Stone Walk
This spell is used to link far-flung temples or sacred areas for important and emergency journeys. A stone walk is a special form of teleportation that circumvents all known magical barriers and safeguards against teleportation, including gorgon's blood, proof against teleportation spells, and so on.
A stone walk involves two stony areas large enough to stand on. Both must be prepared with a secret ritual involving crushed gems before the spell itself is cast. Once the stone walk is cast, a being can pass instantly and unerringly from one stone to the other by standing on one and speaking a secret password set during the casting. The two ends of the teleportation must be on the same plane of existence but can be any distance apart. The trip itself is always instantaneous and safe, though the destination itself may be guarded, trapped, flooded, or the like. The traveler always arrives at the other end; blocking the stone transport site with solid matter merely causes the traveler to arrive at a nearby open, floored space.
One one-way trip per level of the caster can be made for one being (usualJy the caster, but not necessarily) and all carried or worn items, accouterments, and nonliving items, up to 100 pounds additional weight. Living creatures who touch the caster can also be transported along with 100 pounds of gear each, but each creature plus 100 pounds of gear uses up one trip. Nonliving material of more than 100 pounds in weight is simply left behind and cannot stone walk without the touch (and accompaniment) of a living creature. Usually, only a single priest makes a trip, and the extra capacity of the spell is left for subsequent trips. Note that the password cannot be changed until the spell is exhausted and a new one cast to replace it.
If too many creatures try to come on a stone walk, the spell is exhausted. The caster or whoever speaks the password is first taken and then whichever other creatures the magic can accommodate. Extra creatures and all nonliving material in excess of the spell's capacity are left behind.
The material component of the preparatory ritual for the end sites of the spell is a paste with which each end of the stone walk is outlined. For each end, this paste requires four crushed rubies of at least 5,000 gp value each. The ends must be personally prepared by the caster of the stone walk within 444 days of the casting of the spell. The ritual of preparation involves the spellcaster bathing, thoroughly washing the stony areas selected, and outlining these areas with the paste while whispering the future password.
The caster can travel between the two end sites by any form of motivation desired (walking, flying, burrowing, riding a horse, etc.) and can cast the stone walk immediately after the second end is prepared. The spell lasts until the caster uses up all of the trips provided, or until a successful Dispel Magic is used at either of the two ends of the stone walk. The spell itself requires a piece of spider silk at least a foot in length, two intact diamonds of 5,000 gp value or greater, a handful of earth, and a wing feather of any flying bird.
The spell itself requires a piece of spider silk at least a foot in length, two intact diamonds of 5,000 gp value or greater, a handful of earth, and a wing feather of any flying bird.
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