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Scarce
2013-12-05, 11:29 AM
Why I like Incantations:
After reading through Unearthed Arcana, I stumbled upon Incantations and loved it for the concepts I wanted to invoke in my next campaign: powerful magic is possible, but rare, and often hidden. Moreover, because this next campaign will be relatively low level, I want to give the whole party access to some utility magic, without giving them plot-breaking WIN buttons like you might get at higher levels. Also, they're interesting, flavorful, and risky.

My problem:
Writing them takes time and I'm looking for some to pillage for inspiration/theft so my players can get a good variety. But why can't I find any?! Do people hate them, or am I looking in the wrong places?

Some I've written: (no DCs, as I'm working on the maths still)

Wander the Library
This ritual transports the user to a mysterious location known as The Library, a seemingly infinite series of 10X10ft rooms connected by doors on all four walls to each other and lined to capacity with bookshelves full of titleless books. It's said that all the information in the multiverse, past, present, and future is inscribed here, including somewhere an index to the impossible Library, but no divination magic is here possible and the vast majority of books are written in secret, unknown, or yet to be invented dialects.

Finding useful information entails a high DC search check

Blind Jump

Users of a blind jump are teleported randomly within their plane in a manner which bypasses normal magical interference, such as from an antimagic field . The randomness of this teleportation is quite complete: the final location is selected using a world map and 3 d100 rolls. Roll 1: x coordinate in 10x miles. Roll 2: y coordinate in 10x miles. Roll 3: vertical displacement in 10(x-50) yards. If this final roll is within 100 yards of the ground (above or below), the spell adjusts and places the user firmly on the earth (or water.)

A jump resulting underground does not shunt the user as in a normal teleportation spell. Instead, it creates a 5x5' earthen pocket with enough air for 8 hours. Similarly, a jump resulting high above the ground results in plummeting a great distance.

AstralFire
2013-12-05, 11:38 AM
You can't find them because each one is a lot of work to make. Stealing them from 4E might be your better bet, though when I go back home in a few weeks, I can check to see if I still have my old campaign doc with a few pages of homebrew incantations.

Scarce
2013-12-05, 02:10 PM
From what I've seen of 4e rituals, they're very similar to high-level spells, and lack the unique, almost micro plot description, complete with risks and rewards, which separates Incantations from spells. I want my Incantations to be memorable and interesting; as much of a plot element as a mechanical one.

Psyren
2013-12-05, 02:15 PM
I think Maginomicon made a bunch; may be worthwhile to PM him or ask him to post here.

Scarce
2013-12-05, 07:28 PM
Thanks, I'll certainly ask him!

Epsilon Rose
2013-12-05, 08:53 PM
I must ask, how do you see blind jump being used? It seems like it would almost certainly be fatal and it's randomness seems to make it useless for anything but a panic button. Perhaps if you could use a actual spell to remove it's randomness, you could leverage it's ability to bypass wards, but that seems to defeat the point of having a ritual in the first place.

Scarce
2013-12-05, 11:08 PM
I should note that these are going to be used for a low level campaign. I would like my players to have some utility, but not the Win Button afforded by higher level magic.

I see blind jump being useful as an analogue to contingent teleport for wizards at high level: A Get-Me-Out-Of-This-Place-Card, used when death is otherwise inevitable. A caster should prepare material for multiple castings in case he finds himself underground and needs to try again, a casting of feather fall if above ground, and some floating apparatus on hand. With careful preparation, it can be a low level savior.

thorr-kan
2013-12-05, 11:22 PM
There's incantations in Urban Arcana for d20 Modern, SRD'd.

There's also Zombie Sky Press's Incantations in Theory and Practice and Incantations from the Other Side PDFs. Both are good reads.