Gate Gem

[hcobb]

A wizard holds only one gate gem while casting the first half of a Create Gate.

At some later time any person holding that gem can toss it against a wall where it will shatter and complete the gate back to the location of casting, with the rules that were set during that casting.

Would you allow gate gems in your campaigns and if so with what costs and limitations? (Perhaps the gate starts flickering as soon as it is setup?)

[tomc]

I'd put the cost somewhere between Long Distance Teleport and a regular Gate. Shading to one or the other depending on how restrictive the rules are.

If I were to use one, I'd probably treat it as a one-off item the PCs got from someone/somewhere else, specifically for the campaign, and not worry about adding it to the canon, or cost and creation rules.

Apologies for the copping out on your actual question. A good answer probably involves more math than I'm up to right now.

[David Bofinger]

My usual question in such circumstances: how would this make the game more fun than it is now? Why do you think it's a good idea?

I can see some stories it removes from the game, like "A powerful wizard is travelling to a gate location when he gets into trouble, the PCs are nearby," and I can see stories it enables, like "A gate gem is stolen" with a few possible motives like busting into the other end's location or establishing a gate to a place that otherwise hasn't been authorised one. On balance maybe a slight improvement?

Magic items designed to enable interesting adventures would be excellent.

[Steve Plambeck]

It would be a cool thing to have under these limitations: only the 2nd half of the Gate can be stepped into, and both ends collapse in a couple minutes.

Then this effectively becomes a pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers, a free way home for a small party after a long journey, or a sudden escape from an untenable situation. Maybe just add Ruby Slippers to the list of magic items instead! :)

Otherwise, letting such a Gate work in both directions, even for a relatively short period of time, would undermine any defensive position. If one person with a gem like this gets inside any citadel, a whole army of attackers could appear inside. Now it's a Trojan horse you could carry in a pocket, and military strategy ceases to exist.

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

a pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers, a free way home for a small party after a long journey, or a sudden escape from an untenable situation. Maybe just add Ruby Slippers to the list of magic items instead! :)

Is that a good thing? It feels like it reduces the stakes. If I can bail at any time then I don't fear combat as much.

letting such a Gate work in both directions, even for a relatively short period of time, would undermine any defensive position.

Pretty much. Destroy Creation is a lot more useful for sabotage than defence.

[hcobb]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

Pretty much. Destroy Creation is a lot more useful for sabotage than defence.

I had never considered that, but I don't see anything that keeps a wizard from erasing a gate (of any size) with that 1 ST spell, other than the fact that the other side of the gate is outside of thrown spell range.

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

Is that a good thing? It feels like it reduces the stakes. If I can bail at any time then I don't fear combat as much.

It makes a good deus ex machina for some story lines. A dungeon so egregious relative to the party, they might find their way to the goal but wouldn't have any hope of fighting (or finding) their way out again. A prisoner you might only have a chance to rescue if a PC got themselves arrested, tried, and locked up in the same cell while smuggling in the gate gem.* An item you must get home by a deadline, but the round trip would take twice as long as the time you have. So a few interesting plots could be possible if the GM let the party have such a trinket -- and woe unto them if they lose the thing before they need it, or waste it too soon.

Of course the thing has to be so expensive, or only available once through the GM, to prevent PCs just carrying around a spare one that could ruin your future plans.


* The PC could swallow the gem before getting them self arrested. But if some jolt set the thing off prematurely there'd be quite a mess to clean up at the home end of the gate.

[larsdangly]

Love it; this is a really cool idea for expanding the properties and uses of gates without having it be a free for all.

[hcobb]

You could always just bring a goblin witch and a 50 point powerstone...

[Senturian]

Yes please, My Wizard could always find a use for a 50 point Strength Battery.
The Witch?, yeah...well...umm...ya see there was this group of Prootwaddles and umm...well, things didn't go well for her.