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Sourcemaster2
Senior Scribe
USA
361 Posts |
 Posted - 09 May 2004 : 05:46:39
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How often is magic used in the Realms across large distances? Most long-range spells require high-level casters, but portals or certain magical devices can provide instantaneous transporation or communication. Are there any magical post offices, or portal terminals? Obviously these sort of things could only exist in wealthy and/or mage-heavy cities, but even so, couldn't, say, Waterdeep and Silverymoon be joined by a public portal? Think of the money taxed instant transport could bring. Of course, such magic would disrupt the economy unless carefully regulated, but the idea seems fairly sound. Some might think that it modernizes a world too much, but it appears logical enough.
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But what have all the passing years/Done, but breed new angers, fears?/Show me now an equal worth/To innocence I earned at birth. |
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2004 : 06:12:26
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I think the main thing to keep in mind regarding portals is that most rulers and ruling councils would consider them to be a whole new border to their kingdom/country. As such, they are potential points of invasion and should be dealt with as such. If it could be helped they would undoubtedly be shut down or at the very least guarded and regulated by the ruling body.
The Aurora's Guide does offer a solution that would be preferable to sovereigns with teleportation magics being used to transport objects over long distances without all the worries of invasion.
There are portals that are known and used to travel, but usually they are only known by a small number of people and are located in hard to find locations. Crossroads also exist which are made use of by druids, bards, and fae creatures, but again these are not known of by many.
I think the most commonly used method for long distance communication is probably the spell sending.
Sarta |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2004 : 07:34:26
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There are documented cases of public portals linking cities... There used to be one linking Myth Drannor and Silverymoon, until Khelben had to destroy it while the Army of Darkness attacked the city.
Also, the drow city of Undrek'Thoz is actually ten smaller cities, all linked through portals. Because of the portals, the ten cities are effectively one big city.
'Tis detailed in the Underdark sourcebook, pages 180-183. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2004 : 15:31:13
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There are no public gates in the Realms*; even the ill-thought-out Aurora's shops use teleport spells instead. Many gates are known (Secrets of the Magister lists a good many) but they're secret, guarded, and have many restrictions and dangers.
Yes, sending, followed by farspeak (which Ed suggested to me exists in two versions, one 5th-level and one 7th).
* I mean in the North, in the sense a Calishite would use. |
Edited by - Faraer on 09 May 2004 15:37:46 |
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Sourcemaster2
Senior Scribe
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2004 : 17:47:05
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| Sarta, I don't think that invasion would be that great a worry. After all, most portals are small, usually admitting a few people at most at a time, and it wouldn't be all that difficult to monitor them. Maybe a spell or special portal quality could make a portal close with a command word, it enemy forces did manage to penetrate its defenses. |
But what have all the passing years/Done, but breed new angers, fears?/Show me now an equal worth/To innocence I earned at birth. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2004 : 03:53:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Sourcemaster2
Sarta, I don't think that invasion would be that great a worry. After all, most portals are small, usually admitting a few people at most at a time, and it wouldn't be all that difficult to monitor them. Maybe a spell or special portal quality could make a portal close with a command word, it enemy forces did manage to penetrate its defenses.
A portal within the confines of a city could pose a serious threat to that city.
Sure, most portals are small and could only admit a few people at a time... So you slip in ahead of time, just a few people here and there... Your forces prepare on the other side. At the appointed time, the guys who already went thru secure the area around the portal. Now reinforcements start pouring through...
The portal may be the size of a regular doorway, but in five minutes there'd easily be 100 troops having gone thru, expanding the controlled area, and easily overwhelming the first defenders to respond.
In half a day, you've moved 2,000 troops from your home base into the heart of this city. Unless the defenders are some seriously awesome troops, it's almost guaranteed that the city will fall.
You also speak of special qualities that could close the portal with a command word. So the advance troops include some spies to find out who can invoke that command word, and someone with the means of silencing those individuals -- either a spellcaster with a simple silence spell, a thug to render the word-speaker unconcious, or the tried and true assassin, since dead men speak no command words. 
