How could I build a floating continent...? (3.5)

[The-Mage-King]

Yep. That's my question. I'm rolling up an epic level Artificer//Warblade, and I need a nice home for him. So I thought, "what would be perfect for unleashing an unstoppable horde of robots onto the world?", and decided on the classic flying landmass.

Now I'm stuck at how to get it. I'm guessing a combination of Reverse Gravity spells, bound Air elementals, and some more magic should help, but I need a basic framework for it...

[Seffbasilisk]

Oooooooooh. I was thinking a la back of a giant turtle style of floating.

Okay. Well, I could imagine having guards carry pandemonic silver with wardings verse fear could be useful in such an endeavor.

It'd probably be easiest to build it in segments, then link them. So that each can float individually, and then combined, lift a greater capacity. Reverse gravity, air elementals, maybe some Levitation and even as basic as 'Fly' spells. Golems with permanencied Overland Flight. Immobile rods, when 'locked' into a position.

Why not try to make a portal to the plane of air, tap into that for power and elemental support in floating? If you have an established constant portal...

[Claudius Maximus]

Stronghold Builder's Guidebook will help you with a floating castle, at least.

There's an epic spell lying around somewhere in a Faerun book that turns a mountain into one.

Or you could go to your DM and say "wouldn't this be cool?" and just get it handwaved.

[Gamer Girl]

Well, there is the Epic spell....Proctiv's Move Mountain.

{Scrubbed}

[Lateral]

Artificer//Warblade, eh?

...Got it. Blast a hole in the bedrock until you're under the island, create lots of forceful hands, have them all push upwards.

(Gotta think of a way to keep it there.)

[The-Mage-King]

Unfortunately, Epic Spells are out.

I'll look through Stronghold Builder's Guide though.

Now that I think of it, I need a method of financing this operation...

Landlord, maybe? I know for a fact that I can get Leadership, so...

[hamishspence]

Well, there is the Epic spell....Proctiv's Move Mountain

{Scrubbed}

The standard version is, however, only 1 mile in radius (2 miles wide)- and the spellcraft DC is 280. Meaning much mitigation needed to make an "easy" version of the spell- which may lead to accusations of "cheese" from the DM, and disallowing.

the 4E Ritual in Forgotten Realms Player's Guide, however, at full power, can produce a very impressive object.

The ritual is called Raise Land- is level 30, and produces a floating object up to 10 miles in radius (and 5 miles deep) floating at a height of 10 miles (or less, if you choose).

A bit bigger than the default version of Proctiv's Move Mountain, even if it's still no flying continent.

So- 20 miles wide

[The Glyphstone]

Unfortunately, Epic Spells are out.

I'll look through Stronghold Builder's Guide though.

Now that I think of it, I need a method of financing this operation...

Landlord, maybe? I know for a fact that I can get Leadership, so...

Get Landlord and Leadership. Have your cohort take Landlord as well, and if you can get away with it, Leadership as well. Pool every cent that all of your peons get, plus the Landlord bonuses, and supply as much of your own money as possible for the funds-matching effect.

[Grelna the Blue]

On the top of solid clouds, of the sort that cloud giants build castles upon.

I had a campaign once in which a epic endgame type BBEG had created an slowly but ever-growing expanse of solid cloud that completely blocked out the sun. The area beneath was called the Shadowlands. However, the players eventually discovered that over many centuries a whole ecology had sprung up above the clouds.

[Eldan]

Hmm. Permanencied Wall of Force, then build on top of that?

[AslanCross]

Use Iron Heart Surge to end gravity's effect on you

Anyway, I'm thinking several very large complexes of bound elementals, or possibly a conduit to the plane of Air. I'm not sure of any RAW way to do it, though.

[Angry Bob]

You could rig up something supported on a fleet of bound elemental vessels from Eberron or, alternatively, Haluuran flying ships, if you've got a lot of extra money rolling around. I dunno.

[hamishspence]

Getting something small to float is easier than getting a whole continent (even a small one) to.

Just how wide is this "floating continent" supposed to be?

[The-Mage-King]

Well, it seems that I may have an ally or two who'll help finance it...

Thinking about it, I'll try the bound elemental ships thing, maybe adding some flying constructs.

Hey, it might work.

EDIT: For size... large enough to have several airship towers without risk of them damaging each other, as well as a castle.

Oh, and enough space for my unstopable legion small collection of robot minions.

[hamishspence]

EDIT: For size... large enough to have several airship towers without risk of them damaging each other, as well as a castle.

Oh, and enough space for my unstopable legion small collection of robot minions.

Sounds like a mile or so- airship towers around the edge, a castle in the centre.

Or better still, bury the castle inside the mountain- make it hard to get to. Something like a mini-Death Star, but made of rock.

[The-Mage-King]

Sounds like a mile or so- airship towers around the edge, a castle in the centre.

Or better still, bury the castle inside the mountain- make it hard to get to. Something like a mini-Death Star, but made of rock.

Yeah, that should help...



Thinking more, I'll need to be able to house likely several hundred thousand entities in it, as well as the aforementioned unstopable legion small collection of robot minions.


