My GM asked me to do him a favor: do some extra research on ways to travel to another plane. He didn't specify which planes, but he did mention that he wanted to see how low a level a party can be and still pull it off. He said that the most reliable way he's found was doable at level 15, but wants me to find a way to do it any earlier than that. This may be relevant in our current campaign, but we're all level 2 right now so it probably won't be for a while.
So far, all I've found is the spell Shadow Walk, and I'm not even sure which other planes you can get to with it. So I'm hoping the Messageboard Hive Mind has some more suggestions.
Most other planes aren't too hospitable to Material Plane natives, so any advice you can give me on surviving the conditions of a plane once you get there would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Well a level 3-4 party could pool their resources together to buy a portable hole and a bag of holding. That would get them to the Astral Plane easily.
Getting back is another matter though.
if your dm want you to travel to another plane for *insert quest here* he can create a medium for your party to get there wheither it be a gateway at the bottom of some ruins, or a book that lets you open a door way once a day or something like that
Plane Shift is a 5th level Cleric spell.
I think a Staff of Planes might be the easiest way. It can be recharged with a 4th level Cleric/Druid spell. (Planar Adaption, which lets you survive the hostile conditions on any given plane -- 5th level Wizard spell) -- But you need the version two levels higher to use on others (and it only lasts an hour a level) -- Using Plane Shift is 5 charges and the staff is worth about 64k.
Modify it slightly (say 10 minute casting time if using Plane Shift), and possibly changing Planar Binding, and I don't think it would harm balance overmuch. I suggest the change to the casting time to avoid having it used as a "get out of here quick" device.
If it just needs to be a particular plane, I'd suggest some sort of stationary portal.
The Well of Many Worlds (Wondrous Item, looks like a Portable Hole), opens up to a random plane/dimension/whatever when it is used. This changes when it is moved. Two-way portal. Modify it a bit so it opens to just one place or that any given location opens to the same place and it could be used. 82k. Doesn't help you survive.
A Custom Wondrous Item with Plane Shift usable 1/day might cost something like 20k. Might cost a similar amount in addition for Planar Protection whilst on a non-native plane.
There are LOTS of planes that are fairly hospitable, btw. So Planar Protection isn't needed on many planes.
Declindgrunt wrote: if your dm want you to travel to another plane for *insert quest here* he can create a medium for your party to get there wheither it be a gateway at the bottom of some ruins, or a book that lets you open a door way once a day or something like that Some sort eldritch device standing against a wall. It would need some sort of control mechanism that let's you push runes or something. That would indicate the destination. It would naturally connect to a network of similar portals.
Drachasor wrote: A Custom Wondrous Item with Plane Shift usable 1/day might cost something like 20k. 22,500 to craft, double that to buy.
An astral flying ship captained by a merchant-wizard? It travels from outpost to outpost and through color pool portals into various planes. The ship needs brave guards and hands as it travels. It stays at some outposts and planar spots for a few days or a week, letting PCs explore the area before moving on.
Some color pools might only open at certain times (time still passes on the Astral plane, though thirst, hunger, and aging are suspended) so it might have to wait in a hostile area if its timing isn't right.
Mortalis wrote: Drachasor wrote: A Custom Wondrous Item with Plane Shift usable 1/day might cost something like 20k. 22,500 to craft, double that to buy. Eh, I based on Plane Shift for a Cleric (and gave it CL 10 for funsies). That's 5*10*1800/5, or 18000. Half that (9k) to craft).
If we went with the Wizard version (level 7), that's 13*7*1800/5=32760, and half that to craft (16380).
Hard to figure where something like this fits in balance-wise though. So a bit rough to compare to other items. But the above range doesn't seem unreasonable given the limited use. I'd probably tack on a 10-minute usage usage time, and maybe increase the rate to 1/week. Just to help make sure it wasn't abusable.
Seems I've been figuring it out wrong. :)
Thanks for that, although it make me wonder why anyone would intentionally make an item with 5+ charges per day when it costs the same or less for an 'on command' version.
Evil(ish) Clerics can pull some planar travel at 7th level with lesser planar ally to request assistance of a nightmare which can use plane shift once per day. Wizards of any alignment can do it at 9th.
