Wizard's Tower

[Lord Pendragon]

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

It's all about the 9th-level psionic power Genesis. Build your own demiplane.

 

[Eolin]

Thanks for the good responces. There was a really nice lift, some of which I hadn't thought of.

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....?

Likely an actual tower. I was thinking about what shape, as I didn't want anything boring -- like a cylinder, which has been done.

I was thinking about a pentagon, went over to math world's description of the pentagon, and found the pentaflake -- which is a geometers playtoy. Here's the link: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Pentaflake.html

That should be the basic shape of the "tower", which suggests certain designs. For instance, it makes since to have 5 guest rooms, all on one floor. Each pentagon shaped.

Also, I now thing I know basically how going up and down will work -- some sort of device in the center of the center chamber, where gravity is lessened. Grab a pentagon shaped-pole, and move upwards. Sure, I don't know of a spell to do that, but I'll figure something out.

To give the sort of size, I'm thinking each "chamber" to be about 250 square feet. Which, if my calculations from earlier today were correct, makes the total thing about 50 feet long. Actually, that doesn't sound right at all. The 50 feet, I mean. I'll have to redo the math and find out.

I'm thinking just one below ground for storage -- the wine cellar, a room stocked with food, that sort of stuff. Possibly an armory, at least of the mundane equipment. Each 250 square feet. I'm not sure if that is enough space -- should I up it?

The idea isn't just a place for a single wizard, but something between that and the Paper Street Soap Company. That is, its expected and even desired that new magicians will come to learn more of magic. So, somewhere between one and 20 people, I imagine.

More thoughts?

 

[domino]

50 x 50 is 2500, not 250. That's where your calculations are having problems. A 250 square foot square would be a bit less than 16 feet on a side.

 

[Eolin]

I suppose I was ambivalent. I didn't mean that each pentagon was 50 foot on a side. I meant that I was getting that the entire structure (6 pentagrams) was 50 feet. Each pentagon is a little over 16. Times that by 3 and your at about 50. Problem is, 50 feet doesn't seem very big to me.

An acre is about 200 feet on a side, and a quarter acre about a hundred. Maybe change the specs such that it is a hundred feet on a side? Is that more intimidating? Or does a smaller and taller pentagonal tower look better?

Any other suggestions for what to have inside a wizards tower? What would Elminster want?

 

[tigycho]

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....?

My understanding is that, at least when we're talking PC structures, a Wizard's Tower is just a name designating a Wizard's Keep or Castle... it is a fortified, highly functional structure designed to suit the needs of a wizard, rather than the needs of a highlevel cleric or warlord, or the needs of a seat of government.

So, I was trying to cover all the bases that a high-level wizard might need covered. Take out the arcane bits, and it'd work for a Warlord. Replace those bits with chapels and it'd work for a Cleric.

*shrug* Why build a Tower if you aren't gonna be HAPPY with it =)

 

[Gez]

Here are a few of the oddities I have put in NPC wizard towers.

• Instead of a stair, a column of "liquid" air. You can breath it normally, you don't get wet, but you can swim in and your movements are hampered as if you were underwater.
• Random doors. The room or corridor behind the door is chosen randomly, rather than dictated by the map. A special cantrip allows to let one creature chose for a day where the door leads instead of getting that choice at random, but then they can only go to rooms they know the existence of.
• A telescope to look at the sky.
• A huge kaleidoscope that actually lets one see in other planes when properly configured.

 

[yennico]

A summoning room
A teleportation room
A map room with maps for planar travel
A WC

 

[Li Shenron]

Any other suggestions for what to have inside a wizards tower? What would Elminster want?

I would look at the wizard's known spells and, if you already have ideas about that, the spells is going to learn later when he levels up. Then I would probably try to guess from that list, what would this wizard like to have (or need) to use some of these spells. Someone suggested a summoning room, possibly underground with enough protections, where the Wiz is supposed to attempt summoning new creatures. If the Wiz scries, perhaps a small but comfortable room with the big mirror for the spell. If the Wiz has the alchemy skill, he likely has to have a lab to use it, and the same if he has magic item creation feats.

IOW, I'd start from what the character is. Things like a wine cellar or guards quarters are cool but it also depends on how rich is the Wiz. Perhaps he can better rely on his spells for protection, or a good Unseen Servant instead of maintaining rooms and supplies for real servants.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

*shrug* Why build a Tower if you aren't gonna be HAPPY with it =)

It depends on how much money you have to work with. Even an actual "tower" in the traditional sense is going to be expensive. A keep/fortress along the lines of what's been described would be incredibly expensive.

I suppose that, given the OP's responses, his PC wizard has unlimited resources, so I'll quietly step away and let the dreamers dream.

 

[domino]

Oooh. A great big empty room with a diagram of the planes in a mosaic on the ground. Even better if you manage to make it move somehow.