Xukhezur was on standby, currently relaxing in his quarters, in the underground complex of the Lorosfyr Imaskari Enclave on the planet of Toril. Deep beneath and to the east of the complex lay its primary portal terminal, a huge cavern with rune-etched columns arranged in a large circle around where a small thrumming singularity of blackness hovered, bobbing up and down about ten feet above the ground. Capable of opening a large two-way portal to nearly any location on any planet or plane, barring areas that were properly warded against such intrusion or subject to unusual magical conditions or dead magic zones, the portal terminal was currently being attuned to a location on the distant planet of Garrn, which lay in a far off system. It had been deemed habitable and populated by the enclave's small explorer's council of diviners and seers, who observed what they could of the planet from afar. Lord Turrex, who was one of those in charge, was eager send someone to Garrn on the enclave's behalf, despite warnings that anyone crossing the threshold of any portal opened to Garrn would be subjected to a substantial risk of harm and injury... perhaps resulting in death.
"If interplanar means of travel to or about this world proves difficult, then perhaps this world would remain a difficult mark for the likes of the githyanki, fiends, and other would be invaders. It could be that the world has land and resources to spare, and might prove itself a good location to establish another enclave. We should at least try to send a few of our constructs to the other side, to explore the world for an optimal place to set up shop and perhaps build and create a receiving platform that would help stabilize later uses of our portal." Lord Turrex suggested.
Lord Urzaius Turrex was tall, lean and dark, with short cropped white hair, garbed in a broad-collared nightscale greatcoat and a sash bearing the sigils of his station. Wall sconces bearing everburning torches lit the long hall, revealing the lord, the guards and three of the diviners from the explorer's council. The diviners nodded begrudgingly as a guard was then sent for Farseeker Xukhezur Kavinath and Quartermaster Karlvar Nissavu to requisition the use of some optic orbs, and attempt to send them to Garrn as scouts.
The optic orb homunculi, appeared as dull mottled metallic spheres, each one inch in diameter and covered in a multitude of miniscule recessed mox gems. They were able to propel and maneuver themselves about by means of manipulating an aura of artifical gravity. They could see, hear, 'feel' and telepathically communicate great distances under a variety of conditions, analyze magical phenomena, cloak themselves with invisibility, and establish mind and sense links with their designated master across any distance on the same plane. Such as it was, both the quartermaster and the farseeker had a few of them, and were each asked by one of the lord's attending messengers to bring a few of them to the portal terminal.
Coming to stand outside the cylinder formed by the rune-etched columns that marked the center of the portal's cavern. Xukhezur and Karlvar met with the portal's personnel and members of the explorer's council, as they all helped activate the terminal by laying their hands upon the outside surface of its columns. The runes on the columns pulsed and flared to life with a violet light, as bolts of energy were slung between the columns and the singularity at their center. As they all focused their minds on the intended destination, eventually all of these bolts of energy jumped between a single pair of columns on opposite sides of the cylinder. These bolts pulled at the singularity, stretching it open and out like a sheet of fabric to form a vertical plane. About twenty feet wide and thirty feet tall, this plane eventually fixed itself and stopped wavering, held in a fixed location between two of the columns.
The cylinder formed by the eight columns, measured thirty yards in diameter and stood about forty yards tall, yet none were willing to step into this cylinder with the rectangular portal, despite being given a sprawling view of Garrn's vibrant landscape through the portal itself. The farseeker and the quartermaster reached into their pockets to produce a pair of optic orbs each, which they released and commanded to fly within reach of the members of the explorer's council who had gathered around them. "Everyone ready?" Karlvar said, as the council cast their own spells upon the optic orbs to help protect them and to share in the information they might gather. Once they all, more or less nodded or stepped aside, Xukhezer and Karlvar telepathically bade their orbs through the open portal without further ado.
