[3.5] Magical Garden

[Magikeeper]

So, my character has an indoor garden. There is no way natural sunlight is reaching the garden (deep inside a massive airship/ark).

Size of garden, if it matters:

The garden is ~3000 square feat plus ~1000 feat of hanging gardens/cafe-esq tables on a multilevel structure. There is a small pond of sorts. 30ft high ceiling, 10ft or more of dirt beneath.

So, what can I do with this besides "there is a nice garden on the ship"? Also, are there any good spells/items/etc for raising plants indoors?

Assume that mere food supplies are not really an issue, even in deadmagic zones.

Edit: Changed "PC" to character - I am not the DM.

[Inevitability]

Well, there are light spells, but maybe some kind of portal can be made?

[VoxRationis]

Well, it's not really clear whether the light from various wizard spells allows photosynthesis or not. One could argue that since continual flame, for instance, gives off no heat, the radiation from it is minimal (i.e., good enough to see by, but not enough to harness for energy). The same goes for light or really most of the light-producing spells, aside from the ones that deal damage. However, that's not a thing explicitly stated, so that would have to be based on your ruling.

As for what to do with it, you could have interesting adventures relating to the garden:
A druid casts a spell that makes all vegetative life within a certain radius hostile, so as to help drive away loggers in his grove. However, the ark happens to be within that radius when the druid casts the spell.
A particular insect, possibly dangerous, hitched a ride inside the ark by accident when the plant was transported into the garden.
The player wants to classify the plants in his garden and goes on a quest to the distant jungles of many lands in order to find their relatives.

You'll probably want to make sure they have some reason for keeping it around, though; if you make too many adventures stemming from "something bad is in your garden," I imagine most players will just toss a fireball in there.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, perhaps some of the plants have interesting magical properties, or are rare components used in magic item making or the like. That would give the player a reason to keep the garden in tip-top shape.

[Yogibear41]

How was sunlight directed to the garden before you "acquired" your new ship, alternatively grow a bunch of fungus's that don't need sunlight, just drop of a dead goblin body or something among them every few months or so, ha ha.

[unseenmage]

There are sources of magical sunlight which functions as sunlight.
There are also alchemical sources too. (in Complete Scoundrel I think?)

Other than that you should check out my sig, there a whole list of cool extraplanar plants in there. Some of which hail from the Elemental Plane of Earth where sunlight isn't really a thing. :smallwink:

[VoxRationis]

How was sunlight directed to the garden before you "acquired" your new ship,

Yogibear41 is right. It's not too unfeasible to contrive a device capable of directing sunlight from the exterior of the ship to the garden, even through quite some distance. Between glass prisms and mirrored tubes, you could direct plenty of light for the more shade-tolerant plants. Whether glass prisms and optics are within the technology level of your setting is less clear, but you do have an airship...

[Slipperychicken]

There should be plants somewhere which produce a Goodberry effect. That would be pretty neat.

[Magikeeper]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I realize that my original post made it unclear whether I was a player or the DM - I am just a player. Also, that plant list is awesome. It's a shame that fey cherry trees are so large, it sounds quite perfect for a garden.

More on ark:

That area of the ark had been filled with animal shifting refugees, but we finally got them off (unfortunately due to two players bowing out of the game [leadership], but it happens). The player that had been in charge of that subsection of the ark never really sat down and defined it beyond having grass and such so I'm having the crew convert it into a garden. Or rather, having them fix up the garden-like set up I'm assuming was there. How it was lit before is a mystery; the dm likely assumed I had come up with some obscure solution [I designed the rest of the ark] for the other player and the refugee leader PC likely assumed magic could just handle it or something. Most of the airship just uses glowing orbs, really, but I guess daylight spells miiight work? I had noticed the non-damaging to undead issue - kinda hoping there was a way around that.


Liquid sunlight from complete scoundrel only shines light as a torch, not sure that's sufficient.

Light from a portal would unfortunately be a major security risk and would have issues with the time travel currently going on in the campaign.

Getting light from outside the ship suffers from it being an all-terrain sort of vessel - we usually "land" the ship deep within the earth. Or the ocean. Beneath the ocean floor is a popular choice.

Tech level: Gunpowder tech. D&D alchemy. I could easily swing knowing how to use glass prisms and mirrored tubes. Technically my character knows about stuff in the D20 future book(s), but she doesn't know how to make any of it and has no way of acquiring such tech at this point of time.

The airship is just using the many low-'tech' magical means of airship construction.

--------------------
I recall there being a number of magical plants on the WotC website, but I can't find them. I did want there to be a tree, I suppose a coldwood tree might suffice.

Aelfengrape, Coldwood tree, Lakeleef, Stoneshrooms, ripplewood sound like a nice mix. Maybe add some sky lotus and the fire cloves along with regular flowers and such.

Even RL plants that are especially neat would be welcome, although part of the fun of having a fantasy garden is having unnatural fauna. Stuff with odd effects that don't kill people are especially welcome.

Any other ideas for how to make the garden more interesting (or unambiguously solve the light issue) would be welcome!

[unseenmage]

... Also, that plant list is awesome. It's a shame that fey cherry trees are so large, it sounds quite perfect for a garden.

...

Trees come in all sizes, as evidenced by the interaction between the Awaken spell and the Animated Objects list it inherits it's stats from. Little trees are just young trees.
IIRC the actual Dragon article had info on pruning the Fey Cherry, but I might be mistaken. If nothing else you can utilize the idea of bonsai, the pruning of a normally larger tree to keep it small. Just a thought.

