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I just read the excert from the Manual of the Planes posted on the Wotc site, and I have to say it really got the ideas flowing.
Yes it is a bit different than the old style Rope Trick spell, certainly not something that'll get used as often due to cost of material component.
What occurred to me though was how useful it would be for a team of assassins or thieves, or what-have-you to sneak into place, cast it, and hide out till the appointed time to strike.
Likewise, a group of PC's could be rampaging through a dungeon and a group of the baddies could cast it, hide, and emerge to strike the PC group from behind when they believe they've cleared that part of the complex.
And of course it does have the possibility for being spotted with good perception checks, so it isn't a sure thing.
And the material component, a rope woven of silver valued at 2,000gp or more, makes for good treasure to have lying around somewhere even before players get their hands on the ritual.
You cast it on the /floor/? Well that completely blows it. Didn't anyone realize where EGG got the idea? It's the classic fakir's trick, causing a rope to levitate, then climbing up it to disapear at the top. Seesh.
OK, I'm not really that annoyed. I guess the idea is that an 'opening' in the air would be too hard for enemies to notice or get to. A cautious balance call.
It's also interesting how many low-level spells are now high-level. Rope Trick was always 2nd (accessible at 3rd level), now it's 12th. :shrug:
Which, considering its effect is probably more appropriate.
Have to say I agree. I could see it being low-level if you could only disappear for a few minutes. But using it for what it used to be used for and will continue to be used for (ie - hiding in a near-unfindable place for an extended rest) shouldn't be readily available to low-level adventurers.
It's also interesting how many low-level spells are now high-level. Rope Trick was always 2nd (accessible at 3rd level), now it's 12th. :shrug:
Of course, without extending the spell, you have to be 8th level before it becomes usable as a place to sleep (in 3). With level 30 in 4e being approximately level 20 in 3e ... 12 is 8.
I'd still like to see a Lesser Rope Trick that just lasts for a short while, enough to hide you and your friends until danger passed, just a few minutes.
I'd still like to see a Lesser Rope Trick that just lasts for a short while, enough to hide you and your friends until danger passed, just a few minutes.
There are things like that, such as Wizard's Escape (a level 6 ritual that lets the party squeeze into tight places to hide/escape) but only lasts 10 minutes (takes 10 minutes to cast though). And then there is Chameleon's Cloak, a level 10 ritual that can hide you for up to a day, but you have to stay in the square you were in at the start of the ritual.
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