TEXT: 1
  BUILDING A CITY 
  A Web Enhancement for the
  DUNGEON MASTER's Guide v.3.5"
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  Penny Williams
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  Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game by E.
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  If you plan to run an extended adventure—or even a
  whole campaign—in an urban environment, it’s impor-
  tant to put some time and effort into describing the
  details of your city. Chapter 5 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s
  Guide for D&D v.3.5 provides a basic framework for
  describing some key features of a city, such as its power
  centers, assets, and highest-level nonplayer characters.
  This web enhancement expands that basic system into
  one that is more complex, but well worth the extra work
  in terms of the payoff for running a city-based campaign.
  The basic unit of this city construction system is the
  district. A district is roughly equivalent to a modern city
  block or a small neighborhood. On average, a district
  represents about 500 people, though some districts (such
  as tenements) have a higher population density than
  others (such as noble estates). Because a district is so
  large, this system is unsuitable for use with smaller set-
  tlements. A district has its own population number, gp
  limit, assets, important NPCs, and character, or “feel.”
  It’s much easier for both the Dungeon Master and
  the players to think about a metropolis made up of
  eighty districts than to contemplate a teeming popula-
  tion of 39,761 individuals. The city structure becomes
  even easier to deal with if you assume that wards or
  neighborhoods are just clusters of identical districts.
  Thus, a metropolis might have a dozen wards: water-
  front, noble’s villas, shantytowns, merchant’s quarter,
  temple quarter, and so on.
  As a starting point, use twenty districts for a small
  city, forty for a large city, and eighty for a metropolis. If
  you need to, you can always add more districts, but the
  total population number you get by doing that may
  bump your city up a size category. Types of districts are
  given on Table 1–1: District Types.
  DISTRICT DESCRIPTIONS
  Each district’s description includes the following key
  information.
  Buildings:This entry details what sorts of buildings
  might be found in the district. See Example Buildings
  sidebar for businesses common to certain building types.
  First Impression: This entry consists of a sen-
  tence or two that describes the flavor or feel of the dis-
  trict—that is, what sorts of sights, sounds, and smells
  characters are likely to notice while casually passing
  through it. 
  Social Class: This entry denotes the social class of
  the residents (upper, middle, or lower). 
  
  2
  Table 1–1: District Types
  Low Population
  Total
  District Type
  Pop.
  Bbn
  Brd
  Clr
  Drd
  Ftr
  Mnk
  Pal
  Rgr
  Rog
  Sor
  Wiz
  Adp
  Ari
  Com
  Exp
  War
  Civic district
  350
  —
  3
  3
  —
  8
  —
  1
  —
  8
  2
  3
  2
  10
  232
  30
  48
  Civic district, ruined
  350
  —
  2
  4
  —
  8
  —
  —
  —
  8
  2
  4
  4
  4
  249
  25
  40
  Elf neighborhood
  350
  —
  2
  2
  2
  8
  —
  —
  2
  7
  1
  4
  2
  4
  241
  30
  45
  Embassy district
  350
  —
  3
  4
  —
  9
  1
  1
  1
  9
  2
  4
  2
  50
  230
  14
  20
  Finance district
  350
  —
  2
  3
  —
  5
  —
  1
  —
  10
  2
  3
  —
  10
  249
  50
  15
  Fine shops
  350
  —
  —
  —
  6
  —
  —
  —
  12
  4
  6
  3
  6
  243
  50
  20
  Lord’s keep
  350
  —
  3
  5
  —
  20
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  20
  197
  30
  75
  Lord’s keep, vacant
  350
  —
  3
  3
  —
  10
  —
  —
  —
  8
  —
  —
  —
  4
  257
  25
  40
  Magic district
  350
  —
  4
  5
  2
  6
  —
  —
  —
  7
  6
  8
  8
  6
  208
  35
  55
  Noble estates
  350
  —
  3
  —
  —
  17
  —
  3
  —
  5
  —
  —
  —
  40
  207
  30
  45
  Park district
  350
  —
  2
  3
  2
  6
  1
  1
  2
  7
  1
  3
  4
  5
  258
  25
  30
  University
  350
  —
  5
  6
  1
  6
  2
  1
  —
  6
  3
  6
  5
  10
  239
  30
  30
  Wealthy residential
  350
  —
  2
  3
  —
  8
  —
  1
  —
  7
  2
  4
  2
  15
  226
  30
  50
  Average Population
  Total
  District Type
  Pop.
  Bbn
  Brd
  Clr
  Drd
  Ftr
  Mnk
  Pal
  Rgr
  Rog
  Sor
  Wiz
  Adp
  Ari
  Com
  Exp
  War
  Average residential
  450
  1
  3
  4
  1
  9
  1
  1
  1
  9
  2
  4
  4
  4
  341
  25
  40
  Dwarf neighborhood
  450
  3
  1
  4
  —
  18
  —
  1
  —
  7
  1
  1
  2
  4
  318
  30
  60
  Garrison
  450
  1
  2
  4
  —
  14
  1
  2
  1
  6
  2
  3
  1
  8
  230
  25
  150
  Gnome neighborhood
  450
  —
  2
  3
  1
  10
  —
  —
  1
  10
  2
  6
  4
  2
  344
  25
  40
  Guildhall district
  450
  —
  3
  —
  —
  6
  —
  —
  —
  12
  2
  3
  —
  5
  329
  50
  40
  Guildhall district, former
  450
  —
  5
  —
  —
  12
  —
  —
  —
  12
  2
  3
  —
  2
  324
  50
  40
  Halfling encampment
  450
  —
  2
  4
  1
  12
  —
  —
  1
  16
  2
  1
  4
  2
  340
  25
  40
  Marketplace
  450
  1
  4
  3
  —
  9
  1
  1
  1
  12
  1
  3
  6
  —
  338
  30
  40
  Professionals
  450
  —
  2
  3
  1
  8
  —
  1
  —
  11
  3
  7
  5
  6
  323
  50
  30
  Shops
  450
  —
  3
  5
  1
  9
  1
  —
  —
  11
  2
  4
  5
  —
  359
  35
  15
  Temple district
  450
  —
  3
  16
  5
  9
  4
  3
  2
  5
  3
  5
  10
  5
  290
  35
  55
  High Population
  Total
  District Type
  Pop.
