Time stop

[patchmonkey]

I've been checking erratta, and this has been bugging me, but does time stop have any restrictions whatsoever?

We had a situation in which a great red wyrm was killed because our DM pretty much let a favored character (our DM got stupid with 3E) kill a dragon by himself by casting three time stops while hasted in a row - and since there's nothing in the PHB about that, or Time stop requiring material components, or anything, the DM argued for a moment, and then let it go.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? I think that the spell is way too powerful, even at 9th level (where spells are supposed to be powerful). It has no components, no XP requirement, doesn't cause aging as it did in older versions - basically, no reason why a spellcaster wouldn't cast it over and over.

Did I miss something there?

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Here is a big restriction. Other creatures are invulnerable to the spellcaster's attacks and spells while the Time Stop endures. He can place spells that take effect after Time Stop ends, however.

Why exactly were 3 Time Stops necessary? The duration would not stack. How did he kill the dragon? Perhaps your DM does not understand how the spell works. More details may help.

 

[Caliban]

I've been checking erratta, and this has been bugging me, but does time stop have any restrictions whatsoever?

We had a situation in which a great red wyrm was killed because our DM pretty much let a favored character (our DM got stupid with 3E) kill a dragon by himself by casting three time stops while hasted in a row - and since there's nothing in the PHB about that, or Time stop requiring material components, or anything, the DM argued for a moment, and then let it go.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? I think that the spell is way too powerful, even at 9th level (where spells are supposed to be powerful). It has no components, no XP requirement, doesn't cause aging as it did in older versions - basically, no reason why a spellcaster wouldn't cast it over and over.

Did I miss something there?

Time stop is powerful, but most people make one error that causes it to be much more powerful than it should be.

That error is allowing haste to operate within the extra apparent rounds granted by time stop.

Haste gives you one extra partial action before or after your action, and time stop gives you 1d4+1 extra apparent rounds during your normal action. So you can get the extra action from haste before or after all your time stop rounds, but you don't get any extra partial actions during the time stop rounds.

 

[patchmonkey]

Dr. Zoom - Basically, the situation is this:

There's a LE Wiz19, a LN Ftr7/PlanarChampion 8, a CN Druid15 and my Paladin15. We've been asked to get something from this dragon while in the elemental plane of fire.

The druid points a rod of wonder at the dragon, and turns the dragon purple. The dragon doesn't like that.

The wizard gets initiative, casts time stop. DM then lets him cast haste, (apparently ignoring the rules). The wizard then spends 3 rounds making 3 gigantic sheets of ice, all (currently suspended) 100 feet above the dragon. Then the wizard timestops again. This time creates 4 more sheets.

Time stop ends, dragon suffers crushing damage (times 2) for having giant multi-ton sheets of ice come down on it.

Now, this DM doesn't exactly play the brightest dragons (or always fair), but this entire episode struck me as odd.

 

[comrade raoul]

but this raises an interesting question. if I'm hasted and can cast time stop more than once, can I cast it once with a standard action, and again with my extra partial action? Can Elminster, or some other really sick epic-level character with 13th-level spell slots, get off three time stops a round (the first with Quicken Spell, the second with his normal action, and the third with his partial action)?

 

[James McMurray]

but this raises an interesting question. if I'm hasted and can cast time stop more than once, can I cast it once with a standard action, and again with my extra partial action? Can Elminster, or some other really sick epic-level character with 13th-level spell slots, get off three time stops a round (the first with Quicken Spell, the second with his normal action, and the third with his partial action)?

Yes he could. Of course, why you'd want to do this is beyond me, as the durations don't stack.

As for the original post, I'd say your DM screwed the pooch on this one. If nothing else the wizard should have been forced to make a to hit roll, or the dragon should have gotten a reflex save to dodge the ice.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Dr. Zoom - Basically, the situation is this:

There's a LE Wiz19, a LN Ftr7/PlanarChampion 8, a CN Druid15 and my Paladin15. We've been asked to get something from this dragon while in the elemental plane of fire.

The druid points a rod of wonder at the dragon, and turns the dragon purple. The dragon doesn't like that.

The wizard gets initiative, casts time stop. DM then lets him cast haste, (apparently ignoring the rules). The wizard then spends 3 rounds making 3 gigantic sheets of ice, all (currently suspended) 100 feet above the dragon. Then the wizard timestops again. This time creates 4 more sheets.

Time stop ends, dragon suffers crushing damage (times 2) for having giant multi-ton sheets of ice come down on it.

Now, this DM doesn't exactly play the brightest dragons (or always fair), but this entire episode struck me as odd.

I will assume he used the Wall of Ice spell to make the sheets of ice. If so, the spell does not function like that. The sheet must be anchored on two sides unless it is vertical on the ground. So, beyond the Time Stop spell, your DM did not adjudicate the Wall of Ice spell properly, either.

 

[James McMurray]

Oops, totally missed that. In fact, all of the conjuration (creation) spells must crete something on the ground.

A creature or object brought into being or transported to the character's location by a conjuration spell cannot appear inside another creature or object, nor can it appear floating in an empty space. It must arrive in an open location on a surface capable of supporting it.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Oops, totally missed that. In fact, all of the conjuration (creation) spells must crete something on the ground.

A creature or object brought into being or transported to the character's location by a conjuration spell cannot appear inside another creature or object, nor can it appear floating in an empty space. It must arrive in an open location on a surface capable of supporting it.

This is why we use Wall of Force to create a hemisphere - like a bowl - above the dragon's head, then use Summon Monster IX to call an Elder Earth Elemental into the bowl - a surface capable of supporting it.

Wall of Force is dismissable.

60,000 lbs is heavy.

-Hyp.

 

[James McMurray]

True, but a DM who doesn't allow a reflex save or require a to hit roll for a tactic like that deserves to have his dragons die.

Has he ever used the same tactic on you? If not, then he also deserves to have his dragons die.