wizards private study

[ocarthewarrior]

alright guys, i have a question. im play a wizard of thay in a campaign right now. i know that we are going to be getting a house in the town we are in to use as a base of operations. i will be getting my own room in this house to to my crafting and spell research and basically have my privacy. what i need from you guys is ways i can put and extra dimensional space in the room that i can sneak off to. may a quick portal in the back of the armoire or something like that. what spells would be useful, whats the best way to go about it, so on and so forth. we have a paladin in the party and we dont always see eye to eye so i wanted to be able to do things without him just walking in on me or looking around while i was gone. also dont want the party rogue getting to curious. so what are your suggestions on this.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Get yourself a scroll of genesis.

Cast the spell, then make the door to the room your portal, but only if you have the "key". Anybody without the key opens the door and finds an empty (or illusory) room. You open the door into your actual study that's technically in another reality.

[ocarthewarrior]

ok what book is genesis in. we dont have to many books open but i can "create" my own spells. i would just need to look it up.

are there any other suggestions. i want to do things like put a work bench in there to work on items and wands. a desk for scrolls. maybe and invisible servant to help me while im in there.

[Clistenes]

Get yourself a scroll of genesis.

Cast the spell, then make the door to the room your portal, but only if you have the "key". Anybody without the key opens the door and finds an empty (or illusory) room. You open the door into your actual study that's technically in another reality.

If the guy is planning to purchase a house and making a room into his lab and study, then he is far below the level in which he can think of using Genesis.

I think at that level he's more likely to use Move Earth, Shape Stone, Wall of Stone and Fabricate to create himself a cellar, protect it with Forbiddance, Mage Private Sanctum, Arcane Lock and illusions (in addition to making the entrance a hidden door, of course). And he may even have trouble making Mage Private Sanctum permanent (I can't remember the required level to make it permanent)

[Kelb_Panthera]

I don't know why I keep forgetting that spell is a domain spell.

It's in Deities and Demigods and it's the creation domain's 9th level spell. There's also the genesis psionic power, but that gets a tad more involved. Both are available on the SRD (d20srd.org), and may well require hiring someone to activate that scroll (or power stone) for you.

Hireling's aren't too expensive though, as long as you're not asking him to cast from his own slots (or manifest from his own PP).

As an alternative, you could get an ethereal tapestry (Manual of the Planes pg 59) to put in the doorway and actually build a room on the ethereal in the place of your material room. As long as noone knows that the tapestry is there they won't know to activate it. Fair warning, the ethereal tapestry isn't cheap, but the alternative would be to cast a spell everytime you wanted to get in.

Lay down a permanent image that matches the actual study when everything is put away and you'll be able to instantly tell if anyone tried to snoop because the image won't match up with the actual study when you get back.

[Kelb_Panthera]

If the guy is planning to purchase a house and making a room into his lab and study, then he is far below the level in which he can think of using Genesis.

I think at that level he's more likely to use Move Earth, Shape Stone, Wall of Stone and Fabricate to create himself a cellar, protect it with Forbiddance, Mage Private Sanctum, Arcane Lock and illusions (in addition to making the entrance a hidden door, of course). And he may even have trouble making Mage Private Sanctum permanent (I can't remember the required level to make it permanent)

9th level spell X 17th level caster X 25gp scroll constant = 3825gp + 25000gp for the xp component = 28,825gp for a scroll of genesis. It's a bit pricey, I admit, but that's hardly out of reach for a mid-level character. The powerstone however, is dirt cheap at 8825gp.

[Silva Stormrage]

Stronghold Builder's guide has a couple of interesting items for a wizard's lab and suggestions for locking, protection etc. I would greatly suggest giving it a look over.

[Hirax]

What level are you? This would greatly help our ability to gauge what resources you might have access to. I'm assuming you're under level 13, but if you're not, then you could just be casting mage's mansion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesMagnificentMansion.htm) every day to get a fully furnished dwelling. This could be cast in any room, or even on a mountaintop, where ever you want to be, really. You could ask your DM to allow each new casting of the spell to simply restart the duration of the old mansion, rather than creating a new mansion each day. If you ever need to carry a significant amount with you during the day, or need to move to a different location for any other reason, the hoard gullet is a 1st level spell that lasts for hours/level, and basically allows you to swallow things and store them in a second stomach which acts as a bag of holding.