Hmm... I'll give more thought to this overnight. Maybe I can pull off something...

[hamishspence]

Chances are, it will have to be floated up in sections.

Maybe get little sections up at a time, use Stone Shape to get them the right shape, use Sovereign Glue to fix them together, and so on, till you have a massive construction.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Watch the anime Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Seriously, I cannot describe the amount of win that comes with the floating castle, along with fairly in depth on how it runs (steampunk/spelljammer with magic running the gears)

Plus it already has Invasion of Flying Indestructible Robots built in.

Alternatively, play Final Fantasy VI (originally released in the US as 3). Y'see, there's this trio of magical statues... just don't start pushing them around.

[Jack_Simth]

Let's see....

Step 1: Find a Ghost capable of casting Wall of Stone
Step 2: Convince the ghost to Follow your Orders.
Step 3: Have the ghost manifest, and cast Wall of Stone - a LOT. You need as much Manifested-Ghost-Generated Stone as you can get.
Step 4: Realize that these stones are simultaneously material and ethereal, thanks to the Ghost's Manifestation ability.
Step 5: Use half of the stone from step 3 to make a platform that exists on the Ethereal plane as well as the material plane, laying on the ground on the material plane.
Step 6: Put supporting structure on the Ethereal plane, connecting the blocks upwards.
Step 7: Use the other half of the stone from step 3 to make a platform on top of the supporting structure on the Ethereal plane.
Step 8: Put normal continent-type stuff on top of the 'flying' rocks.

What do you have?

A base plate on the material, that extends to the Ethereal.
Supports on the Ethereal that go up as high as you like.
A roof plate on the material, that extends to the Ethereal, where it's supported by the Ethereal supports.
Normal continent-type stuff on top of the roof plate.

From the material plane, you can walk under the thing, as the supports aren't there to get in your way. Unless you have True Seeing, See Invisibility, or similar up, the trick can't be seen.

Oh yes, and after creation, it's all non-magical, so can't be Dispelled or Disjoined, and it continues flying in an antimagic field.

Edit: Oh yes, and your support structure can be quite simple - nobody needs to be able to walk around inside the supports, so they can be solid whatever. Maybe use a Rod of Wonder and a patsy to turn large quantities of material stuff Ethereal. Or just have your pet ghost cast a lot more Walls of Stone when *not* manifested.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Let's see....

Step 1: Find a Ghost capable of casting Wall of Stone
Step 2: Convince the ghost to Follow your Orders.
Step 3: Have the ghost manifest, and cast Wall of Stone - a LOT. You need as much Manifested-Ghost-Generated Stone as you can get.
Step 4: Realize that these stones are simultaneously material and ethereal, thanks to the Ghost's Manifestation ability.
Step 5: Use half of the stone from step 3 to make a platform that exists on the Ethereal plane as well as the material plane, laying on the ground on the material plane.
Step 6: Put supporting structure on the Ethereal plane, connecting the blocks upwards.
Step 7: Use the other half of the stone from step 3 to make a platform on top of the supporting structure on the Ethereal plane.
Step 8: Put normal continent-type stuff on top of the 'flying' rocks.

What do you have?

A base plate on the material, that extends to the Ethereal.
Supports on the Ethereal that go up as high as you like.
A roof plate on the material, that extends to the Ethereal, where it's supported by the Ethereal supports.
Normal continent-type stuff on top of the roof plate.

From the material plane, you can walk under the thing, as the supports aren't there to get in your way. Unless you have True Seeing, See Invisibility, or similar up, the trick can't be seen.

Oh yes, and after creation, it's all non-magical, so can't be Dispelled or Disjoined, and it continues flying in an antimagic field.

Of course, anyone with a Ghost Touch weapon will realize there's something wrong when their weapon hits a solid object you're trying to walk through...

For that matter, as the walls exist both in the ethereal and in the prime, it would be a solid physical barrier to both the ethereal and non-ethereal objects, unless I misread the Manifestation ability...

[Jack_Simth]

Of course, anyone with a Ghost Touch weapon will realize there's something wrong when their weapon hits a solid object you're trying to walk through...

For that matter, as the walls exist both in the ethereal and in the prime, it would be a solid physical barrier to both the ethereal and non-ethereal objects, unless I misread the Manifestation ability...

Actually, a Ghost Touch weapon wouldn't be affected any more than normal material objects. They bypass incorporeality, not Etherealness, and your supporting structure is Ethereal, not incorporeal.

The Wizard with a Mage Armor spell up (or anyone else tied to a Force effect) will have problems, though.

The walls also affect material-plane Incorporeal critters "normally", too. Which is often quite the shock for them.

Really, Ghosts are planar barrier monkey-wrenches.

But the real question is: Does the plan suit the player and the DM? It's floating (as near as most people can tell, anyway), it's size is limited only by how long you can keep the Ghost at it, but it's pretty much immobile - it's not moving any more than the 'normal' continent supporting it is.

[Cirrhosis]

you're an artificer? simple. make one really, really big immovable rod with one side flat and continent shaped, shift it to the ethereal plane and move it upward to the desired height, then shift it back after you've pressed the activation stud.

and since when is "a carefully worded wish" not an answer to this sort of conundrum?


