Thinking more about potential mindscape abuses, it struck me that Create Mindscape combined with Possession is a nearly unbeatable infiltration/spying method in an urban environment.
A 10th level Psychic can cast enlarged Create Mindscape with a 1600 ft range (or 800 ft without metamagic) and no line of sight requirement to target anyone he can envision within range. Then he casts Possession within the mindscape to take over the target's body. Then he exits the mindscape. Now his mind is in the target's body, his body is safe wherever he left it (presumably his well guarded home or an anonymous safe inn room with a locked door), and the only thing an outsider saw was the target stand still for 12 seconds before "snapping out of it." The psychic can then proceed to wander around the palace (or whatever) as a guard or servant (or the king!) for 10 hours, scouting, sabotaging, or suicide spell casting as he wants.
Can anyone think of any useful security protocols to stop or discourage this sort of thing?
Let's see...
Exiting the Mindscape should be as easy for the target as it is for the caster. So if the victims make their save, the whole plan is moot. But if the caster is disguised or hidden, the target still won't know who tried to pull this stunt.
the only thing an outsider saw was the target stand still for 12 seconds before "snapping out of it."
The target should fall down, since their body is unable to take any actions. But that's not much of a defence either, merely an inconvenience.
As a standard action, you can shift freely back to your own body regardless of range, so long as it remains on the same plane.
This limitation isn't repeated for other ways the caster might return to their body, but since the spell was cast inside the Mindscape, it stands to reason the body that one returns to is the one inside the Mindscape too. And that's on another plane, so "suicide runs" are out. In fact, you'd need to
I'm still coming up short though. Short of being a Duergar, there doesn't seem to be much of a defence against this combo.
Protection from evil will block the possession of the possessor is evil. Protection from Law if lawful ect.
School abjuration [good]; Level cleric 1, paladin 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance no; see text
This spell wards a creature from attacks by evil creatures, from mental control, and from summoned creatures. It creates a magical barrier around the subject at a distance of 1 foot. The barrier moves with the subject and has three major effects.
First, the subject gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saves. Both these bonuses apply against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures.
Second, the subject immediately receives another saving throw (if one was allowed to begin with) against any spells or effects that possess or exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment [charm] effects and enchantment [compulsion] effects, such as charm person, command, and dominate person. This saving throw is made with a +2 morale bonus, using the same DC as the original effect. If successful, such effects are suppressed for the duration of this spell. The effects resume when the duration of this spell expires. While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target. This spell does not expel a controlling life force (such as a ghost or spellcaster using magic jar), but it does prevent them from controlling the target. This second effect only functions against spells and effects created by evil creatures or objects, subject to GM discretion.
Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by evil summoned creatures. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching the warded creature. Summoned creatures that are not evil are immune to this effect. The protection against contact by summoned creatures ends if the warded creature makes an attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. Spell resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature.
This is just a more targeted way to pull off the old magic jar tricks. The same defenses work against it. If I were a King, I would have my court Wizard keep the Magic Circle spells up on me all day.
If I were a King, I would have my court Wizard keep the Magic Circle spells up on me all day.
And on the Queen? And your children? Lackeys? Mistress? Court physician? Visiting dignitaries?
Blanket protections of any kind are dull. But in this case, one is needed.The problem with this spell combo isn't that it might work though. The problem is that you can easily get away with it when it fails, and try another day or another target. The fail-safe is just too good.
You can't draw someone into a mindscape if they are prevented from getting to the Astral Plane. The King's Keep could be defended with Forbiddance.
School abjuration; Level cleric 6
Casting Time 6 rounds
Components V, S, M (holy water and incense worth 1,500 gp, plus 1,500 gp per 60-foot cube), DF
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area 60-ft. cube/level (S)
Duration permanent
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance yes
Forbiddance seals an area against all planar travel into or within it. This includes all teleportation spells (such as dimension door and teleport), plane shifting, astral travel, ethereal travel, and all summoning spells. Such effects simply fail automatically.
In addition, it damages entering creatures whose alignments are different from yours. The effect on those attempting to enter the warded area is based on their alignment relative to yours (see below). A creature inside the area when the spell is cast takes no damage unless it exits the area and attempts to reenter, at which time it is affected as normal.
Alignments identical: No effect. The creature may enter the area freely (although not by planar travel).
Alignments different with respect to either law/chaos or good/evil: The creature takes 6d6 points of damage. A successful Will save halves the damage, and spell resistance applies.
Alignments different with respect to both law/chaos and good/evil: The creature takes 12d6 points of damage. A successful Will save halves the damage, and spell resistance applies.
At your option, the abjuration can include a password, in which case creatures of alignments different from yours can avoid the damage by speaking the password as they enter the area. You must select this option (and the password) at the time of casting. Adding a password requires the burning of additional rare incenses worth at least 1,000 gp, plus 1,000 gp per 60-foot cube.
Dispel magic does not dispel a forbiddance effect unless the dispeller's level is at least as high as your caster level.