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Well...in D&D...... (yeah)... the power of true illusionist, can involve mimicking the effects of almost any conjuration or evocation spell to a high degree of partial reality using extradimensional energy. Their illusion spells would likely be easier to cast, last longer, be more difficult to pierce, be more resistant to dispelling, and a prestige class could be "homebrewed" to make them resistant to the use of other spells like true seeing, revelation and illusion purge... perhaps by succeeding at an opposed caster level check.
And besides, even "illusionists" (in D&D) aren't limited to using just illusions.... and probably won't be on Garrn either.
Of course, I offer only the D&D perspective here.
And besides, even "illusionists" (in D&D) aren't limited to using just illusions.... and probably won't be on Garrn either.
Of course, I offer only the D&D perspective here.
Personally, as a custom warlock... I could see the following possibilities...
Evoking Hellfire... "Breath-weapons", Blasts, Rays, Orbs, Bolts Barriers and weapon-shaped manifestations of it.
Transmutation of Oneself... like strength, quickness, claws, wings, scales, elemental/poison resistances and faster healing/recovery.
Evoking Areas of Darkness... (coupled with cold perhaps) and have the ability to see through it.
Conjuration... creation of poisons and summoning (at your own risk).
Divination... such as using another's senses, scrying, object reading and aura detection.
Abjurations... such as circles of protection, shields, barriers, dispelling, protection of one's mind.
Enchantments... such as charms, despair, fear, commands, suggestions, geas/quests and domination.
Necromancy... with regards to inflicting life disruption, fatigue, exhaustion, weakening, wracking pain and curses.
Illusions... invisibility, disguises, images of monsters and other false sensory information
Evoking Hellfire... "Breath-weapons", Blasts, Rays, Orbs, Bolts Barriers and weapon-shaped manifestations of it.
Transmutation of Oneself... like strength, quickness, claws, wings, scales, elemental/poison resistances and faster healing/recovery.
Evoking Areas of Darkness... (coupled with cold perhaps) and have the ability to see through it.
Conjuration... creation of poisons and summoning (at your own risk).
Divination... such as using another's senses, scrying, object reading and aura detection.
Abjurations... such as circles of protection, shields, barriers, dispelling, protection of one's mind.
Enchantments... such as charms, despair, fear, commands, suggestions, geas/quests and domination.
Necromancy... with regards to inflicting life disruption, fatigue, exhaustion, weakening, wracking pain and curses.
Illusions... invisibility, disguises, images of monsters and other false sensory information
As far as spells and magic go, you could go the d20 D&D 3.5 or the Pathfinder route, for references and ideas.
This here is another good reference site for the D&D 3.5 system.
This here is another good reference site for the D&D 3.5 system.
Xukhezur and Lu'Vayla were still within sight of the gate when they overheard the cries of alarm and aggression, and quickly sprinted over to investigate. The moment they noticed the appearance of Eliphas, the former recognized it as a balor from his third optic orb's continuing surveillance of Lithium and cried "Balor!" as the latter immediately cast a quickened instance of her discipline's primary spell upon herself, Xukehzur and anyone nearby, such that the recipients of her spell all stood within about ten yards of one another. Those affected found their rate of thought and action accelerated relative to the flow of the timestream, as everything around them appeared to slow down a little bit. Lu'Vayla the Velocimaster, true to her methods and moniker, found herself accelerated far more than the others she had affected. As she advanced fiercely upon the illusion of Eliphas, her image was a little distorted by her rate of speed, making her appear rather compressed and flattened in the front and stretched out behind in her wake. She immediately made the short sword she withdrew, transform itself into a bastard sword that she then held in both hands. As she closed in, she attempted to step within range of the large menacing demon in order to cast a spell of banishment upon it, not yet aware of its illusory nature.
