Establishment Generator

Spec: 02-tavern-shop-generator

Generate detailed D&D 5e taverns, inns, and shops with proprietors, menus, pricing, and atmospheric details. Create immersive establishments tailored to your campaign's settlement size and economic level in seconds.

Quick Start

1. Navigate to Generate → Establishment Generator
2. Select Establishment Type: Tavern, Inn, or Shop
3. Choose Settlement Size (hamlet to metropolis) and Economic Level (poor to aristocratic)
4. Click Generate Establishment (or press Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter)
5. Review the generated establishment with proprietor, menu/inventory, and atmospheric details
6. Click Save to Library (or press Cmd+S / Ctrl+S) to save for later use

Form Inputs

Required Fields

Establishment Type

• Tavern: Drinking establishment with food and atmosphere for patrons
  • Generates: Menu (3-6 food + 3-6 drink items), proprietor, optional notable patrons
  • No lodging available
• Inn: Lodging establishment with food service and rooms
  • Generates: Menu (2-4 food + 2-4 drink items), rooms (2-4 types), proprietor, optional staff
  • Provides overnight accommodations
• Shop: Retail establishment selling goods and services
  • Generates: Inventory (8-15 items), optional services, proprietor
  • Requires shop specialty selection

Shop Specialty (required if type = Shop)

• General Store: Adventuring gear, supplies, rations
• Weapons & Armor: Martial equipment, shields, armor
• Smithy: Metalwork, repairs, custom orders
• Jeweler: Gems, jewelry, fine goods
• Magic Items: Potions, scrolls, minor magical items (requires city+ settlement with wealthy+ economic level)
• Alchemist: Potions, reagents, alchemical supplies
• Clothier: Clothing, fabrics, tailoring services

Settlement Size

• Hamlet (under 100 people): Limited selection, basic goods
• Village (100-1,000): Standard selection, common goods
• Town (1,000-5,000): Good variety, some uncommon goods
• City (5,000-25,000): Wide selection, uncommon goods available
• Metropolis (25,000+): Extensive selection, rare goods available

Economic Level

• Poor (0.5× multiplier): Shabby conditions, minimal offerings
  • Example: Ale 2 cp (instead of 4 cp), private room 2 sp 5 cp (instead of 5 sp)
• Modest (0.75× multiplier): Simple and functional
  • Example: Ale 3 cp, private room 3 sp 8 cp
• Comfortable (1.0× multiplier): Standard PHB prices
  • Example: Ale 4 cp, private room 5 sp, rope 1 gp
• Wealthy (1.5× multiplier): Fine quality and service
  • Example: Ale 6 cp, private room 7 sp 5 cp, rope 1 gp 5 sp
• Aristocratic (3.0× multiplier): Luxurious and exclusive
  • Example: Ale 1 sp 2 cp, private room 1 gp 5 sp, rope 3 gp

Optional Fields

World Setting

• Select a campaign setting for flavor (Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Greyhawk, etc.)
• Influences naming conventions and cultural details
• Note: Uses SRD-compliant terms only (no trademarked content)

Custom Name (100 characters max)

• Provide your own establishment name
• System validates against SRD compliance
• Blocked names: Yawning Portal, Waterdeep locations, trademarked D&D terms
• Example: "The Dragon's Rest" ✓, "The Yawning Portal" ✗

Custom Notes (500 characters max)

• Add context for generation (location, patron types, reputation)
• Example: "Rough dockside tavern frequented by sailors and smugglers"
• System filters unsafe content and trademarked terms

Link Existing NPC

• Select an existing saved NPC from your library to be the proprietor
• Replaces AI-generated proprietor with your pre-created character
• Must be a valid NPC content type owned by you

Generate Options

• Generate Staff (inns only): Create lite-detail staff NPCs
  • Town inn: 2 staff, City inn: 3 staff, Metropolis inn: 4 staff
  • Examples: Server, cook, stablehand, room attendant
• Generate Notable Patrons (taverns only): Create 1-3 flavor-text patrons
  • Town+ settlements only (hamlets too small)
  • Examples: Mysterious cloaked figure, boisterous merchant, weary traveler
• Generate Rumors: Create 2-4 rumors with GM metadata (truthfulness, tone)
• Generate Quest Hooks: Create 1-3 adventure seeds
• Include Secrets: Add hidden information for GM eyes only

Settlement Size × Economic Level Guidance

Warnings vs. Errors

Soft Warnings (unusual but allowed)

• Hamlet + Wealthy: "A hamlet with a wealthy establishment is unusual"
• Hamlet + Aristocratic: "Villages rarely have aristocratic establishments"
• Village + Aristocratic: Same as hamlet

These combinations are allowed but flagged as narratively unusual. Consider backstory justification.

