# Instant Fortress, can you furnish it?



## Arravis (Jun 11, 2005)

I'm trying to find out if it is possible to furnish an Instant Fortress, and reduce it's size with the furnishings and items inside. The SRD mentions "It cannot be deactivated unless it is empty." I'm not sure if that means people or items. I can't imagine that the spirit of the rules mean that it cannot be furnished and reduced, but I could be wrong. Any ideas on this guys? Thanks!

Here is the SRD entry on Instant Fortress:

"Instant Fortress: This metal cube is small, but when activated by speaking a command word it grows to form a tower 20 feet square and 30 feet high, with arrow slits on all sides and a crenellated battlement atop it. The metal walls extend 10 feet into the ground, rooting it to the spot and preventing it from being tipped over. The fortress has a small door that opens only at the command of the owner of the fortress—even knock spells can’t open the door. 
The adamantine walls of instant fortress have 100 hit points and hardness 20. The fortress cannot be repaired except by a wish or a miracle, which restores 50 points of damage taken. 
The fortress springs up in just 1 round, with the door facing the device’s owner. The door opens and closes instantly at his command. People and creatures nearby (except the owner) must be careful not to be caught by the fortress’s sudden growth. Anyone so caught takes 10d10 points of damage (Reflex DC 19 half ). 
The fortress is deactivated by speaking a command word (different from the one used to activate it). It cannot be deactivated unless it is empty. 
Strong conjuration; CL 13th; Craft Wondrous Item, mage’s magnificent mansion; Price 55,000 gp."


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## Jack Simth (Jun 11, 2005)

Well, furnishings you bring in must be removed - it has to be empty.

However, nothing at all is mentioned about the inside of the fortress - with the size, you are talking three or four floors (plus the battlement), and the height pretty much requires a staircase.  Beyond that?  I'd probably rule that the creator of the Fortress gets to assign some amount of furnishings (made of the same material as the rest of the fortress) that are a part of the fortress itself - desks, benches, internal doors (unremoveable without damaging the fortress; fortress keeps were traditionally designed so that defenders could fall back up the tower and have another highly defensible position), bedframes, and the like, but that it couldn't be changed after creation.

But that's just me with house rules....


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## wuyanei (Jun 11, 2005)

By the RAW, I would say that the fortress has to be empty -- as in, an empty tower. Nothing except floor boards, wooden ladder, and the shutters at the windows.

House-rule wise, I would just rule the 'empty' to mean 'empty of any creatures'. Yes, it would serve as a very good portable hole, but I don't really consider it overpowering....


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## Ogrork the Mighty (Jun 11, 2005)

While I would personally rule that it must be empty, I think this is one of those things that the DM should decide based on whether he wants the fortress to be an ongoing base of operations for the PCs. If not, then make it as spartan as possible. If so, then allow them to bring in new furnishings and maybe even renovate... (_This Old Fortress_ ?).


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## Treebore (Jun 12, 2005)

I've always ruled, in every edition of the game, that it had to be empty of living and/or organic creatures and items. Dead organics are OK, such as arrow/spear shafts and necromantic materials. Vampires, liches, flesh golems, etc... were too alive to be left inside. 

Be kind of stupid to make a portable tower that you have to furnish every time you open it, and then have to empty out every time you want to close it and move it.


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## Ogrork the Mighty (Jun 12, 2005)

Maybe it's like a garbage compactor


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## RuminDange (Jun 12, 2005)

Treebore said:
			
		

> I've always ruled, in every edition of the game, that it had to be empty of living and/or organic creatures and items. Dead organics are OK, such as arrow/spear shafts and necromantic materials. Vampires, liches, flesh golems, etc... were too alive to be left inside.
> 
> Be kind of stupid to make a portable tower that you have to furnish every time you open it, and then have to empty out every time you want to close it and move it.




I've ruled the same way over the years for just about the same reasons.  Only difference is that constructs can stay inside but undead and living creatures cannot.

RD


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## Treebore (Jun 12, 2005)

I actually allow constructs too, as long as they don't have flesh on them.


