El'the Ellie
2019-06-11, 04:43 PM
Dimensional Brane
A Dimensional Brane, either naturally occurring or crafted by an arcanist, is a valuable tool for thwarting trespassers while still providing the conveniences of skilled teleportation. It appears as a thin, oily, blue-green surface, and is always of a concave shape eventually looping back to itself. A Dimensional Brane can theoretically have any size, though most are few feet in diameter to just under a mile, and all function the same.
From outside a Dimensional Brane, the portion it encloses seems to be dimensionally locked: any attempt to teleport inside the Brane fails. From inside the Brane, it appears as if the opposite is true: that everywhere else in the world is dimensionally locked. In actuality, the subject is in a carefully tuned field that prevents dimensional travel only when crossing the brane: so long as both portions of the attempted dimensional travel remain on the same side of the brane, the teleportation or movement functions normally. Because a brane also extends into corresponding points of the Astral Sea and the Ethereal Plane, certain effects such as the blink spell and bags of holding work as normal within a Dimensional Brane.
Dimensional Branes have no bearing on planes besides the plane they are cast on, the Astral Sea, and the Ethereal Plane. As such, creatures/objects from other planes can be summoned (but not creatures or objects from the same plane outside of the brane), subjects can Plane Shift to an unaffected plane, and with enough accuracy could Plane Shift or Gate into an area subject to a Dimensional Brane.
Blinking creatures have a difficult time passing through a Brane, taking a full move action to do so. Creatures or objects fully in the Astral Sea or the Ethereal Plane cannot cross the brane, even by attempting to physically move through it. (Casters who frequently create Dimensional Branes occasionally get angry visits from these creatures that are suddenly ensnared by a brane.) Since a subject is briefly dimensionally locked when moving through a brane, it's unadvised to do so while between planes. (such as having some but not all body parts inside a bag of holding)
A Dimensional Brane can easily coexist with solid or even magical matter. If the edges of two branes meet, they form a single brane that is the union of the enclosed spaces and the first brane to expire ends both effects. (In the event that one is permanent, that brane remains in place at its original size and shape when the other expires.) A Dimensional Brane can contain yet another Dimensional Brane nested inside it. Dimensional travel is still blocked between each layer of brane, and objects in any layer cannot cross into any other layer. Each brane is distinct: two completely separate branes cannot be dimensionally traveled between, unless some powerful magic connected them via a third-party plane during creation.
Dimensional Branes needn't be (though often are) spheres. Very few things can physically affect a brane, but if it is pierced, the affect ends with a pop. Dimensional Branes are immune to damage from almost any source, but even in the case where an object can harm a brane, they are immune to all bludgeoning and slashing damage. A brane has hardness 0 and 2 hit points per level of the caster that created it.
Spells
Create Dimensional Brane
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wis 4, Clr 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Dimensional Brane whose area is up to four 5-ft. squares/level (S)
Duration: 10 min/level
Saving Throw: Reflex (See Text)
Spell Resistance: Yes
You create a single Dimensional Brane (see above), shapable as you choose. The final area must form a single contiguous brane.
Any creature or object in more than one plane (such as a blinking creature) that is caught partially inside the brane (such as by being large sized) must make a reflex save or take 5d6 damage as the brane cuts part of them away. Creatures creatures subject to this save move the shortest possible distance until they are entirely inside or outside the brane. (If both options are equal, creatures that saved may choose. Roll to randomly determine the direction for creatures that did not save.) If moving to safety is impossible, the creature or object again takes 5d6 damage on each of its turns until it is no longer bisected by the brane. (If the creature stops existing in multiple planes, such as by ending its blink effect, it no longer needs to save and can exist in between the brane without damage.)
Curious to see what folks think. It's a fun tool to use as a DM, and I presume as a player.
A Dimensional Brane, either naturally occurring or crafted by an arcanist, is a valuable tool for thwarting trespassers while still providing the conveniences of skilled teleportation. It appears as a thin, oily, blue-green surface, and is always of a concave shape eventually looping back to itself. A Dimensional Brane can theoretically have any size, though most are few feet in diameter to just under a mile, and all function the same.
From outside a Dimensional Brane, the portion it encloses seems to be dimensionally locked: any attempt to teleport inside the Brane fails. From inside the Brane, it appears as if the opposite is true: that everywhere else in the world is dimensionally locked. In actuality, the subject is in a carefully tuned field that prevents dimensional travel only when crossing the brane: so long as both portions of the attempted dimensional travel remain on the same side of the brane, the teleportation or movement functions normally. Because a brane also extends into corresponding points of the Astral Sea and the Ethereal Plane, certain effects such as the blink spell and bags of holding work as normal within a Dimensional Brane.
Dimensional Branes have no bearing on planes besides the plane they are cast on, the Astral Sea, and the Ethereal Plane. As such, creatures/objects from other planes can be summoned (but not creatures or objects from the same plane outside of the brane), subjects can Plane Shift to an unaffected plane, and with enough accuracy could Plane Shift or Gate into an area subject to a Dimensional Brane.
Blinking creatures have a difficult time passing through a Brane, taking a full move action to do so. Creatures or objects fully in the Astral Sea or the Ethereal Plane cannot cross the brane, even by attempting to physically move through it. (Casters who frequently create Dimensional Branes occasionally get angry visits from these creatures that are suddenly ensnared by a brane.) Since a subject is briefly dimensionally locked when moving through a brane, it's unadvised to do so while between planes. (such as having some but not all body parts inside a bag of holding)
A Dimensional Brane can easily coexist with solid or even magical matter. If the edges of two branes meet, they form a single brane that is the union of the enclosed spaces and the first brane to expire ends both effects. (In the event that one is permanent, that brane remains in place at its original size and shape when the other expires.) A Dimensional Brane can contain yet another Dimensional Brane nested inside it. Dimensional travel is still blocked between each layer of brane, and objects in any layer cannot cross into any other layer. Each brane is distinct: two completely separate branes cannot be dimensionally traveled between, unless some powerful magic connected them via a third-party plane during creation.
Dimensional Branes needn't be (though often are) spheres. Very few things can physically affect a brane, but if it is pierced, the affect ends with a pop. Dimensional Branes are immune to damage from almost any source, but even in the case where an object can harm a brane, they are immune to all bludgeoning and slashing damage. A brane has hardness 0 and 2 hit points per level of the caster that created it.
Spells
Create Dimensional Brane
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wis 4, Clr 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Dimensional Brane whose area is up to four 5-ft. squares/level (S)
Duration: 10 min/level
Saving Throw: Reflex (See Text)
Spell Resistance: Yes
You create a single Dimensional Brane (see above), shapable as you choose. The final area must form a single contiguous brane.
Any creature or object in more than one plane (such as a blinking creature) that is caught partially inside the brane (such as by being large sized) must make a reflex save or take 5d6 damage as the brane cuts part of them away. Creatures creatures subject to this save move the shortest possible distance until they are entirely inside or outside the brane. (If both options are equal, creatures that saved may choose. Roll to randomly determine the direction for creatures that did not save.) If moving to safety is impossible, the creature or object again takes 5d6 damage on each of its turns until it is no longer bisected by the brane. (If the creature stops existing in multiple planes, such as by ending its blink effect, it no longer needs to save and can exist in between the brane without damage.)
Curious to see what folks think. It's a fun tool to use as a DM, and I presume as a player.