Monsters and lairs	Buildings	Definition of terms	Description of building types	Searching for building types
"Empty" buildings	Best of Dragon V	-	Dragon 54	Dragon magazine

“Rough: Includes ruins within up to five miles of the party.” So
reads the Dungeon Masters Guide. And that is virtually all the
AD&D™ rules say about the outdoor companion of the deep,
dark dungeon.

The question arises: Why should a DM include
ruins in a campaign? Dungeons, one may point out, present a
place for players to encounter the fantastic creatures of the
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. I concede that
the dungeon provides a medium for the DM to
present tricks, traps, and monsters, but its scope is still limited.
Many DM’s and players alike scoff at dragons, and similar avian
inhabitants of underground labyrinths. Therefore, the contention
can also be made that ruins are as integral as dungeons to a
well balanced game.

The differences between a dungeon and a razed city are not
world-shattering, but they are significant. The druid character class,
for instance, has much more potential in an outdoor setting such as
a ruin. A ruin may once have had a park that would, in all likelihood,
still thrive. This park, aside from presenting many opportunities
for DM expansion, is ideal for the druid's operations. Other
differences include weather, alleys, and visibility. Storms, cold
winds, or heat waves could change adventuring situations. For
instance, bundling up with warm bulky furs because of freezing
winds may reduce the dexterity or "to hit" figures of a character.
[See DRAGON #108, "The role of nature." -- Editor]

Another unique feature of ruins is the alley. The alley connects
main streets and side streets. This gives the party much
more maneuverability, so they may not be channeled to a certain
place as easily as in a dungeon. Also, the alley can be a
place of adventure and danger for a character. Imagine a fighter
walking through a narrow alley, enshrouded by the shadows of
buildings. Suddenly, he sees a tall, shadow-covered figure ten
feet ahead. As the thing moves closer, he see the sickly green
color of troll skin....

A final important feature of ruins is visibility. The use of
torches will be rare, since the party will rarely enter a devastated
city in the evening or nighttime. Further, most (if not all) buildings
will have windows, and light will usually enter via these
portals. Of course, there are ways to combat this “all-seeing
player” problem. Many windows could be boarded up or covered
with a shade, cutting off light inside the buildings. Outside,
however, the problem is much more complex. If no other logical
means is apparent, a desperate DM could alter the normal
weather patterns. A low, dense fog could curtail the range of
characters’ vision, or dense clouds could obscure the sun. Even
though this can be done, weather patterns should only be allowed
to change normally; a fog doesn’t spring up every time a
character sticks his head out a door.

After deciding to include ruins in his campaign, the DM must
then draw out the destroyed city. Graph paper with one centimeter
equal to ten squares (each small square equal to ten game
yards), is suitable for a large city of, say, 10,000 people. A
smaller scale should probably not be used unless the city is, in
fact, a town. If this is the case, then the town should be completely
designed by the DM, and the charts in this article should be
ignored -they are only for use in large cities Note that, despite
the drawing’s scale, the party should only be allowed to move 10
feet for each 1” of movement rate, and in all other respects as
well the party should use dungeon scale (i.e., each 1” of spell
range equals 10 scale feet, etc.).

The large destroyed city would include several potentially
dangerous places. A graveyard, for instance, is essential. It
could be in the center of the city, or at the outer wall, or even
outside the city in a special cordoned-off burial place. As all
DM’s know, the tombs of the dead often present exciting AD&D
scenarios.

Ruins should also contain a centralized government building.
A palace could serve for a monarchic government, while a large
conference room, with adjoining chambers, could serve for an
oligarchic administration. This central building could presently
be the center of some great malevolent force, or (perhaps) it
could be controlled by a demented ogre mage.

After the DM has finished drawing the destroyed city, he may
notice a couple of ways players may cause trouble. For instance,
an invisible thief may climb a wall, and then, with map and
pencil, proceed to map out the perimeter of the city. Actions like
this can, especially in a large city, cause a DM quite a bit of
consternation. There are ways to deal with this situation, however.
First, as with all problems of this nature, the DM may
disallow it on the basis of game logic, which may include reasons
such as: It would take too much time; it would give too
much information away too easily; and/or it would make an
otherwise enjoyable game into a boring exercise in reality.

A second way to deal with this situation, if the playing session
is almost over, would be to end the session; when the game
resumes, the DM may give out a map of the perimeter of the city
to the party, giving the map-making thief credit for mapping the
perimeter but without making the entire playing group wait
during the tedious process. A DM-provided map should include
some deliberate errors, to approximate mistakes the character(
s) might make if they developed the map themselves. When
the map of the perimeter is drawn, the DM should not also map
any inside part of the city just because players claim they can
see down the roads into the interior. It is advised the DM tell the
players that the roads, even if they extend straight into the
center of the city, will only enable vision from the perimeter for
100 yards into the ruins. The shadows of buildings, the DM may
say, prevents discerning what lies within the middle of the city.

