Diadems of Malor

By Jim Butler


Now, most of you are probably scratching your head wondering what the hell a malor is, and I can’t really blame you. For those who played the old Wizardry computer games, though, you know full well the value of malor and its convenience in that game. For tabletop RPGs, PCs love a timely malor. DMs can sometimes find them inconvenient for the plot line though.

Figured it out yet? Good thing this isn’t some sphinx riddle, eh?

Malor is the term used in the old Wizardry games for the teleport spell. Virtually every game system in the world has some kind of teleportation magic, though, and its use has challenged heroes (as their nemesis vanishes just before the killing blow) and DMs (who watch as the heroes circumvent plotlines, escape traps, and otherwise raise havoc).

Ed Greenwood talked of the old days when players in his Forgotten Realms* campaign used a helm of teleportation as an exploration advice. “What’s beyond that next ridge?” they’d ask, eyes agleam with anticipation. As they teleported themselves to the next landmark and looked down upon the valley below, Ed would quickly excuse himself to the restroom, dining room, or kitchen to sketch out more notes about the area before returning to the gaming table to describe the wonders.

Teleports became a greater challenge to players when the contingency spell first made its appearance in the D&D game. No longer would the villain have to know when he was about to get whacked by the party’s paladin; he’d get whisked away to safety regardless of his luck on the initiative roll. Soon, every high-level caster worth his weight in salt would shield himself in contingency magic. Elminster’s evasion, again from the Forgotten Realms setting, compounded the issues.

Players in my own Bastion campaign have been plagued by elusive villains as well. High-level casters got together and created a spell called travel trap that could prohibit teleportation across a vast area for long periods of time. Before laying siege to a town or confronting a great enemy, travel trap becomes a common first card to be played. 

It’s hard to image what a fantasy world would be like without teleportation and planar magic. But there are times when limiting movement (or escape) is something that’s in the vital interests of the party, an opposing army, or some great evil hell-bent on the destruction of the heroes. Travel trap is a spell that is best used wisely…

Abjuration
Level: Clr 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 Turn
Range: Long
Area: half-mile radius sphere
Duration: 48 Hours
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell prevents creatures in the area of effect from casting any form of transportation spell (teleport, teleport without error, plane shift, astral spell, and similar magic) or from using any item that would grant the power to travel great distances or traverse the planes. In addition, spells that allow travel over short distances (like dimension door and fly) function at one-half effectiveness (both in duration and distance traveled).

The spell cannot be cast upon consecrated church grounds without the aid of a priest of the church (though church grounds can be included in the area of effect of an overlying travel trap spell). 

The effects of the spell can be made permanent if cast upon an area in conjunction with a wish or miracle spell. The material component of this spell is a diamond worth no less than 10,000 gp. 

You can view all of the previous columns by clicking here.