Wondrous architecture and magic traps available by ~6th level

[Mendicant]

Just what it says in the title.

What magical enhancements, traps and other wondrous architecture are available without going past 6th, maybe 7th level casters? WBL limits are less important here--resources are not as hard limited as caster levels.

[Blackhawk748]

Caster levels are easy to break, just check out Circle Magic from Ghostwalk (though this only works for Divine spellcasters with a specific deity, there it is.). Its the spells that go into the item that are the problem.

[johnbragg]

Wondrous architecture--longstrider would change a world. The king can build highways that increase light horse' speed from 32 miles/day to 40 miles/day, or for a Pony Express-type setup, 10 miles/hour --> 240 miles/day. Which isn't much by modern standards, but is dynamite for a faux-high-medieval setting. (Longstrider over expeditious retreat because it's a long-duration buff, so a more reasonable cost to apply it to an entire inter-city road network.)

Resettable traps of Mending. Cure Minor Wounds. Prestidigitation (cleaning). Prestidigitation (bland food spicy.) Purify food and drink (make the town well into a resettable trap--bam, no more cholera).

[Mendicant]

I'm not using Ghostwalk, but it doesn't really matter to my question one way or another. I'm trying to get a clearer baseline for what's reasonable in an E/P6 world.

[johnbragg]

I'm not using Ghostwalk, but it doesn't really matter to my question one way or another. I'm trying to get a clearer baseline for what's reasonable in an E/P6 world.

ARe you thinking more worldbuilding, or more WBLmancy?

[Mendicant]

Worldbuilding, with an eye towards maintaining the "anything I can do, they could do too" rule. No "a wizard did it" stuff they can't replicate if they really really want to.

[johnbragg]

Worldbuilding, with an eye towards maintaining the "anything I can do, they could do too" rule. No "a wizard did it" stuff they can't replicate if they really really want to.

Well, I tend to think in terms of what would Ramses, Pericles, Alexander, Cyrus, Augustus do if they had access to 1000 or 100,000 1st level clerics and wizards. Take a look at what kings and emperors have done historically. Royal roads. City walls. Canals. Aqueducts. Draining marshes and swamps. Temples (remember, they *believed* in tempermental, touchy pagan gods, so building temples was an investment in getting divine favor for your city.)

So I think in terms of what you could do by casting a 0-level or 1st level spell a bazillion times.



Possibly also keep watching the Life of Brian "What have the Romans ever done for us" bit.

Ship travel is something to think about. A resetting trap-barrel of purify food and drink means you can drink seawater. Know Direction is a bard/druid cantrip, so compasses are available.