Monsters and lairs

The primary threat to characters in a ruined city will not come
from wandering monsters that may be encountered within, but
from monsters who have lairs inside the city. But how does a DM
choose which monsters will inhabit certain parts of his ruins?

First, the DM should systematically go through the map of his
city, determining which buildings will be the lairs of monsters,
The DM should not, at this time, determine what specific type of
building comprises each monster’s lair. This should be done
when the players are actually aware that it is some creature’s
lair, or at any other time when the party happens to be interested
in knowing the building’s type. To do otherwise would take too
much time for most DM’s (assuming that there are 30 or more
lairs in an average-sized ruin). Note that an avian creature’s lair
should automatically be assumed to be an unusual personal
residence, unless the flying creature is so small that its movement
within a normal building is not impeded by the building’s
internal and external features.

The kind of creatures that should be allowed to have a lair
within a razed city can be determined randomly using the DMG,
choosing the wandering monster chart appropriate to the prevailing
conditions, and then cross-indexing with the “rough
terrain” category. However, this random determination should
not be allowed to be absolute in its decision. Some creatures
cannot lair in buildings, perhaps because they have no lair (e.g.,
wild dogs) or, perhaps because they are incompatible with the
surrounding terrain (e.g., white dragon in a subtropical climate)
or, possibly, because the number of creatures in the lair —which
is always the highest possible “number appearing” that can be
rolled according to the MM — is too great a number
(e.g. a tribe of orcs, which would number 300). A final rule which
must be observed, to offset the fact that the party must always
face a maximum number of creatures in all lairs, is that all lairs
must have treasure. This rule excludes other monsters (those
who do not possess treasure) from lairing in razed cities, an
example being the lion.

Table I
Monsters that may lair within ruins

Anhkheg	Hippogriff	Rakshasa
Ant, Giant	Hydras (all)	Remorhaz
Ape, Carnivorous	Intellect Devourer	Roc
Basilisk	Jackalwere	Rust Monster
Beetle, Giant Boring	Jaguar	Salamander
Beholder	Ki-rin	Satyr
Blink Dog	Lamia	Scorpion, Giant
Brownie	Lammasu	Shadow
Bugbear	Leprechaun	Shambling Mound
Carrion Crawler	Leucrotta	Shedu
Catoblepas	Lich	Slithering Tracker
Centaur	Lizard, Fire	Spectre
Chimera	Lizard, Minotaur	Sphinxes (all)
Cockatrice	Lizard Man	Spiders (all)
Couatl	Lurker Above	Stirge
Displacer Beast	Lycanthropes (all)	Su-monster
Doppleganger	Lynx, Giant	Sylph
Dragons (all)	Manticore	Titan
Dragonne	Medusa	Toad, Ice
Dryad	Minotaur	Trapper
Eagle, Giant	Mummy	Troll
Gargoyle	Naga, Guardian	Vampire
Ghast	Naga, Spirit	Wasp, Giant
Ghost	Nymph	Water Weird
Ghoul	Ogre	Weasel, Giant
Giants (all)	Ogre Mage	Wight
Gorgon	Owl, Giant	Will-o-Wisp
Griffon	Owlbear	Wolf, Winter
Groaning Spirit	Peryton	Wraith
Harpy	Pseudo-dragon	Wyvern
Hell Hound	Purple Worm	Yeti

Buildings

A ruined city is made up of buildings, those still standing and
those that have been leveled. Those buildings that have been
razed are of no particular use to the DM, but this is not true of the
buildings that still stand. They are very useful. Following is a list
of buildings that may be located within a ruins.

Table II: Building Types

d%	Building Type
01	Alchemist
02-05	Armorer
06	Bank
07-09	Barber
10-13	Bowyer
14	Brothel*
15-17	Butcher
18-19	Candlemaker
20-22	Church
23	Ceramic molder
24-26	Clothier
27	Furniture
28-32	General store
33	Glassblower
34-35	Hardware
36	Herbalist
37-41	Hospital
42-46	Hotel
47	Jeweler-gemcutter
48-50	Leatherworker
51-53	Library
54-56	Liquor
57-58	Metal worker
59-60	Nursery
61-70	Private residence
71-74	Produce
75	Sage
76-78	School
79	Sheriff
80	Specialty shop
81-83	Stable
84-87	Swordsmith
88-95	Tavern
96	Theater
97-00	Weaponer

* -- Or roll again.

