Looking for Creative Solutions

[democritic]

Long time lurker, finally made an account.

I'm currently playing a mad scientist-type character in a D&D 3.5 Faerun Campaign. He's rejoining the party after a 3 level leave of absence and has been affiliated with the experimental research branch of his wizard college.

I'm looking to get him a mobile laboratory that would be suitable for a dungeon crawl. He's at level 7 with 36k gold and is looking for a cheap solution. 20k for a portable hole or something similar is just too much for what is mostly a roleplay luxury. He has craft Magical Arms and Armor, Wondrous Item, Construct, and has reasonable resources at his disposal.

I'm playing the same character in a campaign 30 years in the future (causality is fun) and he's got an animated spider-walker to play with.

Being at a level where teleportation is a hassle, money is an object, and spells like Mage's Mansion are out of reach, I thought I'd send it to you folks. How can my wizard either get a low cost method of continuing his morally questionable research on the road, or how can a more expensive method become an asset worthy of the price tag?

[Serpentine]

What sort of laboratory? Biological, chemical, or what?
My initial thought is that the main space-taker-upper is the glassware. If you can somehow make foldable flasks, that could be a good start. Otherwise, some sort of briefcase type thing that can contain all your stuff and fold out to a table could be handy.

[Sindri]

1) Kill a Huge+ vermin.
2) Animate the hollowed out exoskeleton.
3) Install chairs, lab, and possible mini-bar.

The better movement rate, the better.

[Sindri]

What sort of laboratory? Biological, chemical, or what?

Mad science, duh. The lab contains whatever is necessary for your latest scheme, and never contains backups, manuals, blueprints, or other extraneous items that you'll never use.

[democritic]

Good question. He's a surgeon by trade, does grafting, alchemy, item creation, et cetera. So mostly I'm looking for something that will allow a certain measure of privacy, and won't need to be lugged around. I would think about just picking a room in an explored area of the dungeon and boarding it up, but I feel that it would be difficult to ensure the safety of the place.

I'm thinking in a few levels I'll work up one of those Wrights in Eberron to continue work while I'm preventing the destruction of the world. Pretty much all books are allowed, and Faerun is light on crafting so I borrow out of there a bit.

Edit: Sindri, you're my kind of wizard. I wish these boards had a karma system. Animating the dead, while totally awesome, is the sort of thing I'd like to have a lab to make it private, rather than flaunt. I'll be working under the nose of a very devout cleric of St. Cuthbert.

[Sindri]

That's why you put ranks in bluff, cover it with extraneous metal plates and pistons, install levers that do nothing in the cockpit, and call it a construct.

I can't take credit for the idea, though. One of my players (a necromancer in a party with not one but two paladins) came up with it; I just thought it would be appropriate here.

[Serpentine]

I don't think there is anything much that isn't very expensive. I like the "hollowed out animated beetle idea", or you could make it a transforming golem (that would be pretty awesome). Maybe one of those spells that makes a house.
For on the cheap, I think my foldable case is probably the most convenient. You'll need a good disecting kit - possibly expensive, but nicely compact in size. That will cover a lot of your needs, methinks. Someone in a more engineery line of work or interest would be better able to give you advice on what other general-purpose tools you'd need. Unless you get the aforementioned foldable flasks, glassware probably won't be convenient. Lots of bits and pieces and the like...

[JeminiZero]

Shrink Item? See if you can convince your DM that the 10x10x10 portable cubicle containing all your equipment counts as a single item.

[Lev]

Custom spell.

There are already spells that summon houses and stuff, why not open a dimensional pocket into a lab?

[CyMage]

Enveloping Pit in the MiC is cheaper then the Portable Hole, and much bigger. Will need to be a specific aligment or good at UMD.

[democritic]

That's why you put ranks in bluff, cover it with extraneous metal plates and pistons, install levers that do nothing in the cockpit, and call it a construct.

I can't take credit for the idea, though. One of my players (a necromancer in a party with not one but two paladins) came up with it; I just thought it would be appropriate here.

*facepalm* That's the exact solution I thought of while chewing on that idea. I'm not sure if bluff is even necessary. I'm not going to try to lie to a guy who habitually drops zone of truth spells, but if I guise the lie in enough knowledge checks (WAY smarter than he is), he probably would just call it a loss and take me at my word, seeing as how I'm more useful on his side.

Worth a thought. Shrink item is a thought, as is a custom spell. Might toy around with that a bit.

The enveloping pit is very doable, but just feels too cheesy, and the flavor doesn't fit at all, which was the point. Good thought though.

Thanks for the quick input, folks.

[Lysander]

What is a laboratory? Just tables with some equipment on it. My advice is to buy a bag of holding and inside carry a folding table or two along with your research equipment. When you have a quiet moment it's a simple matter to unpack everything and set it up.

This is fairly cheap and the bag of holding will also prove useful for your loot.

[sonofzeal]

1/day item of Shrink Item: 5400 gp

Alchemist's Lab: 500 gp




Inflatable Laboratory: 5900 gp

[ZeroGear]

I have two very similar suggestions:

In Magic of Eberron there are stats for a small homonculus that is pretty much a walking chest. Since it is inteligent enough to know what was placed into it, you can use it to carry your specimines in.

Also, cou could craft a golem and install a hidden space into it (Complete Scoundrel for hidden spaces). The golem can also serve as a pack mule and guardian.

[Harris the Ford]

If you like the animated carcass disguised to look like a construct idea but don't like the moral implications (mostly because of the paladins) then why don't you just make a construct? You have the feat. Talk with your DM about seeing if he will drop the price a little if you make it noncambatant/nonsentient. Otherwise wait until you have enough money and do it anyways. Nothing better than having a mobile laboratory that will last grapple and power attack your enemies!