Hard Errors (blocked)

• Magic Item Shop requires City+ settlement with Wealthy+ economic level
  • Village + Wealthy magic shop: ✗ Blocked (settlement too small)
  • City + Comfortable magic shop: ✗ Blocked (economic level too low)
  • City + Wealthy magic shop: ✓ Allowed

Recommended Combinations

NPC Detail Tiers

The generator uses a three-tier NPC system based on narrative importance:

Full Detail (Proprietor)

Always included for all establishment types

What You Get:

• Complete 5e stat block with ability scores, skills, traits
• Personality traits, ideals, bonds, flaws
• Background and equipment
• Ready for combat or social encounters

CR Scaling:

• Poor establishment: CR 0 (commoner-level)
• Comfortable: CR 1/4 to 1/2
• Aristocratic: CR 1 to 2 (veteran, noble)

Example:

Lite Detail (Staff)

Optional for inns (town: 2, city: 3, metropolis: 4)

What You Get:

• Name, race, occupation
• Personality snapshot (1-2 sentences)
• Appearance notes
• Enough detail for interaction, not combat

No Combat Stats:

• Not intended for combat encounters
• Can be promoted to full detail later if needed

Example:

Flavor Detail (Patrons)

Optional for taverns (1-3 in town+ settlements)

What You Get:

• Name, race, occupation/role
• Brief appearance description
• Demeanor or activity
• Background atmosphere element

Purpose:

• Add life and atmosphere to the establishment
• Potential plot hook introduction
• Quick reference for improvisation

Example:

Pricing System

Base Prices (PHB pp. 157-159)

All prices derived from Player's Handbook with copper piece calculations:

• 1 gp = 100 cp
• 1 sp = 10 cp
• 1 cp = 1 cp

Price Calculation

Formula: Final Price = Base Price × Economic Multiplier

Rounding: Always rounds UP to nearest copper

• Example: 3 cp × 0.5 = 1.5 cp → rounds UP to 2 cp
• Example: 50 cp × 1.5 = 75 cp → 75 cp (exact)

Price Formatting

Less than 1 gp: Simplified format (sp and cp only)

• 4 cp → "4 cp"
• 30 cp → "3 sp"
• 53 cp → "5 sp 3 cp"

≥ 1 gp: Full breakdown with trailing zero suppression

• 100 cp → "1 gp" (not "1 gp 0 sp 0 cp")
• 110 cp → "1 gp 1 sp" (not "1 gp 1 sp 0 cp")
• 103 cp → "1 gp 3 cp" (skips "0 sp")
• 123 cp → "1 gp 2 sp 3 cp" (full breakdown)

Free Items

Some items may have 0 cp cost (e.g., water):

• 0 cp → "0 cp" (free but still listed)

Menu & Inventory Examples

Tavern Menu (Comfortable, Town)

Food (3-6 items):

• Bread (loaf): 2 cp
• Porridge (bowl): 3 cp
• Stew (bowl): 3 cp
• Roasted Chicken: 3 sp
• Meat Pie: 5 cp
• Cheese (hunk): 1 sp

Drink (3-6 items):

• Water (pitcher): 0 cp
• Ale (mug): 4 cp
• Cider (mug): 5 cp
• Wine (common, pitcher): 2 sp
• Mead (pitcher): 2 sp 5 cp
• Beer (pint): 8 cp

Inn Rooms (Wealthy, City)

2-4 Room Types:

• Common Room: 1 sp 1 cp/night (shared sleeping, 6 capacity)
• Shared Room: 1 sp 5 cp/night (2-4 beds, chamber pot)
• Private Room: 7 sp 5 cp/night (single bed, washbasin, table)
• Suite: 3 gp/night (multiple rooms, fireplace, private bath)

Note: Rooms scaled by settlement size:

• Hamlet inn: 2-3 rooms total
• Town inn: 8-12 rooms
• City inn: 20-30 rooms
• Metropolis inn: 50+ rooms

Shop Inventory (Aristocratic, General Store)

8-15 Items with Quantities:

• Rope (50 ft): 3 gp × 5 in stock
• Backpack: 6 gp × 8 in stock
• Bedroll: 3 gp × 10 in stock
• Rations (1 day): 1 sp 5 cp × 50 in stock
• Torch: 3 cp × 100 in stock
• Waterskin: 6 sp × 12 in stock

Services (optional):

• Equipment Repair: 1 gp 5 sp
• Rope Splicing: 3 sp

SRD Compliance Tips

The generator automatically filters trademarked D&D content per SRD 5.2 rules:

Blocked Terms (automatically filtered)

• Creatures: Beholder, Mind Flayer, Illithid, Yuan-ti
• Locations: Waterdeep, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Eberron cities
• NPCs: Elminster, Drizzt, Mordenkainen, Bigby
• Terms: Dungeon Master (use "Game Master"), D&D (use "fantasy RPG")

