Page 46 - Dungeon Master's Guide

SPELLS circle, but such knowledge is even harder to come
by than the specifications of the required tuning
Sa~ya raised her hands and began to declaim the words of fork. Otherwise, the spell transports the caster to
a very powerful spell, one of the most dangerous she knew, a location in the general vicinity of the desired spot.
Wherever the adventurers arrive, they'll most likely
a spell designed to breach the barriers between the planes
still need to undertake a journey to reach the object of a
and create a magical bridge into another realm of existence. planar quest.
The myth a/ thrummed in response, the intangible pulse of Gate. The gate spell opens a portal linked to a specific
the old device taking on a new and different note. Sarya point on another plane of existence. The spell provides
a shortcut to a planar destination, bypassing many of
ignored the myth a/ stone's change and pressed on, finishing
the guardians and trials that would normally fill such
her gate spell with skill and confidence. a journey. But this 9th-level spell is out of reach for all
"The gate is open!" she cried. "Malkizid, come forth !" but the most powerful characters, and it does nothing to
negate any obstacles that wait at the destination.
Before Sarya a great ring or hoop of golden magic
The gate spell is powerful, but not infallible. A deity,
coalesced from the air. Through it she glimpsed the realm demon lord, or other powerful entity can prevent such a
of Malkizid, an infernal wasteland of parched desert, portal from opening within its dominion.
windswept rifts, and black, angry skies torn by crimson
ASTRAL PLANE
lightning. Then , through the gate, the archdevil Malkizid
appeared. With one smooth step he crossed from his Halisstra opened her eyes and found herself drifting in
infernal plane into the myth a/ chamber. an endless silver sea. Soft gray clouds moved slowly in
-Richard Baker, Farthest Reach the distance, while strange dark streaks twisted violently
through the sky, anchored in ends so distant she couldn't
A number of spells allow direct or indirect access to
perceive them, their middle parts revolving angrily like
other planes of existence. Plane shift and gate can
pieces of string rolled between a child's fingertips. She
directly transport adventurers to any other plane, with
different degrees of precision. Etherealness allows glanced down, wondering what supported her, and saw
adventurers to enter the Ethereal Plane. And the astral nothing but more of the strange pearly sky beneath her feet
projection spell lets adventurers project themselves
and all around her.
into the Astral Plane and from there travel to the
She drew in a sudden breath, surprised by the sight, and
Outer Planes.
Plane Shift. The plane shift spell has two important felt her lungs fill with something sweeter and perhaps a little
limitations. The first is the material component: a more solid than air, but instead of gagging or drowning
small, forked, metal rod (like a tuning fork) attuned to
on the stuff she seemed perfectly acclimated to it. An
the desired planar destination. The spell requires the
proper resonating frequency to home in on the correct electric thrill raced through her limbs as she found herself
location, and the fork must be made of the right material mesmerized by the simple act of respiration.
(sometimes a complex alloy) to focus the spell's magic
-Richard Baker, Condemnatio
properly. Crafting the fork is expensive (at least 250 gp),
but even the act of researching the correct specifications
can lead to adventure. After all. not many people The Astral Plane is the realm of thought and dream,
where visitors travel as disembodied souls to reach
voluntarily travel into the depth of Carceri, so very few
the Outer Planes. It is a great silvery sea, the same
know what kind of tuning fork i required to get there.
above and below, with swirling wisps of white and gray
Second, the spell doesn't end the caster to a specific
streaking among motes of light like distant stars. Most
location unless he or she ha pecialized information.
The sigil sequence of a teleponation circle located on of the Astral Sea is a vast, empty expanse. Visitors
occasionally stumble upon the petrified corpse of a
another plane allows the ca rer ro travel directly to that
CHAPTER 2 I CREATING A E