Moving a castle: Can it be done?

[Skweek-chan]

A quick browsing of the spells in PHB have given me very limited possibilities for how a group of wizards might physically move a castle anywhere from a few feet to a mile in a given direction. Telekinesis, Shrink Item, Polymorph Any Object, etc... all have fairly low limits on size of affected things, and the wording on Move Earth, which is the closest contender, seems to rather pointedly rule out moving such a large, intact, solid structure.

Background: an idea I had for a small adventure within a larger campaign involves two castles on either side of a river. The river also serves as the border between the castles' respective countries, who are in conflict with one another. (It was a common practice between warring nations to set up paired forts or castles across the border from each other, to keep firm control over disputed borders...) The river here is too deep and rapid to make any crossing attempts without great difficulty, and there hasn't been a long enough break in hostility to allow for the building of any lasting bridges, so for the most part the castles' residents have to stick to ranged bombardment to do anything to one another.

As one side develops a new catapult or recruits a wizard with more range, I was contemplating having the residents actually physically move their castles farther apart as a defensive measure, but I want to justify it within possible magical means if I can. Outside of the core books is fine, if someone knows of a spell for this purpose or one that would serve the proper function. I also would prefer for the casting abilities to remain somewhere in the realm of a reasonable demographic for a typical D&D setting, such that it would be impossibly unlikely for both sides to have access to a dozen 20th level wizards.

As a last resort I can always just say that the castles are being fortified or extended or something, but I think it would be more interesting, flavor-wise, for the residents to physically move their castle out of harm's way, as I am leaning towards the whole scenario taking place over a silly cause, and effectively being ruled over by idiots whom the party will have to depose.

Thanks in advance for anything you guys can dig up!

[Norin]

I'm not sure if this works, but maybe if you cast Animate Objects and use some caster level boosting (or get a seriously epic caster to help), with red wizard circle magic or what have you, to get an effective caster level of 32 or more (able to animate colossal objects) and make the castle move itself to wherever you like?

It's a idea though, and maybe some crazy min/maxers or people with some more knowledge of the rules can help verify or shoot it down? :smallwink:

[Anderlith]

Earth Elementals, the bigger the better.
Don't move the castle, move the ground it stands on

[Alienist]

It would not be unreasonable to have built a castle on a foundation of walls of force to prevent burrowing and tunneling (you don't need a well either because create water is a cantrip).

Recently, for entirely unrelated reasons, I discovered that some people conjecture that in Egypt they used sleds to build the pyramids. In testing they found that a person can move by themselves a five ton block of limestone which is on a large sled which is moving over mud.

Now, to return to your question, if we postulate that the castle(s) are already effectively mounted on sleds (and dont have dungeons or other bits sinking down into the earth), then perhaps with a few transmute rock to muds and bigbys hands spells the castle could be moved.

However, you're probably not going to end up with the stereotypical 'disney castle' architecture if you do this. Parabolic and caternary Arches, for instance, are designed to transfer all of the supported weight directly downwards into the columns. Apparently they don't deal with tensile stress very well. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I assume that an arch which can easily support the weight of a giant sitting on it (a downwards compresive force), might not be able to support the same giant leaning against it (a sideways force).

Speaking of giants, Elder Stone Giants (CR 9) can cast transmute rock to mud once per day, so they might be hired/coerced to help.

Anyway, the architecture of the castles might be based lots of triangles instead of curves.

[ArcturusV]

You know... I was thinking of some insane use of something like Soften Stone to separate the walls from the bedrock they were built on, then liberal use of Grease Spells so the castle slides over the clay like bedrock now. Don't think that'd actually work... but it's hilarious enough to me that if I were DMing I'd probably give it a, "What the hell, why not?"

But the primary problems I see: Remove the Stone Walls from the Bedrock. Spells like Rock to Mud, Soften Stone, etc, could do this.

And then getting some way to move the walls/buildings independent of their bedrock/foundation. 10,000 Tenser's Floating Disks cast simultaneously under the walls to hover them 3 feet in the air?

Whatever the practical answer is (No Epic or high level spellcasting), I'm sure it'd be kinda weird and for a laugh like those.

[ahenobarbi]

Why would they care to move a castle?

Stronghold Builders Guide let's you make fortress mobile at cost 5000 to 25000 (depending on speed) per "stronghold space" (castles having about 20 spaces, huge castle having about 80 spaces).

[TypoNinja]

Why would they care to move a castle?

Stronghold Builders Guide let's you make fortress mobile at cost 5000 to 25000 (depending on speed) per "stronghold space" (castles having about 20 spaces, huge castle having about 80 spaces).

Best method to go about it in my opinion, probably the only RAW option that even comes close to that particular task too.

Any wizard with craft wondrous item can enchant wondrous architecture for you.

However this option can get very expensive if your castle is either very large, or you want it to move very quickly. Your typical "border fort" style keep though should be small enough to keep the cost from being prohibitive as long as you don't expect the castle to be out running attacking armies.

[Harugami]

use this (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/animated-object) as a basis then just sorta go with what feels right. Id say depending on the size of the castle you may need multiply high lvl wizards.

[Ghen]

I know you don't want epic wizards running around, but you could use a candle of invocation to gate in an Efreet or Djinni noble or something. Trap them on the prime material and they will be compelled to grant you three wishes (which is a racial ability of theirs) and use one of the wishes to move the castle.

This method could also could create a cool side story thing, because Efreeti are known for taking revenge on those who have forced them to give wishes. Maybe he comes back later looking for the person responsible for using the bottle, even though that person was only doing it on the orders of his foolish king, and then the PCs have to protect that person from the wrath of the Efreet?

[ahenobarbi]

I know you don't want epic wizards running around, but you could use a candle of invocation to gate in an Efreet or Djinni noble or something. Trap them on the prime material and they will be compelled to grant you three wishes (which is a racial ability of theirs) and use one of the wishes to move the castle.

This method could also could create a cool side story thing, because Efreeti are known for taking revenge on those who have forced them to give wishes. Maybe he comes back later looking for the person responsible for using the bottle, even though that person was only doing it on the orders of his foolish king, and then the PCs have to protect that person from the wrath of the Efreet?

Once you gate in the creature you can just tell it to give you 3 wishes (see spell description). Also how would you make the castle mobile with 3 wishes?

[Slipperychicken]

Lyre of Building to dig out the area under the castle, put it on wheels, then start pushing. Problematic when basements are involved.

[Talderas]

A lot of mages and a lot of Tenser's Floating Disks....

[Ghen]

Once you gate in the creature you can just tell it to give you 3 wishes (see spell description). Also how would you make the castle mobile with 3 wishes?

I thought that a wish could be used for just about anything, unless the DM says "no", like prestidigitation on steroids. I personally wouldn't consider moving a castle a short distance to be beyond the scope of a wish, but I COULD be wrong (it has happened before, believe it or not.)