Create Shadow Zone: Spell of Legend

[Lord Z]

Hello all,

I am currently writing an article which converts Shadow Beasts and other Shadow Creatures to Beyond the Supernatural 2nd edition stats. One of the extras to include is a Spell of Legend which can create a permanent brdige between the world of the caster and the Shadow Realm. This bridge takes the form of an area which exists in both worlds so Shadow Creatures can access it easily -- exactly like the Shadow Forest from Carl's article in Rifter #28. The spell would be a ritual of course and would have several prerequesites, like prepping the epicenter with another spell first (maybe Havok or Sanctum or Summon Fog), P.P.E. granted from at least three species of Shadow Creatures, and maybe a specific blood sacrifice or a new moon midnight. If successful, a new Shadow Kingdom could be established on a mortal world like BtS Earth and will become an unending source of trouble for that world's heroes.

What P.P.E. cost would be appropriate for this?

[Lord Z]

Here is a rough draft...

Create Shadow Zone
Range: The initial range of he spell is a circular territory about 5 miles (8 km) in radius. After the spell is cast, this territory may be slowly expanded as the Shadow Lord extends his or her influence. The potential final range is not known but could perhaps hundreds of miles in every direction.
Duration: Permanent.
Saving Throw: None.
Prerequisites: Before this ritual can be successfully performed, the area where it is to be cast must be mystically prepared two ways. First, daylight must be magically bared from reaching the ground. Both sunlight and moonlight can disrupt this particular spell, so protecting the ground by first casting Summon Fog or Summon Storm will do, but the Sanctum spell also does the job. Alternatively, the ritual may be preformed during a new moon. Second, at least three species of Shadow Creatures must be present and supplying P.P.E. for the ritual. A Shadow Mage leading this ritual does not count himself towards this requirement.
P.P.E.: 3000.
This ritual is a particularly cruel because it permanently harms the world where it is cast. The effect is to change the area around the caster by connecting it to the Shadow Realm. The territory within this area of effect grows soft and interdimensionally blends with part of the other world. Upon completion of the spells, the area will become part of both worlds, Earth and the Shadow Realm at the same time.
Within this area, many things will be different. Weather patterns will change to create frequent dark clouds or thick fog which will block out sunlight for several hours every day. Shadows of structures like trees and buildings will become darker and more distinct. Regular animals like birds and fish will flee the area as if the place itself were a supernatural predator. Other spatial or magical oddities can occur like ley lines which absorb energy instead of giving it; these oddities will vary from one Shadow Zone to another. Shadow Creatures will wander freely, because they will be able to pass from one world to another as if the entire kingdom were a window between the two worlds – which is exactly what it is.
Other supernatural creatures like Poltergeists and Scaring Crows (from Rifter® Magazine #44) are drawn to the these area, particularly those who are not likely to challenge Shadow Beasts in physical combat.
The area will marked as the territory of the mage who cast the spell, and all Shadow Creatures within will recognize this territory. If the caster is a Shadow Lord, all Shadow Creatures within will acknowledge the authority of that Lord. This can be an excellent quick way for a Lord or Shadow Mage to consolidate power, inspire loyalty and gain a beachhead in the mortal world.
For an example of Shadow Zone which has taken root in a world would be the Shadow Forest on Rifts® Earth. See Page #82 of Rifter® Magazine, Issue #28 for a full description of the Shadow Forest.
Any world on which this ritual is successfully cast will be stricken with a kingdom of shadow. These kingdoms are unending sources of trouble and monsters for the heroes of the world.

[JuliusCreed]

I like the concept behind this. Well thought out and not too horribly unbalancing. Just a couple minor things to address.

The PPE cost. I'm a little unsure if i should think of it as just right or too low. As a Spell of Legend, 3000 seems about right. But as a spell that opens a permanent portal to a rather hostile world, it seems a little low. The key word her is permanent. The 15th level Dimensional Portal costs only 1000 to open (half that at a nexus) and it stays open for a terribly limited time comparatively. Personally I'm not sure what kind of adjustment would be best for the PPE cost of this spell, but I tend to think it may need to be increased.
How do you picture a Sanctum spell being an effective way of magically barring sunlight from the area of effect? Yes, I understand the idea of magic basically breaking the rules of physics, but I am a tad confused on your logic with this one. Please help me with this one.
And finally, There are probably going to be a lot of people that won't be too happy about one of these being openned up on their world. The end result of this is going to be people finding a way to counter this. First and foremost on the list would be interrupting the ritual to keep it from succeeding. Failing this, have you put any thought into how it could possibly be closed/destroyed after the fact?

Like I said, good stuff so far. Take my critique with a grain of salt. I like it. Just need a bit of clarification.

[Lord Z]

Thank you for the feedback, JC. I was wondering about the PPE cost also. Maybe 3000 should be the cost if performed in an area where the dimensional fabric is already weak or folded, like at a Tear in Magic (from BtS 1st edition) or places of frequent natural rifting activity (like the Bermuda Triangle on Earth, Worldgate on Wormwood, etc.). Ley Line Nexuses don't count because they are already contributing to the spell by virtue of providing magic energy. In other areas, perhaps the PPE cost could be bumped up to 4000.

The concept behind using the Sanctum spell is two-fold. From a meta-game perspective, I wanted to give the spell of legend another requirement; I wanted to make it more of a process than a single event. From an in-game perspective, the Sanctum spell was a way for the spellcaster to gain a good deal of magical control over the space itself.

[The Beast]

5-mile radius and permanent?! I say the PPE cost should be between 5,000 amd 6,000 for that. If it was temporary, or had the radius cut down to two miles the 3,000 PPE cost makes sense.