Magical Travel

[Kavok]

This concerns the spells Dimension Door, Teleport, and similar spells.

1. Do these spells use the Astral Plane to get from point A to point B.
1a. If yes, then why do some of these spells specifically mention that it 'does not allow interplanar travel' I'm assuming this means travel 'to' other planes.

2. Can these spells be intercepted via Dimensional Lock / Anti-Magic Field mid-transport?

Please provide supporting reference, quotes and/or examples.

Thanks!

 

[Kavok]

Well since there haven't been any replies im going to toss in some information from the SRD:

THE ASTRAL PLANE

The Astral Plane is the space between the planes. When a character moves through an interplanar portal or projects her spirit to a different plane of existence, she travels through the Astral Plane. Even spells that allow instantaneous movement across a plane briefly touch the Astral Plane.

The Astral Plane is a great, endless sphere of clear silvery sky, both above and below. Occasional bits of solid matter can be found here, but most of the Astral Plane is an endless, open domain.

Both planar travelers and refugees from other planes call the Astral Plane home.

The Astral Plane has the following traits.

* Subjective directional gravity.

* Timeless. Age, hunger, thirst, poison, and natural healing don’t function in the Astral Plane, though they resume functioning when the traveler leaves the Astral Plane.

* Mildly neutral-aligned.

* Enhanced magic. All spells and spell-like abilities used within the Astral Plane may be employed as if they were improved by the Quicken Spell feat. Already quickened spells and spell-like abilities are unaffected, as are spells from magic items. Spells so quickened are still prepared and cast at their unmodified level. As with the Quicken Spell feat, only one quickened spell can be cast per round.

And some plane descriptions:

Transitive Planes: These three planes have one important common characteristic: Each is used to get from one place to another. The Astral Plane is a conduit to all other planes, while the Ethereal Plane and the Plane of Shadow both serve as means of transportation within the Material Plane they’re connected to. These planes have the strongest regular interaction with the Material Plane and are often accessed by using various spells. They have native inhabitants as well.

Demiplanes: This catch-all category covers all extradimensional spaces that function like planes but have measurable size and limited access. Other kinds of planes are theoretically infinite in size, but a demiplane might be only a few hundred feet across.

The wording of the spell Dimensional Lock:

Dimensional Lock

Abjuration
Level: Clr 8, Sor/Wiz 8 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Area: 20-ft.-radius emanation centered on a point in space Duration: One day/level Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: Yes

You create a shimmering emerald barrier that completely blocks extradimensional travel. Forms of movement barred include astral projection, blink, dimension door, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, gate, maze, plane shift, shadow walk, teleport, and similar spell-like or psionic abilities. Once dimensional lock is in place, extradimensional travel into or out of the area is not possible.

A dimensional lock does not interfere with the movement of creatures already in ethereal or astral form when the spell is cast, nor does it block extradimensional perception or attack forms. Also, the spell does not prevent summoned creatures from disappearing at the end of a summoning spell.

And the teleportation spell:

Teleport

Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Travel 5 Components: V Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal and touch Target: You and touched objects or other touched willing creatures Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: None and Will negates (object) Spell Resistance: No and Yes (object)

This spell instantly transports you to a designated destination, which may be as distant as 100 miles per caster level. Interplanar travel is not possible. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may also bring one additional willing Medium or smaller creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) or its equivalent (see below) per three caster levels. A Large creature counts as two Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be transported must be in contact with one another, and at least one of those creatures must be in contact with you. As with all spells where the range is personal and the target is you, you need not make a saving throw, nor is spell resistance applicable to you. Only objects held or in use (attended) by another person receive saving throws and spell resistance.

 

[UltimaGabe]

This concerns the spells Dimension Door, Teleport, and similar spells.

1. Do these spells use the Astral Plane to get from point A to point B.
1a. If yes, then why do some of these spells specifically mention that it 'does not allow interplanar travel' I'm assuming this means travel 'to' other planes.

