[3.5] Protecting one's tower

[weenie]

In my campaign, my players have decided it's time to storm the tower of a high level wizard that works for the BBEG and I need to riddle said tower with magical defenses, to make their lives hell :smallbiggrin:

Now, this is one of the most important fights in the campaign, so I want this wizard to be as well protected as possible. My players consist of a lvl 18 sorc blaster/swiss army knife, a lvl 18 batman wizard, a lvl 18 rogue and a lvl 18 fighter. They have proven themselves time and time again to be very resourceful, so there's really no such thing as overdoing it.

Oh, and we use only the core books + spell compendium in our campaigns, and let almost any spell be made permanent as long as you pay the XP.

[Yora]

Do you use epic?

[PhoenixRivers]

Entirely within a demiplane, accessible only by portal. The entire plane inhibits spellcasting (Concentration 40+spell level) without the proper key item. The entrance blocked by permanent walls of force.

The caster uses disintegrate to get in... as he has the key item.

[weenie]

Do you use epic?

No, we are aware of the brokedness of the rules and agreed that epic is off limits to both players and the DM.


Entirely within a demiplane, accessible only by portal. The entire plane inhibits spellcasting (Concentration 40+spell level) without the proper key item. The entrance blocked by permanent walls of force.

The caster uses disintegrate to get in... as he has the key item.

Is there any way of creating a demiplane without genesis? Because that spell is out, since we consider core rules to be what's in the core set books(PhB, MM, DMG)

[Cogidubnus]

Well, it could just be a splinter of the Astral Plane. It leads anywhere and everywhere, after all. Bound to be a few cubby holes a clever wizard could exploit.

[PhoenixRivers]

Well, it could just be a splinter of the Astral Plane. It leads anywhere and everywhere, after all. Bound to be a few cubby holes a clever wizard could exploit.

This. With proper antidivination, it might as well be its own demiplane.

[Cogidubnus]

And what wizard DOESN'T install a decent antidivination abjuration on his home? Maybe something like OOTS' Cloister? I know it's epic, but it wouldn't be hard to research a 9th level version instead?

[PhoenixRivers]

And what wizards DOESN'T install a decent antidivination abjuration on his home? Maybe something like OOTS' Cloister? I know it's epic, but it wouldn't be hard to research a 9th level version instead?

You can do it without that. Nondetection on everything in it, Nondetection+Mindblank on you, and Hide the path over the area. Dimensional Lock it, and you're pretty solid vs most things.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Powerful boss-figures have minions, so what would be the appropriate theme? If he created his minions himself, undead or constructs are an obvious choice. If he summoned his minions, you'd need to choose either demons/chaotic or devils/lawful outsiders as you don't want any conflict within his lair. He could also have some sort of hirelings, probably nonstandard humanoid races with class levels. There could also be some sort of unintelligent pets which are kept for various reasons. Finally, be sure the tower has some sort of ecology. Be sure to have the spell Guards and Wards (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/guardsAndWards.htm) triggered if invaders breach the tower. It would also be a good idea to include an Unhallow (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/unhallow.htm) on the tower so he and his minions continually benefit from Freedom of Movement, or so everyone but he and his minions are continually affected by a Silence effect for which there is no saving throw. The various Symbol spells are also good for defensive measures.

One 15 ft. wide hallway (EL 13) is guarded by two Greater Shadows, who use Spring Attack to jump out of the walls or floor, attack, and retreat back to where they came from, never striking from the same spot twice. Since it will be impossible to see them coming they will always catch opponents flat-footed; replace Alertness with Weapon Finesse. The shadows should attack a few times and then wait, or scamper across the hall further down to lure them ahead. At the center of the hallway is a pit trap with an advanced (24 HD, CR 9) Gelatinous Cube at the bottom.

The pit trap (Search/Disable DC 30, Reflex DC 22, no save for the center squares, CR 11) is only 50 ft. deep and only triggers if a certain amount of weight is on it, probably 2-3 characters. It would need to be a 15 ft. square to accommodate the huge-size cube. The Gust of Wind from the Guards and Wards would probably be placed above this, blowing down into it. Anyone who falls onto the cube is automatically engulfed as though they walked into it. Anyone who escapes the cube must either fly or climb off of it within the same round or simply fall back into being engulfed at the end of their turn. It will use its melee attack against anyone attempting to escape, including taking attacks of opportunity.

