So trying to rebalance an old homebrew item that I created as something like an 'anchor' for creating a permanent version of a spell, specifically a 5th-edition friendly version since the players enjoyed the old 3.5 version and the next campaign I'm to run (yay for being forever-DM...) I'm planning on using the items as a plot-point for the players to pursue.
Effectively, a Permanency Stone is a crystal of varying shapes, sizes or materials that is anchored to a surface and, through a ritual requiring specific components and the spellcaster casting the spell at the end to bind it to the Permanency Stone. If the Permanency Stone is ever removed from its location, it goes inactive and must be returned to its former location and the spell recast on it to reactive it. The Permanency Stone, regardless of version, cannot be used to cast a spell that requires a attack roll, saving throw or to summon entities or creatures. Spells that have a time limit of 1 round cannot be bound to a Permanency Stone. To gain the benefits of the Permanency Stone's bound spell, one must either touch the Stone and speak the Command Word, or the Permanency Stone can be set to automatically cast the spell on any viable target that enters their area of effect. If the spell requires a specific token or object to function, such as a piece of a creature to be Scryed upon or a attuned item to teleport into a secret lair, that item must also be provided when attempting to cast the spell bound into the Permanency Stone, or the spell will fail.
Any effect that has a permanent duration, such as Teleportation Circle or Galder's Tower, can be bound to a suitable Permanency Stone and function as if cast for a year, but if the Stone is moved, or dispelled, at any time during that year, the spell fails and the Permanency Stone is destroyed in the backlash. After the full duration required for the spell to normally become permanent has been reached, the Permanency Stone cracks and becomes inert afterwards.
A Permanency Stone can only affect a number of creatures at a time equal to the spellcaster's Proficiency Bonus plus the bonus to the Ability Score used for their spellcasting. If multiple creatures are within the area of effect spell and the number exceeds the number of viable targets, those who entered after the maximum amount of targets was reached receive no benefit from the Permanency Stone.
Minor Permanency Stones can hold spells up to 2nd level. The ritual to create a Minor Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least a cubic foot in size, or similar mass, and must cost at least 3,000 gold. Any Cantrip, 1st level Spell or 2nd level Spell, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round, can be bound to the Minor Permanency Stone through a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 2,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 30 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be a border checkpoint between two nations who do not share a common language. A Wizard is called in to provide assistance, but cannot afford to be casting Tongues or Comprehend Language all day long, so she creates a Minor Permanency Stone that is bound to a Comprehend Language spell. At 6th level, the Wizard has a Proficiency Bonus of +3, and an Intelligence of 16, meaning that up to 6 people can speak and be understood, regardless of the language they speak, within a 30 foot cube.
Lesser Permanency Stones can hold up to 4th level spells. The ritual to create a Lesser Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least two 1-foot cubes, or similar mass, in size and must cost at least 6,000 gold. Any Spell up to 4th level can be cast into the Lesser Permanency Stone, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round. To create a Lesser Permanency Stone, the spellcaster must undergo a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 4,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 50 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be an Dwarven Forge that specialised in making adamantium weapons and armor, but the heat required to properly work such a wondrous metal requires staggering amounts of protection. To help mitigate this, the Forge-Master commissions the local Temple of Moradin to create something to help with the situation, and the High Priest creates a Lesser Permanency Stone that is bound to the Protection from Energy (Fire) spell. As a 16th level Cleric with a Wisdom of 18, the Lesser Permanency Stone would be able to affect up to 9 individuals, granting Fire Resistance to the Forge-Master, her assistants and their apprentices, halving the damage the extreme heat of the forge might do to an unlucky Dwarf who gets too close, or be splashed with molten metal and embers.
Permanency Spell Stones can hold up to 6th level spells. The ritual to create a Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least three 1-foot cubes in size, or similar mass, and must cost at least 10,000 gold. Any Spell up to 6th level can be cast into the Permanency Stone, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round. To create a Permanency Stone, the spellcaster must undergo a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 6,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 70 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be a Bard who requires illusion magic to help with their shows, but finds most of their staff and companions unable or unwilling to provide the level of immersion they require. Using a Permanency Stone bound to Programmed Illusion and secured to the floor of their wagon, the Bard is able to activate the stone using a Command Word, enabling them to create a grand illusory stage in which to hold their shows ... so long as the wagon remains immobile during the performance. If the Wagon is moved at any time during the performance, the Permanency Stone will go inert and the Programmed Illusion will immediately cease to function.
