Astral Projection

[MikMod]

Just wondering if I have this right and how other people play it...

1/ You can appear anywhere you've been before, physically.

2/ You can blink to several places while astral as long as you've been there.

3/ After you arrive somewhere, you can see things, hear people and move about as if you were there, except you can move through all physical objects.

4/ You could spend an hour exploring a house you had stood outside, or a city where you had once stood on the docks, and you would see what is actually there right now.

5/ You would be able to astrally move (walk/fly) from places you had been, into places you had not physically been.

6/ I'm guessing you can 'fly' at MA 12 or something. Not sure what maximum range that gives you!

7/ Would you allow the deck of a ship, or the arms of a lover to be 'places' you could astrally project to? I imagine if you can 'feel' the 'place' then you can reach it?


Does that sound about right? Thanks in advance.

[Kieddicus]

Never actually used it. I am pretty sure you are correct on 1 and 3.

As for 2 you can definitely teleport to the first location but it is debatable if you can freely do it after.

The spell states you had to have visited the place while not in astral form, so you probably cannot do 4 and 5.

6 There is nothing that implies your MA is modified... So only if you already had an MA of 12.

As for RAW I'd guess no on 7, but I might allow it if I GM.

[Skarg]

1. Yes.

2. Not clear. It sort of sounds like it, but if you can teleport at will, then the later part about how combat works just like physical combat would not be very true. It'd be about winning initiative and moving second into foe's rear hexes, or teleporting away if you lost initiative. And, Astral Travel is already super-powerful, so I would rule no.

3. Yes.

4. Yes.

5. Yes, walk. I think flight would require magic unless you can naturally fly.

6. No as above.

7. No, definitely not. That would add an extra-powerful ability to this already extra-powerful spell. Places must mean fixed places, not people or ships or wagons or objects.


Because I have seen this spell used, and used to very powerful effect, and I don't much care for the type of world and gameplay that creates unless I want a game about powerful astral spying and attacks, I tend to add a number of things in my campaigns such as spells that can block and/or detect and/or trap astral travel more effectively than pentagrams, wards and mage sight, as well as astral terrain, creatures, and other risks and perils.

[Shostak]

To Skarg's comments I would add that it is absolutely fair play to populate your world with astral menaces to act as a deterrent against overuse of such a powerful spell, perhaps the Astral Asp, that easily overlooked serpent underfoot whose bite renders one unable to leave the astral plane until ...

[MikMod]

Thanks guys, I'd love to know more about the terrain and creatures that you've added. Sounds interesting. I can only think of the faerie paths from Norrel and Strange...

[Shostak]

There's always the danger of a Beyonder, Planar Assassin, or Flying Mana Leech, as can be seen here in the Book of Monsters.

[larsdangly]

I understand it is not cannon, but I prefer to interpret astral beings as occupying a plane you can freely explore and that contains beings, objects and connections to yet other planes that you would not encounter in the non-astral real world. That is, I follow a classic D&D interpretation that astral beings inhabit a plane of existence that overlaps but extends beyond the real world. I don't do this to enable any particular powerzzz, but rather because it feels more fun and interesting and open ended.

[Skarg]

Yes, that's my assumption too: the astral plane has terrain and inhabitants that can cause problems. And, I tend to add spells that can help make your own location less easy to visit.

Basics tend to include:

Astral Wards that cover a larger area than a normal Ward, but only in the astral plane.

Astral Walls that can be created, remain in place, and prevent an astral traveler from arriving inside a structure of them.

Astral Summons that can summon various astral guards and beasts who will tend to hang out where they were summoned rather than needing to be maintained.

[Shaira]

Hi everyone,

Just reading up on people's opinions on Astral Projection here on the forums, as I'm wondering about a particular side effect / consequence which is potentially very powerful. It's this:

Do you think two Astrally Projecting wizards could perceive one another and communicate on the Astral Plane? As the spell write-up indicates two such wizards can attack one another, it seems reasonable to suggest they can talk to one another. If so, this becomes a very powerful communication spell.

Cheers,

Sarah

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by Shaira

Do you think two Astrally Projecting wizards could perceive one another and communicate on the Astral Plane? As the spell write-up indicates two such wizards can attack one another, it seems reasonable to suggest they can talk to one another. If so, this becomes a very powerful communication spell.

Cheers,

Sarah

Good question, Sarah! While there is nothing I'm aware of that explicitly rules out communicating on the Astral Plane, I'd seriously consider requiring the use of Telepathy. As others have mentioned, Astral Projection is extremely powerful, so throwing a hurdle in the way of using it as a wizardly Zoom meeting on top of that could be a good idea.