Astral Walk's School of Magic

[Zasheir]

See references at the bottom for spell information, emphasis added...

Shouldn't Astral Walk's school of magic be Conjuration (Teleport)? All spells that instantaneously transport characters come from Conjuration.

As best as I can tell, the Astral Walk spell, which does not exist in D&D, was based loosely on the Astral Projection spell (see below). However, the functions of the two spells are very different.

Astral Walk's description suggests that it causes the caster to Planar Shift to the Astral Plane, move a very short distance, then pop back to the prime material plane at the destination, all of which happens in a short amount of time and visually resembles the Teleport spell. It functionally immitates Planar Shift (or any other planar travel spell) while visually immitating Teleport, both of which are Conjuration (Teleport) spells.

Astral Projection, on the other hand, doesn't move you anywhere at all. It lets you move about the Astral Plane in spirit form while your body stays behind in suspended animation. It's a Necromancy spell as its focus is on the spirit/soul of the caster and in no way facilitates the caster's physical travel.

I suggest changing the school of magic for Astral Walk to better represent this unique FK spell's effects. Is there any good reason to keep it as a Necromancy spell?

Astral Walk
===========
Necromancy
Range: Group
Syntax: cast 'astral walk' <target>

One of the more powerful transportation spells, Astral Walk moves the
caster as well as any in his party to the border of the astral plane,
from which a single step can span hundreds of miles. The caster and
party arrive in the location of the chosen target.

This spell cannot be cast by an illusionist
This spell cannot be cast by a transmuter

-Astral Projection-
Necromancy
Level: Clr 9, Sor/Wiz 9, Travel 9
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 30 minutes
Range: Touch
Targets: You plus one additional willing creature touched per two caster levels
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

By freeing your spirit from your physical body, this spell allows you to project an astral body onto another plane altogether.

You can bring the astral forms of other willing creatures with you, provided that these subjects are linked in a circle with you at the time of the casting. These fellow travelers are dependent upon you and must accompany you at all times. If something happens to you during the journey, your companions are stranded wherever you left them.

You project your astral self onto the Astral Plane, leaving your physical body behind on the Material Plane in a state of suspended animation. The spell projects an astral copy of you and all you wear or carry onto the Astral Plane. Since the Astral Plane touches upon other planes, you can travel astrally to any of these other planes as you will. To enter one, you leave the Astral Plane, forming a new physical body (and equipment) on the plane of existence you have chosen to enter.

While you are on the Astral Plane, your astral body is connected at all times to your physical body by a silvery cord. If the cord is broken, you are killed, astrally and physically. Luckily, very few things can destroy a silver cord. When a second body is formed on a different plane, the incorporeal silvery cord remains invisibly attached to the new body. If the second body or the astral form is slain, the cord simply returns to your body where it rests on the Material Plane, thereby reviving it from its state of suspended animation. Although astral projections are able to function on the Astral Plane, their actions affect only creatures existing on the Astral Plane; a physical body must be materialized on other planes.

You and your companions may travel through the Astral Plane indefinitely. Your bodies simply wait behind in a state of suspended animation until you choose to return your spirits to them. The spell lasts until you desire to end it, or until it is terminated by some outside means, such as dispel magic cast upon either the physical body or the astral form, the breaking of the silver cord, or the destruction of your body back on the Material Plane (which kills you).

Material Component: A jacinth worth at least 1,000 gp, plus a silver bar worth 5 gp for each person to be affected.

[Selveem]

I believe it's specifically because it was based off of Astral Projection, as you said.

I see it as a modified version of the astral projection spell where your body is destroyed and rematerialized upon reaching the intended destination (while traveling along the astral plane).

*shrug* I can see either side of it.

[Brar]

What I think is that Astral Walk like most of the FK insta-teleport spells are based on nothing DnDlike...
They are only remnant from the past and a will to give teleportation spells to clerics when in DnD it is a purely mages jobs.
In Dnd, Priests have some transportation spells, but not insta-teleport (except a few domains only spells), and when schools of magic and the new memorization system was introduced, the closer named spell was taken and givenn a twirts in its description to fit the needs.

On the same note, but I'm diverting from the original post, It would be nice to have Teleport as the level 5 spell it should be and change the level 7 one to Teleport without error, change Gate (which is normally a summoning /planar travel spell...) to Teleportation Circle.

And then remove the transportation spells from the cleric's spell list.... (except tree stride which is ad ruid and ranger spell, and stone walk which is a domain only spell)

This would probably gives mages some utility as they should have instead of having them only as damage monster...

Or what could be very fun, would be to change Astral Walk and Gate to the transportation between planes spell they are and add other planes as playable area, but that is nothing but a dream I fear