I Have an... Idea [Archive] - Wizards Community

I Have an... Idea [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Rickiel
12-07-06, 12:54 AM Okay, now before I share said Idea, lemme give out a couple of lil details.

One: This idea does concern one Rogue-Mage Raz from the very campaign he originated in (not that I'm getting to play it soon enough :weep: )

Two: Level 10 is the highest character level we have in the party at this time.

and Three: The PC's own/operate/work with a mercenary guild.

Now Raz has been wanting to have a lil home of his own somewhere in a forest by a waterfall blah blah blah slightly near a coast.

And said home, I am now thinking should be made from a boat.

Specifically, a Galleon or larger. How feasable of a plan would it be to:

1. Hunt down a pirate boat.

2. Sail it to a coast

3. Break it up into manageable parts (mast, bow, etc.)

4. Cast Shrink Object on each boat section (I don't however know what lvl Shrink Object is at this time)

5. Get my dwarven buddies to cast Move Earth, Wall of Stone, Hallow, and Shape Wood while I cast Mage Craft on myself to aid us in building said house.

How feasable of a plan is this? What logistics do I really need to think about? If approximately 20 'helpers' (a.k.a. lower mercenary guildsman who've been dragged into this mess) aid myself and the duo of spellcasting dwarves, how quickly or slowly would it take to convert a mighty galleon ship into a rogue-wizard's tower?

Thank you and goodnight!
TheChilliGod
12-07-06, 03:16 AM Only Raz...

Firstly, just clarifying, Shrink Object is going to be for transportation only?

Now, one casting of Wood Shape is enough to affect 10 cubic feet of wood; 15 feet if we have 5-level druids out there. This means that, for every casting of the spell with a 5th-level druids (assuming a sufficient supply of pirate ship), we have a section of floor, roof or wall 15 feet by 1 foot by 1 foot, or 20 feet by 10 feet by 0.075 feet (just a bit under an inch). Cut that into tenths, and you have 10x2 feet planks of wood, which should be sufficient enough for simple construction.
Given that we have a galley with us, Stormwrack puts space at 130 by 20 by 15 feet. If Raz wants a home roughly this big (Roughly a 60x60-ft cottage given a 10-ft ceiling), then, assuming that the number of walls he wants is about the same as the galleon's number, he will only need one galley.

The normal way.

The same thought process can be applied to the Stone Shape spell, although you may find it harder to cut stone into planks.
Wall of Stone would infinitely help, getting you about a 25x10x0.16 foot section of wall done in an instant (such stone could then be moved around by Stone Shape, but such a 5th level spell could only be attempted by a full wizard or cleric of at least 10th level.
I am afraid that Move Earth is most likely beyond this party, being a 6th level spell. And it only affects dirt anyway (which doesn't make for very good building material).

I cannot begin to calculate how many castings of Wood Shape would be required without a better understanding of Raz's house designs; how many walls made of wood required and so forth.

Hope I helped.
psionichamster
12-07-06, 09:52 AM lesee here...ChiliGod seems to have the mass/volume ratios down fairly well...although if you're looking for a "tower" you may want to expand your search...possibly a galleon and a caravel, or 2 galleons...just to get some height.

that being said, you have wall of stone, (and should also have stone shape), and i assume some decent craft (carpentry) or craft (masonry) skills. (or can cheat them up enough).

now, given that your average house runs 1000 gp, a grand house runs 5000 and a tower runs 50,000 (all in the city of course...personally i would cut those prices in half, at least for building out in the boonies) you're going to need a total craft check of about 10,000 (in SP) for the house, or 50,000 SP for the grand house.

now, for some maths.

House Crafting DC: 10 (basic knowledge)
Raz's Craft modifier, with Magecraft and any other spells: +15 (adjust this as needed)
Masterwork Tools: +2
Assistants, all dwarven craft-types: +2 per assistant, possibly +4 when dealing w/ stone or metal
Spellcasting buddies circumstance bonus: +2/caster, unless they're occupied
making raw resources.

DC 20 (increased to speed up crafting) *(10+15+2+40+2+2=71) =1420 SP/Week

making that DC 70 you get 4970 SP/wk, and that's about as high as you can go and still take 10 on the check.

