Cosmology and traveling

[Aesmael]

I would appreciate some help with planar travel for my setting. First, here is a summary of how they are connected:

Prime
4 Directions – Other Prime layers (Up, Down, Law-ward and Chaos)
6 Directions – Elementals (Air, Earth, Fire, Negative, Positive, Water)
3 Transitives – Astral, Ethereal and Shadow
Sometimes 1 Outer Plane in 3 Tints – Law or Chaos, depending on the edge
At the Ends - ???

Elementals
4 Directions – Other Elemental Planes (Air:Water:Earth:Fire:Air All to Positive and Negative [Not from each other])
1 Direction – A Prime layer
2 Directions – Layers of the Same Elemental
2 Transitives – Ethereal and Shadow
At the Ends - ???

Ideal
2 Directions – Other Ideal Layers, Up and Down
1 Direction – The Prime
2 Transitives – Astral and Shadow
3 Tints – Law/Neutral/Chaos {Caster’s choice of alignment when travelling by spell, otherwise matching the traveller’s if coming by transitive}
At the Ends - ???

The Hollow
1 Transitive – Shadow
2 Layers – Up or Down

Astral
Law, Prime, Chaos.
The other Transitives

Ethereal
Elementals, Prime.
The Other Transitives

Shadow
Law, [Elementals] Pri<The Hollow>me [Elementals], Chaos
The other Transitives

Now, I'm tired right now and there a probably things I did not put in the original document, so let me know if it is unclear. The Ideal is the outer planes. There are two, Law and Chaos, with about a hundred layers (think of it as 'many' rather than precision). Everything else lies between them (about ten Prime layers thick).
Plane Shift will let you travel only between adjacent layers.
Gate will let you travel more, I have not settled on how many yet.
The Elemental planes are not subdivided 'horizontally' but they are 'vertically'. However, I do not want it to be possible to enter, say, Air from one plane and leave it onto another and make the transitives redundant. Currently thinking along the lines of the direction you enter limiting the direction(s) you can leave.
The entry for Shadow is actually a good representation of the 'horizontal' structure. Imagine a hundred more identical lines on top of it and that's the universe.
Everything on a given layer (except the Ideal) is coexistent, except that an elemental plane cannot be accessed directly from its opposite element.
Edit - The prime layers (cells) are coterminous wert each other. The others are coexistent with all prime cells on that layer and each other, again excluding the opposing elements.

Well, that may all be unnecessary. As I said, I'm tired. Anyway, what I mainly want is help with nonmagical ways to access the planes. Specifically, the transitives and elementals. For Shadow, for example, one might set up six lanterns hanging from the ceiling and set them spinning just so, and the interweaving of their light and shadows will create a way through. Not sure what kinds of skill checks should be required, though. For Fire a volcano or similar environment would be an appropriate location but again I am not sure what kind of ritual should be performed. Even less idea for the other planes.

I think I have rambled for long enough now. Thanks for listening (assumption!)

 

[Aesmael]

Sleep is a wonderful thing. I think I can phrase my request in a manner that makes sense now. On the other hand, my first clarification got eaten. So.

Problem: I need ideas for rituals characters could perform to access other planes without necessarily casting any spells. Or at least not Plane Shift and the like. Something that resonates with the destination, I suppose.
The destinations are: Air, Astral, Earth, Ethereal, Fire, Negative, Positive and Shadow. And the return journeys too, of course. But that should be easier.

The problem with the elemental planes has been solved by remembering the idea of distance. Without an astral connection there is no teleport. So if the characters want to walk the breadth of a world, why not? They may as well do the same thing on the prime and just find a way through on the borders. It's (usually) easier.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated. This is a wonderful community here and I feel I should give back more. Alas, I lack the experience/knowledge to return such favours currently.

 

[Vrecknidj]

The rules for Incantations in the d20 Modern Urban Arcana book might be what you're after. I don't know if they're in the Modern SRD though.

Anyway, in those rules, you have to make several Knowledge checks in a row to complete what would otherwise take a spell to do. So, for example, you want to curse someone. You make a Knowledge (arcana) check (and the DC is pretty high, say, upper 20's at least). This takes maybe 20 minutes. Then you make another one. Then you make a Knowledge (religion) check because the curse that you're using required that you get a bone from a graveyard (and Knowledge(religion) covers undead). Then you make another Knowledge (arcana) check.

If you fail one, you have to start over from the beginning. If you make them all, then the effect happes.

You could just use combinations of Knowledge (the planes) and Knowledge (arcana) and whatever else you want to dream up. You could also require that people make stuff, using high Craft DCs, for the incantations.

Dave

 

[Aesmael]

They are. And you are right, that is the sort of thing I am after. I had not considered the term 'incantation' and the associations it provokes. Merits a reread of that section at least. After the Future srd is assimilated.

Musing aloud now. Confident solutions will eventually be found even without help. Input still extremely welcome. As (theoretically) is critiquing of my progress.
DCs might be a bit lower than that. Mid-twenties maybe. Low-level might beat it, but beat it higher and the chance of creating an effect increases (percentage roll, base chance 20%, beat DC by 5+ and increase chance). 20% is too low, perhaps
In all cases a diagram as described for the Magic Circle spells would be appropriate.

