Let me start off by saying I'm the DM in my campaign.
I'm wanting to let my party find a permanent teleportation circle. A long dead seer that lived in a swamp in campaign had a permanent one near her home. If the party finds it, can they activate it and use it? If so, how would they go about doing so?
I understand that they need a sigil sequence to another existing teleportation circle. Do they need the sequence of the one they found in the swamp to activate it? Also, can anyone who knows the sequence activate it? Or does this fall solely under the perview of a character that can cast the spell or has it on their list?
Any help in understanding this would be greatly appreciated.
By looking at the Teleportation Circle alone, it's a bit difficult to say; If I read it correctly you draw the circle to a permanent location, using the glyphs for that location, and poof you're on your way there.
The way I read it, you can make "this spell" permanent by casting it every single day. I feel like that kind of makes a "bridge" between the location where the circle is and the original target of the spell (as dictated by the glyphs used). I believe this would be one-way only since there is no mentioning of the circle you cast to gaining its very own glyph sequence.
Now, about using the portal; the spell reads.
Any creature that enters the portal instantly appears within 5 feet of the destination circle or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
A significant word is omitted, by design I guess, which is the word "can". So by that logic, this means that any creature that goes through a portal is simply sent towards the destination, even if they don't know where it is going.
So, they don't need the sigil sequence to this portal in order to activate it, only to go back to this circle. A permanent circle is much like a doorway (maybe even literally) that anyone can pass through.
HOWEVER, all this is based on the idea that the spell Teleportation Circle is used to make this particular circle. If the long dead seer used another way, perhaps a powerfull fey creature warped the feywild in order to make a passage, or a demon from the Abyss has scratched at the very fabric of reality itself resulting in a breach between space and time, the rules might be different. You can do pretty much anything you want and give it more flair that way :)
I think a permanent circle is mostly an arrival point. When you find it you can study its markings to learn its sigil sequence and be able to return there. There are no rules given for what it takes to use a permanent circle as a departure point. To invent a rule on the spot, perhaps it can be used to link to any other known circle by either casting the spell without the gold cost, or by providing the gold cost but not the spell. Additionally perhaps the circle creator has built in a permanent link to another circle, and the link can be used once per day if you say the password.
I think a permanent circle is mostly an arrival point. When you find it you can study its markings to learn its sigil sequence and be able to return there. There are no rules given for what it takes to use a permanent circle as a departure point.
That's what I initially thought as well. However the spell itself seems to be saying otherwise:
As you cast the spell, you draw a 10-foot-diameter circle on the ground inscribed with sigils that link your location to a permanent teleportation circle of your choice whose sigil sequence you know and that is on the same plane of existence as you. A shimmering portal opens within the circle you drew and remains open until the end of your next turn. Any creature that enters the portal instantly appears within 5 feet of the destination circle or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
Many major temples, guilds, and other important places have permanent teleportation circles inscribed somewhere within their confines. Each such circle includes a unique sigil sequence--a string of magical runes arranged in a particular pattern. When you first gain the ability to cast this spell, you learn the sigil sequences for two destinations on the Material Plane, determined by the GM. You can learn additional sigil sequences during your adventures. You can commit a new sigil sequence to memory after studying it for 1 minute.
You can create a permanent teleportation circle by casting this spell in the same location every day for one year. You need not use the circle to teleport when you cast the spell in this way.
To me (but I may be wrong here) the bold text indicates that the spell is a send-off point, not a arrival point. The spell is linked to go towards a point. I don't think this particular spell is intended to be used as a arrival point, but I'm not sure about that. Unless the "permanent circle" is inherently different from the spell itself, but that's an interpretation of its own.
The seer in my campaign made the circle permanent long ago before she died.
I was under the impression that a permanent circle could be used to go to any other circle that the sigil sequence was known of. It's just so confusing.
As you cast the spell, you draw a 10-foot-diameter circle on the ground inscribed with sigils that link your location to a permanent teleportation circle of your choice whose sigil sequence you know and that is on the same plane of existence as you.
This means you can stand in the the middle of a random field and cast the spell. As you cast the spell you input the "address" of a permanent circle that exists on the same plane as you.
A shimmering portal opens within the circle you drew and remains open until the end of your next turn. Any creature that enters the portal instantly appears within 5 feet of the destination circle or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
When you step into the portal you are sent to the "address" that you used when casting the spell, it is a one way ticket.
When you first gain the ability to cast this spell, you learn the sigil sequences for two destinations on the Material Plane, determined by the GM. You can learn additional sigil sequences during your adventures. You can commit a new sigil sequence to memory after studying it for 1 minute.
