[MotP] Zone of Respite: Overpowered?

Arcturus_Rugend · Apr 14, 2003

Zone of Respite, a Clr 3, Sorc/Wiz 4 spell from Manual of the Planes seems extremely overpowered to me. The idea of the spell is that it creates an area that is temporarily void of interplanar intrusion. Within its area, Gate, Dimension Door, Teleport, or any other planar modes of travel are not possible, summon spells will not work, and any creature that is etheral cannot enter the area of the spell on EITHER plane. The area is also going to be, at minimum, five 30'cubes. Does this seem like a bit much for a spell of this level?

Vurt · Apr 14, 2003

Ermm... When your favourite Big Bad Evil Guy fails to teleport directly into the midst of your vict... I mean players, there's nothing really preventing him from teleporting just outside of it and walking in the front door, is there?

I mean sure, he can't summon his minions as he needs them while frolicking inside like a weasel in a henhouse, but that just means he calls them while still outside and sends them in first to soften up the opposition a little and possibly drain off some of their initial offensive spells.

So no, the spell doesn't strike me as overpowered for its level.

Cheers,
Vurt

Destil · Apr 14, 2003

Humm... you could look at is as a magic circle that has benifits of stopping planar access instead of the AC and save bonuses... Though it's not a terrible unbalance I think it would be better to place it one level higher. EDIT: Particuarly sicne, unlike magic cirlce, it dosn't allow SR.

Pielorinho · Apr 14, 2003

It's a good defense spell, but it's a great offense spell.

Take a critter like an osyluth, which will present an insignificant challenge to a seventh-level party in a head-to-head fight. Play it smart, and it'll be teleporting in and out of combat, sneaking up on people, separating them with ice walls, charming them, planting suggestions in their heads, and so forth, and it becomes a force to be reckoned with. As soon as it takes significant damage, all it has to do is teleport away, find a low-level cleric, charm the cleric into healing its wounds, and teleport back.

Lay down a Zone of Respite when it returns, however, and you remove its single greatest advantage.

The spell is great against any creature that can teleport to safety: such creatures should never choose to fight to the death, but this spell can take away their alternative.

Daniel

Arcturus_Rugend · Apr 14, 2003

People have brought up lots of good points. I think it just rubbed me the wrong way that a third or fourth level spell can prevent the functioning of many higher level ones. And because someone will likely mention dispel magic in response to this, please note that there is a significant balance difference between a reactive spell (dispel magic) and a proactive one (zone of respite), especially one that has a duration of 10 min./ lvl. That's a lot of summoning / gating / teleporting being nerfed.

(edited for grammar)

0-hr · Apr 14, 2003

You create a region that is temporaily proof against interplanar intrusion.

Intrude: To come in rudely or inappropriately; enter as an improper or unwanted element

The spell prevents things from entering, but it does not prevent them leaving.

Pielorinho · Apr 14, 2003

Ki Ryn said:
The spell prevents things from entering, but it does not prevent them leaving.

Ki Ryn, do you have the spell description in front of you? I don't, but I was pretty sure it prevented all such magic from working within the spell's AoE -- i.e., it didn't just prevent entrance via teleport, but prevented any teleportation at all from working within the AoE.

Daniel

Arcturus_Rugend · Apr 14, 2003

I'm reasonably sure the spell blocks all entry AND exit via magical interplanar transportation, but if it only prevents entering, the spell is not as powerful as I thought.

As an argument for how I originally read the spell and how I think it is intended, it says "interplanar intrusion," not "interplanar intrusion on the plane you are currently in." Thus, if you were to use teleport to escape, you would need to "intrude" on the astral plane. Also, Gate can be a two way portal and and the spell does not mention that you may use it to leave but not summon, it says Gate spells and other portals can't be created.