About this Supplement
Barmaid's Brewery contains supplemental material and tables for DMs. Taverngoing is a time-weathered Dungeons & Dragons tradition, allowing characters to escape from the burden of adventure, enjoy a drink, and connect with the town and its denizens. As a DM, you can use Barmaid's Brewery as a quick reference guide for things to do in a tavern, a way to add complexity and intrigue to your local dive, or a spark of inspiration for designing a flourishing watering hole.
Drinking
Adventuring and imbibing alcohol are close bosom buddies. Each day, a creature can safely consume a number of alcoholic drinks equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 drink). For each drink a creature consumes beyond that limit, they must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 9 + 1 for each drink past their limit. On a failed saving throw, a creature is poisoned for 1 hour. If a creature fails their saving throw by 5 or more, they retch and are poisoned for 4 hours instead.
A creature that is proficient with brewer's supplies can use their action to stifle the effects of alcohol poisoning. If the creature succeeds on a DC 20 Constitution (Brewer's Supplies) check, they are no longer poisoned. Once a creature uses this action, they can't do so again until they finish a long rest.
Brewing Beer
Refer to page 79 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for a description of the contents of brewer's supplies. As Xanathar's Guide to Everything suggests, you can brew beer using brewer's supplies.
It takes 1 hour of work and 5 cp worth of hops to begin the process of brewing beer. This involves sterilizing your equipment and boiling hops. Following this process, the liquid must be left to ferment for at least 7 days. After fermentation is complete, it takes an additional 1 hour of work to bottle the beer. You create 10 drinks worth of beer using this method, the quality of which is determined by an Intelligence (Brewer's Supplies) check at the end of the process. You have advantage on this check if the beer was allowed to ferment for 14 days or longer.
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| 5 or lower | The beer is impotable. A creature that consumes the beer must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. |
| 6–10 | The taste is unappealing. |
| 11–17 | The taste is average. Some may find it pleasant. |
| 18 or higher | The taste is sensational, palatable, and unique. |
Types of Beverages
This table expands upon the options for beverages on page 158 of the Player's Handbook.
| Beverage | Cost | Number of Drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Ale (gallon) | 2 sp | 5 |
| Ale (mug) | 4 cp | 1 |
| Beer (mug) | 4 cp | 1 |
| Cider (glass) | 5 cp | 1 |
| Cider (gallon) | 3 sp | 6 |
| Mead (mug) | 5 cp | 1 |
| Spirit (bottle) | 15 gp | 15 |
| Spirit (shot) | 1 gp | 1 |
| Wine (common, pitcher) | 2 sp | 6 |
| Wine (fine, bottle) | 10 gp | 5 |
Tavern Staff
The personnel of a tavern serve as its lifeblood, existing as tools for your players to interact with. Use this section to stock your drinking establishment with a cast of characters. You can roll on the Tavern Staff Personality table to quickly give any staff member a memorable quirk. If you want to further flesh out a character, refer to chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, "Creating Nonplayer Characters."
Tavern Staff Personality
| 1d12 | Personality |
|---|---|
| 1 | Has their own item on the menu, and feverishly recommends it to customers |
| 2 | Professes their opinions about which beverages are superior and which aren't worth your coin |
| 3 | Forlornly gulps the forgotten remains of ale at the end of the day |
| 4 | Readily accepts a drinking challenge, despite their weak constitution |
| 5 | Disdains dwarves and their drinking culture |
| 6 | Conjures phony rumors about new customers as they walk through the door |
| 7 | Points out things to see in do around town |
| 8 | Can't help but stare in awe at muscular hunks |
| 9 | Prone to accidents, always bumping into tables and bar patrons |
| 10 | Will eat anything off the floor, no questions asked |
| 11 | Barks the same old story every night as if it was their first time telling it |
| 12 | Gets drunk and sneaks free ale to customers they fancy |
Barkeep
Medium Humanoid, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 10
- Hit Points 4 (1d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
- Skills History +3, Insight +2
- Senses passive Perception 10
- Languages Common and one other language
- Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Mixologist. The barkeep has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on taste.
Actions
Glass Bottle. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. On a critical hit, the damage type is piercing instead of bludgeoning and the speed of the target is reduced by 10 ft. until the end of their next turn.
