Mid-to-high level D&D 3.5? (Basically Full)

[WyzardWhately]

Since my character is not very building optimized (and I know zero about it and don't have SBG), it occurs to me that the basis of economics is that, after all, one person can trade what they can do well for what someone else can do well. So maybe my character can offer some sort of other services in exhchange for others playing the Lyre of Building or whatever it is.

I was also thinking of a very low tech stronghold (like a druid grove / treehouses) since it fits her theme, and I know I'm not gonna be able to invest the knowhow/optimization for building (an aspect of the game I was totally unaware of until this thread) that others are whipping out. 

This is totally new to me as well, and it was kind of a pain to figure it all out.

So, if anyone wants to do the design on a stronghold for FF (maybe one of the sample ones could just be modified a little?) they may go ahead and assume that Rygel helps her out.  With his ROCK.

FF & I can figure out what she might trade later.  I feel kind of crappy if I hit up other PCs for actual money, and I don't know if Katina will let people trade their starting budget from Landlord.  That is, if I save you (frex) 10,000 GP on construction costs, you could donate half of that back to Rygel...but it comes from imaginary money, so I'm not sure how it would actually transfer.

[ff]

My character can do healing, and the followers will probably be druids, clerics, and rangers, so they could also do some healing type magic, or perhaps they can do "landscaping" with their magic to pretty up other people's gardens, grow ivy up the walls, etc. although I'd have to check how much of that can be done with low-level spells followers will have. They can always physically garden as well.

[Katina Tarask]

Character thread is up.

FF:  At this level, Landlord grants 50,000g in funds to build a stronghold.  The book lists the "cheap keep," which is a very generic castle for 70,000g base.  We can just assume you get enough discounts to build the thing and leave it at that.  It's not very woodsy, but it could be something that was already there and you've put to use.

Wyz: I'll allow such transfers, but it's probably not worth the bother.

[ff]

Aha, thanks, works for me. Maybe it's somewhat overgrown, abandoned by elves fleeing to the west (or setting equivalent since there are no other continents) and yes, I like the found-and-put-to-use look.

[Katina Tarask]

There's really no setting equivalent for the elves.  They're mostly in the far east and slowly going extinct due to a lack of new elven souls.  (They're reborn infinitely, but every now and then a soul's lost from the cycle of reincarnation, permanently reducing the elven population.)

More likely, bad neighbors drove out the last set of settlers and they left the keep behind.  Having driven something unpleasant out before moving in yourself may prove a relevant bit of background.  Or perhaps you've managed to soothe some extra wild animals who'd made the castle their lair (like dire wolves/toads/badgers/bears).

[Ixy]

Okay... I've got a couple of ideas, just looking for feedback so far: 1) Crime-baroness: through family connections, ritualistic devotions of loyalty, and the almighty currencies of gold and terror, this woman is determined to exploit every growth opportunity in this dangerous world through extortion, smuggling, and robbery.  Pros: opulence, political influence, 'protection.'  Possible combination: rogue/aristocrat?  2) Mother Superior: The temple is immaculate, their work is quiet and pious, but in the cloister shadows, the musty tunnels catacombs, the hushed dormitories, this order of devotees is harboring a secret pact that grants them power at the expense of their humanity, and Mother is at the core... Pros: freaky kinky religion fetish fun.  Possible combination: cleric/sorceress, cleric/wizard, or cleric/warlock?  Any other dark divine classes?

[PhantomPistoleer]

Cleric/Rogue?  Kinky. :>

[Ixy]

Dirty, dirty nuns.  Maybe a school on site, too...?  hmmm...

[WyzardWhately]

Dirty nuns are awesome.  This is all I have to contribute.

Incidentally, here is my sheet on Mythweavers:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=230569

I have sunk all the money I got back from letting Balrog make my cloak into my Stronghold.  It is becoming gradually more impressive.

[Katina Tarask]

FF: For the record, no matter what you do, you're probably not gonna fall, so don't let that keep you from compromising your Paladin's morals if it's an interesting twist.