When the players investigate a building containing a monster,
the DM should determine the building type using the chart
above. Then, using the following explanations, the DM should
describe the building to the group and await their reactions. The
monsters will, of course, behave as the DM sees fit, and, accordingly,
no restrictions will here be placed on their behavior.

Definition of terms

The following is a list of terms used repeatedly in the description
of building types.
 

Term	Definition
Poison	Type A, Ingestive.
Books	See DRAGON #37 — Libraries by Colleen A. Bishop, but ignore the magical tomes, books, and scrolls.
Webs	Webs may be either thin, and go unnoticed, or thick, so that they thoroughly obscure vision. To determine the thickness of a web, roll d4: A result of 1 means total visibility, 2 means that parts of the room are obscure, 3 means that most of the room is covered with webs, and 4 means that the room is encased in webs. The webs can be easily pushed out of the way or burned.
Nothing of value	This term, while meaning that things of monetary value do not exist within a room, does not necessarily indicate that there is nothing useful inside a room. Forks, knives, furs, and pillows are just a few examples of the objects that may be found in a building.

Description of building types

In some of the following descriptions of building types, it is
recommended that certain treasures be placed at designated
locations within a building. These recommendations are meant
only for buildings which serve as the lair of a monster, and,
therefore, they should be ignored under other circumstances
(i.e., when players investigate a building containing no monster),
but any dangerous magic, items should be retained (poison
included). However, if the players have access to this article
(and thus would know that, if the building contains no monster’s
lair, no liquid substance could be of a beneficial nature), the DM
may wish to leave certain beneficial potions within the building.
It is important that the DM realize that any magic items recom-
mended in the listings below are in addition to those that may be
part of a monster’s hoard.
    [Note that the following are only examples, not rules for laying
out buildings. A bank can be only one story tall, and an alchemist
could live in a grass hut on the edge of town. Be creative and don't
be compelled to stick to these as rules. -- Editor]

Alchemist: The residence in which an alchemist would once
have lived is a round tower (90%) or a normal building (10%).
The height of a normal building is always three stories, but the
height of a tower is 4-6 stories. Normally, the tower has less floor
space than a normal building, and, thus, the structures’ volumes
are approximately equal.
The first story of an alchemist’s residence/workshop will usually
be barren of furnishings, save for a series of small braziers
that will typically line the walls. They were, at one time, used to
burn incense. There should also be a torch holder somewhere
on the walls. A spiral staircase (in the center of the room if a
tower and in the corner of the room if a normal building) will lead
to the second story.
The second story should contain shelves, overturned tables,
chairs, broken vases, shattered urns, and a single window (two if
in a normal building). There is a 10% chance that there will be a
small cubbyhole set into the wall that contains 1-6 potions.
There is a 25% chance that any given potion will be poison, and a
75% chance that it is a beneficial magical potion (use the random
determination chart in the DMG). The spiral staircase
should continue upward into the chambers above.
The third floor is the living chambers of the alchemist. A
sundered bed, dresser, and desk should be found here, as well
as shelves of books (if within a normal building). If the residence.
is a tower, then the fourth and fifth stories contain books. The
sixth story, if it exists, should contain 1-10 flasks, 2-7 small
plates, a basin, 1-4 jugs, 2 measuring devices, and two tables
(upon which sit the furnishings listed above). There is a 25%
chance that all of the materials found in such a place are broken
and useless, and only a 10% chance of successfully locating a
particular (undamaged) item being sought, if it is determined
that some undamaged items do exist on the premises.

Armorer: The abode of an armorer ranges from one to two
stories in height. In the case of a one-story building, 80% of the
floor space should be partitioned off for a work area. The majority
of this space will be taken up by the armorer’s tools, now
broken and useless. An anvil (or two), hammers, a bellows, a
forge (once used for softening metals), and tongs should be just
a few of the things still within the room. There should also be
some rusted suits of mail. Any character with the secondary skill
of armorer may, at the DM’s discretion, find a sufficient number
of usable tools to repair any damage in the armor worn by
members of the group. The section of the room that has been
partitioned off from the main room is the living quarters of the
armorer. These two rooms may be joined by a door or by an
open hall. The armorer’s quarters will have been looted, and
nothing of value should be found within it.
If the building is two stories in height, then the first story is not
partitioned off and consists entirely of the tools of the armorer
(in this case there will be two anvils and, perhaps, two forges).
Somewhere in the room there should be a staircase leading to
the second story. The second story is the former armorer’s
quarters. There may be a set of magical mail within this room
(10% chance). If a set of magical mail exists, then there is a 50%
chance it is Ring Mail +1 and a 50% chance it is Ring Mail of
Vulnerability (tests as +1 armor, actually acts as -2;
see Plate Mail of Vulnerability, DMG p. 165). Other than the magical mail
that may be within the room, nothing of value remains inside the
upper story.

