free to reflavor and add it to your games as well! Mornin' Dew Deep within the heart of Shrub, this small tavern is hard to discern from the nearby flora so similar to it. Adventurers entranced by the town often pass up this hotspot by accident, but recently the Owner, Redcap (A myconid), has planted some talking snapdragon door greeters to invite nearby passerby's into the establishment. Rather than a fulltime bartender, Redcap is actually just a gardener. The mystical plants and flowers he grows do most of the work for him. All he is there to do is translate what the customers want to the plants. The environment is relaxed and calm, Bell Blossoms chime softly in the corners of the main floor. Glow Lilies illuminate the room in a soft green-blue light. The spores produced by the small amount of fungus in the establishment, and by Redcap himself, calms customers. This establishment has never had a bar fight, and that is something Redcap is very proud of! It's not very professional, but it gets the job done. What customers can expect in this watering hole is to sit down, order a drink. Pay the fee in Shrub's native currency (preferably) and watch as a flower cup blooms out of the bar and berries pop in the cup to make their drink. It's a bit showy, but Redcap lets the flowers do whatever boosts their enjoyment. It is believed The Mornin' Dew began when Redcap planted a magical seed here around 75 Years ago. Where he got the seed, nobody knows. But perhaps some young adventurers might be able to get some info? Noteable Guests: The Bark Boys: A group of three mischievous Chwinga who like to run around the tavern sipping their berry cups as much as possible before getting swooped up by the Snatching Security Vines. These boys will tell tales of great beasts outside the Shrub for the players to hunt. Rowen doesn't believe them however. Rowen: A Wood Elf marksmen who serves as one of the town's Shrub Guard. He will talk your ear off if you let him and is willing to tag along if it means protecting Shrub. His favorite drink is a lingonberry swirl in a honeydew shot cup. He can provide assistance to the players if they wish to get involved in a Shrub Guard scandal, where Commander Pyne's Magical Great Leaf Shield was stolen. Leather Stalk: This old timer Myconid has been here since the birth of Shrub. He is massive for a Myconid (Around 25-30ft) amd bit too big to fit inside the establishment, so Redcap made him a special area where he only can get drinks outside. His memory may be a little foggy but he is there to help any adventurer with knowing the lore of the area and particularly Shrub itself.

“Last an entire dnd session” haha sink ocean tavern go brrrrr

"The Frosty Yuan Ti" An inn started by a Goliath couple in the big city after they discovered that the heat down at sea level made it hard to sleep. They had the place enchanted by a wizard to feel like the icy mountaintops their people call home. Goliaths and other races used to cooler temperatures love the place, and the ales are always chilled to perfection.

Hello there, every good tavern needs a menu of drinks with long names :)

In an old campaign the party was resting at the Laughing Piglet and had a great time. It was cozy and full of food, and the bard rolled 20 on her presentation about "The World's Best Breakfast". The song got famous, grew the inn into a major point of interest at the halfling town and made Lorelaine into a medieval rockstar.

"Gusteau's" A high-class tavern that serves delicious pasta dishes. Unbeknownst to the players, the tavern is owned and operated by an enormous family of culinarily gifted rats. The players will never discover this by sticking to public areas of the tavern, but will immediately discover it if they enter the kitchen for any reason.

Ah, the sinkhole. I've recently discovered this idea in Ravnica with Zonot Seven in Precinct Five. I love the idea of building a tavern / inn around it. Interesting. Great points and tutorial. Looking forward to the book!

I once made a tavern that existed in a extra dimensional space, which also links to multiple planes of existence. The outside is just a ragged front of a home, but inside is multiple worlds and bars in each of them.

"The Broken Dagger" A tavern that used to be an old guard tower but is run by monks. The monks will give food, drink, and rooms for free but the party has to fight at least one of the monks in a sparring match before they serve you. The matches are always unarmed, unarmored and nonlethal (Usually to half HP). The Monks treat it as training and usually butt heads with the local guards, but can't technically be arrested because they never charge money or accept bets on fights so it falls within the realm of their monastic tradition of "accepting all challengers". The monks will accept tips but never ask for them since they work all over town in exchange for the supplies they use in the tavern. "Every labor is a challenge, and we accept all challenges so that we may learn from them." I used this in a town that I expected my players to visit once and move on but my players kept coming back for rematches and ended up eventually earning a permanent room in the attic. It gave the monk, fighter, and barbarian a great sense of progress for each of them to come back and get a little farther each time they fought one of the 4 monks I made to fight them. The wizard even fought a few times and won once. The party had a great group bonding moment as they congratulated him and celebrated his victory.