Note that flying out will be impossible for medium or smaller creatures due to the gust of wind spell. He could have used Wall of Iron to line the walls of the pit so it will be impossible to climb them. Basically, anyone who falls in is stuck there as long as the cube is there, and anyone who doesn't fall in has to help them out, but they'll be busy with the shadows. In at least one wall should be a narrow chute which waste is thrown down from another room, it would be too small to climb into but may enable a character to climb a bit.
The kitchen (EL 18) is occupied by two Grimlock Cleric 12/ Shadowdancer 4 of Nerull, who delight in slaying then roasting anything they can catch and feeding it to the tower's other occupants. Each day they each cast Deeper Darkness somewhere on one of the walls so there should be 24 such spells active at any given time. Assuming Daylight and Deeper Darkness cancel each other out on a one-for-one basis, it would take twenty four Daylight spells (or a big greater dispel magic) to illuminate the room.

They would use Greater Magic Weapon and Magic Vestment on their armor and shields, and cast Nondetection on themselves prior to combat. They should buff themselves with Divine Power, Quickened Shield of Faith, Righteous Might, and Quickened Divine Favor and then either spring attack or full attack with their greataxes. There's also a side room with about a dozen Ghasts which they throw bones to, they could be let out if the grimlocks get worried. If either one gets too hurt he can go hide and cast Heal on himself, and maybe throw Unholy Blight on particularly vexing opponents, but be anxious to rush back into combat.
The tower, particularly the wizard's private quarters, should be riddled with secret passages, hidden alcoves, and peepholes which he can use to control a Projected Image of himself to battle the PCs while being safely out of harm's way. Many such hiding places should only be accessible if he's Shapechanged into an Earth Elemental and Earth Glides through the stone wall, or takes the form of an air or water elemental to fit into an otherwise impossibly small alcove.
That's all I have for now, hope it helps.

[Johel]

By high level, I suppose you mean "-He is well above 20th".

Have you settled for a style of wizard ? I mean, what's his personality ?
Did he already encounter the group personally ?

Sentries for the tower

Outsiders that you bind to your services through this ruthless "bargaining" method :


Magic Circle against Evil/Good + Planar Binding, Greater.
Because that's how you call creatures without paying XP or gold.
Dimensional Lock
Because that's how you forbid dimensionnal travel without linking such interdiction to the magic circle.
Have a little chat
Here's the situation : either the outsider accepts to play it nice and he'll be enslaved for a few years only OR he wants to play it rough and will be destroyed. He has been called, meaning he'll be dead for real.
This is not a bargain, it's a fact : if the outsider tries to attack or even moves an inch, he's dead meat. He has been informed that you hold the chips, here.
Destroy the Circle
Because that magic circle has already served its purpose and is really annoying to mind control people.
Dominate Monster or Disintegrate
Depending of the outsider's reaction, we either mind control him or kill him. If you fail to dominate him, kill him and wait the next day to call his little brother.


Now, start with a Succubus.
This way, if you cannot Dominate an outsider, you can always convince him that "you meant no harm", that "it would be a shame to kill such a powerful tool" and that "this place looks nice". Charm Monster and Suggestion are really useful when you got them at will, even if you have to use an intermediary.

Then go for Formian Taskmasters.
These little buggers, once severed from the Hive Mind, are only good for their Dominate Monster ability. Use each of them to get more slaves. Best thing is they can even dominate each others... Just paint them in different colors to remember who's in charge of who.

Get Avorals
And in quantity.
They are medium-sized, meaning the Taskmasters can control them.
They got great at-will abilities, if only to slow down the adventurers.
They will confuse the hell out of your adventurers (Good Outsiders ? Working for this guy ?!!)
With True Seeing at will, they are the perfect sentries, as they don't need to sleep or eat.
Just order them to never use their Magic Circle ability and you are fine.

The must : Nalfeshnee
If you feel confident, this a good weapon to keep handy. Two reasons :
Greater Dispel Magic at will + Feeblemind at will.
If the group's wizard has an half-decent score in "Knowledge : Planes", he'll do what he can to take out that demon before his Mind Blank and other buffs got dispelled on lucky rolls.
Also, while a DC 20 Feeblemind has few chances to get through the Will save of a 18th level spellcaster, no sane adventurer will ever take the risk.
So they will want to kill the Nalfeshnee at all cost. That's more time for your miniboss wizard to cast spells...
The Summoning of lesser demons can also be a nasty surprise. The True Seeing is always handy. The "Smite" ability is just a nice bonus on top of the cake.

Other outsiders are good, too.
Just select depending of how hardcore you want it to be.