Allowed Terms (SRD-compliant)

• Standard races: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc
• Generic creatures: Goblin, Dragon, Ogre, Troll, Orc
• Standard classes: Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue, etc.
• Generic locations: "The Golden Goblet", "Mountain Tavern", "Riverside Inn"

Custom Name Validation: If your custom name contains blocked terms, the generator will:

1. Show error message with specific violation
2. Suggest alternatives
3. Block generation until name is fixed

Example:

• ❌ "The Yawning Portal Tavern" → Error: "Yawning Portal" is trademarked
• ✓ "The Open Door Tavern" → Allowed

Export Formats

PDF Exports

GM Mode:

• Includes ALL content: secrets, rumor truthfulness/tone, quest hooks
• Rumor format: "Text" [TRUE] [MYSTERIOUS]
• Secrets section with collapsible warning
• Full NPC stat blocks for proprietor

Player Mode:

• Excludes: Secrets section, rumor GM metadata
• Rumor format: "Text" (no truthfulness/tone badges)
• Safe to share with players
• Still includes full proprietor stats (players may meet them)

VTT Exports

Foundry VTT:

• Journal Entry format with multiple pages
• Pages: Overview, NPCs, Menu/Inventory, Rooms, Rumors & Hooks
• GM content flagged with visibility permissions
• Ready to drag-and-drop into journal

Roll20:

• Handout format with HTML formatting
• Notes: Player-visible content
• GM Notes: Secrets and GM metadata
• Includes character tokens for proprietor (if needed)

All Exports:

• Automatic SRD compliance sanitization before export
• Preserves price formatting
• Maintains establishment structure

Integration with Other Content

Linked NPCs

Use existing NPCs from your library as proprietors:

1. Generate an NPC using the NPC Generator
2. Save to your library
3. When generating establishment, select "Link Existing NPC"
4. Choose your NPC from dropdown
5. System validates: Must be NPC content type, must be owned by you

Error Codes:

• LINKED_NPC_INVALID: NPC not found or wrong content type
• LINKED_NPC_ACCESS_DENIED: NPC owned by different user (RLS violation)

Campaign Integration

Establishments can be:

• Linked to campaign locations
• Referenced in plot hooks and encounters
• Used as quest starting points
• Connected to faction headquarters

Quota & Billing

Generation Quota:

• Each establishment generation counts as 1 generation toward your monthly quota
• Embedded NPCs (proprietor, staff, patrons) do NOT count separately
• Example: Generating an inn with 1 proprietor + 3 staff + 2 patrons = 1 quota usage

Tier Limits:

• Free Tier: 10 generations/month, 5 saved establishments
• Premium Tier: 200 generations/month, unlimited saves

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Generate: Cmd+Enter (Mac) / Ctrl+Enter (Windows)
• Save: Cmd+S / Ctrl+S
• Export PDF: Cmd+E / Ctrl+E
• Clear Form: Cmd+Delete / Ctrl+Delete

Troubleshooting

"Validation error: Magic shops require city+ settlement"

• Solution: Change settlement to City or Metropolis, AND economic level to Wealthy or Aristocratic

"Linked NPC not found"

• Solution: Verify NPC exists in your library and is content_type='npc'

"Generation quota exceeded"

• Solution: Upgrade to Premium tier or wait for monthly reset

"Custom name contains trademarked term"

• Solution: Remove trademarked words (check error message for specific term)

Staff not generating for inn

• Solution: Ensure "Generate Staff" checkbox is enabled and settlement is Town+

Patrons not generating for tavern

• Solution: Ensure "Generate Patrons" checkbox is enabled and settlement is Town+ (hamlets too small)

Tips & Best Practices

For New DMs:

1. Start with "Comfortable" economic level (standard PHB prices)
2. Use town or city settlements (good variety without overwhelming choices)
3. Enable all generation options (staff, patrons, rumors, hooks) for maximum content
4. Save establishments to library for reuse across campaigns

For Experienced DMs:

1. Use settlement × economic warnings as narrative opportunities
   • Hamlet + Aristocratic = Noble's rural estate or hidden safehouse
2. Link existing villain NPCs as shop proprietors for plot hooks
3. Generate multiple establishments and cherry-pick best results
4. Export to VTT format for seamless session integration

For Campaign Builders:

1. Generate establishments for all major settlements upfront
2. Use consistent economic levels within same settlement
3. Link establishments to faction headquarters or plot locations
4. Export to PDF GM mode for session prep binders

See Also

• Architecture Documentation - Developer guide
• NPC Generator Guide - Create custom NPCs for linking
• Export Formats - Detailed export specifications
• SRD Compliance - Full list of blocked/allowed terms