Teleportation Ring/Gate

[Cardea]

So, in OOTS #924 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0924.html), #925 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0925.html), #926 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0926.html), we see Laurin Shattersmith repeatedly using a power that creates a ring that her group rides through on a Triceratops, to keep up with the charging T-Rex.

What power could that be?

[Doctor Awkward]

So, in OOTS #924 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0924.html), #925 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0925.html), #926 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0926.html), we see Laurin Shattersmith repeatedly using a power that creates a ring that her group rides through on a Triceratops, to keep up with the charging T-Rex.

What power could that be?

It's Wormhole. A psychoporation power from 2nd Edition D&D that was never updated to 3E.

They mention it a couple of times in the comic, I forget where though.

[BowStreetRunner]

I'd guess a Psionic Dimension Door.

As a side-note, this might fit better under the OOTS section of the forum.

[Cardea]

It's Wormhole. A psychoporation power from 2nd Edition D&D that was never updated to 3E.

They mention it a couple of times in the comic, I forget where though.
What level was it?

[Doctor Awkward]

What level was it?

Psionic powers didn't really have "levels" back then like they do now (where psionics is essentially another school of magic).

They were divided amongst five major disciplines: clairsentience, psychokinesis, psychometabolism, psychoportation, and telepathy.
Each discipline had major abilities (sciences) and minor abilities (devotions).

At level 1 a psionicist (yes, they really called them that back then) picked a single discipline, his primary, and started with four powers in it; one science and three devotions.
Sometimes powers had prerequisites, but these were usually other powers and were rarely levels.
For example, Psionic Disintegrate had a prerequisite of Telekinesis (a science) and Soften (a devotion). So any pisonicist could have that power at level 3. There were shenanigans you could pull to get a second science that would allow you to get it as early as level 1.

The biggest restriction on using your powers was the MAC (Mental Armor Class) of the power. The system uses a power check with a roll-under mechanic on a d20 where a 1 always succeeded and a 20 always failed. Each power would list what would happen on a natural 20, in the case of Disintegrate, you target yourself with it. The Psionicist had a MTHAC0 table, and the higher level they were the easier it became to hit those powers.
Manifesting powers also cost you PSP's (Psionic Strength Points, today we call them power points), which were determined at first level by adding your Int bonus + Wis Bonus + Con bonus + 15 + 1d6. But ability score bonuses were also determined differently back then, and having even a +1 bonus usually required a score of 16 or higher in that stat.
Disintegrate cost 30 PSP to manifest, so while you can get it at level 1, manifesting it even once was probably the only thing you were doing all day. Even so, it was still pretty cheesy because it was more or less instant death for whatever you used it on.

Wormhole, if I remember right, had a prerequisite of Dimensional Door, which was a devotion, and its cost was determined by how far apart the two entrances were. I don't remember the MAC of it, but if it was anything like Dimensional Door it was pretty low, but in Wormhole's case the power always worked (if you didn't roll a 20) with the power check reducing the cost of keeping it open if you succeeded. I also think I remember it following the same distance table as Teleport, which started at 100 yards, and cost 24 PSP to open with 8 PSP per round to keep it open. I'd have to dig out my old books to find the rest of the costs, but I do remember the table capped at Interplanetary. There were also additional costs to make the aperture bigger than 10x10 feet across.

[Cardea]

Psionic powers didn't really have "levels" back then like they do now (where psionics is essentially another school of magic).

They were divided amongst five major disciplines: clairsentience, psychokinesis, psychometabolism, psychoportation, and telepathy.
Each discipline had major abilities (sciences) and minor abilities (devotions).

At level 1 a psionicist (yes, they really called them that back then) picked a single discipline, his primary, and started with four powers in it; one science and three devotions.
Sometimes powers had prerequisites, but these were usually other powers and were rarely levels.
For example, Psionic Disintegrate had a prerequisite of Telekinesis (a science) and Soften (a devotion). So any pisonicist could have that power at level 3. There were shenanigans you could pull to get a second science that would allow you to get it as early as level 1.

The biggest restriction on using your powers was the MAC (Mental Armor Class) of the power. The system uses a power check with a roll-under mechanic on a d20 where a 1 always succeeded and a 20 always failed. Each power would list what would happen on a natural 20, in the case of Disintegrate, you target yourself with it. The Psionicist had a MTHAC0 table, and the higher level they were the easier it became to hit those powers.
Manifesting powers also cost you PSP's (Psionic Strength Points, today we call them power points), which were determined at first level by adding your Int bonus + Wis Bonus + Con bonus + 15 + 1d6. But ability score bonuses were also determined differently back then, and having even a +1 bonus usually required a score of 16 or higher in that stat.
Disintegrate cost 30 PSP to manifest, so while you can get it at level 1, manifesting it even once was probably the only thing you were doing all day. Even so, it was still pretty cheesy because it was more or less instant death for whatever you used it on.

Wormhole, if I remember right, had a prerequisite of Dimensional Door, which was a devotion, and its cost was determined by how far apart the two entrances were. I don't remember the MAC of it, but if it was anything like Dimensional Door it was pretty low, but in Wormhole's case the power always worked (if you didn't roll a 20) with the power check reducing the cost of keeping it open if you succeeded. I also think I remember it following the same distance table as Teleport, which started at 100 yards, and cost 24 PSP to open with 8 PSP per round to keep it open. I'd have to dig out my old books to find the rest of the costs, but I do remember the table capped at Interplanetary. There were also additional costs to make the aperture bigger than 10x10 feet across.
Regretting not actually reading through these old books now. Do you recall where Wormhole is located? Not seeing it in the Complete Psionics Handbook.

