Abyssal Campaign question

[Invader]

If anyone's ran the Abyssal campaign I have a question.

In the beginning the PCs get cursed when first entering the abyss preventing them from using any type of teleport spell to escape. My PCs are just about to to use the shifting portal from the layer they started out on to go to plain of infinite portals but how does that work?

I explained it to them as this was a gate that works differently that teleport magic but they have to eventually use the portal in broken reach and I haven't seen the explanation for how they can use portals but not to travel within the abyss but not their own teleportation magic or even their own magical items which prevent short range teleportation like anklets of translocation.

I need to way to reasonably explain why they can use portals when I want them but not when they want to use one to escape the abyss.

Any clarification or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[ksbsnowowl]

You are either on the wrong board, or you need to provide a LOT more info, starting with what published module you are actually running. "The Abyssal Campaign" doesn't really tell me what you are running. 5e D&D's Out of the Abyss? Some new Pathfinder adventure path?

I do know that a similar effect to what you are describing is true of the Demonweb Pits, Lolth's layer of the Abyss (layer 66, IIRC). Teleportation magic is shut down by divine fiat, but keyed portals work into, out of, and within the Demonweb Pits. Again, by divine fiat.

[Invader]

You are either on the wrong board, or you need to provide a LOT more info, starting with what published module you are actually running. "The Abyssal Campaign" doesn't really tell me what you are running. 5e D&D's Out of the Abyss? Some new Pathfinder adventure path?

I do know that a similar effect to what you are describing is true of the Demonweb Pits, Lolth's layer of the Abyss (layer 66, IIRC). Teleportation magic is shut down by divine fiat, but keyed portals work into, out of, and within the Demonweb Pits. Again, by divine fiat.

Thanks, I know what board to post on. It's a popular home brewed campaign and it's obviously 3.5 since I'm on the 3.5 forum. I'm just looking for someone else who has ran it to see how they handled the situation I described.

And before you say it belongs on the home brew forum, it doesn't because I'm not looking for home brewed rules to use to fix it.

[DrMotives]

You still didn't answer the question though. "A really popular homebrew campaign" just leaves us trying to google that to figure it out. Maybe on the homebrew forum they would already know, but you can't take that as a given here. What campaign is this?

[Zancloufer]

So spending 5 seconds with Google using "3.5 D&D Abyssal Campaign" got me this. I am guessing that is the campaign you are using? Would be nice to post it but on the flip side some agency on those willing to help wouldn't be that hard.

As to why the PC's cannot escape it depends (haven't read the entire thing, though I might in the future). Something like Dimensional Anchor would just stop them from leaving entirely but the Abyss (or any other outer plane ruled by powerful beings) possessing some sort of protection from other just using plane shift or teleport to come and go as they please makes more sense than such a thing not existing in the first place.

My best guess? Most of the outer planes restrict travel to and from them. The reason the portal works is that it is a keyed exception or in is located in a "hub area" which demons use to come and go from.

[ksbsnowowl]

Thanks, I know what board to post on.

... Which is why I allowed that maybe there just wasn't enough info provided. If you had written The Abyssal Campaign rather than the Abyssal campaign, I would have realized that was a (very generic) title, rather than a descriptive reference, and would have perhaps searched a bit more.

I also wouldn't say it's a very well-known campaign. I've been playing Third Ed since a month after the PHB came out, and been active on D&D message boards since 2002. I've never heard of it.

That out of the way, the best way to deal with the situation at hand is likely to implement some sort of impeded magic (ala Manual of the Planes) for teleportation magic. Or along the same lines, the Remote Planes property from Eberron. Requiring a DC (30 + Spell level) Spellcraft check for any Plane Shift or Summoning/Calling effect to function between two planes that are remote from each other.

Remote: When a plane is remote, it is difficult to establish any connection at all between it and the Material Plane. When Fernia is remote, fire spells work less effectively, fire elementals are harder to summon, and it is nearly impossible to reach that plane via plane shift. Using plane shift to travel to a remote plane or using any spell to call or summon a native of that plane requires a Spellcraft check (DC 30 + spell level); a character with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (the planes) receives a +2 circumstance bonus on this check.

For ease of reference, here is the Impeded Magic planar trait, from the SRD:

Impeded Magic
Particular spells and spell-like abilities are more difficult to cast on planes with this trait, often because the nature of the plane interferes with the spell.

To cast an impeded spell, the caster must make a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the level of the spell). If the check fails, the spell does not function but is still lost as a prepared spell or spell slot. If the check succeeds, the spell functions normally.

You could possibly use those two rules together, making teleporting around an Abyssal Plane (or even between layers?) difficult but not impossible, but making the act of actually leaving the Abyss nearly impossible, at least until the party pumps their Spellcraft through the roof.

I used the Remote planes trait to separate the Nine Worlds when I ran a Norse-themed game years ago, but I maybe upped the DC above 30 + spell level. I can't recall for sure. Even without upping it, that's still a DC 35 for Plane Shift to work.