Dimensional Folding (Alteration)

Sphere: Numbers

Range: 5 feet

Components: V, S, M

Duration: 1 round

Casting Time: 1 round

Area of Effect: 10-foot circle

Saving Throw: None

This spell allows the caster to selectively warp the fabric of space, folding
it into higher dimensions.

This effect can be best explained through an example. If an ant crawling along
the west edge of a map decided to travel to the east edge of the map, it would
have to crawl the full width of the map. But if the map were folded in two so
that the east and west edges were touching, the ant would travel almost no
distance at all. The ant’s world (the map) would have been folded through the third
dimension. The dimensional folding spell does something similar with the three-dimensional world: it folds it
through a higher dimension (the fourth), allowing instantaneous travel between
two locales on the same plane of existence.

Although this effect may seem similar to the wizard spell teleport, in practice, it is much different. The dimensional folding spell opens a gate that allows instantaneous, bidirectional access to a
distant locale on the same plane. This gate is circular, of any size up to 10′ in
diameter, and remains in existence for up to 1 full round. The caster and any
other creatures can pass through the gate in either direction while it remains
open. Missile weapons and magic spells can also pass through the gate.

The gate appears as a shimmering ring, glowing with a faint light equivalent
to starshine. Vision through the gate is clear and unobstructed in both
directions, allowing the priest to “look before he leaps.” However, anyone on the other
side of the gate is able to see the priest and his point of origin.

The “near side” of the gate always appears within 5 feet of the priest. The
location of the “far side” of the gate always opens within 5 feet of the place
the priest desires. Thus, there is no chance of arriving at the wrong
destination, as with the wizard spell teleport.

There is a risk involved in using dimensional folding, however. Many philosophers believe that what we know as time is simply
another dimension, and the behavior of this spell seems to support this thesis.
Unless the priest is extremely familiar with the destination, there is a
significant chance that any creature passing through a dimensional folding gate will suffer instantaneous aging. Theorists believe that this is the same
kind of “slippage” that can cause a teleporting wizard to land high or low, except that in this case, the slippage is in the
time dimension.

The chance of this instantaneous aging occurring depends on how familiar the
priest is with the destination. The table that follows outlines the conditions
and effects of aging.

* Use this row if the desired location is within view of the priest.

If the die roll indicates that aging occurs, every creature that passes
through the gate in either direction suffers the aging effect. Multiple creatures
passing through the gate in the same direction all age by the same amount
determined by a single die roll. Although the chance of aging is low and the potential
amount of aging is minimal for familiar destinations, the effects can add up
and become significant over time.

Although the word “destination” is used to refer to the “far end” of the gate,
the priest need not be the one doing the traveling. For example, a priest may
open the gate near a distant ally so he may travel instantaneously to join the
priest.

The material component is a sheet of platinum “tissue” worth at least 15 gp,
which the priest folds intricately during the casting. The tissue is consumed
when the gate closes.

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