"The Wandering shell" A Tavern that is located on the back of a large dragon turtle built by a retired party of adventurers who made a deal with it to be paid a good sum of money in exchange for being a cool boat for the time being. The Wandering shell has only been recently built but it is rather large on the inside due to it being a magnificent mansion, having alot of rooms on one end to work as the sort of "apartment" area where people sleep, with another area adjacent to it having some other things such as a sauna, washroom, and also a library and museum of sorts filled with books and some of the magic items the party accumulated during their time as adventurers. Inside is the Mansions Foyer with a Large Quest board for those who simply want a quest, with the dining area just beyond it. The party also has a Galders tower on top of the Turtle with a large, orange light on top so that they can be seen from a long distance, and also so that the Mansions portal is attached to the tower. The Wandering shell often visits coastal cities and will occasionally travel from city to city, while also sometimes being used by passing ships. It can also work underwater due to the effects of the mansion and sometimes serves folk like Tritons and Locathah.

I have a tavern called the “Crooked Carion” It’s defining feature is it’s shite quality. IAlso the drunken master tabaxi monk works their. I needed to flesh it out a little more than that and this video will come in handy.

One I like to use is “Barkley’s Treetop Tavern” Owned by Barkley Alster and his bunny friend Stumpy. Basically imagine the top of a giant tree with a big tavern in the middle and small cottages on the branches. You can walk along the branches to the cottages. How do you get up the tree? Well you can be picked up by a crane or if you’re feeling like showing of or just really hate yourself you can take the stairs.

The uppie down: a cliff dwelling tavern in a desert canyon high above the canyon floor. The layout of the building is strange with all furniture nailed to the floor and above it on the high ceiling, a copy of the room with with the exact same layout. All liquor is held in clamps instead of sitting on a shelf. If the players stay more then a few hours they will realize why such a stage tavern has this layout, every so often the gravity switches at random interval causing everything to fall to the ceiling.

"Salty Sea Dog" My favorite tavern that appeared in my games, ever. Named after its signature drink; may appear in any port town in any game I run, literally anywhere. The cellar contains a strange dimensional anomaly which leads into a large corridor. All stairwells off the corridor lead to another Salty Sea Dog in another world. More frequently in the corridor are regular doors that could lead anywhere (literally), similar to the portals of Sigil, but much less of a surprise

“The Crouching Cider, Hidden Flagon” The inn is known for it’s weekly arm wrestling contests, fruity ales, and distinct kegs, which feature a dragonling wrapped around a flagon with a bright red apple on it. Owned by a former adventurer, Bartender Ed has lost an arm and a leg, but not his cheery disposition.

"Iron horseshoe Inn" Named that because it odd curved like structure with tavern on the right with a big fireplace, it then is connected to a 2 story inn part the second layer is a overhang but has bigger rooms with the owners room, so it's caused to be a bit more expensive (it's also the only floor with windows) in the center is a covered parking area for a carriage, but also a backdoor into the inn and has access to the storage under the building, the inside is decorated with ropes tarps and flags to give it a nice cozy look to the place, outside is a forest that has a bridge nearby that goes over a rivers where some fishing can be done, the area has a enchanted armor protecting it as a bet that happened between the owner and a Mage, and due to it being on a road most traveled, you'll find many different creatures inside at times, there's even a rumor the owner was given a recipe for an ale some dwarfs gave to him that now are lost to their own home somewhere north in the mountains, but if your there for merc work there's always the wanted/need help board next to the bar (I actually made this originally in minecraft to help decorate it, but now it's evolved into more, I'm actually making it unity right now for vrchat because I wanted to, sadly the minecraft world won't open anymore for some reason (I've deleted it and redownled it so it's not me) but head to my latest thing on my channel to find a link to Instagram to help you keep tabs on my work)

one of my favourite taverns ever was in the book series "the wave walkers" where a tavern is literally inside of a giant whale, which was rumored to be a giant all devouring sea monster but is just a nice whale with a guy and his tavern inside, who builds the stuff for his tavern out of things the whale... eats... i swear its better in the books trust me...

