Portable Structures

What is the D&D definition of structures?
Can a tent be a structure?
Can a horse drawn carriage be a structure? (a la Gypsy mobile home)

Are there any magical items that create structures? I know of the folding boat, and I recall a tower but that may be 2nd Ed.

I am looking for strictly 3.5 material. Thanks in advance.

Edit: I am aware of the tiny hut spell, but I am looking for a physical item i can carry or transport, especially one where I can create a laboratory and will not get destroyed when I shrink it if possible.

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Originally Posted by Lost in books

What is the D&D definition of structures?
Can a tent be a structure?
Can a horse drawn carriage be a structure? (a la Gypsy mobile home)

Are there any magical items that create structures? I know of the folding boat, and I recall a tower but that may be 2nd Ed.

I am looking for strictly 3.5 material. Thanks in advance.

Edit: I am aware of the tiny hut spell, but I am looking for a physical item i can carry or transport, especially one where I can create a laboratory and will not get destroyed when I shrink it if possible.

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A tent is a structure, technically. A wagon of that sort would be closer to a vehicle, and I'm not sure where you could find extensive rules on vehicles outside of the Arms and Equipment or Stronghold Builder's guides, both of which never got updated for 3.5 if I recall.

The tower you're thinking of is Daern's Instant Fortress, which is a 3.5 item as well, the only problem is that by RAW, I think it destroys any items left inside when shrunk. You could ask our DM if you could get a modified one of course.

A popular alternative, if you're high enough level, would be to use one of the Create Demiplane/Genesis spells to create your own private plane of existence, and then an item that can port you there and back.

Another alternative, depending on how lenient your DM is with custom magic items, would be to take Mordenkainen's Magnificent mansion and make an item that effectively has a permanent one active. You just put it on the ground and step into mansion that's always clean, and always there.

Why are you wanting something that is a structure specifically?

edit: Do you want to bring magical architecture with you or something?

structure isn't a game key-word last I checked, so you go with the english language definition.

I generally consider it a structure if carpentry is involved in the objects creation. Btw, all structures are objects and all vehicles are unattended objects by RAW. (barring animate objects, naturally.)

The reason is because it looks like we are going to have to sail to some "mysterious" islands and I wanted to have a way of carrying a sanctum with me. In one of our most epic battles (for lvl7s) :) we three spellcasters, 2 clerics and a sorcerer, prepared sanctums right next to each other. Then we lured the big ugly Vampire/mummy thing and it's followers out of their lair into town and with our combined might (Sanctum spells, Sorcerer= Scorching Ray, Cleric=Dispel Magic, Cleric=Searing light) we where able to finally defeat it. Our first encounter we realized we could not turn it and it was also immune to melf's acid arrows and other no SR save spells so we had to think strategy.

That is why I will like to see if there is something that fits the Sanctum Spell criteria:
"Your sanctum is a particular site, building, or structure previously designated by you, and no larger than 20 feet/level in diameter." Since it says "no larger than 20 feet/level" I was thinking of having some kind of portable 5 feet diameter circular pedestal/rug type thing, but then that is closer to an item and not really a site. Then I was thinking of having us in some magic portable building or hut and we select an area as our sanctum, but the closest thing I could find was the foldable boat, but that is not a building. Finally i though of just making a Gypsy trailer for each one of them, considering it a house or mini building. Even thinking we could have something smaller like a port-a-potty size structure that we could carry shrinked and then use if we ever needed it.

I know is a funny concept, but that is part of it's appeal :) and that is why I am trying to find something I don't have to argue too much about with DM. If it says anywhere in description site, building, or structure i should be fine. Of course if we can afford it at this level!

Portable structures:

Travel Cloak (1200 GP, Magic of Faerun). Among other things, turns into a one-person tent 1/day. Non-permanent.

Instant Igloo (11000 GP, Frostburn). Turns into 10' radius igloo (8 medium creatures) for 16 hours, 8 hour reset time. Non-permanent.

Cloak of Shelter (12080 GP, A&EG). Turns into a tent on command, or once per day turns into a small lodge, as Leomund's secure shelter. Non-permanent.

Personal Oasis (18600 GP, Sandstorm). Turns into 5' x 10' tent, campfire, bowl of dates, and a gallon of cool water. Functions as Leomund's tiny hut. No duration or usage limit, but non-permanent.

Hmmm... not sure there are any magical structures that keep their contents when deactivated.

How about put your lab in this: Portable Hole Loft Apartment.

