Destroying a Portal ("Elysium Squad" players welcome)

Disclaimer: I am starting this thread for my players of a PbP here at Enworld. My players are welcome to read and participate in this thread. If anyone is curious as to the game, look in my sig and click on the "Elysium Squad" links. The IC game hasn't actually started yet, so you won't find much there as of this posting. But the OOC thread has plenty to read for the interested. And ... if you are curious about the homebrew context of this question, that link is in my sig as well. Anyway, I digress.

QUESTION: (Please assume 3.5 game with normal rules on planar travel)

How many creative ways can you come up with to:

A). Temporarily supress a portal leading to another plane. In other words, make a portal cease to function temporarily without actually destroying the portal.

B). Utterly destroy the portal so that it will not function again unless it is completely rebuilt from scratch (magic and physical structures both destroyed)

Please assume any spell, feat, power, etc from a Core, Complete, or XPH source is acceptable.

Thanks!

It is not on your list, but the FRCS (I think) actually has a Portal domain, which includes on it spells designed to do what you are describing. They are also listed as Sor / Wiz spells, I believe.

Perhaps it has been reprinted elsewhere, as well?

EDIT: I take it back; the portal domain only includes one new spell, Analyze Portal, that works similarly to Detect Magic and determines the traits of portals in a given area.

Dimensional Lock will certainly hold down the portal for a while.

Destroying the portals physical structure may destroy the portal, or possibly make it difficult to activate.

At the DM's discretion, walling it up with stones quarried in a dead magic zone might be effective.

a1) Wall of Force! Seal the portal away between two, then perhaps make them Permanent - and poof! Need a Disintigrate, Disjuction, or some such to get through from the other side (assuming you can cast a spell through the portal) (Bricks, blocks, Walls of Iron, Walls of Stone, and the like can work too... but very little quite compares to a Permant Wall of Force... except, perhaps, a Permanent Prismatic Wall.... maybe a Portal/Prismatic/Force sandwich....)

Also, depending on how the DM decides to run portal mechanics in the game, you could get a StarGate-esk death-trap that way....
a2) the Cleric-6 spell Forbbidance block all planar travel into and out of the area - portal is in the area -> Portal is Closed. Also, it's Permanent, and needs to be dispelled from the side it was sealed from....
a3) Clr 8, Sor/Wiz 8 Dimensional Lock will probably do the same thing, but is a temporary measure (but lacks expensive Material Components)
a4) Well, if you can somehow manage to find something that makes a permanent anti-magic field.... I think there was a monster somewhere that did that....
b) Depends on highly campaing-specific things - is the portal essentially a Magic Item? Smash it, or Disjunction it; a Permanent Spell? Dispel Magic is your friend. Is it a natural vortex that's in place because the planes are aligned right there? Change the alignment of the planes....

Hmmm. good thoughts one and all. Considering I am the DM, I have some thinking to do!

Unfortuantely Patryn, FRCS is on the no-no books list. I looked in the CD to see if any of the new domains had any such spells, but I couldn't find any. Thanks for the thoughts, though.

Pyrex - the dead magic zone stones is a very creative solution. Definately worth some thought at least! The stones would need some kind of assurance for permanance, though ... else some evil might unbury it is the future.

Jack Smith - your wall sandwhich has definite merit, although these are portals to fun places like the Abys and the Nine Hells. Definately creatures who can weild some power - but weilding power across a portal is rather difficult, so those have good merit. As for the forbiddence-type solutions ... the portal has already allowed many evil underlings to occupy a significant amount of the land on this side. So, there is the possbility of it being unsealed from this side. But if the area was cleared first and then the portal sealed and then perhaps a ward was placed over it ... granted - a high level ward (or guardian) ...

Most of the portals are a type of magical construction, but there are a few natural vortices as well. So solutions regarding both kinds are welcome. Thanks for asking for clarification!

All good thoughts so far. Keep them coming!

Also, as you are the DM, don't forget that Miracle and Wish can do anything the DM says they can - great way of dealing with those pesky natural vortices....

And, well, if the beasties have a way of getting a Disintigrate or a Greater Dispel Magic through the portal, they probably have non-portal planar travel available (Beblith has Plane Shift available, as could any demon that casts as a cleric, wizard, or Sorceror; things can be Called in via Gate or the Planar Binding chain which are then free to act....)

There was tha Gatecrasher PrC in the MotP, a specialist to open or seal those Gates and also some spells in this book.

First thoughts on my mind involved trying to make the portal interact with something else which has something to do with planar travel or anomalies, usually this ends up in screwing both object.

I don't know, but if the portal was a standalone small archway/doorway (with no wall around its edges), maybe putting a large enough bag of holding over it could jam the portal (and the bag) forever.

That's definitely not covered by the rules, but you said "creative" anyway...

Build a series of magical seals that force the connections between the target plane and the material closed. Get an entire order of druids called the Gatekeepers to watch over'em for all eternity.

Destroy the physical gate! Either that, or cover up the entire gate with something solid... I remember melting cast iron over the entire thing works rather well. Nada gets through if the other side is a solid barrier. Dumping the entire thing (or flooding it, depending) into/with lava works miracles too.

Create an Epic spell to throw the very planes asunder and permenantly (without outside interference, that is ) sever the connection. Badness ensues and throws the entire civilization of the era back into barbarism. The entire contient ends up with a gigantic hole in the middle and traveling is never the same. Millenia later, the continent becomes known as a place which to plunder ancient ruins for magical loot and forgotten knowledge. Some of which is better left unearthed.

Many ways for temporaray. Anything that blocks the way (wall of forces, physical stone wall, etc.) Targetted Dispel Magic (very short duration, obviously). And the list goes on.

For permanent, the two best things that come to mind are:

1. Miracle/Wish (could be costly, depending).
2. M's Disjunction (if the portal is an artifiact, this is risky).


Intetesting side question:

What happen when a M's Disjunction is used from a scroll against an artifact if the user has no magical powers (a rogue using Use Maguic Device, for example)? Is this the same or different if the reader of teh scroll has magical powers that can be lost with M's Disjunction?

Don't answer this here - I'll start a new thread so I do not hijack this one.