"The Lavish Lamp" A Tavern built by a genie inside his lamp that you can only get to by accidentally rubbing it. Once inside the proprietor shows you a good time and offers a free wish to anyone who wants to leave, but the catch is you're shown such a mystically good time that you forget about ever leaving.

One of my favorite things from my first ever campaign was called "The Other Inn" an inn found in an extra-dimensional space ran by an eccentric high-level wizard. The only way to enter was via a coin you had to hold in your hand as you entered any tavern at all. There was only one door, the one that the players entered from, and whenever they opened it again they would find themselves different rooms depending on what they wanted. It was a blast, the players would encounter colorful characters that they may not ever see again because they were from other planes of existence. One of my favorite creations but I've never introduced it again because none of my players wanted to go to the normal taverns and would just always go to The Other Inn. It's a shame I've never been able to capture the magic of The Other Inn in any of the taverns I made in my future games so I'm super excited for when your guide comes out in full.

“Do you remember your first DnD game?” Yeah, I’m currently working on it. Got to make the Tiefling Monk I’d had in my head since forever. and we got so into it that I’m also playing in my second, third, and fourth too. I’m dming the third. It’s been a hell of a blast.

I just backed this, since I love taverns with all my heart and when I heard of this I instantly fell in love! Can't wait for next year!

I had to improvise a tavern and inn the other night called The Shining Swan, it was a swanky tavern in essentially fantasy Hollywood, and its shtick was that everything was fancy crystal. Its barkeep was this calm and collected man who was also a high level mage with the ability to upcast Mending, and so every time an aggressive patron got too rowdy in an arm wrestle and shattered a table he would walk up, magic the table back together, and walk away with a tender smile and a "do try to be more careful next time, darling." Also the rooms had Mirrors of Accessorizing, enchanted mirrors of limited sentience with the ability to provide fancy illusory outfits so that my players could have a fun dress-up montage.

And like that my fantasy liver just exploded and my flammability just skyrocketed, thank you Runesmith

“His daughters, Flim and Flam” they must use their charm to help prop up the business, even if the things they do are ethically dubious.

"Long Whistle" a tavern set up in the old capital of the Sufir, it is a fine tavern for nomads, travelers, and traders. When it is very windy, the wind will whistle through holes made in the walls. The bartender was an ex-gladiator who fought for his freedom, wears a stylish turban with a throwing dart hidden inside it.

I made a Tavern in Mörk Borg called "Rotten Love" for last session. The owner was a old widow woman, who had his zombie husband on a chain and collar as amusement for the customers. 1 poke for a silver, with 3 you get 5 pokes with a stick. She gave a quest to track down and bring his husbands secret lover to be an addition to tavern. There were also gamblers who played a game where you try to get hand just close enough of the zombie mouth before he bites.

"The Old Fashioned" A standard looking tavern, run by a dwarf and his family. He has a bit of magic that see's into a person's head that helps him make the exact drink someone needs at the moment, whether it because you're sad and need a pick me up, or you're celebrating something and just need something to put that cherry on top of your day. He called every drink he makes "His old fashioned recipe".

I just had this idea today for a tavern called "The Great Beyond." It's like a converted mausoleum so it's in the middle of a cemetary, and so the taverns full of friendly skeletons, zombies and ghosts. The only details I have are the owner is the ghost of a Duchess, there's a church in the nearby town that's totally convinced the place is evil and needs to be purged, and the dining room is heavily perfumed to cover up the smell of decay.

"The Starlight Burrow" This well-kept secret is located in the renovated circular basement of an observatory and is maintained entirely by the students who tend to the facility above. This arcane speakeasy serves brightly colored brews and is the host of the many 'discovery' dances, a delightful event that takes place after a new planet or star is discovered. Lighting is maintained entirely by several rotating cantrips. And small signatures mark points along the burrow's walls, NOT with the names of students but of notable points in the sky discovered by them. Adventurers looking to find answers about a possible fallen sky weapon or details about the upcoming blood moon may find better luck at the Burrow, assuming your adventurers learn the password.