  Bbn
  Brd
  Clr
  Drd
  Ftr
  Mnk
  Pal
  Rgr
  Rog
  Sor
  Wiz
  Adp
  Ari
  Com
  Exp
  War
  Adventurer’s quarter
  550
  5
  9
  12
  5
  25
  2
  2
  3
  25
  4
  8
  10
  2
  338
  40
  60
  Anglers’ wharf
  550
  —
  —
  2
  —
  8
  —
  —
  —
  8
  —
  —
  6
  —
  490
  16
  20
  Apartment homes
  550
  2
  3
  4
  1
  11
  1
  1
  1
  13
  2
  5
  5
  —
  446
  20
  35
  Caravan district
  550
  4
  5
  3
  1
  12
  2
  —
  2
  15
  3
  5
  4
  4
  405
  25
  60
  Goblinoid ghetto
  550
  5
  —
  3
  —
  10
  —
  —
  —
  8
  —
  —
  4
  —
  425
  15
  80
  Inn district
  550
  2
  8
  3
  1
  9
  1
  1
  2
  16
  2
  6
  5
  5
  439
  30
  20
  Red light district
  550
  4
  8
  2
  —
  9
  —
  —
  —
  16
  2
  3
  5
  —
  426
  25
  50
  Shantytown
  550
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  4
  —
  —
  2
  —
  542
  —
  2
  Slave quarter
  550
  2
  —
  —
  —
  12
  —
  —
  —
  8
  —
  —
  —
  —
  483
  25
  20
  Slum
  550
  2
  1
  1
  —
  8
  —
  —
  —
  12
  1
  —
  8
  —
  480
  5
  32
  Tannery district
  550
  2
  2
  1
  1
  10
  —
  —
  —
  15
  2
  1
  6
  —
  455
  25
  30
  Tavern district
  550
  2
  8
  3
  —
  9
  —
  —
  1
  16
  2
  3
  4
  —
  437
  25
  40
  Tenement district
  550
  3
  3
  4
  1
  11
  —
  —
  1
  16
  2
  3
  5
  —
  471
  10
  20
  Theater district
  550
  —
  7
  —
  —
  12
  —
  —
  —
  15
  —
  —
  4
  —
  442
  30
  40
  Undercity
  550
  4
  2
  5
  —
  16
  1
  —
  1
  24
  3
  6
  8
  2
  403
  25
  50
  Warehouse district
  550
  —
  2
  —
  —
  12
  —
  —
  —
  24
  —
  —
  5
  —
  437
  20
  50
  Waterfront district
  550
  2
  5
  3
  1
  12
  1
  1
  —
  16
  1
  2
  5
  —
  436
  25
  40
  Special
  Total
  District Type
  Pop.
  Bbn
  Brd
  Clr
  Drd
  Ftr
  Mnk
  Pal
  Rgr
  Rog
  Sor
  Wiz
  Adp
  Ari
  Com
  Exp
  War
  Remnant neighborhood
  45
  —
  —
  2
  —
  4
  —
  —
  —
  4
  —
  1
  —
  —
  15
  4
  15
  Immigrant enclave
  70
  —
  —
  7
  —
  6
  —
  —
  1
  2
  —
  20
  —
  —
  15
  4
  15
  Necropolis
  100
  —
  —
  5
  —
  5
  1
  —
  —
  5
  1
  2
  2
  —
  66
  8
  5
  Boat town
  350
  —
  —
  1
  1
  8
  —
  —
  —
  8
  —
  —
  4
  —
  314
  8
  6
  Coliseum/Arena
  350
  4
  3
  2
  —
  24
  2
  —
  2
  8
  2
  1
  4
  —
  208
  10
  80
  Prison district
  350
  3
  1
  1
  —
  18
  —
  —
  —
  12
  —
  —
  4
  —
  216
  15
  80
  
  3
  District Type: Some districts, such as a water-
  front or shop district, represent neighborhoods that
  have many similar types of buildings. Others, such as a
  lord’s keep or a garrison, may feature single buildings
  or complexes that occupy an entire district and house
  large numbers of residents and staff. 
  Total Pop.: This figure represents the total popula-
  tion of the district. The remaining columns (Bbn, Brd,
  Clr, and so forth) show how many single-class charac-
  ters of each character class (both PC and NPC classes)
  dwell in the district. Temple districts have many cler-
  ics, obviously, while most aristocrats are found in
  upper-class districts.
  LOW POPULATION DISTRICTS
  The districts with the lowest populations tend to be
  upper or middle class. They often feature fine landscap-
  ing and ornate buildings.
  Civic District
  The day-to-day business of governing the city is carried
  out from the offices in this district, which is usually
  dominated by one massive government building.
