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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Victim" data-source="post: 3321310" data-attributes="member: 78">Is it?  The DR granted by Stoneskin excels in situations where the main threat is coming from lots of low damage (non adamantine) physical attacks.   Otherwise, it's not so great.  For instance, if people can reach the target, then alternative attacks besides damage can be used - like grapple or trip to restrict the target's actions and set up Power Attack for breaching the DR.  If average attacks are doing about twenty points of damage, then Stoneskin is preventing about 1/2 damage.  Like Displacement, but higher level, a bit narrower (displacement can help against touch attacks and the like), and longer lasting.Without a component cost, the spell could use a hit in duration - I think that the upfront cost counterbalances the tendency to use 10 minute spells as just in case prebuffs - but it hardly becomes the uber 4th level spell.  Greater Invis (while it lasts) is similarly good on defense - 50% miss chance plus certain misses from attacks aimed in the wrong square - denies dex to most foes, and can be used to get surprise.  D-Door is also valuable as a defensive spell since it can get the caster out of bad situations like grapples.  Looking at 4th level spells as whole, Evard's and Enervation provide some tough competition.  If we open the comparison to non core spells, Greater Mirror Image is a strong defensive spell which protects for a decent duration and casts as an immediate action to handle ambushes.  And the Orb spells are nice offensively.</blockquote>

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