D&D 5E Simplified Outlands Spire effects--looking for suggestions

[Sword of Spirit]

I generally like the way that the 5e DMG simplified the effects of being on most planes to one or two significant things. This is much preferable to all the little +x/-x caster level nonsense of prior editions.

Now, that being said, I sometimes tweak it. For instance, I like using some of the interesting Planescape features such as magical flight not working on the Beastlands, or helping others being required for navigation on Elysium. I also tend to weaken the harshness of the DMG options to better work with a Planescape feel. So all of that "long rest" stuff turns into monthly, and specific towns/sites can completely negate it.

So that's where I'm coming from and the sort of result I'm looking for.

I'm having a problem coming up with something satisfying for the the way proximity to the Spire should affect magic. The charts from previous editions that specified what happened at each of the 9 or 10 rings moving inwards are too fiddly. At the same time, I'm having a hard time coming up with a lower granularity effect(s) that feels right.

Suggestions?

 

[cbwjm]

Didn't the rings just cancel out various spell levels? Why not just stick with that? You dont have to specifically note where each ring starts, it should be easy enough as DM to say "you've entered the next ring, 6th level and higher spells no longer function."

 

[Sword of Spirit]

That's the basic effect, but they also had a variety of other effects that get annulled at various rings. Most of them can just be ignored, but some of them, such as how psionics is supposed to work better than magic in a certain stretch, or how the abilities of the Powers are annulled at the base of the Spire, are interesting.