Greater blink

[ChefOrc]

The 5th level spell greater blink from the Spell Compendium is pretty powerful; it works like blink, except that the caster controls perfectly its travel from one plane to the other and can freely appear in the material plane just long enough to attack and then retreat back to the ethereal plane. I would like some help in finding ways to counter it (from a DM's perspective).

I know that a NPC with see invisibility can see the ethereal PC, but then only force effects can affect him. Spells that provide etherealness are at higher levels and so not generaly available. A ready action allows a caster or range attacker that can see the ethereal PC to strike the PC when he appears, but I am not sure it is legal if the attacker cannot see the ethereal PC, since the text specifies that the PC attacks as if invisble (removes the dex bonus from his target). But what to do when the NPCs or monsters are melee combatants and cannot see invisible PCs? I am pretty clueless as to what they can do...

 

[Rackhir]

The 5th spell greater blink from the Spell Compendium is pretty powerful; it works like blink, except that the caster controls perfectly its travel from one plane to the other and can freely appear in the material plane just long enough to attack and then retreat back to the ethereal plane. I would like some help in finding ways to counter it (from a DM's perspective).

I know that a NPC with see invisibility can see the ethereal PC, but then only force effects can affect him. Spells that provide etherealness are at higher levels and so not generaly available. A ready action allows a caster or range attacker that can see the ethereal PC to strike the PC when he appears, but I am not sure it is legal if the attacker cannot see the ethereal PC, since the text specifies that the PC attacks as if invisble (removes the dex bonus from his target). But what to do when the NPCs or monsters are melee combatants and cannot see invisible PCs? I am pretty clueless as to what they can do...

The PC is not ethereal all the time, so they can be seen. They just have more control over when they are ethereal and thus don't suffer the miss chance from having their attack go off while they are ethereal. That's the primary effect of the greater control. Them getting the benefits of being invisible has more to do with the target of their attacks not being sure when they will reapear or in exactly what position. An alert NPC with a readied action within melee range should get a shot in assuming the PC isn't behind them or something.

 

[Joker]

Dimensional Anchor.

 

[ChefOrc]

The PC is not ethereal all the time, so they can be seen. They just have more control over when they are ethereal and thus don't suffer the miss chance from having their attack go off while they are ethereal. That's the primary effect of the greater control.

I would argue that the primary effect of the greater control is to allow the caster to be sitting in the ethereal plane, safely observing what's happening in the material plane while it's not his turn, and then jumping in and out of the material plane at the precise moment he attacks.

Unless an opponent has see invisibility or the likes, it will ONLY see the PC for a brief moment during the PC's action, and can therefore never target him or attack him, except with ready actions.

An alert NPC with a readied action within melee range should get a shot in assuming the PC isn't behind them or something.

That's hard to do for a melee opponent. First, the PC can move in the ethereal plane while the melee opponent does not see him, and can thus re-appear anywhere. Second,according to the rules for blink, the PC will catch the opponent unaware every time(i.e. -2 AC and no dex bonus to AC). So I am not sure that a ready action is possible.

 

[Rackhir]

I would argue that the primary effect of the greater control is to allow the caster to be sitting in the ethereal plane, safely observing what's happening in the material plane while it's not his turn, and then jumping in and out of the material plane at the precise moment he attacks.

I'll check the description in Complete Arcane (it is in there as well) when I get home, but the spell is still called "Blink", not "Sit on the ethereal plane as long as you feel like it."

 

[ChefOrc]

I have looked again at the description, and I am now doubting.

This spell functions like blink (PH 206), except that you have control over the timing of your “blinking” back and forth between the Ethereal Plane and the Material Plane. You can also ready an action to blink away from any physical or magical attack. The attack misses automatically unless it also affects ethereal targets (as a force effect does). While blinking, you have no chance of interfering with your own attacks or your own spells. When moving through solid objects, you do not risk materializing inside one unless you actually end your movement there, in which case you materialize and are shunted off to the nearest open space, taking 1d6 points of damage per 5 feet raveled
in this manner.

If the first sentence is just one of those "here's a flavor description that does not count as rules" sentenses that they like to put in spell descriptions just to confuse us, then you are right. I interpreted "having control over the timing of the blinking" as meaning that the caster decides when he blinks in and out.

 

[Evilhalfling]

The metamagic feat Transdimensonal spell (CArc) - +1 lvl to hit etherial, incorpral, or extraplanar spaces. or perhaps a rod thereof.

 

[Rackhir]

I have looked again at the description, and I am now doubting.
If the first sentence is just one of those "here's a flavor description that does not count as rules" sentenses that they like to put in spell descriptions just to confuse us, then you are right. I interpreted "having control over the timing of the blinking" as meaning that the caster decides when he blinks in and out.

I interpret this as being the equivalent of shifting the timing on the blinking by a few seconds one way or the other. Sort of like how you can control exactly WHEN you take a breath, but that it is something that happens on a semi-regular schedule if you aren't actively concentrating on it. So it's something like this.

1) Blink out
2) Ready action
3) Chose to blink in.
4) Take action while holding off the blinking until finished
5) Relax and let yourself blink out.
6) Blinking in and out continues on it's semi-random schedule until your next action.

Moving through an object thus might be similar to diving and swiming underwater. Something you can do, but it takes an effort.

 

[Thanee]

Greater Blink works like this:

On your turn you can freely decide whether you are ethereal or not, and therefore you can attack without suffering any miss chance or move through objects without a chance of failure. This limited control also allows you to ready to turn ethereal in order to avoid an attack.

When it's not your turn, you are blinking normally, since you can only keep on the ethereal plane for so long (the abstract time when it's your turn).

Of course, you better do not start to think about the consequences on the time-space continuum here.

Bye
Thanee

 

[ChefOrc]

Makes sense. I am now convinced. Thanks.