Barmaid
Medium Humanoid, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 4 (1d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 13 (+1)
- Senses passive Perception 10
- Languages any one language (usually Common)
- Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Server. The barmaid can hold three items in each hand, as long as none of the items are weapons or shields.
Actions
Pan. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. On a critical hit, the target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn.
Barkeeps and Barmaids
A standard tavern is staffed by 1d2 barkeeps and 2d4 barmaids (see their stat blocks on the previous page). Barkeeps and barmaids both tend to the everyday needs of the establishment, performing mundane chores, interfacing with customers, and cooking food.
As they face the gregarious public, barkeeps and barmaids are at the center of the gossip grapevine. If a player wants to take part in towny intrigue, you can roll on the Rumor Mill table for inspiration. Rumors can be used as jumping-off points for adventures or side quests.
Rumor Mill
| 1d6 | Rumor |
|---|---|
| 1 | An aristocrat has been dressing down lately, perhaps having lost their fortune |
| 2 | A member of the council has been having a torrid love affair with a being from another realm |
| 3 | A safe has been unearthed from a local's land and nobody has been able to open it |
| 4 | Two rogue guilds have been price-gouging general goods in secret, leading to price hikes |
| 5 | A nearby monastery, though abandoned, has been producing eerie noises and lights in the night |
| 6 | The young children of a commoner have been spotted taking flight |
Bards
A harmonious bard is a common sight at places of revelry. There, they can display their craft to an absorbed and drunken audience, be it a soothing song or a tale of heroics. Typical services a bard can offer and their prices are listed below in the Bard Services table. You can use the Ballad table to generate the theme for a random performance.
On the job, bards rarely gather in groups, preferring not to split the profits of a day's work. As such, usually only a single bard can be found in a tavern at a time. You can find their stat block in Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
Bard Services
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Perform a particular song or act | 5 sp |
| Make music for an hour | 1 sp |
| Write a poem | 2 gp |
Ballad
| d8 | Genre |
|---|---|
| 1 | A solemn lamentation |
| 2 | A tale of whimsy |
| 3 | A chilling ghost story |
| 4 | A lilting lullaby |
| 5 | A sorrowful melody |
| 6 | A feel-good tune |
| 7 | An absurd rant |
| 8 | A chanted shanty |
| d8 | About |
|---|---|
| 1 | Twin dragons |
| 2 | A drunken pirate |
| 3 | The bard's muse |
| 4 | The local area |
| 5 | The greatest wizard |
| 6 | A prophesied storm |
| 7 | Faraway nobles |
| 8 | A mythical beast |
Star Patrons
Though not technically staff, patrons that do regular business at a tavern may have a greater connection with the establishment than the average booze binger. If you'd like to populate your tavern with a star patron, you can roll on the Patron table and the Patron Service table below to give them a purpose. You can find the stat blocks for the patrons listed in the Patron table in the Monster Manual.
Patron
| d10 | Patron |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acolyte from a nearby parish |
| 2 | A bandit hiding from the law |
| 3 | A commoner who inherited a lump of gold |
| 4 | A cultist looking for initiates |
| 5 | A druid who spends their time in the form of a cat |
| 6 | A guard who middlemans for the lord and lady |
| 7 | A mage who frequents the bar between adventures |
| 8 | A noble that's desperately in love with a member of the staff |
| 9 | A scout that got lost on the road |
| 10 | A spy who has suspicions about the tavern's true identity |
Patron Services
| d20 | Service |
|---|---|
| 1 | Has a grand plan and will hire adventurers to achieve their mission |
| 2 | Owns a farm and can pay for labor |
| 3 | Is friendly with a local artisan (smith, baker, clothier, or another profession of your choice) and can get a discount in exchange for a favor |
| 4 | Trades in secrets |
| 5 | Seeking to dispose of an unwanted magic item |
| 6 | Can lend a horse and carriage to kind folks in need of a ride |
| 7 | Has access to a large amount of raw materials |
| 8 | Using their connections, can rapidly spread word around town |
| 9 | Rents out their shed and basement as places to stay |
| 10 | Sells mundane equipment out of their backpack |
| 11 | Exchanges copper and silver coins for gold and platinum coins |
| 12 | Can cast remove curse for a price |
| 13 | Seeking work as a hireling |
| 14 | Trains exotic beasts for use in combat |
| 15 | Digs holes and doesn't ask questions |
| 16 | Runs messages throughout nearby towns |
| 17 | Has an in with a seedy underbelly, black market, or gambling den |
| 18 | Owns a family library with an abundance of historical texts |
| 19 | Appraises gemstones and artifacts, but isn't particularly accurate |
| 20 | Is willing to share recipes for magical brews (see the Magical Brews section) |
Tavern Features
In order to succeed as a business, a tavern has to stand out from the competition. If a tavern has a unique feature, it will also make it a memorable location for your players. Roll on one or more of the tables in this section to give your tavern a special flare.