Yay, free contacts in your teleportation circle address book. These would refer to the "address" part when casting the spell.
---
Now, with all of that being said there is a fun tidbit that generates all the confusion:
sigils that link your location to a permanent teleportation circle of your choice + When you first gain the ability to cast this spell, you learn the sigil sequences for two destinations on the Material Plane,
and
You can create a permanent teleportation circle by casting this spell in the same location every day for one year.
So, by all of that information, yes if you have a permanent teleportation circle you can essentially create a door from Point A to Point B.
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You do not, however, get to build a Stargate and use a single permanent Teleportation Circle to travel to any other permanent Teleportation Circle. Each new location requires a new permanent Teleportation Circle to be created for it.
So each permanent teleportation circle only links to one other permanent circle?
My original question still stands as well. Can anyone activate a permanent teleportation circle or does it require the casting of the spell to activate it?
Keep in mind, I'm talking about a permanent teleportation circle that someone else already made. The party did not create it, nor do they yet have the ability to. I just need to know if they can use it.
Also, why not a stargate type thing? I'm pretty sure you can use one to teleport to ANY other teleportation circle that you KNOW the sigil sequence for.
From my understanding I am thinking you need to cast the spell to learn the Sigils for the circle, and you can only go to a circle you know, of which when you learn the spell you get 2 that you know. Now once you know the circle and all that you don't have to cast the spell to use a permanant one. This just makes it so if one is in a forest a angry bear doesn't wander into it and teleport into a city or temple.
Based on my interpretation of the spell the Permanent Teleportation Circle formed would have an already determined sigil sequence, which the players can learn through studying the circle for several minutes (I think of it as the sigil sequence being inscribed in runes within the mystic pattern of the circle formed on the surface). This would allow anyone that knows the Sigil Sequence of this Teleportation Circle to teleport to it using teleportation circle or teleport.
Normally the teleportation circle would remain dormant until someone cast a spell to teleport to it, or cast teleportation circle to use this established circle as its starting point. However, if you plan is to allow your players to use this teleportation circle to reach other areas, and potentially come back as a sort of home base, you could have the seer established some form of mythical process that allows use of the established circle by only spending the Material Components, although in this case it would probably only be connected to one or two other permanent circle destinations. Then when they eventually gain the ability to cast the prerequisite spells themselves they can use it as a point to return to from anywhere on the plane if they wish.
Based on my interpretation of the spell the Permanent Teleportation Circle formed would have an already determined sigil sequence, which the players can learn through studying the circle for several minutes (I think of it as the sigil sequence being inscribed in runes within the mystic pattern of the circle formed on the surface). This would allow anyone that knows the Sigil Sequence of this Teleportation Circle to teleport to it using teleportation circle or teleport.
Normally the teleportation circle would remain dormant until someone cast a spell to teleport to it, or cast teleportation circle to use this established circle as its starting point. However, if you plan is to allow your players to use this teleportation circle to reach other areas, and potentially come back as a sort of home base, you could have the seer established some form of mythical process that allows use of the established circle by only spending the Material Components, although in this case it would probably only be connected to one or two other permanent circle destinations. Then when they eventually gain the ability to cast the prerequisite spells themselves they can use it as a point to return to from anywhere on the plane if they wish.
This is what I was thinking too. I wanted them to be able to use it to go to a specific (already predetemined by me) location, without having to cast the spell since they don't have access to the spell.... Yet.
I guess I could "reward" the party with the sigil sequence now, and then they'd be able to use it later once they have access to the spell.
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Dungeonmastering since 1992!
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Let me start off by saying I'm the DM in my campaign.
I'm wanting to let my party find a permanent teleportation circle. A long dead seer that lived in a swamp in campaign had a permanent one near her home. If the party finds it, can they activate it and use it? If so, how would they go about doing so?
I understand that they need a sigil sequence to another existing teleportation circle. Do they need the sequence of the one they found in the swamp to activate it? Also, can anyone who knows the sequence activate it? Or does this fall solely under the perview of a character that can cast the spell or has it on their list?
Any help in understanding this would be greatly appreciated.
Dungeonmastering since 1992!
By looking at the Teleportation Circle alone, it's a bit difficult to say; If I read it correctly you draw the circle to a permanent location, using the glyphs for that location, and poof you're on your way there.
The way I read it, you can make "this spell" permanent by casting it every single day. I feel like that kind of makes a "bridge" between the location where the circle is and the original target of the spell (as dictated by the glyphs used). I believe this would be one-way only since there is no mentioning of the circle you cast to gaining its very own glyph sequence.