Alternatively, a Wizard might require to set up a permanent Teleportation Circle, but cannot afford to spend an entire year in one place casting and re-casting the spell. Turning to the Permanency Stones, she undergoes the ritual and binds the spell to the Permanency Stone, which will now function as a permanent Teleportation Circle ... so long as the Permanency Stone is unmoved. If the Stone is moved, or dispelled, the effect fails and the Teleportation Circle fades away, and the Wizard will have to undergo the ritual again with an entirely new crystal.
Greater Permanency Spell Stones can hold up to 8th level spells. The ritual to create a Greater Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least five 1-foot cubes in size, or similar mass, and must cost at least 20,000 gold. Any Spell up to 8th level can be cast into the Permanency Stone, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round. To create a Permanency Stone, the spellcaster must undergo a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 10,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 100 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be a Wizard who wishes to tie his Demiplane to his tower without having to cast a spell every time he wishes to enter or exit it. Binding Demiplane to the Permanency Stone, he then attunes a doorway in his tower to the Demiplane as part of the Ritual, and can then, with a Command Word, open the door and step through into his Demiplane, at which point that doorway will continue to function as the threshold between the Material Plane and his Demiplane for an hour, as per the rules of the Demiplane Spell. The Demiplane will follow the rules of the spell, but due to being bound to the Greater Permanency Stone, the attuned doorway can be within 100 feet of the Stone to which it is anchored.
Alternatively, a Sorcerer who hops between worlds desires to create a more stable way of entering and exiting their favourite Spheres and crafts a chamber wherein a Greater Permanency Stone is located and has bound it to the Dream of the Blue Veil spell. Using the Command Word with the required material components demanded by the spell, the Sorcerer and their party fall asleep for 6 hours, can take themselves and their servants to another world without expending a spell-slot, perform the duties that are required of them there, and then use their own spell to return home in a similar fashion, using a magical item or even themselves to return to their point of origin, or perhaps a third Sphere in turn.
How does this track to other GMs/DMs who aren't stuck with rose-tinted glasses to their noggins in regards to these items? Too expensive? I want to avoid it being like 3.5 where anything and everything that could be made Permanent would be made so, but I also want to give the players the opportunity to set down some roots, build a base here and there and have some fun with it without "So hey yeah that was a year you spent in this location and the Orc Liberation Army got decimated while you were playing Fantasy Martha Stewart." every time the players want to leave something magically useful to the communities and factions they've befriended and aided.
Like, the Party befriends a colony of Kenku and the Wizard with an Intelligence of 19 knows the Kenku dream of flying again. A Permanency Stone set with Fly cast on it, and stashed in the Kenkus' hideout, means with a Command Word chosen by the Kenku, up to 8 Kenku can have the Fly spell cast on them up to 10 minutes, meaning that if the Stone is set at the right spot, the Kenku can literally croak out whatever noise they've chosen as the Command Word and just fly right on up to their home, out of range of their enemies and rivals, without having to leave ropes or ladders where others can climb up to their lair. Can you imagine how grateful the Kenku would be? Although that means nobody else can gain the ability to Fly until those 10 minutes are up, but for the Kenku? To be able to fly again, to soar and swoop and dance amongst the wind again? That party would be worshipped as a God by those Kenku for giving them back some semblance of their lost wings.
Alternatively, slap a few of these in a Graveyard with the Gentle Repose spell and ruin a Necromantic Cult's day, especially if the Permanency Stones are well hidden and the graveyard is guarded by some attentive fellows to stop people just carrying the corpses away and out of the Area of Effect.
Any flaws, abuses or idiocies I've missed? Between 60+ hour night-shifts and running games from saturday morning to sunday morning, my brain is like melted cheese at the moment and I can't be sure I haven't F.U.B.A.R.'d something here.
So trying to rebalance an old homebrew item that I created as something like an 'anchor' for creating a permanent version of a spell, specifically a 5th-edition friendly version since the players enjoyed the old 3.5 version and the next campaign I'm to run (yay for being forever-DM...) I'm planning on using the items as a plot-point for the players to pursue.