Okay... I've got a couple of ideas, just looking for feedback so far: 1) Crime-baroness: through family connections, ritualistic devotions of loyalty, and the almighty currencies of gold and terror, this woman is determined to exploit every growth opportunity in this dangerous world through extortion, smuggling, and robbery.  Pros: opulence, political influence, 'protection.'  Possible combination: rogue/aristocrat?  2) Mother Superior: The temple is immaculate, their work is quiet and pious, but in the cloister shadows, the musty tunnels catacombs, the hushed dormitories, this order of devotees is harboring a secret pact that grants them power at the expense of their humanity, and Mother is at the core... Pros: freaky kinky religion fetish fun.  Possible combination: cleric/sorceress, cleric/wizard, or cleric/warlock?  Any other dark divine classes?

Number two sounds more fitting with all the (faux) holiness oozing from this group, and just plain more fun.  And it gives me an excuse to pimp Secrets of Pact Magic!  Woo!

SoPM has one of the awesomest dark divine classes ever.  The Occult Priest.  Basically, the class is for heretics trying to ascend to godhood, through whatever means.  If you're familiar with the Binder from Tome of Magic, the class has similar binding abilities, plus divine casting (though it's limited to a few domains) and such fun powers as the ability to grant your worshippers spells.  Woo!

I'd be willing to let you shunt casting over to charisma for a feat, letting you mesh it with Sorcerer easily.  Or it could go with Warlock out of the box, but Occult Priest's binding gets you some infinite-use powers making Warlock a bit redundant.

PCs with their own personal cults dedicated to themselves happen far too rarely, I'd say.

[PhantomPistoleer]

Ixy!  Would it be possible for my cohort to have been a "sister" at your convent?

Maybe she keeps tabs on my character for your character.

[Ixy]

Katina: I see your point; the only advantage to using a rogue to gestalt with an Occult Priestess would be that she'd have more abilities for bluffing, negotiating, forging, etc.  An abyssal or infernal sorceress a la PF would be interesting, and would perhaps hint at how she got so interested in becoming a dark goddess in the first place.

Thanks for the information.  And it'd make perfect sense that she'd want to keep tabs on significant people.

[PhantomPistoleer]

All right, everyone!  I'm just going to say that I run the Wartower Wardens guild from Dungeonscape. :/

I don't want to build a stronghold.

AND YES!  I got a kinky nun who keeps tabs on me for another kinky nun.  ::fist pump!::  Life as a well known exile/bandit/guild leader is awesome!

[Katina Tarask]

Ulthak: Regarding your character post, please get me character information when you can.  Also, the boorus do not allow direct hotlinking.  You have to link a step up, like this.

[ulthakptah]

Yeah I wasn't finish and I didn't have much time to work on it today I was at a family reunion. I was just posting what I have so far.

[Katina Tarask]

Alright.

And I'm about to actually whip up the domain management rules.  I've been mulling over them for a while, and I think they're good to pen.

[WyzardWhately]

Alright.

And I'm about to actually whip up the domain management rules.  I've been mulling over them for a while, and I think they're good to pen.

Yeah...I may wish to make some small adjustments to my sheet if we're going to have to do mechanical stuff.  Or maybe that's the kind of thing I could build my cohort to be super-good at...

That said, I am enthusiastic about that kind of thing.  So, awesome.

[TheGlyphstone]

I've already linked my character sheets - here's a summary of my stronghold. Mapping will commence shortly, to get a better visual idea.

Maestri Manor

Site Modifiers:
Hilly Terrain (-5%)
Lawless Area (-10%)
1 mile from main trade road, 105 miles to Large City (-1%)
Nearby Monster Lair (CR 18, 3x CR 17) (-9%)
Total: -25%

Construction Modifiers:
Free Labor (-30%)
Total: -55%

Spellcasting Modifiers:
Psionic Fabricate: -50% to Luxury components (max 95%), -5% to other components

Level, Building, Component (Original Price/Discounted Price)

Level 0: Basement (4950 GP)
Main House: (4950 GP)
Basic Workplace x4 = (2000/800 GP)
Basic Storage x4 = (1000/400 GP)
Unhewed Stone Prison Cell (single-cells) w/ Iron Door x5 = (7500x0.4)+(2500x0.3)=3750

Level 1: Ground Floor (22855 GP)
Main House (4580 GP)
Luxury Kitchen (50000/2500)
Basic Dining Hall (2000/800)
Servant's Quarters x8 (3200/1280)

Guardhouse (2260 GP)
Barracks (400/160)
Basic Armory (500/200)
Combat Training Area (1000/400)
30 Light Infantry Packages, 30 Longbows (1500)

