Upgrading a Hamlet/Village/Town/City

Alexander on the discord server was looking for a sort of upgrade/unlock tree for a city and I was procrastinating instead of working on my own stuff, so I did a little bit of work. I started on the Hamlet because his players were starting in one. Future plans for Village, Town, and City and/or Metropolis.

All this business is WIP and meant to be system neutral, I'm sure some of it isn't, but its free. Formatting went wonky, my bad.

Hamlet: A small collection of buildings, probably less than 10. Generally less than 100 community members. This community is too small to have centralized services like a church, market, black smith etc. and thus only produce what they need with no surplus to export. While there may well be farms producing food, and smiths working metal, they'll be reluctant to part with their goods, or to work on non necessities.

Upgrades: To purchase an upgrade for the establishment, the establishment must already exist. The price of each upgrade is ½ the base price of the establishment in your chosen system.

• Church: Hamlet level upgrade. A place of worship, research and healing for the faithful. Unlocks Village upgrades.

1. Initial Creation. Hamlet is upgraded to village, and village level upgrade options are unlocked. Now that your former hamlet isn’t beholden on a nearby village for its worship services, more people will live and do business here
2. Free lodging and meals for the faithful, in exchange for small labor.
3. Clerics/Monks learn and heal at a faster rate within the church.
4. Free and unquestioned mundane healing.
5. Magical healing at a decreased cost.
6. Level 1 Cleric/Healer hirelings.
7. Priest knows 1d4 random divine rights/spells/miracles he can teach you.

• Witch’s Tent: Hamlet level upgrade. A wise man/woman lives a humble life on the edge of town, helping the locals where she can. She may be magical - they certainly think she is, or she may just be mundane and clever. If there isn’t already a wise man/woman in the Hamlet, the initial creation is free, PCs just have to find a would be candidate and help them somehow.

1. Rare herbs: With the delivery of some rare herbs, the witch can now craft the most basic healing potions of your setting and will sell them at a reasonable price.
2. Forgotten Lore: The witch can use this ancient grimoire to unlock the secrets of Detect Magic, Identify, Wizard Vision as the DM and setting allow.
3. Favor for a friend: After completing the witch’s task, the witch can use her art to heal PCs, but at an intangible and possibly terrible price.

• Smithy: Village level upgrade. Creates and repairs metal work.

1. Initial Creation: The Village now has a Smith who can work metal for Villagers. Unlocks Mine and Farm creation.
2. Apprentice hired: Increased production of metal implements unlocks Mine and Farm upgrades #1.
3. Apprentice gains Journeyman Rank: With his increased skill level, the Journeyman Smith can handle all of the Village’s day to day metalwork needs while the Master Smith works on more complicated requests for the Player Characters. Unlocks Farm and Mine upgrades #2
4. Can be brought raw silver ore to forge new silvered weapons against Were Creatures, or to silver coat existing weapons.
5. Can be brought raw iron ore to forge cold iron weapons to use against fey creatures.
6. Can be brought rare ores to forge masterwork weapons and armor.
7. Can teach PCs Apprentice level smithing.
8. Can teach PCs Journeyman level smithing.

• Farms: Village level upgrade, requires Smithy.

1. Initial creation - Smith: Unlocks Market.
2. Increased production - Apprentice: Reduced price basic rations.
3. Increased Production - Smith’s Journeyman: Medium rations available.
4. Increased Production - better farming techniques: Reduced price of Medium rations.
5. Increased Production - PCs magical intervention: Best rations available. Unlocks Trading Post.
6. Increased Production - PCs magical intervention: Reduced price of Best rations.

• Mill: Village Upgrade. A stoneworks building allowing for the processing of crops into grain.

1. Initial Creation. Bread is readily available, increasing the quality of meals.
2. Steam Powered: The mill runs with far less work, just needs someone to load the stove and keep the water tank from emptying.
3. Water Powered: The river now powers the Mill and requires almost zero maintenance.

• Trading Post: Village level upgrade. Larger market, imports and exports goods from farther afield.

1. Initial Creation. Larger size: Increased economic activity unlocks Inn/Tavern
2. Generates cyclical revenue for the town, traders bring goods and are taxed, and then most likely stay in the Inn and drink at the Tavern, if possible. If PCs have vested financial interest in the Trading Post their profits increase by 5% at this level and each level hereafter to a maximum of 20%
3. Greater trade good diversity: Increased access to foreign goods. If PCs are looking for specific goods they have a 1/5/25/75 percent chance to find Legendary/Rare/Uncommon/Common goods at the Trading Post here.
4. Access to foreigners - 1/5/25/75 percent chance they have more information about what the PCs are interested in depending on the rarity of the information.
5. Traveling specialty craftsman such as jewelers, ferriers, leatherworkers, etc. begin to bring their goods, but more importantly their services to this Hamlet previously devoid of such exotics and luxuries.

• Inn/Tavern: Village level upgrade. A place for travelers to eat and to rest increases the importance of the Hamlet in local affairs and trade routes.

1. Initial creation. Unlocks: Stable.
2. Requires Mill. Meals eaten in the tavern function as highest quality rations for the PCs.
3. Generates cyclical revenue for the town, traders bring goods and are taxed, and then most likely stay in the Inn and drink at the Tavern, if possible. If PCs have vested financial interest in the Inn/Tavern their profits increase by 5% at this level and each level hereafter to a maximum of 20%
4. Increased relevance in local affairs, trade and travel in general improves the PCs odds of finding higher quality goods and rumors by 1/2.5/5/10 percent at this level and each level thereafter.
5. Bards! At this level, your Inn/Tavern has a dedicated entertainer who spins tales about the exploits of the PCs. As they travel away from here, the PCs have a 90/80/70… etc. percent chance of locals having heard of them, for better or worse.
6. Requires Stable: The Inn now has luxury rooms and food fit for visiting nobility of regional or less importance.

• Pillory - The stocks, for minor local offenses, and eventually Lashing Post - a singular post or X shaped stand where offenders find their redemption through pain.

1. Initial Creation. Threat of the pillory should decrease crime in the Hamlet by some amount.
2. Additional space for a separate person, further crime reduction.
3. As 2, unlocks Lashing Post.
4. Two additional Lashing Posts, unlocks Village Guard.

• Village Guard: A Small building for the town constabulary, a place for them to eat and sleep,and eventually Jail Cells - temporary holding cells for more violent offenses, and a Gallows - a platform to hang the most heinous offenders on, complete with trap door.

1. Initial Creation. Further reduction in petty crimes, spike in more serious crime, unlocks Jail Cells.
2. Initial Creation of Jail Cells, where prisoners await transport to a larger population center. Unlocks Gallows, for summary execution.
3. One additional cell, initial creation of Gallows.
4. One additional cell, two additional platforms on Gallows.