Teleport in BR

[Osprey]

IMO a truly low-magic setting would have to scrap the D&D magic system altogether, or at least 80% of it. Divination, enchantment, illusion, and some abjuration spells would be about all that would remain after eliminating the flashier stuff.

So basically, if you eliminated spellcasting clerics and true mages (leaving bards and magicians with some alterations), you could quite happily create a fairly low-magic D&D setting.

I mostly canned such spells IMC, just to prevent such problems. (Even Invisibility is non-existant, the best you can get is Chameleon Power, and Flying has never been invented either.) I do subscribe to the Shadow World angle though, and have replaced the "summoning" and other "planar" based spells to utilize the shadow world.

Yep - teleport, invisibility (esp. improved invisibility), and fly are 3 of the biggest game-breaking spells in D&D, because there is no real defense against them except by other equally-powerful spellcasters with the proper counter-magics. I run into it again and again: higher-level rogues with blink or improved invisibility are absolutely disgusting against mortal foes, and teleport creates all sorts of nightmarish high-magic scenarios - especially of there's a devious blood-hungry teleoprter on the loose -like the Gorgon, to name one blatant example (there's another thread talking about that subject, though).


I am still curious though, for those who use teleport, what actual mechanics are used to represent error/mishap? Anything consistent, or just ad hoc each time?

Osprey

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by Osprey+Mar 10 2005, 03:35 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Osprey &#064; Mar 10 2005, 03:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I am still curious though, for those who use teleport, what actual mechanics are used to represent error/mishap? Anything consistent, or just ad hoc each time? [/b]

I favour slapping people who misuse, rather than any mechanical system which might serve to punish someone for using it once but spare a serial abuser.

Besides, a warning is much more useful if people know it isn&#39;t random.

<!--QuoteBegin-Morgramen@ Mar 10 2005, 11:49 AM
I mostly canned such spells IMC, just to prevent such problems. (Even Invisibility is non-existant, the best you can get is Chameleon Power, and Flying has never been invented either.) I do subscribe to the Shadow World angle though, and have replaced the "summoning" and other "planar" based spells to utilize the shadow world.[/quote]

I am personally a bit loathe to do this, since flight and invisibility are "signature" powers of magic (at least to me). I wonder if a kind of "psionic invisibility" (people don&#39;t notice you, so long as you are not especially noticeable) might be an alternative. I must admit that I have been loathe to use flying in my games (and in yours Morg&#33 since wizards gliding around look a trifle daft - I&#39;d use some kind of shapechanging magic but the latest version of D&D seems to have nerfed polymorph-type spells because of their combat applications. Perhaps a Fly alternative might transform the caster into a bird or something similar for a reasonable duration? It&#39;s stylish and its "in genre" for a setting like Birthright.

P.S. I scoff at the idea that BR is "low magic", it simply is a different flavour of magic to typical D&D games - it has high magic, but it is magic that is interesting and toothsome, as opposed to the "magic shop" style of a lot of campaign settings.
If Cerilia is low magic, thenso is Mythic Europe - the Ars Magica setting - and I am also the Pope.

[epicsoul]

I am still curious though, for those who use teleport, what actual mechanics are used to represent error/mishap? Anything consistent, or just ad hoc each time?

It was mostly ad hoc initially... will dig out my old notes here, and post everything that I had created tonight, with luck. It started assembling into an actual system of rules for me after awhile...

[Cesari]

As I recall, the "travel spells go through the Shadow World" is actually in one of the books, not just a common house rule. In either case the realm spell Shadow Block from BoM would stop any and all teleporting and the like in the provinces it affects. And its the sort of spell many regents wouldn&#39;t mind paying for simply off its normal use.

As for Forbidance, I seem to recall it only being able to be cast on a consecrated religious site, but maybe thats on in 2nd edition. Not a problem for theocracies, but given the nature of some regents not the sort of thing a good (as in devout) priest should necessarily just do.

[Thomas_Percy]

Originally posted by Cesari@Mar 10 2005, 09:02 PM
As for Forbidance, I seem to recall it only being able to be cast on a consecrated religious site, but maybe thats on in 2nd edition.

Forbiddance can be cast not only at Concecrated/Desacrated land in the 3,5.
Evil cleric (or mage by Limited Wish) can cast it for an evil ruler.

[Cesari]

Well Forbidance is a 6th level spell so there really aren&#39;t that many people who can cast it. Rhober Niclair and Hubaere Armiendin are the only anuireans who spring to mind. Most people tend to be fairly low level.

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by Cesari@Mar 11 2005, 07:02 AM
As I recall, the "travel spells go through the Shadow World" is actually in one of the books, not just a common house rule. In either case the realm spell Shadow Block from BoM would stop any and all teleporting and the like in the provinces it affects. And its the sort of spell many regents wouldn&#39;t mind paying for simply off its normal use.

The BRCS, if you are inclined that way, states that the Shadow World replaces the transitive planes that are normally used for teleportation magic - see Manual of the Planes for the list of these spells.

Given this, it follows that blocking off the SW would also prevent these spells from functioning.

[Thomas_Percy]

Originally posted by Trithemius@Mar 11 2005, 06:10 AM
The BRCS, if you are inclined that way, states that the Shadow World replaces the transitive planes that are normally used for teleportation magic. Given this, it follows that blocking off the SW would also prevent these spells from functioning.

And from the other side:
Forbiddance, Dimension Lock and similiar spells block every intrusions from the Shadow World, so wild Gates can be sealed this way on the Eve of the Dead.

[Cesari]

And from the other side:
Forbiddance, Dimension Lock and similiar spells block every intrusions from the Shadow World, so wild Gates can be sealed this way on the Eve of the Dead.

But once again, just who exactly is supposed to be casting these spells? Regents can&#39;t just pull an 11th level priest out of their hat (In the case of Forbidance, don&#39;t know what level dimension lock is). There aren&#39;t very many priests in Cerilia who are that high level. I realize there are priests other than the regents who might be well leveled but birthright tends to run mid to low level for most NPCs

[Thomas_Percy]

And my lonesome evil Clr7 will destroy without leaving home all Seaharrow and kill archduke Aeric Boeruine.
Maximum 6000gp. Lesser Planar Ally. Succubus.
She teleports into Boeruine castle, casts Suggestions at hundred guards... if some of them succeded at Will save, she teleports to another chamber and repeats Suggestion.
Then my army will kill archduke and destroy his city.

best regards, Clr7, new tyrant of Boeruine