For my own mobile fortress garden I employ the Liquid Sunlight (or whichever one explicitly says it sheds true daylight) in Animated Object clear glass containers. They go about tending the garden at the behest of my Awakened Effigy gardener. (The Construct gardener was a must for tending the Lich Briar and Wish Fern, Constructs and Undead don't count as 'living' and so are immune to the first and don't kill the second.)

[The Oni]

I for one support the portal idea and, provided the campaign's general power level would allow it, I would take it a step further: have the portal open up to another plane (or another planet), and have the properties of the alien sunlight and atmosphere affect the plants (in strange and exciting ways!). You can mitigate the security risks by making a bunch of smaller portals that large creatures can't fit through instead of one big one, and having the garden walled off by security doors.

[Jack_Simth]

There are a couple of ways to have Daylight inside, as a player.

One casting of Hallow (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/hallow.htm) can keep it going for a year.

While not on the standard list, the PHB version of Permanency mentions that it's possible to make other spells permanent, although you'll need to research it.

Automatic Reset, Periodic effect Magic Device Traps (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/traps.htm#magicDeviceTrapCost) of Daylight could also do the job.

Then, of course, there's funky ways. Equip a few trees with Rings of Sustenance, for instance. Who needs light?

[gorfnab]

Topiary Guardians (MMIII) would be a nice addition to your magic garden.

[XmonkTad]

What about an awakened living spell of daylight/plant growth? Strictly speaking they only produce the spell effect when they attack, but normally they don't have an int score either.

[Hecuba]

Clearly, what you need is Gardeners. Specifically, Plant-type gardeners with the half-celestial type (at-will daylight).

What kind of plant creature depends on how high of an ECL you can for a passenger (without having to invent reasons not to call your gardeners to repel any boarding party).

Also worth checking out:

Glowing orb (explicitly permanent and powered by the Positive energy plane, so it should work for a grow light)- MIC
Wall of light (As daylight, but bigger-- cast it on the ceiling: good case as DM discretionary target for permanency, as many other walls are allowed) - MIC

[nedz]

Cast Awaken on the plants. Have them take a stroll during the day to grab some rays and then order them back into the garden when there done.

[Magikeeper]

Equipping every plant with a ring of sustenance would be hilarious. That said, walking along the field of rings hugging the grass would be rather odd (beside the phenomenal expense). I'm putting one on the tree though. :P

Hallow: Alas, already using Hallow to spam deathward.

Spell Traps: I am using spell turrets with stuff, that is certainly an option of daylight is good enough.

Topiary Guardians: They are nice.. why did I discard that idea *checks*. Ah, now I remember. Like golems, topiary guardians are made with bound elemental spirits. The ship in question is slavery-free, which does limit our construct choices.

Living spells: Are there rules for making these things? I mean, as a PC. I am somewhat familiar with the template itself. Creating living spells for stuff would be cool.

Half-Celetial Plant creatures: Would fit in just fine, but most leadership chain slots are taken and I don't think we are in a position to just find such creatures. The group has plenty of ways to keep daylight up, however, so if that spell works we are set.

Awakening the plants and having them migrate is a neat idea! The ship itself is often in places with no access to the sun, however.

Glowing Orb: These are the standard lightsource for the entire ship. Only gives light for 60ft though, might not be strong enough.

Wall of light: Interesting.

ON LIGHT: If daylight works I can just cover it with spell-spam. Maybe do something with blinding glory. I think I'm good with this particular aspect of indoor gardening.

[Jack_Simth]

Spell Traps: I am using spell turrets with stuff, that is certainly an option of daylight is good enough.Daylight Explicitly Does it. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/dungeons.htm#naturalCavernComplex)
Fungi of all sorts thrive in caves, sometimes growing in huge forests of mushrooms and puffballs. Subterranean predators prowl these forests, looking for those feeding upon the fungi. Some varieties of fungus give off a phosphorescent glow, providing a natural cavern complex with its own limited light source. In other areas, a daylight spell or similar magical effect can provide enough light for green plants to grow. (Emphasis added)

[Magikeeper]

Awesome. Okay, light is definitely not an issue then.

[Azoth]

For some other interesting plants check out some of the things in the Fey Compendium. Most of the plants and items made from them are from web enhancements, but some are rather cool.

Link: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?226612-3-5-The-Fey-Compendium

[VoxRationis]

How do you get permanent daylight? I'm looking at the SRD and it doesn't appear on the list of permanency-enhanceable spells. I'm guessing there's a magic item somewhere...

[Jack_Simth]

How do you get permanent daylight? I'm looking at the SRD and it doesn't appear on the list of permanency-enhanceable spells. I'm guessing there's a magic item somewhere...
Well, (Un)Hallow can get it for you for a year.

Magic Device Traps are poorly defined, and can be used with arbitrary spells - including Daylight - to get it to happen arbitrarily often forever.

The Half-Celestial template grants it as an at-will Su ability; a Simulacrum of a critter with that template makes a useful addition to your gardening staff.

If you check out the PHB version of Permanency, rather than the one in the SRD, it includes a note that other spells can be made permanent, but it requires research.

At ten minutes / level, a 60 foot radius of effect, and attachable to an object, you may not need to make it Permanent - at higher levels, just cast Extended versions of it regularly and hang them out where you need.

[Hecuba]

Glowing Orb: These are the standard lightsource for the entire ship. Only gives light for 60ft though, might not be strong enough.

If anythng, the fluff would more support them being too strong: they're powered by a small piece of the positive energy plane, and that place tends to have issues with growth and healing happening too fast.

I still think some plant creatures living there would be cool, but if you would need to model it under leadership it would be problematic. Totally tempted to rip-off the idea and add a small myconid colony.