Otiluke's Resilient Sphere

[Kormydigar]

A quick question about this spell. Could one cast a Spectral Hand spell, then cast the Sphere on themselves and proceed to deliver touch spells via the Hand while so protected? Nothing would need to pass through the sphere because the Spectral Hand would already be outside. Just curious.

 

[Caliban]

Opinions may vary, but my first reaction is to rule that you no longer have line of effect to the spectral hand, and thus could not direct it or cast spells through it. (It is questionable as to whether or not you actually need line of effect to the hand once it has been cast.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'd rule the same as Caliban, I expect, though I'd need to read the spell carefully before finalising that.

-Hyp.

 

[Jack Simth]

Well, after you cast something through it, or it goes out of sight, it returns to you and hovers.

As a DM, this means it will be inside the sphere with you. And you've expended three spells to cast one (of 4th level or lower) successfully. Okay, you're out of the fight unless someone with teleportation, dispel magic, disintigrate, or other things that will eliminate/bypass a resilient sphere. As it's kinda hard to get three spells off in one round (although possible, with Quicken Spell, a familiar and a Ring of Spell Storing; other methods exist) this will normally mean your opponent has a chance to do something mean to you before you cast back.

Of course, about the minimum you could pull off the three spells in one round is 9th... and then what you're hitting someone with is a 1st level spell. Unless you run across a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Quicken (use it on the Spectral Hand) to go with. You're looking at about 85k in equipment to pull this off in one round before 9th+. And you shouldn't have 85k of equipment until sometime between 11th and 12th. When you could Quicken the Spectral Hand on your own (and would still need the Ring of Spell Storing to get the third spell off, for 50k).

 

[Kormydigar]

Well, after you cast something through it, or it goes out of sight, it returns to you and hovers.

As a DM, this means it will be inside the sphere with you.

I don't think that is possible. After you cast a spell through spectral hand it would have to come through the sphere to hover next to you which it cannot do. If magical energy cannot be transmitted through the sphere at all then it is the ultimate dimensional anchor because teleport, plane shift, dimension door, ect. would need to channel magic somewhere outside the sphere.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I don't think that is possible. After you cast a spell through spectral hand it would have to come through the sphere to hover next to you which it cannot do.

You're misunderstanding his point. After you cast spectral hand, it is hovering next to you. When you cast the resilient sphere, the hand is still hovering next to you and thus is trapped within the sphere as well.

If magical energy cannot be transmitted through the sphere at all then it is the ultimate dimensional anchor because teleport, plane shift, dimension door, ect. would need to channel magic somewhere outside the sphere.

I don't quite follow this. You can dim door or teleport out of the sphere. Such effects do not pass through the sphere.

I agree with Caliban and Hyp. Resilient sphere is a Range and Effect spell and thus needs line of effect to any point you want to direct the spell within the Range. Thus, you could not use the spectral hand outside the sphere even if someone the spectral hand were outside the sphere.

 

[Jack Simth]

I don't think that is possible. After you cast a spell through spectral hand it would have to come through the sphere to hover next to you which it cannot do. If magical energy cannot be transmitted through the sphere at all then it is the ultimate dimensional anchor because teleport, plane shift, dimension door, ect. would need to channel magic somewhere outside the sphere.

It returns to you and hovers. No mention is made of how it does this. Most will assume it flies to you. Why should it?

A 10th level Wizard with a spectral hand already out has no troubles, RAW, with casting a Quickened Disrupt Undead on something 200 feet North of the wizard through the Spectral Hand, and following it up with a Contagion on someone 200 feet South of the Wizard. And then the Wizard still has his Move action. So in the time it takes the Wizard to make a standard action, that little disembodied hand moved 400 feet. And made an attack. For most intents and purposes, it's teleporting. Oh yeah - and it returned to the Wizard and Hovered both times. If he cast it on the previous round, in the space of one standard action, it actually moved 800 feet (200 from Wizard to North target, 200 from North target to Wizard, 200 from Wizard to South Target, 200 from South Target to Wizard). Wich would give it a move of 800. I find it stretches suspension of disbelief less if I say it's teleporting a few times a round. Also gets rid of having to figure out those pesky AoO issues.