Author Topic: Let's build the ultimate vault.  (Read 7826 times)

Offline Cagemarrow

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Let's build the ultimate vault.
« on: May 03, 2017, 04:15:26 AM »
So I am playing an artificer character in the Forgotten Realms. We've completed the Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde and we've captured the Tome of Slaughtergarde.  It's an Artifact so my character can't simply eat it for XP. So instead he's decided to build an impenetrable chest or vault to safely store it until it can be redeemed or destroyed.

Assuming price is no object how would you build such an item? Let's start assuming a caster level of 9 and adding individual upgrades until it reaches Epic prices.

My initial requirement thoughts are as follows.

  • Protection from mundane breakage -   Make it from Riverine, this also protects it from Incorporeal thieves.
  • Protection from  Scrying -  We don't want the bad guys to find it easily.
  • Bigger on the Inside - Use shrink item to increase it's carrying capacity
  • Permanent Dragoneye Rune ( Dragon Magic, pg 66) - We want to find it if it somehow gets entirely moved.
  • Spell Immunity to Knock, Disintegrate, and Disjunction - any other spells  open or destroy Riverine?

These are just my initial thoughts. Eventually I'd like to make it an intelligent animated object with the special purpose of collecting evil items and keeping them safe until they can be redeemed or destroyed.

What would you add?  :D
« Last Edit: May 03, 2017, 05:00:07 AM by Cagemarrow »

Offline ketaro

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2017, 06:26:46 AM »
Permanent Animate Object.
Awaken Construct.
Leadership.
Epic Leadership.

BAM!

You have a cohort that is also an all powerful artifact and it has all the class levels to protect itself.
Now teach it Epic Spellcasting and ruin everything.

Alternatively, acquire a Mimic as a cohort and commence a similar plan.

Why? Because why pay for what you can acquire for free?
« Last Edit: May 03, 2017, 06:31:12 AM by ketaro »

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2017, 12:45:23 PM »
The ultimate vault starts with Voidstone and ends with Forced Dream & Quintessence to roll back time when someone gets in, inescapable time loops always help.

Offline CaptRory

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2017, 01:40:38 PM »
Not sure it is the "ultimate" vault but my character built her own fort and put in a hidden vault for powerful magic stuff you don't want getting loose. The walls are covered in six inch thick plates of lead. When the wizard is high enough it will be filled with a permanent antimagic field. The access is a hidden door with three locks: Adamantite, Mithril, and Permanent Ironwood.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2017, 11:36:44 AM by CaptRory »

Offline Cagemarrow

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2017, 01:27:00 AM »
Lead lining, always a good choice for blocking all kinds of divination magic. Good call.

I like the idea of making it an intelligent cohort, I may go the item familiar route instead. Any specific pros or cons for this?

Time loops, while fun and effective may be difficult to get approval for from the DM. Definitely something to add if we get into Epic levels though.

Are there any protection spells that can keep it from being stolen with teleport, wish, or miracle? Any idea if there are methods for Evil Artifacts to corrupt the construct if it's a cohort or familiar? Would a protection from evil be enough?


Offline snakeman830

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #5 on: May 04, 2017, 12:26:28 PM »
Dimensional Lock is something you will want on there to prevent teleportation effects, both in and out.  An earlier version is Forbiddance (Cleric 6), which despite being a lower-level spell also damages those with alignments different to yours.

Hilariously, you can try a Teleportation Circle on the same area.  If they get through the Dimensional Lock and step in, they go poof.  It doesn't teleport unattended objects, so the artifact won't move.  This isn't likely to be the most effective past the first go since they just need some reach to bypass it.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2017, 11:37:37 AM by snakeman830 »
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Offline phaedrusxy

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #6 on: May 04, 2017, 05:32:20 PM »
You can embed a Dimensional Anchor effect within a(n) (Un)Hallow spell. You definitely want lead-lined walls. And making the walls hollow and filled with a preposterous number of undead (maybe incorporeals) is another fun idea I've heard of.
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Offline snakeman830

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2017, 07:14:25 PM »
You can embed a Dimensional Anchor effect within a(n) (Un)Hallow spell. You definitely want lead-lined walls. And making the walls hollow and filled with a preposterous number of undead (maybe incorporeals) is another fun idea I've heard of.
Dimensional Anchor on an Unhallow still lets them get in, though.
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Offline kitep

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #8 on: May 04, 2017, 07:52:04 PM »
Probably wouldn't hurt to make liberal use of the Symbol spell.  If you stick up 20 of them, the invader should roll a nat 1 on one of her saves.

Offline CaptRory

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2017, 08:35:31 PM »
I think there are ways to make spells like Entangle and Spiked Stones permanent as well. Might as well be annoying as well as deadly.

Offline kitep

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2017, 11:52:28 PM »
You could make the ceiling a Wall of Force holding back a couple of tons of rock and acid.  If the intruder uses an anti-magic shell to avoid the magical traps, it will make the Wall disappear, burying him in said rock and acid.

Offline CaptRory

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2017, 11:58:58 PM »
Ooooh~ I like that. Can you paint a wall of force? 'cause then you could put a thin coat of lead on it so they won't know it is there til it gets disrupted.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2017, 01:38:30 PM »
If you keep this up for another few months you will all realize that you're just a cruel Dungeon Master trying to build the next Tomb of Horrors.

