Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Tsuul Nov 02, 2006 22:32:41	Ok, so I want to use the "You can't get there from Here" rule from Defilers and Preservers: The Wizards of Athas pg 10. It makes it so there is a percentage chance that going to the astral/ethereal/inner/outer planes may cause the caster to become stuck in the gray. Before I decide to use this I would like to verify how far this impacts the world in the following 3 points. -1- My take is that this would apply to all or most travel spells and spell like abilities. Spells like Dimension Door and a monk's Empty Body(Su) ability. All conjuration(teleportation) spells, like dimension door, instantly moves the caster through the atral plane. Empty Body allows the monk to assume an ethereal state, which means being on the ethereal plane. -2- Psionic powers work like spells and are also affected as above. -3- I can't think of anyway to travel to the grey, but assuming someone here can think of a way, would it be exempt? Is there a shortcut since the gray lies between the material and the astral? If there is anything else I should be considering, feel free to mention. Thanks in advance.
#2 Pennarin Nov 03, 2006 11:43:53	AFAIK the document Terrors of the Dead Lands covers dimensional travel. If you still want to apply the 2E standard, its suggested that you only apply it when travelling to those planes for reasons others than those listed in Terrors of the Dead Lands. E.g. when casting a travel spell that makes use of the Astral, there's no problem if you want to reach another part of Athas.
#3 dirk00001 Nov 03, 2006 13:02:03	As Penn mentioned, TotDL covers this. The ethereal doesn't really exist on Athas, as it and the Gray are basically the same thing - so spells and such that move you to the ethereal are really taking you to the Gray. As for travel spells, technically speaking you'd have to pass through the Gray to get there, as all teleportation spells in 3e use the astral plane...so how you handle it is up to you. The way I rule all of this is basically like this: Spells that make you ethereal, or deal with the ethereal, are taking you to the Gray, so you have to worry 'bout ghosties and such depending on the circumstances, the specific spell, etc. [i]Etherealness[i] for example is either really good, or really bad, in my game because of this - since I think that PCs and other powerful characters tend to have a congregation of "wronged" spirits following them around, going ethereal for any length of time can be bad (unless your intent is to deal with them directly, of course). For spells where it's only a temporary planar crossing, including blink, I seldom make note of this - I figure that spirits in the Gray are, for the most part, too surprised by someone blinking in-and-out of their "home" for them to interact, and by the time that surprise ends odds are so does the spell. All other teleportation descriptor spells briefly shoot through the (near) Gray, just barely touch the Astral, then come back through (near) Gray and end up on Athas. I think of it along the lines of an intercontinental missile - these spells aren't spending enough time "outside" of the PMP for the "getting lost" chances to matter. For spells that actually force planar travel, however, I have given the general warning that "you guys may get lost" but beyond that leave it up to my discretion as to what actually happens.
#4 Tsuul Nov 04, 2006 21:19:02	Thanks for the responces. Pennarin's had me realize I was using a realy old version of ToTDL, which didn't yet have info on the planes. Dirk00001's usage is what I will end up using if I decide to alter the "You can't get there from Here" rule. I'll go through the adventures I will most likely run and see if quick travel is assumed/required then weigh in on how much of a pita it will be for the PCs to actualy use their feet/mounts/friendly-air-cleric to get around. Thanks again