Teleportation Circle destruction

[tk32]

The spell components in 5e is chalk and a year of casting to create a permanent teleportation circle. The players came across a teleportation circle that belongs to an enemy wizard. They have no wizards in the party and decided to shoot the sigils in the middle of battle with a shot gun like gun. (Steam punk campaign mixing wizardry with firearms! Ha!)

So really 3 issues here:

1. Can a year of wizard's work be destroyed by simply vandalizing and rubbing the chalk off the floor or the object?

2. Can shooting hundreds of pellets into the cigils - defacing them destroy the circle's capability to teleport as the Wizard is fleeing battle?

3. After the battle if carved on stone could some dwarves with a pickaxe destroy the circle or could the circle be buried in stone so when people teleport into it they teleport into a stone wall?

I like the freedom of 5e, but, I look at it both ways, if PCs ever get to the point of having access to use teleportation circles, they're going to regret destroying them....

Thoughts on what others have done for this?

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I think permanent means permanent (unless someone puts an antimagic field or something that disrupts teleportation in it). I don't think you can have "teleportation accidents" like 3. with the circle--you would end up in the nearest space outside the wall. Of course a space doesn't have to be filled to be dangerous--that is what sigils are for....

Personally I would let them think they had accomplished something, but as soon as reasonable, I would have a NPC tell them that teleportation circles don't work that way....

 

[jgsugden]

I treat it like a magic item. Harder to destroy than than normal materials, but destructible. The underlying surface is infused with the magic.

 

[BacchusNL]

I'd say it would take one Dispel Magic, or similiar effect, per sigil to render it destructable. And then I wouldn't be suprised if my DM asked for an arcana check aswell to wipe it out properly.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I'd say it would take one Dispel Magic, or similiar effect, per sigil to render it destructable. And then I wouldn't be suprised if my DM asked for an arcana check aswell to wipe it out properly.

I use a lot of Skill Challenge rituals in my game, and this would definitely be one. I like the idea of burning Dispel Magics to get it done, though I'd have the number of uses be determined by how well they do on the skill challenge. Greater success means less resources expended, makes sense to me.

 

[tk32]

Interesting, thanks for the ideas! Was wondering if there was a standard, but doesn't look like it. I'm o.k. with that, I like going with the flow or finding logical ways to do things rather than a clear cut rule. Why we really enjoy 5th edition. It's funny in the Rise of Tiamat we did last year, we had 2 clerics and a powerful wizard (a guy that new how to play a wizard well! ) And they could pretty much arcana anything. Heh. But now, they have no Arcane characters, so, they're all doing good role playing... Umm, I shoot the runes on the floor, I have no idea if that does anything or not. Heh.

I think it'll be minimally damaged, and they'll have to find additional ways to disable it if they want to negate it's use.

 

[aco175]

I like something more permanent, but able to short out or have a way to destroy. I would allow the PCs the ability to disrupt the circle since they thought about interacting with the environment. I would have some sort of attack or skill challenge to disable for a time. Something like this would allow the runes to heal and function once again in maybe 1d4 rounds. It rewards the PCs, but still leaves open the circle coming back and in play.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I would be inclined to say that they can damage it enough to stop it functioning, but that it can be repaired by a single new casting of teleportation circle--or maybe a few castings, over the course of a few days, depending on the extent of the damage.

 

[MarkB]

If you want to really sabotage the circle, dig it up intact, then install it upside-down on the ceiling, over a flaming spike pit.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

It’s permanent and not instantaneous so I imagine that if it is magical, it can be dispelled. In our game in which I am a player, we have found lots of old ruined circles that have needed to be reconstructed to use. A fairly easy ordeal with an arcana check and some materials. So in our game, while they can be destroyed fairly easily in mundane ways, they can be repaired without the heavy cost or time.