the Planewalker's Handbook
by James O'Rance
dragon-dreamer@geocities.com
| Index | The Factions | New Races | Planar Skills | Magical Adjustments | Magical Items | New Spells | Planewalking Equipment |
Magical Items
As a general rule, a planewalker's magical items are affected just like arcane spells – by planar pathway restrictions and planar alterations by school. If she takes a ring of invisibility to a plane where illusions don't work (like Mechanus), the ring won't work either, since it's based on the school of Illusion. It will be reduced to a piece of jewelry, and even a spell key won't allow it to function properly. Dungeon Masters have access to a table in A DM Guide to the Planes, and are the final arbiters on the subject.
Scrolls and Potions
Magical Armour and Weapons
As a final note, cursed items with negative bonuses aren't affected in any way by planar travel.
Note that a character can attempt a Use Magic Item check (DC 30) to use an item on a plane where its magic has been nullified. For items with a continuous duration, this check must be made once per hour.
The same rule goes for clerical spells on scrolls or in potions. They are a handy wayfor clerics to retain their high-level spells far away from their deity's home plane, but if the spell requires a planar pathway connection in a plane that doesn't have one, the scroll or potion is useless.
More than any other type of item, magical weapons and armour any kind are bound to the magic of their plane of origin. Such creations are attuned to the energies of that plane, and diminish in power if they are taken from it. The further the item moves from its plane of origin, the less powerful its enchantment becomes, for the duration of the separation.
For each plane removed, the item loses one special power or reduces its enhancement bonus by 1. The maximum number of planes that an item can be removed is four. Armour and weapons tend to lose their enhancement bonuses first until they are reduced to +1 items; special powers are then lost before the final +1 (the DM has the final say in this).
Items trace the shortest path between the planes, unlike a cleric. If a magical weapon's origin lies on one of the Outer Planes and it is taken to another plane on the Great Ring, the count goes through the astral rather than counting planes around the Ring.
For example, if a +3 vorpal axe forged in Sigil is taken from Sigil to Elysium, it becomes a +2 vorpal axe, being one plane removed. If it is taken to the Ethereal Plane, the axe loses +1 for the Astral Plane, +1 for the Prime Material Plane, and the vorpal power for the Ethereal Plane, becoming a +1 axe.
A character can make a Use Magic Item check to choose which bonuses and powers are lost from an item (DC 20), or attempt a Use Magic Item check (DC 30) to use an item at its normal capabilities. This second check must be made once per hour.
Index
The Factions
New Races
Planar Skills
Magical Adjustments
Magical Items
New Spells
Planewalking Equipment