Per Temporem Ambulare (3.5e Epic Spell)

Bren stumbled forward, passing from the cyclone of magic and onto a surface which clanged under his boots, suddenly finding himself encased in hot, white steam as a voice called out from his far left, "All aboard for Tasten! All aboard for Tasten!"

''So, this was where the magi had guided him? This was the time when great events would taking place? Great events which Bren's skill set would be most adept to handle? General Bren, the master of the White Chapel armies, who had led his troops behind hostile lines and had everyone survive for months. The old magi had appeared before the leaders of the White Chapel, said that their presence was needed in the different parts of time, and then split them apart, guiding Bren and his friends through that endless tunnel of swirling, blue light. Each leader was taken to a different time, where their presence was necessary for the continued survival of reality.''

You know, if Bren really was that important, you'd think that the magi would have the consideration to place him in something other than a bank of steam!

''Rubbing the condensation from his face, the disgruntled (and now over-heated) general stumbled his way through the bank of steam, moving away from the voice he had heard and eventually managing to make it into clear air. However, what he saw when he came out of the whiteness stopped him in his tracks.''

Bren stood on a platform of solid metal which was apparently suspended many hundred feet in the sky, for, looking out, he saw what he first assumed had to be an illusion.

''A landscape, a vast expanse, Bren could see row after row of metal building, some glowing bronze with the setting sun and some a sleek dark steel color. He saw the glint of glass and even something that he mistook for candles burning with red and blue flames.''

''He stood there, transfixed, for several minutes, simply trying to fathom the degree of manpower that would have to be put forward to erect such monuments of brass and steel across such a wide, flat area. But, as he watched, a fireball flashed out in those metal streets, followed by a distant concussion, like thunder, and screams. Blinking in confusion, General Bren watched as more fireballs blossomed out, and, before his very eyes, multiple of the steel towers began to crumble.''

''In that instant, Bren knew what he was meant to do here. After all, what better place to put a general skilled at surviving in a war zone, than in a war zone?''

Per Temporem Ambulare holds a shaky place as the simplest of a list of incredibly powerful spells known as "elder spells". You see, an epic spell is a spell a full magnitude above regular spells, while elder spells are spells a full magnitude more powerful than epic spells. Per Temporem Ambulare, while still incredibly difficult to cast, is close enough to being readily manageable by a subset of master wizards, that many believe that the spell should not be classified as an elder spell at all. However, there are those who believe that elder spells are weapons being stockpiled for some distant future calamity, and, among these individuals, Per Temporem Ambulare is considered a staple for such a circumstance, simply because it allows for more time than would have otherwise been allotted. Between these magi and the admitted difficulty in casting this spell, Per Temporem Ambulare had maintained it's "elder spell" status.

Though, that's enough talking about elder spells and classifications. You're likely here to read about what the spell actually does, after all. Well, Per Temporem Ambulare is a spell which allows it's caster to travel unfettered through time.

Researching the spell alone requires five million, six hundred and twenty five thousand gold pieces (which, for those curious, would weigh 56 and a quarter tons) of research equipment, as well as the expenditure of two hundred and twenty five thousand points (which is enough experience to take a level 1 character all the way up to level 22) over a hundred and thirteen days. You must also succeed on a DC 625 Spellcraft check, which is clearly stupendously difficult. Once this has been done, the actual casting of the spell takes only three minutes, and had a material component of a wooden box painted some shade of blue.

Once the spell has been cast, the material component turns into a small cyclone of sparkling, blue energy which quickly blossoms out into a 20 foot radius bubble centered on the caster. Anyone inside this bubble who is choosing to travel with the caster then perceives the rest of the world being subsumed into this blue vortex, leaving them suspended in an abyss of sparkling blue. At the same time, they, and the energy bubble, cease to exist in the natural world.

Now, while most individuals involved in this spell perceive an endless, blue void, the caster is able to witness far more, and as they look about, they can see hundreds of locations and the passage of hundreds of years in those locations. Moving to a different location or place in time is achieve via walking through the void. Generally, moving in one direction changes the relative location in the same plane, while another direction changes the relative place in time at that location. Of course, while the caster can see hundreds of years pass, they can't actually see fine details, and it's only really possible to get an idea of how long before or after the starting point they are, as well as a general idea of the conditions at that location.

The caster, when they believe they've found a place to drop off a "passenger", can take a closer look at that location and place in time. Now, while they reveal to themselves time a month prior to, time a month following, and the exact qualities of the destination at this moment in time at the location they are examining, they also absolutely have to deposit at least one passenger at that location, or else all individuals involved in the spell are deposited there, and the spell must be cast again.

If only one passenger is deposited, then the remaining passengers can then move on to another point in time, and so on and so forth, until all individuals are placed in some location or another.

Now, while traveling through time, most individuals don't actually perceive time. A passenger in Per Temporem Ambulare will remember walking through a blue void for an eternity, but won't remember that eternity beginning, ending, or taking any amount of time at all. They are treated as having instantaneously traveled, as a result, even if the caster had to do a great deal of walking and searching to find the place where they were set down.

The caster, on the other hand, is partially in touch with normal time streams, because they have to see where they're dropping off a passenger. So, they actually experience a great deal of perceived time as they sift through reality. While they experience a similar "instant eternity" effect as passengers, they also age a great deal and have more coherent memories regarding the experience. When the caster exits the blue abyss, they have aged 4d10 years, making this spell very dangerous to use for short-lived races.

Per Temporem Ambulare can transport a passenger to any location within the same plane, but not to another plane. Also, forces that bar teleportation spells bar this spell.

Material Component: A wooden box painted blue.