Latest revision as of 08:00, 17 May 2020

Taverns are always a popular place for adventurers to unwind. It's up to the DM to come up with some quirks and flavor to make each tavern original and to keep the players immersed in the atmosphere. Sometimes though you just hit a creative writing block and don't know where to start.

The following page is intended to give you some ideas to keep taverns as a fun place for travellers to go.

Tavern Generators

There are a number of Tavern generators out there that you will find with some quick Google searches. I quite like the "Not Another Tavern Generator". It comes up with some great details for a tavern and is useful if you want something quick. You can then use the rest of this page to tailor it to your liking.

Tavern Names

There's only so many Ye Olde Tavern's in the Wold! Try these tables to come up with a name that's a little different...

Name Format

Nouns

Adjectives

Title

Tavern Features

Expand upon the 'bar, tables and fireplace' and give your tavern some character and something else for the party to check out...

Tavern Food and drinks

The Woldipedia has a page dedicated to drinks in the Wold. The Wold Mixology page includes a list of some regional varieties, as well as some brews you might wish to draw from.

The following tables might give you some ideas for meals that could be found based on the quality of food available.

Tavern Fights

Whether or not the player characters start it, an evening of drunken antics can often culminate in a chaotic brawl. The SRD includes a section on bar fights using rules published in "Inner Sea Taverns": "Bar Fight Rules"

Alternatively, the following set of rules might inspire you:

Basics

• You cannot use spells, your weapons, or abilities
• All combatants (including you) in the fight have 11 AC
• All NPCs involved in the bar fight have 15 HP each
• All PCs start with their current HP total
• Your Str or Dex bonus (whichever is higher) is applied to your 1d20 attack roll
• If you become unconscious you are 'out' until the fight is over.

Actions

• All attacks successfully made (by PCs or NPCs) take 5HP off their target, unless otherwise specified
• You can melee attack (punch, kick, smash with chair etc) anyone within 5 feet of you
• You can throw items such as bottles, tankards, chairs etc. They have a range of 1d6 x 5ft. If they do not reach their target they do not damage them. There's always something at hand to throw.
• Instead of attacking you can hide behind tables, the bar, etc. This increases your AC to 16, but you cannot attack during the turn
• You can always grab another drink and swig from it as your action which will add +1 to your drunkenness level
• You don't have to attack at all if you don't want, you can just sit back and watch what happens.
• If you end up out of a window, you must pass a DC 15 Acrobatics check to get back in through it (or you could just walk around to the entrance)

How Much Did I Drink?

• If you have been drinking then roll against the "Drunkenness" table to determine your starting drunkenness level
• All lower numbers also apply to you, as well as the number you rolled.
• At the end of each turn roll 1d20. On a 17 or above, remove one level of drunkenness unless you are at drunkenness zero.

Drunkenness

d6 Effect

1. You have half movement, rounded up to the nearest 5 feet.
2. You take a -2 on attack rolls.
3. On a successful attack you instead hit a random character within attack range.
4. Every 10 feet of movement you must pass a DC 11 Acrobatics check or fall prone onto your face ending your turn. You must make at least 1 of these rolls per turn before any other action.
5. Wait... Didn't you once read on a parchment about "Zui Quan" (The art of drunken fighting)? Yeah, that seems like something you'd have done *hic*. You now get +5 to your attack rolls.
6. You are asleep in the corner

Legendary Attacks

On a natural 20 attack roll you do a legendary attack that will do double damage (like it would in normal combat) but you may also roll against the "Legendary Attacks" table to see what attack you make.

d6 Effect

1. You throw someone out a window
2. You drag someone down the bar / across a table face first
3. You throw the target into the bottles / serving area behind the bar.
4. You grab a nearby wooden broom, snap it over your knee and smash your target with it, causing it to shatter into fragments.
5. You slam someone down on top of a table causing it to buckle completely and the legs to smash off.
6. You jump up and swing off a chandelier to kick your target in the face as you land.

A Typical Turn

• If drunkenness level 4 or above, roll to see if you faceplant onto the floor
• Move if you want (Rolling every 10 feet to see if you stumble on drunkenness 4 or above)
• Decide to either drink, hide, do nothing, or roll to attack
• If attacking describe how you want to do the attack
• Finally, depending on your roll and drunkenness level you can then determine who you're attacking
• If you roll a Legendary Attack, describe it!
• Always roll to reduce your drunkenness level unless it is zero

Tavern Games

When people have partaken of too many drinks, games will surely ensue. The following games have different flavors and mechanics, providing options for you to choose from.

Last Man Standing

Each player rolls a Fort save to resist the effects of the alcohol

If you fail 5 times you pass out

Each time you fail your character will become increasingly intoxicated

• 1 fail = no effect
• 2 fails = tipsy
• 3 fails = drunk
• 4 fails = wasted
• 5 fails = pass out and lose

Last man standing wins

The DC will increase by 2 each round, starting from 10 and capping at 20.

The Long Embrace

Two participants cup their hands with one another with a live scorpion inside. The first to remove their hand is the loser. If the winner still holds the scorpion after the opponent pulls away, he doubles his winnings.

Scorpion sting does 1d2 non-lethal damage per round. A person who sustains 8pts damage has their hand go numb and lets go of the scorpion.

Boss Toss

Two participants stand 6 ft. apart and at the same time each tosses a double-headed axe to the other. The player who drops the axe or bleeds first is the loser.

Reflex Saves start at DC10 and increase by +2 each round. The first person to fail the save loses.

Strong as an Ox

A large animal such as a horse or ox, or other livestock is brought in for a Rope War with a humanoid challenger, with each trying to pull the other over a line. This is popular among half-orcs and barbarians.

The participant makes a strength check opposed by that of the animal. The difference between the results is how much ground is gained in ft.

The larger of the two gains a +4 bonus on the check for every 500lbs difference in weight.

Each tavern has their own rules on how far apart the competitors start"

Ready for Winter

Players fill their mouths with as many walnuts as possible and must pronounce ""Ready for Winter"" the best they can. Variations of this game have included the use of cherries, grapes, acorns, or even coins, in the place of walnuts.

Checks are made vs Charisma. Players may start with as many objects as they choose. Each object adds add +2 to the DC (eg: 5 objects is DC10).

Passing the check allows you to continue adding more.

Failing a check eliminates you from the contest.

Players get a cumulative +2 bonus for each size category they are over medium

Players get a cumulative -2 penalty for each size category they are under medium

The Anvil Crack

This form of entertainment is favored by young minotaurs as a way to prove their great strength. The game involves trying to break an anvil using only ones head. While taking a running start is permitted, the truly strong simply stand in front of the anvil and plough their heads downward onto it. It is a very rare occasion when someone succeeds in the task. More often than not it simply leads to a headache worse than any hangover.

Treat an anvil as hardness 10 with anywhere upwards of 360HP