Bank: Banks range from 2-6 (d10/2+1) stories in height. The
first story should contain desks, chairs, tables, and countertops.
This is where the normal business of the bank took place. There
should be a spiral staircase at the back of the room that leads to
the upper stories. The second story, and every additional story
thereafter (up to the max. # determined by the dice),
contains a huge VAULT. Each vault has a chance of still being
intact (varying with how high it is from ground level) and, if it is,
there is an additional chance that it contains coins, according to
the following table:
 

Height in  stories	Vault  intact %	Copper*  (% & #)	Silver* (% & #)	Gold* (% & #)
2	40%	80%, 10,000	30%, 1,000	0%, 0
3	50%	70%, 8,000	30%, 1,200	10%, 300
4	60%	60%, 6,000	40%, 1,500	50%, 500
5	80%	20%, 2,000	60%, 4,000	80%, 1,000
6	90%	0%, 0	60%, 6,000	95%, 4,000

*— If the vault is intact — and, of course, if the bank is a
monster’s lair — then there is a chance (as listed) that it will
contain the specified number of coins of each type.
All vaults are extremely hard to open, some of them being
virtually impregnable (thus, their high chance of being intact
even amidst the ruins). The chance for a givenm thief to open the
lock on a bank vault is computed by multiplying the height of the
vault (in stories) by 20, and subtracting that number from the
thief’s normal percentage chance to open a lock. Thus, a 17thlevel
dwarven thief with a dextereity of 17, who would have an
adjusted open-locks chance of 119% for normal locks, has only
a 49% chance of cracking a third-story vault, and no chance to
open a vault on the sixth story, because the adjustment for the
vault’s height (6x20=120) is greater than 119.
Vaults withstand damage in structural points equal to their
height in stories; Knock spells will not work on vault doors.

Barber: The barbershop of old was a simple place, always
one-storied and modestly furnished. Nothing of value should
remain within the building, but there should be a few chairs and
washbasins still inside the structure.

Bowyer: The bowyer’s workshop is 2 or 3 stories in height. The
first story was once the workplace of the bowyer. It should
contain rotted wood, partially finished bows and arrows, and a
completed bow or two. The condition of the completed bows
depends on where they have been stored. If left out in the open,
they are surely ruined, but if stored behind a glass case (for
instance), they may be in good condition. The DM should decide,
depending on the weapon needs of the adventuring group,
whether the bows are ruined or not. There should be a staircase
leading to the second story.
The second story was, at one time, the residence of the bowyer.
It should be in decent condition, but nothing of value should
be found within the lodging. However, the third floor, it it exists,
could prove very useful to the characters, for it was once the
storage house for the bowyer. As the characters throw open the
trap door to the third floor, they should see lots of webs. After
clearing the webs away (if they choose to do so), the group will
behold a storehouse of 20-120 arrows in good condition and 1-6
usable (unstrung) bows. There should be an additional number
of bows and arrows that are rotted and useless, equal to 100%
and 200%, respectively, of the number of usable items found.

Brothel: If the city that is now in ruins had a moral fabric that
would not permit a building of this sort to exist within its boundaries,
then the DM may either reroll on the building type table
or limit to one the # of brothels found within the ruins.
The brothel will range from 2-7 stories in height. The first floor
contains a reception area (with once-beautiful tapestries and
cushions that are now rotted and moldy) and a kitchen area. The
upper stories contain bedrooms, often covered with webs.
There is a 10% chance for each room that there is a secret
cubbyhole (detected as a secret passage) containing either
(25%) a potion or (75%) 10-60 gold pieces. The potion is poison
(25%) or a random potion from the DMG (75%). Nothing else of
value should be found within the brothel.

Butcher: A butcher shop is always one story in height, and it
contains a food locker as well as a table for cutting meat. A
counter divides the front of the interior from the back. The back
of the room contains the table and butcher knives (now rusted)
that were once used in cutting meat. A small food locker, once
kept cold by blocks of ice, also lies in the back of the room.
Nothing else of value is within the building.

