Rainbow Bridge (anti-Shadow Walk for Evocation)

[rferries]

"My God! It's full of stars..."

Rainbow Bridge
Evocation [Light]
Level: Air 5, Brd 5, Clr 5, Pal 4, Rgr 4, Sor/Wiz 5, Sun 5, Travel 5, Water 5, Weather 5
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Targets: Up to one willing touched creature/ level
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You and any willing creature you touch are transported up into the sky in a stream of rainbow light to the Astral Plane. There you travel along an extradimensionally-long bridge of solid rainbow radiance. You can take more than one creature along with you (subject to your level limit), but all must be touching each other.

While in the Astral Plane, the bridge functions as though it were a level wall of force for you and the creatures that travel with you, but as a prismatic wall for all other creatures. You and your fellows may travel along the bridge at a rate of 50 miles per hour, moving normally on the Astral Plane but much more rapidly relative to the Material Plane.

The bridge has a single destination, specified when you cast the spell. The chances of the bridge terminating accurately at that endpoint are determined as for the teleport spell (though you treat any "mishap" rolls as "similar area" rolls for this purpose). You may use the bridge to travel to other planes accessible through the Astral Plane. Transit of the bridge to a plane other than your plane of origin requires 1d4 hours (unless of course the destination plane is the Astral Plane itself) and you can never be more familiar with an interplanar destination than "studied carefully".

You do not benefit from the subjective directional gravity trait of the Astral Plane unless you jump off the bridge - which risks being caught in a psychic wind or attracting a random encounter with Astral Plane inhabitants. You may encounter such hazards even if travelling solely on the bridge, at the DM's discretion. The bridge provides some protection against creatures (as prismatic wall) but not against psychic winds.

When the spell ends the bridge vanishes and any creature still in the Astral Plane (whether on the bridge or not) "falls" to the Material Plane. Treat this as a mishap result for the teleport spell, save that each falling creature takes 20d6 points of damage (regardless of multiple mishap results) and always ends up somewhere on the Material Plane, regardless of the plane of origin when the spell was cast.

You must be outdoors to cast this spell. If you cast it at night you must provide a light source for the prism focus component (moonlight from a full moon is sufficient; otherwise you must provide a torch or a spell with the light descriptor).

Focus
A crystal prism that costs 5,000 gp.

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Thor, eat your heart out. Same spell level as both teleport and plane shift (cleric version) because you actually have to spend time journeying and can't go as far, plus the spell isn't as flexible or accurate as shadow walk.

Gave it to paladins because of the Thor connection, to druids because of the leprechaun/fey connection, and to rangers because of the whole tracking/guide archetype (plus the druid connection). Gave it to Travel domain plus all the other domains that go into making a rainbow. In general I feel more classes need a teleport/interplanar transport ability that isn't readily abused.

[Eldan]

I'd be very wary of letting characters of such low level get reliable access to the astral plane. It could cause a lot of shennanigans with autoquickened magic and altered stats and such.


While it's a very flavourful spell, it seems a bit suboptimal compared to teleport. However, it's actually very good when compared to planeshift, which can dump you up to 500 miles off from your target, no matter how familiar you are.

[rferries]

I was considering adding clauses about quickened spells, not aging etc. but the fact is you can't plan to use this spell for combat, nor can you use it to stay on the Astral Plane indefinitely. The subjective gravity clause isn't really that important either, just wanted to mention what happens if a PC tries to jump off.

Yep, aimed for it to be worse than teleport!

Can be better than planeshift but there's still plenty of room for error, plus you have to invest actual travel time.

[Darth Ultron]

Guess there is a theme of over powered low level spells. This spell is teleport and plane shift in one spell and it's only 5th level? And the only slight drawback is the couple hours of travel time?

Why do you say the spell ''can't go far''? I don't see any limit? As written in a couple hours this spell can take you anywhere.

And this teleport/plane shift would be abused. How could it not be?

Worse as this is a teleporting spell, but it's not a conjuration/summoning [teleport] type spell, it does nicely ''bend the rules'' and let characters ''teleport where normal teleports can't''. This spell as written is a great exploit for the type of hostile player that likes to ''one up'' the DM.

[rferries]

You can only travel at 50 miles/hour on the bridge, and the spell lasts one hour per level (effectively takes you 50 miles per level). Compare teleport - instantly transports you 100 miles per level; the bridge is objectively worse (to say nothing of the danger if the DM throws an encounter at you while travelling, possibly using up enough time to make you risk "falling" before you can reach your destination).

Teleport = 5th-level sor/wiz spell. Plane shift = 5th level Cleric spell. Rainbow bridge = 5th level spell (for most classes), more versatile than either of the aforementioned spells but worse than each of them.

Dimensional lock blocks shadow walk, even though shadow walk isn't a conjuration spell. Similar exceptions would obviously be made for rainbow bridge.

[Eldan]

I'd say it's fine compared to teleport. The problem is the comparison to planeshift. It takes you anywhere on any other plane with pretty great accuracy, since the range limit, of course, can't apply to other planes. I'd add some kind of restriction there.

[rferries]

Edited to add you can never be more familiar with an interplanar destination than "studied carefully".

[AuraTwilight]

Dragon Magazine #321 had a Plane of Radiance that was the exact opposite of the Shadow Plane. Might be a better fit than the Astral Plane.

[Southern Cross]

I agree with the Plane of Radiance suggestion. I also enjoy this spell, and think that most casters will learn it, considering how many classes have access to it.

[rferries]

Dragon Magazine #321 had a Plane of Radiance that was the exact opposite of the Shadow Plane. Might be a better fit than the Astral Plane.

Afraid I don't know much about that plane (only familiar with the 2e version, which I believe was a quasi-elemental plane between the Planes of Fire and Positive Energy). Does the 3e version touch as many planes as the Plane of Shadow?

I agree with the Plane of Radiance suggestion. I also enjoy this spell, and think that most casters will learn it, considering how many classes have access to it.

Yeah, I intended it as an accessible transportation spell for any party, useable even without a primary spellcaster.

[AuraTwilight]

Afraid I don't know much about that plane (only familiar with the 2e version, which I believe was a quasi-elemental plane between the Planes of Fire and Positive Energy). Does the 3e version touch as many planes as the Plane of Shadow?

Yea, they're meant to be exactly parallel, touching all the same places except for each other. As for details, it's essentially a daylight over the clouds space of floating islands connected by rainbow bridges, with the islands corresponding to significant Material Plane areas.

[rferries]

Yea, they're meant to be exactly parallel, touching all the same places except for each other. As for details, it's essentially a daylight over the clouds space of floating islands connected by rainbow bridges, with the islands corresponding to significant Material Plane areas.

Don't suppose it has any natural hazards? If I use it instead of the Astral Plane, it'd be nice if there was an equivalent threat on the Plane of Radiance that I could use to replace the psychic wind.

[AuraTwilight]

I don't remember off-hand, but it has inhabitants, so probably.

[rferries]

Ok. I generally stick to the SRD as a source so I think I'll keep the Astral Plane for now.