Need help! How would YOU find an invisible tower?
- Thread starter Piratecat
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Angcuru
First Post
cast true sight and look around with a telescope.
actually, when you think about it, the mages would want to be as far away from everyone else as possible, and if their chosen area is a wasteland, then naturally the non-wasteland area surrounding the wasteland will have been settled. no naturally, you find the wasteland's center of gravity, and voila, you have your tower location. it's equidistant from all the settled areas, so it's as far away from everyone else as possible. HA!
actually, when you think about it, the mages would want to be as far away from everyone else as possible, and if their chosen area is a wasteland, then naturally the non-wasteland area surrounding the wasteland will have been settled. no naturally, you find the wasteland's center of gravity, and voila, you have your tower location. it's equidistant from all the settled areas, so it's as far away from everyone else as possible. HA!
If I were the GM, I'd make the tower levitating off the ground about ten yards, so that it doesn't make an impression in the grass or anything. And I'd build about 15 or 20 dummy towers chock full of death traps. I mean, if they can build a huge tower, sustain a huge force in it for hundreds of years via magic alone, and make it invisible on top of that, they can build a couple extras, right?
Remember, yopu can scry for creatures you know NOTHING about, at a laughable DC 20:
Get a BIG map (about 10 ft/10ft), magically enlarge a normal map, then copy it over onto canvas if necessary.
Start at one corner, put you finger down on the map, and scry for "airborne microbes at the center of the area my figner is on".
You can see normally from the microbe's originating point.
Slowly move your finger, and the magical sensor the spell creates, across the map. When your duration runs out, recast and continue.
When you hit the blind spot, there is the tower.
NOTE: this is a variation on an idea given by Mercedes Lackey in her book "The Black Gryphon".
Get a BIG map (about 10 ft/10ft), magically enlarge a normal map, then copy it over onto canvas if necessary.
Start at one corner, put you finger down on the map, and scry for "airborne microbes at the center of the area my figner is on".
You can see normally from the microbe's originating point.
Slowly move your finger, and the magical sensor the spell creates, across the map. When your duration runs out, recast and continue.
When you hit the blind spot, there is the tower.
NOTE: this is a variation on an idea given by Mercedes Lackey in her book "The Black Gryphon".
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Strutinan said:
Almost right:
One creature per casting. Nice idea, though!
The dead bird idea is the coolest, but the support network idea is the practicalist, I think. Howsabout this?
"Dear God: What's the name of the least-powerful person living outside the tower who can lead us to it?"
Get the name. Scry. Teleport to that person. Cast dominate person on them. Go on your merry way.
Let us know how it turned out!
Daniel
Quip
First Post
Actually, I think that technique was used in the second book "The White Gryphon". 
Agghh now I want to stat that gryphon race! Thanks alot!
Anyways, this tower has been filled with evil diviners for centuries, I wouldn't be surprised if any and all divination workarounds shown here hadn't already been anticipated. Instead of just blocking divination, it could show a false response, and any effects the tower has on its environment can be covered up by Hallucinatory Terrain. Point is, I wouldn't even *try* to beat them at their own game, besides failing it would most likely bring unwanted attention.
Instead of casting scry or find the path, you should try and cast Summon Deus Ex Machina
Agghh now I want to stat that gryphon race! Thanks alot!
Anyways, this tower has been filled with evil diviners for centuries, I wouldn't be surprised if any and all divination workarounds shown here hadn't already been anticipated. Instead of just blocking divination, it could show a false response, and any effects the tower has on its environment can be covered up by Hallucinatory Terrain. Point is, I wouldn't even *try* to beat them at their own game, besides failing it would most likely bring unwanted attention.
Instead of casting scry or find the path, you should try and cast Summon Deus Ex Machina
Last edited:
Everyone's thinking too hard. You likely don't need magic at all.
Someone already mentioned birds hitting the tower like they do a plate-glass window. A very reasonable assumption.
Now in a desert wasteland we all know that food is very scarce. And what creatures do die summon vultures to pick at their bodies for miles around.
