Dreamlands
From GURPSworld Wiki
The Dreamlands refers to an alternate plane of existence that resembles the Astral and Immaterial Planes. It takes its name from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, who was himself a skilled dreamer and well-known visitor to the plane.
Traveling to the Dreamlands
Travel to the Dreamlands is usually done one of two methods: Dreaming (B188) or Planar Visit (M82). Physical travel to the Dreamlands is quite perilous and usually fatal to non-natives.
Dreaming
Use of the Dreaming skill (B188) is the most common method of traveling to the Dreamlands. It requires less energy expenditure than Planar Visit, but is also less reliable and more difficult to maintain. A successful visit to the Dreamlands costs 2 FP in energy. Autohypnosis may be used to improve chances of success. Only those with both Dreaming skill and Magery 0 may travel to the Dreamlands in this manner.
Getting to the Dreamlands with a map carries a base -6 penalty, and the accuracy leaves much to be desired: only a critical success puts you exactly where you want to go, with an inverse model of the Long-Distance Modifiers (M14) determining how close you are even on a success (i.e. success by 8 or better gets the dreamer within 200 yards of your target, while success by zero leaves you 1,000 miles off target). Attempting to journey to the Dreamlands without a map is most foolhardy indeed, and carries an additional -4 penalty to any attempt.
While traveling in the Dreamlands, the dreamer moves at twice his full unencumbered speed as on the Astral Plane, but the dreamer is not able to walk through "solid" objects such as mountains. Attempting to travel "into the bowels" of the Dreamlands results in the dreamer ending up right back where he started, suggesting the structure of the Dreamlands is something like a Moebius loop.
Attempts to do anything other than the most basic actions requires the dreamer roll against Dreaming skill to maintain the visit. Combat encounters and other stressful activities may also require such a roll. Failure to control the visit to the Dreamlands results in a Nightmare and Fright Check. On a critical failure of Dreaming skill, the dreamer fails to control the visit and must make a HT roll or die; if he survives this roll, the dreamer is physically transported to the Dreamlands.
Planar Visit
A skilled spellcaster may travel to the Dreamlands using the appropriate version of Planar Visit (M82). Once there the "dreaming" spellcaster is subject to the same restrictions on movement as someone using Dreaming skill. However, when facing difficulties or attempting strenuous feats, the spellcaster rolls to maintain the Planar Visit spell as per normal rules.
Physical Travel
Physical travel to the Dreamlands, either by use of Plane Shift (M83) or as a result of Dreaming critical failure, is quite perilous and most often deadly to humans. There are a number of dangerous flora and fauna in the Dreamlands, and much of it specifically hostile to humans.
Magic in the Dreamlands
Dreamlands mana level is high but twisted, so any dream magic done with regard to the Dreamlands is risky. Even just putting a dreamer under an protective or enhancing enchantment could cause trouble. Use of magic in the Dreamlands by non-natives is virtually impossible, and a lot of things on the Dreamlands are resistant to magic. Some magic-resistant Dreamlands creatures can cast spells.