  Buildings: Council hall, bureaucratic offices,
  monument/memorial, guardpost, temple (Heironeous,
  Pelor, or St. Cuthbert), upscale lodging (4), upscale
  food (6), exotic trades (10), upscale trades (15), average
  trades (15), upscale services (15).
  First Impression: Robed bureaucrats scurry
  from appointment to appointment, and nobles travel
  with their retinues. The main building is a stately struc-
  ture with plenty of statuary and inscriptions.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Civic District, Ruined
  This district is like the one above, except that the rulers
  of the city have abandoned the massive structure that
  once dominated the area.
  Buildings: Council hall (vacant), bureaucratic
  offices (possibly vacant), monument/memorial, guard-
  post, temple (Heironeous, Pelor, or St. Cuthbert), upscale
  lodging (4), upscale food (6), exotic trades (10), upscale
  trades (15), average trades (15), upscale services (15).
  First Impression: The crumbling edifice that
  dominates the streetscape once housed the power
  center in this city. The surrounding businesses have
  also fallen on hard times.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Elf Neighborhood
  This district, found only in cities dominated by nonelf
  races, is where many elves choose to live.
  Buildings: Temple (Corellon Larethian), druidic
  site, upscale lodging, upscale food (4), exotic trades (3),
  upscale trades (15), upscale services (5), upscale resi-
  dences (30).
  First Impression: The neighborhood has more
  than its share of trees, bushes, and flowers. Even the
  more modest homes feature flowering windowboxes.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Embassy District
  Usually found only in a capital city, an embassy district
  houses ambassadors, diplomats, and their staffs.
  Buildings: Embassies (7), diplomatic residences
  (15), upscale lodging (9), upscale food (12), exotic
  trades (5), upscale trades (10), upscale residences (10).
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  BUILD A CITY IN 5 MINUTES 
  Many PCs use cities simply as bases of operations
  for adventuring. They may visit their home city
  briefly between adventures, or occasionally even
  during an extended mission. Accordingly, they rarely
  see more than a few locations—their favorite inn,
  the magic-item dealers on Tentacle Street, and Lord
  Rhial’s citadel, for example.
  If you’re pressed for time, it’s a good idea to pick a
  few districts you like and assume that the rest of the
  city is a mix of residential and commercial districts.
  Here are the steps for building a city in about 5
  minutes.
  • Jot down what makes the city special in a sen-
  tence or two. For example, Sumberton is a rainy
  city where the trade guilds are at war with the
  military commander in charge of the toll roads.
  Forghul is a metropolis where rival thanes from
  surrounding provinces engage in intrigues, unit-
  ing only when giants attack from the north.
  • Decide which places your characters are likely to
  visit. Inns, magic shops, guilds, libraries,
  temples, and government buildings are all logical
  choices.
  • Decide which districts feature those important
  places and sketch out an intersection or two, plac-
  ing buildings according to the guidelines below.
  • Sketch an overall map of the city by drawing the
  walls that surround it, placing the important dis-
  tricts, and then dividing the rest of the city into a
  dozen or so wards. Give each ward a name, such
  as “Merchant’s Quarter,” or “Temple Ward.”
  
  First Impression: Fancy buildings in wildly
  clashing architectural styles dominate the street, each
  trying to outdo the other in ostentatiousness. Most
  such buildings feature coats of arms and flags identify-
  ing the nations they represent.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Finance District
  Banks and merchant-houses tend to congregate here
  because much of their business is with each other.
  Buildings: Banks (2), moneychangers (7), temple
  (Fharlanghn, upscale food (10), exotic trades (5),
  upscale trades (25), upscale residences (20).
  First Impression: The city watch is augmented
  by private guards, making this a particularly well-pro-
  tected district, day or night.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Fine Shops
  Shopping districts such as this one often feature store-
  fronts of interest to adventurers. The city’s best armor-
  ers, weaponsmiths, sages, and magic-dealers offer their
  services here.
  Buildings: Upscale lodging (4), upscale food (6),
  exotic trades (10), upscale trades (30), upscale resi-
  dences (20).
  First Impression: The hubbub of commerce is
  omnipresent here, but the high prices discourage the
  crowds found in less tony shopping districts. 
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Lord’s Keep
  A fortress, usually the castle where the city’s ruler lives,
  dominates this district.
  Buildings: Manor house, servants’ quarters (2),
  garrison post, chapel (Kord, Heironeous, or St. Cuth-
  bert), average trades (15).
  First Impression: Pennants in the city’s colors
  flutter over the castle, and guards eye the street from
  their watchtowers above. Soldiers drill in the courtyard
  beyond the open drawbridge.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Lord’s Keep, Vacant
  This district is similar to the one above, except that no
  one is living in the fortress. Perhaps the lord is on a cru-
  sade, or maybe a more mysterious fate has befallen the
  city’s ruler.
  Buildings: Manor house, servants’ quarters (2),
  garrison post, chapel (Heironeous, Kord, or St. Cuth-
  bert), average trades (15).
  First Impression: This once-proud castle is
  beginning to show signs of neglect, though it is still an
  imposing fortress.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Magic District
  Many cities segregate users of magic into their own ward
  to protect the rest of the city from errant spellcasting. Such
  an arrangement also helps the rulers and constabulary
  keep an eye on some of the city’s most powerful residents.
  Buildings: Magic item dealers (2), spellcasters for
  hire (6), temple (Boccob), shrine, upscale food (5),
  exotic trades (10), upscale trades (15), upscale services
  (10), upscale residences (20).
