Group Question the Stilt Town Base

So I asked Steven if I could hire carpenters to seal off the drop doors for lowering the boats into the water and he said they could do it for two gold, but I need to ask you guys, so what are your thoughts?

Completely seal so they can't be used?

Yes, but I was rethinking that to see if there was a way that only we could open it

Jesse, Wizard Lock. "Similar to a Hold Portal, this spell lasts indefinitely. It can be opened by a Knock without breaking the spell. A Wizard Lock can be passed through without a spell of any kind by a Magic-User three levels above the one who placed the spell. If so desired the caster of this spell may incorporate a pass-phrase, hand-sign, or similar device that will open the held door or object. The magic-user who placed the spell may freely pass through the held portal at any time." We password it so any of us can use it, but higher level magic-users could still get in, and anyone with a knock spell, like even if we put 8 jillion locks on it, knock can open it. But it is still an option.

Sounds like a plan if everyone is cool with it. It should also be used on the doors and windows.

Sure

Jesse A. said: Sounds like a plan if everyone is cool with it. It should also be used on the doors and windows. Oh sure, it sounds great until someone casts silence on the warehouse and sets fire to it. Then how are you going to open the doors?! Jk, I wouldn't do that to you guys...

I kinda liked Norm's idea of using Commune to find a safe place on the Island to build our secret Fortress!

I like that too actually. And don't think I cant see the probably on the end of those dots Steven.

Why do we need to lock up our emergency escape routes?

Not sure the reasoning, Freddy. It would make Thea nervous though.

Well that is why the thread is called group thoughts, I just didnt want someone breaking in. We don't need it if you guys don't want it.

I think Wizard Lock on the base would be awesome. And in case of silence, we might set multiple entry methods, like a pass-phrase and a hand-sign. Man, I remember I was playing a 4E game and we were talking about putting an Arcane Lock on our base and it was possible to specify certain people to bipass it like the original caster can, that would be best, but alas. Perhaps an item in hand allowing us to bipass it? Just a certain way of opening the door be the hand-sign? Like if you open then door while crossing your pinky and ring finger or something. Whatever we decide I suggest we have Curtis cast it, since casters 3 levels higher than the original caster can get in without even a spell, and as far as I know he is the highest level caster we have. For some reason, talk of a secret fortress made me immagine some like hidden underground place, like the ground looks totally normal until you speak the pass-phrase, then a square of earth raises slightly and we lift it and walk down the stairs, pulling it shut behind us.

It made me imagine a castle surrounded by woods and Ka'Gron laying on the ground outside and playing with kittens

It just doesn't seem very secret if it's a castle in the woods, someone or something would come upon it at some point. Not too secret, especially if it's taller than the treeline, which a castle tends to be. Maybe if it was camoflaged. Oh man, in one campaign we had a Druid cast... some spell... or spells... I forget, but he made a stronghold out of trees, blended right in with the forest and just looked like extra dense forest at that point in the forest. It was amazing.

If silence is cast we can just use Dispell magic. We can buy a scroll to keep on-site in the event that happens so the magic-users don't have to memorize it (if they didn't have it that day). If we use wizard lock, the whole lock is blown if someone speaks the password right? Then the entire location would be subject to attack. We have dwarves, thieves and elves, there's no way they could build a secret way to open it? Like in Scooby-Doo, pull on the book and the secret panel opens.

Because a bookshelf outside the front door isn't suspicious lol

I liked the idea of a secret handsign being fairly simple like crossing the pinky and ring fingers while opening the door. I mean if you do that all up in the air obvious before opening the door people will notice, but I mean only cross them as you reach the door and no one will notice what you're doing to open the door, it'll just look like we pass with no problem while no one else can open the doors. They wouldn't even know there IS a handsign. Honestly, either way it'd still be much safer than a regular lock, key can be lost or stolen or copied or such and door can be lockpicked. It can still be magically opened with knock and higher level casters can ignore it, but I mean, it's still a really nice option.

Freddy B. said: If silence is cast we can just use Dispell magic. We can buy a scroll to keep on-site in the event that happens so the magic-users don't have to memorize it (if they didn't have it that day). If we use wizard lock, the whole lock is blown if someone speaks the password right? Then the entire location would be subject to attack. We have dwarves, thieves and elves, there's no way they could build a secret way to open it? Like in Scooby-Doo, pull on the book and the secret panel opens. Because it is just so easy to cast dispell magic while trying to escape from a "soundproof" room.

We're talking about a wooden warehouse built on some rickety stilts in the ocean, right? Wizard lock ain't all that when someone can punch through the wall. And it's already a deathtrap, Worrying about being attacked by enough casters to silence every exit is like worrying about infection after being shot in the head. Also dragon -> smaug, stilttown -> laketown, can ye connect the dots!?

Does that mean we can kill it with one properly placed arrow? :P

Violet will do it with her longbow :)

Lucien volunteers for scouting missions! If we have two casters for fly, invisible, etc. plus a thief, that would be awesome.

We need a crystal ball, then we could scout with Clairvoyance and Clairaudiance. Maybe even ESP!

Lorielle has a sweet ring and hates bagginses. Can I be Gollum?

James F. said: Lorielle has a sweet ring and hates bagginses. Can I be Gollum? Get out.

I wonder if their is a real estate broker in town or in strongmoor. Maybe the dwarves will let us live above them because they hate the sky anyway.