Eladrin Cities...

[aurance]

Why? Just use a ritual to secure the prison.

I'm assuming that eladrin evolved into sentience with this power, and its use and repercussions would be ingrained in their history. And that rituals came later. But you're right, this doesn't necessarily have to be.

 

[knifie_sp00nie]

The five-minute delay between ports and the line-of-sight restriction would make building based on the assumption impractical. Think about our cities and the wonders of electricity. We have doors that automatically open, escalators, and elevators. We don't have those things everywhere, just specialized applications.

You also can't talk about building cities without also building culture. Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean that there isn't a cultural taboo about it. When you have an idea drummed into you since childbirth it can be hard to think otherwise. So there could be cultural rules about when it's appropriate to use the power.

A lot of city design ideas so far have the intent of preventing theft. Who says that Eladrin have any issues with theft? Why worry about a teleport when your entire house could be easily warded if there was a theft problem?

 

[rvalle]

plus at what age do they learn this trick? Kids need access too.

Perhaps they are BORN with the ability. i.e their first act of teleporting is moving outside the womb!!!

Mom: "Whoop! Oh honey, the baby is here. Be a good Daddy and look around to see where he ended up."


(Ok... so you need line of sight to do this... but the above would have an interesting effect on culture/society I think.)

rv

 

[Andor]

I think defense would be important. So an Eladrin home might start from a landing platform 25' up. Or be fenced by a gate with no breaks. Or consist of a series of platforms suspended in trees within 25' feet of each other. Lots of fun possibilities.

Remember also that for an Eladrin a window is as good as a door. A really secure Eladrin fortress might have a 20' thick glasssteel wall with no breaks.

You know... I just noticed that there doesn't seem to be any particular limit for how much an Eladrin can take with him. Hmmm...

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I don't see how they can't teleport out of an encounter if they can in an encounter, but on to your point. I imagine Eladrin cities as akin to the Dagda of legend. They are both well-hidden and expansive, with delicate towers and bridgeworks hidden by glamours. The areas where other races might visit are relatively normal, with roads and paths and such; but the Eladrin only areas are full of hidden paths and illusory towers and walls. One second a non-Eladrin would see a hillock, and the next they would see the pale shimmering towers. At least that's the idea I'm working with, I need to do some refining.

Where or what is Dagda of legend?

As for the glamours and illusions, only if the illusion can be keyed to other races. Walking home from the pub can be difficult enough without illlusions thrown into the mix

 

[WhatGravitas]

I think defense would be important. So an Eladrin home might start from a landing platform 25' up. Or be fenced by a gate with no breaks. Or consist of a series of platforms suspended in trees within 25' feet of each other. Lots of fun possibilities.

Would totally explain the idea of towers for eladrin - they can easily build upwards without stairs, if a room doesn't need easy access.

And prisons would be towers, where you haul people up with a lift and then go down again when they're about 50 ft. above ground, it's fun to watch them fall down, if they port.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Scribble]

You also can't talk about building cities without also building culture. Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean that there isn't a cultural taboo about it. When you have an idea drummed into you since childbirth it can be hard to think otherwise. So there could be cultural rules about when it's appropriate to use the power.

I agree with this a lot... It's part of what I was trying to get at, but didn't fully get out.

I think it's important when designing the concept to thinkk about the race, and how things would be different.

I've traveled to many different countries, and just going from country to country things seem different... And we're all human... Now imagine another race, how alien their way of thinking/living might seem...

Maybe Eladrin don't have a theft problem simply because their culture just doesn't really understand theft? (Did native american's have a "theft" problem?)

people also assume there are walls build to specifically block Tp... But what if this is considered "bad manners" in Eladrin society? Could the ability to TP breed into a society the idea that I am free to be anywhere I want... so why should I block others from that freedom?

What other kinds of cultural differences would we see in an "alien" race like the eladrin?

 

[Dice4Hire]

Assuming all Eladrin have this power (and I would fall into this camp) and they get it pretty young (puberty at the latest, and I would probably rule it as mid-childhood) it does open up a lot of options for building in places other races cannot easily get to. 25' straight up is good, or holes in the ceilings are better as arrows and such work on line of sight also.

But once every 5 minutes is a big limiting factor. You don't want it to be necessary for every trip, just the beginnings or ends of it. So maybe something like a single, continuous street between the trees, with individual houses seperated by 25 or so feet of open air from that street. It would make for a hard nut for a non teleporting race to crack.

 

[Scribble]

But once every 5 minutes is a big limiting factor.

I know it doesn't specifically say it, but what if encounter powers are really only encounter powers in combat?

Maybe you only need a short rest because in combat things are too hectic most of the time to get your bearings enough to do it again... But outside of comabt, in a more relaxed setting Eladrin can TP much more often?

 

[ki11erDM]

I know it doesn't specifically say it, but what if encounter powers are really only encounter powers in combat?

Maybe you only need a short rest because in combat things are too hectic most of the time to get your bearings enough to do it again... But outside of comabt, in a more relaxed setting Eladrin can TP much more often?

You can use any encounter power out of combat but you have to use a short rest between each one. So 5 mins. I dont have my books but that is under the second wind area as i recall.

Mom: "Whoop! Oh honey, the baby is here. Be a good Daddy and look around to see where he ended up."

This. is. damn. funny.