Bar
| 1d6 | Bar Feature |
|---|---|
| 1 | A massive keg sits atop a circular bar, supplying pressure for drink hoses |
| 2 | Unfinished drinks are dumped into a well by the bar at the end of the night, and patrons can drink from the well for free |
| 3 | The bar is a mechanical wonder, able to serve drinks independent of a bartender |
| 4 | Gazing into a magic orb at the bar shows you which item from the menu you most desire |
| 5 | The bar is absurdly long, though the bartender can slide a drink down its entire length and not spill a drop |
| 6 | A friendly badger lives under the bar and munches on uneaten table scraps |
Decor
| 1d6 | Tavern Decor |
|---|---|
| 1 | A gigantic portrait of the owner looms over the seating area |
| 2 | A gaudy, priceless chandelier consisting of rare gemstones and precious metals dangles tantalizingly just above the center table |
| 3 | A sparkling mist hangs up by the ceiling, and lovelorn patrons occasionally see visions of their soulmate within it |
| 4 | All of the mugs in the bar are engraved with the name of a spell |
| 5 | The tavern sports its devotion to the township by displaying its heraldry on every available surface |
| 6 | Doubling as an archaeological museum, the tavern has various relics on display from a bygone age |
Fireplace
| 1d4 | Fireplace Feature |
|---|---|
| 1 | The flames burn emerald green |
| 2 | Three stuffed heads of a chimera hang above the mantle |
| 3 | The crackling of the flames makes a melodic tune |
| 4 | Hot meals are cooked and served through the fireplace |
Tavern Sign
The singlemost important decision in a tavernkeeper's career is choosing the name of their business. It ought to be thoughtful, memorable, and curious enough to draw in prospects. A tavern sign is crafted to bear the name and hung above the main entrance. You can roll on the Tavern Adjective and Tavern Noun tables on the following page to randomly create a name for your tavern by combining the results.
Tavern Adjective
| d100 | Adjective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alarming |
| 2 | Arcadian |
| 3 | Arcane |
| 4 | Ashen |
| 5 | Bad |
| 6 | Baffled |
| 7 | Black-bearded |
| 8 | Blind |
| 9 | Bloated |
| 10 | Blushing |
| 11 | Boozy |
| 12 | Canny |
| 13 | Caustic |
| 14 | Chilled |
| 15 | Colorful |
| 16 | Comely |
| 17 | Cross |
| 18 | Crunchy |
| 19 | Cutty |
| 20 | Debonair |
| 21 | Devious |
| 22 | Dilapidated |
| 23 | Drunken |
| 24 | Elite |
| 25 | Even |
| 26 | Exploding |
| 27 | Feckless |
| 28 | Flying |
| 29 | Forlorn |
| 30 | Friendly |
| 31 | Gaudy |
| 32 | Giddy |
| 33 | Gilded |
| 34 | Glistering |
| 35 | Groggy |
| 36 | Grumpy |
| 37 | Haunted |
| 38 | Healthful |
| 39 | Hearty |
| 40 | Heroic |
| 41 | Hidden |
| 42 | Holy |
| 43 | Honest |
| 44 | Hooting |
| 45 | Humongous |
| 46 | Hungry |
| 47 | Laughing |
| 48 | Lonely |
| 49 | Loud |