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## RuminDange (Jun 13, 2005)

Treebore said:
			
		

> I actually allow constructs too, as long as they don't have flesh on them.




Haven't really thought about allowing or disallowing Flesh golems as I've never had a player interested in making or keeping one, and I don't use them as often as I probably should.    I'd probably agree that flesh golems or ones like them wouldn't be allowed to stay inside either.  When I have used flesh golems the players treat it more as a super zombie, they'll fight'em, stone and iron all day, but mention clay and they run the other way, no matter their level.    


RD


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## Henry (Jun 13, 2005)

Treebore said:
			
		

> I've always ruled, in every edition of the game, that it had to be empty of living and/or organic creatures and items. Dead organics are OK, such as arrow/spear shafts and necromantic materials. Vampires, liches, flesh golems, etc... were too alive to be left inside.
> 
> Be kind of stupid to make a portable tower that you have to furnish every time you open it, and then have to empty out every time you want to close it and move it.




The negative aspect of this ruling is that it features the World's Largest Treasure Storage Facility, which some DM's will be loath to offer as an aspect. You'd never need a bank, or protection on your valuables, as you can just carry them with you, and expand the tower in appropriate conditions. With this and bags of holding, you store your most accessible valuables in a Haversack or 'Bag, and anything else you need you store in one of these. Even conservatively, that's anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 cubic feet of weightless space that cannot be punctured as a 'Bag or 'Haversack can, with enough space left over to live and rest in handily. If I had one of these on an adventure, I'd fill it with everything I could out of the PHB, from foodstuffs to every master craftsman kit, to wagons, carts, and wheelbarrows, and a few thousand feet of rope.

AND, it's an offensive weapon.


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## Coredump (Jun 13, 2005)

I say yes it can be furnished. I say no, it may not be abused. It is a 'home', not a storage facility. Putting beds, chairs, etc is okay, Storing the PHB equipment section is not. Putting a dragons hoard of treasure is not.


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## Henry (Jun 13, 2005)

> I say yes it can be furnished. I say no, it may not be abused. It is a 'home', not a storage facility. Putting beds, chairs, etc is okay, Storing the PHB equipment section is not. Putting a dragons hoard of treasure is not.




The problem is, where do you draw the line without it looking like DM fiat (which it is, because allowing ANYthing in it when closed is not strictly by-the-book). What would be the reasoning for how "The Magic" knows the difference between beds, chairs and cookware versus hand-carts, ladders, and my sword-collection?


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## Treebore (Jun 13, 2005)

Fortress' can be stolen just as easily as anything else, if that is what I need to do to restore balance to my game.

 However, if the PC had the treasure I don't care where they keep it. If they invested in or earned the fortress, bags of holding, haversacks, and portable holes, then why should I be unhappy with them because they use them smartly?

In my games I also house rule that any item you are wearing "exposed", has to make items saves whenever you fail to save. Of course, I only really pay attention to this rule when the PC's need to have their power level knocked down.

When they complain about this "inconsistancy" I ask them if they would like me to make sure I always remember this rule, or if they can live with me remembering it only when I see a need for it?  

Guess what their answer always is?

I have only had such problems with high level groups anyways, such as 14th level or higher. Since campaigns have rarely lasted that long I have rarely had to do such things anyway.

So between theft, failed magic saves, or looting their unconcious/dead bodies, I have plenty of opportunities to keep the items and wealth in control.

So they can use those storage items as much as they want. When the items are destroyed/stolen/lost it just makes it that much more painful.


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## Henry (Jun 13, 2005)

Treebore said:
			
		

> However, if the PC had the treasure I don't care where they keep it. If they invested in or earned the fortress, bags of holding, haversacks, and portable holes, then why should I be unhappy with them because they use them smartly?




The bags, 'sacks, and 'holes I would have no problem with, because even though they hold a lot, it's still a finite amount. On the other hand, a Daern's Fortress is a portable warehouse with no chance  of loss or damage to anything inside, unless  the PCs get really sloppy. It's not a problem to me, because I have rarely ever allowed the item into my games, unless the setting was appropriate, but it's something I could see getting abused rather quickly. 

Then again, that which is rooted, can be torn down like anything else...


