Jack Simth
First Post
It's really powerful due to the value of actions.Nail said:
With it and Quicken Spell, it lets you get off two of your highest level spells on your first action (regardless of what level they are) and a spell four levels lower than your highest level spell off at the same time.
Suppose we ignore Contingency, Time Stop, and Foresight, and try this with a 16th level Wizard who is expecting a single fight today. This Wizard has Quicken Spell, two 8th level spell slots (no bonus slots that high, sorry), and a bunch of 7th and lower spell slots. Other than Celerity, this Wizard is going pure core.
He prepares, oh, a Quickened Wall of Fire (4th+4=8th), Dimension Lock (8th), and Forcecage (7th) (and, of course, Celerity, 4th).
When his turn pops up (assuming he gets one - and Dex is a reasonably high priority for Wizards due to the "no armor" thing; Improved Initiative is good for anyone), he makes his move.
He casts a short Wall of Fire next to his subject (does not need to reduce caster level, due to the wording of the effect), focused towards the subject, with a Rod of Extend Spell. He then Dimension Locks the area (so there's no escape), and ends his turn. Before anyone else can do anything, though, he Immediately casts Celerity, and uses the standard action to put a Force Cage over everything (wall of Fire just inside the cage, Windowless Cell). Wizard is now done, but that's okay, his subject is taking 2d4 Fire damage a round for the next 32 rounds (34, with an Orange Prism Ioun Stone), for an average of 160 damage. Counters: SR (two possible checks - the Wall of Fire or the Dimension Lock if the subject can teleport, only need to beat one of them), a magic-destroying effect (Disintegrate the Forcecage, Dispel the Wall, Dispel the Dimension Lock and Teleport, or Disjoin everything), fire resistance (but you're still stuck for the next 32 hours or so), Fast Healing, lots of HP, lots of healing, or a handful of other things. If the subject doesn't have at least one of those things, the subject is dead. Normally, it takes Time Stop (or multiple casters) to pull that off.
That's just an example, though. At 10th, it means a second Baelful Polymorph on the same target if the first failed. Or an extra Feeblemind. Or an extra Dismissal. Or Cloudkill. Or a Teleport to retreat. Consider:
Sorcerer-10 with Invisibility, Dimension Door, Celerity, and Baelful Polymorph.
Sorcerer casts Invisibility, finds subject, and casts Baelful Polymorph. If subject fails, subject might as well be dead. If subject succeeds save, Celerity and Dimension Door retreat; soak the Daze while away. With a Charisma of 18 or higher, he can pull it off three times per day (two 4th level spells and one 5th level spell per attempt, assuming it doesn't work). Unless you have some way to detect Invisible things, he'll always get a surprise round (can't see him) and thus won't be flat-footed. Many DM's don't let you ready actions outside of combat (although though they'll start allowing it - for opponents - if you actually use this strategy). You can't go before he's gone, succeed or fail on your save. If he gets a Wand of Dimension Door, and has a Charisma of 20 or better, that goes up to four times per day. If he instead uses a Wand of Enervation (take 1d4 negative levels, no save, while you're flat-footed and taking a penalty to AC) to strike and a Wand of Dimension Door, he can do this up to about six times per day (at 10th), and can arrange to do this up to about four times per day at 8th (on getting Celerity, assuming the Sorcerer can purchase the wands). Granted, he'll need to hit the same target repeatedly, but how many hits of 1d4 negative levels can you take at 8th?
Okay, it's broken even without those other spells, I think.
