Custom Planar Shift

Custom Planar Shift is a type of advanced spell customization that changes the messaging and rift appearance associated with the Planar Shift (740) spell. Pre-written custom Planar Shift messaging is available at various festivals, pay events, and at Bayview Villa on Mist Harbor. Fully custom Planar Shift messaging is a delayed service when the player is writing their own. Custom Planar Shift is part of the Player Customization System and is managed via the CUSTOM verb.

Custom Planar Shift messaging is more complex than some other advanced spell customizations. It consists of first and third person messaging for when the spell is cast, messaging for the creation of the rift, messaging for arrival and departure via the rift created, and a custom appearance for the rift itself, which can support both a long and show description.

The messaging should be no more than 2 - 3 shorter sentences or 1 - 2 longer ones, it should not spam the room with huge paragraphs. Also, anything in the messaging should be clearly an illusion conjured.

1. Initial cast messaging seen by spellcaster.
2. Initial Cast messaging seen by the room
3. Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the caster.
4. Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the origin room if the caster is visible.
5. Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the origin room if the caster is not visible.
6. Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the destination room if the caster is visible.
7. Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the destination room if the caster is not visible.
8. Messaging seen by the caster when creating a rift for intra-realm teleports.
9. Messaging seen by others in the room when creating a rift for intra-realm teleports.
10. The rift's 15-character article
11. The rift's 15-character adjective
12. The rift's 15-character noun
13. The rift's long description
14. The rift's show description

How they appear in game:

>prep 740
You begin drawing a faint, twisting symbol while softly intoning the words for Planar Shift...
Your spell is ready.
>cast circle
You gesture at a summoning circle.
[Initial cast messaging seen by spellcaster]: Your spell activates the dormant summoning circle.  Pure white flames of essence blaze around each rune and link them together in a complex circular web.  As the web completes itself, the runes transform from their translucent color to brilliant twilight grey.  Lines of twilight grey energy snake from the runes to activate the sigil at the center of the circle.  The central sigil vanishes, and
[Initial cast messaging seen by the room]: Brilliant twilight grey light blazes up from a summoning circle's chalky runes to create a complex web of sorcerous energy.  Lines of twilight grey energy snake from the perimeter runes to the sigil at the center of the circle

[Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the caster]: the web of energy twists upward to encircle you.  There is a blinding flash before the world vanishes.
At last, you arrive at your destination...
[Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the origin room if the caster is visible]:, and then the web twists upward to encircle Sorcerer.  There is a blinding flash, and Sorcerer vanishes.  The summoning circle vanishes along with him.
[Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the origin room if the caster is not visible]:, and then the web twists upwards towards the sky.  There is a blinding flash and the summoning circle vanishes.
[Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the destination room if the caster is visible]: Suddenly, twilight grey lightning lashes in all directions from a point in midair.  A rift opens at that point, and Sorcerer steps out of the rift.  Twisting magical energy halos Sorcerer for a moment before fading away as the rift vanishes.
[Cross-realm travel messaging seen by the destination room if the caster is not visible]: Suddenly, twilight grey lightning lashes in all directions from a point in midair.  A rift opens at that point.  Twisting magical energy spirals about for a moment before fading away as the rift vanishes.

or

[Messaging seen by the caster when creating a rift for intra-realm teleports]:, with a blinding flash of light, a shifting twilight grey rift opens.
[Messaging  seen by others in the room  when creating a rift for intra-realm teleports]:.  The energy coalesces there until, suddenly, there is a blinding flash of light and a shifting twilight grey rift opens.

[The rift's 15-character article/15-character adjective/15-character noun/long description/show description]: a shifting twilight grey rift
>look rift
A collage of images fills your mind as you peer into the depths of a shifting twilight grey rift.  You gaze unwaveringly, transfixed by the jumble of historic images racing across your consciousness.  Massive winged beasts] reptilian in nature, flit through a flame-ravaged sky, locked in battle with otherworldly creatures.  Soon enough, the scene changes to one of serenity and peace, various humanoids emerging en masse from caves.  That image, too, fades and is replaced by a great amalgamation of humanoids, all different races standing across a great decaying battlefield juxtaposed to zombies, banshees and other abominations.  But, after only a few seconds, that scene too disappears as quickly as it entered your now reeling mind.  Just as it seems the jumble of images will stop, they start again, in quick succession like a seamstress wielding her loom.  An eternity of tranquil images passes you by, only to be suddenly, and devastatingly replaced by a crude half-elf leading an army of humans towards a small town.  But alas, as the story gets interesting, all the images fade and you avert your gaze.

Examples of custom Planar Shift messaging include the following from Rumor Woods:

Cast: Whispering the last of her spell to her index finger, {Character} stretches her arm out and draws a single line in the air, crouching to ensure it touches the ground. Following the lines of her finger, the fabric of space and time above a summoning circle rips,
Cross-Realm Departure: [...] and {Character} slips her fingers into its shimmering depths, pulling it open just enough that she can step through. As she does so, she vanishes, descending into a spiderweb-like matrix. A moment later, the rip implodes in a sparkling of (color) lights. When they fade, {Character}, the circle, and the rip are gone.
Cross-Realm Arrival: Unraveling from a single pinpoint of (color) energy, a ripple appears, stretching skyward and descending to the ground. It flares once, and {Character} steps through. Momentarily, you glimpse a spiderweb-like matrix inside the rip, but in a flash of (color) light, it all disappears.
Rift Creation: [...] creating a fluctuating helical ribbon comprised of shimmering light stretching from the ground skyward. It flares with (color) energy.
Rift Appearance - Long: a fluctuating helical ribbon comprised of shimmering light
Rift Appearance - Show: Expanding and contracting at random intervals, the helical pattern fluctuates in size and shape rapidly and creates a ribbon of (color) light. Motes of light slip through the opening, dissipating like tiny embers from an enormous astral bonfire. Peering through the ribbon, you see a web-like world of bright lights against a landless sanguine expanse. Thin lights dance to and from smaller connection points within the web, while larger spaces seem to get the most traffic.

Cast: A summoning circle is overshadowed by (color) energy, a matching symbol twisting above. The light shimmers,
Cross-Realm Departure: [...] and a crescentic crimson-black slash opens up, sucking {Character} into it. A writhing tentacle of ebon energy slaps the circle, and just like that, it all disappears.
Cross-Realm Arrival: A crescentic crimson-black slash briefly opens up, and a writhing tentacle of ebon energy thrusts {Character} into the area.
Rift Creation: [...] and with a vicious slashing sound, a summoning circle appears.
Rift Appearance - Long: a crescentic crimson-black slash writhing with ebon tendrils
Rift Appearance - Show: A crimson-black slash of ethereal energy curves into a crescent, dangling just above a summoning circle. Ebon tendrils writhe about it, and deep within the slash's center float bone white figures.

Additional examples of pre-written Planar Shift messaging can be viewed in the character customizations category, such as with the Rumor Woods 2024 advanced spell customizations.

See Also

• Advanced spell customization
• Character customizations
• Player Customization System