Candlemaker: A candlemaker’s shop is one (75%) or two
(25%) stories in height. The first story contains a counter, as do
most shops, separating the room into two parts. The back part of
the room contains instruments, unmelted wax, tables, tallow,
and wood to make incense, torches, and, of course, candles.
There will be from 1-10 usable pieces of incense, torches and/or
candles within the room, and there will also be a great number of
potentially usable items yet unfinished. Webs will cling to the
walls, and nothing else of value will be in the room. The second
story, if it exists, is the living quarters of the candlemaker, but
nothing of value will be found within it.

Church: A church is large and impressive; its height should
be from 7-10 stories. The first story was once the site of all
church ceremonies, and this should be reflected in the grandeur
of its windows and woodworks. A few of the windows may still
be unbroken, and much of the woodwork should still show its
one-time beauty. The double doors to the church should open
onto rows of pews facing an altar. A podium should rest upon
the altar, and there may be a golden candelabra (10% chance),
valued at 500 gold pieces, yet within the room (lying on a table
near the altar), The candelabra may be cursed (25% chance) to
shock any character for 1-8 points of damage each round it is
touched or held (a Remove Curse will cancel the curse, but not
restore lost hit points). There may also be 1-6 silver crosses
beside the altar (25% chance). There will be a door to the right of
the altar, against the back wall of the church, that leads to both a
conference chamber (which the church once used to coordinate
its activities) and a stairway to the upper floors.
The second through sixth stories contain the rooms that were
once the living quarters of the clergymen, but they will now be
empty save for the room’s furniture. There is a 10% chance (for
each story containing living quarters) that 100 gold pieces will
be found, providing that the players spend one hour searching
each story (if there are monsters within the church, then this
searching would give them the opportunity to strike at the group
when the-characters are least prepared)
The seventh through tenth stories were once storage places
for the magic items gathered and made by the church. A series
of spiral staircases should provide the means of ascent, each
staircase ending at the door to the next story. Each door should
have a Glyph of Warding on it (which one is the DM’s decision).
Every floor that exists has a chance to contain magic items, of
the sort usable by clerics, according to the following table:
 
 

Height in stories	Chance for magic items	Type of magic item and #
7	10	Potions (1-8)
8	15	Shields (1-2)
9	20	Weapons (1-4)
10	25	Miscellaneous (1-2)

There is an 80% chance that any magic item found is of a
harmful (to the owner/finder) nature, with specifics to be determined
by the DM, using the DMG, and a 20% chance that each
item is of a beneficial nature. The DM should not place magical
maces or shields of greater than +1 enchantment within the
church, because the clerics would not have left them behind
when they left the city. (The rationale for any magic items being
present at all is that the church had so many possessions to take
that something had to be left behind). There should be a bell
located at the top of the church, reachable only by ascending to
the top story.

Ceramic molder: The height of a ceramic molder’s building is
one to two stories (50% chance of each). The first story is the
workshop, containing the remnants of tools, a potter’s wheel,
and ceramic molds. The second story, if it exists, was once the
living quarters of the owner. Neither the first nor the second
stories have anything of value.

Clothier: The height of a clothier’s building ranges from 2-4
stories. The first story contains empty racks of clothes, webs,
and uncurtained dressing booths. Nothing of value exists within
the room. The upper stories each have a 25% chance of containing
some clothes that are in good condition, and the upper levels
will also contain a great amount of rotted and moth-eaten
clothes. There are webs within the upper stories, and nothing
else of value will be found.

Furniture: A furniture building is always two stories in height.
The first story contains many (10-40, depending on the floor
area of the building) different kinds of chairs, couches, tables,
and desks, as well as a few other smaller pieces of furniture.
Most of these finely carved pieces of furniture are rotted and
useless, but a very few of them (10% of the total number of items
in the room) are in good condition. Their monetary value, if any,
should be determined by the DM. A nearly vertical flight of stairs
should lead to a trap door which opens onto the floor of the
second story. The second story should contain all kinds of
furniture, but all of it is decayed and worthless. Webs are present
on both stories, and nothing of value (except what has already
been mentioned) is of any value.

General store: General stores are always one story in height.
The building should contain a sampling of all kinds of normally
salable things, but most of them will have been rotted, rusted, or
decayed away long ago. The building will contain webs, and
nothing of value will be found within the store.

Glassblower: A glassblower’s shop is always one story in
height. It should contain a furnace, great amounts of unformed
glass, tubes, and tools with which to form the glass. Broken
glass should be found all about the room, but there may also be
(at the DM’s discretion) a couple of unshattered sheets of glass.
Webs will hang from the walls, and nothing else found will be of
any value.