[TheMadLinguist]

Perfect book: Stronghold Builder's guidebook. Load up on the anti-scrying, movement modes, flaming walls, et cetera

Perfect item: Spell turrets (DMG II)

But you can't use those, so let's go with the first-order taylor approximations

Permanent forbiddance for antiteleportation, and magic traps of things like energy vortex or mass harm resetting every round. Perfect for undead or elemental guards.

[druid91]

Create a giant glassy burned wasteland for miles so that the only reasonable way in is teleportation then block all teleportation but the wizards, a trek through harsh terrain with the wizards minions harassing them the whole way.

[herrhauptmann]

Is your wizard religious? Stealing an idea from a friend's keep.
The phrase "One must walk the path of the servant before walking the path of the master" and variations, were repeated throughout the tower.

Getting to the grand hall, there was a double door. The right hand door had an image of the guy's deity, and the left had an image of the guy himself.
The way to get safely through that door was to open the door with the guy, before opening the door with the deity.
Reversing the order, or opening both at once activated a trap.
Opening them in the right order also activated a trap, this one activated a gate which lead to the TRUE grand hall, a nondetection/nonteleport room sealed elsewhere.
Deactivating the magical trap, meant that you could safely open the door to the false grand hall.
I believe every other trap in the tower was designed to have a remote trigger besides the usual pressure plates. So the owner or his allies could remotely activate any trap if they wished.
Guess what was hidden in the wall opposite the door to the false grand hall? Magical traps from the mouths of mounted dragon heads, and a few hundred selfloading crossbows. All of which were definitely remotely controlled. HP damage might be subpar, but that many attacks each round could be the end of even high level characters if focused fire is used.

[Tyrmatt]

Looks to me like they have a really really low amount of healing available to them, with no divine backup whatsoever.
Just stack on the negative levels and have something hungry eat the rogue and fighter while the wizard futilely magic missiles and the sorcerer curses his relatively poor spell selection.
Couple this with some good False Vision stuff to keep Batman in the dark or better yet, completely unprepared for what's coming.

[IonDragon]

Make sure there are rooms for what the wizard likes to do when he's not being all evil. Maybe something like the chess room from harry potter. Or a concert hall with animated orchestral instruments. These don't really sound like they would be a challenge for that level of a party, but they would be interesting and add realism.

At that level I imagine a 'holodeck' style room with the ability to change illusions wouldn't be that hard to do.

[Lysander]

Here are a few paranoid wizard tricks I love:

1. The Phase Door Ambush

The wizard could have a network of invisible phase doors in walls, ceilings, and floors all over their mansion, keyed to only admit the wizard and specific minions. No need to even spend xp permanencing these, phase door is permanent until used up.

They're situated to allow for surprise ambushes in all kinds of places. At any moment undead minions or other monsters could rise up through the floor or leap out of the ceiling. Surprise rounds galore. This could be backed up with programmed images of monsters leaping out of the walls alongside the real monsters to act as decoys.

2. A low level minion disguised as the wizard

Use the disguise skill so true seeing can't penetrate it, and use disguise self on top of that to fool any good spot checks. Have a few monsters defending it so the party fighter/rogue can't get to it right away. The minion's purpose is to get the batman wizard to waste single target spells on it they were saving to take out the wizard. Congratulations, you just cast feeblemind and trap the soul on a 5th level sorcerer!

3. Demons with kidnapped babies strapped to their chest

Want to take em out with powerful attack spells? Sure, if you don't mind killing all those innocent live babies they're wearing! Muahahahaha.

4. Animated statues and stone golems mixed together

Some have magic immunity, some don't, making it hard to reliably use spells against them. They both look exactly the same.

[BRC]

Maximize the Home Field advantage. The Wizard could hide powerful scrolls around the Tower. When the PC's show up, he runs over to a wall, whips out the scroll he knows is there, and BOOM, wall of stone, giving him a couple rounds to prepare.

[MandibleBones]

Is the Wizard himself evil? Or just working for the Evil guy?

If he's N, having him rent out all the lower floors (and the only mundane way into his lair) to, say, an order of Paladins of Wee Jas might be a decent way to go. They're unlikely to let the PCs just waltz through their home, and if the wizard isn't out being Evil, just, say, providing information and magic items to said BBEG, then there's no reason for them to step aside and let the PCs through.

Just a thought.

[balistafreak]

3. Demons with kidnapped babies strapped to their chest

Want to take em out with powerful attack spells? Sure, if you don't mind killing all those innocent live babies they're wearing! Muahahahaha.