So look up and follow the vultures. This works assuming the DM follows the two suppositions that 1) the birds hit the tower and 2) the vultures know this as a regular feeding ground for other dead birds (and may end up hitting the tower themselves).
Someone already mentioned birds hitting the tower like they do a plate-glass window. A very reasonable assumption.
Now in a desert wasteland we all know that food is very scarce. And what creatures do die summon vultures to pick at their bodies for miles around.
So look up and follow the vultures. This works assuming the DM follows the two suppositions that 1) the birds hit the tower and 2) the vultures know this as a regular feeding ground for other dead birds (and may end up hitting the tower themselves).
coyote6
Adventurer
maddman75 said:
And 3) that the tower's inhabitants haven't noticed the splattered bird problem in the last 500 years, and taken steps to counter it. A spell to shoo off birds or just all animals in general, for example.
If that's the case, you're back to looking for negative spaces.
The spattered birds aren't a problem, because the vultures eat them. They haven't been discovered because anyone who wants to goes about with communes, true seeing, polymorphs, summoned outsiders, and other such nonsense that they well prepare for. You can count on adventurers on pulling out the spells, combos, feats, and special abilities every time rather than stopping to think things through, and adventurers are the only ones who would really be trying to find and ancient tower full of evil wizards.
Quip
First Post
Trying to randomly hit it with any magic is a *horrible* idea, 500 square miles is a ridiculous area for any magic. Besides PC has already said he deosn't want to use the "this half or that half" technique, I dont think he'll go for any variations of that. Too anti-climatic, methinks, and certainly takes too long.
Stupid birds hitting invisible towers? How about a permanent antipathy (avians) effect over tower? There goes the pigions and vultures. Not that there were likely many in the first place.
Still, that is at best a 17th level technique, but its an entire permanently invisible tower... waitaminute, just how strong *is* your opposition? It seems that the tower was developed by near epic magic, or loads and loads of permanency.
I'm thinking of some questions here:
a) Are the founders are still around, by way of being elves, undead or using longevity magics?
b) If not, how powerful are the current residents? 500 years of isolation and security, can result in weaker "decendant" spellcasters with a false sense of security. Thats assuming mostly humans and half elves though.
c) Weak spellcasters may lack certain defenses, and overconfident ones may make stupid mistakes. And who's to repair a broken enchantment? Dont know exactly how this might help, but keep it in mind, don't be afraid to try otherwise obvious or "lesser" approaches.
d) If it's not completely closed off, through teleportation magics, then you shouldn't be focusing on the location of the tower but looking for someone who knows how to get there. And of course, delivery people and mailmen are always a security risk.
e) If it IS closed off and it IS the original creators and they ARE high level, WHY ARE YOU GOING THERE???
f) Have any leads or wierd clues? Your DM may have already given you the key to an otherwise impossible task. It's an evil DM trick, I know I've used it.
Stupid birds hitting invisible towers? How about a permanent antipathy (avians) effect over tower? There goes the pigions and vultures. Not that there were likely many in the first place.
Still, that is at best a 17th level technique, but its an entire permanently invisible tower... waitaminute, just how strong *is* your opposition? It seems that the tower was developed by near epic magic, or loads and loads of permanency.
I'm thinking of some questions here:
a) Are the founders are still around, by way of being elves, undead or using longevity magics?
b) If not, how powerful are the current residents? 500 years of isolation and security, can result in weaker "decendant" spellcasters with a false sense of security. Thats assuming mostly humans and half elves though.
c) Weak spellcasters may lack certain defenses, and overconfident ones may make stupid mistakes. And who's to repair a broken enchantment? Dont know exactly how this might help, but keep it in mind, don't be afraid to try otherwise obvious or "lesser" approaches.
d) If it's not completely closed off, through teleportation magics, then you shouldn't be focusing on the location of the tower but looking for someone who knows how to get there. And of course, delivery people and mailmen are always a security risk.
e) If it IS closed off and it IS the original creators and they ARE high level, WHY ARE YOU GOING THERE???
f) Have any leads or wierd clues? Your DM may have already given you the key to an otherwise impossible task. It's an evil DM trick, I know I've used it.
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