"...ward in your vicinity...." in UD Areas

[Steve]

Hello!

So...are there just multiple Areas in the UD where Teleportation has been permanently blocked?

If so, can we discuss why this is the case, and whether current playing experience—or more importantly, Canon Lore—would or would not prevent Teleportation?

For reference, I was at Oghrann's Ruins trying to use Master of Earth spell to teleport to the Duergar Compound.

Cheers.

[Endelyon]

I think that would be a great discussion to have even outside of the context of UD areas specifically. This always annoyed me too.

[Steve]

Well, it’s a start.

How about all non-Canon Lore teleportation blockage is removed???

[Steve]

*bumpity humpity hump"

[BloodRiot]

Not sure how accurate this is:

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Faerzress

Quoted the relevant bits.

Faerzress
Faerzress was a magical radiation only found in the Underdark, a remnant of High Magic that helped shape the Underdark itself. It interfered with the casting of teleportation and divination spells.

Faerzress and drow culture
Faerzress was a Drow word, and it played a major role in drow city planning. Drow sought out areas with strong faerzress to build their cities and outposts in order to keep others from scrying their doings or teleporting inside the city. Drow also used faerzress to create magical artifacts.

Effects on magic
Faerzress could affect magic and spellcasting in unpredictable ways, in some ways like wild magic. Although the knowledge of faerzress among surface-dwellers was sparse, it was known to mainly affect divination and conjuration spells, making teleporting by magic in the Underdark a risky effort.

If placed appropriately, it does seem to have decent canonicity. Personally I play a meathead that doesn't use magic either way. But I also think, as a big fan of the new survival requirements of the UD and hopefully see it expanded to the rest of the server smartly, I do think it would be bad to have such systems rendered useless by teleportation. Having said that I will support those things being changed from outright preventions to increased difficulties. Numbers open for discussion.

[Steve]

Not sure how accurate this is:

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Faerzress

If this is the case, as in the IG, IC reason why so many Areas of the UD are teleportation blocked, then okay. It makes sense, in principal.

But a Faerzress blocking an ENTIRE Area/map? Or two maps in a row, where there is only a linear path of travel?

I also would prefer difficulty or DCs in place of outright nullification.

Lastly, would the Faerzress work against Master Earth spell????

[DaloLorn]

Half the duergar compound is high-level mages. I don't find it unreasonable for them to maintain teleportation wards, considering the amount of warded guild halls that had their wards set up years ago with no clear indication that they're subsequently going to receive maintenance from guild members. If one mage can ward a guild hall indefinitely, surely an army of mages can ward a base the size of the duergar compound. The same principle is also applicable to a number of other locales, like the Frost Giant Keep or the fire giants in the Grey Peaks.

The lich's den in the Cloud Peaks is arguably also a valid candidate for this in-universe justification, but there's also a technical justification in that it's on the Regional Interior map, so allowing the use of teleportation magic on that map would allow you to use runed Dimension Doors to cross distances well in excess of the spell's PnP limits.

That said: As I recall, Rhifox added a pile of extra teleportation blocks to the Underdark during the ToT, specifically aimed at emulating faerzress. The duergar compound was not affected, but other maps may have been.

[Steve]

* bump, since it IS STILL an unresolved issue *

[DaloLorn]

My first instinct is to remove the faerzress blockers, replace them with a +10-20 increase to the areas' teleportation DCs, and keep full warding in dungeons featuring spellcasters. Maybe remove the warding from some caster dungeons on a case-by-case basis, like the Oghrann exterior (they don't seem quite competent enough to ward the whole city, but the temple seems reasonable), the Large Crypt (same issue, all they've got is a handful of wights), and the Illithid Mines (but not the Illithid Hive).

[Steve]

Yes, less arbitrary and more IC reasoning, the better.

But let’s also discuss how certain spells are not the same, IC. Teleport is one thing, Travel by Plant another, Master Earth again different.

Can we please not have blanket Rules, blanket reasonings. Cheers.

[cosmic ray]

That effect also blocks the epic spell Damnation, as I reported in the bug subforum.

[Steve]

Hello!!!!!

Friendly bump here!!!!!

[Rhifox]

We are generally positively inclined to reworking how teleportation blocking works in pve areas where it does not make IC sense. It is just something that will take time to implement.

Also...

That said: As I recall, Rhifox added a pile of extra teleportation blocks to the Underdark during the ToT, specifically aimed at emulating faerzress. The duergar compound was not affected, but other maps may have been.

I do not recall doing this.

[Steve]

We are generally positively inclined to reworking how teleportation blocking works in pve areas where it does not make IC sense. It is just something that will take time to implement.

Also...

That said: As I recall, Rhifox added a pile of extra teleportation blocks to the Underdark during the ToT, specifically aimed at emulating faerzress. The duergar compound was not affected, but other maps may have been.

I do not recall doing this.

Thanks for replying! I’m happy to know this is “in the (loooooong) pipe!”

[DaloLorn]

That said: As I recall, Rhifox added a pile of extra teleportation blocks to the Underdark during the ToT, specifically aimed at emulating faerzress. The duergar compound was not affected, but other maps may have been.

I do not recall doing this.

Discord does! (Though the reasoning isn't documented there, and may require a more thorough search through either Discord or the forums to verify my beliefs as to why the change was made.)

* Most UD dungeons now correctly prevent resting, and many also block teleportation.