OK, i'm gonna try running as homebrew game, and in the setting, there is a portal underneath the capital city that leads to the abyss. Curently, the king keeps it "locked" closed with his magic. The problem i'm having is that i can't find a spell that fits that description. I mean, dimensional lock would work, but i don't want to prevent teleportation and all that other stuff, and the king isn't supposed to be an all-powerful wizard. All i want to do is prevent demons from destroying the city. Am i missing something, or is there just not a spell like this out there?
was a few in FR, was some really good portal rules there. Rule of thumb is"make stuff up" it does not have to be a spell, most gates have keys. They simply do not stand open(mostly) So who ever made it prob made the key
If there is such a spell I am sure folks will chime in with it.
A Forbiddance spell is permanent and if used on both sides of the gate (especially if the gate is big) would explain why you can travel close to the gate...
A permanent Antipathy spell could specifically keep the evil outsiders away without preventing travel to the gate...
All the king would have to do is occasionally "refresh" the magic with another casting of the appropriate spell from a caster level 20 staff... and since the spells themselves are low (ish) level he could recharge the staff too (since recharge is based on spell level and not caster level).
3.0 Manual of the Planes. Seal Portal is a 6th level Sor/Wiz spell, and you can find it on page 39 if you can find a copy of the book lying around, although for plot purposes, knowing what level it should be may suffice, I don't know.
Forbiddance spell is permanent and if used on both sides of the gate (especially if the gate is big) would explain why you can travel close to the gate...
This spell sounds like it is very nearly the one the OP is looking for, however walking (hopping, flying, swimming etc.) through the portal would still be possible. A demon would simply take 12d6 damage for doing so.
However, it could be used as a template for a more powerful spell, perhaps even an Epic level spell, that is more damaging.
Forbiddance spell is permanent and if used on both sides of the gate (especially if the gate is big) would explain why you can travel close to the gate...This spell sounds like it is very nearly the one the OP is looking for, however walking (hopping, flying, swimming etc.) through the portal would still be possible. A demon would simply take 12d6 damage for doing so.
However, it could be used as a template for a more powerful spell, perhaps even an Epic level spell, that is more damaging.
That spell combined with a locked adamant door with the harden spell cast on it (at suitably high caster level) that is enchanted as per the description for such in the environment rules should be enough to hold the demons back.
Or both spells... since the Antipathy spell is permanant... antipathy keeps them away and Forbiddance means they can't just skip by the Antipathy effect.
The forbiddance and antipathy spells seem pretty good for what i'm looking for. I also thought that a cool story for the portal is that each new king had to cast the spell. It lasts untill the day he dies, and at that time the new king has to recast the spell. How does that sound?
slight issue
Antipathy is an 8th lvl Wizard spell and Forbiddance is a 6th level Cleric spell. Casting both spells is a tall order for one person.
That is an issue... I didn't see those spells in any of the books that I have, so i just assumed they were both wizard spells. *sigh* just wishful thinking i suppose.
I also didn't realize antipathy it was an 8th lvl spell. The idea i have envisioned (invisioned?) was that the king would be a mid-lvl wizard (about 10th, give or take a few lvls). That's why i didn't just use dimensional lock, which is another 8th level spell.
That is an issue... I didn't see those spells in any of the books that I have, so i just assumed they were both wizard spells. *sigh* just wishful thinking i suppose.
So the king has to have cast them both? Because I would think he could find a cleric to cast the Antipathy spell...
or perhaps he's a mystic thuerge?
Since the one is permanent it could have been placed before his life time.
There are plenty of RP ways to get around a little thing like spells being on different lists especially for something like this.
Another issue, I just took a closer look at Antipathy. It isn't permanent, and isn't listed as one of the spellls that you can make permanent with the Permanency spell. It's duration is only 2 hrs/level, so I'm not sure what role it could play in permanent portal blocking.
Well, i could always just say that it is sealed, and if the PCs ask how just say by magic. I was just looking to see if there is a spell out there so that i could give them a real answer if they ask.
Another issue, I just took a closer look at Antipathy. It isn't permanent, and isn't listed as one of the spellls that you can make permanent with the Permanency spell. It's duration is only 2 hrs/level, so I'm not sure what role it could play in permanent portal blocking.
I got them backwards, Forbiddance is permanent one... however it is the lower level one too.
Could have a ritual to cast the Antipathy regularly.
or...
From the permanency spell:
"The GM may allow other spells to be made permanent."
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Ignore the level requirement for the spells. Try the following:
A long time ago a wizard (or wizard-king) created the portal and tied it's power to the crown. Whoever is crowned king can control the portal. When the king dies the portal is unlocked. If the king loses the crown then it had better be found before the he dies, or his heir will be unable to lock the portal.
It doesn't matter who is crowned king, just that it needs the crown, the formal ritual of crowning, and the previous king dead; that way the kingdom can have been overthrown in the past.
I'd suggest to link it to ritual magic, basically the only requirement is to be of the royal bloodline, it might require a few ranks in spellcraft or knowledge arcana / religion though to represent some basic training required of the crown's heir.
(so the power might actually be available to a prince in exile if he knows how to)
Alternatively it might just require royal blood as a key to either lock or unlock the gate, not too many people would know how the gate is kept sealed, just that the royal family keeps it so.
Enough room for plots there..
Rather than rely on a spell cast on the portal make the portal itself a magic item. Perhaps it was created by the king in combination with the high priest using the previously mentioned spells.
well portals by their nature are magical, but there might be a compelling history behind the sealing of the portal using the (now royal) bloodline of the hero that managed to seal it, perhaps at great sacrifice and a deity's blessing. which might well come in the form of a priest as you suggested.
(which in legend would quickly be retold as direct divine intervention)