What Happens If You Draw A Pentagram

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Protective Diagrams

There are a number of methods to protect one-cocky from the rampagings of some conjured creature. Amongst them are using protection from evil or skillful spells, at that place are better methods, however, when one remembers that mere magic does often not bear upon creatures from the outer planes. A powerful cleric of a deitiy opposing the conjured creature in question can be very helpful, however, many times such clerics oppose the conjurer as much as the conjured. Amongst the best methods is the use of protective diagrams. While not inherently magical these diagrams have powers transcending the mundane, like a cleric's symbol. This means that creatures resistant to magic tin can still be held securely inside the confines or out of the confines of such a protective diagram. It should exist noted that this is true even for the mighty nobles of the lower planes if they tin be conjured.

We will outset give a listing of the currently known protective diagrams and their uses.

: Pentacle: A pentacle is non so much a diagram designed to continue creatures within or out, it is a rune used to preclude whatsoever extra planar creature from opening the object in question. Thus information technology tin can exist used to make a hold portal or a magician lock spell more secure confronting some outerworldly rampager. Information technology is too used on containers designed to confine the spirit of such a creature, e.g. an efreeti bottle .
: Magic (Protection) Circle: This diagram protects confronting hostile sendings too as confronting lesser devils. Hostile sendings are those effected by magic such as nightmare, sending from a hostile creature, demand .
: Magic Circle: Such a circumvolve is proof against whatever devil as well as against all proficient creatures from the upper planes.
: Thaumaturgic Triangle: Such a symbol protects against creatures from the elemental too equally from the astral plane and those from the plane of concordant opposition.
: Thaumaturgic Circumvolve: Although information technology looks like a thaumaturgic triangle inscribed within a magic circumvolve at first sight, this is non true: the runes inscribed inside the outer ring are very much different from those used within a magic circumvolve. However, this diagram protects against all those creatures, against which a thaumaturgic triangle can exist used. In addition information technology protects the user against demons of type I-Five, as well as succubi.
: Pentagram: This diagram protects confronting whatsoever evil actress planar animal except devils.
: Great Pentagram: This diagram is essentially a combination of a magic circle and a pentagram. Information technology protects from any good creature from the upper planes likewise as from any evil being from another plane.

There are different methods of inscribing these diagrams and different methods to employ them. We will first requite their general power: a diagram of the in a higher place type, located on the prime material plane, volition not permit any creature against which it has power, to affect it directly with its powers, to cross information technology by any means with any part or to send its power across the nearest lines of the diagram.

Unfortunately at that place is a twist: there are diagrams which protect against the within, i.east. they are designed to confine a creature, and those which protect against the outside, i.e. are designed to keep the afflicted fauna out. It is necessary for the drawer of the diagram to define, of which of these 2 types the diagram to be drawn will exist. A diagram can never exist bidirectional, thus information technology is possible even for a creature which would exist affected by information technology, to destroy the protective diagram if the being comes from the wrong side. The sole exception to this is the pentacle which will keep a seal airtight, no matter from which side the opener will come up. Ane should also keep in mind, that such diagrams piece of work but on the prime number material plane. A confining diagram confines a space with a superlative of double its diameter or up to the ceiling. The bars creature cannot get any higher than that. Solitude too reduces the resistance of the circumscribed animate being confronting threats, bargains etc. by 5% each day.

The adjacent point in inscribing a diagram is wether it is to be done by hand, i.due east. by drawing the lines with chalk or a similar substance, or by engraving them onto some hard surface. While the latter takes considerably longer it has the advantage that such a diagram can be reused. A hand-drawn diagram is simply temporary and will have to be redrawn after ane use or with the next sunrise, whichever comes earlier.

Furthermore, there are the questions of the time needed to inscribe the diagram, of the complexity of this undertaking, and the fashion in which such a diagram is activated. For answers to these questions nosotros will regard each diagram every bit having a ``spell level'' and a ``casting time''. These are given in the following table.

