Magic is a form of energy. Like light and heat, it exhibits complex characteristics, obeys the laws of the Universe and follows certain rules. Magical energy normally passes through matter easily, but certain dense materials effectively block magic and prevent it from penetrating. In other words, spells like teleport, passwall, dimension door, clairvoyance and such can be blocked with the effective use of certain materials.
The most common material that can stop magic is common rock in all its forms. Generally speaking, stone will block magical energy with sufficient thickness. Magic will penetrate hundreds of feet into the ground, but by roughly 1000 feet of depth, it is completely blocked.
Lead is a particularly common metal that can block most forms of radiation including magical energy. With a few feet of lead, almost all magic can be blocked.
Girrall and rathani are rare types of stone on Khoras which are particularly dense and block magical energy.
Orichcalcum is a heavy metallic mineral that can store raw magical energy and because of this, wizards often use it as a form of “magical battery”. When a piece of orichcalcum is filled with energy, wizards say that it is “charged”. A charged piece of orichcalcum is opaque to magical energy. For this reason, charged orichcalcum is more effective than any other material at blocking magic.
Because charged orichcalcum is so completely effective at blocking magic, it can be shaped into thin tiles or plaques which can be incorporated in architecture. A wall covered in “charged” orichcalcum tiles would effectively block all types of spells. A wizard could effectively protect a room from a teleport spell. The room would likewise be shielded from scrying, divination and most other types of spells that would need to penetrate the wall in some fashion.
The following table summarizes magic blocking metals and stones:
| Material | Effectiveness/Thickness | Cost |
| Common rock | Varies. Typically about 1-2% per 10 feet of thickness. | n/a |
| Lead | 10% per foot of thickness | 1 gp per pound. |
| Karrym Stone (Girall) | 40% per foot of thickness | 50 gp per pound. |
| Ebony Granite (Rathani) | 10% per inch of thickness | 150 gp per pound. |
| Wizard's Stone (Orichcalcum) | 100% at half an inch of thickness. | 1000 gp per pound. |
This page last updated Tuesday, January 02, 2007. Copyright 1990-2007 David M. Roomes.