If you're willing to consider 3rd party/homebrew: Portable Headquarters.

Otherwise... maybe create your own demiplane via genesis?

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Originally Posted by Lost in books

The reason is because it looks like we are going to have to sail to some "mysterious" islands and I wanted to have a way of carrying a sanctum with me. In one of our most epic battles (for lvl7s) :) we three spellcasters, 2 clerics and a sorcerer, prepared sanctums right next to each other. Then we lured the big ugly Vampire/mummy thing and it's followers out of their lair into town and with our combined might (Sanctum spells, Sorcerer= Scorching Ray, Cleric=Dispel Magic, Cleric=Searing light) we where able to finally defeat it. Our first encounter we realized we could not turn it and it was also immune to melf's acid arrows and other no SR save spells so we had to think strategy.

That is why I will like to see if there is something that fits the Sanctum Spell criteria:
"Your sanctum is a particular site, building, or structure previously designated by you, and no larger than 20 feet/level in diameter." Since it says "no larger than 20 feet/level" I was thinking of having some kind of portable 5 feet diameter circular pedestal/rug type thing, but then that is closer to an item and not really a site. Then I was thinking of having us in some magic portable building or hut and we select an area as our sanctum, but the closest thing I could find was the foldable boat, but that is not a building. Finally i though of just making a Gypsy trailer for each one of them, considering it a house or mini building. Even thinking we could have something smaller like a port-a-potty size structure that we could carry shrinked and then use if we ever needed it.

I know is a funny concept, but that is part of it's appeal :) and that is why I am trying to find something I don't have to argue too much about with DM. If it says anywhere in description site, building, or structure i should be fine. Of course if we can afford it at this level!

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I'd hazard a guess that the sanctum for sanctum spell was meant to be non-mobile, but it's ultimately a DM call.

In otherwords, ask your DM if a gypsy wagon is okay. Races of the Wild has a nice floor-plan for one if you scale it up to human size.

5ftx5ft Doghouse. Stick that in your Portable Hole.

Pillow Fort, with appropriately-sized windows, held together with Sovereign Glue. You might look like a socially-retarded man-child, but the nay-sayers will soon tremble at the might of your +1 Save DC.


Cast Permanent Shrink Item on your pathetic, childish clubhouse Sanctum and call it a day.

I was going to suggest the acorn of far travel spell from here, but it looks like you don't have any druids or rangers in the party. You might be able to hire a caster to cast it for you, but that would be up to the dm.

ohhh, Acorn of far travel sounds awesome! This is definitely going to make the clerics think seriously about dipping in Druid.

And would this work?

Use acorn from a tree you have designated as
1. Sanctum (+1 Spell level for sanctum spell DC)
2. Hallow (magic circle against evil, +4 sacred bonus to cha checks turn undead, +1 spell effect constantly on, i.e. protection from energy, freedom of movement, etc)

I am sure there are more uses but this are the ones that spring to mind.

The Instant Fortress has already been mentioned. RAW is unclear as to what happens to the stuff inside.

Building a tiny room inside a Portable Hole has also been mentioned (although the link to the loft uses some 3.0 material from The Stronghold Builder's Guide).

If you have The Stronghold Builder's Guide in play (3.0, though, so....), well, there's an entire section on making your stronghold self-propelled. Do note it gets expensive quickly.

There's an entire section on Transport as well. Stormwrack has a full section on boats, but they don't fly by default. Eberron gives you Airships.

If you have your own Demiplane (from Genesis), you can get there and back regularly. An Amulet of the Planes or a Cubic Gate gets you on and off the plane itself, and Boots of Teleportation (or the Helmet) can get you back to where you were.

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Originally Posted by Darrin

How about put your lab in this: Portable Hole Loft Apartment.

If you're willing to consider 3rd party/homebrew: Portable Headquarters.

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Neato! :smallbiggrin:

ok, thank you for the advice. All great ideas. But I will start a new thread on how to optimize and what is legal using the Acorn. Thank you!!!

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Originally Posted by Lost in books

ok, thank you for the advice. All great ideas. But I will start a new thread on how to optimize and what is legal using the Acorn. Thank you!!!

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Look around a bit and I think you might be able to find the beginnings of a handbook on that.

Or it discussed in the dirty tricks handbook.

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Originally Posted by Lost in books

ok, thank you for the advice. All great ideas. But I will start a new thread on how to optimize and what is legal using the Acorn. Thank you!!!

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There's a little bit about the Acorn here.