Edit: edited for clarity

[The Glyphstone]

you're an artificer? simple. make one really, really big immovable rod with one side flat and continent shaped, shift it to the ethereal plane and move it upward to the desired height, then shift it back after you've pressed the activation stud.

and since when is "a carefully worded wish" not an answer to this sort of conundrum?


Edit: edited for clarity

Because this is vastly bigger than the safe parameters for a Wish - it's effectively duplicating an Epic spell on a grander scale. 'Careful Wording' is just going to get you horrible backlashing side effects or wish-twisting. Asking the DM nicely might help though.

[OracleofWuffing]

Collect the 40 pieces of the Master Emerald, copiously use Astral Projection or other duplication methods as needed if more land is wanted.

Your lack of having a floating continent is an effect which is affecting you and has a duration of one round. Iron Heart Surge it away.

Unleash the Espers from their world.

Lots of Air Elementals, and use your Artificerness to build a balloon to hold them all. Tie the balloon to stakes, stakes are pounded into ground. You're an Artificer, so you're obligated to have a steampunk exterior to all this or else you'll paladin-fall. Just don't name it Hindenburg.

[The Glyphstone]

Don't name it Uncrashable either.

[DLoFunk]

I read the title and this came to mind.

[Fable Wright]

I think that a permanent wall of force is the way to go. Optionally, add a druid. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Fly some thousand feet into the air.
Step 2: Cast wall of force, making it parallel to the ground.
Step 3: Make it permanent.

Congratulations! You now have an immobile, permanent wall that cannot be moved by any means, that is immune to dispel magic. Rinse and repeat, and then build on it, adding decorations as you go, and wards against disintegrate. Alternatively, for a mobile fortress...

Step 1: Get your ghost minion to cast a Wall of Stone on the material plane. It is now both material and ethereal.
Step 2: Cast Stone Shape on the walls to merge them together, and now you have a giant, unbroken wall.
Step 3: On the ethereal plane, there is no gravity. Get your ghost to bring the giant wall into the sky, which it can do with no effort.
Step 4: Cast Haunt Shift on some skeletons you made previously, while they're on the ethereal plane, tying them to the stone wall.
Step 5: Build your fortress.

Here's what you have accomplished:
On the ethereal plane, things have no weight. Your undead that you bound to the structure can easily keep it aloft, and don't get bored. You can command them, at any time, to begin to move the fortress, and then it will move across the sky to wherever. Because the wall is ethereal, in part, it has no weight to the creatures on the ethereal plane. You can easily build more attachments to the structure, but no matter how much you shove on it, the part of the wall on the ethereal plane weighs nothing. The skeletons you bound, being mindless, which only obey your commands, are much cheaper to make and turn into haunting presences than binding an air elemental, and while even one is bound to the structure, it will remain where you want it to be. You have an infinite power source for just the cost of a couple hundred gp, assuming your wizard cohort cast the spells for you. If an ethereal cleric somehow managed to dispel your undead, you might begin to fall, but it would be a simple enough matter for your ghost to turn ethereal and support the structure, or have some other creature support it. You have a floating continent that can go where you wish, and depending on the base land speed of the undead that haunt the structure, it might move ridiculously fast through the sky.

[Jack_Simth]

Step 3: On the ethereal plane, there is no gravity. Get your ghost to bring the giant wall into the sky, which it can do with no effort.

You've got a conceptual problem with this step.

On the one hand, you're having the ghost move it with no effort - apparently, force doesn't translate between the planes, as when he tries to move that wall of stone, it's weightless and moves easily.

On the other hand, force does apparently translate between the planes, as when he does try to move that wall of stone, it pushes on all that stuff stacked on top of it on the material plane.

Why *wouldn't* it go both ways?

[awa]

step 1 animate object with a caster level of 16 you can make gargantuan objects. animate your castle bit by bit permanency it.
step 2 make a magic item of overland flight at will have a minion run a round using it all day long to keep every one flying
step 3 profit

bonus step give every thing 4 limbs for the lifting bonus of sturdy quadruped.

this method might not be flashy and you wont have a continent but it is pretty doable.
edit also watch out for dispel magic or fly low to the ground either or

[Fable Wright]

You've got a conceptual problem with this step.

On the one hand, you're having the ghost move it with no effort - apparently, force doesn't translate between the planes, as when he tries to move that wall of stone, it's weightless and moves easily.

On the other hand, force does apparently translate between the planes, as when he does try to move that wall of stone, it pushes on all that stuff stacked on top of it on the material plane.

Why *wouldn't* it go both ways?

Meh. It's mostly up to the DM on how it works. There is nothing actually describing how gravity works between the planes. If the DM says no, he could just resort to making a bunch of walls of force; it's up to the DM, but it would make a mobile fortress he would be able to use. I'm not pretending that the logic isn't foolproof. It probably wouldn't work, except via the rule of cool. (Another thing to note is that there are actually no rules relating to how heavy a load a haunting presence can carry. If you add a little slide to the end of the structure, so that the majority of the platform can be moved up and down, by RAW you could move the platform up indefinitely, since it is a moving (sliding, but still moving) part.)