I planned for a different blog. I outlined a blog about fighting boss monsters in fifth edition. But, while working to plan future posts in Worldbuilding Start to Finish I was bitten by the worldbuilding bug. So I started down the rabbit hole and wasn’t able to pull myself back.
So I made a small city, Timberhook. Later in the Worldbuilding series you’ll learn how I put all the pieces together, but I wanted to give you a taste. You can put together a city like Timberhook in a very short time. This form gives you enough of a skeleton and interesting tidbits to comfortable run.
That’s thanks to Timberhook’s two dozen plus POIs (points of interest). POIs are anything interesting the players could interact with. POIs can be anything: people, locations, objects, even ideas.
I also wanted to play with Homebrewery and Kumu so I made it into a PDF. In the Timberhook PDF you get…
- Summary
- City Sights
- City Districts
- Timberhook Node Map
Not bad for free, right? Like the title says, take it and run. Timberhook is yours to do what you want with it. If you and your friends like it, tell them to check out the other content here.
Download the PDF
I’ll even throw in a bonus.
5 Timberhook Adventure Hooks
1. Tower Defense
Screams and fleeing people draw you to the scene. The Timberhook Arbalests have turned and begun firing on the citizens. The watch tells you their amulet of construct control is missing. Navigate the abandoned streets of Timberhook and retrieve the amulet. And do it all without destroying the arbalests.
2. Insider Trading
Returning from the Rat Street Night Market you’re clipped by a loaded wagon. The hurried and distracted driver makes a quick apology. Lacking gold the driver gruffly shoves a lumber futures certificate into your hand and tells you to “hold onto it” before hurrying away. Perceptive eyes will note the wagon filled with lamp oil, and other accelerants.
3. Hot for Teacher
After a long day of looking for work you arrive at the New Bay Bar as a soused and roughed up person is tossed out. He/She is a former, disgraced Cross Parkway Lyceum teacher. Accusations of inappropriate conduct with a student have ruined everything for the teacher.
4. Bad Bad Brannock
A messenger arrives and leaves you with a sealed scroll. Looks like you’re making a name for yourself. The message offers a reward for returning the woman’s husband home to [LOCATION]. There’s just one, little detail: Brannock’s big,
…and mean,
…and drug-addled,
…and wealthy,
…and has the wrong kind of friends,
…and doesn’t like to be told what to do.
5. Tied Hands
The hansom cab bucks to a halt in front of you. The door opens and a young man with a short van dyke urges you inside. He hands you a small strip of paper with a scrawled note as he explains. He found his father’s note. A wealthy merchant has been poisoned and Twill (Twill & Son Apothecary) is being blackmailed to cover it up and let the merchant die. Discretely discover the blackmailer and stop them before the merchant dies and/or the blackmailer releases the leverage on Twill.
There you have it. You can also grab it in PDF.