| 50 | Lucky |
| d100 | Adjective |
|---|---|
| 51 | Ludicrous |
| 52 | Luminous |
| 53 | Macho |
| 54 | Magic |
| 55 | Meandering |
| 56 | Mighty |
| 57 | Mouthy |
| 58 | Naughty |
| 59 | New |
| 60 | Noble |
| 61 | Oily |
| 62 | Old |
| 63 | Persnickety |
| 64 | Pickled |
| 65 | Pouty |
| 66 | Prospective |
| 67 | Punctual |
| 68 | Raging |
| 69 | Rambunctious |
| 70 | Raucous |
| 71 | Rolling |
| 72 | Rotten |
| 73 | Rusty |
| 74 | Sage |
| 75 | Salty |
| 76 | Serpentine |
| 77 | Silent |
| 78 | Sinister |
| 79 | Sleepy |
| 80 | Solo |
| 81 | Spectral |
| 82 | Speedy |
| 83 | Splendiferous |
| 84 | Squabbling |
| 85 | Standing |
| 86 | Steaming |
| 87 | Sultry |
| 88 | Swimming |
| 89 | Thirsty |
| 90 | Tiny |
| 91 | Umbral |
| 92 | Unseen |
| 93 | Uppity |
| 94 | Vapid |
| 95 | Verdant |
| 96 | Voluptuous |
| 97 | Wimpy |
| 98 | Wise |
| 99 | Yellow bellied |
| 100 | Zealous |
Tavern Noun
| d100 | Noun |
|---|---|
| 1 | Angel |
| 2 | Baker |
| 3 | Barrel |
| 4 | Bell |
| 5 | Berry |
| 6 | Blood |
| 7 | Boots |
| 8 | Brawler |
| 9 | Brother |
| 10 | Bull |
| 11 | Canoe |
| 12 | Cask |
| 13 | Casket |
| 14 | Castle |
| 15 | Clam |
| 16 | Coward |
| 17 | Crook |
| 18 | Crown |
| 19 | Cutlass |
| 20 | Dagger |
| 21 | Dancer |
| 22 | Dog |
| 23 | Donkey |
| 24 | Dove |
| 25 | Dragon |
| 26 | Drunkard |
| 27 | Duck |
| 28 | Eagle |
| 29 | Eye |
| 30 | Fear |
| 31 | Finger |
| 32 | Fish scales |
| 33 | Flag |
| 34 | Flask |
| 35 | Foam |
| 36 | Folly |
| 37 | Friar |
| 38 | Galleon |
| 39 | Grapes |
| 40 | Guardian |
| 41 | Gull |
| 42 | Hand |
| 43 | Head |
| 44 | Horse |
| 45 | House |
| 46 | Ibis |
| 47 | Jewel |
| 48 | Keel |
| 49 | Keepsake |
| 50 | Kettle |
| d100 | Noun |
|---|---|
| 51 | King |
| 52 | Kiss |
| 53 | Ladle |
| 54 | Lamb |
| 55 | Lantern |
| 56 | Lavender |
| 57 | Legend |
| 58 | Lover |
| 59 | Maiden |
| 60 | Mask |
| 61 | Minstrel |
| 62 | Moon |
| 63 | Moose |
| 64 | Night |
| 65 | Oar |
| 66 | Petunia |
| 67 | Phoenix |
| 68 | Pigsty |
| 69 | Pilgrim |
| 70 | Pole |
| 71 | Potato |
| 72 | Queen |
| 73 | Residence |
| 74 | Rest |
| 75 | Revelry |
| 76 | River |
| 77 | Roost |
| 78 | Rucksack |
| 79 | Sailor |
| 80 | Scroll |
| 81 | Seamstress |
| 82 | Shark |
| 83 | Shepherd |
| 84 | Smith |
| 85 | Spark |
| 86 | Stable |
| 87 | Stag |
| 88 | Star |
| 89 | Stone |
| 90 | Sunrise |
| 91 | Time |
| 92 | Tinker |
| 93 | Villa |
| 94 | Wand |
| 95 | Warrior |
| 96 | Waves |
| 97 | Wench |
| 98 | Whaler |
| 99 | Widow |
| 100 | Wizard |
Magic Brews
In ancient dwarven fermentation labs, the wine cellar of an archfey, or on the top shelf of a high fantasy alehouse, refreshments of unusual power can be found. Magical alcoholic brews function identically to potions, though they require brewer's supplies to craft. A flight of magical brews can be found in this section for you to sample.