... what.

On a more practical note, how do you intend to have said demons not simply devour said babies of their own accord? :smalltongue:

[Lysander]

... what.

On a more practical note, how do you intend to have said demons not simply devour said babies of their own accord? :smalltongue:

Demons have good INT scores. They're not wild animals. Wearing babies as human shields is just the kind of chaotic evil cunning they'd enjoy. Besides, they'll EVENTUALLY get to eat the babies when they grow too big and you kidnap a new shipment of babies.

[Harperfan7]

3. Demons with kidnapped babies strapped to their chest

Want to take em out with powerful attack spells? Sure, if you don't mind killing all those innocent live babies they're wearing! Muahahahaha.


Both funny and likely.

Fantastic.

[Funkyodor]

A couple of neat ideas.

A small cottage attached to a 2-3 story crenellated tower. If they scry inside then they see signs of it being lived in, unseen servants, golems, etc... But that is the "broom closet" where he stores his failures. Golems that don't operate right, magic items with side effects / cursed. But the real tower can only be accessed by walking through the front door with the key or something like that. Simple alarm spells can let the Wizard know when someones in his fake tower so he can take a look and get the drop on tresspassers.

Alarms and warnings are more important to a Wizard than death blat spells. And some kind of magic apparatus where he can direct spells at "evil do'ers" wandering in his 'REAL' Tower could be neat. Knowlege is power from a Wizard stand point. So traps that either force the PC's to use some of their abilities / tip their hand as to who they are and what they can do. You can print up a spreadsheet so the Wizard can prepare counters to what the players can dish out.

Evil wizards might rely on conjured minions & lesser demons / constructs / magically tamed elementals. Maybe a couple of evil races or nations that have pacts with the Wizard for assistance can have groups there to learn and protect the place?

Traps could be as simple as a pit trap (DEEEEEEP pit, maybe bottomless), to my favorite, reverse gravity spiked pit trap after climbing down a "ventilation" shaft. Illusion could be used to make a cell appear to be a bedroom that has a door which wizard locks after entering.

Maybe an entire floor with caged regect creatures like owl-bears, duck-snakes, etc.

A fun little encounter might me a magically enhanced cat stalking and attacking a squealing talking mouse. You might want to play up the cat as the wizards familiar using a meta-game knowlege slip of the tounge or something. The talking mouse plays up a fed up Wizards Assistant willing to help routine to the players, but really he is the familiar. So the wizard knows every plan the PC's come up with.

[aivanther]

Here are a few paranoid wizard tricks I love:
4. Animated statues and stone golems mixed together

Some have magic immunity, some don't, making it hard to reliably use spells against them. They both look exactly the same.

Since they're using spell compendium, they auto-fail if, being lvl 18, the casters don't have any orb of X spells to blast them with 18d6 damage +entangle/blindness/daze

[Lysander]

Since they're using spell compendium, they auto-fail if, being lvl 18, the casters don't have any orb of X spells to blast them with 18d6 damage +entangle/blindness/daze

Hey, the more spells they waste on minions the better!

Another great tactic: hidden teleportation circle. Have it in the middle of a big room that a lot of enemies ambush them in so there's no time for search checks. Situate a few enemies so that the fighter or rogue will accidentally move across it and get sent into a permanent forcecage suspended an inch above lava in a volcano several thousand miles away. There's also a fire elemental in the forcecage.

[Deth Muncher]

3. Demons with kidnapped babies strapped to their chest[/B]

Want to take em out with powerful attack spells? Sure, if you don't mind killing all those innocent live babies they're wearing! Muahahahaha.


MAN it's been a while since someone brought up babyarmor. I was hoping we were past it. Now, inevitably, someone's gonna post the demotivator...

[Lysander]

MAN it's been a while since someone brought up babyarmor. I was hoping we were past it. Now, inevitably, someone's gonna post the demotivator...

What gets even better is that the babies are all controlled with Dominate Person and have a poisoned dagger hidden in a diaper sheath. After the demons are defeated and the babies rescued they stab the PCs carrying them.

[EpicEvokerElf]

If, in the event they do kill this wizard, and they are looting his tower library: Spellbook bomb. You know the book with explosive runes on every page? Nothing on this. Although it probably has explosive runes in it too. And a contingent Magic Miasma if anyone tries to dispel to bring their CL down by 4. Mostly, though, there's a symbol of some sort on every page, most of them death.

+1 to EVERYTHING Biffoniacus_Furiou said, and Johel's summoning suggestions. Ice Devils give you lots of Walls of Ice to play with (mazes, anyone?) too.

