Teleportation Effects

[schporto]

Does anyone have rules to prevent/enhance teleportation magic?
Basically my issue is that were looking to go through some portion of war campaign. To me the whole teleportation magics would cause havoc to war. Therefore I think a large portion of the war effort would be in two or three magical devices.
1. A teleoportation shunt - A rod or standard in the ground that would shine like a beacon when a teleportation comes in range. Then delay that teleportation by a bit.
2. A teleportation deny - Again a rod in the ground that will block all teleportaiton magics. Anyone teleporting into that area fails.
3. Teleportation enhancers. A symbol on the ground that make teleporting into the area easier. Maybe bumping regular telport's familiarity with the area up a level.
ANy ideas/thoughts?
-cpd

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Depends on how much you are willing to alter how the base mechanics of spells work.

I use Elements of Magic: Revised in which you can create 'targeted anti-magic' areas that basically give an area a Spell Resistance {SR} versus a specific type of spell. Using this method your teleport deny rod would be a simple thing to make. An eyeball conversoin to Core would end up being Caster Level plus spell level times 2...

So you could have a 5th level caster toss a 3rd level Anti-Teleport that grants effective SR of 16 a 20' radius area. This would be enough to protect key points and push teleporters to just within melee striking distance of the Preatorian Guards you keep around important people.

Anti-Scry spells would be similiar.


The other option would be to go the way of Stephen Brust. Essentially you cannot readily teleport to a place you haven't marked. Decrease the familiarity by two steps for all casting, and have a cantrip that places a 'mark' to which the caster can easily return to. This makes Teleport more of an escape clause and makes them spies carrying wand of 'Port markers very interested in getting reall close

Unfortunately there are alot of spells within DnD that drastically alter the face of war, usually in ways that are difficult to imagine. Leomond Secure Shelter is one of them.
Summons, Scry's, and Constructs are another. A recent WOTC article displayed a true warforged siege engine.. a construct with built in intelligence, mobility and catapults.
Much of the addition of magic increases the mobility, and therefore the speed, of conflicts. This favors smaller elite teams over massed armies.

Anywho, enough of a sidetrek... I hope these ideas help and will keep an eye on the thread for better ones!

 

[jaker2003]

Some quick thoughts:

2) The Forbiddance spell (Clr 6) protects a staggeringly large area from teleportation effects and planar travel, as well as damaging creatures with an alignment different to the caster. It also has a permanent duration, so it would be perfect for an outpost or fortress.

3) You could design a new spell or magic item the functioned as a kind of reversed teleportation circle, redirecting any teleport effect landing within a certain range to the reversed Circle. It could automatically correct off-target teleports. If you have the Circle in a well-guarded area, you can ambush spellcasters and other high level attackers who try to teleport past your defences.

As for your teleportation shunt, maybe you could instead have a trap that transmutes rock to mud under incoming teleporters. Then it could dispel the effect, trapping the teleporters in 'cement boots'. An alarm effect can notify local patrols.

 

[RangerWickett]

Wow. This is useful stuff. I'm planning a bit of a war campaign myself, and it's good to see other people thinking along the same lines as me.

 

[schporto]

Based on Forbiddance I'm thinking a 7th level spell could cover a large (1 mile diameter) area without the damage, and possibly with a caster level days time range. Then a magic item can be based on this.
And a similar spell for anti-scry (thaks for mentioning those), probably a smaller area and about 5th level.
Probably a 5th level spell that provides a similar area coverge (1 mile diameter) but only sets an alarm off.
I would just think that teleportation and scry would be too scary of a thing in war. It would drastically change how things are done, and a response would be quickly forthcomming.
Constructs, summons I don't see has changing war as much. But when I can teleport a barrel of poison into the city's water supply, or look in on the secret meeting. Things get awkward quickly I think.
-cpd

 

[Nifft]

Take a look at the various Crystal Anchors (Psionic magic item in the XPH, and the SRD). That's a reasonably priced item which blocks those effects, and points out potential perps.

-- N

 

[glass]

I believe there are also some anti-teleporter spells in the Miniatures Handbook (or was it Heroes of Battle?). One or the other.


glass.

 

[starwed]

You should read Steven Brust's novel Dragon. (Part of the Vlad Taltos series.) The main character discusses the use of magic in warfare quite a bit. And the two armies in the book have teleportation blocks up over the entire region they're fighting in.

 

[Napftor]

You'll definitely find some useful rules in Behind the Spells: Teleport.

 

[Nifft]

IMC, teleportation effects make noise. A lot of noise.

When you teleport, you are out of the time-space continuum for 3 rounds, and during this time, your the point of your re-entry buzzes louder and louder (DC 10, DC 5, DC 0 listen checks). When you actually enter or leave, it's with a burst of thunder. (DC -10 listen check.)

Dimension door makes a *bampfh* noise (DC 5 listen check).

Plane shift is serious thunder. DC -20 listen check.

Flying makes a distinctive buzzing noise, exactly as loud as if you were walking. You can muffle this sound using the lower of your Move Silently and Spellcraft checks.

There are stealthy ways to travel -- shadow walk and wind walk are popular (the former makes only a DC 15 ripping sound), as is phantom steed.

Cheers, -- N