Fire Mead
Potion, rare
Boiling bubbles erupt from this fiery mead. When you drink this mead, you can choose to mimic the effects of a spell by breathing flames from your mouth, using Constitution as your spellcasting ability modifier. Make a Constitution check. The spell you mimic depends on the result of the check.
| Result | Spell |
|---|---|
| 4 or lower | fire bolt |
| 5–8 | burning hands |
| 9–12 | Aganazzar's scorcher |
| 13–16 | fireball |
| 17–20 | fireball (4th-level) |
| 21 or higher | flame strike |
Hearth Ale
Potion, common
This ale warms the soul. When you drink this ale, you are immune to the effects of extreme cold for the next 8 hours.
D&D as a Drinking Game
You can turn Dungeons & Dragons into a drinking game by introducing the following magic item to your game. Be responsible while drinking and never drink past your limit.
Flagon of Styxwater
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
This otherwordly flagon magically produces bolstering waters. When you are hit by an attack or fail a saving throw and take damage, you can take a drink of your beverage to gain immunity to the damage. If the attack is a critical hit or if the damage would reduce you to 0 hit points, you must finish your beverage instead.
Home Brew
Potion, uncommon
This brew smells different to every creature that takes a whiff, always offering an aroma of their favorite foods. When you drink this brew, you receive enough nourishment to sustain you for one day, as if you'd eaten a full hearty meal.
Additionally, you feel an all-encompassing sensation of comfort that lasts until you finish a long rest. For the duration, you can't have disadvantage on ability checks, you gain 10 temporary hit points when you finish a short rest, and you don't suffer any drawbacks from sleeping in armor.
Mead of Dwarven Heritage
Potion, rare
This mead tastes acrid to any creature that isn't a dwarf. When a dwarf drinks this mead, a spectral dwarven thrower appears in their hand. This dwarven thrower doesn't require attunement. It vanishes after 1 minute has passed, or if a creature other than a dwarf attempts to use it.
Rum of Echos and Echos
Potion, legendary
When you drink this rum, you merge with a version of yourself from an alternative universe. You may exchange your race for a new one and change your racial traits accordingly. Additionally, you may change your subclass and replace all your old subclass features with the features of the new subclass that are for your new level and lower. You can also swap any number of your skill proficiencies for other skill proficiencies.
Unseelie Quaff
Potion, uncommon
This spicy ale, known for its ability to induce sleepwalking, is made using soporific herbs from the Feywild. It has no effect on elves or other creatures that can't be put to sleep by magic.
When you drink this quaff, you fall unconscious sometime within the next 10 minutes, but you don't fall prone and you don't drop any items you are holding. You have no awareness of your environment while in this state, but you know the location of visible creatures within 30 feet of you that aren't behind total cover. You regain consciousness after 8 hours pass, if you take damage, or if a creature uses their action to shake you awake.
Your body can move of its own accord while under the effects of this quaff. It travels at a slow pace, and you can take short or long rests while sleepwalking in this way. You can choose for your body to follow a creature that you are aware of within 30 feet of you, or you can choose for your body to amble towards a location you know how to get to. Your body travels by the shortest route you are aware of, avoiding obvious dangers like fires and steep drops. You awake early if you arrive at your destination or if you encounter an impasse.
Wine of Bolstering
Potion, common
When you drink this wine, you gain 1d6 + 1 temporary hit points. These temporary hits add to your current temporary hit points if you have any.
Credits
- Created by Andrew/Ogskive
- Special thanks to my wonderful friends who helped fill the tables
- Made using GMBinder
Art
- Cover by Matt Hubel
- Theme modified from blckthorn's theme
- Blotches from PNGItem
- Barkeep by James Green
- Barmaid from Fantasy Flight Games
- Tavern by J Line
- Watercolor stains by Jared Ondricek
- Mug by Luigi Rao
- Tavern scene by CONCEPT4
Barmaid's Brewery is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.