Diagram	Spell Level	Casting Fourth dimension
Pentacle	1	ane/2
Magic Protection Circle	2	1
Thaumaturgic Triangle	3	half dozen
Thaumaturgic Circumvolve	iv	13
Pentagram	5	20
Magic Circle	half-dozen	xx
Keen Pentragram	7	28

The casting fourth dimension given is the base of operations time in rounds to temporarily draw the diagram, in turns to inscribe it permanently, provided the necessary materials are on paw. These casting times apply, if the diagram is either memorized equally a spell. This memorization takes an appropiate slot, yet can exist done past any character able to cast whatsoever type of spell. Otherwise, also every bit for whatsoever character non able to cast spells, the proper drawing of such a diagram will have one turn per casting fourth dimension unit to temporarily depict it, one day per unit to insribe it. There, yet, are a number of special and very rare grimoires, e.g. the Demonomicon , the Book of Yesh, the Liber Ivonis, and others, which also enable their owner to draw such a diagram within the normal base fourth dimension, provided, he or she has the book and peruses information technology while drawing the diagram. Depending on the place wher i is and the flux of magic there, the presence of such a volume or other unique item might likewise be necessary to activate the diagram. Usually, notwithstanding, drawing it properly will be sufficient.

Such a book is also needed to properly understand the making of these diagrams. The hazard to empathize the drawing of a diagram is equal to the risk of understanding a spell of an equal level for a magic-user with the same intelligence equally the reader. If the diagram is not understood, information technology tin can be drawn only with the book at hand, and then just at the slower speed, i.e. one turn per casting time unit to draw temporarily, one day per such unit of measurement for permanent inscription.

There remains the probability of failure to be discussed. While a properly fatigued diagram cannot truly neglect it is possible that some crucial mistake was done in drawing it and thus its ability is less than expected. A hand-drawn diagram will be incorrectly drawn 20% of the time. This hazard can be reduced by ane% for each boosted turn of drawing the diagram with special pigments costing ane.000 gp per turn and usually not readily bachelor in a dungeon setting. The initial drawing has neglible costs.

A permanent inlaid diagram has an initial price of 10.000 gp and a failure risk of 10%. This chance is checked the first time the diagram is used. If it fails the diagram will exist totally useless and has to be inscribed anew. The chance for failure can be reduced to 0%, if one uses special metals, gems etc. in the inlay. In this instance costs are 50.000 gp and the endeavour takes an additional month of time.

The requirements given are for diagrams confing a space of up to 10' radius. Hand-drawn diagrams cannot exist larger than that. Inlaid diagrams can be larger, in this case time and costs go quadratic with the radius of the diagram. Note that even for very large inlaid diagrams the lines are still very fine and sparse.

Against spell or other effects of all sorts a temporary diagram has a saving throw of 19, a permanent diagram has that of the material into which it is engraved +ane. A diagram volition be rendered useless if damaged or if and then much as any i object crosses a single line. This can fifty-fifty be a reed or hair. The animal affected by the diagram has, yet, no power to put such an object across whatsoever line of the diagram directly, it can of form directly its minions to do then as well as using natural forces, e.g. a strong wind which blows a leaf across the diagram. Annotation that an object that does not touch the surface on which the diagram is inscribed volition not return it useless, a loftier flying bird thus would be of no consequence.

In addition to the basic failure chance of a diagram there is a chance that a conjured creature is too strong for the conjurer to control. This chance is one% for every point of combined intelligence and striking die by which the creature exceeds the character's total of intelligence and level. If several creatures attempt to break through a circle at the aforementioned time, all their hitting dice are added up and then the highest intelligence is added to determine the total. If several creatures ``defend'' a diagram against failure, but the highest level or hitting dice and the highest intelligence are added. This means that a sufficient number of creatures tin break through whatsoever protective diagram. Such a quantum attempt can exist tried only one time by each creature or combination of them.

Trying to interruption through a diagram counts as an action for the round in question, defending a diagram does not. The defender, notwithstanding, must be conscious and facing the fauna against which he defends information technology. In instance no-one is defending the diagram the beast wishing to pause it gets a single percentage roll against its total of intelligence and hit die. Success means that it can break the diagram, failure means, it cannot practise so.

Upwardly: Spells and protective diagrams Previous: Truename (Enchantment/Alteration)

Alexander Bernert
5/23/1999