Xukhezur's shadowy draconic gloom effigy, in response to its creator's reflexive telepathic commands, had already launched itself out of his pocket and shed the polymorphic effect that had given it the form of an optic orb. Now in its true form, it unfurled and spread both pairs of wings as it took a position behind him. The frontal portions of the mecha peeled back and parted open, permitting the craft to fit over and engulf the mechamancer's body. Once he fully occupied the construct, Xukhezur piloted it to an overhead position within forty yards of the balor while still hastened by his female cohort's timely spell. He wished to examine the large fiend with his magesight goggles before deciding how best to engage it. Investing temporary charges into the staff he kept stored in the extradimensional space of his casting glove, was a taxing affair to say the least, and he wanted to measure the need for that kind of response accordingly, given that the balor was the only threat he could perceive at the moment. As he did so, he hoped the elves would concentrate on the much larger balor before turning their wrath upon him due to his effigy's fearsome appearance, and bade his first and second optic orbs currently assigned to monitor the elven city, to telepathically communicate with excitement to every elf and refugee within their range as they rapidly approached: Look! Look! The large fiery balor is about to be attacked by that smaller black creature with the four wings.
Xukhezur's shadowy draconic gloom effigy, in response to its creator's reflexive telepathic commands, had already launched itself out of his pocket and shed the polymorphic effect that had given it the form of an optic orb. Now in its true form, it unfurled and spread both pairs of wings as it took a position behind him. The frontal portions of the mecha peeled back and parted open, permitting the craft to fit over and engulf the mechamancer's body. Once he fully occupied the construct, Xukhezur piloted it to an overhead position within forty yards of the balor while still hastened by his female cohort's timely spell. He wished to examine the large fiend with his magesight goggles before deciding how best to engage it. Investing temporary charges into the staff he kept stored in the extradimensional space of his casting glove, was a taxing affair to say the least, and he wanted to measure the need for that kind of response accordingly, given that the balor was the only threat he could perceive at the moment. As he did so, he hoped the elves would concentrate on the much larger balor before turning their wrath upon him due to his effigy's fearsome appearance, and bade his first and second optic orbs currently assigned to monitor the elven city, to telepathically communicate with excitement to every elf and refugee within their range as they rapidly approached: Look! Look! The large fiery balor is about to be attacked by that smaller black creature with the four wings.
I'm near Seattle.
Yay! Seahawks!
Yay! Seahawks!
Well, beholders that are not beholder mages are limited to using the specific effect associated with each individual eye stalk... although they can use them without limit.
Dreadglare the Spellsire is always available.
Beholder mages give up their central eye though, and their eye stalks become "spell-stalks" instead as they gain levels, with each capable of casting one spell of a particular level each round as a free action. So each round, a 10th-level beholder mage can cast up up to 10 spells using its "spell-stalks" as a free action, as long as they are all of a different level, 0th-level through 9th-level.
Their casting is Intelligence-based, they learn spells like wizards, but know and cast them on the fly like sorcerers.
They are pretty nasty.
Beholder mages give up their central eye though, and their eye stalks become "spell-stalks" instead as they gain levels, with each capable of casting one spell of a particular level each round as a free action. So each round, a 10th-level beholder mage can cast up up to 10 spells using its "spell-stalks" as a free action, as long as they are all of a different level, 0th-level through 9th-level.
Their casting is Intelligence-based, they learn spells like wizards, but know and cast them on the fly like sorcerers.
They are pretty nasty.
Sounds good... you could chalk it up to the unique magical conditions of your world/planet that impede those kind of spells and effects... so you're not affecting how other planets/planes behave... just how magic just happens to function differently here on your planet. 
You could... if borrowing from D&D... give such spells a greater chance of mishap if the caster isn't careful... such that they might arrive off target... and appear within a solid object (which shunts them to the nearest unoccupied space, dealing them damage measured by how far they are shunted), in the cushing depths of the ocean, high above the ground, in the middle of an enemy camp, or even in the void of space if the distance one attempts to teleport is great enough.
You could... if borrowing from D&D... give such spells a greater chance of mishap if the caster isn't careful... such that they might arrive off target... and appear within a solid object (which shunts them to the nearest unoccupied space, dealing them damage measured by how far they are shunted), in the cushing depths of the ocean, high above the ground, in the middle of an enemy camp, or even in the void of space if the distance one attempts to teleport is great enough.
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