Hollow Frame

Ultimate Equipment Guide II

Author Greg Lynch, J. C. Alvarez
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

Available in a variety of sizes and styles, a hollow frame is a simple and enduringly popular idea. Though the frame itself is often painted, carved or gilded for aesthetic reasons, the basic design of every hollow frame is the same. It is a heavy wooden picture frame which comes in four pieces, each of which has a tube bored through the middle, along the length of each piece.

The frame snaps together with a set of pegs, and may be taken apart to access whatever is hidden inside, then put back together again, with no outward sign that anything has changed. The cavities of a hidden frame are commonly used to conceal such things as keys, maps, scrolls, gems and jewelry, even small weapons like a knife. Though the frame will fool anyone passing by or making only a casual inspection, on a more thorough inspection it is possible to notice that something is odd about a hollow frame (Search check, DC 15). The DC of this check can be raised as high as 25 if a skilled woodcarver devotes at least a week of work to concealing the telltale signs of a hollow frame (a process that costs three times the base price of the frame). The prices given below assume the hollow frame is the most basic design.

Additional carving or ornamentation cost an additional amount to be determined by the Games Master.

• Hollow Frame, Small: 10 gp; 3 lb.
• Hollow Frame, Medium: 25 gp; 5 lb.
• Hollow Frame, Large: 60 gp; 10 lb.