  First Impression: Continual flames illuminate
  the streets, and entertaining, artistic illusions decorate
  some of the buildings. The berobed citizens frequently
  display flashy magic—typically glamers. Useful magic
  items abound.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Noble Estates
  The wealthy, highborn residents of the city live in
  splendor in the manors of this district.
  Buildings: Estates (30).
  First Impression: This district is quieter and
  cleaner than the rest of the city. Servants scurry about
  on their errands, and nobles travel by carriage to call on
  their genteel counterparts.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Park District
  For those who love the outdoors, this district provides a
  respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
  Buildings: Parks (1 large or 3 small), temple
  (Corellon Larethian, Ehlonna, or Obad-Hai), druidic
  site, upscale taverns (5), exotic trades (5), upscale trades
  (8), upscale services (17), upscale residences (30).
  First Impression: Clusters of trees, landscaped
  flowerbeds, and lawns of trimmed grass dominate the
  landscape. The air smells fresher here than it does else-
  where in the city.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  University
  The colleges in this district teach everything from
  Knowledge and Profession skills to the secrets of
  divine and arcane magic. Adventurers can find esoteric
  lore and answers to obscure riddles here.
  Buildings: University buildings, including
  instruction and faculty offices) (4), library, temple
  4
  
  5
  (Boccob or Pelor), shrine, upscale lodging (5), upscale
  food (8), upscale literary trades (booksellers, stationers,
  mapsellers, sealmakers, and the like) (10), upscale liter-
  ary services (scribe, sage, translator, cartographer, and
  the like) (10), dormitories (5), upscale residences (25).
  First Impression: Young, well-dressed students
  carrying armfuls of scrolls and books hustle to their
  classes. Others sit or stand in circles, discussing the
  day’s lessons.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Wealthy Residential
  These residences belong to successful merchants
  and high-level bureaucrats in political or religious
  organizations. 
  Buildings: Upscale residences (60), average resi-
  dences (10).
  First Impression: Well-appointed buildings
  line the quiet streets of this district. Servants or guards
  are posted at many of the front doors.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  AVERAGE POPULATION DISTRICTS
  These districts are where the middle class and mer-
  chants live and work.
  Average Residential
  Shopkeepers, artisans, and other skilled workers dwell
  in these modest homes.
  Buildings: Upscale residences (10), average resi-
  dences (70), poor residences (10).
  First Impression: Children play in the streets
  of this district, and the younger ones are often chased
  by older siblings. Neat rows of houses line the thor-
  oughfares.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Dwarf Neighborhood
  Because clan and family are important to dwarven cul-
  ture, many dwarves who live in cities dominated by other
  races tend to congregate in their own neighborhoods.
  Buildings: Temple (Moradin), average lodging
  (2), upscale food, average food (9), poor food (2), exotic
  trades (2), upscale trades (7), average trades (15), poor
  trades (6), upscale services (5), average services (10),
  poor services (5), upscale residences (5), average resi-
  dences (45).
  First Impression: All the structures in this
  neighborhood are slightly smaller than normal because
  they’re sized for dwarves. Stonework, much of it finely
  carved, dominates the architecture.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Garrison
  This district is essentially a military encampment. The
  soldiers who dwell here are charged with guarding the
  city and the surrounding countryside.
  Buildings: Garrison building, temple (Heiro-
  neous, Kord, or St. Cuthbert), average lodging (4), poor
  lodging, upscale food (2), average food (4), poor food
  (3), upscale trades (4), average trades (8), poor trades (2),
  average services (10), average residences (40), poor resi-
  dences (10).
  First Impression: Some soldiers march to and
  fro in groups, while others stand at attention, and still
  others drill for combat. Shouted commands and march-
  ing songs fill the air.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Gnome Neighborhood
  Gnomes find comfort in buildings sized for them, so
  this district features architecture that humans and
  other Medium races would find cramped.
  Buildings: Temple (Garl Glittergold), upscale
  lodging (1), average lodging (4), upscale food (3), aver-
  age food (5), exotic trades (2), upscale trades (4), average
  trades (6), poor trades (3), upscale services (4), average
  services (6), average residences (50).
  First Impression: This neighborhood looks like
  any average residential area, but on a smaller scale. 
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Guildhall District
  This district is home to organizations of skilled work-
  ers, such as the mason’s guild, the cobbler’s guild, and
  the jeweler’s guild. Depending on the city, more exotic
  guilds devoted to sages, wizards, or mercenaries may
  also have facilities here. Illicit guilds may exist for
  thieves and assassins, but these rarely have publicly
  known guildhalls.
  Buildings: Guild halls (3), average lodging (5),
  average food (10), upscale trades (5), average trades (15),
  poor trades (4), upscale services (5), average services
  (10), poor services (3), average residences (30).
  First Impression: Each of the massive guild-
  halls in this district is emblazoned with a symbol repre-
  sentative of its craft, such as a massive hammer and
  anvil for the blacksmith’s guild, and a welcoming sign
  in every known tongue for the Scribe’s Union.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  
  6
  Guildhall District, Former
  For some reason, the guilds have moved out of this dis-
  trict, but commercial interests still dominate its streets.
  Buildings: Vacant guild halls (3), average lodging
  (5), average food (10), upscale trades (5), average trades
  (15), poor trades (4), upscale services (5), average serv-
  ices (10), poor services (3), average residences (30).
