| | Ref | Ouvrage | Question | | Reponse |
|---|
| 221. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, GENERAL TOPICS: How is it possible to drown on the Astral Plane if characters
do not need oxygen? Experiments have been conducted
recently In which creatures have had one lung filled with water
with no ill effects, and some animals have been fitted with
artificial gills to enable them to breathe water easily. | | For purposes of this model of the Astral Plane, it is assumed
that astral characters do not need to breathe in order to stay
alive but they must have their lungs clear of foreign material
and exposed to the astral medium (the “air” of astral space.)
The initial entry into astral space is sufficient to cause one’s
lungs to be filled with this medium, and from then on breathing
is unnecessary. But if water gets into an air-breathing character’s
or creature’s respiratory system, it will evenly coat (in this
weightless environment) all of the system’s air passages and
prevent the astral medium from providing its life-sustaining
qualities. |
| 222. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, GENERAL TOPICS: Okay, if you can drown on the Astral Plane, then can you
prevent it by holding your nose? | | This is assumed in the action of the saving throw vs. breath
weapon to keep from drowning; success means the character
was able to cover his/her nose and keep the mouth shut.
Inventive characters may develop nose plugs, but it is still
suggested that a roll of 1 as a saving throw be a failure, indicating
that the nose plugs came loose or fell out, or something else
went wrong mechanically. Goggles would similarly help prevent
blindness for someone caught in a dig spell’s effects, but a
saving throw of 1 would indicate that a piece of dirt found its
way past the goggles, or whatever. Nothing’s a sure thing. |
| 223. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, GENERAL TOPICS: Are people able to talk in astral space? | | Yes. All one has to do is inhale the “air,” or astral medium, and
then speak normally while exhaling. Normal conversation can
be heard up to 60 feet from a speaker, and shouted commands
can reach 240 yards. The environment is permeated by a
sound-deadening effect, resulting from the lack of anything to
produce echoes and amplify the sounds made, so astral space
seems abnormally silent. If one wanted to get complicated
about it, one could set up rules which specify that the direction
a speaker is facing makes a difference in how well he is heard,
but this seems like too much work. |
| 224. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, GENERAL TOPICS: How are psionics and psionic powers affected by travelling
the Astral Plane? | | See DRAGON #67 for comments on astral projection and
probability travel. As for other disciplines, body equilibrium
affects the user as per a feather fall spell; cell adjustment allows
healing astrally; mind over body, suspend animation, dimension
walk, and etherealness have no effect if used astrally; and
teleportation is described further as per the spell teleport in
DRAGON #67 and in this article. All other psionic attacks,
defenses, and disciplines function as normal or as similar magical
spells do, as described in the original article. Psionic
strength points are recovered at a varying rate, as follows:
points recovered during hard exertion (fighting), none; when
moving by mental effort, 6 pts/hour; when “floating” without
thinking of moving, 12 pts/hour. |
| 225. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, Encounters: What other races of spell casters besides human may be
encountered? | | Very few. Elven wizards (11th-level magic-users) might be
discovered using an astral spell from a scroll, but no demihuman
clerics or spell casters of other sorts would likely be
found. The DM may have an encounter take place with a party
of NPC’s that includes a 7th-level gnome illusionist (possibly
multiclassed) who successfully used an astral spell from a
scroll of illusionist spells. A party might also meet a high-level
thief (10th or greater) of any race except half-orc, who also
used some scroll spell to be taken to astral space, with or
without partners. For all practical purposes, assume that 95% of
all spell casters responsible for bringing a group to the Astral
Plane are human. The other 5% may be set up as special
encounters as the DM chooses, along the examples given
above. |
| 226. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, Encounters: it was mentioned that insanity might be present in “special”
encounters involving persons lost in astral space. How would
this work? | | In a way, floating around in the Astral Plane can be described
as a form of sensory deprivation. There is little to look at,
nothing to hear but oneself (if alone), and nothing to do if one is
lost. Time becomes meaningless, and a second passed may
seem like a year (or vice versa). If a lost NPC is encountered, he
or she will be insane if a saving throw vs. magic (including
wisdom bonuses) is failed prior to the encounter. Lost player
characters, for simplicity’s sake, are assumed to be immune to
the insanity-producing effects of astral space, though the conditions
may certainly make them uncomfortable. The most
common sort of insanity found in lost astral travelers would
likely be catatonia (as per the Dungeon Masters Guide). |
| 227. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, Encounters: What about lycanthropes? | | Whether an NPC is a lycanthrope or not is up to the DM.
However, lycanthropes will find it impossible to assume animal
shape in astral space (there’s no natural darkness), and will
appear completely human if met. |
| 228. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, Traveling: When a cleric travels the Astral Plane, can his or her holy
symbol be brought along without a magical aura being placed
upon it? | | No, unless the holy symbol itself is enchanted and has magical
powers of its own. However, a cleric could cast a simple
spell like light upon the symbol, which in essence causes it to
radiate a magical aura and will allow it to be brought into astral
space. |
| 229. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, Traveling: Can astral characters who are “adjacent” to another plane be
seen by other inhabitants of astral space who are not “adjacent”
to the same plane? | | Yes. It would work something like this: Suppose a group of
astral travelers is “adjacent” to an Outer Plane, looking it over.
Approaching behind them is a shedu. From the shedu’s viewpoint,
the characters appear normal, except that they are
slightly out of focus in its vision (since they have moved into the
“borderland” between the planes). The characters will also
appear to be looking around, viewing something the shedu
cannot see since it is not also “adjacent” to the other plane.
The characters, if they turn around, will be able to see the
shedu in the Astral Plane “behind” them, as well as get a further
glimpse of the surroundings on the Outer Plane to which they
are “adjacent” (something like a double exposure on a piece of
film). The shedu and the characters may interact, but neither
will be able to affect any inhabitants on the “adjacent” Outer
Plane unless certain special spells are used. A medusa, if one
were present on the Outer Plane the characters are viewing,
would be able to see the characters and attack them but could
not see or attack the shedu.
Any area in astral space considered “adjacent” to another
plane appears indistinguishable from any other area of the
Astral Plane. Only the spell caster who initiated the traveling
can find such a place. Any plane touching the Astral Plane may
have several or many “adjacent spots” from which it may be
entered from astral space. |
| 230. | DR071 | Dragon #71 | ASTRAL, Movement and Combat: If a magic-user has a familiar, how fast can the familiar travel
astrally? | | Familiars (but not pets) are assumed to be able to travel at a
velocity based on the magic-user’s intelligence if they are
within 12” of the magic-user; beyond that range, they move at a
rate based on their natural intelligence score. A minimum score
of 2 (for a 2” movement rate) is suggested, even for a creature
type of animal intelligence, since the Players Handbook says
familiars are “abnormally intelligent.” |
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