So I think I talked myself out of a teleportation circle destination.
I am the wizard of my party and at the end of our last session we cleared out a small magical stronghold in a mountain that the DM has indicated we can use as a home base going forward if we so desire. We also got enough XP to level and as one of my new wizard spell I'm taking Teleportation Circle and gave my DM a heads up that I'll learn 2 destination sigil sequences when I take the spell. Now I didn't know this at the time, but our new home base already has a permanent teleportation circle, and my DM decided she's going to make that one of my known destinations. In fairness we didn't really explore our new home base too much at the end of the session, but my plan was to use downtime between session to arcana check the hell out of this place and figure out how to control all it's magical functions. Since I tipped my hand about getting the teleportation circle destinations before the next session starts, I feel I've lost now the ability to RP finding the circle in our home base, casting the spell for the first time, and learning 2 new destinations outside of the mountain.
I guess the lesson is don't tell your DM what's on your spell list and what you need from them until you need it? I'm not sure I like that though - as a DM I'd prefer to have a heads up if I was going to have to give 2 teleportation circles as destinations rather than make it up on the spot while the wizard is already casting the spell.
Thoughts? I'm not upset about this or looking to change my DM's mind: just curious how other have handled teleportation circle destinations in their own games (for reference, we haven't used any in our campaign to this point)
I would agree with your initial thought process: You informed your DM of spells upcoming, and she took the liberty of managing it ahead of time.
You should have a discussion with the DM and express your concerns, as well as what your RP intentions. Many players just assume the spells learnt and don't incorporate them into their story, so perhaps this instance was assumed. I believe this is a misunderstanding or confusion of expectations, which a quick dialogue could help clarify for this and future instances. Communication is key!
My Wizard learnt Teleportation Circle the same time they took over a keep! That being said, it made perfect sense that the 2 sigil sequences she knows is the Keep, and then a circle back home in Evereska. Since then she managed to learn another two that she has come across.
I would consider the source of the spell to include two predetermined circles.
If it was a scroll found on an enemy, it makes sense to include two circles relevant to that enemy/location.
If it was learned by the wizard on level-up, the notes/books/scrolls he learned it from would likely include frequently-visited areas (since it's entirely likely that's where the wizard gets materials for his "free" level up spells), or major cities/hubs in the general area.
Of course, your DM may have something else in mind, or it may be the case that it didn't make sense for a third circle to enter the equation - leaving the options of your main city and your new home.
The location of any permanent teleportation circles should be the purview of the DM so you would have to get them from him anyway. Since you leveled at the stronghold it makes perfect sense that finding the circle may have been the eureka moment allowing you to "learn" the spell and therefore should have been one of your two. However, had I been you I would have definitely explored the stronghold before picking my new spells because there's always a chance you find those spells on scrolls or in a spellbook and would have learned them even if you didn't take them when leveling (and therefore could have picked something else.)
Personally I don't think you or the DM did anything "wrong."
Now about the Teleportation circle in your stronghold... You can look at it one of two ways... Either the DM saved you the approximately 18,000gp it costs to create a permanent teleportation circle... OR... The dm created a time bomb in your stronghold as anyone who's been there before may have that circle memorized. If they pop in for a visit they might not be happy to see the place under new management. My suggestion is to either destroy the circle or make sure the room it is in is secure.
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So I think I talked myself out of a teleportation circle destination.
I am the wizard of my party and at the end of our last session we cleared out a small magical stronghold in a mountain that the DM has indicated we can use as a home base going forward if we so desire. We also got enough XP to level and as one of my new wizard spell I'm taking Teleportation Circle and gave my DM a heads up that I'll learn 2 destination sigil sequences when I take the spell. Now I didn't know this at the time, but our new home base already has a permanent teleportation circle, and my DM decided she's going to make that one of my known destinations. In fairness we didn't really explore our new home base too much at the end of the session, but my plan was to use downtime between session to arcana check the hell out of this place and figure out how to control all it's magical functions. Since I tipped my hand about getting the teleportation circle destinations before the next session starts, I feel I've lost now the ability to RP finding the circle in our home base, casting the spell for the first time, and learning 2 new destinations outside of the mountain.
I guess the lesson is don't tell your DM what's on your spell list and what you need from them until you need it? I'm not sure I like that though - as a DM I'd prefer to have a heads up if I was going to have to give 2 teleportation circles as destinations rather than make it up on the spot while the wizard is already casting the spell.
Thoughts? I'm not upset about this or looking to change my DM's mind: just curious how other have handled teleportation circle destinations in their own games (for reference, we haven't used any in our campaign to this point)
I would agree with your initial thought process: You informed your DM of spells upcoming, and she took the liberty of managing it ahead of time.
You should have a discussion with the DM and express your concerns, as well as what your RP intentions. Many players just assume the spells learnt and don't incorporate them into their story, so perhaps this instance was assumed. I believe this is a misunderstanding or confusion of expectations, which a quick dialogue could help clarify for this and future instances. Communication is key!
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My Wizard learnt Teleportation Circle the same time they took over a keep! That being said, it made perfect sense that the 2 sigil sequences she knows is the Keep, and then a circle back home in Evereska. Since then she managed to learn another two that she has come across.
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I would consider the source of the spell to include two predetermined circles.
If it was a scroll found on an enemy, it makes sense to include two circles relevant to that enemy/location.
If it was learned by the wizard on level-up, the notes/books/scrolls he learned it from would likely include frequently-visited areas (since it's entirely likely that's where the wizard gets materials for his "free" level up spells), or major cities/hubs in the general area.
Of course, your DM may have something else in mind, or it may be the case that it didn't make sense for a third circle to enter the equation - leaving the options of your main city and your new home.
The location of any permanent teleportation circles should be the purview of the DM so you would have to get them from him anyway. Since you leveled at the stronghold it makes perfect sense that finding the circle may have been the eureka moment allowing you to "learn" the spell and therefore should have been one of your two. However, had I been you I would have definitely explored the stronghold before picking my new spells because there's always a chance you find those spells on scrolls or in a spellbook and would have learned them even if you didn't take them when leveling (and therefore could have picked something else.)
Personally I don't think you or the DM did anything "wrong."
Now about the Teleportation circle in your stronghold... You can look at it one of two ways... Either the DM saved you the approximately 18,000gp it costs to create a permanent teleportation circle... OR... The dm created a time bomb in your stronghold as anyone who's been there before may have that circle memorized. If they pop in for a visit they might not be happy to see the place under new management. My suggestion is to either destroy the circle or make sure the room it is in is secure.