  First Impression: The guildhalls are boarded
  up or in disrepair, but the shops and businesses that
  surround them still thrive in the hustle and bustle of
  commerce.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Halfling Encampment
  Halflings tend to be more nomadic than most other
  races. Even when a group of them settles in a city, their
  neighborhood looks more like a camp than a proper
  district.
  Buildings: Council hall, temple (Yondalla),
  shrine, average lodging (4), average food (8), average
  trades (15), average services (10), average residences
  (50).
  First Impression: This neighborhood looks like
  it could vanish tomorrow, leaving behind nothing but
  half-constructed buildings, smoldering campfires, and
  vacant building foundations.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Marketplace
  Most of the residents from surrounding districts come
  to this bazaar to buy everything from necessities (such
  as clothing) to small luxuries (such as spices).
  Buildings: Open-air market, temple (Fhar-
  langhn), average lodging (2), average food (12), exotic
  trades (3), upscale trades (12), average trades (35), poor
  trades (10), upscale services (5), average services (15),
  poor services (5).
  First Impression: This district is awash in col-
  orful signs and tents. The shouts of barkers rise above
  the noise of shoppers, and a dozen scents—everything
  from sweet perfumes to sizzling meats—fill the air.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Professionals
  This district is home to a variety of specialists the PCs
  might want to hire or consult.
  Buildings: Temple (any), shrine, average lodging
  (3), upscale food (3), average food (7), exotic trades (2),
  upscale trades (3), average trades (10), upscale services
  (10), average services (20), upscale residences (10), aver-
  age residences (20).
  First Impression: This district features row
  upon row of quiet shops and offices. Their signs adver-
  tise everything from translation services to wilderness
  guides to architectural design.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Shops
  A few businesses in this district cater to the well-to-do,
  but most serve the city’s middle and lower classes. Such
  a district is more common in a smaller city that doesn’t
  have multiple shopping districts.
  Buildings: Temple (any), shrine, average lodging
  (3), average food (10), exotic trades (3), upscale trades
  (12), average trades (35), poor trades (10), upscale serv-
  ices (3), average services (10), poor services (2).
  First Impression: Well-guarded nobles saunter
  from shop to shop, seemingly oblivious to the more
  ordinary citizens who rush by with their arms full of
  packages.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Temple District
  The center of the city’s religious life, the temple district
  is where established faiths vie for worshipers. PCs can
  often find healing and other clerical magic here.
  Buildings: Temples/shrines (any 6), upscale
  lodging (1), average lodging (3), upscale food (3),
  average food (7), exotic trades (5), upscale trades (5),
  average trades (10), upscale services (10), average
  services (25), upscale residences (5), average resi-
  dences (20).
  First Impression: Each temple’s architecture
  reflects the faith of its builders. Periodically, the doors
  of a temple open, and a throng of worshipers spills out
  into the street.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  HIGH POPULATION DISTRICTS
  These districts cater to the lower classes and to tran-
  sients, such as adventurers. Prices are generally lower
  in these areas.
  Adventurer’s Quarter
  This district has a little bit of everything, but it’s gener-
  ally a pretty seedy place. No “respectable” resident
  would think of coming here.
  Buildings: Temples (Olidammara and any 3
  others), average lodging (5), poor lodging (10), average
  food (5), poor food (15), average trades (6), poor trades
  (15), average services (5), poor services (15), average res-
  idences (5), poor residences (20).
  
  7
  First Impression: This district is noticeably
  more diverse than the surrounding neighborhoods.
  Various humanoids wearing a wide variety of garb rub
  shoulders and chat in the streets. The buildings look
  somewhat rundown, but most are quite serviceable.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Anglers’ Wharf
  Those who fish for a living have a district of their own,
  if for no other reason than to keep the stench away
  from the rest of the city.
  Buildings: Shrine (Obad-Hai or Pelor), poor lodg-
  ing (5), poor food (10), average trades (2), poor trades
  (12), average services (3), poor services (7), poor resi-
  dences (60).
  First Impression: The smell of fish hangs heav-
  ily in the air here, mingled with the tang of saltwater
  and sea air. Rough-looking sailors lurch from ship to
  pier to tavern.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Apartment Homes
  This unremarkable district consists of nothing but
  unremarkable residences. Thus, it is an excellent
  hiding place for those who are skilled at blending in.
  Buildings: Average residences (10), poor resi-
  dences (55).
  First Impression: Rows of apartment buildings
  rise like the walls of a canyon on both sides of the
  street. Day laborers and craftspeople scurry to and from
  work, while the district’s more indolent residents relax
  on the building steps.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Caravan District
  Districts such as this one are common in cities that rely
  on overland caravans rather than sea transport for their
  imports and exports. Merchants and other foreigners
  are welcomed here but usually discouraged from
  spending time in the rest of the city.
  Buildings: Temple (Fharlanghn), average lodging
  (5), poor lodging (15), average food (10), poor food (30),
  average trades (9), poor trades (15), average services (9),
  poor services (15).
  First Impression: This district has fewer build-
  ings than most, but animal pens, stables, and circles of
  trade wagons squat on many vacant lots. The air is thick
  with campfire smoke, and a dozen different languages
  can be heard.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Goblinoid Ghetto
  If a city allows goblinoid residents at all, its other
  inhabitants usually prefer to keep them at arm’s length.
  The goblinoids who live here eke out a squalid exis-
  tence, taking on jobs that no other city resident will
  accept.
  Buildings: Temple (Gruumsh or Maglubiyet),
  poor lodging (1), poor food (8), poor trades (20), poor
  services (10), poor residences (60).
