WardstoneSource Inner Sea World Guide pg. 301, The Demon Within pg. 31
Aura strong abjuration CL 20th
Slot none; Price —; Weight 2,500 lbs.DescriptionWhen the Worldwound destroyed the nation of Sarkoris, the faithful of Iomedae seized upon the event as a balm against the horror of Aroden’s death. The invention of the first wardstones, giant menhirs infused with holy magic meant to contain and repel demonic creatures, was perhaps the greatest result of the crusader’s initial response to Sarkoris’s destruction. Today, dozens of wardstones stand sentinel along the borders of the Worldwound. The primary purpose of the wardstones is to contain the growing influence of the Worldwound itself, but they also exude a powerful field similar to that generated by a forbiddance spell. A single wardstone exerts this aura in a 300-foot radius, but when multiple wardstones are linked (as in the case of those running along the border of the Worldwound), they create a 300-footwide path of forbiddance, with the wardstones running down the middle. The forbiddance area, be it a radius or path, deals 12d6 points of damage per round to any demon within that area (DC 18 Will save half; spell resistance applies). Teleportation effects do not function in this zone at all. The wardstones that bolster the eastern and southern borders of the Worldwound have a further effect as well—focused on the Worldwound as they are, they prevent demons from teleporting into or out of the Worldwound and effectively contain the threat. The arrangement of the wardstones along the Mendev, Numeria, and Ustalav borders is such that even the unwarded borders to the west and north work to hamper demonic incursions.DestructionIf a wardstone misses its yearly maintenance ritual, it becomes vulnerable to damage. At this point, a wardstone can be damaged by mortal attacks, but it still has hardness 25 and 500 hit points. If a wardstone along a series of linked wardstones is destroyed, the resulting “hole” in the path of the forbiddance effect can be as narrow as a few dozen feet or as wide as several miles, depending upon numerous other variables (such as the terrain, the strength of the other wardstones, and other factors).
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