Need help with my Demiplane and reliable planar travel to and from

[Xarteros]

Hey guys, long story short but my DM has authorised construction of a demiplane (Using the Genesis spell) with a Mythal ward (Lost Empires of Faerun), to serve as a base of operations for my Leadership followers. It's not there for exploitation of any crazy tactics, so he has allowed me incredible amounts of funding for the sole use of constructing the demiplane and paying for the appropriate items required to access/maintain it.

The Mythal is there to provide any spells that are effective in maintaining contact to the plane as well as providing sustenance to my followers living there. It is not going to be under attack, so the Mythal doesn't need defensive features built in.

The main question is: What is the best way to create a limitless gate/portal that can be accessed from outside the plane? An actual gate (or similar portal) is preferable to having limited target be teleported (per Plane Shift).


Ideally: Have the Mythal contain a command word-activated Gate spell, allowing anyone on the demiplane to open a planar gate to travel through.
Creating some form of automated entity or "hub" on the demiplane that is capable of triggering the command word activation for the Gate
Connect that "hub" to myself and my followers using the Mythal's Interplanar Telepathic Bond effect
Myself or followers that are permitted access to the magic of the Mythal can use the telepathic bond to ask the "hub" to activate the Gate spell that opens in front of us


Scratching my alternate method with Mage's Magnificent Mansion, the only way to move its portal/door would be to have the spell re-cast again. That's only IF you managed to find some way of anchoring its location to another plane instead of creating a temporary extradimensional pocket.

I'd appreciate any pointers/help you can offer! Plus hey, if you have any other cool ideas to add to a demiplane without going overboard on spending (particularly spells to add to a Mythal) feel free to post as well =)

Edited for less rambling and more clarity

[Evolved Shrimp]

I'm not sure whether I understood what you're asking, but you seem to be looking for two things: A way for your followers to get to the plane and a way to feed and house them once they're there.

Since access to the plane is required from basically anywhere, a portal won't do, as you have noted. Instead, the Greater Plane Shift spell (Spell Compendium) should do what you want.

You can give your followers permanent items of this spell, including the required tuning fork for your demiplane, and they'll in effect have a portal with them wherever they go.

As for food and shelter: Simply set up mundane housing of the desired type and use permanent items of Heroes' Feast for sustenance.

[Xarteros]

Food and shelter isn't a problem, there will be full buildings on the Demiplane. The reason I mentioned the Mage's Mansion is because it not only provides magical servants and ample food supply, but has an openable/closable portal door from the outside. If I can somehow anchor the effect to a building instead of creating an extradimensional space, it'd be a really ideal way of getting in since it allows others to just open the portal from the inside to someone on the outside, instead of needing an item to directly enter. If I can do that, I could get the Unseen Servants in the mansion to open the door after receiving a mental command (I just include them as the targets of the telepathic bond), and that would solve the issue.

The most ideal thing I want to do is have whatever item contains the gate/plane shift/mage's mansion spell or effect be inside the demiplane, but to have some way of calling up the effect from the outside (hence the notion of an Interplanar Telepathic Bond spell), but I'm not sure how to actually put something like that in with proper mechanics.

Ultimate goal: Have a "hub" effect on the plane (the Mythal itself if possible), that contains the Interplanar bond and whatever portal/teleporting spell. I, or any of my followers who have been given access to the telepathic link (there's a ritual to attune or "Key" people to a specific Mythal) mentally send a command to the "hub" to request a portal/gate/planeshift to or from the demiplane.

I want this to be able to function without needing a living person to remain on the other side, so I need to make some form of automated system that can activate command word effects after receiving telepathic requests. Unlike with the Mage's Mansion idea, I don't think I can get an unseen servant to use any command word abilities, so I couldn't get one to activate a Plane Shift or anything.

Sorry that my writing is all sloppy, I'm really tired and words are hard right now

[Evolved Shrimp]

Well, Mage's Mansion won't work because it is a temporary pocket dimension off whichever location it is cast on. By definition, it is a cul-de-sac.

I still don't understand why you try to set up some complicated contraption instead of simple giving everyone items of Greater Plane Shift ("keys").

