Blocking scrying and teleport without magic

[shilsen]

IIRC, the older editions of the game had certain ways to foil teleportation and/or scrying without the use of magic. For example, I remember reading something about gorgon blood preventing teleportation (I think) into a room.

Are there any more such examples that you remember? I'm specifically looking for non-spell options here.

Thanks, in advance.

 

[humble minion]

Check the spell descriptions for divination countermeasures. Sufficient thicknesses of lead, earth, wood or metal block most scrying spells - although you'll need to be completely surrounded by the stuff (which could be awkward!) Teleportation is tougher, but your best bet is to be somewhere your enemy has never been, and protect it from scrying as above. Can't teleport somewhere you don't know, after all...

 

[Huw]

I remember the Gorgon blood thing, but I can't remember where it was from. Another idea was a lead (or gold) mesh around the area - a bit like a Faraday cage for magic. Similarly, you could mix lead into the mortar for a building.

 

[Ragnar69]

IMC magic isn't something thats arbitrarily forced over the world, it´s part of it. Every item, material, shape, person etc. has it´s own magic radiance that can affect spells, especialy if combined. I.e. certain gems cut in certain shapes start vibrating if exposed to certain schools of magic so you have a non-magic way for merchants to protect themselves from lvl 1 magic scams. Archways disrupt ilusions (the bigger the more), so walking invisible or disguised self through a town gate is a bad idea.
So you can go on and on and get non-magic protection from scrying, teleporting.....up to complete anti-magic areas.
As for the cost, just charge the same as the magic counterpart from Sthe Stronghold Builders Handbook would cost, just remove the magc prereqs.

 

[Voadam]

I think Gorgon blood was to block ethereal stuff. Their breath weapon extended onto the ethereal plane as well as the normal one too IIRC.

 

[Whisper72]

Well, the way we used to play it (do not know if this is in any way supported by 'official' rules in any edition) was that lead sheeting would block both TP and scry type magic. Furthermore, we had Orichalcum as an alchemic material, in our campaigns a mix of dragon's blood, diamond dust and gold, which could be mixed into mortar and this would block magic in general in a relatively wide range of the building, i.e. doors and windows could be built into the edifice and these magics would still be blocked.

Another way we did it was linked to the 'physiology' of magic. Magic was the manipulation of one of the 8 elements (the usual 4 plus life, death (positive and negative energy) and time and space). Certain minerals or other materials would possess large quantities of this elemental power. On the one hand, this meant these could be used as material components for spells and magic items based on these elements (i.e. a ruby was linked to fire, and thus a wand of fireballs would often be embossed with rubies etc.), some with a positive spin, others with a negative (i.e. blocking) spin.

Since TP is based on manipulating space/position, 'natural' minerals or metals with 'negative spin space elemental power' could be used to block TP and other space manipulating spells. Scrying was defined as somehow looking either over space or trying to bridge time, and thus materials linked to these elements could be used.

 

[JDJblatherings]

I've played in campaigns with lead screened meeting rooms,cells and treasure chambers. It can block supermanian x-ray vision, why not scry and teleport?

 

[shilsen]

I think Gorgon blood was to block ethereal stuff. Their breath weapon extended onto the ethereal plane as well as the normal one too IIRC.

Now that sounds really familiar. You're probably right.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

 

[LonePaladin]

Here's a simple way to prevent people from teleporting into your character's demesne.

Rearrange the furniture.

Teleport requires familiarity with the destination — not just its location, but the physical features (landmarks, if you will). If those landmarks are changed, then the caster's familiarity with that site drops down to the next worse level, possibly more. If you make the place completely different (say, by replacing all the furnishings), then the caster no longer has any familiarity, and runs the risk of winding up someplace else. It's not a perfect safeguard, but it can help.

Another thing you can do is design your site so that it closely resembles another location, preferably someplace nearby yet far enough away to keep trouble away from you. Teleport always carries a small chance of arriving at a location that is thematically similar to the destination, and if you've got something in place just for that possibility, you know where they'll end up.

Claim your site in one location to the public, but put it somewhere else. Anyone trying to teleport in based on what they've heard is going off false information, which guarantees a mishap.

Don't let anyone inside that you wouldn't want teleporting in without your knowledge. Even a single look at the interior increases their chance of success.

To stop magical divinations, simply place a thin sheet of lead in the outer structure. Instead of a single 1-foot-thick wall, have two walls that are six inches with a layer of lead between them. Consider doing the same with the interior walls, especially if you've got a room that doesn't have any windows. You can do without the lead on any stone walls that are at least 1 foot thick. Make the doors out of iron (at least 1 inch thick), and either do without windows or hire someone to use something other than glass (either illusions that show the outside, or some magical effect to make parts of the walls transparent).

 

[VirgilCaine]

Very simple, very important precaution:

Don't sleep alone.

A barracks-style sleeping arrangement, with, say 30 people sleeping in one room is enough to discourage people from sneaking or teleporting in and starting to kill your cult, mercenaries, thieves or whatever with impunity.

But the High Priest should have the privelege of rank and sleep alone, right?

Nope. In a cult you want to keep a small coterie of confidants near you, an inner circle. There's his group right there.

This does assume you have somewhat large rooms and are used to privation, but in a world with monsters and magic, sleeping in a room with 29 other people isn't too much discomfort if it helps you stay alive.

Another very simple precaution: Take up residence in an old temple.

Over the thousands of years of history most D&D worlds have, there should be a large number of underground or fortress temples to various deities, passing from one deity's followers to another, to a secular group, and back again.

The reason?

The temple has been blessed with a Forbiddance spell, preventing all planar movement within a very large area...except of course, for the teleportation room, where the spellcasters familiarize themselves with the layout of the room so they can escape to the bosom of their bloodthirsty cult brethren.

Sure, new temples will be built, and not *every* temple would have a Forbiddance spell, but if it's still there after hundreds or thousands of years, it's there for a reason.

Temples and other important buildings should also be built around geological anomalies, like hot springs, volcanoes, paint pots, geysers, and possibly large waterfalls. Alternatively, Permanenced spells that cover large areas are also an option.

Control Weather, Permanenced (or simply cast Extended every two or three days) is also an option, but a constant storm of some kind isn't always desirable.

These factors increase the failure rate of teleportation. Combined with the difficulty of knowing both the location and the layout of an area simply through scrying, this should discourage any but the most persistent and bull-headed of enemies.