Read Dimensional Portal targets, and also the Xiticix

[Axelmania]

Was reviewing sensitive psi on RUE 149 and got wondering about this.

Do you think it would work to see who last used a Mystic Portal or a Communication Rift? In the latter case, a Mystic Pigeon or small familiar is sometimes sent through, so perhaps a shifter might step away to do something while waiting for them to return and you could ID the familiar?

Another very strange thing about this power. It normally will not give you information about whatever dimension it leads to (only if there are strong/numerous supernatural beings and if so, if they are evil) unless it leads to these particulars:

1) Rifts Earth
2) Dreamstream
3) Astral Plane
4) Xiticix Homeworld

Presumably a 5th option being "not one of these 4 things".

The last is especially puzzling... what is it about the Xiticix Homeworld that gives it such a special conncetion to this power that other dimensions (Wormwood, Phase World, HU, PF, Nightbane, Dyval, Hades...) don't have?

You could say the first case is because Rifts Earth is a dimensional hub (or it assumes the power will be used on Rifts Earth, and this is a stand-in for 'elsewhere within the same dimension, like where Mystic Portals lead) and Astral/Dream because they are specially linked to most dimensions as some kind of in-between... but the Xiticix just really seems odd, no?

This is making me wonder if perhaps the Xiticix Homeworld has some special connection to Rifts Earth, like perhaps the Nightlands do to Nightbane. Or does it just have a special connection to ALL megaversal nexuses like Rifts Earth, so if PF was still as powerful as Rifts you could also sense portals to it?

The only other place I can remember this power being printed is page 93 of Powers Unlimited, and this part was changed instead to these criteria:

1) another location on Earth
2) a parallel Earth
3) an alien realm

I don't know if there would be a hidden 4th option because "alien realm" might cover anything not on some kind of Earth.

There's no special mention of Dreamstream / Astral Plane so perhaps only Rifts Earth is that strongly connected to those? The ability to know it goes to parallel Earths is pretty cool though, which isn't a benefit enjoyed in Rifts.

[Nekira Sudacne]

The really strange thing about that is that the WB 23 Xitixic book says no one, not even the splurgorth, know where the Xitixic home dimension is.

But it's also so distinctive that any psychic with this power would automatically know it when they found a Rift leading to it.

Which has apparently never happened in history as no one knows where it is.

Maybe it's implying that no one has ever gotten that close to a Rift to the Xitixic homeworld and lived to tell about it?

[Axelmania]

I'd take "the Splugorth can't find it" in older books with a grain of salt, it's hard to imagine they don't know where Wormwood is by now in 110 PA for example after Tarn leaked all that info about it ~105PA or so.

DB7p46 added "Lore: Dimensions" saying "will know things such as" and "Wormwood is referred to as the Living Planet". Of course that's just an example (success might not guarantee any specific kind) and alien dimenions can penalize 15-50%...

So maybe all this means (assuming at least one of the High Lords has this) is that they read Tarn's book and they know a Living Planet is out there SOMEWHERE but that wouldn't necessarily help them locate it since you still need to have actually been to a dimension in most cases to target it.

I guess you could try and target Tarn's shifter who took them there, but he didn't come along for the ride so he didn't actually go there and probably couldn't find it again since it was a fluke to begin with...

I don't think you could try Re-Open Gateway either because that's for permanent rifts/gateways not temporary ones. I don't know if there's actually a spell to stabilize a permanent one. I think "Circle of Travel" would count but that already has PPE costs cheaper to the Re-Open Gateway spell.

The biggest mystery is how there are portals to Wormwood in Phase World and Splugorth trade there yet somehow haven't mapped it. You'd think sending out agents to map all the portals would be high on their list...

Maybe that's something we can blame on the Society of the Knife? Being a native, Knife Master might realize the value of that world and limit who learns of it to better exploit the knowledge, and kills splugorth agents such as the Sunaj who might be sent out to investigate it?

