Services

By definition, a tavern is a business where customers can purchase alcoholic beverages. Sounds simple enough, right? But just as with modern bars, a fantasy tavern can be far more than just a place to get a flagon of ale. Defining what characters can find within a particular tavern goes a long way toward giving the place a unique feel.

Setting and Quality

One of the first aspects to determine is what sort of setting a tavern presents. Is it small and cramped, with greasy smoke obscuring the faces of the patrons? Perhaps it’s enormous, with vaulted ceilings and multiple fireplaces providing light and flame for slowly-roasting boars on spits. You can also play against stereotype and have a clean and well-appointed country inn in an otherwise destitute area, or a worn and spartan tavern, with merely a bench or two to sit upon, in a wealthy part of town. Consider that in some places, a tavern may very well be the only entertainment around, meaning that most of its regular patrons might consider it a second home and treat it accordingly.

Table 7–32: Unique Tavern Traits table on page 200 can be used to give a tavern, inn, or restaurant some unusual flavor. Roll 1d3 different traits or simply choose a trait or two from the list.

Table 7–32: Unique Tavern Traits

d%	Trait
1–3	Only opens on public holidays
4–6	In a former church
7–9	In a former theater
10–12	In a farmhouse
13–15	In a cellar
16–18	Partly ruined
19–21	Stocks or gallows inside
22–24	Magical lighting that slowly shifts hues
25–27	Full of the owner’s dogs
28–30	Previous owner is buried in the cellar
31–32	Full of cats
33–34	Mounted monster head
35–36	Haunted grandfather clock that strikes thirteen
37–38	Recently was partially burnt down
39–40	Central pit for entertainment
41–42	A fortified keep with its own armory
43–44	Furniture is made from stone
45–46	Drinks delivered by magical or mechanical means
47–48	In a lighthouse
49–50	Extremely low ceilings
51–52	Bar is made from a sunken warship
53–54	Stuffed heads and antlers on every wall
55–56	Run by five sisters
57–58	Haunted
59–60	Once run by a succubus
61–62	Holds prayers every day
63–64	Unusual beverages bubbling behind the bar
65–66	Assigns seats at random
67–68	Adorned with numerous banners and weapons
69–70	Full of small caged animals
71–72	Collectively owned by the locals
73–74	Pentagram is carved on one wall
75–76	Every stranger who arrives must sing to be served
77–78	Mummified remains of a local hero are on display
79–80	Requires bar tabs signed in blood
81–82	Has an unusual mascot
83–84	Small, labyrinthine halls and rooms
85–86	Permanent recurring illusion
87–88	Patrons must spin the wheel to choose their drink
89–90	Original owner stuffed and mounted above bar
91–92	Home of “endless stew” (kept simmering for 30 years)
93–94	Fruit growing just outside is free for the plucking
95–96	Obnoxious patrons get thrown off the balcony
97–98	Lit with magic lanterns or bioluminescent creatures
99–100	Has a tree growing through the taproom

Drinks

The vast majority of taverns serve drinks (whether alcoholic or not) made from local ingredients. In a temperate climate, wheat, hops, and barley are the most likely ingredients, and a tavern in such an area probably serves beer and ales. If bees are present, mead is another option. In more arid locales, grapes are more likely to grow well, and wine is probably more prevalent. In places where crops or arable land is scarce, however, a tavern may serve fermented goat’s milk, cactus juice, or even more exotic drinks.

But why stop there? Perhaps a tavern stocks truly unusual or rare drinks crafted from unique plants or even monsters. A tavern along a swampy track may distill a special liquor from ambulatory plant creatures, which gives it a potent kick. Depending on how prevalent magic is in your campaign, it’s even possible that a tavern has an alchemist on staff who dabbles in the creation of remarkably strong, tasty, or even dangerous drinks. Drinks could be carbonated or flaming, could have an outward effect on imbibers (such as turning a drinker’s hair blue), or could contain mild (or not so mild) hallucinogenic ingredients.

Food

Many taverns, and certainly most inns, offer food to their customers. As with drinks, menus typically consist of local fare, although more upscale restaurants, particularly those in urban settings, may offer food from farther away—ranging from mildly unusual dishes from the barony a few leagues away to exotic dishes from the farthest reaches of the globe. See page 159 in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for different types of common meals and their prices.

Offering exotic or bizarre food on a menu is another great way to make a tavern or inn more memorable. The players will quickly forget the tavern that just serves mutton, but they will probably remember the inn that serves poached drake eggs in firebrandy sauce.

Entertainment

Taverns primarily serve local customers, and the best way to keep them coming back is to provide some form of entertainment while they quaff their beer and dine on mutton or quail. While a simple singing minstrel is the stereotype, a tavern could also host a full band of musicians or possibly even a house band.

If the tavern is large enough, it may boast a small stage, allowing plays or other performances. Given the prevalence of magic, small-time illusionists can perform their coin tricks with full visual and auditory displays. Bards can tell tales of old or create new stories on the fly.

Remember that tastes in entertainment vary wildly from place to place. One town’s tavern may boast extremely bawdy songs and “performances” that would make even a barbarian blush, while other, more conservative areas may restrict entertainment to hymns or morality plays. Taverns and inns often serve as convenient sites for prostitution, either from among its clientele or as a service of the establishment itself. Such services can be either open or covert, depending on the tavern’s location.

Bedding

With the possible exception of a back bedroom used by the owner, taverns generally do not provide rooms to their patrons (the exception being taverns that also tolerate prostitution). Inns, of course, make their income by providing a place for people to sleep for the night. Even then, the quality of an inn dictates the privacy and comfort of its rooms. Poor quality inns offer little more than a spot on the floor or possibly a large, straw-filled mattress in a communal room with other patrons. Average inns have individual rooms capable of hosting two people in a single shared bed. Superior inns have private rooms, often with an adjoining antechamber, sitting room, or balcony.

Other Amenities

Taverns and inns serve as the focal points of most communities. The front of a tavern may boast a board with wanted posters, local decrees, available jobs, or requests for help, which the PCs might find of interest. The local sheriff or constable may use the tavern as second base of operations, deputizing any able-bodied citizens (or the PCs) as he sees fit.