[Clistenes]

9th level spell X 17th level caster X 25gp scroll constant = 3825gp + 25000gp for the xp component = 28,825gp for a scroll of genesis. It's a bit pricey, I admit, but that's hardly out of reach for a mid-level character. The powerstone however, is dirt cheap at 8825gp.

I think the problem would be to find a 17+ level spellcaster who knows that obscure spell and is willing to sell a scroll. A high-level wizard or cleric can make him/herself obscenely rich with the use of a few spells like Wall of Iron + Magecraft + Fabricate, or just Magecraft + Fabricate without spending the xp and time required to craft and without sharing his/her prized rare spells; as a matter of fact a high level wizard doesn't need money at all, he can build or make himself everything he desires (I'm not a fan of high-level magic shops unless the owner is a fiend, genie, mercane or witchwyrd).


What level are you? This would greatly help our ability to gauge what resources you might have access to. I'm assuming you're under level 13, but if you're not, then you could just be casting mage's mansion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesMagnificentMansion.htm) every day to get a fully furnished dwelling. This could be cast in any room, or even on a mountaintop, where ever you want to be, really. You could ask your DM to allow each new casting of the spell to simply restart the duration of the old mansion, rather than creating a new mansion each day. If you ever need to carry a significant amount with you during the day, or need to move to a different location for any other reason, the hoard gullet is a 1st level spell that lasts for hours/level, and basically allows you to swallow things and store them in a second stomach which acts as a bag of holding.

Just put all you equipment into a Leomund’s Secret Chest every day after you have ended crafting and before going to bed, and the Magnificent Mansion is all you need. You could also use a Portable Hole and a Leomund’s Hidden Lodge (you can`t put a Portable Hole into a Magnificent Mansion)

[Kelb_Panthera]

I think the problem would be to find a 17+ level spellcaster who knows that obscure spell and is willing to sell a scroll. A high-level wizard or cleric can make him/herself obscenely rich with the use of a few spells like Wall of Iron + Magecraft + Fabricate, or just Magecraft + Fabricate without spending the xp and time required to craft and without sharing his/her prized rare spells; as a matter of fact a high level wizard doesn't need money at all, he can build or make himself everything he desires (I'm not a fan of high-level magic shops unless the owner is a fiend, genie, mercane or witchwyrd).



Just put all you equipment into a Leomund’s Secret Chest every day afte you have ended crafting and before going to bed, and the Magnificent Mansion is all you need. You could also use a Portable Hole and a Leomund’s Hidden Lodge (you can`t put a Portable Hole into a Magnificent Mansion)

I actually agree that items of a certain level shouldn't be as simple to get as just walking into a store and plopping down a bag of platinum (no sensible person would tote that much gold around), but I also don't think that items of that level should be completely unavailable. If the OP is willing to spend a bit of game time looking for such an item, I don't see any reason he shouldn't be able to get it, unless his DM doesn't like the idea. A hireling to activate the device wouldn't be hard to find at all. Scrolls and Powerstones are trivially easy to activate for someone of only half the level it required to create.

[ocarthewarrior]

i know i can just use the chest or the portable hole. im looking for my own secret space more to add flavor to the game. i like the roleplaying aspect of the idea. also we will be spending large amounts of time in this city and will use it as our base of operations so i wanted to have a safe location to go and do my own thing. i also have laid down plans to build an enlcave in this town.

[Acanous]

OK, the others have hinted at this question and skirted around it, but it's really the most important, and will determine how the forum responds to your request:
What is your character level?
b. : Does it match your Caster level?

[ocarthewarrior]

ok sorry about that. my characters level is 6 and my castser level is 5 at the moment. it doesnt have to happen right now. i just want some ideas my character can start researching. so i can start possibly laying some of the groundwork for this plan.

[Acanous]

Firstly: Your lab? Is also your room. Buy a lock for your door. A Masterwork one. Make sure there's two keyes, and keep one on you, and another in a safe, hidden place.
This will stop most martial characters, unless they're willing to break down your door, or involve the party rogue in the plan (Unlikely). Further, installing a lock on your door carries with it the expectation of privacy. This is your residence, and if you lock your door, unauthorized entry IS unlawful. Actually enough that a paladin would need atonement for it, unless he had hard evidence that you were doing evil things inside.