  First Impression: Goblins, hobgoblins, and
  orcs move among the ramshackle buildings that line
  the streets. The ghetto bustles with business—both
  legal and illegal—despite the obvious poverty of its res-
  idents.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Inn District
  Inns are scattered across most cities, but sometimes a
  cluster of them dominates a neighborhood. Such a dis-
  trict tends to be rundown simply because it has few
  permanent residents to care about its upkeep, and the
  transients who stay there spend most of their time in
  other districts.
  Buildings: Temples (any 2), average lodging (8),
  poor lodging (25), average food (5), poor food (20), aver-
  age trades (5), poor trades (15), average services (5),
  poor services (15).
  First Impression: Music and laughter wafts
  from the open doors of half a dozen inns and common-
  houses. Each offers the promise of food, drink, danc-
  ing, or perhaps even more exotic diversions.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Red-Light District
  Notorious for the prostitution, narcotics, and other
  black-market businesses that thrive here, a red-light
  district tends to attract adventurers like flies.
  Buildings: Temple (Olidammara), average lodg-
  ing (2), poor lodging (17), average food (5), poor food
  (20), poor trades (20), poor services (gambling halls,
  houses of ill repute, pawnshops, and the like) (35).
  First Impression: A visitor can hardly walk 30
  feet in this rundown district without being proposi-
  tioned for something illegal. Some passersby scurry
  furtively past, while others beckon visitors toward
  some illicit pleasure.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Shantytown
  Many of the structures in this district seem to be in
  imminent danger of collapsing on their residents. The
  
  poorest of the poor live here in decrepit buildings,
  refugee colonies, and squatter camps.
  Buildings: Poor residences (100).
  First Impression: Lean-tos, smoky fires, and
  makeshift hovels crowd in among the debris and
  rubble of the dirty, destitute streets.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Slave Quarter
  Slaves merit slightly better huts than those who live in
  a shantytown, if only because their masters care about
  their welfare to some small degree. Districts such as
  this are rare, since good-aligned societies find slavery
  abhorrent.
  Buildings: Overseer’s station, poor services (5),
  poor residences (94).
  First Impression: Whip-wielding masters lead
  chained slaves in threadbare robes from place to place.
  Few of the slaves are bold enough to meet the gaze of a
  bystander.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Slum
  This district is clearly for the down-and-out. A slum
  falls somewhere between poor apartments and a shan-
  tytown on the scale of poverty and misery.
  Buildings: Temple (Olidammara or Pelor), poor
  lodging (1), poor food (3), poor trades (10), poor serv-
  ices (5), poor residences (70).
  First Impression: Home to the destitute, this
  neighborhood features a mix of shanties, hovels, and
  tenements in disrepair. Trash fills the streets and alleys,
  and the stench of offal mixed with rotting flesh and
  even less wholesome substances hangs heavy in the air.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Tannery District
  Tanneries—businesses that turn animal hides into
  leather—are typically in lower-class neighborhoods
  simply because they smell unbelievably bad. No one
  who can afford to do otherwise lives near a tannery.
  Buildings: Temple (any, especially poorer or
  more obscure faiths), poor lodging (2), poor food (7),
  poor trades (tanners, dyers, and other folk who practice
  odiferous trades) (60), poor services (30).
  First Impression: The acrid smell of tanning
  hides would reveal the nature of this district even to a
  blindfolded person. A cluster of small, dingy shops
  caters to the unfortunate denizens of this nauseating
  district.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Tavern District
  Adventurers spend a lot of time in taverns, and most
  cities of any size feature at least one. Inns sandwiched
  among the bars provide revelers with relatively safe
  places in which to sleep off their intoxication.
  Buildings: Temple (Fharlanghn or Olidammara),
  average lodging (3), poor lodging (20), average food (6),
  poor food (30), poor trades (10), poor services (10), poor
  residences (20).
  First Impression: By night, inebriated revelers
  stumble forth into the crowded streets from literally
  dozens of taverns. By day, this district is a virtual ghost
  town, with only cleanup crews, delivery personnel, and
  the occasional determined drunk to liven up the
  streetscape.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Tenement District
  This district is similar to a slum, but without any
  nearby businesses to support its poverty-stricken popu-
  lace. This district must be placed close to one in which
  even the desperately poor can acquire staples.
  Buildings: Poor residences (60).
  First Impression: Crammed together like so
  many sardines, the poor residents of this district cluster
  on stoops, in their rat-infested apartments, and in the
  streets and alleys.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Theater District
  Theaters tend to spring up in lower-class neighbor-
  hoods because rent is cheaper there. Drama patrons
  rarely linger for long, although nearby pubs and shops
  entice some to stay and celebrate a fine performance.
  This district can serve as a musician’s quarter or a
  dancehall district with only a name change.
  Buildings: Theaters (4), temple (Olidammara),
  poor lodging (10), poor food (20), poor trades (20), poor
  services (30), poor residences (15).
  First Impression: Each theater features a large
  sign promising comedy, tragedy, and inspiration—often
  all in the same play. Lines of people wait outside the box
  offices, and periodically a large crowd emerges from a
  theater, heatedly discussing the play that has just ended.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Undercity
  This district, typically situated underneath the city’s
  streets, is a combination of a dungeon and a neighbor-
  hood. The residents of the city may or may not be
  aware of the undercity’s existence.
