Mundane/Magical ways to make Teleportation difficult

[ArqArturo]

In my PF campaign, once they finish the current quest, they are bound to try and get to an eeeevil eeeeevil empire, that have a certain McGuffin the party is interested.

Long story short, the ruler is paranoid (and rightfully so) that his kingdom might be assaulted by magic-using assassins and saboteurs, so there's a secret police, along with certain measures of control in the empire. Not to mention the crown he wars is full of abjurations... As long as he remains in the empire.

But, with the case of Teleport, how do I make it, both mundane-wise and with magic, that is challenging to cast it? I guess one way to be to make different rooms in buildings certain times, illusions, as well as Cloister, but, I kind of want to avoid the 'it's a 9th level spell', because that means the players will want to back up and leave. So, any suggestions?.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Nonlethal substitution on forbiddance. 6th level spell, good area, clerics are eminently trustworthy. I don't think there is a mundane way to accomplish this on the surface but there's building in areas of faerzress in the underdark.

[Giarc]

Teleport Trap (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/t/teleport-trap) and Dimensional Lock (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/dimensional-lock) both can work.

[Psyren]

Teleport Trap (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/t/teleport-trap) and Dimensional Lock (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/dimensional-lock) both can work.

Wow, Teleport Trap is nasty. I especially like the fact that it covers walls, which removes the possibility of incorporeals porting into a door or bookshelf inside the building.

[Crake]

If you don't mind using stuff from previous editions, there was a think in I think 2nd edition (it was in a book called Volo's Guide to All Things Magical) called a weirdstone. It prevented teleportation magic from functioning within I think a 6 mile radius, and as an added bonus that I think your paranoid leader might like, it also prevents all divination magic from functioning.

Edit: It also prevents phasing (not exactly clear what "phasing" means, but it uses xorn as an example, so I think it means moving through solid matter, so things like phase door, meld into stone, that kind of stuff) and ethereal states within the 6 mile radius (note thats a 6 mile radius sphere, so it extends over and underground in a sphere)

[ArqArturo]

Wow, Teleport Trap is nasty. I especially like the fact that it covers walls, which removes the possibility of incorporeals porting into a door or bookshelf inside the building.

Teleport Trap into an iron maiden :smallamused:...


If you don't mind using stuff from previous editions, there was a think in I think 2nd edition (it was in a book called Volo's Guide to All Things Magical) called a weirdstone. It prevented teleportation magic from functioning within I think a 6 mile radius, and as an added bonus that I think your paranoid leader might like, it also prevents all divination magic from functioning.

Paranoid enough to have a secret police, riding in the night into small towns in black horses.

[Psyren]

If you don't mind using stuff from previous editions, there was a think in I think 2nd edition (it was in a book called Volo's Guide to All Things Magical) called a weirdstone. It prevented teleportation magic from functioning within I think a 6 mile radius, and as an added bonus that I think your paranoid leader might like, it also prevents all divination magic from functioning.

FYI, Weirdstone was updated to 3.5 in PGtF. But it doesn't block all divinations, just scrying, so things like Vision will still work.

[Kane0]

3.5's Complete Arcane (and spell compendium) had a 4th level spell Anticipate Teleportation and its 8th level greater counterpart which may help you.
They essentially alert the recipient of the spell of a teleport within the designated area and give you 1 (or 3) rounds to prepare.

[Crake]

FYI, Weirdstone was updated to 3.5 in PGtF. But it doesn't block all divinations, just scrying, so things like Vision will still work.

Oh nice, that's good to know. I used a wierdstone-like effect in one of my games, but I couldn't find an updated version, so just used the effect from Volo's.

[jedipotter]

But, with the case of Teleport, how do I make it, both mundane-wise and with magic, that is challenging to cast it? I guess one way to be to make different rooms in buildings certain times, illusions, as well as Cloister, but, I kind of want to avoid the 'it's a 9th level spell', because that means the players will want to back up and leave. So, any suggestions?.

1. Guards in every room. At least one with a horn or such, but even better with some sort of magic noise maker. The idea is simple, anyone teleporting in will be attacked on sight. Constructs or undead work great for this, as do called monsters, but you can use common guards too.

2. Minute men. Simple enough. Have at least one elite squad ready to deal with teleporting intruders.

3. Locks and doors and bars. You can never have enough. Make it really easy to lock down your place.

4. Alarm is a low level spell, and stones of alarm are cheap. Put some in every room.

5. Fill up on traps. Make every room a death trap. Someone teleported into room 5? Then activate trap 5. Poison gas is a good one that won't hurt your home.

[Diarmuid]

Older editions had other mundane ways to block teleportation as well. I forget the source, but gorgon's blood was one that our group has used for a while.

That's not terribly realistic for warding an entire empire, but specific rooms or caves could probably be protected. I'm sure there are more but I dont have my books with me atm.

[Psyren]

5. Fill up on traps. Make every room a death trap. Someone teleported into room 5? Then activate trap 5. Poison gas is a good one that won't hurt your home.

Gate in Spiked Wall Man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcHR3HizRTA) :smalltongue:

[Segev]

The rules for teleport also tend to include a requirement that you be somewhat familiar with the locale. Have any important rooms be designed with multiple replica-rooms that are as precise as possible in their immitation so that those who attempt to teleport to them have a high chance of winding up in the wrong one. Fill the decoy rooms with traps or monsters or simply lacking doorways out (all designed to blend in perfectly as part of the original room, of course).

Have rooms which change position and/or appearance regularly. Teleporting into solid objects does lots of damage and moves the teleporter in a random direction to find "safe" space; exploit this with rooms you want to keep people out of by having them occasionally filled with said solid objects.

Rooms that are unoccupied can have sword-through-box level of spikes impaling it from all sides so that anybody teleporting in is teleporting in pre-impaled. The spikes retract when somebody attempts to enter through a legitimate entrance.

[ArqArturo]

1. Guards in every room. At least one with a horn or such, but even better with some sort of magic noise maker. The idea is simple, anyone teleporting in will be attacked on sight. Constructs or undead work great for this, as do called monsters, but you can use common guards too.

2. Minute men. Simple enough. Have at least one elite squad ready to deal with teleporting intruders.

3. Locks and doors and bars. You can never have enough. Make it really easy to lock down your place.

4. Alarm is a low level spell, and stones of alarm are cheap. Put some in every room.

5. Fill up on traps. Make every room a death trap. Someone teleported into room 5? Then activate trap 5. Poison gas is a good one that won't hurt your home.

I like the alarm bit, and the golems and guards bit. My players and I sometimes recoil in horror from a friend's (and former DM) tactic: He liked to pit us against 'Über Legions of Doom' that were specifically made to lock us out of our game (A monk for the wizard, a druid for the druid, a caster for the fighter, etc.), but I think a squad of Inquisitors with an Abjurer could work just as well, to act as a sort of Preatorian Guard (the BBEG in question is my campaign world's equivalent of Caesar).


Older editions had other mundane ways to block teleportation as well. I forget the source, but gorgon's blood was one that our group has used for a while.

That's not terribly realistic for warding an entire empire, but specific rooms or caves could probably be protected. I'm sure there are more but I dont have my books with me atm.

I was thinking of using Cloister just on the palace (or the Senate, in this case), but in truth, while the regular streets are only protected by the common guard, the important places would be warded in a sense (Alarm being the first choice.