Effectively, a Permanency Stone is a crystal of varying shapes, sizes or materials that is anchored to a surface and, through a ritual requiring specific components and the spellcaster casting the spell at the end to bind it to the Permanency Stone. If the Permanency Stone is ever removed from its location, it goes inactive and must be returned to its former location and the spell recast on it to reactive it. The Permanency Stone, regardless of version, cannot be used to cast a spell that requires a attack roll, saving throw or to summon entities or creatures. Spells that have a time limit of 1 round cannot be bound to a Permanency Stone. To gain the benefits of the Permanency Stone's bound spell, one must either touch the Stone and speak the Command Word, or the Permanency Stone can be set to automatically cast the spell on any viable target that enters their area of effect. If the spell requires a specific token or object to function, such as a piece of a creature to be Scryed upon or a attuned item to teleport into a secret lair, that item must also be provided when attempting to cast the spell bound into the Permanency Stone, or the spell will fail.
Any effect that has a permanent duration, such as Teleportation Circle or Galder's Tower, can be bound to a suitable Permanency Stone and function as if cast for a year, but if the Stone is moved, or dispelled, at any time during that year, the spell fails and the Permanency Stone is destroyed in the backlash. After the full duration required for the spell to normally become permanent has been reached, the Permanency Stone cracks and becomes inert afterwards.
A Permanency Stone can only affect a number of creatures at a time equal to the spellcaster's Proficiency Bonus plus the bonus to the Ability Score used for their spellcasting. If multiple creatures are within the area of effect spell and the number exceeds the number of viable targets, those who entered after the maximum amount of targets was reached receive no benefit from the Permanency Stone.
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Minor Permanency Stones can hold spells up to 2nd level. The ritual to create a Minor Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least a cubic foot in size, or similar mass, and must cost at least 3,000 gold. Any Cantrip, 1st level Spell or 2nd level Spell, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round, can be bound to the Minor Permanency Stone through a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 2,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 30 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be a border checkpoint between two nations who do not share a common language. A Wizard is called in to provide assistance, but cannot afford to be casting Tongues or Comprehend Language all day long, so she creates a Minor Permanency Stone that is bound to a Comprehend Language spell. At 6th level, the Wizard has a Proficiency Bonus of +3, and an Intelligence of 16, meaning that up to 6 people can speak and be understood, regardless of the language they speak, within a 30 foot cube.
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Lesser Permanency Stones can hold up to 4th level spells. The ritual to create a Lesser Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least two 1-foot cubes, or similar mass, in size and must cost at least 6,000 gold. Any Spell up to 4th level can be cast into the Lesser Permanency Stone, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round. To create a Lesser Permanency Stone, the spellcaster must undergo a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 4,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 50 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be an Dwarven Forge that specialised in making adamantium weapons and armor, but the heat required to properly work such a wondrous metal requires staggering amounts of protection. To help mitigate this, the Forge-Master commissions the local Temple of Moradin to create something to help with the situation, and the High Priest creates a Lesser Permanency Stone that is bound to the Protection from Energy (Fire) spell. As a 16th level Cleric with a Wisdom of 18, the Lesser Permanency Stone would be able to affect up to 9 individuals, granting Fire Resistance to the Forge-Master, her assistants and their apprentices, halving the damage the extreme heat of the forge might do to an unlucky Dwarf who gets too close, or be splashed with molten metal and embers.
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Permanency Spell Stones can hold up to 6th level spells. The ritual to create a Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least three 1-foot cubes in size, or similar mass, and must cost at least 10,000 gold. Any Spell up to 6th level can be cast into the Permanency Stone, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round. To create a Permanency Stone, the spellcaster must undergo a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 6,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 70 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be a Bard who requires illusion magic to help with their shows, but finds most of their staff and companions unable or unwilling to provide the level of immersion they require. Using a Permanency Stone bound to Programmed Illusion and secured to the floor of their wagon, the Bard is able to activate the stone using a Command Word, enabling them to create a grand illusory stage in which to hold their shows ... so long as the wagon remains immobile during the performance. If the Wagon is moved at any time during the performance, the Permanency Stone will go inert and the Programmed Illusion will immediately cease to function.
