Let's ban Teleport!

[MerakSpielman]

Here's something I just thought of to help prevent the SBT strategy. Even if the PCs are unsure whether this spell is active, the mere knowlege that it exists might serve to curb their actions:

Teleport Trap
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 24 hours
Range: Touch
Area: 300' radius
Duration: Permanent (see text)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistence: No

Teleport Trap serves the function of redirecting those who attempt to teleport within the affected area to a specific location, which itself must be within the area of effect. Typically, victims are redirected to a cage, the lair of a powerful monster, or a death trap.
The area of the spell is a 300' radius centered on a touched object (the "object" could simply be a wall or floor). A single casting of Teleport Trap can redirect a number of teleport spells equal to the level of the caster before its magic disperses and it no longer shields the area.
The specific location to which those who trigger the spell are redirected must be designated when the spell is cast and cannot be redesignated. The designated location cannot be within a solid object. If the designated space is occupied at the time the Teleport Trap is triggered, those being redirected will be shunted off to the nearest available open space. The designated location must itself be within the area of effect of the spell.
While still in effect, Teleport Trap also functions to disrupt teleportation and other spells within its area, as Dimensional Ancher.
Teleport Trap cannot be dispelled unless the dispelling magic is targeted directly at the specific object upon which it is centered.
Material Component: Gems worth a total of 5000gp, which must be destroyed as part of an elaborate ritual.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Scry-Buff-Teleport has got all kinds of issues, mostly solved by strictly following the RAW. I think if you strictly follow the rules, and add a few 3rd party spells into the mix, it becomes a very poor tactical choice.

1. Scry is not very specific about what you see. You see with "full visual acuity." Although many DM's do this, there is nothing in the spell description to imply that the viewer has any ability to "move the camera" so to speak. You can see the subject's "immediate surroundings," and that's all.

2. Teleport requires you to be familiar with the area that you teleport to. The minimum requirement is "Viewed Once." Depending on the situation, Viewed Once (with a 1 in 4 chance of screwup) may be the best you can do. More often it would be Seen Casually, but that still has a 1 in 8 chance of screwing up (according to 3.5 rules).

3. As has been mentioned, there are plenty of spells in the Core Rules that can affect Scrying and Teleportation. Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum is just a 5th level spell, and if you know you're being scryed, used a charged item of that to ward yourself completely. Hallow and Unhallow can also block teleport. Nondetection can help make you unlocateable via Scrying, and is pretty low level. I'm sure there are some more.

4. 3rd party spells. Monte Cook has some good ones in the Complete Book of Eldritch Might. Just let the PC's hear that a spell like "Teleport Redirect" exists, and watch S-B-T attempts drop like Michael Jackson's record sales.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

DOUBLE POST

 

[Piratecat]

DOUBLE POST

While you were editing the first post, I was deleting the second one. Sorry about that -- but profanity filter or no, please have the conversation without profanity.

 

[MerakSpielman]

1. Scry is not very specific about what you see. You see with "full visual acuity." Although many DM's do this, there is nothing in the spell description to imply that the viewer has any ability to "move the camera" so to speak. You can see the subject's "immediate surroundings," and that's all.

2. Teleport requires you to be familiar with the area that you teleport to. The minimum requirement is "Viewed Once." Depending on the situation, Viewed Once (with a 1 in 4 chance of screwup) may be the best you can do. More often it would be Seen Casually, but that still has a 1 in 8 chance of screwing up (according to 3.5 rules).

The spell description for Teleport specifically mentions Scry as a method for studying your destination.
From the SRD description of Teleport:

“Very familiar” is a place where you have been very often and where you feel at home. “Studied carefully” is a place you know well, either because you can currently see it, you’ve been there often, or you have used other means (such as scrying) to study the place for at least one hour. “Seen casually” is a place that you have seen more than once but with which you are not very familiar. “Viewed once” is a place that you have seen once, possibly using magic.

 

[Talon5]

Couple of points that I have caught thus far in their Thread that seem to be getting lost along the way-

- Thanee came up with the idea to bane TP while playing not GMing (this tells me quite a bit about how Thanee plays- "its not the destination, its how you got there that matters.")

- Thanee is not looking to run LotR or a LotR type campaign

- Thanee seems to be looking to keep the "travel campaign" that gets so many characters to higher levels alive and well so that it can be continued through higher levels

- Options/suggestions for TP (extra time to cast, additional time to arrive, limited passengers, etc) spells seem not to be an option to her suggestion (note- I am unclear on this point, as I don't recall Thanee talking about these options very much if at all)


And this last one- which she has made very clear but seems to keep getting ignored-

- Thanee is not looking to run LotR or a LotR type campaign

- oh, last point- PirateCat and Gez are both funny

 

[WizarDru]

Now come on, you're making an ex post facto handwave just as much as Flexor is, only in the opposite direction. While teleport may be nice to have, there's nothing about it that's intrinsically necessary for a high-level game. Exalted, for example, doesn't have any long-range teleportation AFAIK, and still manages to be OTT fantasy.

That's a pretty fair assessment, although my point was that D&D works just fine with Teleport in it. You're right to call me on the handwave.

But keep it up and I'll make you cry again.

 

[Thanee]

Started to post then realized something- Reduce Person isn't a spell? No, wait it is, its a 3.5e spell. We play 3.0e, I didn't say that and your a 3.5e gamer, there in lies our misunderstanding regarding that point. Aplogies- I should have mentioned that.

Actually I know you're playing 3.0, but I thought Reduce Person was also in 3.0. Didn't remember, that it worked differently there (as it seems, havn't checked).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

While you were editing the first post, I was deleting the second one. Sorry about that -- but profanity filter or no, please have the conversation without profanity.

It doesn't matter, but I'm sorry for causing a problem. I'm just sick of Hong's jerky attitude but my post isn't going to do much about it anyway. I'll just put him on my ignore list, the first and last member and that should take care of it in the future.

 

[Gez]

And this last one- which she has made very clear but seems to keep getting ignored-

- Thanee is not looking to run LotR or a LotR type campaign

Yes, but she did use LotR as an example of why teleport could screw plots up; and I merely replied why I thought it wasn't necessarily true.

On the raw "I want to ban teleport" factor, I've no problems with. While it simplifies some DM plotting by preventing players from avoiding some travels, it can pose balance problems with printed adventures or campaigns where it is assumed players can teleport. However, this is of no consequence -- I assume when a DM makes a house-rule (even if at the suggestion of a player), said DM will pay attention to the effects of the modification.

- oh, last point- PirateCat and Gez are both funny