Hi Runesmith! I love the book so far and it’s inspired a lot so I made this: “The Dinnerbone” A ramshackle splintered wooden place built in a war-zone on a fallen barricade and some carts. Built hastily by a local militia as a last ditch effort, The Dinnerbone is staffed and visited primarily by soldiers and gnolls. Gnolls that work there tend to enjoy the hunting and eating and see the establishment as a useful asset, so long as food is plentiful. In the center of the tavern is a huge ring where patrons can wrestle or duel each-other. And Shoosuva is the primary “cook.” My party seemed to enjoy the place. Thanks for the great book and great videos.

I have a recurring tavern called "The Tavern of Many Names" Its an interdimensional tavern that can be accessed through secret doors scattered throughout the planes, which all line the walls of the establishment. It's owner is an aarakocra and a bottled water elemental that serves the drinks. The doors only open into the tavern for those who know of its existence or are expected by the tavern itself.

I like the homebrew tavern for my western themed Dungeon&Desperados. The first floor is a bar and the second floor is an inn. I found out shots got their name because if cowboys couldn’t afford alcohol they could leave a bullet from their six shooter in exchange for a small amount. I ended up making a secret menu where the party would buy a shot but pay with a bullet and the bartender asks if they want change. If they say yes then she pushes back the wall of alcohol to reveal weapons and items she bought from poachers. The party can buy an item by giving her the body part of some creature and some gold (basically bartering). The next session whatever body part they left behind becomes a new item. I got eyepatch of the beholder, mimic gun, and plenty of other items I really like. D&D is awesome.

Idk if this will actually be helpful to anybody, but whenever I'm having trouble figuring out the physical descriptive details of the tavern I generally look back to its location from the beginning. For example, in my setting, Dwarves only ever use varieties of stone and metal for building and only ever burn coal - Mountain Dwarves do that, anyway. This is because in the mountains where the Dwarves live, trees are very scarce, so they never really learned how to build with them. Besides, stone buildings are far sturdier and how strong your house or establishment is can be a sign of personal strength and a mark of pride for a Dwarf's family. This is the reason why, when my party finally got to visit the Dwarf Cleric's family and go to a tavern, I made sure to specify that all the buildings in town were made of stone. When they visited the tavern itself, I described how the stone looked immaculate on the outside but the inside had been worn down by many years of mead being tossed around and chairs (that are also stone) being thrown against the wall during tavern brawls. I also made sure there were two basement levels instead of extra stories because in the universe I use, Dwarves only ever dig for their extra space - there's hardly ever enough space on ground level to expand out and make more rooms, and making new stories would be seen as a lack of pride and therefore a sign of weakness. Kind-of like the Dwarf who built that house felt insecure about being too short or something. Just a little tidbit to add here for those who like the idea, great video my guy!

Runesmith making taverns: *writes overly long details and lore* Me making taverns: it's called The Bottled Dragon bcs it once served a dragon that got helluva drunk.

"The Drifter's Wood" Known for their tuna sandwiches and run by Storm Giants in a coastal town where Piracy on the shorter races is considered everyday business, The Drifter's Wood is a Giant-sized shack made of Driftwood Nailed on Driftwood until the floor, walls, and furniture could support its massive customers, and is in a constant state of repair, as giants fight HARD when drunk. Designed with all sizes in mind, however, there are many a ladder set in the table legs, and centerpieces can be activated to pop out into smaller tables, and one end of the bar has levitating stools that can move up and down for any height of customer. Just try not to start a barfight... You'll lose. The Twist: If you say the passphrase "I've been Paddling to long" to the barkeep, He'll respond "Then here's some driftwood to lean on" and open the door to the Den of Debauchery and... "Fun times with wood" that's housed in the back, where 'dancing' girls of all sizes and many races perform on stages and in booths, and a unique, psychadelic high is served by buxom workers holding trays of "Wood Drifter" which also serves as aphrodisiac. All in all, a place for more experienced adventurers to have a unique weekend.

