Stormonu
Legend
I'm starting a new campaign (yay!) with Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
As I was going over the characters for the game, I was hit by an odd thought. Could players use spells in place of carpentry and other skills to fix up an abandoned house (anyone DMing this campaign probably knows which house I'm talking about...) for their own use? As a DM, would this be something that would bother you?
There was a bit of a realization, that with a few low-level spells, characters could renovate an old/abandoned house for little or no cost:
Prestidigitation/Thaumatury: This is the big one, useful for a wide variety of things. According to the spell description, it affects a 1' cube per casting, and you can have up to three effects active at one time, and some of the effects seem permanent
-- Sweep away cobwebs and dust
-- Restore the luster to faded wallpaper, paint or scratched hardwood
-- Restore the glue (non-magical trinket) to peeling wallpaper to stick it back in place
-- Silence creaking floorboards (possibly level uneven sections of floor?)
-- Remove musty smells/common mold (odd odor) for an hour
-- Remove stains, tub rings or otherwise clean fixtures or furniture
-- Light candelabras or other interior light fixtures (or candles), or even fireplaces
-- (temporarily) Remove cold/hot spots
-- Unjam stuck or sticky doors
Druidcraft:
-- Create a small herb garden, vegetable garden or simple landscaping
Mending: Another helpful spell
-- Restore chipped paint, torn wallpaper or broken plaster
-- Repair broken masonry or stone floor tiles
-- Repair doorknobs, cabinetry pulls or other handles
-- Fix weakened or broken floor joists, wall studs, cabinetry or other furniture
-- Reconstitute broken windows
--
Arcane Lock
-- Not only locking room doors, but also trunks, closets or larders (against halfling raiders with the munchies)
Light/Dancing Light/Faerie Fire:
-- Provide temporary illumination or mood lighting in one or more rooms
Continual Flame:
-- Permanent illumination, best if you can apply some sort of shade or covering (even as simple as a cloth to douse it when not in use)
Mage Hand:
-- A lazy handyman, though I assume it relies on the character's skill or concentration for repair work, toting items about and such. However, quite useful for those hard-to-reach areas and catching vermin hiding in the walls or attic. Also good for reshingling a roof or ceiling work so you don't need a ladder or risk sliding and falling
Magic Mouth:
-- The ultimate doorbell
Unseen Servant:
-- Assistant for cleaning/repair duties
Create Food and Water:
-- Great way to stock the larder (any way to make it permanent?)
Alarm:
-- Perfect burglar alarm, for use on doors, rooms or closable items that contain valuables
Fabricate:
-- Top end of usefulness, basically turn raw materials into goods usable in construction or repair
Guards and Wards:
-- Another top end spell, to protect the house against intrusion
Major Image/Mirage Arcane
-- Holodeck, anyone?
Any other low-level spells that strike you as being good for this sort of thing?
As I was going over the characters for the game, I was hit by an odd thought. Could players use spells in place of carpentry and other skills to fix up an abandoned house (anyone DMing this campaign probably knows which house I'm talking about...) for their own use? As a DM, would this be something that would bother you?
There was a bit of a realization, that with a few low-level spells, characters could renovate an old/abandoned house for little or no cost:
Prestidigitation/Thaumatury: This is the big one, useful for a wide variety of things. According to the spell description, it affects a 1' cube per casting, and you can have up to three effects active at one time, and some of the effects seem permanent
-- Sweep away cobwebs and dust
-- Restore the luster to faded wallpaper, paint or scratched hardwood
-- Restore the glue (non-magical trinket) to peeling wallpaper to stick it back in place
-- Silence creaking floorboards (possibly level uneven sections of floor?)
-- Remove musty smells/common mold (odd odor) for an hour
-- Remove stains, tub rings or otherwise clean fixtures or furniture
-- Light candelabras or other interior light fixtures (or candles), or even fireplaces
-- (temporarily) Remove cold/hot spots
-- Unjam stuck or sticky doors
Druidcraft:
-- Create a small herb garden, vegetable garden or simple landscaping
Mending: Another helpful spell
-- Restore chipped paint, torn wallpaper or broken plaster
-- Repair broken masonry or stone floor tiles
-- Repair doorknobs, cabinetry pulls or other handles
-- Fix weakened or broken floor joists, wall studs, cabinetry or other furniture
-- Reconstitute broken windows
--
Arcane Lock
-- Not only locking room doors, but also trunks, closets or larders (against halfling raiders with the munchies)
Light/Dancing Light/Faerie Fire:
-- Provide temporary illumination or mood lighting in one or more rooms
Continual Flame:
-- Permanent illumination, best if you can apply some sort of shade or covering (even as simple as a cloth to douse it when not in use)
Mage Hand:
-- A lazy handyman, though I assume it relies on the character's skill or concentration for repair work, toting items about and such. However, quite useful for those hard-to-reach areas and catching vermin hiding in the walls or attic. Also good for reshingling a roof or ceiling work so you don't need a ladder or risk sliding and falling
Magic Mouth:
-- The ultimate doorbell
Unseen Servant:
-- Assistant for cleaning/repair duties
Create Food and Water:
-- Great way to stock the larder (any way to make it permanent?)
Alarm:
-- Perfect burglar alarm, for use on doors, rooms or closable items that contain valuables
Fabricate:
-- Top end of usefulness, basically turn raw materials into goods usable in construction or repair
Guards and Wards:
-- Another top end spell, to protect the house against intrusion
Major Image/Mirage Arcane
-- Holodeck, anyone?
Any other low-level spells that strike you as being good for this sort of thing?