Wizardry: Gate Spells III
Let's tackle the difficult ones. Blink is a cool spell, but insubstantiality in GURPS costs a lot (and for a good reason), so I had to think hard about how to make it affordable. Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion is based on the pocket dimension variant of Jumper, but due to its huge cost, I had to include character point expenditure. Also, unseen servants, supplies, and furniture had to go. Rope Trick is another pocket dimension spell based on the write up by Rindis.
Blink
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 40 points or 120 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 1 second.
Range: Self.
Duration: 18 seconds.
Like a blink dog, you “blink” back and forth between the plane you are currently on and the Ethereal Plane. This spell only works on planes of existence that border the Ethereal Plane, and only if you are carrying no more than your Light encumbrance. You look as though you’re winking in and out of reality very quickly and at random.
Blinking has several effects, as follows.
Attacks against you miss on a roll of 1-3 on a 1d. If the attack is capable of striking ethereal beings and physical beings, then there is no miss chance. Likewise, your own attacks have the same chance of missing, since you sometimes go ethereal just as you are about to strike.
Whenever a spell or ability is used on you, roll 1d. On 1-3, you are treated as a material being, and on 4-6 you are treated as an ethereal being. Spells and abilities that can affect both substantial and insubstantial beings work normally on you. Likewise, your own spells and abilities have the same drawback (often this means that your skill roll is at -3, if you are insubstantial, but your target is not).
Despite being partially ethereal, you cannot move through solid obstacles or disregard gravity and move vertically.
Since you spend about half your time on the Ethereal Plane, you can see and even attack ethereal creatures. You interact with ethereal creatures roughly the same way you interact with material ones. You watch the Material Plane as though viewing it through distorted and frosted glass (treat this as a straightforward -4 to spot objects at any range, and -8 to resolve fine details).
When using the basic (40-point) version of this spell, your abilities with Affect Substantial do not function under the effect of this spell. When using the improved (120-point) version, your abilities with Affect Substantial work properly and without the 1-in-2 chance of not working or working at a penalty.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Self Only, -50%; Advantage, Blink, +420%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Duration, 1/10, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [40]. Note: “Blink” is Insubstantiality (Accessibility, Works only half the time, -20%; Accessibility, Only on the Ethereal Plane and planes that border it, -5%; Can Carry Objects, Light Encumbrance, +20%; Cannot walk through solids, -20%; Magical, -10%; No Vertical Move, -10%; Temporary Disadvantage, Bad Sight (Low Resolution), Only against material world, -20%) [28] + See Invisibility (Ethereal; Magical, -10%) [14]. The improved version adds Affect Substantial, +100% to Insubstantiality [+80].
Contact Other Plane
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 32 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 10 minutes.
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You send your mind to another plane of existence (an Elemental Plane or some plane farther removed) in order to receive advice and information from powers there. (See the accompanying table for possible consequences and results of the attempt.) The powers reply in a language you understand, but they resent such contact and give only brief answers to your questions. (The GM answers all questions with “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” “never,” “irrelevant,” or some other one-word answer.) You can only ask one question per casting. You may ask questions about yourself or anyone present and within reach. You may ask a general question that affects many people (e.g., “Will the tsunami hit our coast?”) as long as least one of those people is present.
|
Plane Contacted |
Avoid IQ Decrease |
True Answer |
Don’t Know |
Lie |
Random Answer |
|
Elemental
Plane |
+1/1
week |
3-8 |
9-11 |
12-13 |
14-18 |
|
(appropriate) |
(+1/1
week) |
(3-11) |
(12) |
(13-17) |
(18) |
|
Positive/Negative
Energy Plane |
0/1 week |
3-9 |
10-11 |
12-13 |
14-18 |
|
Astral
Plane |
0/1
week |
3-9 |
10-11 |
12-13 |
14-18 |
|
Outer
Plane, demideity |
-1/2
weeks |
3-10 |
11 |
12-14 |
15-18 |
|
Outer
Plane, lesser deity |
-2/3
weeks |
3-11 |
12 |
13-15 |
16-18 |
|
Outer
Plane, intermediate deity |
-3/4
weeks |
3-12 |
13 |
14-16 |
17-18 |
|
Outer
Plane, greater deity |
-4/5
weeks |
3-13 |
14 |
15-17 |
18 |
|
Avoid IQ Decrease: You
must succeed on a IQ roll with this penalty or bonus to avoid a decrease in IQ.
