Wizard's Tower

[Eolin]

I've got a Wizard PC who is about to build a tower. This will be a location from which he will work, study, occasionally receive visitors (including royalty and nobility), and train young mages. This place will have defensive wards in case anyone attempts to assasinate him. I'm looking for more things to have in the tower, as well as any stylish points of architecture anyone could offer. Here's my list of what I've thought of so far:

Library
A room of collectables -- all those knick nacks one picks up adventuring.
An Observatory. This might just be the roof, with a good view of everywhere.
Workshop
Some sort of treasury.
Something akin to a Danger Room.
A bestiary -- never known when you'll want to experiment.
Guest Quarters
some variety of kitchen.
Possibly a Holding Pen, in case the King ever wants him to hold on to prisoners.
Some variety of entertaining room, likely the first floor.
outside, a nice garden.

I'm thinking each floor would be dedicated to one of these things, with the library likely being on multiple floors.

Instead of stairs to get between floors, I was thinking about just using a carpet of flying and each floor having a hole in the same area so you can go up and done easily, but not without magical aid.

Any defensive possibilities would also be welcome. has anyone else thought out a Wizard's tower before?

 

[Ed Cha]

The hall should be on the ground floor. You'll also need quarters for servants and guards (as well as any officers). Baths can be taken in rooms or outdoors. The basement should have a storage room and a wine cellar. A library would be useful, though in medieval times, a few books was often considered a "library". Outside should be a barn, stables, etc. That's all I can think of right now.

 

[Eolin]

"library" really meant spell books. Precious, precious spellbooks.

Oh, and history books and the like. general academic stuff. a copy of the Nichomachean Ethics

 

[der_kluge]

Maybe a trap room? Some sort of room that appears like an important room, but is really just a big ol' death trap?

A room for creating golems. Like, a mad scientists lair with access to the room so you can capture those all important lightening bolts for creating your very own Frankensteins.

Get one of those sex swings, too. I hear they're great.

 

[Eolin]

This is the friendliest bump in the world ... tribute.

Any other ideas?

 

[Vraister]

Basement - Quarters for the cook and so; maybe an escape tunnel
Ground floor - trap room

Vraister

 

[Red Viper]

A disinigrating room to destroy those experiments, or guests gone bad.

 

[tigycho]

Ok, he's gonna build a 'tower', so here's what I think:

Food:

• Bulk Storage

• Kitchen

• Dining Rooms
  • private
  • formal
  • banquet hall

Water:

• Wellhead

• Wine Cellar

• Ale and WAter Storage

• Fountains(?)

Shelter:

• Personal Quarters
  • bedroom
  • sitting room
  • closets
  • Wine Cellar

• Guest Quarters
  • similar to personal quarters
  • maybe a half-dozen

• Other Quarters
  • Guard Captains's Quarters
  • Castellan/Major Domo Quarters
  • Head Cook's Quarters
  • Servant Quarters (Barracks Style?)
  • Guard Quarters (Barracks Style)
  • Student/Novice Quarters (Small Rooms)
  • Commons (for servants etc)

Professional

• Library

• Laboratories
  • Animal (with menagerie?)
  • Alchemical
  • Arcane
  • Mad Scientist Style!
  • Astronomy Observatory
  • Summoning (warded, with cirlces of protection and binding etc)

• Lecture Hall

• Classrooms

Security

• Armsroom

• Training Quad/Parade Ground

• Treasury (cash)

• Treasury (magic/special)

• Holding Cells

• "Interview"/Interrogation Rooms

• Corner Towers with Guard rooms

Utility

• Barn

• Stables

• Smithy

• Toolshed

• Bulk Storage

• Cart "Garage"

• Generic Small Chapel

• Audience Chamber

Recreation

• Meditation Garden

• Formal Garden

• Heated Bathhouse

I can't think of more, right now. I'd prolly design the thing as Five Towers, actually. Four corner towers, holding most of the general things like kitchens, servant quarters, etc), connected by curtain walls, and, in the center, the main tower, containing the School and Arcane Labs... I'd burrow down underground, and have the dangerous labs and prisons down there, and keep the valuables up higher and higher.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

That's not a tower, Tigycho, that's a palace!

Seriously, what kind of structure are we talking here? Is this an actual tower--which would have far less room than some of the suggestions so far--or something more like a keep or full-scale castle...or even a tower-shaped demi-plane....?

 

[domino]

Bigger on the inside than on the outside! I don't know how you'd do it, but it would be impressive.