Acorn of far travel question

[Zhepna]

Hi,

I would like to make 2 wondrous architecture, one that cast repeatly acorn of far travel and the other one of a random spell. Commoners will then be able to take a branch and to bring the spell effect in their house to have a better life.

All the commoners could come and do it.

The part that I try to play around is this part of Acorn of far travel: You can have only one acorn of far travel spell in effect at any one time.

I'm not sure, since the it's the wondrous architecture that cast the spell, does it work?

[Crake]

If you’re the DM you can have the item function however you want. Items dont have to directly replicate the spell effect, they can do it slightly differently, or do something completely unique.

If youre NOT the DM, then just explain how you want the item to function, and let them price it accordingly.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

This is actually easier than it ought to be, although it would function slightly differently than the above.

A bunch of Sculpt Spell'd (un)hallows under the branches of the oak tree shaped to be 5' wide lines pointing straight up (affecting a small area under the tree but the AoE would be blocked from traveling further by the tree's leaves above) would allow the caster to tie a bunch of spells to the space below the oak tree's branches, and any acorn of far travel spell cast on the tree would allow one to benefit from any or all of the spells tied to the (un)hallow effects, which last for 1 year (or 2, if Extended). Another Sculpt Spell'd (un)hallow spell, this one in the shape of a cone and aimed from straight above down onto the top of the tree, could be tied to the acorn of far travel spell, affecting all of those acorns with a single casting of acorn of far travel, which could then be harvested for the use you describe. Residents of the area could take a single acorn from the tree and would then have access to all of the spells affecting the area underneath its branches, which is actually better than the way the OP suggested, since there's more than one spell they have access to.

[Zhepna]

Thanks you so much! You are so amazing! That is a wonderful plan!

[Bphill561]

I did this, adding in a rune circle from Races of the Stone. Any magic item can be made into a rune circle which is am immobile ring on the floor that conveys it's benefits to anyone standing in it. The smallest run circle with a 5' diameter costs 1/8 of the normal price of an item. This is kind of overkill, but I thought it made for a nice image.

Custom Item: Small Collar (Arms and Equipment) with levitate and a ring of Sustenance build into it. (DM approval that it would work on a tree)
Feather Token Oak Tree
Daylight Pellets

Now I had a bonsai Oak Tree that floated mid air and was small in size. The Daylight Pellets added a nice visual effect. Feather token if you need a tree fast and happens to specifically say Oak Tree.

Since the tree was small in size and centered over the Rune Circle, anyone standing under it would count as standing in the circle for the benefit. The room itself was wondrous architecture with another effect plus had hallowed (Freedom of movement) cast on it. Later in epic level the group looked at putting up a Mythal, but we did not quite finished it before the campaign ended.

No one was large in size, that may change your decisions. For commoners, I think something as simple as a Periapt of health would be pretty good. Disease immunity for under 1,000gp for the entire village. If you are a taskmaster, a custom item with a ring of sustenance thrown in to make them work longer ;-)

The rune circle takes a feat, so there is an extra cost. Larger run circles have different prices so it might not be so cost effective with a regular size oak Tree.

[Zhepna]

Wow this rock! Thanks a lot!

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I did this, adding in a rune circle from Races of the Stone. Any magic item can be made into a rune circle which is am immobile ring on the floor that conveys it's benefits to anyone standing in it.Remember that according to the rules in the Magic Item Compendium (which are actual codified rules instead of the "suggestions" in the DMG), you can add lots of item effects together on the same object. You take the one with the highest cost, then you add a +50% surcharge on any additional item properties on the item. So a 5,000 gp item added to a 25,000 gp item would cost 25,000+(5,000 x 1.5). 25,000 gp added to a 5,000 gp item would cost the same.

Of course, there are additional charges if items you add are on the wrong slot (or are slotless), so there's that, too.

[Zhepna]

I will definitly check that tonight

[sreservoir]

Even with normal magic items, it's pretty common to have the user be the "caster" of the spell—pretty much every item that duplicates a spell effect works this way.

(With that said, the idea that you benefit from spell effects on the area where the oak tree stands while carrying the acorn is a bit sketchy, since the spell specifically lets you expend the acorn to cast a spell with additional effects for being in forested terrain, which is hard to reconcile that with the idea that the acorn just continuously treats you as being there, so you can just choose not to expend the acorn and ... get the benefits of being in forested terrain anyway. I'd definitely assume that the uses called out in the spell description are intended to be a quasi-exhaustive list of benefits you get from holding the acorn.)

[Crake]

Its worth noting that the reading of acorn of far travel applying circumstantial benefits of being under the tree is leading into rather cheesy territory. The spell is designed as a means to retain “proximity” to the tree regardless of distance, but if you’re going to allow magic items that are built under the tree, then you by extension need to allow fireballs of cloudkills that are cast under the tree to affect those with the acorns.

Theres a degree of separation between “im under the tree” and “im in the runecircle thats under the tree” after all, and that separation matters.

You should be viewing the acorn as an extension of the tree, rather than some magical gateway that allows any and all spell effects to pass through it