Wall Safe

[Grogg of the North]

Rather than lugging around a large sack of coins, jewels and other valuables a player is looking to install a safe in his home to keep his valuables secure. How would you cost this out? My thought was to say that it would run something like this:

2 gp (the cost of the box, same as a chest)
20 to 150 gp (the cost of the locking mechanism, based off of the lock costs in the PHB)
4 sp / day (the cost to install the safe. 4 sp / day is a locksmith's wage in the A&EG)

I have no idea how much time it would take to install a safe. I assume it would be at least a day's worth of labor.

Thoughts?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Sounds about right and I would say just 2 to 4 hours to install. Personally, a loose floor board under a big potted plant is easier, in all my years of DMing my players have never moved the big potted plant, sure they dug in the pot but never moved it.

 

[Greenfield]

Sounds about right. Obviously, more is better, in terms of strength of safe and quality of lock(s).

Remember though, that "Search" checks for things like secret doors etc. will reveal the safe, even if it's under the potted plant. And one Knock spell opens any safe with three or fewer locks on it.

They don't need to specifically say, "Checking behind the old painting" or "Moving the potted plant". That's all subsumed in the "I'm searching the room".

 

[MarkB]

This is D&D - the cost and sophistication can be almost anything. Those figures look good for a basic mechanical wall safe.

You may want to take into consideration factors like where to site it for best concealment, and whether it's part of the workmens' job to make the skill checks that will determine the Search DC to find the chest.

For more sophisticated options, the player could consider a permanently-emplaced Portable Hole, covered by an Image of a blank wall, wards of protection and nondetection fronted with a portrait that is actually some weird form of pigment golem.

 

[Oryan77]

So how long until the guy that installs it hooks up with the locksmith and they come back and loot the safe?

 

[Grogg of the North]

So how long until the guy that installs it hooks up with the locksmith and they come back and loot the safe?

We're in between sessions right now but we were trying to determine if the PC was just going to off the contractor after the job was completed.

 

[Hand of Evil]

This is why pirates bury their gold, they know the value of not keeping all your eggs in the nest. Sure, they have to have a map to find it, because they are too drunk on rum to remember where they buried it.

 

[Umbran]

Install three or four of these. Then tell the contractors that you're planning to put deadly devices that cannot be disarmed in all but one of them.

 

[Hand of Evil]

They don't need to specifically say, "Checking behind the old painting" or "Moving the potted plant". That's all subsumed in the "I'm searching the room".

DM Call / Discussion
As a DM, I would work with the player on the DC for searching the room, because you as the DM will be the one mostly likely stealing from the player character or the player thinks the other players will be. Crime happens every day and odds are it will happen to the player character, 1% chance at the start of each session. Be sure the player knows the risk, work out the details with the player.

IF the someone is searching the room, there are factors that need to be taken in, http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/search.htm , mostly type of search, time & size of room.

 

[Dandu]

Of course, the real treasure is in a bag of holding stuffed into a toilet's water tank.