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View Full Version : A black castle? Made of what?



Orcus The Vile
2015-01-28, 08:45 AM
I plan to use a castle made of black rock in my next campaign but I'm not sure what material could be used to make a badass looking black castle.

Any ideias?

Lord Torath
2015-01-28, 08:49 AM
Try here (http://geology.about.com/od/mineral_ident/tp/Black-Minerals.htm). I'm not certain how useful they are in castle construction, but they are black...

hymer
2015-01-28, 08:52 AM
Well, firstly: Does it matter? Will your players really be that interested in what you call this particular kind of black silica? If they are interested, maybe you can have them tell you.

Yora
2015-01-28, 08:56 AM
Both marble and granite can be pretty dark and almost black, and I belive both make good construction material for fortifications.

Orcus The Vile
2015-01-28, 09:02 AM
Would a castle made of volcanic stone be livable?

goto124
2015-01-28, 09:03 AM
Say it's made of blackguard armor. Watch your players try to break down the walls to make into their own armor.

blacklight101
2015-01-28, 09:07 AM
Always the option to use obsidian. Yes, its a volcanic glass, not a volcanic rock (sort of), but it is still black and intimidating. Marble and granite are definite possibilities.

Zale
2015-01-28, 09:20 AM
Always the option to use obsidian. Yes, its a volcanic glass, not a volcanic rock (sort of), but it is still black and intimidating. Marble and granite are definite possibilities.

That would be a terrifying castle to siege. Sure the walls break easily, but they'll shred everyone who tries to pass through the shattered remains.

goto124
2015-01-28, 09:21 AM
Don't forget the Minecraft-style obsidian factory!

(Make your wedding ring out of obsidian, too. Your choice to do this IC, OOC, or both.)

Yora
2015-01-28, 09:24 AM
That would be a terrifying castle to siege. Sure the walls break easily, but they'll shred everyone who tries to pass through the shattered remains.

It would be even more terrifying to live in. Everything chips when hit by something and everything is permanently slicing at your feet and hands.

Murk
2015-01-28, 09:24 AM
Oooh, so many cool options! The minerals and obsidian (or something like flintstone) are not as functional, but meh, who cares? Especially if you want jagged, pointy bits and shards sticking out everywhere those are cool. Black-sooted glass is pretty awesome too, because it means you might be able to see through the walls a bit.
If you want an epic showdown in which the entire castle goes up in flames, consider using standard coal.

Most functional are indeed marbles, granites, dark limestones and basalt.

Of course, why would it need to be stonelike stuff? I like the blackguard-armor option, or dragon scales. An entire fortress made out of dark steel? Seared wood? Dinosaur fossils?! Blackboard material with riddles all over it?!

goto124
2015-01-28, 09:25 AM
Blackboard? Is the BBEG a teacher? Are we going to get calculus questions?

*erases riddles*

Murk
2015-01-28, 09:30 AM
calculus questions?

It's truly evil, after all.

Bulldog Psion
2015-01-28, 09:34 AM
Basalt seems like the default. (Yes, I'm a lousy poet and I know it. :smallwink:)

People tended to use whatever stone was locally available because it was tremendously expensive to transport that heavy stuff in the days of yore. So if this a badass villain castle, this is a great excuse to have it near a volcano, or at least an area of flood basalts, since those are igneous (lava-produced*) rocks.


*Note for geological purists: I know this isn't a fully accurate description. I'm just trying to get close so that I don't come across as a walking textbook here. :smallwink:

BRKNdevil
2015-01-28, 09:37 AM
its been found that most castles where covered in plaster after the walls are built in order to protect the mortar. My personal castle would be frescoes that would blend approx. blend in with the background at every angle.

Orcus The Vile
2015-01-28, 09:45 AM
Well I want to do it in a way that legends say it was made by the stone created when the dragons breath entered in contact with stone generating some kind of black and extremely resistant stone.

But I also want to have an option for the skeptics that don't believe in this sort of thing. Basalt seem like the ideal option. Thank you very much.

Also anyone know where I can find cool looking black castle pictures?

I have only found this one so far:

http://blog.speedtree.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Snow_White_and_the_Huntsman.jpg

Miraqariftsky
2015-01-28, 09:45 AM
Tossing my support as well to "Marble / Granite" , "Blackguard armours" and "Obsidian".

The first lot is... relatively mundane.