Hardware: A hardware store is always one story in height. It
should contain several shelves of nuts, bolts, screws, hammers,
saws, and assorted kinds of equipment. Most of these tools will
be rusted and worthless, but despite their loss of monetary
value, many of them will still be able to perform their functions.
Webs should be found everywhere within the building.

Herb: A herb shop is always two stories in height. The first
floor contains, as might be expected, bottles of herbs sitting
upon shelves. Many of the bottles will be broken, but there is a
25% chance for any given herb that the shop contains a unbroken
container with a potent amount of the herb in question. The
second story once contained the living quarters of the herbalist,
but it, as well as most of the first story, now contains nothing of
value. Webs can be found throughout both stories.

Hospital: The height of a hospital ranges from 2-5 stories. All
of the floors contain small rooms within which patients were
once housed (two cots in each room). Many different kinds of
doctors’ instruments should be able to be found within dressers
that are located upon every story, but any medicines that may
once have existed will have long since turned bad (85% chance
that any medicine sampled is poison). Webs will be found on the
walls and ceilings, and nothing of value will be found within the
hospital.

Hotel: The height of a hotel ranges from 3-10 stories. The first
story should contain a large living room, a kitchen, and a dining
hall. Many things of interest may remain within the rooms of the
first floor, but nothing of value will be able to be found. All of the
upper stories contain rooms, now in very bad condition. There
may be a pack of 11-20 rats in the upper levels of the building, if
the DM so desires. With the exception of a few pieces of unrotted
furniture, nothing of value should be found inside the rooms of
the upper stories. Webs will be found everywhere within the
building.

Jeweler-gemcutter: A jeweler’s store is always two stories in
height. The first story should contain a work table, many delicate
tools, display cabinets (now empty but once filled with
jewelry), a few chairs, a once-luxurious (but now moth-eaten)
couch, and a flight of stairs leading to the second story. Aside
from what has already been mentioned, there should be nothing
of any value on the first floor.
The second story was once the living quarters of the jeweler. It
should contain a bed, a dresser, and several shelves of books.
The room should also contain a large safe. The lock to the safe,
being a complex combination lock, should take one turn for a
thief to attempt to open locks upon it. It is recommended that
there be a 10% chance for the safe to contain 1-6 gems (randomly
determined according to the DMG). Webs should fill both
stories, and nothing of value except for the safe should be found
on the second floor of the building.

Leatherworker: A leatherworker’s shop is always one story in
height. It should contain several piles of rotted leather, a couple
of chairs and tables, and the necessary tools for shaping leather.
Webs will be found throughout the room, and nothing of value
should be found in the building.

Library:

The height of a library ranges from 2-4 stories. Webs
are prevalent throughout the building, and many of the books
are in disarray. All of the stories contain many shelves of books,
but the first floor also contains a catalog of the books in the
library. Any character may use the catalog to look up a book on a
certain subject, but the amount of time (in minutes) to find a
listing in the catalog is equal to the character’s INT
subtracted from 20. After a book’s approximate location is determined
by use of the catalog, the character still must search
the proper shelf to find it. At this point, the DM should roll to see
if the book has been lost or stolen (35% chance of its not being
on the premises), or misplaced (15% chance of being in the
library, but not where the catalog indicates). Except for locating
it by magical means, a book misplaced within the library is as
good as lost. The kind of books that may be located within the
library is for the DM to decide, but it is recommended that
nothing pertaining to monsters’ lairs, and the like, be allowed
(i.e., only topics of a “normal” nature should be permitted to be
found on a library’s shelves). Aside from its books, the library
contains nothing of value.

Liquor: A liquor store is always one story in height. It should
contain several shelves laden with bottles of liquor and other
beverages, some bottles broken or opened and some intact.
Bottles of liquid that are still intact, and properly sealed, will be
drinkable. Otherwise, the liquid will act as quarter-strength poison
Webs will be found within the building, and nothing of value
(save for the liquor) should be found within the store.

Metal worker: A metal worker’s building is always one story in
height. Except for an anvil, a few hammers, a furnace, a couple
of sheets of metal, and some half-finished metal items, the
building contains nothing of value. Webs will be found throughout
the building.

Nursery: A nursery is always one story in height. It is usually a
greenhouse (90%), but occasionally it is a stone building with
many windows (10%). In all likelihood (90%), the plants within
the nursery will have long since died, but it is possible (10%) that
most of the plants will have survived by extending their roots
into the ground. If the plants have survived, the entire nursery
will be filled with greenery, but if the plants have died, nothing
but webs will fill the room. Nothing of value should be found
within the building.

