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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tzarevitch" data-source="post: 132327" data-attributes="member: 1792">No prob about using my my post. I just couldn't tell where the argument was going because it spread over so many other posts. My goal, as you correctly pointed out, was to propose a more comprehensible spell descripion that is easier to adjudicate that doesn't depend on silly concepts such as spells hanging in the air. My reworked spell just requires the Delay Spell feat (or a spell with a duration) to do lots of extra damage. For the record I agree with your argument that there is no reasonable interpretation of the spell that stops the gobs of damage problem. All the attempts to fix it so that it can't be used to do so much damage result in bizarre verbal contortions that are illogical and incomprehensible. The spell's intent was obviously to permit gobs of damage. I am however, also a member of the camp that says that the spell IS unbalancing and this spell shouldn't have ever made it into 3e.  It very quickly becomes the uberspell at 9th lvl and combat between high-level casters with the spell becomes an initiative test. The iniative looser dies horribly before he even knows what happened. (BTW, the psionic equivalent is worse because it grants 3d4 rounds of timestop.) The big problem is that while the spell is fun and games for the PCs, they won't like it one bit when NPCs do it too because there is no way to defend against the timestop attack except VERY high SR. The PCs in my Dark Sun campaign are about 20th lvl and have just run afoul of a VERY high level cabal of psions. (Minimum level for membership is 20, the most powerful of them is 30th level and backed by an artifact.  DS DMs know the adventure I am referring to.) The psionic timestop equivalent grants 6 rounds of timestop on a slightly BELOW AVERAGE roll and can easily allow the psion to do about 90 points of damage assuming the character succeeds at ALL of his six saves. Note also this does not include any quickened or twinned or hasted powers (which can add about an additional 30 points of damage again assuming the PCs make all the saves). This is not fun for the players and it certainly isn't fun for the DM. Oh and if the character has any protective spells running you lead off with a Maximized dispel (I think you can do that, otherwise use a normal Greater Dispel) to strip them off. The Timestop spell sits at the top of my list of spells that were poorly thought out and the designers should've been out of their mind to convert to 3e like they did. (Haste, Harm, all of the Shadow magic series, Delay Poison and True Seeing also are high on my list of poorly thought out spells). Once my current game ends and I start my new Rokugan game, Timestop will get a not so fond sendoff and will never be seen again in any game I run. Tzarevitch</blockquote>

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