That means you'd have a simple thatched roof house done in 2 weeks, a grand house of about 10 rooms in 10 weeks, and a tower (barring massive magical means) in about 100 weeks.

now, as i said, i'd cut those prices (and therefore times) in half to represent the fact that you're crafting a new structure way out in the sticks, and don't have to worry about space, zoning, and the like.

now, keep in mind that Fabricate, which is a 5th lvl spell and accessible to a 9th/10th lvl wizard will help out a LOT, making raw materials easier and faster than wood shape. At this level, it's likely NOT to be enough volume to easily manipulate the stone, but that's what the wall and stoneshape spells are for.

-the hamster
alecthemad
12-07-06, 11:03 AM So this Galleon is say 140 ft long which makes it Colossal. Shrink Item reduces its size category by four to Medium. So now it is about 6 feet long and basically made of cloth. Roll it up put the whole dang thing on a wagon and move it to where you want to go. For extra fun cast permanency on it later on and you can shrink and move it any time.
TrueName
12-07-06, 11:18 AM Having read what I have about Raz, logistics will be the least of your problems :D
Rickiel
12-07-06, 02:33 PM I'm still drawing up the blue-prints for said tower/house, insert maniacal laughter here.

The home will be built in the woods quite a bit aways from the city.

Spell Casters: We have on our hands; 1 Dwarven 10th lvl Druid, 1 Dwarven 10th lvl Cleric of Moradin with Earth domain, possibly a couple of spellcasters of 5th lvl or lower, and then there's Raz with his ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.

Primary spells that are going to be cast (probably daily at that)

Shrink Object: For transporting materials.

Mage Craft: Twice! One for carpentry and one for masonry.

Wall of Stone: To supply stone!

Stone Shape: To shape said stone.

Wood Shape: To shape wood of ship of course!

Though Move Earth is beyond us I thought it would help in clearing a foundation. Just a thought for later usage I guess.

It seems that the one galley can provide all of the wood needed while the Wall of Stone will provide ...well the stone, needed.

Man I wish I had my calculator with me. Then again I also wish I had the Stronghold Builder's Guide.

If the galley were divided into sections of three, for parts equivalent of 43 x 20 x 15; then stacked ontop of one another that'd get a tower of 43ft or so feet long, 20ft wide, and 45 ft high. Just a thought.

Okay, I'm gonna go sketch out a blue-print of this crazy idea and get back to posting them later. That'll help me out via getting you logical types more info.

And thank you everyone for your help so far!

Though TrueName, I don't know WHAT you're implying :shifty:
flipoflak92
12-07-06, 04:47 PM Why don't you just hollow out the inside of the Galley/whatever type of boat chosen, and turn it on its side... Whallah, there is the tower part. And with the wood that you took from the inside, use it to craft floors inside the hollow shell of the boat. And then there ya go, a tower that is made out of a boat, and can be used as a house.
Another_Poet
12-07-06, 04:56 PM Um, not to rain on the cool magic method or anything, but...

...Lots of traditional building styles already resemble upturned ships. In ancient Ireland there was a type of house called the "barc"--literally, the "ship".

Hiring skilled craftsmen is extremely cheap in the D&D world, and a lot easier than capturing a real ship. Just hire a team of carpenters and one or two ship-makers and they can probably fix you a house that looks exactly like a ship, but has all the positive features (good foundation, soffitry, roofing, etc.) of a real house.

best wishes,
AP
Rickiel
12-07-06, 05:16 PM Both my character Raz and I love rain thank you!

And though it would be cheaper to just build a house, I don't intend to do this the easy way.

Capture a ship for that authentic 'The barnacles? Oh they came with the house. How? Well sit by the fire and I'll tell ya!' feel.

And besides! Pirates! Treasure! XP! My share of the treasure would be the ship itself! And building a tower/house out of it is a...'team building excercise' for those NPC's who are a part of the PC's mercenary company.
Another_Poet
12-07-06, 09:52 PM Both my character Raz and I love rain thank you!

And though it would be cheaper to just build a house, I don't intend to do this the easy way.

Capture a ship for that authentic 'The barnacles? Oh they came with the house. How? Well sit by the fire and I'll tell ya!' feel.

And besides! Pirates! Treasure! XP! My share of the treasure would be the ship itself! And building a tower/house out of it is a...'team building excercise' for those NPC's who are a part of the PC's mercenary company.