Could a low level party pay a high level NPC to plane shift them?
A scroll of Plane Shift costs a mere 1,125gp, and a first level wizard or cleric could use it on a D20 roll of 9+.
At 15th level visiting different planes should really be a trivial matter.
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The answer is too dependent on unknown variables.
Is this the case of a GM wanting to set a plane hopping campaign? If it's for a low level party the best method is to hook the party up with an artifact that they have practically no understanding or control over. (much like the TARDIS :) And use it to move them from point to point through his campaign story. The beauty of this is that there's no worry about what the rules are for having the thing made... it's just here, dragging us through worlds, and we need to stay on until it brings us home again.
More of those answers also depend on what kind of planes he wants to move you through. If it's alternative versions of the Prime Material campaign. (Pathfinder Sliders!) then that takes care of most of the habitability questions. So the artifact may be something very much like the Slider's timer device. Only the secret to moving on might finding the key to an exit.
If the GM wishes to introduce planar travel at low levels without offering the PCs the full array of (rather overwhelming) planar options, a cubic gate can be introduced into the campaign (ideally one that has 'the Material Plane' as one of its six sides so the party has a ride home). The real question - one left a little unclear in the item description - is whether the cubic gate is permanently attached to the same six 'random' locations (in other words, they're randomly determined when the gate is first created), or whether 'random' means that the location is shuffled every time the item is activated. The answer depends on the GM, I suppose. That's up to the GM, I suppose.
If he just wants them to travel to one plane at a time, a patron assigning adventures can provide the means (scrolls of plane shift, services from a summoned genie or efreeti), which also keeps things under the DM's control.
Alternately, a portal in a dungeon (fixed to only go to whichever plane(s) the GM wants to deal with) could do the same.
Otherwise, a 9th level cleric is probably the easiest generally available way to go wherever you want. "Wherever you want" is kind of dangerous, though.
Thanks again everybody!
I'm not sure "plot device" is really going to satisfy what my GM asked for. I think he enjoys playing with the RAW-- he's not the kind to include something if he can't point to the book or .pdf it came out of, in case rules questions come up.
I'm also not sure exactly how planar travel is going to work into the campaign, since I'm not the GM and he doesn't want to spoil the plot of the campaign for me. All I know is "brainstorm ways to get to another plane".
@LazarX: I'm pretty sure we're talking about canonical planes only. I've given you all the info my GM is willing to give me, so basically we're just brainstorming ways to get off-plane at this point.
@Lincoln Hills: I checked the SRD for Cubic Gate, and it doesn't say anything about randomly chosen planes. From what I can see, the crafter would have to choose the Material Plane as one of the six sides, and is free to choose any other five he wants. Is there another version you're thinking of?
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Silent Saturn wrote: Thanks again everybody!
I'm not sure "plot device" is really going to satisfy what my GM asked for. I think he enjoys playing with the RAW-- he's not the kind to include something if he can't point to the book or .pdf it came out of, in case rules questions come up.
If rules questions come up about a DM created device, your DM can remind the questioner who's running the game. If person really insists on a raw interpretation, remind them that it's an artifact. An artifact is a magical device that breaks the rules. End of story.
If your GM is running the campaign getting you off the planes is HIS problem, not yours, I've given you a model on how to solve it. The problem with many novice DMs is that they let the rules hang them up and forget what they are for. Rules are there to serve the game, not the other way around.
Using an artifact method like this is really the only way to do this for low levels, the only other way is to run a campaign that's built on a series of one way gates, C. J. Cherryh style. Party steps into first gate, has to travel gate by gate until they find the one that brings them home.
Really comes down to two overall choices:
Players reach the levels needed to cast the appropriate spells ... roughly 9th minimum for Plane Shift using the Core Rules, earlier perhaps with specific spells from more specific campaign settings (which is just as "canonical" but specific for the setting in question). See the next paragraph for one specific example.
The DM decides he wants it to happen at which point it happens even with 1st level characters with 0xp earned. See the Planescape campaign setting and Sigil the City of Doors both of which go back to AD&D days of the game. The Forgotten Realms is also known for having numerous portals of varying degrees of reliability and ease of use. Either setting could easily have beginning characters involved in planar travel.
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