Inns in Dungeons and Dragons - Old School Role Playing

Inns are an important place for explorers to rest and recover safely from their adventures. Travelers need a place to find shelter while on the road. Food and shelter are two of the most basic necessities of life. It is only natural that these two needs would be as important in Dungeons and Dragons as they are in real life.

Sadly there is little in the Dungeon Master Guide about how to create one of your own for you players to use during their games. There are a few articles on the subject in the Dragon and other sources. This article is about how to build an inn for your own campaign.

Low quality inns often have low quality taverns associated with it

All inns are not alike

Not every inn is the same. Some are intended for different classes of customers. A fine inn might be made for noble born or merchant class individuals. A sleazy dive, however, might be intended for low born peasants. The quality of sleep one gets in an inn might vary greatly.

A high quality inn might have feather beds and luxurious surroundings. A dive might have vermin and bed bugs. Travelers in a poor quality inn might find that everyone sleeps in one common room. A high quality inn might have large private rooms for the patrons. A low quality inn might even be working with the thieves guild to set up patrons for a little thievery.

An article in the Dragon entitled A Room for the Knight suggests that inns should be rated from one star to four. These ratings will indicate the quality of the inn. These ratings will suggest other aspects of the inn in question. This article can be found in Dragon 136 on page 28.

One Star – These are small inns. They are usually located off of dirt roads or alleys. They are often in the seedier part of town. The roof probably leaks. There will be 3-6 small rooms. Beds will consist of floor mats. Doors will rarely have locks. These rooms will usually not have windows. If they do….they will be barred. These inns are usually named after the owner. These inns have no restaurant or tavern but may be located near a tavern.
Two Star – These are located on main roads but in poorer sections of town. Poor villages might also have one. Sometimes these are two stories tall. Typically it will have 5-10 rooms. Beds will be straw mattresses. Usually this sort of inn will have a tavern built into it. But this tavern tends to draw low class individuals and this brings the overall reputation of the place down. Thieves and drifters hang out in this sort of place. No meals are served in either the inn or the tavern. Rarely will the owner be seen. Usually a manager lives on site. Sometimes a bartender runs the entire place. This sort of inn is usually named after a mythical creature or an unusual one. The noise from the tavern often makes sleep difficult in this sort of inn.
Three Star – Wealthy towns will have such an inn. The noble and merchant districts of large cities will also have them. These are usually two story buildings. Sleeping quarters are usually on the upper level. Storage areas, the tavern and employee rooms will be on the lower levels. Typically there will be 10-20 rooms for guests and 3-5 rooms for employees. Beds will be straw or feather. The rooms will have locks and actual windows. Some rooms might even have a desk. These inns are usually run by a manager and are professionally run. Bards will frequently be found in the tavern or lounge area of such an inn. Such inns are usually named after peaceful sounding natural events. or appealing sounding features.
Four Star – These are found only in the wealthiest parts of large cities and towns. They usually are multi-storied. Often they are constructed of stone. Furnishings inside will be of fine oak and other fine materials. The rooms will be large. Mattresses will be feather. Usually rooms will contain desks and wardrobes and other furniture. Rooms will be decorated with fine art. There will usually be a fine restaurant and a stable associated with this sort of inn. Services such as daily cleaning will be included with the price. There will be some sort of security on staff to protect the guests. Names of such inns will indicate high quality or nobility.

Inn layouts

Not every inn is set up the same way either. Some may be only one story. Some might be two or even three stories tall. Most inns will have a common room for the cheapest visitors. Most will have some private rooms. A higher quality inn might have only private rooms.

Many inns will have a tavern attached to it or next door. Some will have a restaurant. And some will have neither.

Most inns will have a place for the owner and workers to live there. Many inns will have a welcome desk where the visitors will meet the owner and pay, in advance, for a room.

Inn Prices

Prices for inns may vary widely from region to region. Competition is one driving factor. If it is the only inn in town it is going to be less competitive about price than a place with many other inns. Suggested prices here are tied to ratings.

One Star – 1 SP per night or 6 SP per week
Two Stars – 10 SP per night or 1 SP for a meal or 3 GP for a week
Three Stars – 5 SP for a meal or 1 GP for a night or 5 GP for a week
Four Stars – 15 SP for a meal or 5 GP for a night or 33 GP for a week

These prices are also from A room for the Knight article in the Dragon. Obviously prices could be higher or lower depending upon circumstances. During a major festival in town the inns might be near full capacity and might charge more. During a drought or plague almost no one would be visiting town and the inns might be desperate for customers.

Inns are important places in Dungeons and Dragons

Travelers and explorers alike need a place for safe shelter. Rest is important in all editions of the game as healing and spell recovery are tied to it. Finding shelter is important and must be considered. While not every inn needs to be designed with extreme detail it is advisable to prepare a list of who might be staying at the inn and the major NPCs that run it.

This inn might seem to be a safe place to stay the night….but is it?

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Choose your inn poorly and you might be sleeping the night like this……

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