Fair enough!
AP

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rickiel 12-07-06, 12:54 AM	Okay, now before I share said Idea, lemme give out a couple of lil details. One: This idea does concern one Rogue-Mage Raz from the very campaign he originated in (not that I'm getting to play it soon enough :weep: ) Two: Level 10 is the highest character level we have in the party at this time. and Three: The PC's own/operate/work with a mercenary guild. Now Raz has been wanting to have a lil home of his own somewhere in a forest by a waterfall blah blah blah slightly near a coast. And said home, I am now thinking should be made from a boat. Specifically, a Galleon or larger. How feasable of a plan would it be to: 1. Hunt down a pirate boat. 2. Sail it to a coast 3. Break it up into manageable parts (mast, bow, etc.) 4. Cast Shrink Object on each boat section (I don't however know what lvl Shrink Object is at this time) 5. Get my dwarven buddies to cast Move Earth, Wall of Stone, Hallow, and Shape Wood while I cast Mage Craft on myself to aid us in building said house. How feasable of a plan is this? What logistics do I really need to think about? If approximately 20 'helpers' (a.k.a. lower mercenary guildsman who've been dragged into this mess) aid myself and the duo of spellcasting dwarves, how quickly or slowly would it take to convert a mighty galleon ship into a rogue-wizard's tower? Thank you and goodnight!
TheChilliGod 12-07-06, 03:16 AM	Only Raz... Firstly, just clarifying, Shrink Object is going to be for transportation only? Now, one casting of Wood Shape is enough to affect 10 cubic feet of wood; 15 feet if we have 5-level druids out there. This means that, for every casting of the spell with a 5th-level druids (assuming a sufficient supply of pirate ship), we have a section of floor, roof or wall 15 feet by 1 foot by 1 foot, or 20 feet by 10 feet by 0.075 feet (just a bit under an inch). Cut that into tenths, and you have 10x2 feet planks of wood, which should be sufficient enough for simple construction. Given that we have a galley with us, Stormwrack puts space at 130 by 20 by 15 feet. If Raz wants a home roughly this big (Roughly a 60x60-ft cottage given a 10-ft ceiling), then, assuming that the number of walls he wants is about the same as the galleon's number, he will only need one galley. The normal way. The same thought process can be applied to the Stone Shape spell, although you may find it harder to cut stone into planks. Wall of Stone would infinitely help, getting you about a 25x10x0.16 foot section of wall done in an instant (such stone could then be moved around by Stone Shape, but such a 5th level spell could only be attempted by a full wizard or cleric of at least 10th level. I am afraid that Move Earth is most likely beyond this party, being a 6th level spell. And it only affects dirt anyway (which doesn't make for very good building material). I cannot begin to calculate how many castings of Wood Shape would be required without a better understanding of Raz's house designs; how many walls made of wood required and so forth. Hope I helped.
psionichamster 12-07-06, 09:52 AM	lesee here...ChiliGod seems to have the mass/volume ratios down fairly well...although if you're looking for a "tower" you may want to expand your search...possibly a galleon and a caravel, or 2 galleons...just to get some height. that being said, you have wall of stone, (and should also have stone shape), and i assume some decent craft (carpentry) or craft (masonry) skills. (or can cheat them up enough). now, given that your average house runs 1000 gp, a grand house runs 5000 and a tower runs 50,000 (all in the city of course...personally i would cut those prices in half, at least for building out in the boonies) you're going to need a total craft check of about 10,000 (in SP) for the house, or 50,000 SP for the grand house. now, for some maths. House Crafting DC: 10 (basic knowledge) Raz's Craft modifier, with Magecraft and any other spells: +15 (adjust this as needed) Masterwork Tools: +2 Assistants, all dwarven craft-types: +2 per assistant, possibly +4 when dealing w/ stone or metal Spellcasting buddies circumstance bonus: +2/caster, unless they're occupied making raw resources. DC 20 (increased to speed up crafting) *(10+15+2+40+2+2=71) =1420 SP/Week making that DC 70 you get 4970 SP/wk, and that's about as high as you can go and still take 10 on the check. That means you'd have a simple thatched roof house done in 2 weeks, a grand house of about 10 rooms in 10 weeks, and a tower (barring massive magical means) in about 100 weeks. now, as i said, i'd cut those prices (and therefore times) in half to represent the fact that you're crafting a new structure way out in the sticks, and don't have to worry about space, zoning, and the like. now, keep in mind that Fabricate, which is a 5th lvl spell and accessible to a 9th/10th lvl wizard will help out a LOT, making raw materials easier and faster than wood shape. At this level, it's likely NOT to be enough volume to easily manipulate the stone, but that's what the wall and stoneshape spells are for. -the hamster