The second lot... The ruler of that black castle is, undoubtedly, some appropriately powerful and evil warlord, correct? What if they have a tradition or policy that the armour of every slain warrior in the service of this dark lord, and especially the elites, is taken upon death and reforged by dragonfire or molten down by demon-smiths and remade as additional pieces of the castle's masonry?

And every warrior ever sworn into the dark lord's service has their soul bound into these suits of armour, with those at the bottom and those souls of their defeated foes made into the lowest and most load-bearing parts of the castle, their eternal and unnatural torment feeding both the dark lord and the unliving castle itself with power... while those suits of the slain elites are mostly kept as they are, seemingly antiquated armours from bygone days, seemingly formidable but harmless statues but then roar back into service when their lord and master calls, slaying and slaying and slaying even long after their bones have turned into dust, even long after their darksome king has withered into a husk upon a cold, cold throne.


It would be even more terrifying to live in. Everything chips when hit by something and everything is permanently slicing at your feet and hands.

Indeed...

...on the one side, wouldn't that be perfect for some cult of blood and strength, agony and malice? On the other side, what if the castle itself is alive--- for some twisted definition of the term--- and hungry?

And what if the original occupants had long since vanished into the forgotten lines of crumbled history? And the PCs are investigating a mysterious old castle fraught with frightful myths from the local folk who know well enough to stay away? And the castle itself, long slumbering, long hungering, awakens from oblivion, relishing the pain of each breakage, exulting in each curse, each spatter of blood, each whirling of growing terror and panic...

ExLibrisMortis
2015-01-28, 09:55 AM
The (half-)devils who inhabit the castle have sufficiently tough skin to move across the sharp obsidian floors without problems. Their mortal prisoners/slaves, however, do not, and they walk around bleeding, with chips of glass torturing them everywhere, even getting into the meagre food and water rations. The floors and walls are suffused with pure pain of a thousand generations of downtrodden workers.

I'm just guessing 'cheerful' wasn't what you were shooting for, here.

goto124
2015-01-28, 09:56 AM
'How much HP does this castle take whenever I move a square again?'

Orcus The Vile
2015-01-28, 09:57 AM
You realise this is a fantasy setting when people are suggesting you build a fortification out of glass. :smallbiggrin:

goto124
2015-01-28, 09:58 AM
Magic glass that's as strong as steel.

Next: Kevlar Castle. It can even be any color you want it to be!

gom jabbarwocky
2015-01-28, 10:02 AM
Kevlar Kastle.

There, fixed that for you. Kevlar Kastle! Free on Sundays! Bring the kids!

I'm also totally with obsidian on this one. Sure, it may not be practical and be insanely brittle and dangerous, but it would look totally metal.

ExLibrisMortis
2015-01-28, 10:06 AM
You realise this is a fantasy setting when people are suggesting you build a fortification out of glass. :smallbiggrin:

Well of course, the obsidian walls are tougher than regular glass, and they grow perpetually. The slaves labour to keep all the passages open, by slowly breaking chips off the floor and walls, but since they can't reach the ceiling, rooms and hallways sort of 'sink' through the mass of rock, and new passages are mined through the ceiling of the top floor once it gets thick enough. The worst punishment the devil overlords can command, is to be locked in a cell and kept fed. Eventually, the obsidian will encapsulate you, and grow through your body, eventually crushing you.

Still on track with the cheerfulness?

@goto124: I was thinking 1d3-1 per day or something. Not a lot, but still a 33% chance to take two points of damage, while the 1 HD slaves would barely heal 1 point every day. With 4 hp, you'll be forced to take days off every now and then, just to survive. Which, of course, the devils will charge for, as per the Contract. Because 'slaves' are so last year, they use 'indentured servants' now.

Orcus The Vile
2015-01-28, 10:07 AM
Isn't that a Song of ice and fire thing? I don't want to look like a copy.

Slipperychicken
2015-01-28, 12:09 PM
They actually just paint it black. Flying minions with paint-rollers make that pretty easy. Now and then, they tell the locals it's magical paint to spook them.

Knaight
2015-01-28, 12:55 PM
There are a lot of rocks that can get pretty dark if they have the right impurities. This makes granite a particularly obvious contender, though basalt should work.

Jay R
2015-01-28, 02:27 PM
Don't identify it. Use its weirdness to engage the players.

"You see a castle in the distance, made of black stone which you cannot identify. You have not seen any black stone within 100 miles in your travels. It sits in the middle of a plain, with no quarries visible."

(At night) "The black stone of the castle is clearly visible, much darker than the black sky. It appears to have a slight sheen to it."