Alternatively, a Wizard might require to set up a permanent Teleportation Circle, but cannot afford to spend an entire year in one place casting and re-casting the spell. Turning to the Permanency Stones, she undergoes the ritual and binds the spell to the Permanency Stone, which will now function as a permanent Teleportation Circle ... so long as the Permanency Stone is unmoved. If the Stone is moved, or dispelled, the effect fails and the Teleportation Circle fades away, and the Wizard will have to undergo the ritual again with an entirely new crystal.
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Greater Permanency Spell Stones can hold up to 8th level spells. The ritual to create a Greater Permanency Stone requires a crystal or gem of at least five 1-foot cubes in size, or similar mass, and must cost at least 20,000 gold. Any Spell up to 8th level can be cast into the Permanency Stone, so long as they do not require an attack roll, saving throw, or to summon entities or creatures, or have a duration of one round. To create a Permanency Stone, the spellcaster must undergo a 8-hour long ritual consuming up to 10,000 gold worth of oils, reagents and alchemical tinctures, at the end of which the spellcaster must cast the desired spell onto the Permanency Stone. The Area of Effect is a 100 foot cube, in which the stone must be occupying at least one 5-foot cube within the Area of Effect, and must be solidly anchored to either a wall, floor or point on the ceiling to take effect.
An example would be a Wizard who wishes to tie his Demiplane to his tower without having to cast a spell every time he wishes to enter or exit it. Binding Demiplane to the Permanency Stone, he then attunes a doorway in his tower to the Demiplane as part of the Ritual, and can then, with a Command Word, open the door and step through into his Demiplane, at which point that doorway will continue to function as the threshold between the Material Plane and his Demiplane for an hour, as per the rules of the Demiplane Spell. The Demiplane will follow the rules of the spell, but due to being bound to the Greater Permanency Stone, the attuned doorway can be within 100 feet of the Stone to which it is anchored.
Alternatively, a Sorcerer who hops between worlds desires to create a more stable way of entering and exiting their favourite Spheres and crafts a chamber wherein a Greater Permanency Stone is located and has bound it to the Dream of the Blue Veil spell. Using the Command Word with the required material components demanded by the spell, the Sorcerer and their party fall asleep for 6 hours, can take themselves and their servants to another world without expending a spell-slot, perform the duties that are required of them there, and then use their own spell to return home in a similar fashion, using a magical item or even themselves to return to their point of origin, or perhaps a third Sphere in turn.
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How does this track to other GMs/DMs who aren't stuck with rose-tinted glasses to their noggins in regards to these items? Too expensive? I want to avoid it being like 3.5 where anything and everything that could be made Permanent would be made so, but I also want to give the players the opportunity to set down some roots, build a base here and there and have some fun with it without "So hey yeah that was a year you spent in this location and the Orc Liberation Army got decimated while you were playing Fantasy Martha Stewart." every time the players want to leave something magically useful to the communities and factions they've befriended and aided.
Like, the Party befriends a colony of Kenku and the Wizard with an Intelligence of 19 knows the Kenku dream of flying again. A Permanency Stone set with Fly cast on it, and stashed in the Kenkus' hideout, means with a Command Word chosen by the Kenku, up to 8 Kenku can have the Fly spell cast on them up to 10 minutes, meaning that if the Stone is set at the right spot, the Kenku can literally croak out whatever noise they've chosen as the Command Word and just fly right on up to their home, out of range of their enemies and rivals, without having to leave ropes or ladders where others can climb up to their lair. Can you imagine how grateful the Kenku would be? Although that means nobody else can gain the ability to Fly until those 10 minutes are up, but for the Kenku? To be able to fly again, to soar and swoop and dance amongst the wind again? That party would be worshipped as a God by those Kenku for giving them back some semblance of their lost wings.
Alternatively, slap a few of these in a Graveyard with the Gentle Repose spell and ruin a Necromantic Cult's day, especially if the Permanency Stones are well hidden and the graveyard is guarded by some attentive fellows to stop people just carrying the corpses away and out of the Area of Effect.
Any flaws, abuses or idiocies I've missed? Between 60+ hour night-shifts and running games from saturday morning to sunday morning, my brain is like melted cheese at the moment and I can't be sure I haven't F.U.B.A.R.'d something here.