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So, after watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the umpteenth time, I had an idea for my PFRPG game. A city that is entirely protected by a giant Protection circle. I haven't worked out the details yet, but it would be along the lines of...for example, a Protection from Deevils circle. The circle would be "drawn" by being dug underground, and the walls soaked with holy water. The symbols within the circle would be done by landscaping, odd shaped buildings, drawn on the roof of buildings, etc. Looking down on the city (underneath the city), it would be a perfectly shaped circle. The Mayor, Lord, or whatever, is always given the power words in case the circle is ever de-activated. Would this work?

Nebunul_Ei wrote:So, after watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the umpteenth time, I had an idea for my PFRPG game. A city that is entirely protected by a giant Protection circle. I haven't worked out the details yet, but it would be along the lines of...for example, a Protection from Deevils circle. The circle would be "drawn" by being dug underground, and the walls soaked with holy water. The symbols within the circle would be done by landscaping, odd shaped buildings, drawn on the roof of buildings, etc. Looking down on the city (underneath the city), it would be a perfectly shaped circle. The Mayor, Lord, or whatever, is always given the power words in case the circle is ever de-activated. Would this work?

Sure. Why not?
I mean, it still hast to conform to the standards of the magical Circle, but there's no limit on maximum size.
One of my characters has a couple magic circles a few miles wide surrounding his home base.
Be sure to add a Permanence Ward.

I will note such a project would take a very long time to produce enough holy water within the quantity limits of the power. This would actually be hilariously difficult. simply pouring the water in one go so the circle is complete, before any of it evaporates enough to break the circle, so your summoner can enchant it would be a heroic feat of co-operative labor in and of itself. you'd need thousands all pouring precicely, and it has to be a circle, so anyone putting any zigzag at any point means the circle doesn't work and you have to try again.

I think all protection circles have some kind of 3-D component, otherwise you could hover an inch and avoid them. I seem to recall something like a 10ft height but I would always personally just houserule that the circle's radius is also the height but it's like a protective sphere with the circle as a diameter.

Nebunul_Ei wrote:So, after watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the umpteenth time, I had an idea for my PFRPG game. A city that is entirely protected by a giant Protection circle. I haven't worked out the details yet, but it would be along the lines of...for example, a Protection from Deevils circle. The circle would be "drawn" by being dug underground, and the walls soaked with holy water. The symbols within the circle would be done by landscaping, odd shaped buildings, drawn on the roof of buildings, etc. Looking down on the city (underneath the city), it would be a perfectly shaped circle. The Mayor, Lord, or whatever, is always given the power words in case the circle is ever de-activated. Would this work?

The city of Syrune (spelling?) in the anime Slayers is built as a giant holy circle of power.

In theory it will work. Its going to take some very interesting shenanigans to make it work... but hey, that's what civil engineering is for right?
For example getting the holy water is going to be tricky...
...unless they get, for example: a priest(or ten) who gets a miracle to turn the water in the canal into holy water (and before people say that's not realistic apparently a single miracle provided several billion GP once so...); or they build hundreds of fonts along the channel that overflow with holy water and slowly fill the channel with the last vial being ritually added to the water to 'draw it'; or...

eliakon wrote:

Nebunul_Ei wrote:So, after watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the umpteenth time, I had an idea for my PFRPG game. A city that is entirely protected by a giant Protection circle. I haven't worked out the details yet, but it would be along the lines of...for example, a Protection from Deevils circle. The circle would be "drawn" by being dug underground, and the walls soaked with holy water. The symbols within the circle would be done by landscaping, odd shaped buildings, drawn on the roof of buildings, etc. Looking down on the city (underneath the city), it would be a perfectly shaped circle. The Mayor, Lord, or whatever, is always given the power words in case the circle is ever de-activated. Would this work?

The city of Syrune (spelling?) in the anime Slayers is built as a giant holy circle of power.

In theory it will work. Its going to take some very interesting shenanigans to make it work... but hey, that's what civil engineering is for right?
For example getting the holy water is going to be tricky...
...unless they get, for example: a priest(or ten) who gets a miracle to turn the water in the canal into holy water (and before people say that's not realistic apparently a single miracle provided several billion GP once so...); or they build hundreds of fonts along the channel that overflow with holy water and slowly fill the channel with the last vial being ritually added to the water to 'draw it'; or...

Seirūn, sometimes spelled Seyruun. you can see a pic of the city as seen from the air here. the protective circle was formed from defensive walls, which by the time of the series (due to lack of any real threat) had been adapted into elevated roadways. (seen here

interestingly enough, the Slayers setting represents a sort of 'nested' example, as the kingdom of Seyruun lies within a region that lies under a massive protective barrier erected ages before during a war between deific level beings, to contain one of the evil dieties during the final battle in said war. (in the 2nd season the barrier was broken, and in the 3rd season much of the action occurs as the kingdoms within the barrier gain access to the outside.)

Now I'm wanting to watch them again...