Shadow: Six lamps required. Low light produced, exacting and specific manufacture puts their cost at (300+lamp price), essentially masterwork lamps.
Positioning requires Know[Planes?] check DC 24. I dislike the lack of retries on knowledge checks, though. This check is on probabation.
Setting them in motion: Six people setting the lamps in motion requires a DC 25 check. Or one person can set them in motion with a DC of 22 for the first, increasing by 2 for each successive one (the last is 32).
The chamber the ceremony is to be performed in also requires special construction. Craft DC 30? Any suggestions for special materials? I suspect that at least the central portion of the floor and ceiling should be metal, and that the rest might prefer stone.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Shadow: Six lamps required. Low light produced, exacting and specific manufacture puts their cost at (300+lamp price), essentially masterwork lamps.
Positioning requires Know[Planes?] check DC 24. I dislike the lack of retries on knowledge checks, though. This check is on probabation.
Setting them in motion: Six people setting the lamps in motion requires a DC 25 check. Or one person can set them in motion with a DC of 22 for the first, increasing by 2 for each successive one (the last is 32).
The chamber the ceremony is to be performed in also requires special construction. Craft DC 30? Any suggestions for special materials? I suspect that at least the central portion of the floor and ceiling should be metal, and that the rest might prefer stone.

Okay, so someone in the party has loads of ranks in Knowledge (the planes). Maybe positioning the lamps can be done by Taking 20 (maybe, in effect, positioning all the lamps ends up taking an hour--the tedium can be described to the players, and they can be encouraged to have their characters appreciate it all, but you can avoid having extra rolls by doing this).

Everyone gets in position, and each person has to make a check to get their lamp in motion. If someone fails, maybe the preceding lamp stops working right, and they all have to go back one. So, for example, lamps 1 and 2 get going fine, then the player with lamp 3 botches his roll. So, something happends to lamp 2, and then you go back to that character's lamp and re-roll. Once 2 makes it, then you go on to 3, let's say 3 makes it now, and 4 does too, but 5 botches, now you go back to 4 and he rolls again--and fails--now you go back to 3, who succeeds, and now you can go forward again. If there are too many botched rolls, maybe the characters realize they need to go get some item that will aide them in their quest (and then they go on a side adventure, get it, and put it in the middle, and they all get a +5 on their rolls, etc.).

For special materials, I'd suggest some kind of dust for the inscription on the floor--silver seems to be the most common in D&D, but anything could do. You could work out details so that for each place people want to go, a different concoction of powders or oils has to be made and poured into the inscription. And, after each trip, the etching would have to be scrubbed clean (failure to do so could result in tainted materials for the next trip, sending them to an unforeseen location . . .).

Maybe make up a list ahead of time of which materials are needed for which planes. If you're talking about the Plane of Shadow, maybe some powder from some gems that are white, gems that are black, and gems that are gray?

Dave

 

[Aesmael]

Here is what a quick perusal of the Incantation rules produced (I used no Seeds, only the form):

WEAVING SHADOW
Conjuration (Teleportation)
Skill Check: Spellcraft DC 20, Knowledge (The Planes) DC 25, 6 simultaneous successes OR Spellcraft DC 20, Knowledge (the Planes) DC 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 consecutively; Failure: Any failed checks; Components: S, F, SC; Casting Time: 10 minutes (minimum); Range: ??? Effect: Portal to Shadow; Duration: 5 rounds; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No
This ritual allows the creation of a temporary portal into Shadow which can then be passed through at any time during its short existence. The portal is five feet in diameter. Although the creation of the portal requires little time itself, preparation for the task can be very expensive and time consuming.
Focus: Shadow Chamber (500gp, Craft DC 30) The chamber is circular, with rippled indentations throughout the walls. It is carved from stone with a central disk in the floor and ceiling made of black metal (30 feet across). The value is only a reference for construction time, the owner of such a chamber charge that much or more for a single use of the chamber.
6 Specially constructed lamps (150gp, Craft DC 20). These lamps produce less light than an ordinary lamp (equivalent to a candle). They fit perfectly in hooks constructed in the chamber roof and, when set in motion as per the ritual, their mingling light produces the path into Shadow.
Secondary Casters: Normally the ritual requires six casters to set the lanterns into motion simultaneously, each of which must follow a precise path. However, it is possible for fewer people to set all six into motion by making a series of progressively harder checks. Each additional check made has a DC increased by +2 and increases the casting time by one round as they move from lantern to lantern. For each additional round spent completing the ritual, reduce the duration the portal remains open by the same amount. One person could do it alone, but the coordination required is phenomenal.

The example you gave is very much as I envisioned it, with the additional requirement that (at least in this case) the lamps must all be set in motion within ten rounds of the first one (before it moves out of sync). Obviously it can still do with some tightening, and I left out any flavour text.

What you posted about the gems is very interesting. Perhaps with the black metal base it could require crushed white gems to make the diagram. Or vice-versa with shiny metal, but Shadow associates more with black, so that should be the dominant image. Now I think a grey stone should be used for the chamber itself. Marble, or granite perhaps. Image is, perhaps, everything.

Having written that, Water begins to seem an easier target than fire for the second ritual. A chamber of ice, waterfall pooled in frost.