What do you want in your Wizard's Tower?

[Billboard Baggins]

I'm drawing up my wizard's future home, a combination of a tower and a manor built around it, surrounded by a stone wall to keep out the peasants (and for privacy). I've included some gardens to grow fresh herbs/food/spell components, along with some general storage and rooms for servants and visitors.

The place will be built on land in a mid- to large-sized city, and is surrounded on the outside by streets and other buildings. I'm having a lot of fun drawing it up!

Here's where I need your help and input - if you were a wizard (7th level today but growing in power), what things do you want in your ultimate wizard's tower?

Here's what I have so far:
Alchemist's lab
Library
Room intended for summoning - thick walls, underground, one door
Rooftop for flying creature arrival
Telescope on rooftop for A) vouyerism and B) astrology
Private sleeping chambers
Vault for loot/valuable components
Chamber appropriate for my familiar, incl. passages for him throughout complex (Lux Astralis, my minidragon familiar)

Your suggestions? This is a mid-to-high magic campaign, and we are currently in the middle of the Return to The Temple of Elemental Evil adventure - kickass BTW, and our GM Rob is doing an awesome job!

- Billboard Baggins

 

[Zaruthustran]

Security

My dwarf Abjurer (8th level) is also building his wiz home. Number 1 priority for him is security.

So, it's underground (in Khundrakar, the setting of The Forge of Fury). It has many stonework traps, many secret doors. But the best part: the vault and library are not physically connected to any other rooms. They're 542 feet away. The only way to reach those rooms is by teleport, Dimension Door, or digging through solid rock.

You should do the same thing for your vault. It'll really stymie mundane thieves and looters. Of course, you gotta beware Umberhulk thieves.

Line the vault with 2 layers of lead to foil detection spells. Sandwich a layer of acid between the lead layers to discourage diggers. Coat the whole thing with all the abjurations you can think of (alarm, glyphs, wards, etc). Enchant the outer lead layer with Nondetection (in other words, create a room-sized magic item that is Nondetectable).

If you have Craft Wondrous Item (and you should), construct guardian items. Not true Constructs, but rather items that automatically cast Alarm every 8 hours, or have See Invisibility and Detect abilities and hit any unrecognised visitors with attack spells.

Make a Murlynds Spone, a Decanter of Endless Water, and get a cleric friend to help you make some kind of healing item (Stone of Cure Light Wounds 3/day, use-activated). Stash this survival kit somewhere safe (and well hidden) in the room.

Store your stuff in metal chests, and place Arcane Locks, Fire Traps, and other spells on the chests. Don't forget multiple regular Masterwork Locks, trapped with multiple Masterwork traps.

Stock the place with magical traps (costs in the DMG). Make a nice Rug of Smothering and lay it on the floor for unwanted visitors to admire.

Here's the kicker: make a cursed Bracers of Dimensional Anchor, place a fake Nystul's Aura (Protection) on it, and leave it out in the open. Doh! Arcane thieves go in but they don't go out.

As a wizard, you'll have lots of valuable stuff: your first thought should be to security.

After that, go nuts with the usual amenities. Don't forget the big screen TV (window pane of Scrying).

 

[Tsyr]

What, no heated swimming pool?

 

[Scarab]

Blast chamber. A must-have for the aspiring alchemist.

 

[Oogar]

Don't forget the secret passages. What is a good Wizard home without good old secret passages? Boooooooring

 

[Wicht]

A stuffed crocidile or alligator - I stick one in all my wizard's labs.

One of these days I'll figure out what purpose they serve but until then in they go whether they wanted to or not.

 

[Tsyr]

Oh that's easy.

Set up a contingency spell linked to an "animate dead" spell... Upon uttering a command word, they stuffed 'gator comes to life as a gaurd dog.

 

[Scarab]

Let's not forget the crystal ball for scrying. Well, it doesn't have to be a real crystal ball since they're quite expensive. A glass replica will do just fine for decorative purposes.

 

[Zaruthustran]

And a mirror. Preferably with some kind fo word-riddle running around the edge. Works best if the mirror is mundane (the word riddle comes out to "This Mirror Is Not Magic".

And you have to have statues. All adventurers fear statues. Scatter a few crushed helms around the base of the statues. Should work to keep out the riffraff.

 

[Billboard Baggins]

Haha! You guys are great. I'm stunned by all the possibilities I have missed so far.

The reason I built a tower/mansion was so that (when I, you know, hit 20+ level) can open a mage academy on the grounds. The many rooms in the mansion will be bedrooms and classrooms. The tower will be for high power stuff, my personal rooms, and other master mage types to live in.

I really like the srying-impervious underground vault. What a darn clever idea. I think I just had my feats for the next 10 levels selected for me.

Stupid question related to magic traps for my tower - I was goping to build a few pit traps in main hallways with doors i can trip from various locations. Then I was going to use illusionary wall to mask these doors, so I have an invisible pit I can turn on and off as I choose. Ok, here's the silly question: If I am sneaking down a hall with a pit trap as described, and I have Arcane Sight or detect magic going, do I see/detect the illusion? Not sure how that works.

- Billboard Baggins