"(When you get close) Each stone appears to be completely smooth. You cannot see any roughness, unevenness, or the marks of tools."

That should be enough. Let them try to figure out what it is, and when they come up with a particularly cool guess, then that's what it is.

Kami2awa
2015-01-28, 02:57 PM
Can't you just paint it?

Edit: Just thought of something rather cool; in years gone by the smoke and soot of industry turned most of London's stone buildings black. In the modern era they've been sandblasted back to a clean state and the air is much cleaner. London used to basically look like Mordor.

Honest Tiefling
2015-01-28, 03:21 PM
I'm throwing in my vote for granite, a nice, hard stone. Do not use marble, it is pretty soft. You could also have a basalt building with black granite for contrast. Throw in some adamantine accents and you have one very fashionable black castle.

You could also toss in some black sandstone. Much like marble, sandstone is quite soft. But you see, those areas are meant to be broken, either by golems surprising intruders with a shower of rock, or to trick people into breaking it and running into a trap.

Grim Portent
2015-01-28, 03:24 PM
London used to basically look like Mordor.

We brits used to have similar morality to Mordor as well. :smallamused:

I'd suggest the castle be made of cursed magical rock if the setting has enough magic in it that it seems reasonable, or dark granite if not.

BRKNdevil
2015-01-28, 04:44 PM
Don't identify it. Use its weirdness to engage the players.

"You see a castle in the distance, made of black stone which you cannot identify. You have not seen any black stone within 100 miles in your travels. It sits in the middle of a plain, with no quarries visible."

(At night) "The black stone of the castle is clearly visible, much darker than the black sky. It appears to have a slight sheen to it."

"(When you get close) Each stone appears to be completely smooth. You cannot see any roughness, unevenness, or the marks of tools."

That should be enough. Let them try to figure out what it is, and when they come up with a particularly cool guess, then that's what it is.

Vantablack paint (its real, look it up)

blacklight101
2015-01-28, 04:52 PM
My vote would be for slightly jaggy obsidian with the "magically treated" bit from the Stronghold Builder's Guide. Then you won't have to worry about much being able to hurt it (too easily, at least) as I believe it gains something like 20 hardness.

My group has loan of the book, so I don't have it in front of me right now.

Bob of Mage
2015-01-28, 04:54 PM
I would go with the whole soot and ashes of evil industry thing. It would have that nice evil vibe you get in Lord of the Rings. There's the clear sense that the bad guys are up to no good and it's costing world dearly. Not only that but the longer you wait to stop them the strong they get.

Tvtyrant
2015-01-28, 04:54 PM
If you want to go ultra-fancy, make it out of Blacksand poured between permanent Walls of Force. If they get dispelled a wall of lethal negative energy pours out and kills your enemy.

Calen
2015-01-28, 05:11 PM
Blackboard? Is the BBEG a teacher?

BBEG scrapes fingernails across any surface. Echoes reverberate around the castle as the party slowly goes insane.

Orcus The Vile
2015-01-28, 06:22 PM
Hahahaha

It is just a black castle! I never said it was evil.

That is racist!

goto124
2015-01-28, 07:06 PM
Okay... how about a Dark but not Evil castle...? That's often mistaken to be Evil?

Jay R
2015-01-28, 07:06 PM
Edit: Just thought of something rather cool; in years gone by the smoke and soot of industry turned most of London's stone buildings black. In the modern era they've been sandblasted back to a clean state and the air is much cleaner. London used to basically look like Mordor.

Specifically, that's what London looked like in the early-to-mid 20th century when Tolkien was writing Lord of the Rings while living in the small English town of Oxford, and walking through the countryside for preference.

Solaris
2015-01-29, 09:09 AM
I'm throwing in my vote for granite, a nice, hard stone. Do not use marble, it is pretty soft. You could also have a basalt building with black granite for contrast. Throw in some adamantine accents and you have one very fashionable black castle.

You could also toss in some black sandstone. Much like marble, sandstone is quite soft. But you see, those areas are meant to be broken, either by golems surprising intruders with a shower of rock, or to trick people into breaking it and running into a trap.

What he said. Marble is very soft, very fragile. It shatters if you hit it wrong with a hammer; not the sort of thing you want to build a fortification out of.

Basalt is what happens when lava cools relatively quickly (but not so quickly as obsidian). It'd make sense for a fire-breathing dragon to have made basalt, more so than granite which has to cool a long time (usually underground) to get those nice big crystals.