alecthemad 12-07-06, 11:03 AM	So this Galleon is say 140 ft long which makes it Colossal. Shrink Item reduces its size category by four to Medium. So now it is about 6 feet long and basically made of cloth. Roll it up put the whole dang thing on a wagon and move it to where you want to go. For extra fun cast permanency on it later on and you can shrink and move it any time.
TrueName 12-07-06, 11:18 AM	Having read what I have about Raz, logistics will be the least of your problems :D
Rickiel 12-07-06, 02:33 PM	I'm still drawing up the blue-prints for said tower/house, insert maniacal laughter here. The home will be built in the woods quite a bit aways from the city. Spell Casters: We have on our hands; 1 Dwarven 10th lvl Druid, 1 Dwarven 10th lvl Cleric of Moradin with Earth domain, possibly a couple of spellcasters of 5th lvl or lower, and then there's Raz with his ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells. Primary spells that are going to be cast (probably daily at that) Shrink Object: For transporting materials. Mage Craft: Twice! One for carpentry and one for masonry. Wall of Stone: To supply stone! Stone Shape: To shape said stone. Wood Shape: To shape wood of ship of course! Though Move Earth is beyond us I thought it would help in clearing a foundation. Just a thought for later usage I guess. It seems that the one galley can provide all of the wood needed while the Wall of Stone will provide ...well the stone, needed. Man I wish I had my calculator with me. Then again I also wish I had the Stronghold Builder's Guide. If the galley were divided into sections of three, for parts equivalent of 43 x 20 x 15; then stacked ontop of one another that'd get a tower of 43ft or so feet long, 20ft wide, and 45 ft high. Just a thought. Okay, I'm gonna go sketch out a blue-print of this crazy idea and get back to posting them later. That'll help me out via getting you logical types more info. And thank you everyone for your help so far! Though TrueName, I don't know WHAT you're implying :shifty:
flipoflak92 12-07-06, 04:47 PM	Why don't you just hollow out the inside of the Galley/whatever type of boat chosen, and turn it on its side... Whallah, there is the tower part. And with the wood that you took from the inside, use it to craft floors inside the hollow shell of the boat. And then there ya go, a tower that is made out of a boat, and can be used as a house.
Another_Poet 12-07-06, 04:56 PM	Um, not to rain on the cool magic method or anything, but... ...Lots of traditional building styles already resemble upturned ships. In ancient Ireland there was a type of house called the "barc"--literally, the "ship". Hiring skilled craftsmen is extremely cheap in the D&D world, and a lot easier than capturing a real ship. Just hire a team of carpenters and one or two ship-makers and they can probably fix you a house that looks exactly like a ship, but has all the positive features (good foundation, soffitry, roofing, etc.) of a real house. best wishes, AP
Rickiel 12-07-06, 05:16 PM	Both my character Raz and I love rain thank you! And though it would be cheaper to just build a house, I don't intend to do this the easy way. Capture a ship for that authentic 'The barnacles? Oh they came with the house. How? Well sit by the fire and I'll tell ya!' feel. And besides! Pirates! Treasure! XP! My share of the treasure would be the ship itself! And building a tower/house out of it is a...'team building excercise' for those NPC's who are a part of the PC's mercenary company.
Another_Poet 12-07-06, 09:52 PM	Both my character Raz and I love rain thank you! And though it would be cheaper to just build a house, I don't intend to do this the easy way. Capture a ship for that authentic 'The barnacles? Oh they came with the house. How? Well sit by the fire and I'll tell ya!' feel. And besides! Pirates! Treasure! XP! My share of the treasure would be the ship itself! And building a tower/house out of it is a...'team building excercise' for those NPC's who are a part of the PC's mercenary company. Fair enough! AP