You can't have multiple overlapping forbiddance effects. In such a case, the more recent effect stops at the boundary of the older effect.
Forbiddance.
Ah, good call!
Even better would be a hallow spell with dimensional anchor tied to it as this would not have the side effect of hurting those not of your alignment. Come to think of it, I am going to use this in the future for any kings or queens in my campaigns.
School evocation [good]; Level cleric 5, druid 5
Casting Time 24 hours
Components V, S, M (herbs, oils, and incense worth at least 1,000 gp, plus 1,000 gp per level of the spell to be included in the hallowed area), DF
Range touch
Area 40-ft. radius emanating from the touched point
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance see text
Hallow makes a particular site, building, or structure a holy site. This has four major effects.
First, the site is warded by a magic circle against evil effect.
Second, the DC to resist positive channeled energy within this area gains a +4 sacred bonus and the DC to resist negative energy is reduced by 4. Spell resistance does not apply to this effect. This provision does not apply to the druid version of the spell.
Third, any dead body interred in a hallowed site cannot be turned into an undead creature.
Finally, you can fix a single spell effect to the hallowed site. The spell effect lasts for 1 year and functions throughout the entire site, regardless of the normal duration and area or effect. You may designate whether the effect applies to all creatures, creatures who share your faith or alignment, or creatures who adhere to another faith or alignment. At the end of the year, the chosen effect lapses, but it can be renewed or replaced simply by casting hallow again.
Spell effects that may be tied to a hallowed site include aid, bane, bless, cause fear, darkness, daylight, death ward, deeper darkness, detect evil, detect magic, dimensional anchor, discern lies, dispel magic, endure elements, freedom of movement, invisibility purge, protection from energy, remove fear, resist energy, silence, tongues, and zone of truth. Saving throws and spell resistance might apply to these spells' effects. (See the individual spell descriptions for details.)
An area can receive only one hallow spell (and its associated spell effect) at a time. Hallow counters but does not dispel unhallow.
Let's see...
Exiting the Mindscape should be as easy for the target as it is for the caster. So if the victims make their save, the whole plan is moot. But if the caster is disguised or hidden, the target still won't know who tried to pull this stunt.
the only thing an outsider saw was the target stand still for 12 seconds before "snapping out of it."The target should fall down, since their body is unable to take any actions. But that's not much of a defence either, merely an inconvenience.
As a standard action, you can shift freely back to your own body regardless of range, so long as it remains on the same plane.This limitation isn't repeated for other ways the caster might return to their body, but since the spell was cast inside the Mindscape, it stands to reason the body that one returns to is the one inside the Mindscape too. And that's on another plane, so "suicide runs" are out. In fact, you'd need to
I'm still coming up short though. Short of being a Duergar, there doesn't seem to be much of a defence against this combo.
1. The target has the same method of escape as the caster. It doesn't have to be easy, an example in the mindscape section of OA is to to use the front door of a manor as the escape criteria. But you and your victim can appear in the attic of the manor, with you between the target and the exit. Plenty of time to cast your Possession spell before they take X turns to find and use the exit in an unfamiliar, possibly complex building.
2. The target absolutely should not fall down. The mindscape rules make it clear that you're not helpless (you can't be coup de graced) while in a mindscape, and ruling otherwise would make both sides in a psychic duel fall prone, which clearly isn't intended.
3.The fact that the minscape is on the ethereal (edit: astral?) plane and there would be planar interactions is a good one.
You can't draw someone into a mindscape if they are prevented from getting to the Astral Plane. The King's Keep could be defended with Forbiddance.
I can understand ruling this way, but I'm not convinced that a dimensional anchor or forbiddance stops entry to a mindscape. While it does create something on the astral plane, it's an illusion (phantasm), and I'm not sure that this really counts as the sort of dimensional travel that these spells prevent.
But I do like it, and it slightly limits the options for this. Now you have to possess a guard at the gate and wait for him to go off shift before you go murder the king, rather than grab a guard in the throne room or make the king himself jump off the highest tower.
Protection from evil will block the possession of the possessor is evil. Protection from Law if lawful ect.
** spoiler omitted **...
I know all about the standard protections, but magic circle against only has a 10 min/level duration, so you can't keep all of these up all of the time. And you can be of an unprotected alignment (N casters are never affected by these), or simply dispel them before you possess. And if you trap them in a mindscape that you designed you'll have lots of opportunities to dispel before they can get to the exit.
Honestly, I think the best defense that would have to pop up would be low level magic users constantly on patrol with detect magic. This should probably exist anyway at entry points to identify anyone using a magical disguise (disguise self/alter self), but now you need it internally, too, to stop non-line of sight/non-line of affect mindscape attacks that deliver possession, charm, or dominate effects. You won't be able to stop a straight up assassination that way, though.
it's an illusion (phantasm)
It is, except... it violates about half the rules of the Illusion school anyway:
This impression is totally in the minds of the subjects. It is a personalized mental impression, all in their heads
Mindscapes are temporary constructs of the mind that come into being on the Astral Plane