Waypoint Style Teleportation (3.5e Variant Rule)

Author: Tarkisflux (talk) Co-Authors: Wildmage Date Created: 08-01-2012 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Teleportation "Fix"

Introduction

The Short of it is, I believe that the travel from point A to point B can be a great part of the adventure or history, as much as point A or B in themselves, the Teleport line of spells totally remove the journey from many adventures/histories so I made this fix for that:

Addet bonus No more scry'n'die tactics.

Rule Mechanics

First we add

Anchor Points

Anchor points are magical markings of a fixed location that allow for direct and error free warp travel. They are unique symbols that are determined by their location, their creator, and the ambient magical conditions at the time of their creation. They can be seen by anyone with the ability to detect magic. Most anchor points are copied into a notebook to be referenced during casting.

Finding new anchor points

Because they can be used as a relatively cost effective travel mechanism, and also serve to funnel visitors into a specific area, many cities and towns have public and well known anchor points. These are generally printed or posted in a public place, some may even be drawn on the area that they anchor. Vendors may also sell maps with corresponding anchor points depicted near the cities they serve.

Private anchor points also exist of course, but knowledge of them is harder to come by. These sigils can easily be given to trusted companions or family members as a way to come home more quickly. Pieces from personal libraries may contain recorded anchor symbols that were relevant to the owner. And of course detect magic will also reveal an anchor point in an area (yes, even while scrying), so any caster with access to an area can just look around to find any existing anchor points.

Making an anchor point

Creating anchor points is a simple ritual; knowledge of the spell is not required to create these points, but knowledge of the spell automatically confers knowledge of the ritual. The process requires a gemstone of semiprecious or greater value to serve as a focus that is not expended. Making an anchor point requires four successful DC 20 knowledge (arcana) checks to set the point. The first check is made 15 minutes after beginning the ritual, with another check every 15 minutes until you have reached four successes. Anchor sigils are unique, as much a product of location as creator, and some special or magically unique areas may require more difficult checks, more successful checks, allow fewer failures, or be entirely unanchorable (many areas deep underground are in this last category).

Anchor points may also be strengthened by making an additional four successful checks, the DC for these checks is equal to the previous create / strengthen DC +2. Anchor sigils can be strengthened in this fashion up to 11 additional times. The strength of an anchor sigil is obvious to anyone viewing it with detect magic. Strengthening is generally performed on public anchors to make them resistant to pranksters removing them, since a sigil strengthened 11 times requires at least two hours to remove. It is less common on private sigils.

If removed, an anchor sigil can be remade on the same location using the standard creation above; remade sigils are similar but not identical to the old sigil and thus cannot be reached without knowing the updated sigil. Someone attempting to recreate the old sigil can do so, but must have a copy of it available for reference, and the initial creation DC increases by 5. This increased DC does not apply to later strengthening attempts.

Destroying anchor points

Once made, anchor points are not especially difficult to remove. Permanently destroying an anchor point requires one or more knowledge (arcana) checks. The DC for these checks begins at 15, plus 2 for each level of strengthening that the anchor sigil has received. Each check to weaken an anchor point requires 10 minutes and a gemstone of semiprecious or greater value to serve as a focus that is not destroyed in the attempt. If you succeed one layer of strengthening is removed and the DC is reduced by 2 points. When the DC has been reduced to 15, a successful check destroys the anchor point. You receive a +3 bonus to these checks if you created the anchor point.

Spells

then you replace

SRD:Teleport with Teleport,

SRD:Greater Teleport with Greater Teleport and

SRD:Teleportation Circle with Teleportation Circle

Other

and last any creature or item that had the ability to use any of the the above as Sp, Ex, Ps or Su loses them but instead gains:

(YY) Dimension Door/X day

(YY) Same spell as they had before just the fixed version behind/X day

Were (YY) is the same type of special ability they had before and X is equal to the number of times they could use the (YY) before the fix.

Examples

Normaly Erinyes got (Sp): At Will - Greater Teleport that they lose but instead gain:

(Sp) Dimension Door at will

(Sp) Greater Teleport at will

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