Now, about using the portal; the spell reads.
A significant word is omitted, by design I guess, which is the word "can". So by that logic, this means that any creature that goes through a portal is simply sent towards the destination, even if they don't know where it is going.
So, they don't need the sigil sequence to this portal in order to activate it, only to go back to this circle. A permanent circle is much like a doorway (maybe even literally) that anyone can pass through.
HOWEVER, all this is based on the idea that the spell Teleportation Circle is used to make this particular circle. If the long dead seer used another way, perhaps a powerfull fey creature warped the feywild in order to make a passage, or a demon from the Abyss has scratched at the very fabric of reality itself resulting in a breach between space and time, the rules might be different. You can do pretty much anything you want and give it more flair that way :)
Hope that helps :)
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
I think a permanent circle is mostly an arrival point. When you find it you can study its markings to learn its sigil sequence and be able to return there. There are no rules given for what it takes to use a permanent circle as a departure point. To invent a rule on the spot, perhaps it can be used to link to any other known circle by either casting the spell without the gold cost, or by providing the gold cost but not the spell. Additionally perhaps the circle creator has built in a permanent link to another circle, and the link can be used once per day if you say the password.
That's what I initially thought as well. However the spell itself seems to be saying otherwise:
To me (but I may be wrong here) the bold text indicates that the spell is a send-off point, not a arrival point. The spell is linked to go towards a point. I don't think this particular spell is intended to be used as a arrival point, but I'm not sure about that. Unless the "permanent circle" is inherently different from the spell itself, but that's an interpretation of its own.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
The seer in my campaign made the circle permanent long ago before she died.
I was under the impression that a permanent circle could be used to go to any other circle that the sigil sequence was known of. It's just so confusing.
Dungeonmastering since 1992!
This means you can stand in the the middle of a random field and cast the spell. As you cast the spell you input the "address" of a permanent circle that exists on the same plane as you.
When you step into the portal you are sent to the "address" that you used when casting the spell, it is a one way ticket.
Yay, free contacts in your teleportation circle address book. These would refer to the "address" part when casting the spell.
---
Now, with all of that being said there is a fun tidbit that generates all the confusion:
So, by all of that information, yes if you have a permanent teleportation circle you can essentially create a door from Point A to Point B.
---
You do not, however, get to build a Stargate and use a single permanent Teleportation Circle to travel to any other permanent Teleportation Circle. Each new location requires a new permanent Teleportation Circle to be created for it.
So each permanent teleportation circle only links to one other permanent circle?
My original question still stands as well. Can anyone activate a permanent teleportation circle or does it require the casting of the spell to activate it?
Keep in mind, I'm talking about a permanent teleportation circle that someone else already made. The party did not create it, nor do they yet have the ability to. I just need to know if they can use it.
Also, why not a stargate type thing? I'm pretty sure you can use one to teleport to ANY other teleportation circle that you KNOW the sigil sequence for.
Dungeonmastering since 1992!
From my understanding I am thinking you need to cast the spell to learn the Sigils for the circle, and you can only go to a circle you know, of which when you learn the spell you get 2 that you know. Now once you know the circle and all that you don't have to cast the spell to use a permanant one. This just makes it so if one is in a forest a angry bear doesn't wander into it and teleport into a city or temple.
Based on my interpretation of the spell the Permanent Teleportation Circle formed would have an already determined sigil sequence, which the players can learn through studying the circle for several minutes (I think of it as the sigil sequence being inscribed in runes within the mystic pattern of the circle formed on the surface). This would allow anyone that knows the Sigil Sequence of this Teleportation Circle to teleport to it using teleportation circle or teleport.
Normally the teleportation circle would remain dormant until someone cast a spell to teleport to it, or cast teleportation circle to use this established circle as its starting point. However, if you plan is to allow your players to use this teleportation circle to reach other areas, and potentially come back as a sort of home base, you could have the seer established some form of mythical process that allows use of the established circle by only spending the Material Components, although in this case it would probably only be connected to one or two other permanent circle destinations. Then when they eventually gain the ability to cast the prerequisite spells themselves they can use it as a point to return to from anywhere on the plane if they wish.
This is what I was thinking too. I wanted them to be able to use it to go to a specific (already predetemined by me) location, without having to cast the spell since they don't have access to the spell.... Yet.
I guess I could "reward" the party with the sigil sequence now, and then they'd be able to use it later once they have access to the spell.
Dungeonmastering since 1992!