Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 2:CONNECTINGTHE PLANES22within the same plane, in some cosmologies). Others existnaturally. And the deities themselves created some portals.Most portals, regardless of their nature and origin,share a number of properties. They provide instantaneoustransportation from one location to another. If they passthrough the Astral Plane, they form conduits, impenetrabletubes that burrow through that open plane.What a Portal Looks LikeA portal may be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Atransparent portal looks like a doorway or window lookinginto another plane. Translucent portals are misty and fogshrouded,but they still allow the traveler to see a short distanceinto the plane on the other side. An opaque portalreveals nothing about the other side, though it may be aswirl of colors, a solid shade, a mirrored surface, or even apainting on an apparently solid wall.A good example of an opaque portal is the color poolsfound on the Astral Plane. In the D&D cosmology, theseportals to various other planes have particular colors toset them off, and the hue of the pool indicates the destinationof the portal.Interacting with a PortalMagic portals generally require sentience to use; thenatural hazards of a plane do not pass through portals.Temperature, air (whether toxic or not), dangerous substances,and energy emissions stay on their side of anopen portal. A portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire, forexample, poses no danger to those on the near side of theportal because the heat doesn’t pass through the portal.Likewise, one may open a portal to the Elemental Planeof Water without a flood suddenly rushing through intothe other plane. Characters’ worn, held, or carried itemspass through portals normally.An exception to the sentience requirement is a naturallyoccurring portal between similar locations on differentplanes. Such a portal is called a vortex, and it usuallyconnects to an elemental or energy plane. In suchcases, the conditions are similar on both sides of theportal. A vortex to the Elemental Plane of Fire might befound at the edge of a volcano, while one to the ElementalPlane of Water could be found off the coast. The greatestdangers of such vortices are that native elemental lifecan cross over easily, and a traveler may suddenly findherself in another plane without intending to be there.Unlike a mundane doorway, it is usually impossible tostep halfway across or reach through a portal. You areeither on one side or the other. Reaching through a portalhas no effect on the other side until you pass most of yourbody through—and then you’re on the other plane. “Juststicking your head in” won’t help you determining whatis on the other side of an opaque portal, but divinationspells such as analyze gate should prove very useful.Spells do not pass through portals. Divinations do notreveal anything about the other side of the portal unlessspecifically noted by the spell. Divinations that target thecaster, such as see invisibility, do work across a portal.Portals often have a size limitation; a creature too bigcan’t fit through the physical aspect of the portal. A portalof a given size generally allows a creature up to one sizelarger to fit through, though it’s a tight squeeze.Complex PortalsPortals usually function in both directions—“usually”being the key word. If a traveler uses a portal to go fromplane A to plane B, he may step through the other wayand go from plane B back to plane A. But one-way portalsexist that force travelers to find another way back towhere they started.Variable portals can send a traveler to a series of differentlocations, either within a particular plane or withindifferent planes. A variable portal may send individualsto particular locations at particular times, or it might randomlysend one group of travelers one place and group tosomeplace different. Variable portals often use keys (seebelow) to reach particular locations.Selective portals only allow particular objects or individualsthrough. Such a portal can limit passage based on identity,name, or alignment, but otherwise must have somethingclearly visible as its criteria. A portal that allows devilsto pass through could be fooled by the right illusion spell,and the Use Magic Device skill allows a clever traveler toemulate another’s alignment and fool the portal. Deitiesoften use selective portals to limit access to their agents.Some portals may be made both selective and variable,sending one group to one location and another groupsomewhere else. Some clever wizards create selectivevariable portals to disarm potential opponents by sendingthem one place and their weapons somewhere else.Sometimes a portal has specific limitations on its use.These limitations are commonly called keys. There can beany number of keys on a portal, and the portal’s creatorsusually set the keys when they create the portal.pqsNEW ITEM: DIMENSIONAL SEXTANTA dimensional sextant is an 8-inch sphere (constructed out ofany appropriate material) with arrows protruding out from it inall directions. It leads the bearer to the nearest planar portal.The dimensional sextant is held in both hands, and the shimmeringarrows point in the correct direction. It takes aKnowledge (the planes) check to operate a dimensional sextant.Desired DirectionDCTo the nearest portal 15To the nearest portal to a specific plane 20To determine where a portal leads 17In the case of temporary portals, such at those created by thegate spell, the sextant reveals the temporary nature of that gate.It does not react to mere dimension extensions such as a bagof holding or a rope trick spell, or to extrusions from otherdimensions such as shadow spells.Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, discernlocation; Market Price: 21,600 gp; Weight: 2 lb.pqs