Private Residence: Private residences are divided into normal
residences (90%) and unusual residences (10%). Normal private
residences range from 1-4 stories in height. They should contain
the usual furnishings a home would have, although much of
the furniture will be in poor condition. Webs should be found
throughout.
Unusual private residences are also filled with webs. They
contain nothing of value except what is mentioned in the descriptions
below. The following table determines the specific
kind of unusual residence that the party has happened upon.
 

d% roll	Former owner
01-10	Magic-user/Illusionist
11-40	Politician
41-00	Merchant

Magic-user/Illusionist: The height of a magician’s residence
ranges from 7-10 stories, and the building is always a round
tower. The first six stories consist of the former living quarters of
the magician (there is a 70% chance that the tower was a magicuser‘
s and a 30% chance it was an illusionist’s). If the owner was
once a magic-user, there is a 95% chance for any given door to
be Wizard Locked, but if the owner was an illusionist, everything
should appear very luxurious (an illusion, of course), and there
may be traps disguised by illusions (at the DM’s discretion). The
living quarters should include an extensive library. The lower six
stories have no apparent windows, but air is circulated within
the tower (probably magically). The upper stories contain many
ornate windows and elaborate decorations that were once the
trappings for many important and entertaining parties. The
highest story, as well as being luxuriously decorated, should
also contain a second desk (the first being located between
stories one and six) which might contain some important papers
(to be decided by the DM). The DM may wish to include a magic
item or two among the 1-6 potions (50% chance for each to be
poison) that should be somewhere within the tower.

Politician: A politician’s home is 4 or 5 stories high. It is usually
constructed of expensive wood, and it will have at least one
terrace. The first story was once the living room, and the second
and third stories were once the living quarters. The fourth floor
was once the kitchen and dining area, while the fifth, if it existed,
was another living room (parties were once given on this floor,
so there should be a library and a bar somewhere within it). If the
DM wishes, there may be a few valuable items yet inside the
building (up to a total of 1,000 gold pieces worth), but they
should be extremely hard to transport (e.g., a large stone
statue).

Merchant: A merchant’s abode ranges from 5-10 stories in
height and is composed of stone. It should have either a terrace
on every floor higher than the first, or several circular platforms
that extend out from the sides of the building, supported by
stone beams (each angled at twenty degrees up from the horizontal).
The stone beams are structurally sound, and each one of
them can take one full structural point in damage before collapsing
to the ground. Each stone beam also serves as a flight of
stairs to its circular platform (steps have been cut into its skyward
face). The circular platforms are formed of stone, and they
range from 5-20 feet in diameter. A three-foot-high wall of stone
surrounds each platform everywhere but where the stairs provide
entry onto the platform.
The first four stories of the building are the living quarters of
the merchant. They should contain lavishly furnished suites, a
large library, and several washrooms. The upper stories contain
many well decorated rooms, a large dining hall, a kitchen, and
another extensive library. The upper stories once served as the
location for many parties and social functions (the key to success
for any merchant). There may be, at the DM’s discretion, a
total of 2,000 gold pieces worth of antiques within the building
(in the form of hard-to-move objects, as with the politician’s
home).

Produce: A produce “building” is not really a building at all,
but an outdoor marketplace. Several large stalls should form the
perimeter of the marketplace, and within the AREA nearly entirely
surrounded by the large stalls there should be an additional
number of smaller stalls. All of these stalls once held fresh
vegetables && fruits, but these natural foods have long since
rotted away. Nothing of value should remain near or around the
marketplace. A produce “building” should only be allowed to be
the lair of monsters that are either very few in number or very
small in size.

Sage: The height of a sage’s home is from 5-7 stories. The
building is always made of stone, and there are no windows on
the third floor or below it; above that point, they are prevalent
but vision in and out is blocked by webs. The first story once
served as the reception room for the sage’s customers. It should
contain the decayed remains of beautiful pieces of furniture and
similar items. The second and third stories contain a very extensive
library of tomes that are all beyond the comprehension of
most characters who attempt to read them. A character with 18
intelligence has a 30% chance of knowing what a certain book is
about (up to a limit of 5 books) and if the subject matter is
understood, there is a 25% chance that the character will be able
to learn something substantial by a close examination of a
passage or chapter. Most of the books will be moldy, unreadable,
and valueless; however, a few tomes (from 10-40 in an
average-sized library) will still be valuable. If transported to a
city of 5,000 or more people, the books that are in good condition
will bring a total of from 500-5,000 gold pieces. The floors
above the third served as the sage’s quarters, but they now
contain nothing of any value.

School: The height of a school building ranges from 2-4 stories,
and webs should be found within it. All of the floors are
identical in construction, each having a few large classrooms.
Nothing of value should be found within the building.