2. Can these spells be intercepted via Dimensional Lock / Anti-Magic Field mid-transport?

Please provide supporting reference, quotes and/or examples.

Thanks!

1. As you've quoted, yes.
1a. Because you aren't actually travelling to the Astral Plane- you're briefly touching it and using its transitive power to get from one place to another.

2. In short, yes. In long, no. There isn't any such thing as "mid-transport"- the spells are instantaneous, so you end up at your destination immediately. There isn't any time to be "intercepted". That being said, you can't teleport into or out of an area of Dimensional Lock (as it bars dimensional travel, including Dimension Door and Teleport), and you can't teleport into an Antimagic Field, and you can't cast spells while in an Antimagic Field (so you can't teleport out of one either). So you can't be "intercepted" by those spells, but they DO stop you from teleporting in or out of them.

 

[Kavok]

What if someone wanted to teleport 2miles south.

Someone sets up a large "wall" of dimensional lock + antimagic field that is 100miles long, 100 miles high but like an inch thick and places that 1 mile south of the person, would this have no effect on the transport?

What if the players were encased in a antimagic+dimensional lock "bubble" that surrounded them but they weren't in the 'effected' area internally?

 

[UltimaGabe]

What if someone wanted to teleport 2miles south.

Someone sets up a large "wall" of dimensional lock + antimagic field that is 100miles long, 100 miles high but like an inch thick and places that 1 mile south of the person, would this have no effect on the transport?

What if the players were encased in a antimagic+dimensional lock "bubble" that surrounded them but they weren't in the 'effected' area internally?

For yor first example: Erm, it doesn't work that way. You aren't actually travelling in a straight line- rather, you're momentarily shunted (for a split second) to the Astral Plane, and then transported onto the Material Plane at your destination.

As for the second example, there isn't really a way to do that as per the Rules As Written- so it'd be your call. If you wanted to be able to trap them in a bubble where all of their abilities worked but they couldn't teleport out of it, go for it- just say it's a slightly tweaked version of Dimensional Lock. There isn't a real precedent for it in the rules, but hey, you're the DM! Go for it.

 

[Kavok]

There are a few situations in my current campaign that these issues effect.

1. The players and all the kingdoms they know are locked into a valley surrounded by several miles of mountains on all sides. I wanted to place some kind of magical 'raiders' on these mountains to prevent them from easily teleporting into and out of the lands. The way this would work is I would roll a percentile to decide what happens.

1-25: thrown off course but near destination
25-50: popped out randomly somewhere in the mountains
50-75: 'netted' by the raiders, have to fight
75-100: works as normal

2. The players have extremely angered a specific chaotic evil god. He took form and went to kill them however he was stopped by a group of lawful good gods. These gods made a pact with the players that they would always protect them on the material plane. This creates some issues with the descriptions of certain spells.

The god sends servants and minions after them regularly but do not directly assault them.

 

[Felix]

I think your best bet is to remove Teleport and Greater Teleport from your game. Allow tactical teleportation with Dimension Door, and strategic teleportation with Teleportation Circle. That way the PCs can still get out of Dodge if they really need to, and they can travel from Kingdom to Kingdom using an already established Teleportation Circle network.

Alternatively, simply handwave that the surrounding mountains stop Teleport spells, and that the campaign should only take place within the valley.

 

[Kavok]

I think your best bet is to remove Teleport and Greater Teleport from your game. Allow tactical teleportation with Dimension Door, and strategic teleportation with Teleportation Circle. That way the PCs can still get out of Dodge if they really need to, and they can travel from Kingdom to Kingdom using an already established Teleportation Circle network.

Alternatively, simply handwave that the surrounding mountains stop Teleport spells, and that the campaign should only take place within the valley.

Ah but the problem is the next quest takes them -out- of the valley. I'm probably going to force them to travel through the mountains on foot though, gives me lots of encounter options and I can put survival skills and tactics to the test.

 

[GilaMonster]

Have they seen the place they're going? Remember teleport needs some familiarity with the destination.