4e fluff stuff (teleportation circles and imp corpses)

[malachi]

I'm playing an Eladrin wizard (currently level 2). My character's main goal in life is a barely-thought-through plan to master everything there is to know about teleportation, dimensional travel/rifts/gates, etc. One of the other players - a dragonborn who wants to recreate the Arkhosian Empire - has been offering me positions of power in his government (long time from now) if I'm able to provide enough teleportation services to make his empire's army/economy/everything else ridiculously awesome. This came up originally in context of a merchant fleet that has access (due to teleportation circle on-board) to different goods much faster than any other merchants would.
Is there any way to do this other than the lvl 15 ritual in the Manual of the Planes? Also, is there anything else I should be aware of to go along with this character concept?

The second thing is that I have collected two imp corpses. My character wants to study them to see why they were so weak (homebrewed to be really weak minions), believing it somehow related to the planar gate they used to ambush us (I would have grabbed a dretch corpse as well, but I didn't have my wagon with me, and I forgot about Tenser's Floating Disk...). But, after I finish my research, what should I do with the imp corpses (for fun or for profit, it doesn't really matter)? They won't start to smell for a couple of months.

[Katana_Geldar]

For the teleport, there is a chance you could use some sort of plane-shifting vehicle but I hardly think such a thing would be available for level 2 characters.

You're small fry yet, still going into taverns and getting adventures. There's a reason that Plane Shift is level 15. Patience my young Jedi!

[Mando Knight]

There is no other way I know of to create teleportation circles, but that's part of the design intent. The circles were created by ancient and powerful magic. Not every wizard can create them, which is why generally only mages' guilds and other such important buildings will have them.

Also, if you've got active portal services, why have merchant ships carry them? You'd only need a portal room or two in each major city, and bam, near-instant trade.

[malachi]

@Katana_Geldar
I guess what I meant to ask for was something along the lines of a teleportation circle that actually teleports people somewhere (the one from manual of the planes only facilitates other spells). I'm not asking for something immediately, anyways (looking for what sort of things my character should spend free time researching). Sort of like a persistent Linked Portal ritual from PHB (which would probably be an epic tier ritual).

@Mando Knight
n merchant ships with teleportation circles allows instant trade between any n cities of my choice. It also allows for tactical maneuvering (a merchant fleet + an army turns into awesome invasion force without having to handle the same sorts of logistics for sea travel).
Also, there aren't currently any teleportation circles on moving vehicles. My character wants to do something new.

[Welknair]

I was about to say that. But yeah, having mobile Teleportation Circles is a very powerful concept. Even better would be if said circles were actually on the minimum sized object your DM allows, such that they could be removed from said ships if there was call to go inland.

As for the Imp corpses... Do you suppose that you'll be encountering more of them? It'd be hilarious if you could use them as bait to get more demons to study. Or possibly trying to get some sort of Ad-hoc bonus on a smell targeted against another demon or possibly a group of imps. Or even just trying to a bonus on any spell with something like "I want to use the corpses as Arcane Foci to call upon Demon Fire for my fireball spell. That's gotta be something like an extra 3d6, right?"

[malachi]

I was about to say that. But yeah, having mobile Teleportation Circles is a very powerful concept. Even better would be if said circles were actually on the minimum sized object your DM allows, such that they could be removed from said ships if there was call to go inland.

My character bought a wagon (forcing the dragonborn I've taken to calling 'Clinkscales' to buy the horses for it. Incidentally, she's the one who's offering me positions of power in her Empire for the teleportation thing) for the purpose of making that the first test of mobile teleportation stuff (also to carry the dead demon corpses, because I don't want to carry around... well... anything). I think I'll modify the plan to have some sort of platform that can be taken out of the wagon (or maybe I'll be able to draw the circle on a tarp, and just roll it up and carry it around as a lightweight escape option in mid-paragon levels). There's lots of time for me to find out what the smallest object I can put a teleportation circle on is.
Thanks for the idea.

[Welknair]

No problem. :smallsmile:

[KillianHawkeye]

Note: Imps are devils. Dretches are demons.



Why are they hanging out together? :smallconfused:

[DragonBaneDM]

Note: Imps are devils. Dretches are demons.



Why are they hanging out together? :smallconfused:

THIS would be far more interesting to research rather than the frailness of imps, methinks.

Also, I'm missing Dragonite already Mando. :smallfrown:

[malachi]

Note: Imps are devils. Dretches are demons.



Why are they hanging out together? :smallconfused:

Erm... there's a difference? (Not sure if the DM is aware of that, and if he is, if I can learn anything from their corpses at lvl 2).

I just realized that I need to visit a puppeteer (both one who creates puppets, and one who uses them), and turn my imp corpses into moveable distractions (via mage hand and puppet strings). And ghost sound to make them seem alive.
Would the mend object ritual be used to make a skewered imp look non-skewered (i.e. mend the nonliving flesh of the corpse so it doesn't actually look like a corpse anymore)?
Also, is there any sort of DnD material I could use to light my imps on fire without actually damaging them?

[Eorran]

I can't help you much with the imps, but there's a paragon path (I think it's called the planeswalker) that your character might be interested in. The abilities are kind of neat, very controller-y (you can finally say "go to Hell" and mean it!) but the fluff would fit great with someone either wandering the planes, or researching planar travel.

Also, DMG 2 has Sigil, and lots of interesting suggestions for "natural" planar boundaries / travel points. Not much you can do on your own as a player, but talk to the DM about incorporating that into later adventures.

[malachi]

I was originally planning on taking the Arcane Wayfarer paragon path, but after seeing the direction our campaign seems to be going in (devils 'n demons, some of which I have research access to), Planeshifter (from Manual of the PLanes) looks more correct.

Ooh, shiny. I want to live there.
I'll mention that to the DM.

[DragonBaneDM]

Erm... there's a difference? (Not sure if the DM is aware of that, and if he is, if I can learn anything from their corpses at lvl 2).

I just realized that I need to visit a puppeteer (both one who creates puppets, and one who uses them), and turn my imp corpses into moveable distractions (via mage hand and puppet strings). And ghost sound to make them seem alive.
Would the mend object ritual be used to make a skewered imp look non-skewered (i.e. mend the nonliving flesh of the corpse so it doesn't actually look like a corpse anymore)?
Also, is there any sort of DnD material I could use to light my imps on fire without actually damaging them?

Wow, you're very creative. If I was your DM I'd so let that work!!!

[KillianHawkeye]

Erm... there's a difference? (Not sure if the DM is aware of that, and if he is, if I can learn anything from their corpses at lvl 2).

There's a huge difference between demons and devils.

Demons come from the Abyss, a layered domain of pure evil (a literal heart of darkness) in the Elemental Chaos. They are hate, savagery, and destruction incarnate. Monsters in the truest sense, with no goals beyond the slaughter of all forms of life.

Devils come from Hell, the divine realm of Asmodeus on the Astral Sea. They are sly and corrupt, and more likely to try to claim your soul rather than kill you outright (but they'll still kill you in a second if getting your soul isn't worth the trouble). Their goal is to tempt or trick mortals to the side of evil, because doing so increases their power and that of their dark master.

Demons and Devils were once at war with each other, fighting to become the supreme force of evil in the multiverse. The victor would have then marched their armies across the other planes for conquest or annihilation. Fortunately, things have more or less ended in a stalemate for now. Even so, demons and devils would have no more reason to cooperate with each other as either group would have to cooperate with the forces of good.