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## Storm Raven (Jun 13, 2005)

Henry said:
			
		

> The bags, 'sacks, and 'holes I would have no problem with, because even though they hold a lot, it's still a finite amount. On the other hand, a Daern's Fortress is a portable warehouse with no chance  of loss or damage to anything inside, unless  the PCs get really sloppy. It's not a problem to me, because I have rarely ever allowed the item into my games, unless the setting was appropriate, but it's something I could see getting abused rather quickly.




It would be difficult to keep much of anything that would be immediately useful in the fortress though. First off, you have open the thing up to get inside, which may not be safe (or even possible) in tight quarters. Second, you have to find the thing you are looking for, by going in and hunting through the fortress (unlike a _bag of holding_, or similar item where you just pull the desired item out of the top).


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## Coredump (Jun 13, 2005)

Henry said:
			
		

> The problem is, where do you draw the line without it looking like DM fiat (which it is, because allowing ANYthing in it when closed is not strictly by-the-book). What would be the reasoning for how "The Magic" knows the difference between beds, chairs and cookware versus hand-carts, ladders, and my sword-collection?




Correct. But I have no problem with 'DM Fiat'. If I felt they were getting abusive, I would let them know, (their character would make a Wis check, and realize, 'hey, the more we put in, the longer it takes to form, and it seams to be looking worse and worse.... hmmmm' Or something like that.) I have no need to determine the line now, because it may be that filling it with 1000' of rope just isn't a problem. Afterall, they would be pretty high level before they could get one of these.


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## Saeviomagy (Jun 14, 2005)

Frankly - by the time a party have one of these, carrying loot, or having mundane equipment is simply not a problem. I would expect that, before a party got one, I would have stopped worrying about characters having or not having most types of non-magical equipment.


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## Steve Jung (Jun 14, 2005)

Don't the Defenders of Daybreak from Piratecat's story hour have one of these? It's furnished, but I don't know if the furnishings came with the Fortress.


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## ElectricDragon (Jun 14, 2005)

The spell that is required to make the fortress actually mentions this fact: 







> You can create any floor plan you desire to the limit of the spell’s effect. *The place is furnished* and contains sufficient foodstuffs to serve a nine-course banquet to a dozen people per caster level.




I bolded the important part of the spell description. Now, everything in the spell description is not included in the tower, but I think furnishings should be. What good is an empty tower except to hide in when the dragon flies over?

I allow constructs, plants, and incorporeal creatures to be inside when the tower is shrunk; as well as whatever loot or equipment the owner wants to be in there. Incorporeal creatures are not constrained to remain inside the shrunken tower, though. Usually, the tower also contains a small lab, library, sleeping and living quarters, and some type of siege weapon on the crenellated battlements. I usually make the owner draw up a set of plans of the tower when first acquired (unless I have specific plans for it myself) and I am quite loose about how much furniture comes with it, whether it includes ladders or stairs, if it has any magical protections cast on specific parts of it, etc.

By using this method, I now have over half-a-dozen different layouts for such towers from old campaigns that I can use to throw at PCs whenever I want. By the time this magic item is in PC hands, minor things like furniture, equipment, or storage space for treasure not used in adventuring tend to be either readily available or easily acquired.

When shrunken, how hard is it to use Sleight of Hand to relieve the character of it if it becomes a problem?

Ciao
Dave


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## Treebore (Jun 14, 2005)

Exactly! If it is a rogue with good UMD ranks or appraisal ranks he is going to have a good idea what the object is as well. Or at least have a solid feeling that the object is worth a LOT of money.

Like Henry alluded to, you have to run campaigns of levels to where this would even be a treasure, or makeable by the PC's to really worry about it. Even so, at those levels, there are plenty of other balance issues to worry about, and abuse of the fortress is easy to remedy. Besides, do enough damage to it so the PC's start seeing a need to cast Wish or Miracle to repair it. That will drain resources fast.

Of course I would rather build a new one rather than use a Wish or Miracle to fix it, assuming my character can make it.


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## FreeTheSlaves (Jun 14, 2005)

Maybe the furnishing has to be assembled during item creation?


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