SETTING THE GAME TABLE - Wizards and Their Ways

 

A Wizard's Work Bench

In the environs of Firefly Holler, those who pursue the wizardly arts do not compile spellbooks, as legend says the great mages of old were wont to do.  instead, a wizard infuses each of his spells into a singular fetish.  Such trinkets can take nearly any form, although all are peculiar in some way.

Three iron nails wrapped in a copper wire  A handful of beads strung on a leather cord.  An eagle's feather tucked into the brim of a cap.  Only the imagination of the wizard themself is the limit.

In game terms, each spell known to a wizard must be "written" into a singular fetish item.  If the fetish is lost or destroyed, use the rules on page 114 of the PHB for how o handle.  The same for "copying" spells into your own system of magical trinkets.

As an additional aside, included below are house rules for The Occult skill and how translocational magics are adjudicated:

DARK TIDES HOUSE RULES 

THE OCCULT (Int Skill Check)

You are educated in the field of occult study and can use your Intelligence to answer both simple and complex questions related to such topics as possession and haunting, psychic mysteries and traditions, ley lines, occult rituals and symbols, and aberrations.

CONJURATION

Teleportation and Other Translocation Spells: A teleportation spell transports one or more creatures or objects a great distance. The most powerful of these spells can cross planar boundaries. Unlike summoning spells, the transportation is (unless otherwise noted) one-way and not dispellable. Teleportation is instantaneous travel through the Astral Plane. Anything that blocks astral travel also blocks teleportation.

In Primordia the path through the Astral Plane passes dangerously close to Outer Realms whose names mortals dare not speak.  As a result, powerful Teleportation magic (spells of 5th level or higher, or spell-like abilities of comparable effect) requires lengthy rituals that both focus the caster's concentration and draw up powerful psychic defenses.  Such rituals can take an hour or more to perform, require significant resources, and are still not guaranteed of success.

Traveling so close to alien planes far removed from your home plane creates a risk that you will incur a decrease in Intelligence and Charisma due to your brain being overwhelmed.  You must succeed on an Intelligence check against DC16 to avoid a decrease in Intelligence and Charisma. If the check fails, your Intelligence and Charisma scores each fall to 8 for 5 weeks, and you become unable to cast arcane spells. No magic short of a wish is known to overcome such a blight.  You cannot take 10 on this check. If you lose Intelligence and Charisma, the effect strikes as soon as the spell is completed.

The success of casting Teleportation in Primordia cannot exceed the threshold of "seen casually," i.e. the chance of success can never be greater than: On target 01-88%, Off target 89-94%, Similar area 95-98%, Mishap 99-100%.