Timestop: What exactly can you do?

[DarkJester]

During a time stop, what exactly can you do?

The Spell States:

This spell seems to make time cease to flow for everyone but the character. In fact, the character speeds up so greatly that all other creatures seem frozen, though they are actually still moving at their normal speeds. The character is free to act for 1d4+1 rounds of apparent time. Normal and magical fire, cold, gas, and the like can still harm the character. While the time stop is in effect, other creatures are invulnerable to the character's attacks and spells; however, the character can create spell effects and leave them to take effect when the time stop spell ends. (The spells’ durations do not begin until the time stop is over.)

The character cannot move or harm items held, carried, or worn by a creature stuck in normal time, but the character can affect any item that is not in another creature’s possession.

The character is undetectable while time stop lasts. The character cannot enter an area protected by an antimagic field, or by protection from chaos/evil/good/law, or by a magic circle spell, while under the effects of time stop.

It says that creatures are immune to the casters attacks and effects, while the spell is active. What about when it ends?
It then goes on to say that you can cast a spell and leave it to take effect when the time stop ends.

Does this mean that you can cast a fireball, and leave it to detonate when the timestop ends?

I'm sure delayed blast fireball would work, but I'm curious as to how a spell with instantaneous effect would (Or if it would) work.

It says you can't effect another creatures items or possesions.
Could you bind them with chains during the timestop?

Can you effect the terrain during the timestop?
For example, casting rock to mud ,and following up with mud to stone.

 

[Xarlen]

Cast Acid Fog on the enemy, then cast Wall of Force Hemisphere. Trap them in there with the gas.

 

[Caliban]

During a time stop, what exactly can you do?

The Spell States:


It says that creatures are immune to the casters attacks and effects, while the spell is active. What about when it ends?
It then goes on to say that you can cast a spell and leave it to take effect when the time stop ends.

Does this mean that you can cast a fireball, and leave it to detonate when the timestop ends?

Technically yes, but I'm pretty sure that is a result of an unfortunate choice of words on their part, and not the actual intent of the spell.

I'm sure delayed blast fireball would work, but I'm curious as to how a spell with instantaneous effect would (Or if it would) work.

Technically, and instantaneous effect would be delayed until the time stop ends, just like any other spell effect.

I believe the actual intent was that instantaneous effects (being gone in an instant) would take effect during the time stop, and thus be unable to affect anyone. Otherwise the spell is just too powerful, even for a 9th level spell.

It says you can't effect another creatures items or possesions.
Could you bind them with chains during the timestop?

I think you could drape the chains around them, but you would not be able to tighten them. A net would be better.

Can you effect the terrain during the timestop?
For example, casting rock to mud ,and following up with mud to stone.

Those effects would be delayed until after the time stop ended (they have a duration of permanent).

 

[Caliban]

Cast Acid Fog on the enemy, then cast Wall of Force Hemisphere. Trap them in there with the gas.

Bah, all you need is haste to do that. No need to break out the 9th level spells. ;p

 

[Xarlen]

But they get a Ref save, when you use Haste. Timestop puts it around them Without the ref save.

 

[Caliban]

But they get a Ref save, when you use Haste. Timestop puts it around them Without the ref save.

Wall of Force has no save. It's almost broken.

 

[Xarlen]

Dude. That IS broken.

Half-Green dragon/Sorceror, Acid Fog, Wall of Force. Eek.

Or, better yet, Energy Immunity/Wall of Force/Acid Fog. Bwhaha.

 

[DarkJester]

Wouldn't Cloud Kill work better? 1 minute per level vs 1 round. 1d10 damage: 200d10 damage no save. If you extended it twice (up to the level of acid fog) thats 600d10 damage! A whoping average of 3300, assuming the trapped creature can't escape in that 60 minute time frame.

On second though, they would probly suffocate before the time was up.... if they were alive when it got to that point.


Anyways, I thought the intent was for no instantaneous spells to, but the text contradicts that (In a way). I'm going to go with the no instantaneous spells in my game.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

All spell durations "stop", but they are still in effect for the duration of the time stop.

All spells cast do not "begin" until Time Stop has ended. That includes instantaneous spells.

The text about everyone else being impervious to damage makes more sense for ongoing magical effects and attacks.

And Wall of Force "should" have a reflex save, just like similar spells, to avoid being entrapped. Even if used during a time stop, the spell doesn't appear until the end of the time stop, when the enemy can still try to evade it.

So yes, one could cast time stop, leave a few fireballs, lightning bolts, etc in the air and they all strike when time stop ends.

In the ELH, it is suggested limiting the power of time stop to exclude using "targeting" spells during a time stop. So fireball would be ok, but hold monster would not be.

Hope that clears up everything....

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It's important to consider that time stop only seems to stop time: it actually speeds you up so much that it seems that time has stopped.
So you would cast fireball spells, and they would go off at once. But at once is only after 1d4+1 rounds apparent time, since you do the work of 12-30 seconds in a split second.
If you made transmute rock to mud and then mud to rock, the spells would go off simultanously and probably cancel out each other. Since practically no time has passed between the spells, the enemies had no time to sink into the "mud" before it's transmuted back.