[Xarteros]

Well I know Mage's Mansion doesn't work in its standard spell form, I've mentioned a few times that I'd need to somehow anchor the effect to the demiplane instead of to an extradimensional space. I was thinking along the lines of a wondrous effect, like enchanting a house to be a wondrous item of Mage's Mansion.

Having access from the outside without the need for a key means that if any of my or their gear is lost, stolen, sundered or otherwise destroyed/disabled, we can still get back. Giving every single follower a key of greater plane shift also means people can't just steal the keys and UMD to bypass any restrictions on the item.

My DM said that the plane won't come under attack as long as there aren't any clear or easy ways inside, and having physical keys makes it pretty easy. If I allow keys, I not only need to pay for each and every key (minimum spell level 7th, roughly 163k gold) I need to add heaps of defensive/offensive spells to the Mythal to justify its security, which is infinitely more expensive than just figuring out how to get something inside to activate the Mythal's Gate spell.

The funding for the Demiplane and the other magic effects isn't infinite, it's just a lot, and I'm supposed to try and make it effective while still making it relatively cheap

[icefractal]

If the Mythal can provide a Gate effect, then that's really all you need - just keep a follower who doesn't sleep inside the plane at all times to activate it. When you want to get in, contact them telepathically and have them open a Gate to you. Or if you don't want to use an actual follower, you could use a Simulacrum or construct.

If putting it in the Mythal is too expensive, a Truenamer 20 would do it - has Gate a large number of times per day at no cost. How to get one?
* Ice Assassin - 20K gp, 5K xp, and you need Programmed Amnesia or the like so it doesn't go rogue when you're not around. A Truenamer 20 must exist in the world.
* Simulacrum - 2K gp, 2K xp, and won't go rogue. But, a Truenamer 40 must exist in the world, less of a sure thing.

Or you can use an intelligent item that has Gate at will. Expensive, possibly more expensive than adding it to the Mythal, but it's crafting so it can be reduced by the many crafting-cost reducers out there.

Also be aware that Wish can override any normal kind of protections you put against entering your plane. You have Epic magic, so you can probably make an epic spell / mythal effect that prevents that - you'll have to figure out the DC with your GM though.

[Xarteros]

Hmm, a Construct might be a good way to go. I didn't even think about intelligent items though! Can a non-sentient construct or an intelligent item activate the command word of a Mythal though? I mean, they can speak, but does that actually allow them to activate the effect? Either way they'd also need to be capable of making Concentration checks to maintain the Gate, I assume.

What kind of construct would be suitable? I'm fairly familiar with the different types of constructs, but I'm unsure of how secure their loyalty is or what they can do in terms of activating spell effects and whatnot. I mean, if worse comes to worst, I could get a Warforged as one of my followers, but I'd prefer a mindless construct that only responds to certain commands.

On the notion of an intelligent item, could an item (or Obelisk, Statue etc) be imbued with the Mythal spell seed and be the intelligent item itself? That way, there's no middleman and we just contact the Mythal directly to request a Gate.

Wish or other epic spells to bypass my defences shouldn't be an issue. The DM doesn't want the demiplane to come under attack until we're higher level, so I can prepare better defences as we go. It just needs to have enough defences to effectively justify why regular things can't find their way in.

[Mutazoia]

Hmmm......

Just thinking "out loud" here but... you could use the old "Estate Trasnferrence (http://supersutter.net/Alcirya/Tools/Spells/Mage/Level%2009/Estate%20Transference.html)" spell to set up a sort of anti-chamber for your Demiplane. Transfer a small keep and some of the surrounding land. Set up a gate there that only links to your Demiplane inside the keep and populate the entire area with creatures you control (such as undead or consructs). Anybody wanting to get to your Demiplane must first find out about, and then get to the bit of real estate that is parked at a random location on an elemental plane, fight through your guardian forces to reach the gate. The gate itself could be anything at this point, just so long as it can be turned off and on by "security" in case anybody not you or yours enters the estate. Make a fake gate that dumps anything passing through it into the negative material plane. Make that one look like a gate, and guard it heavily. Put the real gate in the privy or something.

This would make it a bit slower to get into or out of your Demiplane by having to pass through the selected elemental plane, but any "key" items you create could be created to only link to the trasferred estate, not your Demiplane. Set the estate up right, and attackers will thing that THAT is your HQ, not the Demiplane they know nothing about.