Add more undead to taste, perhaps some Dread Wraiths (swap Blind-Fight for Ability Focus [incorporeal touch], since the former is redundant anyway with lifesight). Maybe have a statuary filled with petrified former PCs and monsters, all Dominated while alive (he's a wizard; it works because the multiverse is doing backflips at his command!), and have stone to flesh traps to revive them. Throw some advanced gargoyles in for added fun; Barbarian levels synergize well with the +8 Con and a few fighter dips give them some spare feats to play with. Lion Totem, or course, for pounce.

[PhoenixRivers]

Add more undead to taste, perhaps some Dread Wraiths (swap Blind-Fight for Ability Focus [incorporeal touch], since the former is redundant anyway with lifesight).

No, it's not. When attacking while in walls, they will not have sight. That improves their accuracy on Flat-Footed touch attacks with a miss chance.

[EpicEvokerElf]

I don't believe Lifesight is vision-based, though. I don't think it's impaired. Many scrying spells are blocked by 1ft of stone, but if you rule it that way a wraith could simply keep his head less than a foot inside the wall.

[Cogidubnus]

This thread really is fascinating, and really good for getting ideas. It's been really useful reading - I want to head off and design wizard's towers now. So thanks for all the ideas (even though I didn't start this thread)

[DragonBaneDM]

I don't know much as far as actually monsters or spells to use, but I have some advice to pass on from my thread on a Tower that a very powerful, and sadistic, Green Dragon is staying in.

Repeat the first 3 rooms on an infinite loop with the same exact thing happening every time, as in a guard says the same battlecry each time they run into him. Have something very minute happen in the middle though, that is different every time, like a crystal shattering in different directions.

Have a room that seems like it's going to crush them, with a big hourglass in the middle and walls that make cranking sounds. Only way out is to let the hourglass drop to 0 without tampering with anything. At this point the door on the other side opens.

Puzzles puzzles puzzles. Hex, Chomp, Nim, and a Row Column Game would be good ways to put their logic to the test.

Figure out a way to make them fight themselves without knowing it. =D

[jiriku]

This doesn't directly address challenges, but an epic wizard's tower also ought to have exotic environmental features that will provoke ooh and aah reactions from your players. Aquariums of exotic (and dangerous) tropical fish suspended between walls of force (which can be dispelled), doors of living flesh or pure elemental matter, windows looking out onto extra-planar vistas, zones where gravity doesn't apply, tunnels of rushing wind and magical darkness, and anything your imagination can devise are appropriate. Just exploring the tower ought to be a wild trip, totally apart from the monsters.

[Cogidubnus]

You can do it without that. Nondetection on everything in it, Nondetection+Mindblank on you, and Hide the path over the area. Dimensional Lock it, and you're pretty solid vs most things.

Hold on, Nondetection only wards one object at a time. What sort of caster can afford 50gp of diamond dust to cast Nondetection on every one of his minions, yet alone all the traps and items he might want to conceal?

[PhoenixRivers]

Hold on, Nondetection only wards one object at a time. What sort of caster can afford 50gp of diamond dust to cast Nondetection on every one of his minions, yet alone all the traps and items he might want to conceal?

One that has it as an SLA.

[Cogidubnus]

That would do it.

[Radar]

Hold on, Nondetection only wards one object at a time. What sort of caster can afford 50gp of diamond dust to cast Nondetection on every one of his minions, yet alone all the traps and items he might want to conceal?
Well duh... he cornered the iron market (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfIron.htm). :smalltongue:

[Cogidubnus]

Had another thought. How about a room with a metal floor where certain random tiles start to heat up (as Druid's Heat Metal spell)? When they get heated to scorching, the heat source moves on to another tile.

[Beorn080]

VERY simple way to ensure the wizard has an easy way in and out. Hang a sign on the front door "Please use side door" and on the side door "Thank you for not using the front door". NO PC will EVER use the side door, which is conveniently untrapped and leads right to the wizards lair.

[Cogidubnus]

Another thought - Might Makes Right. A room with a bar attached by a rope to a mechanism on the ceiling, and a treadmill. The opposite door's covered by an adamntine portcullis. The PCs have to have someone run on the treadmill, starting the gears going, then someone else can use a STR check to pull the bar down and raise the portcullis. Then they have to get past some series of DEX/Open Lock checks over a period of rounds, while the other characters have to carry on making checks to keep the portcullis up (with consecutively higher DCs).