Strong Keep

Based on a classic Shell Keep, although drawn as a square to make drawing it easier, it perhaps the most iconic, and conventional, of all the castles and fortifications listed here. While you can start with simple wooden construction, your eventual aim should be 20’ stone walls with walkways and a parapet, with the third floor peaked roofs peaking over the top. It comes with a gatehouse, murder holes and three sets of solid gates and is an excellent defensive ability. Inner walls can be wooden (as per the floorplan), although upgrading to stone should be a longer-term objective.

It has a nice set of chambers for the Lord, three guest rooms and accommodation for servants and a garrison of ten foot troops, five cavalry and their officers. There is space for a few more troops, but you would need to equip them separately, as there in no more available armoury space.

With Stone Walls, a Strong Keep costs, 10630gp.

Room Lists

• Lord’s Apartment (1x Bedroom, 2x sitting)
• Military Accommodation (2x Barracks, 2x Armoury, 6x Stalls, 2x Bedrooms, 1x Office)
• General – (1x Common Room, 1x Kitchen, 2x Storage, 1x Courtyard, 3x Bedrooms, 1x Lodging [staff accommodation])
• Defensive Features (4x Defensive Walls [stone] & 4x Guard Posts. 1x Gatehouse & Gauntlet)

Staff

• You automatically get 5x Servants to provide basic services and 25x Commoner-1 guards – which also fills all of your accommodation. You might want to dedicate one barracks and Armoury to cavalry troops, and the other to either soldiers or guards. This leaves space for five more staff in the lodging - they can be servants or troops (although you will have to provide equipment for then separately).
• If you are content with 5 servants, I would be tempted to have my 5x cavalry move into the Lodging space, and then use the barrack initial assigned to them for 10x Warrior-1 Guards with minimal equipment (ie Leather, Spear & Darts) for internal guard duties. I would the use the other barracks for a unit of higher level soldiers or scouts, tasked with patrolling the wider area. The cavalry troops patrol roads and act as messengers, etc.