Work Seasons

Once the construction time and cost have been altered to reflect the efforts of the player characters, their spells and magic items, and changes in the size of the work force, the DM needs to consider the area’s climate again.

We now know how long it will take to build the castle if the crew works straight through. Of course, it is not possible to work every day because of weather and similar factors. For example, a region that has harsh winters and is marked by severe storms during spring and autumn might restrict the construction crew to working only 25% of the year! That means that a castle might take, on the average, four calendar years to build.

In order to determine the actual number of weeks available for work in any given region begin by recording its PM values for climate type and ground cover. Multiply these two numbers together to determine the Work Time Modifier (WTM). This value should range between 0.75 and 12.00 when you are done.

Next, divide 52 (the number of weeks in a year) by the WTM to determine how many weeks are available for work in a given year. Note that in some cases you will have more weeks available than you have in the year. In this case, it is assumed that the climate is so favorable that your work precedes at a very rapid pace and you are able to accomplish much more than might normally be expected.