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I find the best way to do this is bribing the GM with Beer.
I second that suggestion.
Beer, pizza, cannabis.
Really though it depends on how much traditional mythology your GM injects into his game. For example in some European Lore about Goblins they are repulsed by iron, however this doesn't translate into PF. You could always ask to hire a priest or twelve to bless your land with some sort of plot armor. Also moats, moats are cool.
You could just scour the bestiary for any canon weaknesses the creatures you're concerned with have
Sure, traps and s!@! takes care of simple humans. But how can you make a house, a large house, safe against other creatures.
If you keep in mind what PC's can do, you'll eventually realize that the only answer is to keep it from becoming a target.
Every magical trap and trap style spell you can get your hands on at the entrances, lead lining in every wall, teleport traps in every room, hallow the ground adding the spell that best counters your biggest threat.
Every magical trap and trap style spell you can get your hands on at the entrances, lead lining in every wall, teleport traps in every room, hallow the ground adding the spell that best counters your biggest threat.
You'll be safe from detection...only to die of lead poisoning.
Not going to really be possible. Magic and monsters will always be able to break in... unless you have unlimited wealth and levels to prepare it.
My kingmaker king had this discussion with his castle. Any time an assassin wanted in... he/she/it pretty much got in. Much the same way PCs can get into anyplace with a little effort and good dice rolls.
Protecting everything from teleports and scrying and divinations... is insanely expensive.
And that's for a castle... for a mansion? Seems a bit overkill. Just get some good alarms and keep weapons in any room. You may be able to ward it from ONE type of crearure... but to be able to protect from vampires, dragons, Fey and demons all?
Ehhhh... not gonna happen.
Sure i agree with you all, the cost of going against spells and magic are to large to even begin to grasp at.
But what i am after here is what GypsyMischief so eloquently called "traditional mythology.
Mansions and castles don't require anything special in traditional mythology, because aside from the Heroes or the Villains of the story, everyone else, by compariosn, is essentially a talentless schlub easily defeated by conventional protections.
Player Characters by game concept, ARE the heroes/protagonists of the setting, so it stands to reason that the usual trivial things won't stop them.
You could brutally murder some people in there... and then just sidestep the haunts.
False doors and secret passageways are fun stuff too...
Those always mess with our PCs when we invade a random mansion/house/castle.
Mage's Magnificent Mansion?
Just buy a door in a wall that is already secure. Maybe a hotel full of mansions for a guild of adventurers.
I'm thinking of a cross between that hotel in "John Wick" and Sigil and a bunch of guardians protecting the paths to the halls of doors.
Maybe like Mitchifer in the World Serpent Inn?
Maybe a really powerful, magical sentient portal that you make an oath to, with perilous consequences if you break it.
Make a magic circle around the perimeter of the mansion perhaps? Consecrated by a dozen priests of various faiths, marking additional holy symbols on each door and window. Gargoyles were intended to scare off evil spirits back in the day, plus they're beautiful. Keep a stable and a pack of guard dogs, goblins hate both of these critters in Pathfinder lore. A garlic patch will warn vampires that you mean business. There are various herbs in real druidic, hoodoo, and western ceremonial magic that are sprinkled over doorframes and windowsills to ward off negative spirits. The English fey were repulsed by salt...it goes on.
Gorgon's blood mixed in the mortar can keep out incorporeal or ethereal creatures.
At least according to Azure Bonds.
Every magical trap and trap style spell you can get your hands on at the entrances, lead lining in every wall, teleport traps in every room, hallow the ground adding the spell that best counters your biggest threat.You'll be safe from detection...only to die of lead poisoning.
No lead poisoning in Pathfinder.
In one of my campaigns we are currently building a mansion.
And it got me thinking about how to make the mansion protected against most foul things.
Sure, traps and s$%$ takes care of simple humans. But how can you make a house, a large house, safe against other creatures.
I am now not thinking about spells, or well.. give me those as well, but i would pref. some cooler ways to do it.
For example, Vampires have a major problem with Mirrors. It does not hurt them, but it states "they recoil from mirrors".
So mirrors on the floor in the tiles by every entry.
Or another example is that there are quite a lot of elements that protect against summoned creatures.But how to make your house secure against a lich, a devil, demon, doppelganger etc.
Vampire: That one is simple. Only one person has authority to allow people in and that person wears a wayfinder with a slotted clear spindle ioun stone.
Lich: Forbiddance will help protect against teleportation and stuff but really, you're SOL. A lich is going to be a powerful enough magic user that you won't be able to hide from him/her.
Devil/Demon: If they're summoned, Hallow will keep them out. If they're not, Forbiddance will protect against teleportation. Then you're just dealing with the physical styff.
Doppleganger: Not sure on that.
Invisible creatures: You can tie an Invisibility Purge to Hallow