How do you handle Magic Circle in your game?

[Mirtek]

If you max out arcana, and have 4 people help you who all roll above 10 can you create a magic circle that would inhibit orcus from entering at lvl 30?

You can do it much, much earlier than level 30, even while taking the -10 penalty to make sure that no one else can let Orcus in/out you can still do it much, much earlier than level 30. If you just moderately try to get a good arcana check, at level 30 you don't even need to roll to create a circle (including -10 penalty) to work against the level 35 gods. Incidently my swordmage will end up with +44 arcana at level 30 (automatically being able to create cricles against lvl 35 gods and all their servants by taking -10) and that's with only moderately trying to max the check, otherwise +50 would be easily possible.

Unless you can block Orcus from being able to teleport, the circle doesn't do a whole lot.

While the rules are badly written and thus very vague, most people agree that you can't fly, burry or teleporr through a circle. It's the most archetype of use to capture/bar creatures that can typically teleport (e.g. outsiders) in such circles.

 

[Regicide]

While the rules are badly written and thus very vague, most people agree that you can't fly, burry or teleporr through a circle. It's the most archetype of use to capture/bar creatures that can typically teleport (e.g. outsiders) in such circles.

Badly written and vague is par for the course I've found, with many rules haveing multiple paragraphs with each stating something different. But blocking teleportation is what Forbiddance does, not Magic Circle.

 

[Stalker0]

Badly written and vague is par for the course I've found, with many rules having multiple paragraphs with each stating something different. But blocking teleportation is what Forbiddance does, not Magic Circle.

Its a good point, and considering that teleportation does not require line of effect, just line of sight, I would think you could teleport past a magic circle. But yeah the tarrasque is hosed.

 

[OchreJelly]

If you choose the "block all" or block type "natural" (or "fey" for the more sylvan PCs), doesn't that also block the caster and his allies? The spell makes no provisions for friend or foe as far as I can see.

 

[Mirtek]

But blocking teleportation is what Forbiddance does, not Magic Circle.

Forbiddance blocks teleportation into the protected area, you can still teleport out of the protected area.

A magic circle blocks attempts to "pass through the circle" which should encompass all kinds of possible movement otherwise the circle is pretty useless. So you can teleport neither into the circle nor out of the circle, but if you're bored you can teleport within the circle as much as you want as long as you don't cross the boundary.

 

[FrozenChrono]

I think magic circle's open up massive role playing options. It let's your level 30 characters be the one's who seal away orcus or any other demon prince/god/goddess. That's what epic levels are for. As for brokenness these circles are so easy to break a level 1 minion could do it in one standard action. A minion of a different type could easily free their master, or break the circle around the city if that's what the story calls for.

The cost is definantly a limiting factor. For a city of any size to use it it would be at least as expensive as traditional defenses, and far easier to destroy.

 

[Regicide]

A magic circle blocks attempts to "pass through the circle" which should encompass all kinds of possible movement otherwise the circle is pretty useless.

Hardly useless. It is pretty sick for blocking exits or making safe camp points as most monsters can't teleport.

Teleport doesn't "pass through", there is no line of effect. Likewise True Portal and Plane Shift rituals will work, True Portal since it's a teleport and Plane Shift since you're coming in from another plane. All of which can be blocked with Forbiddance.

This does raise a point though on a problem with rituals. It was pointed out before that the spying ritual (forget the name right now) was too short and too expensive to be useful. The same problem comes about with things like Forbiddance. A Forbiddance that can block level 5 creatures costs the same as a Forbiddance that blocks level 30, rituals are one of the few things in the game that don't have their cost scale. An odd hole. An Archmage who wants to spy on the local village idiot to be amused by his antics has to spend the same gold as to spy on Vecna! The magic circle to stop ants from getting into the kitchen costs the same as the magic circle to stop tarrasques!

 

[Flipguarder]

I think magic circle's open up massive role playing options. It let's your level 30 characters be the one's who seal away orcus or any other demon prince/god/goddess. That's what epic levels are for. As for brokenness these circles are so easy to break a level 1 minion could do it in one standard action. A minion of a different type could easily free their master, or break the circle around the city if that's what the story calls for.

The cost is definantly a limiting factor. For a city of any size to use it it would be at least as expensive as traditional defenses, and far easier to destroy.

Idk it seems to offer utter fool-proof protection from a tarrasque who rarely has allies. Also the possibility of simply killing orcus' underlings who attempt to break the circle.

All that aside the idea that a lvl 15 or so wizard with 4 friends being able to without too much difficulty create a circle that permenantly and without the possibility of failure omits Orcus or a tarrasque in and of itself is ridiculously wrong imo.

 

[Abisashi]

The stat-block in the MM is only for combat; creatures may have non-combat abilities, at your discretion (I vote the Tarrasque pops the magic circle like a bubble and tramples everyone, because he is the ultimate destroyer). I do agree that rituals should scale differently than they do now, though.

 

[Flipguarder]

The stat-block in the MM is only for combat; creatures may have non-combat abilities, at your discretion (I vote the Tarrasque pops the magic circle like a bubble and tramples everyone, because he is the ultimate destroyer). I do agree that rituals should scale differently than they do now, though.

Is that a house rule, and if not whats the source?