How do you handle Magic Circle in your game?

[Flipguarder]

Its not spoken of in either way. So for you to say that the caster is trapped inside is just as interpreted as me saying the caster isnt.

Common sense dictates a few things here.

The flavor text says:

"The circle of symbols scratched into the ground glows and
sparks briefly as the demon tests the boundary. 'This will
not save you for long!' it hisses."

This means that there are two possibilities in the scenario provided within this text.

1. You have put a circle around the demon
2. You have put a circle around yourself and a demon is outside the barrier.

I see 2 as more plausible.

Also the phrase "enter or pass" would suggest that it only has a problem with entering the circle. It would say "enter or exit" if it truly was meant to prohibit exiting the circle.

Since it makes no mention of prohibiting the caster (which is a horrible oversight in text if true) then we could look to other rituals for precedence of your belief.

But no there are no instances of rituals being double edged swords like this.
--------------------------------------------

In addition to all this. All of you saying "well its an interesting possibility for pcs to use it." What about the idea that an NPC could use it.

Say an Wizard wants to become a godlike being (fairly common epic storyline) Many times there is a ritual that must be stopped in order for his plan to be thwarted. But oh guess not he has the ritual magic circle. I can think of many many storylines I've read about and played (and some in my future plans as DM) that could easily be ruined by this ritual.

 

[Flipguarder]

double post sorry

 

[Mirtek]

Its not spoken of in either way. So for you to say that the caster is trapped inside is just as interpreted as me saying the caster isnt.

It is clearly spelled out.

"An affected creature whose level is lower than your Arcana check result minus 10 cannot pass through the circle"

So if your a human and create a magic circle around yourself that works either against creature with natural origin or even against all origins, you're SOL since you are an affected creature.

I see 2 as more plausible.

And if he just created a circle against creature with the elemental origin he's fine. If he create a circle against elemental and natural creatures, he's an idiot.

Also the phrase "enter or pass" would suggest that it only has a problem with entering the circle. It would say "enter or exit" if it truly was meant to prohibit exiting the circle.

You can't exit without passing. The "enter" is indeed redundant.

 

[Ryujin]

Just as a "what if", what side of the 'circle' are the runes on?

 

[Flipguarder]

I understand your points, but it seems to be too little evidence for me. Your position would make a magic circle omitting all origins nigh unusable.

It also seems fairly ridiculous just in and of itself.

 

[Mirtek]

Your position would make a magic circle omitting all origins nigh unusable.

It could be prison or protecting something important. But you're right that it better should not include something you might want to get of the circle again.

It also seems fairly ridiculous just in and of itself.

I agree that the thought of an apprentice trapping himself in his own circle is funny while an archmage doing the same is ridiculous.

I am also not arguing that the risk of the caster trapping himself was intended, but the way the RAW are written this it what happens. Otherwise they should have included an "other than the caster" somewhere which they either forgot to do or never wanted to do.

 

[Stalker0]

It also seems fairly ridiculous just in and of itself.

Just take a dungeon hallway, put a circle in the hallway, finishing it as you are on the outside. Now no one can cross that hallway, and you fortify the other side with all of your big guns.

 

[ki11erDM]

Its motivation is irrelevant. This spell takes away from the fear that mid paragon pcs should have over meeting a tarrasque.

So what you are saying is that because of that spell I can use the tarrasque in my mid level games? That rocks! Now its not totally wasted space in the MM.

 

[Ryujin]

So what you are saying is that because of that spell I can use the tarrasque in my mid level games? That rocks! Now its not totally wasted space in the MM.

Now every time that someone finds a sleeping Tarrasque it'll be curled up around a Magic Circle that contains dessicated skeletons, a pile of dried excrement, and Everlasting Provisions.

 

[Flipguarder]

Or hey if you ever find a sleeping tarrasque you may as well just spend 250g and a few hours and create a circle nobody could ever break it out of.

Theres that pesky tarrasque taken care of.... forever..... no chance of it ever harming anyone again...