So, with all due respect, I must disagree with you. |
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SoulLord
Seeker
Mexico
62 Posts |
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Sourcemaster2
Senior Scribe
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2004 : 00:35:24
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| If one was going to have a portal within a city, there would have to be certain measures taken, such as detect evil spells, mind readings, and/or careful watch kept over the portal travelers. As for a silence spell, guards could be equipped with either a device to protect from silence, charms and the like, or have the area spelled to keep such magics from working. An alarm of some kind could be used to warn of an invasion, and a travelers-per-day limit wouldn't be too hard to establish, if needed, or one could only keep the portal open for certain hours of the day. Use of a public portal could also come with certain restrictions, such as being disarmed(of steel and magic) or possibly escorted/enchanted to keep them from causing too much trouble. All of this could even(with added expense, obviously) be linked into the portal itself. It would be a luxury, not something that just anyone could do, so restrictions could apply to the benifit of instant travel. |
But what have all the passing years/Done, but breed new angers, fears?/Show me now an equal worth/To innocence I earned at birth. |
Edited by - Sourcemaster2 on 11 May 2004 00:36:32 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2004 : 03:10:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Sourcemaster2
If one was going to have a portal within a city, there would have to be certain measures taken, such as detect evil spells, mind readings, and/or careful watch kept over the portal travelers. As for a silence spell, guards could be equipped with either a device to protect from silence, charms and the like, or have the area spelled to keep such magics from working. An alarm of some kind could be used to warn of an invasion, and a travelers-per-day limit wouldn't be too hard to establish, if needed, or one could only keep the portal open for certain hours of the day. Use of a public portal could also come with certain restrictions, such as being disarmed(of steel and magic) or possibly escorted/enchanted to keep them from causing too much trouble. All of this could even(with added expense, obviously) be linked into the portal itself. It would be a luxury, not something that just anyone could do, so restrictions could apply to the benifit of instant travel.
Yeah, but that still doesn't prevent someone from seizing the portal and using it to bring in their own troops.
You wanna use mind reading magics? Fine, send the advance troops in over land. Limits per day on number traveling through or on time in use? Seize the portal in early morn, then allow your troops through all day until the quota is reached or the time limit is over. Steel doesn't come through? So the advance troops bring in extra weapons and distribute them. Enchantments to prevent travelers from doing bad stuff? One of the advance troops is a wizard with dispelling magics ready.
Quite frankly, I don't see any way to secure a portal enough to make it secure and yet still usable to the public. |
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Lina
Senior Scribe
Australia
469 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2004 : 11:04:33
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| You speak of opening portals like it was as easy as snapping your fingers. Opening portals and keeping them open requires a large expenditure of energy, portals to other realms require a day of preparation, so unless the mage was a really high level magic user then I wouldn't worry about a full scale invasion. Plus most portals are safeguarded and located in really secure locations. |
“Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows! Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name. I pledge myself to darkness. All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed…by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!!!”
"Thieves? Ah, such an ugly word... look upon them as the most honest sort of merchant."
-Oglar the Thieflord |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2004 : 15:34:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Lina
You speak of opening portals like it was as easy as snapping your fingers. Opening portals and keeping them open requires a large expenditure of energy, portals to other realms require a day of preparation, so unless the mage was a really high level magic user then I wouldn't worry about a full scale invasion. Plus most portals are safeguarded and located in really secure locations.
I'm not sure if this is directed at me or not...
I'm not saying that opening a portal is an easy thing. What I'm saying is that having a portal that is within city limits and freely usable to the public would be a good avenue for an invasion. |
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SoulLord
Seeker
Mexico
62 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2004 : 17:03:32
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Presicesly In my current campaign y replaced kara-tur with rokugan because most of my players insisted on playing oriental characters.
and the assam portal leads deep into phoenix lands it will be interesting to see them act on regards of the portal when a planned invasion beginst to hit them
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Long-distance magic