Smithy( 200 GP)
Basic Smithy (500x0.4=200 GP)

Stables (400 GP)
Basic Stables =(1000/400 GP)

Perimeter Wall (6555 GP)
Freestanding Masonry Wall x48 (12000/4800)
Guard Post x7 (2100/840)
Gatehouse (1000/400)
Barbican (1000/400)
Iron Porticullis x1 = 115 GP

Courtyard (7500 GP)
10x Luxury Courtyard (150000/7500)

Level 2: Second Floor (15,410 GP)
Main House: (15,090 GP)
Luxury Bedroom Suite (25000/1250)
Luxury Study (15000/750)
Luxury Library (15000/750)
-Comprehensive Book Lot: Psionics (5,000)
-Book Lot: General Topics (3,000)
-Book Lot: History (1,000)
-Book Lot: Dungeoneering (1,000)
Luxury Bath (10000/500)
Basic Magical Laboratory w/ Lead-lined Walls (1500/600)
Servant's Quarters x6 (2400/960)
Basic Bedrooms (700/280)

Guardhouse: (320 GP)
Barracks x2 (800/320)

Miscellaneous:
Decanter of Endless Water x1 (9,000 GP)

Total Cost: 52,215 GP


Brooding and baroque, the unassuming solidity of Maestri Manor is the home of someone who clearly wants nothing more than to be left alone. Not significantly larger than an expensive city villa, it is ringed by a thick masonry wall, lined by armed guard towers, and dominated by a study gatehouse. Inside the walls, a small longhouse for the compound's guards sits across from a smithy and horse stable, the rest of the landscape being meticulously maintained with beautiful plants, flowers, statuary, and other signs of wealth and privilege. The manor house itself is tastefully austere, with heavy oak walls and thick glass windows. Inside, the majority of the ground floor is devoted to holding and feeding the lord's believers. The basement contains workshops and craftsman's chambers for the production of finished goods, along with a string of reinforced dungeon cells to imprison those who have earned the lord's displeasure. Half of the upper story lodges those believers who cannot fit on the ground floor, while the other half is the exclusive domain of the lord and lady of the house. Their bedrooms, bath, private dining room, and the lord's well-stocked library and meditation chambers are accessed by a separate staircase from the staff dormitories.

[Aether]

I can see that the primary slowness for me with this will be digesting all the character info and keep building.  If you all can bare with me till my next day off, ie Tuesday, I will have it all ironed out by then, at the latest!

[Katina Tarask]

Glyph: Beautiful.

I can see that the primary slowness for me with this will be digesting all the character info and keep building.  If you all can bare with me till my next day off, ie Tuesday, I will have it all ironed out by then, at the latest!

Oh, no worries, that's fine.  I need time, myself, to get stuff worked out.

[TheGlyphstone]

And a map of the ground-floor, to the best extent I can do with the tools I have.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p116/ArcherYiZe/MaestriManor.jpg
The stables are in the lower right, the smithy is above it. The guardhouse is on the left. I can't figure out stairs, but there's supposed to be some in the empty space front and center of the main house.

[ff]

The Lyre of Building mentions 'if you succeed at the Perform check'...but I see no DC.

In any case, since it has a flat cost and reduces costs percentagewise, it seems like a no brainer anytime the building cost is greater than the amount that makes it pay for itself.

It also mentions that 'strumming' it makes the building immune (!!!) to damage for 30 minutes. So I'm thinking that one's followers should have among their chores a habit of one person strumming it once every half hour. Perhaps as a sort of part of "X o'clock and all is well!" ritual.

EDIT: nevermind, I realized how the items in SBG are just references to core items (realized it when I recognized pearl of the sirines), which has the DC (18) and also that the protection thing is 1/day.

[WyzardWhately]

The DC is like 18, I think.

And yeah, it does funky things to the Economy, such as it is.

[TheGlyphstone]

It supplies free labor, which the SBG does take into account as a possibility.

Running a quick set of numbers, it costs 18K, and saves a 30% discount for free labor. Barring any other mitigators, that lets us have a fortress 'valued' at a little over 71,000GP while only actually costing us 50,000 (assuming no extras like library books or guard weaponry). Since it costs 18K, that means we only save 3K in the end.

I imagine it pays for itself many times over with the really expensive fortresses, though.

[Aether]

One never gets skill points from int increase via items, do they?  Or how does that work again.