"The Solar's rest" A tabern that is located up in the skyes, and to access you go through an specific portal after paying the Gate Keeper...when you pay, they give you a chain with an specific spell that makes the portal take you there, and that also applies another spell that allows you to walk inside the tabern and the area that sorrounds it without falling from the sky.

"Traveling Tankard" A Bars set in a space theme setting when someone buys the whole Tavern a drink the Tavern teleports to another planet. If you request a type of drink you will transport the bar the drink comes from if just buying randomly roll on a table of planets. If stolen or bought a Tankard has the same effect if you place the drink from a planet you are not on in it you teleport to that place.

Your inn is built on the beachside leading up some hills and further, on to a military stronghold, that is open to people and is mainly there to thwart pirates. Designed to attract land and water life the tavern has a few entrances for water to fill enough that the bar is often populated by Sea Elves and Air Genasi, some are even employed there. The owners are former kobold wizard turned to co-owner and sometimes penny pinchers. A small rabbit folk bard turned co-owner / who is now the bard with her band (Tornado'n Flare). The back of the big bar shack is many outdoor grilling stations for hot food run by the fire Genasi staff. There are walkways that connect those two and The tavern inn portion. The Tavern Inn side has 1st floor and 2nd are underground and 3rd and 4th are above. The underground rooms are designed with easy Waterside entrances to make it easy for Aquatic guests to come and go with ease. There 2 big viewing decks on both sides of the 4th floor and stairways that lead to the 1st floor and their Inn Keeper. Also, storage rooms/break rooms are stationed on each floor of the stairway (on the right side of the building), and on the left side stairways are the staff's sleeping quarters. The first two floors also have more various places that you can see through the (shatterproof) glass and maybe watch some locals playing underwater sports. (Blitz ball, anyone?) 1st floor is where the showering/ bathing rooms are (as they make use of the seaside water (and yes through modern Artificer engineering and runes "technology" there is hot water and a purification/filter system.) 2nd floor has more of the sauna / hot springs by making use of the natural heat from the planet. The staff who do the daily operations for the tavern are comprised of some Dwarves & Earth Genasi Artificers maintenance staff. Water Genasi and Sea Elves run the first two floors and in an emergency could rescue anyone from drowning. Kenku and Kalashtar operate the 3rd and 4th floor.

“The Ash & Brew” This tavern is the main tavern in one of the cities in the campaign I’m writing up. The Tavern is located in one of the oldest parts of the city, a once beautiful town square near the ocean, dominated by religious temples, that, since the end of the last war, has been turned into a hotspot for volcanic activity, having small pockets of magma rise to the surface, giving the air a Sulphurous odour. It is owned by a mysterious Half-Drow woman whom not many get to speak with unless she specifically asks for them. The tavern is a two storey building made of dark ash wood. The first floor has a large balcony, which once allowed it to look out over the once lush gardens of the town square, now though it only serves as a respite for anyone wishing to avoid the lava springs. The interior of the first floor includes the lobby and bar itself, having enough room to comfortably serve around 50 patrons. Behind the bar one can normally find two to four barkeeps, and behind them are shelves of liquor suited for most walks of life. There are five servers, one for each table. If one pays attention, they’ll notice two individuals guarding the stairs. There’s a door to the kitchen and a small hallway leading to the four downstairs guest rooms and a hallway leading to a in-house bathhouse. Upstairs is a small lounge and two hallways leading to twelve additional guest rooms. Though, there is also a large room in front of the staircase. This room is the office and private quarters of the owner. If one were to enter, they’ll see that the wall above the bar is an illusion, the owner being able to look down at anyone in her tavern, to keep an eye on any trouble makers or potential hires for a job she may have. If one looks around the room, they’ll see a trap door and a door to another room. The door to the other room reveals her sleeping chamber itself. The trap door will reveal her secret. The owner is an Oblex, which is part of the reason why she set up the tavern in the now sulphurous town square. She uses the naturally occurring odour to disguise the sulphurous scent she gives off. Most of her staff are actually herself, pretending to be other people just so she can gather information without anyone knowing. Available quests here are normally either connected to the crime families wanting a loose end dead, the owner needing people with fighting capabilities to deal with her own rivals, guards of the city needing to arrest certain, unprotected criminals (namely murderers and thieves unconnected to the crime families), religious figures needing protection or just random NPCs needing help with something. While the place seems uninviting, many who visit claim to have some of the best drink and sleep they had in town. The food is left to be desired though.

