How to build a Wizard's Tower?

[Liquidsabre]

6th Level Human Necromancer
13,000 gp
5 Feats

I'd like to begin playing a Necromancer (looking for suggestions on opposition schools) and I've always wanted to have the classic Wizard's Tower with all it's protections and secure enough so an adventurer wizard can go out and adventure, and still have things secure there. Though I suppose the Leadership Feat and a reliable apprentice would be a good step towards that end if I leave them at the tower. But is the creation/building of a secure Wizard's Tower actually feasible in-game and by the rules? Early levels won't usually see this sort of thing but when's the earliest it could be done? Is it better to build your own from scratch (where noone knows it is) or to find a used one, a fixer-upper so to speak?

I'm pretty sure it's not possible yet but at 6th level I'd like to start gathering, collecting what I can get towards building one (spells, items, resources, beasts, etc.) and how where to keep this stuff (warehouse, wizard's guild house perhaps?) in the meantime? In other words, how to do this as early as possible? I'm brainstorming right now myself and will post any thoughts I have later.

Cheers!

 

[Thanee]

You can do a lot with just two spells, Wall of Stone and Stone Shaping.

There's a D&D sourcebook for building such stuff, the name currently eludes me, however.

As for opposed schools: Enchantment would be one that fits, as it is so heavily aimed at the living. Illusion maybe?

Bye
Thanee

 

[EvilGM]

I'll second the choice of Enchantment as your opposition school. The other schools have some nifty stuff that would be hard to give up.

The Stronghold Builder's Guidebook will help in construction of a wizard's tower, but a tower does not come cheap. Start saving that gold and platinum. And, as Thanee said, try to get access to construction-friendly spells: wall of stone, stoneshape, move earth, fabricate, telekinesis, levitate, etc.

It might be easier to take over a tower/dungeon site, setup a base of operations, and expand from there. Definitely let your DM know your plan.

 

[Nightfall]

Or you could auction off your soul to some nice Demon Prince/Archfiend for a truly powerful tower. I hear they like having necromancers for hire.

 

[James McMurray]

Yeah, auction off your soul for a Daern's Instant Fortress. Then you get an adamantine tower that you can carry in your pocket.

 

[EvilGM]

Beginner's Wizard Tower

A 30' diameter, three story basic wizard's tower in a favorable location will cost you about 15,000gp.

Temperate climate, hill terrain, within 17-48 miles of a small city.

You'll get...

Common area - Plain room, bare floors, benches and uninspiring artwork/tapestries. Serves as waiting room or all-purpose room.

Storage area - Unfinished floor, holds 2000 cubic feet.

Bedrooms - Two small bedrooms, rough furnishings (straw bed, chest of drawers, mirror, rough cotton bedclothes, patchwork quilt, bench, small table), includes a privy.

Bath - Room with wooden or metal tub, chamber pots and wooden benches.

Study - Small room contains: desk, bookshelves, chair and a closet.

Library - Wooden shelves, small table or two, lectern. Holds up to two lots of books, the 15k tower price includes one lot of arcana books - giving +2 circumstance bonus to Knowledge (arcana) checks.

Magic Lab - Simple lab contains: small mystical library, writing desk, lab table, basin, open barrel of water, and a fireplace - grants +2 circumstance bonus on Spellcraft checks to determine if a new spell is viable.

Exterior walls are masonry (1' thick, 8hard/90hp)
Interior walls are wood (6" thick, 5hard/60hp)
Main door is stone (4" thick, 8hard/60hp) with a good iron lock (Open DC30, 15hard/30hp)

Each room can have two wooden doors (1" thick, 5hard/10hp). The bath and study can only have one as they are half size rooms. The 15k cost includes three Everburning Torches and six shutters to be placed on any wall(s).

It's not much, but you have to start somewhere

 

[Thanee]

Altho the walls really shouldn't be paid for (dunno how much they cost), since you can do them yourself at no cost once you reach 9th level.

Bye
Thanee

 

[EvilGM]

True... and the exterior walls make up the bulk of the tower's price - about 10k of the 15k cost.

For some reason though they only give you a discount on walls until you are higher level and the castings required are sorta screwy as well...
Wall of Stone (9th lvl caster) -15% (48 castings)
Wall of Stone (12th lvl caster) -50% (72 castings)
Wall of Stone (16th lvl caster) free (72 castings)
Wall of Stone (20th lvl caster) free (30 castings)

Also, the walls would then be hewn stone walls (3' thick, 8hard/540hp).
edit- hewn stone walls cost 2.4 times what masonry walls do.

This info from the Stonghold Builder's Guidebook btw and pertains to the 15k tower I posted above.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I suggest contracting a bard with a lyre of building.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Wow, thanks guys. I'll check out the stronghold builder's guide for more details, sounds good! Starting with a small tower at early levels is a good idea and I'll talk to my DM about making the necessary arrangements.

What are some good ideas for defense or security for a small tower? At 7th level I'll be able to animate dead and create skeletons and zombies for some basic defense/warning. Would a spell like Hallucinatory Terrain help hide the tower in case of a serious attack (plains to forest for example)? To buy time to prepare defenses/spells. Arcane Lock for all the doors, Fire Traps possibly as well. Alarm everyday if staying at the tower for those sneaky intruders. Anything else I might be missing? The Symbol spells should be useful for defense at higher levels, as a necromancer I intend to employ.