D&D 5.5E: More Details Emerge About The Bastion System
For being an “opt-in” ruleset, the Bastion system in the 5.5E Dungeon Master’s Guide sure seems detailed. Here’s what we know.
The Bastion system was a big focus of last week’s Dungeon Master’s Guide premiere—even stranger, since according to the various videos about it, the rules are “opt-in.” But then, technically, Feats were an opt-in part of D&D 5E. And really, if you want to get existential, all of D&D is opt-in. Nobody is going to kick down your door and demand you use the encumbrance rules (I’ve been told this is a crime).
The point remains though, for something that is positioned as optional, it does seem like the intention is that folks will use it. Especially since more details have emerged since the premiere of the new video. What details, you ask? Well…
The Bastion System – Details and Dungeons
Over on D&D Beyond, the WotC team took players more in-depth into the Bastion rules. Of course, we’ll have to wait for the DMG to actually release before we get to know what specific bonuses your different facilities will give. But it sounds like the spirit of what we saw in the Unearthed Arcana previews is still true, warts and all.
Which is great—don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of these rules. There’s a lot of fun ideas to be had here. Bastions are basically a dungeon that the players get to build for themselves, if you think about it. You pick out your layout, decide on room styles – and that’s not just me saying you can make those choices, that’s an integral part of the rules.
“When a character acquires a Bastion at level 5, they can decide its initial laout, including what basic facilities and special facilities it contains. Their Bastion starts with two basic facilities, one Cramped and the other Roomy, and two special facilities for which the character qualifies.
There are three facility space sizes: Cramped, Roomy, and Vast. Each type of facility space has a maximum area described in 5-foot squares: a Cramped space has a maximum area of 4 squares, Roomy has a maximum of 16 squares, and Vast has a maximum of 36 squares. These squares can be spread across multiple floors of a building.
– D&D Beyond
See? It’s right here in the rules. Down to mapping out your Bastion in squares and everything. And Bastions are on a per-character basis, too. Every character has their own Bastion that they can get at Level 5. You can also combine them, for shenanigans purposes. Each Bastion comes with its own set of rooms, and you can buy more.
You can spend gold and time to acquire basic facilities, which add functions to your Bastion. While special facilities often add some kind of in-game benefit to your character, and these are restricted by level. Which is, to me, one of the places where the Bastion System stumbles. Everything being level dependent makes it all feel so locked away—maybe in 5.5E, games will go on long enough that you actually see the high level stuff.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from just doing what you want to. But, baseline, some special facilities come with specific requirements. For instance, a Reliquary requires that you be level 13, and have to be able to use a Holy Symbol or Druidic Focus as a Spellcasting focus. Which is a nice way of saying you have to be a Cleric or a Druid, but if you multiclass, you can still play along at home.
Special Facilities and You – The Good Stuff
Naturally, special facilities are the ones with the most rules. They come with special benefits, you can give them special orders to carry out every Bastion turn (which is about every seven days, or whenever your DM feels like it), and they can be the source of strange events in the Bastion. We got a look at three, the Demiplane, Meditation Chamber, and Pub.
Demiplane: This facility requires that you be level 17. It is a secret pocket dimension that you have stashed away somewhere in your Bastion. It is an extradimensional space where all sorts of weird magical stuff can happen. Specifically, if you take a Long Rest in your Demiplane while your facility has the Empower order given to it, you gain five times your level in Temporary Hit Points. You can also use the Magic action to create a nonmagical out of nothingness, so long as it is no bigger than five feet in any dimension, and isn’t worth over five gold pieces.
Meditation Chamber: Another place you can Empower with a special Order. This level 13 facility gives you and your Hirelings the Inner Peace buff. While under the effects of Inner Peace, you roll with the punches. Specifically, you roll with the Bastion events, rolling twice on the table and choosing which result you want. You, personally, can meditate in your Meditation Chamber (shocking, I know) for the whopping benefit of Advantage on two different saving throws, which lasts for the next seven days. You might get lucky and have advantage on Dex saves for a week. But you might end up with Intelligence saves, and then, all that meditating for naught. Or very little.
Pub: The adventurer’s dream. Why wait to retire from adventuring when you could just open a Pub at level 13. You can’t open one at earlier levels, for whatever reason. But this is the place for your tavern, inn, or coffee shop AU fantasy dreams. You get a cool bartender or barista who is also secretly a spymaster for you. You give them the Gather order, and they will give you information on important events within 10 miles of the area, as well as the location and movements of familiar creatures within 50 miles. You can also drink a special brew, which grants you magical benefits like Enlarge/Reduce or Darkvision for 24 hours.
Hirelings Are Back Baybee
Finally, like any other business, corporation, or large entity, Bastions would be nothing without their workers. Your player character is effectively a CEO, existing only to harvest the resources and occasionally throwing money at your Bastion to expand it according to your vision and regardless of what anyone working there wants.
Which is why there are rules for Hirelings. Your hirelings are NPCs that work in your facilities. They follow the orders you give them. The resources of your special facilities pay their salaries, so there’s no extra upkeep for them. But you are encouraged to give them names and faces and backstories.
Like the barista in your coffeeshop—that’s an NPC that the player can start coming up with. You can really go all in on the Sims vibes. Though take care, your Bastion might come under attack. Don’t worry though, the worst that happens is your Bastion shuts down for a turn.
Which is probably why they say the rules are optional. You’re not forced to rely on investing in your Bastion to have a good character. It’s just another set of tools in the toolbox of designing and expressing your character, and by extension, yourself.
Find out more about the Bastion System in the D&D 5.5E Dungeon Master’s Guide!