A tavern located skyward in the middle of a range of mountainous spires and canyons. It uses most of the the funds it earns to upkeep the many various lengths and styles of birdges that corss the mountain range, encouraging trade to through the upper bridged region (which is faster than going around or through the base of the area, and safer too). This increased traffic brings many customers, who can stop and rest. The entire rooming set up is on tiered rooms that hang on heavy chains, accessibly through rope ladders. A favourite of aarakocra and nomadic goliaths who live nearby, the *World's Hat Pin* is a dangerous place to visit, but a thrilling excitement. Tough customers make the journey here safe and keep the bridges well guarded against vandals looking to loot to smashed remains of any trade caravans that fall.

I'm delighted w the new project, totally worth my pledge! Thanks for being awesome Logan!

"The Drowned Owl" The mechanical sign dunks a wooden owl into a cauldron as you open the door to this three story tall wooden building. (There is lore behind the name, but I WAS use it in every D&D game)

This is amazing! Plz do a part 2. I am gonna reveal a secret, you’re the best DnD RU-vidr I know! Never stop what you are doing! Much love

Great timing for this! No home game’s next town has an inn called The Bark and Beer, run by an awakened bulldog named Mags. She learned a bit of magic to help with her work, so I used the sidekick rules from Tasha’s, and this helps with actually fleshing out the inn.

One I like to use in cities that are mainly elves, is "The First Oak". It's a tavern built around a giant oak tree that takes up the center of the main room. There's even a giant hole in the roof to see all the way up into the tallest branches. The tables in the main area are placed in between the roots so it's a little difficult for newcomers to avoid tripping over them. I've also introduced players to "The Underway". A literal hole in the wall bar that is found in the sewer system of one of the major cities. It's main clientele are the more monstrous races like goblins, orcs, and gnolls. And of course, "The Talented Dragon". A simple inn that made it's reputation due to the fact that the building is home to an ale drake that has been a pet to the owner's family for generations. He sits on the counter all day sleeping, but can be coerced into doing some small tricks with a few coins and a tall drink.

I really like how you summarize a creative process. I still go back to your video on building towns and the mains points you should have for NPCs. It's super useful to encode people and locations to a very brief list that you can glace over to refresh your memory. You should write a book on this. NPCs, Taverns, Towns, Nations, Quests... and because you are encoding it, you can also create rollable tables for each entry, for people who really need help.

This feels like a lesson in fundamentals. Super solid. I particularly like the secondary location idea, since it is an easy way to give it a twist and initiate ideas

I am so excited for this! I missed the stibbles codex kickstarter so I plan to get that as an add on! I can't wait!

I really love the idea of a groundwater river system as a major trade artery of the under dark. This is based & I want to steal it. Then again I would want to steal the basic tavern concept too, but that’s more of a “I really wish I’d come up with this” thing

“The mountain top drink and drop” a dwarven tavern in the mountains owned by a dwarf named Beoden and his wife Charlotte with a bungee jump off a cliff (hence the “drop” in the name) part of the tavern fell off the mountain a couple years back and Beoden is trying to keep it under wraps they serve hard liquor exclusively most of the patrons are other dwarves but some Goliaths stop by every now and then along with a White Dragonborn bard named Flash Frost who helps around the tavern and is like a brother to Beoden.

This is the first Kickstarter I've ever pledged. I'm excited to see the finished product!