  8
  
  9
  Buildings: Dungeons of at least 10 rooms (8),
  temples (any 2 evil deities), poor lodging (5), poor food
  (10), average trades (5), poor trades (15), average serv-
  ices (5), poor services (20), poor residences (30).
  First Impression: The air belowground is dank,
  and the darkness is oppressive. It’s eerily quiet most of
  the time, but the silence is punctured occasionally by a
  scream or the clash of battle.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Warehouse District
  Adventurers who have business with shipping con-
  cerns—or just larcenous intent—may find their way
  into this district.
  Buildings: Warehouses (30), poor trades (5), poor
  services (10), poor residences (55).
  First Impression: The massive warehouses that
  give this district its name dominate the landscape. The
  streets are devoid of life except for the occasional deliv-
  ery wagon and the guards who stand watch at some
  warehouse doors.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Waterfront District
  Visitors who arrive by ship often get their first taste of a
  city in the waterfront district. Adventurers typically
  feel right at home in this rough-and-tumble place.
  Buildings: Other (5), temple (Obad-Hai or Oli-
  dammara), poor lodging (5), poor food (9), poor trades
  (25), poor services (35), poor residences (20).
  First Impression: Most of the traffic here con-
  sists of sailors in search of liquor or entertainment.
  Bars, flophouses, and small shops—many of which
  don’t bother to advertise the nature of their business—
  line the street.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  SPECIAL DISTRICTS
  Certain districts are special simply because their popula-
  tion numbers are different (generally lower) than the
  norm for their social class. For example, a necropolis may
  be an important part of a city, but it just can’t hold more
  than 100 living residents. Likewise, an immigrant enclave
  rarely houses more than 1% of the city’s total population. 
  Remnant Neighborhood
  This district is the last vestige of an older culture that has
  been largely supplanted by the city’s current residents.
  Buildings: Temple (any 1, especially to an
  unusual deity), upscale trade, upscale residences (5),
  vacant buildings (3).
  First Impression: The architecture here looks
  out of place, as do some of the residents. They eye visi-
  tors strangely, evidently regarding them as interlopers
  on their turf.
  Social Class: Middle Class
  Immigrant Enclave
  This district houses well-heeled representatives of
  another culture, such as wizards from a far-off land or
  planetouched pioneers from another dimension. 
  Buildings: Temple (any 1, especially to an
  unusual deity), magic item dealer, upscale trades (2),
  exotic trade, upscale residences (5).
  First Impression: This district doesn’t even feel
  like it’s part of the same city. The architecture of the
  buildings is dramatically different than in other dis-
  tricts, and the residents’ garb marks them as a minority
  elsewhere in the city. Here, however, they fit right in.
  Social Class: Upper class.
  Necropolis
  This massive graveyard has few or no residents other
  than the undead creatures that may lurk among the
  tombstones and crypts.
  Buildings: Mortuaries (2), mausoleums (16),
  temple (Nerull or Wee Jas), shrine.
  First Impression: This district is quiet and
  orderly. Rows of tombstones and crypts stand silent
  guard over the dead.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Boat Town
  This district is completely afloat. The residents live in
  houseboats and do their shopping at other boats. Even
  longtime residents of a boat town must relearn their
  way around the neighborhood if they leave for a time,
  since it constantly rearranges itself.
  Buildings: Temple (Fharlanghn), average lodging
  (1), poor food (3), poor trades (10), poor services (10),
  poor residences (45).
  First Impression: Boats of every size and shape
  bob on the water, connected by a baffling web of piers,
  gangplanks, and rope bridges.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  Coliseum/Arena District
  A massive arena dominates this neighborhood. Its exis-
  tence leaves little space for actual residents.
  Buildings: Coliseum/arena/hippodrome, associ-
  ated buildings (gladiators’ barracks, stables, and the
  like) (3), temple (Heironeous, Kord, or Olidammara),
  
  10
  average lodging (5), average food (15), exotic trades (2),
  average trades (13), poor trades (5), average services
  (10), average residences (15).
  First Impression: A crowd waits to be let into
  the coliseum for the day’s events. Buskers hawk their
  wares, and periodically a chant or cheer emerges from
  particularly devoted fans in the crowd.
  Social Class: Middle class.
  Prison District
  An immense, forbidding-looking fortress dominates
  this district. Because inmates are typically kept in small
  cells, a prison district often has a very high population.
  Buildings: Prison building, guards’ barracks.
  First Impression: Guards are everywhere in
  this district. Most are standing watch, but occasionally
  a small group of them escort a chained inmate to or
  from the massive prison walls.
  Social Class: Lower class.
  SOCIAL CLASS AND
  NEIGHBORHOODS
  Most cities are made up primarily of lower-class districts,
  simply because they have more lower-class residents
  than any other sort. An average small city (twenty dis-
  tricts) has two upper-class districts, six middle-class dis-
  tricts, and twelve lower-class districts. In larger cities, the
  upper class grows while the lower class shrinks in pro-
  portion. A typical large city (forty districts) has six upper-
  class, twelve middle-class, and twenty-two lower-class
  pqqqqrs
  EXAMPLE BUILDINGS
  The following businesspeople and organizations
  occupy the various building types noted in the
  descriptions above.
  Trades, Exotic: Alchemist, art dealer, calligrapher,
  costumer, imported goods dealer, magic armor
  dealer, magic item dealer (general), magic weapon
  dealer, pet merchant, potion dealer, rare wood mer-
  chant, scroll merchant, soap maker, spice merchant,
  trapmaker, wand merchant.
