Warp (3.5e Spell)
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| Universal [Teleportation] | |
| Level: | Sorcerer/Wizard 4, Travel 5 |
|---|---|
| Components: | V, S |
| Casting time: | 1 round |
| Range: | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Targets: | Selected willing creatures |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | Harmless (Will Negates) |
| Spell Resistance: | No |
| A fourth level teleport spell? |
| Yes, a fourth level teleport spell. One that requires one round to cast, has a 4+ round delay even after casting is complete, and only takes you to specific locations. It's a teleport spell that you can't use to take you exactly where you need to go, not without DM fiat or significant planning, so you generally can't skip game sections. It's a teleport spell that you can't use to immediately skip out of a fight when things turn bad, and it's possible people might get stuck behind. And on top of all that, it's a teleport spell that offers a substantial chance to break or cancel. It's less a combat utility spell, and more a "hey, let's go to that town over there" plot utility spell, and placing it a level after you get tactical flight is completely reasonable.
This spell is balanced to an even lower level actually, but placing it below level 4 cuts off the "now fight your way out" stories earlier than a lot of people seem to want. If you're comfortable with those stories being removed and replaced with delaying standoffs (or simply scene shifts via pursue warp), you could even set this spell at level 1 if you wanted. If you do alter the level, you should probably drop the level on pursue warp as well. |
After the casting was complete, I saw the flash of the anchor symbol in my eyes. And then I waited for the magic to finish its work and take hold. A short while later, without warning, I glimpsed the world as if from a great height for a brief moment, before finding myself and my companions at our destination.
This spell transports the caster and a number of other creatures to a known anchor point (a magical sigil tied to a fixed point) up to 250 miles per caster level distant, with a short delay between the casting and actual travel. Interplanar travel is not possible with this spell.
You can transport, in addition to yourself, any objects you carry as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may also bring one additional willing creature of your same size category (carrying gear and objects up to its maximum load), or its equivalent, per two caster levels. A creature one size category larger than you counts as 4 creatures, a creature two size categories larger than you counts as 16 creatures, and so on. Similarly, a creature one size category smaller than you counts as 1/4 of a creature, a creature two size categories smaller than you counts as 1/16 of a creature, and so forth. All creatures and objects to be transported must be within range of you. Attempting to exceed this creature limit, even by transporting additional creatures in an extradimensional space, causes the spell to fail.
After completing the casting of this spell, the targets must still wait another 1d4+3 rounds before the spell's effects take hold. After that delay, all targets are instantly transported to the selected anchor point. If a target of this spell takes on sufficient weight to exceed their limit during the time between casting and travel, or becomes grappled or otherwise entangled with someone who is not a target of the spell, the spell only fails for that target. All other targets are warped to the anchor point normally.
As long as the anchor point is intact, there is no chance of failure for this transport. All targets will arrive as close to the anchor point as conditions at the anchor point allow, but not more than 50' away from it. This spell never places individuals into solid objects, and will alter the travelers’ final elevation to suit their destination. If it is not possible to place the entire group within range of the anchor point due to spacial limitations or obstructing objects, the spell simply fails after the delay. The caster is aware of the cause of this failure, and may try again with fewer targets.
While the spell may not place travelers in trees, rocks, or other solid objects, it may place them miles out to sea over water, underwater, under acid, 1000' in the air with nothing beneath them, or basically anywhere someone could have maintained their position long enough to anchor the location. It is generally inadvisable to warp to untested anchor points without taking some precautions.
Anchor Points
Anchor points are magical markings of a fixed location that allow for direct and error free warp travel. They are unique symbols that are determined by their location, their creator, and the ambient magical conditions at the time of their creation. They can be seen by anyone with the ability to detect magic. Most anchor points are copied into a notebook to be referenced during casting.
Finding new anchor points
Because they can be used as a relatively cost effective travel mechanism, and also serve to funnel visitors into a specific area, many cities and towns have public and well known anchor points. These are generally printed or posted in a public place, some may even be drawn on the area that they anchor. Vendors may also sell maps with corresponding anchor points depicted near the cities they serve.
Private anchor points also exist of course, but knowledge of them is harder to come by. These sigils can easily be given to trusted companions or family members as a way to come home more quickly. Pieces from personal libraries may contain recorded anchor symbols that were relevant to the owner. And of course detect magic will also reveal an anchor point in an area (yes, even while scrying), so any caster with access to an area can just look around to find any existing anchor points.
Making an anchor point
Creating anchor points is a simple ritual; knowledge of the spell is not required to create these points, but knowledge of the spell automatically confers knowledge of the ritual. The process requires a gemstone of semiprecious or greater value to serve as a focus that is not expended. Making an anchor point requires four successful DC 20 knowledge (arcana) checks to set the point. The first check is made 15 minutes after beginning the ritual, with another check every 15 minutes until you have reached four successes. Anchor sigils are unique, as much a product of location as creator, and some special or magically unique areas may require more difficult checks, more successful checks, allow fewer failures, or be entirely unanchorable (many areas deep underground are in this last category).
Anchor points may also be strengthened by making an additional four successful checks, the DC for these checks is equal to the previous create / strengthen DC +2. Anchor sigils can be strengthened in this fashion up to 11 additional times. The strength of an anchor sigil is obvious to anyone viewing it with detect magic. Strengthening is generally performed on public anchors to make them resistant to pranksters removing them, since a sigil strengthened 11 times requires at least two hours to remove. It is less common on private sigils.
If removed, an anchor sigil can be remade on the same location using the standard creation above; remade sigils are similar but not identical to the old sigil and thus cannot be reached without knowing the updated sigil. Someone attempting to recreate the old sigil can do so, but must have a copy of it available for reference, and the initial creation DC increases by 5. This increased DC does not apply to later strengthening attempts.
Destroying anchor points
Once made, anchor points are not especially difficult to remove. Permanently destroying an anchor point requires one or more knowledge (arcana) checks. The DC for these checks begins at 15, plus 2 for each level of strengthening that the anchor sigil has received. Each check to weaken an anchor point requires 10 minutes and a gemstone of semiprecious or greater value to serve as a focus that is not destroyed in the attempt. If you succeed one layer of strengthening is removed and the DC is reduced by 2 points. When the DC has been reduced to 15, a successful check destroys the anchor point. You receive a +3 bonus to these checks if you created the anchor point.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Class Ability Components → Spells → Sorcerer/Wizard
| Author | Tarkisflux + |
| Component | V + and S + |
| Descriptor | Teleportation + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Spell + |
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 4 + and Travel 5 + |
| Range | Close + |
| Rated By | ThunderGod Cid +, MisterSinister +, Ghostwheel +, Wildmage + and Aarnott + |
| Rating | Rated 4 / 4 + |
| School | Universal + |
| Summary | A teleport variant with significantly less tactical utility. + |
| Title | Warp + |