[BWR]

Regretting not actually reading through these old books now. Do you recall where Wormhole is located? Not seeing it in the Complete Psionics Handbook.

"The Will and the Way", a psionics sourcebook/splatbook for Dark Sun. It uses the CPsH system rather than the MTHAC0/MAC that was introduced in (IIRC) Player's Options and later used in the revised Dark Sun line.
The CPsH system was pretty unpleasant.

[Doctor Awkward]

"The Will and the Way", a psionics sourcebook/splatbook for Dark Sun. It uses the CPsH system rather than the MTHAC0/MAC that was introduced in (IIRC) Player's Options and later used in the revised Dark Sun line.
The CPsH system was pretty unpleasant.

Heh, yeah that makes sense.

I couldn't remember where I first saw it off-hand, and my first guess would have been in a Spelljammer book somewhere.

And now that I read it again, there's a lot in my explanation that doesn't seem right. I might be mixing up some of the changes made to psionics in the Skills and Powers book.

Man psionics was so borked back then.

EDIT: Yep.
Originally each power had a Power score that was determined by the attributes of the character manifesting it (So the entry would read Int, or Con -3, or Wis +2 or somesuch). You made your Power check when manifesting and on a successful roll-under the Power Score entry in the power would tell you what you got for succeeding.
Skills and Powers (and revised Dark Sun rules) are when MAC/MTHAC0 were introduced. The more difficult the power was to manifest, the lower it's MAC would be.

I think I have Will and the Way somewhere. If I find it I could reproduce the Wormhole power here, if the forum rules allow it.

[Cardea]

Heh, yeah that makes sense.

I couldn't remember where I first saw it off-hand, and my first guess would have been in a Spelljammer book somewhere.

And now that I read it again, there's a lot in my explanation that doesn't seem right. I might be mixing up some of the changes made to psionics in the Skills and Powers book.

Man psionics was so borked back then.

EDIT: Yep.
Originally each power had a Power score that was determined by the attributes of the character manifesting it (So the entry would read Int, or Con -3, or Wis +2 or somesuch). You made your Power check when manifesting and on a successful roll-under the Power Score entry in the power would tell you what you got for succeeding.
Skills and Powers (and revised Dark Sun rules) are when MAC/MTHAC0 were introduced. The more difficult the power was to manifest, the lower it's MAC would be.

I think I have Will and the Way somewhere. If I find it I could reproduce the Wormhole power here, if the forum rules allow it.
I have it out in front of me now. Just gotta figure out how to transfer it to 3.5/PF.

[Doctor Awkward]

Hrm, doable.

I'd probably start with Teleportation Circle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleportationCircle.htm). It has basically an identical effect to that power. But you could probably knock it down a bit (and I always thought TC was a little underpowered for a 9th level spell).

First, the spell can be made permanent but you don't need that. So maybe set the duration as "Concentration, up to 1 round per manifester level."
Next if it were a Nomad only power, it would probably be about an 8th level effect.

As far as the distance, it references greater teleport, which is also 8th level, so you want to be careful about being an inferior choice to that power.
For augments, I'd suggest the aperture be big enough to allow a large creature through, and for every additional 2 power points you can increase the size category by one, and creatures too small to fit can't use it.

[KillianHawkeye]

As I recall from one of the OOTS threads, the Giant figured it would be a 9th level psionic power in 3E.

[Cardea]

Hrm, doable.

I'd probably start with Teleportation Circle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleportationCircle.htm). It has basically an identical effect to that power. But you could probably knock it down a bit (and I always thought TC was a little underpowered for a 9th level spell).

First, the spell can be made permanent but you don't need that. So maybe set the duration as "Concentration, up to 1 round per manifester level."
Next if it were a Nomad only power, it would probably be about an 8th level effect.

As far as the distance, it references greater teleport, which is also 8th level, so you want to be careful about being an inferior choice to that power.
For augments, I'd suggest the aperture be big enough to allow a large creature through, and for every additional 2 power points you can increase the size category by one, and creatures too small to fit can't use it.
Aye, that seems a good start, but my final desired outcome is for it to be a spell. So I've got a long ways to go.

[Doctor Awkward]

Well you could always just use Teleportation Circle.
Since, y'know, it does basically the same thing. :P

[Cardea]

Well you could always just use Teleportation Circle.
Since, y'know, it does basically the same thing. :P
Nope. I'm trying to get Wormhole for transport of people, objects and buildings. So TC doesn't cut it.

[Doctor Awkward]

Er, well... teleportation circle can take any size creature at all that touches it, along with whatever they can carry as their max load. And the apertures made by Wormhole are stationary and cannot be moved, so I'm curious what you think Wormhole can do that Teleportation Circle can't.

[Cardea]

Nope. I'm trying to get Wormhole for transport of people, objects and buildings. So TC doesn't cut it.


Er, well... teleportation circle can take any size creature at all that touches it, along with whatever they can carry as their max load. And the apertures made by Wormhole are stationary and cannot be moved, so I'm curious what you think Wormhole can do that Teleportation Circle can't.
TC does people and creatures, strictly speaking. TC functions as Greater Teleport, which only allows for your Maximum Load.

TC also has a ten minute casting time, which I'm trying to bypass with a single spell, rather than attempting Metamagic routes.

Basically: I'm looking for a way for mass transport, either to get to somewhere, or to escape from some place, for multitudes of objects and creatures. TC is too slow due to its casting time, and moving objects via it would require multiple spells in combination/tandem to make it work for that spell.