Offline Cagemarrow

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2017, 04:17:28 PM »
 :plotting

Love the ideas so far. I'll have to start integrating them into the vault. The Luminous Order has giving my artificer permission to start building it in the basement of their keep, the Shining Citadel. We're all Luminary Champions of the order now too.

Offline nijineko

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2017, 05:25:03 PM »
My character's mobile stronghold is a pinnace which has been enchanted to fly (among other things) and has a fake door built into a wall which happens to be a magnificent mansion.

such mansions can usually only be entered by the person whom it is keyed to and whomever they bring with them.

hiding things in a non-dimensions space is a fairly secure start, especially ones which have limiting entry requirements.

not to mention that a pinnace happens to be the same size as the large form of the folding boat - which is what I used as the base for my mobile stronghold - so my stronghold folds down to a box (suitcase) when it's not in use. ^^

Adding a Nystul's aura effect helps suppress the magical auras it emits.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #15 on: May 06, 2017, 05:25:33 PM »
One of the best things you can do, even better than the idea of a Wall of Force holing up dirt, is Energy Transformation Field + Permanent Prismatic Wall. You can freely pass through the barrier but anyone else has to tank the full force of the Wall, and if they try to counter it they instead fuel the Field which hits them with another Spell.

You have a lot of freedom with this too, like Cone of Cold is the first Spell to use in the chain letting you set the field up to hit them with any Spell 5th or lower before they even catch on that trying to counter the Wall is a bad idea. One very particular deadly usage is Summon Giant appears as a 4th level Spell on the Disciple of Thrym List, allowing you to summon a Fiendish Fire Giant. And what exactly is the caster going to do to kill it? Cast Cone of Cold again?  :evillaugh

Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2017, 04:52:56 PM »
"An animated object can be of any nonmagical material"

The ultimate vault starts with Voidstone and ends with Forced Dream & Quintessence to roll back time when someone gets in, inescapable time loops always help.
This is an interesting idea, but could you get it to work? Also it should either be unlockable via a method that another could not emulate using the same method, or not be reverse-engineer-able so that no one but you would know the method.

Teleportation circle is funny, but it works on "any creature who stands on it", so flying creatures wouldn't proc it.

Energy transformation field is so overpowered, but if allowed it can still be suppressed. The prismatic wall near it is funny but a caster will just back up and retest. There are other methods to get around a wall of force, although I'm curious if IotSV would work.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2017, 05:45:16 PM »
This is an interesting idea, but could you get it to work?
Yeah, there is already an Adventure Module that has a spellcaster that used Wish to create a commendable Voidstone door that floats within a fraction of an inch of it's frame.

Make a sphere with various hooks inside that if moved or undone shear through a wire that undoes the Quintessence vault, and for good measure set your command word to the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody in fourteen languages from inside the sphere (to hide from stuff like hindsight). Assuming the inside has a Forbiddance they have no way of Teleporting in and nothing less than Wishing a new opening will even work in short of the theoretical usages of Contact Other Plane. But assuming they peel back a section the creature nested inside Manifests Forced Dream undoing the last couple of hours, days, or centuries to back when the safe was first sealed giving you time to reassess what you need.

Everything else in between is just extra stuff. Like resetting Spell Traps, intertwining Mystic Fire Searing Corrupt Energy Admixture(fire, fire) Forbiddance to deal up to 32d6 unresistable Fire & Corrupt damage per 10ft moved with high DCed Prismatic Walls in between with multiple Energy Transformation Field to block spellcasting and hit them back, lots of Terrasquaes or Red Dragons slimed up with Quintessence to act as an immortal back up army, one heck of a Diplomacy Check with the local overdeity, and so on.

Edit - Minor correction, it was Dungeon Magazine 153 that had the details of a Voidstone Door.
Quote
Getting Past the Voidstone Doors
Because of the nature of the wishes used to place these barriers in the tower, transmutation magic does not affect them (passwall, stoneshape, stone to flesh, and so on). The PCs may easily bypass them with the password (if they learn it), but otherwise spells such as dimension door are a viable way to get past. The down side is that they probably end up in areas 6 or 7. If the PCs examine the voidstone door, they can attempt DC 20 Search or Knowledge (architecture and engineering) checks to notice that it is not fastened to its frame or even touching the tower. Small gaps around the demonic slab could be used to navigate past, provided the PCs have the magical resources or powers needed to alter their sizes or body composition to Diminutive size or smaller, or to become gaseous. Of course, they might also use magic to simply deal enough damage to destroy it. The PCs can also attempt to physically batter it down, though this is by far the riskiest way of dealing with it.
And that tiny gap is enough for Gasous Form to get through so you'll need Permanent Gusts of Wind to counter through arguably Voidstone can touch Voidstone just fine, so if the frame were made out of it you could just seal it.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2017, 10:41:08 PM by SorO_Lost »

Offline Cagemarrow

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #18 on: May 10, 2017, 08:01:09 AM »
I'll have to carefully think about my options. Unfortunately I am hindered by following the tenants of Exalted Good so I'll have to be very careful about the death trap options. Capture and containment are more desirable in character. Still I think a lot of these ideas could be integrated somehow.

Isn't there a metamagic that makes spells only harm evil creatures?

Offline Tshern

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Re: Let's build the ultimate vault.
« Reply #19 on: May 12, 2017, 09:59:46 AM »
A very basic idea in itself, but it might not hurt to add Sequester to the list of useful spells here. The vault's size might be a problem, but if not, getting some protection against divination shouldn't hurt. No special components or XP cost either, which is great.
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