  Trades, Upscale: Antique dealer, bookbinder,
  bookseller, candy maker, clockmaker, cosmetics
  dealer, curio dealer, dice maker, distiller, fine
  clothier, gemcutter, glassblower, glazier, gold-
  smith, inkmaker, jeweler, mapseller, papermaker,
  perfumer, pewterer, sculptor, sealmaker, silver-
  smith, slave trader, toymaker, trinkets purveyor,
  vintner, wiresmith. Also found here are average
  trades performed at fine quality and increased
  cost (masterwork).
  Trades, Average: Armorer, baker, bazaar mer-
  chant, blacksmith, bonecarver, bowyer, brewer,
  butcher, carpenter, carpet maker, cartwright, chan-
  dler, cheesemaker, cobbler, cooper, coppersmith,
  dairy merchant, fletcher, florist, furniture maker,
  furrier, grocer, haberdasher, hardware seller,
  herbalist, joiner, lampmaker, locksmith, mason,
  merchant, music dealer, outfitter, potter, provi-
  sioner, religious items dealer, roofer, ropemaker,
  saddler, sailmaker, seamstress, shipwright, stone-
  cutter, tailor, tapestry maker, taxidermist, thatcher,
  tilemaker, tinker, weaponsmith, weaver, wheel-
  wright, whipmaker, wigmaker, woodworker. Also
  found here are poor trades performed at fine qual-
  ity and increased cost (masterwork), and upscale
  trades at lower quality and lower cost (80% of
  normal).
  Trades, Poor: Bait & tackle dealer, basketweaver,
  brickmaker, broom maker, candlemaker, charcoal
  burner, dyer, firewood seller, fishmonger, fuller,
  leatherworker, livestock handler, lumberer, miller,
  netmaker, tanner. Also found here are average
  trades performed at lower quality and lower cost
  (80% of normal).
  Services, Upscale: Animal trainer, apothecary,
  architect, assassin, banker, barrister, bounty hunter,
  cartographer, dentist, engraver, illuminator, kennel
  master, masseur, mewskeeper, moneychanger, sage,
  scribe, spellcaster for hire, tutor.
  Services, Average: Auctioneer, barber, bookkeeper,
  brothel owner, clerk, engineer, fortuneteller, freight
  shipper, guide, healer, horse trainer, interpreter,
  laundress, messenger, minstrel, navigator, painter,
  physician, public bath owner, sharpener, stable
  owner, tattooer, undertaker, veterinarian.
  Services, Poor: Acrobat, actor, boater, buffoon,
  building painter, burglar, carter, fence, gambling hall
  owner, juggler, laborer, limner, linkboy, moneylender,
  nursemaid, pawnshop, porter, ship painter, team-
  ster, warehouse owner.
  Lodging: Almshouse, boarding house, hostel, inn.
  Food: Club, eatery, restaurant, tavern.
  Temples and Shrines: Any deity, or sometimes a
  group of allied or related deities. Most cities in civi-
  lized lands have few obvious temples to evil deities,
  but exceptions do exist.
  pqqqqrs
  
  11
  districts, while an average metropolis (eighty districts)
  has fourteen lower-class, twenty-four middle-class, and
  forty-two upper-class districts. 
  One way to distinguish your city from others of sim-
  ilar size is to adjust how many districts of each social
  class are present. A particularly wealthy city might
  have more upper- and middle-class districts and fewer
  lower-class districts than normal, while a poor city
  would have the opposite ratio. A city heavily engaged
  in trade would have a larger middle class (and more
  middle-class districts) than one that is mostly isolated
  and self-sufficient. 
  Generally, districts appear adjacent to others of the
  same social class, forming neighborhoods that share a
  single social class. In some cases, a neighborhood may
  include one or two districts whose social class is one step
  higher or lower than that of the other districts nearby. A
  neighborhood typically consists of five to eight districts,
  and its total population ranges from 1,750 to 4,400. It is
  rare, but not unknown, for upper-class and lower-class
  districts or neighborhoods to appear side by side. When
  such a situation does occur, some geographical or artifi-
  cial feature, such as a small cliff, a river, or a wall, usually
  separates them from each other.
  COMMUNITY WEALTH
  As a rule, the most expensive items are available only in
  upper-class districts of a city. Districts with lower social
  classes have lower gp limits, as shown on Table 1–2: GP
  Limit By Social Class.
  Table 1–2: GP Limit By Social Class
  ———————— GP Limit in ———————
  Social Class
  Small City
  Large City
  Metropolis
  Upper
  15,000
  40,000
  100,000
  Middle
  6,000
  16,000
  40,000
  Lower
  1,500
  4,000
  10,000
  Items priced below a city’s gp limit are usually available
  immediately, though in some cases a would-be pur-
  chaser might have to wait as much as a week to get a
  particularly unusual item. Often, some of the more
  expensive items available in a given city also require
  waiting periods.
  ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  David Noonan, a game designer at Wizards of the
  Coast, Inc. was one of the developers of the revised
  DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide. His other work includes
  Manual of the Planes, Stronghold Builder’s Guidebook, and
  the forthcoming Unearthed Arcana.
  James Wyatt is also a game designer at Wizards of
  the Coast, Inc. Best known for designing Oriental
  Adventures, James recently worked on the Fiend Folio,
  the D&D Arms and Equipment Guide, and the forthcom-
  ing Book of Exalted Deeds. He worked on D&D v.3.5 as a
  designated kibitzer. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Tables & Charts/World & Planet Building/City, Village, & Town/Building a City.pdf