Exploding Runes and Sepia Snake Sigil on parchments left on top of whatever it is you are worried about the Paladin finding. Sepia Snake Sigil has a low chance of actually WORKING on a Paladin, given his high saves, but will let him know he's snooping around in someone's private affairs. Save that for things you'd rather he not get his mitts on, but can explain away. Alternately, use it on perfectly ordinary things that you deem important. Tell him you guard everything of value like that, and why was he rifling through your things? That's a private room! Further, if he did involve the Rogue, they have poor Will saves and would fall for the Sigil.

The Exploding Runes, save for hard, incriminating things. Things that would be better destroyed than end up in the wrong hands. Yes, this is expensive, but the person ransacking your room is now responsible for damages incurred. This has the added benefit of working on *Anyone*, unless they are illiterate.

That's about it for cheap solutions to your problem. Good news is it works on enemies looting your place, too.

[Rejakor]

Step 1; Buy a house or find an unused space somewhere (sewer?).

Step 2; Build a fake wizard's laboratory in that space (in addition to bedrooms, kitchen etc).

Step 3; Spend a decent wad of gold on your REAL laboratory, and surrounded it with lead (to block scrying). Have the entryway be through the fake lab.

Step 4; Hire someone to cast a Persistent Image of you in the fake lab, doing stuff.

Step 5; Be relatively safe against scrying in your secret lab, which should have a good strong door, an escape tunnel, and something to help guard it so no ninjas sneak in and try to murder you when you next go to your lab.


Alternatively, take the Landlord feat in Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, and build the best gosh-darned single stronghold space you can get. Make it mobile, flying or burrowing, defended against spells, made out of obdurium, the works. You're worth it!

[Alleran]

You could ask your DM to allow each new casting of the spell to simply restart the duration of the old mansion, rather than creating a new mansion each day.
You could try and get a spell clock or similar item to automatically cast it when you walk into the room (basically a trap, except it's a beneficial one). I say "similar" because a spell clock is about 130,000gp or thereabouts, which is well out of the reach of a 6th level character.

Getting a permanencied Rope Trick (DM permission may be required) would be a cheaper version of this. You can keep your extradimensional hideaway and do your work there. And while it is "hazardous" to take a portable hole/bag of holding into it, there are no actual mechanical penalties for doing so. It's also big enough for eight people (presumably with at least some breathing room), so you might be able to set up a nice little laboratory there.

[Twilightwyrm]

Get yourself a scroll of genesis.

Cast the spell, then make the door to the room your portal, but only if you have the "key". Anybody without the key opens the door and finds an empty (or illusory) room. You open the door into your actual study that's technically in another reality.

While you are at it, get your DM to ignore the fact that it is a 9th level spell, and therefore should be as easily available in scroll as +7 Weapons and Holy Avengers, being only eclipsed in accessibility by major wondrous items.

I don't mean to sound overly harsh, but unless his DM is taking a MagicMart approach to scrolls, you have to admit finding one of those is going to be more than a little farfetched.

[Kelb_Panthera]

While you are at it, get your DM to ignore the fact that it is a 9th level spell, and therefore should be as easily available in scroll as +7 Weapons and Holy Avengers, being only eclipsed in accessibility by major wondrous items.

I don't mean to sound overly harsh, but unless his DM is taking a MagicMart approach to scrolls, you have to admit finding one of those is going to be more than a little farfetched.

I actually already addressed this point, but I'll repeat myself.

While I don't think that a character should be able to aquire an item of a certain level of power by simply going into ye olde magick mart and plopping down a bag of platinum, neither do I think that items of that level should be completely unavailable.

If the op is willing to sink a bit of game-time into either looking for such a scroll, or to finding a broker that can find it for him, then I don't see any reason he shouldn't eventually get it.

ProTip: extraplanar merchandise brokers can get anything given the right price and a enough time.


Also, do note that while the odds are ridiculously slim, there's a chance of such a scroll turning up as random treasure as early as level 10. If you're wondering it's exactly .0525% at that level.

[Rejakor]

It would definitely be in 'go on a quest to find it' sort of territory.

Especially if you use anything like a sensible class leveled npc distribution or economy in DnD (high level items are rarer than low level items by exponential amounts - as high level people are both rare and don't bother wasting xp to craft stuff - they can get any amount of gold they want via planar binding).