If the roll fails, your IQ falls to 9 for the stated duration, and you become
unable to cast arcane spells. If you lose IQ, the effect strikes as soon as
the question is asked, and no answer is received. (The entries in parentheses
are for questions that pertain to the appropriate Elemental Plane.) Results of a Successful Contact: d% is rolled for the result shown on the table: True Answer: You
get a true, one-word answer. Questions that cannot be answered in this way
are answered randomly. Don’t Know: The
entity tells you that it doesn’t know. Lie: The entity intentionally lies to
you. Random Answer: The
entity tries to lie but doesn’t know the answer, so it makes one up. |
|||||
On rare occasions, this divination may be blocked by an act of certain deities or forces.
Statistics: Precognition (Active Only, -60%; Directed, +100%; Magical, -10%; Nuisance Effect, Possible IQ loss, -15%; Reliable 8, +40%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Unreliable, 11, -20%) [32].
Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion
Keywords: Obvious.
Full Cost: 48 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S, F.
Cost: 1 FP + 1 character point.
Casting Time: 10 seconds.
Range: Touch.
Duration: 3d seconds.
You conjure up an extradimensional dwelling that has a single entrance on the plane from which the spell was cast. The entry point looks like a faint shimmering in the air that is 4 feet wide and 8 feet high and it lasts for 3d seconds.
Only those you designate may enter the mansion, and the portal is shut and made invisible behind you when you enter. You may open it again from your own side at will by making another casting roll without paying the FP cost. Once observers have passed beyond the entrance, they are in a magnificent foyer with numerous chambers beyond. The atmosphere is clean, fresh, and warm.
Whenever anyone attempts to enter your mansion without your permission using a Jumper-based spell or ability, you can roll a Quick Contest of your Will (plus Talent) vs. your opponent’s ability’s controlling attribute (or his Will if he lacks one). If you win or tie, his attempt to enter fails and he cannot try again for 1d hours – if you critically succeeded, this becomes 1d days and he loses 1d FP! If you lose, he can enter normally; if you critically failed, you are also left reeling (mentally stunned) as he breaks through your dimensional barriers.
You can create any floor plan you desire, but it cannot be changed after you successfully cast this spell for the first time. The extradimensional mansion has a size of a comfortable house or condominium. The place is not furnished – you have to bring any furniture or supplies inside, but they will remain there forever, unless you remove them.
Since the place can be entered only through its special portal, outside conditions do not affect the mansion, nor do conditions inside it pass to the plane beyond.
Focus: A miniature portal carved from ivory, a small piece of polished marble, and a tiny silver spoon (each item worth $80).
Rope Trick
Keywords: Obvious.
Full Cost: 28 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S, F.
Cost: 1 FP + 1 character point.
Casting Time: 10 seconds.
Range: Touch.
Duration: 30 minutes.
When this spell is cast upon a piece of rope from 5 to 30 feet long, one end of the rope rises into the air until the whole rope hangs perpendicular to the ground, as if affixed at the upper end. The upper end is, in fact, fastened to an extradimensional space that is outside the multiverse of extradimensional spaces (“planes”). The place has a size of a small circular room four yards in radius with a height of four yards. Creatures in the space can pull the rope up into the space, making the rope “disappear.” The rope can support up to 16,000 pounds. A weight greater than that can pull the rope free.
Spells cannot be cast across the extradimensional interface, nor can area effects cross it. Anything inside the extradimensional space drops out when the spell ends. The rope can be climbed by only one person at a time. The rope trick spell enables climbers to reach a normal place if they do not climb all the way to the extradimensional space.
Gaining entry requires grasping the rope, even if the character can fly up to the entry. Without flight, characters, friendly or not, must climb up the rope (see p. B349). In combat, or other hurried situations, a person can climb one foot/second, and will expend 1 FP to do so. Hurried or relaxed, this will require a skill roll against Climbing (or DX-5).
Focus: A piece of rope from 5 to 30 feet long.
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