One of my favorite taverns is a large hotel in the upperclass district of a massive trading city. Nobles of other cities often stay here, and high-level adventurers who want a fancy night. Additionally, anyone with at least 5 rank in the information guild can get a free bed in the basement's storage closet if need be. The person who runs the place is Tsu. Tsu is a very friendly half-elf that all of the patrons love. He offers room keys and with those room keys you can speak orders into it and it will be provided for you whereever you are inside the city. Tsu happens to have a desk capable of summoning any item and that's how he does it. It's a legendary Magic desk and he once pulled out an immortality elixir and drank. Therefore, no matter the hour, Tsu is behind the front desk ready to greet people and give them their keys. Tsu is also a high ranking member of the information guild. He's provided *key* pieces of information to the guild over the years and has proven himself extremely valuable. How did he get this information? Well, the keys of course. The keys are listening devices and whenever he wants he can listen in. He also has a team of modrones which record everything heard in the basement, and report any interesting pieces of news to him. Some regulars include: the crown prince of the kingdom who adores the cheese this place has (he's 10); members of the Naichi family (a local merchant family with vast wealth who has spread operations across the kingdom); and a tiefling Pirate King (Lucio) who has learned Tsu's secret and has developed a relationship based solely on pranks with him. Lucio has an alternate identity he assumes inside the city whenever he visits.

I will always remember The Traveler's Respite, the tavern/bordello that served as the star of the first play-by-post D&D game I ever played in. It was on Eberron, specifically in the Cogs district of Sharn, run by the enigmatic Fairweather Tuck. I played as Ronald McDoughal, the foul-mouthed and foul-tempered dwarven chef with a heart of gold. He kept a pet duck and later adopted a traumatized orphan kid who wandered in to the place. Said kid got older, found himself a couple of boyfriends and developed a dragonmark, and Ronald was so proud of him!

"The Tipsy Terror" A Tavern made from the skull of an ancient Tarrasque within an underwater Triton castle ruin, the owner made a deal with some local Yuan-Ti to make it accessible by all types of people and so with some magic the tavern can house both air breathers and water breathers. The owner, an Elf named Sha Halen, would go on to hire some of the Yuan-Ti, a family of Tortles, a pack of Lizardfolk and a collective of Kobolds to serve as chefs, housekeepers, security and servers, all the while Sha Halen acts as the barkeep. The Tipsy Terror has 4 floors made mostly from the castle with the skull adding more space to only one floor, the first floor has the main lobby, the dining room, 4 restrooms and the bar itself within the skull, the second floor has 23 guest rooms with 11 of them comprised of 2 double beds and the other 12 having 3 twin beds. The third floor is for employees only with 26 rooms with a double and twin bed and the owner's office, the basement, which was added to the ruins, is mainly used for storage as well as being the kitchen. The food and drinks are made from the local flora and fauna, while a slightly higher price than average the meals are quite the treat. Some regulars include; a group of Kuo-toa, a Merfolk couple, the other local Yuan-Ti and one very confused Aboleth. There are 2 entrances to the tavern and each one is built for either water dwellers or land lovers, the first is an underwater tunnel that leads to a large pool in the lobby and the second is a spiralling staircase on a nearby island that ends in a hallway with the front door at the end of it. The only strange thing about the Tipsy Terror is that Sha Halen out of the entire staff that isn't reptilian in someway, many debate on whether or not the owner is a dragon in disguise.

One I made for a tavern for a campaign featuring giants was a tavern named "Stone's throws", the main part was a beer hall with a 20 meter tall ceiling for giants to be comfortable in (even though with recent disturbances along the giant Kingdom border, they aren't common for the time being) It serves meals for giants and humanoids alike, with an ogre bartender and an animated and fully sentient suit of armor (made by a local witch npc) as one of the waitresses, a meal for an orc can feed an entire adventuring party and a meal for a hill giant can feed the entire tavern at peak hours It was named that way as across the border, many years ago, the giants were playing a game of Boulder throwing and the flame prince in his youth (fire giant and main boss of the campaign), made a throw so legendary that it flew across the valley separating the two kingdoms and landed where the tavern is now, the stone being still in the basement So it's name is of double meaning, both referring to the event that created the tavern, and the fact that it's place at the center of town means it's always a "stones throw" away After the campaign is finished, I plan for whenever the party passes by the town, they, can find a giant or two, drinking barrels of beer and eating whole cows, with a different fire giant being the bartender's best friend

I love the picture of the seeker with the swirl of cards. I think it works really well with the telekinetic feat that I home brewed.

idea: the refectory of a magic college, that after an ill-thought-out experiment has become effectively infinite in capacity. the name could be a coy reference to Hilbert's hotel because thats pretty much what it is. plot threads include the staff being tired of having to clean infinite rooms, incursions from outsiders in the furthester rooms, vandalism and lost keys

God-damn! Smashed the Kickstarter goal already. Cracking job!

