Seeking Advice - Myst/Riven Style books as artifacts

Interest Groups Tabletop Gaming
#1

So for those of you that don’t know I tend to play a Character named, Kadish in some campaigns. He’s roughly modelled after a similar Kadish from the myst series.

(and yes; @GTHolkan unofficially my Kadish is stuck in Tolesa after finding his book he lost while he works out a way back)

Side questing aside there, I’m trying to figure out how to do the the D’ni writing guild’s skill from riven/exile/uru. So far the only thing I can find that’s close is the spell Planeshift or Planeshift, Greater.

I’m hoping to do a short campaign that has players having to jump between Ravnica, Kaladish, and Morcar (HeroQuest’s world) to collect artifacts, spelljammers, and key party members before finally end up in Ravenloft where they half to face off against some eldritch horrors has been orchestrating all the events.

Would you guys have any tips for how to do linking, trap, and descriptive books within the d20 system?

#2

I had to ask my son about this and I am still not clear. What exactly do you think you need? It seems like most of the rules are fairly open so I would think all you need are prop books and some kind to logic problems to access them and their place hopping portals (as you do in Myst, Riven…) Anyway, I’m still fuzzy about what you are asking.

#3

Would have figured that in the nearly 46 years of existence that there would have been something lore wise or an close example of a book that characters can create which allows them to be teleported to another world when touched.

Guess what your saying is there is no official rules or something preexisting and as a dm I should just make it up?

Just thinking about it a bit though I guess the linking book would just be the same as a book of planar shifting but costs less to produce since the location is already written into a book, but can be carried across with the character while the trap books would just be a one way that falls to the grown when one crosses into the book’s world.

Anyway, I’m still fuzzy about what you are asking

Basically since my understanding of dnd really only comes from a player’s POV or just using the core books as a guide for writing video game logic. I guess just seeking general advice on how to best create such a tool/plot device within existing game rules or similar mechanic?

#4

So, there are lots of ways you could go about this. Like, lots. The easiest is to say there’s a magic item that can use Plane Shift to let players go from place to place. Another way would be to route players through the city of Sigil, where they could find ways to other places as needed.

An artifact capable of casting Plane Shift would be extremely powerful. I can imagine that if word were to get out about it, a whole lot of nasty people would begin to show up looking for it. Hell, even a magic key that changes any door into a portal to Sigil would attract gods, demons, devils, and liches like flies.

It sounds like fun. It comes across like a kind of chase/race kind of adventure. Good luck.

https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Plane%20Shift#content