D&D 5E What Defenses Might Be Found in a Noble's Manor?

[El Mahdi]

I'd like to strike up an Ocean's Eleven style vibe for this, where a direct assault would probably going to end badly for them but casing the joint first would reveal a couple possible security flaws the could exploit.

I don't have anything on what elements to use to give it the Ocean's Eleven feel you want, but I do have an idea on how to discourage them from a direct assault.

I remember taking a tour of the chateau at Carcassonne once. Our tour guide pointed out how the construction of the manor/keep aided in its defense - even after enemies may have made it into the manor. One such example was the direction that stairs curved, giving an advantage to defenders (attackers fighting up the stairs, attackers which were likely right handed as most people are, would find that a clockwise curve of the stairs meant they had the wall on the inside of the turn in the way of their sword arm, while the defenders above them could swing unimpeded - not to mention that defenders had the higher ground).

Maybe one of the party's characters - probably a fighter - would understand and express to the group how the very design of the manor gives the defenders a very real home-field advantage, imposing disadvantage on the party in many areas of the keep and giving advantage to defenders. If the players know they will almost always have disadvantage imposed on them in a fight, they may do everything they can to avoid that sort of approach.

Also, calling the chief-of-staff something like steward, castellan, or seneschal may be more flavorful and setting appropriate.

 

[Dkase]

Hi ENWorlders, I'd like to pick the collective braintrust's, well, brain, about how to flesh out my plans for an upcoming session.

My player's' characters have found themselves on the wrong side of the law for a crime they didn't commit, and though the source isn't terribly reputable, the best lead they've got is that the chief-of-staff for one of the city's wealthiest and most powerful nobles is involved in the frame-job. Hoping to find evidence that will exonerate them, they've settled on pulling a heist come nightfall.

I've got the primary location (the chief-of-staff's office) all worked out - traps, treasure, skill checks, the works - but I could really use a hand sketching out the defenses and security measures made by the rest of the manor itself and the accompanying grounds. Alarm spells warding the perimeter of the grounds are a given, as are patrolling guards they'll need to evade if they want to get inside undetected, but pit traps and scything blades don't really fit with what I envision to be a lush estate frequently wandered by dilettantes during daylight hours.

The campaign's running in a relatively "low-magic, low-level" world; the PCs themselves are only 3rd level, and maybe the most powerful mage in the city is only 6th or 7th level. There's a wizards' college in the city, that I'm thinking the nobleman contracts his wards out to; the college likely sends out low-level apprentices periodically to top-off the alarm spells (I'm willing to inflate the spell duration given the repeated applications of the spell to the same area). But what other defenses, magical or otherwise, might be present?

Basically I'm looking for creative applications for low-level spells and not-terribly-powerful magic items that would prevent things from being a cakewalk, along with mundane security measures that are more interesting than just locks and a wandering encounter table featuring guards and hounds. I'd like to strike up an Ocean's Eleven style vibe for this, where a direct assault would probably going to end badly for them but casing the joint first would reveal a couple possible security flaws the could exploit. Can anyone think up some nifty complications I could throw in to make the PCs' lives more difficult? Any suggestions for skill checks beyond the obvious perception, stealth, climb and lock-picking rolls?

Thanks in advance everybody!

You may also want a mini adventure just to get a layout of the mansion and the routine of it's staff and an idea of it's defenses, and thus the consequences for rash actions. That way the PCs can come up with a true Ocean's 11 style plan rather than kick in the door and murder everything. You could have the PCs identify staff members and finesse information out of them or somehow get them to be accomplices on their big job. This could give the social PCs a role, or perhaps arcane PCs via charm person. Perhaps there is a separate party that hears of the PCs operation and want's in on the cut, and will provide some of this assistance in return of a cut of the take or maybe the party was also framed by the noble and they just want plain old revenge?

As far as traps go, these would probably only be in the areas that no one treads in, so nothing in the main house, save for a few in the Noble's room around things that servant's should not be going near (trap in a hidden safe or the like). A good idea for low level counter measures might be to use alchemical items. Give the guards something along the lines of tangle foot bags to immobilize PCs, thunderstones to raise an alarm, or maybe even give a wand of web to a hired wizard from the a fore mentioned academy. Perhaps even giving the noble a body double would be on the table depending on how paranoid the guy is and how informed he is of the PCs plan.

 

[Azurewraith]

I think some minor illusions could be a great use such as illusion based dead ends at the end of corridors wich would allow guards to flank enemy's knowing that the wall is a fake. A whole ant farm style set of secret passages could both aid and hamper PCs as they could stumble around them for non detection but the guards could all so use them to cut the pcs off as they know the routes. Something simple such as in an office have a locked drawer with a magical lock on it so it looks important but have a snake inside it with some nasty hallucinogenic poison the owner of said office would know never to open the drawer. This may be a bit high magic for you but gargoyle based sentries on the roof to prevent that escape.

As others have said traps on windows and doors to "private areas" such as offices and bedrooms with a command word to disarm them or some such.

 

[ExploderWizard]

For grounds security, it hard to beat a flock of geese. Wall and door alarms can be attached to confinement traps, in case family members or staff trigger them by accident.