Rune, do you have a favourite video/pc game set in the forgotten realms?

First thing I've ever backed on kickstarter. Considering how much your content has influenced my games over the past few years, it's only natural to get the book :)

I cant belive this reached its goal in under 25 mins! Congrats man!

Well congratulations on the successfully launched and backed kickstarter. The animated song completely sold me on backing the project before I looked at the details. Can't wait to see it in my hands next year.

The seeker with the singing voice of Annapantsu who sings and shows us taverns. Sounds like heaven

definitely gonna need that guide for some of the stuff im planning for my campaign this is great :D

I’m definitely backing this!

Here's a tavern idea. The drink forge. Run by an old mechanic and a warforge seeking to make a life for themselves after the war the two team up with the mechanic sproosing up the old warforge with new features as they open there place in the upper region of sharn. It's main attraction is Drinky, the warforge who has perfect 360 vision, a slim and long torso and 8 arms that can stretch out throuh the entire tavern. Meaning that our warforge friend can stop a fight, server drinks and open the door for your grandma all at the same time. No need for other staff with the incredible drinky

The Hungry Dragon: A tavern I actually made already for a homebrew system I've been working on for years. All of the menu items are dragon themed like the Dragon's Hoard, which is a pile of kettle cooked chips with roasted monitor lizard as the main course, served with their signature "Scale Dust" spice. Another example is Dragon's Blood, a very strong red wine made by a very old dragon who just wanted to get really wasted, and he eventually taught his recipe to an aspiring kobold chef (who opened the tavern).

*The Kings Retreat* For starters, EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE to stay at. It was started by a king who wanted other nobles and even rich common folk to experience what king life was like for him, and allow him to make some money on the side for personal expenses. The tavern is humongous, built to include many different types of rooms for all kinds of services, outfitted with some of the most luxurious equipment in all the realm, and is practically crowded with hundreds of servants obeying orders and obliging requests. If you needed or wanted something point out a loyal servant, their are tons of them everywhere and they'll happily oblige your request no matter how ridiculous it was. Want a relaxing massage treatment, want to try some of the best tasting liquor, want to avoid walking to your room or even avoid getting out of your room for anything, want to do something kinky with no questions asked, want to literally just step on servants like the cruel king you were meant to be? Ye only need ask. However if you want something specific or elaborate, like say someone dead...that will cost you a lot in extra.

Fastest Kickstarter I've ever backed! To date my players favorite Tavern is called the Dingy Bird, it's a dock house building coveted by seagulls and operated by a retired sailor Sorcerer. The outside is a bit crappy, but inside is kept clean to naval standards.

Runesmith: Making a music video for a book Me: You got the perfect Warlock.

Jacob's Ladder is one of my favorites I ever made in 20 years of DM. it's a gigantic magically tamed mimic that feeds of the magical energy of a giant Wizard tower( think space elevator). every year there is a competition to claim to the top of the tower. the jacobs's ladder is the home base for the contests attempting to claim. for having the year the tavern sets on the ground and for the other half, it's vertical and the only way in is by elevators at the bottom.

My current campaign has a tavern called "The Knucklebone". It was founded by a dwarven clan whose ancestors found the knucklebone of an ancient dragon deep in a mine many centuries ago and they had the brilliant idea to smuggle it out of the mine in a barrel of ale. When they drank from the barrel later, they discovered that they became inexplicably lucky for a short time and built up a massive tavern that sells this luck-enhancing ale (for a high price, of course). As time went on, people from all around came to the tavern and it steadily became one of the most popular casino on the continent.

"The Merry Mermaid": An old platform in the middle of the sea, formerly used by a military group that left the area. Now it's a favorite spot of any passing pirate or merchant crew looking to stock up on rum and get a night of entertainment, be it wenches or a brawl.