[Nekira Sudacne]

I'd take "the Splugorth can't find it" in older books with a grain of salt, it's hard to imagine they don't know where Wormwood is by now in 110 PA for example after Tarn leaked all that info about it ~105PA or so.

DB7p46 added "Lore: Dimensions" saying "will know things such as" and "Wormwood is referred to as the Living Planet". Of course that's just an example (success might not guarantee any specific kind) and alien dimenions can penalize 15-50%...

So maybe all this means (assuming at least one of the High Lords has this) is that they read Tarn's book and they know a Living Planet is out there SOMEWHERE but that wouldn't necessarily help them locate it since you still need to have actually been to a dimension in most cases to target it.

I guess you could try and target Tarn's shifter who took them there, but he didn't come along for the ride so he didn't actually go there and probably couldn't find it again since it was a fluke to begin with...

I don't think you could try Re-Open Gateway either because that's for permanent rifts/gateways not temporary ones. I don't know if there's actually a spell to stabilize a permanent one. I think "Circle of Travel" would count but that already has PPE costs cheaper to the Re-Open Gateway spell.

The biggest mystery is how there are portals to Wormwood in Phase World and Splugorth trade there yet somehow haven't mapped it. You'd think sending out agents to map all the portals would be high on their list...

Maybe that's something we can blame on the Society of the Knife? Being a native, Knife Master might realize the value of that world and limit who learns of it to better exploit the knowledge, and kills splugorth agents such as the Sunaj who might be sent out to investigate it?

Remember there are 4 permanent Rifts to Wormwood on Rifts Earth that are already stable, so it's possible to trade with Wormwood without knowing where it is.

Maybe they mean to imply Wormwood is actually somewhere in Rifts Earth's galaxy and they don't know how to physically send a Kittani spaceship there? you could have a shifter know how to open a portal to a planet but not know the way to send a Spaceship to it.

[Library Ogre]

My personal preference is that it is impossible to determine "The Xiticix homeworld". After untold centuries of doing this, all you can tell is that it leads to "A Xiticix Homeworld"... that is, a world where the Xiticix have completely Xitiformed the place.

[Nekira Sudacne]

But how many would there be? No Xitixic has the ability to open Rifts, so they can't be that far spread. Random Rifts are rare and the Xitixic homeworld is never said to be as magic rich as Rifts Earth. So the random rifts would have to origionate from the other end.The more I think about it, the less sense it makes that there would be more than one Xitixic home world. They don't have the technology or the innate magic required to be spreading out that way. They're basically limited to only getting out if a random rift on the other end happens to open to their world, AND if there happens to be a queen looking for a new Hiveland nearby, AND assuming the Rift is stable enough for them to come through in enough force to establish a foothold, AND the world on the other end didn't have a native civilization advanced enough either technologically or magically to wipe them out. Might have happened before, but the odds are not great.

[Axelmania]

Maybe they mean to imply Wormwood is actually somewhere in Rifts Earth's galaxy and they don't know how to physically send a Kittani spaceship there? you could have a shifter know how to open a portal to a planet but not know the way to send a Spaceship to it.

Possibly, but that would mean forgetting that DB7 explicitly said Wormwood (and Palladium) exist in pocket dimensions which are pretty much JUST those planets, with no solar system around them or anything.

Well, maybe PF has a sun... not really sure how that works.

But how many would there be? No Xitixic has the ability to open Rifts, so they can't be that far spread. Random Rifts are rare and the Xitixic homeworld is never said to be as magic rich as Rifts Earth. So the random rifts would have to origionate from the other end.

It might be more magic/"connected" than we might assume... SA2 lists a failed Nazca "Open Rift" has an equal (10%) chance of ending up on Wormwood (pg37) or Xiticix Homeworld (p38). They're just as likely as Phase World and we know that to be the nexus of its respective dimension. By comparison, the sum total of all chances to end up in a netherworld (10%) or a deific realm (10%) are equal.

Meanwhile, you can't even end up in other random dimensions like HU/Nightbane/PF.