 

[DMCF]

Oops! I just realized you weren't looking for traps. I got it reversed lol. Oh well. Maybe someone can still use these:

I have two options which I think would be pretty powerful centerpiece security items for a wealthy noble or magic user of 6th level. Neither are lethal.

The first option is to ward against a thief who might scale up the wall to the third story of a manor independently.
A wall table with a small vase of flowers on top. Above the table is a mirror. If the player gets close enough to the mirror to smell the flower or attempt to smell/take the flowers they make a Con or Cha save (DC 10 completely solo, DC 15 if a party is waiting below). Upon failure they will be enchanted (charmed) by their own reflection for 1d4 hours which is plenty of time to be noticed and/or captured.

The second is a room that can capture a party or cause significant delay. It may belong to a professor of botany, a renowned hunter of big game & exotic species or a druid who tends the city park.

The players enter an atrium garden. The flora is magnificently illuminated by the full moon. White flowers in full bloom appear luminous in the pale light. Water trickles on either side of a stone path leading approximately 20 feet into the center of the room. an the center the path widens into a small island upon which sits a beautifully carved wooden dais. Atop the dais rests a square blue pillow with golden embroidery around the sides and from each corner hangs a golden tassel. Resting on the pillow is a small platinum tiara. Inlaid in the center of the tiara, pointing to the heavens is a drop cut opal as long as your thumb. It gleams brilliantly and you find it hard to resist looking at anything else.

Perception DC 15 to notice there are no bugs. If anyone touches the Tiara the plants grow and entangle anyone within the room. DC 10 Strength to escape, and immediately entangled in the next space until out of the room. The flowers emit a saccharine odor which deals 1d6 poison damage per round (con save 10) and poisons anyone who fails their save. If anyone reaches 0 hp from the poison they are knocked unconscious and paralyzed. It takes 1d4 hours to recover once in clear air. They will continue to be paralyzed if healed. Remove poison will revive them at 1 hp of if the player is conscious remove the paralysis.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the suggestions - I'm digging guard peacocks ideas (they fit the "noble estate" vibe more than geese IMO), and I agree with the general consensus that traps would all be out of the way of the everyday inhabitants' motions. I'm thinking Glyphs of Warding loaded with defensive spells on the windows, the trigger being if they are opened from the outside and Magic Mouths in each room set to go off if someone climbs through a window. Not 100% what should be the trigger for the cellar door should be, as it would be an accessible entrance; if it's bashed in, perhaps?

There are guards on the grounds, but the manor is in an urban environment, so think more like a pre-electricity Wayne Manor or Downton Abbey, as opposed to a properly fortified castle. I like the idea of doors having multiple bars on them, but until the players set off an alarm of some sort, only the exterior doors and sensitive places (private studies for example) would be locked.

I'm thinking of chimney's as an additional access point, potentially fraught with danger - Small sized characters would be alright, but Medium characters doing their best Santa Claus imitation have pretty good odds of getting stuck. Whoever gets in that way might be on their own inside unless they can find a way to get the rest of the party in, plus they have little way of knowing whether the room below that they're sneaking into is occupied or not. Someone inside the manor could even light a fireplace while someone's inside the chimney!

I'm working on "wandering monster" tables for the manor itself - like has been suggested, nothing but guard patrols is boring so I'm trying to create a few personalities the party might bump into without detailing the entire staff of the manor. Someone on their way to the privy to empty a chamber pot, someone up for a midnight snack from the pantry, one of the maids sneaking into one of the guards' rooms for a little midnight rendezvous...

I feel like the grounds themselves are a little lacking, though. Alarm wards, guard patrols, the peacocks... it's a pretty straight shot from the perimeter to the building itself, assuming they don't blow any stealth checks. Any suggestions for additional obstacles / set-pieces / "traps" that aren't really traps? (I'd half kicked around a croquet set-up characters might accidentally trip over in the dark, potentially alerting the guards, but unfortunately all but one of the party has darkvision so I scrapped it.)

 

[Hand of Evil]

statues that are golems, water elemental fountain.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

statues that are golems, water elemental fountain.

Eh, that's higher-magic (and higher level) than I'm really going for, but I am thinking of putting obviously golem-looking statues in the grounds just to freak the party out...

 

[Hand of Evil]

Eh, that's higher-magic (and higher level) than I'm really going for, but I am thinking of putting obviously golem-looking statues in the grounds just to freak the party out...

Plants may be an option, spike plants or touch poison plants (ivy, oak), stuff that can be found in the wild, that security tells home owners to plant under windows. Even a garden maze could be a delaying means.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Other things to consider:
* Manually activated defenses. For example, maybe the "vault" or "study" (where evidence might be kept) has only a single exit that can be barred from the OUTSIDE. If the PCs alert the guards at some point, maybe a sneakier servant starts following them with the intent to trap them somewhere until authorities arrive. Or otherwise cause mayhem without actively engaging in combat.

* Muddy patches, strategically placed ink pads, heavily pollinated flowers, or other obstacles that might identify the PCs as intruders and cause them to leave more obvious trails through the manor unless said obstacles are properly recognized.

* Rooms where there is enough furniture / ornaments that any individual blundering through quickly gets tangled or at the very least makes a horrible crashing noise. (Avoid via acrobatics)