With the launch of bastions in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, Dungeons & Dragons players can now create their own operational bases with tailored features. For sorcerers, establishing a bastion isn’t merely about finding a place to recover – it’s about boosting their magical prowess and serving as a center for their arcane studies.
This guide will delve into the optimal ways to set up a bastion specifically designed for sorcerers, focusing on choosing the most beneficial facilities and enhancing magical research and protection. Whether your goal is to safeguard allies or amplify your spells, this guide will assist you in maximizing your bastion’s potential.
Bastion at Level Five
Once you reach level five, you unlock the ability to customize your bastion with various special facilities. You will also have the opportunity to define the aesthetic of your bastion, along with a handful of basic facilities that do not impact gameplay mechanics.
Special Facilities
Sorcerers, thanks to their access to an arcane focus, can utilize the arcane study, a facility designed for creating spellbooks and arcane focuses, along with granting free access to the Identify spell for seven days.
Note: While the memory of Identify might seem limited due to its ritual casting often, it provides an option for sorcerers to have a spell unavailable on their restricted spell list.
For a more practical facility, the garden is highly recommended. It offers resources such as healing potions and provisions every week, and you don’t need to be on-site to reap the rewards.
If you plan to be away from your bastion frequently, investing in barracks is essential since it’s the sole source of defenders for your bastion. Protective walls can be constructed around your bastion, but they come at a steep cost and won’t actually prevent attacks, hence it can be more economical to simply replace fallen defenders.
Recommended Spells
Many sorcerers lack spells pertinent to bastion defense, aberrant sorcerers, however, gain access to the Sending spell at level five, enabling them to send messages regardless of distance. This allows for remote communication with your bastion, which helps in maintaining its security.
Additional Note: You can also send instructions to your party members within the bounds of your Dungeon Master’s approval.
Bastion at Level Nine
Level nine is pivotal for bastions, as you can gain two new special facilities, existing ones may acquire enhanced effects, and many new facility types become available. Sorcerers also start learning spells that can be useful for the operational management of their bastion.
Stay vigilant for any facilities you introduced at level five, as they may have upgraded functionalities. For instance, the arcane study can now be used to craft common and uncommon magical items. You will, though, need to cover the item creation cost, allowing for versatile builds without depending entirely on your Dungeon Master.
Special Facilities
The scriptorium is a facility that has no prerequisites. However, it is more useful for characters who have access to certain spells since it can be employed to craft spell scrolls from the wizard and cleric lists. These scrolls must be level three or lower, yet they offer a way for proactive players to prepare ahead of unpredictable battles.
Strategy Tip: Stock up on scrolls like Fireball for situations when spell slots run out but you still want to unleash powerful attacks.
Another practical facility option is the teleportation circle. This aligns well with the level nine sorcerer, who gains access to the same-named spell. If multiple party members possess bastions, having just one circle can function as a transportation hub for everyone.
Replacing Facilities
As you level up, you have the flexibility to replace facilities that no longer serve your needs. If you opted for a garden on your initial level, consider swapping it for a greenhouse to receive a greater healing potion every week.
Recommended Spells
Sorcerers gain access to the Teleportation Circle spell at level nine. Even if your Dungeon Master doesn’t have those circles present in every major settlement, utilizing it will ensure a quick return to your bastion. However, you will still need to travel back to your earlier position.
Bastion at Level 13
By reaching level 13, you can select from some of the best facility options available, although you can only add one. If you like various selections but don’t frequently utilize all your old facilities, remember you can swap them at each level-up, enabling a mix of experimentation.
Special Facilities
The meditation chamber is a notable option, especially for those who struggle to maintain frequent communication with their bastion. Its empowerment feature lets players roll twice when determining a bastion event, thus increasing the likelihood of avoiding attacks.
As a sorcerer, you also gain access to the observatory, a facility that provides charms to assist your group. The main function here is to stack charms of heroism and vitality for all party members, ensuring they’re always ready for any challenge.
Recommended Spells
At level 13, sorcerers unlock more powerful transportation spells: Teleport and Plane Shift. Teleport offers an instant relocation option, perfect for emergencies while Plane Shift is crucial for traversing various planes of existence. It also conveniently works with teleportation circles, making it easier to escape dangerous situations.
Bastion at Level 17
When you hit level 17, you can add one last facility, now having access to the most exclusive options available. You might gain more than one facility by exchanging old ones, though this often requires multiclassing.
Special Facilities
One exciting option for sorcerers is the demiplane, which appears within your bastion as a portable door. Inside is a vast space where you can rest to gain temporary hit points equal to five times your level, providing an incredible safety net for any caster.
If you choose a feat granting expertise, you can utilize the guildhall, enabling you to form a guild and delegate them on vital missions. The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide offers multiple options or allows you and your Dungeon Master to create a unique guild fitting your campaign’s theme.
Recommended Spells
If you have both the demiplane facility and the Demiplane spell, your Dungeon Master might allow a combined effect that offers more interaction opportunities with your bastion in unique ways, though the standard rules may not cover this fully, leaving the interpretation to the group.