Sheriff: A sheriff’s office is always one story in height, but it
will also have a dungeon (jail) beneath it. The dungeon, damp
and web-filled, should be from one to four levels deep. At one
time it served to incarcerate prisoners, but its chains and cells
now hold nothing but the remains of a few bodies. The office
itself should have a desk and a few chairs, but nothing of any real
value should be found within it.

Specialty shop: All specialty shops are one story in height,
contain webs, and should have nothing of value within them.
The DM may choose from businesses dealing in such things as
hats, glassware, antiques, clocks, figurines, and pets, as well as
pawn shops and other types that provide a special service.

Stable: A stable is always a large, one-storied building. Its
web-filled interior will contain many fair-sized stalls and a
number of blacksmith’s tools (i.e., a furnace, many hammers,
and an anvil), but the stable should contain nothing of any real
value.

Swordsmith: A swordsmith’s smithy is always one story in
height. It should contain a furnace, a number of hammers, and
an anvil, as well as a few swords that are in good enough
condition to use; however, each sword found here has a 5%
chance (cumulative) of breaking every time it scores a hit upon
an opponent. Aside from what has been mentioned,
nothing of value should be found within the building.

Tavern: A tavern is from 1-3 stories in height. Its first story was
once the restaurant/bar, while its upper stories (if any) once
contained rooms that were cheap (both in quality and money
charged for rent). A pack of 5-20 giant rats may, at the DM’s
discretion, be found within these rooms. Nothing of value will be
found within the building.

Theater: A theater is usually (80%) two stories high, otherwise
one story, and nothing of value should be found within it. A
theater is essentially an auditorium with a stage, and there
should be a few box seats (on the second level, if there is one)
overlooking the stage. A theater is typically not huge, and it
would not be unusual for one to contain only 50 seats, though
100 seats is an average capacity.

Weaponer: A weaponer’s shop is always one story in height. It
should contain a furnace, a couple of hammers, an anvil, and
woodcutting tools. There should be a few (non-sword and nonbow)
weapons that are still in usable condition, with a 5% cumulative
chance of breaking, as with those found in a swordsmith’s
shop. Nothing else of value exists within the building.

Searching for building types

Eventually, whether or not they read this article, players will
evince interest in SEARCHING for a specific building type. They
may wish to find a sword; thus, they will tell the DM that they are
passing by all buildings which do not appear to be a swordsmith’s
shop. How should the DM handle this situation? The
table below can be used to determine how long it will take a
party to find the desired building type, and to determine the ratio
of people to the number of buildings of the specific type in
question. Thus, in a city which had a population of 10,000 before
it fell into ruin. there would be approximately 10 alchemist’s
shops to be found, and locating any one of them would take an
average of 10 turns of searching.

Table III: Searching for building type
 

Building type	# turns to locate	People to buildings
Alchemist	10	1,000 to 1
Armorer	6	600 to 1
Bank	10	1,000 to 1
Barber	7	700 to 1
Bowyer	6	600 to 1
Brothel	10	1,000 to 1
Butcher	7	700 to 1
Candlemaker	8	800 to 1
Church	7	1 per religion
Ceramic molder	10	1,000 to 1
Clothier	7	700 to 1
Furniture	10	1,000 to 1
General store	5	500 to 1
Glassblower	10	1,000 to 1
Hardware	8	800 to 1
Herbalist	10	1,000 to 1
Hospital	5	500 to 1
Hotel	5	500 to 1
Jeweler-gemcutter	10	1,000 to 1
Leatherworker	7	700 to 1
Library	7	700 to 1
Liquor	7	700 to 1
Metal worker	8	800 to 1
Nursery	8	800 to 1
Private Residence	1	10 to 1
Produce	6	600 to 1
Sage	10	1,000 to 1
School	7	700 to 1
Sheriff	10	1,000 to 1
Specialty shop	10	1,000 to 1
Stable	7	700 to 1
Swordsmith	6	600 to 1
Tavern	2	200 to 1
Theater	10	1,000 to 1
Weaponer	6	600 to 1

"Empty" buildings
As a final note, if characters regularly enter buildings that do
not contain monsters’ lairs, the DM may wish to begin rolling for
a wandering monster encounter (using the normal percentage
chance for an encounter within the ruins) every time the group
enters an unoccupied building. The monster could be hiding
within the room (if it heard the approach of the group) or it might
be in an upper story and, hearing the group searching beneath
it, would attack when the situation is most advantageous. In any
case, the additional risk of encountering a monster should make
characters think twice before entering unoccupied buildings.