PDA

View Full Version : Quintessence: what to do with it?



13_CBS
2009-07-01, 07:12 PM
Good old Quintessence (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/quintessence.htm). A dollop of time turned into goo. I've heard that it's quite useful, but aside from being a somewhat handy psionics-hampering field (in large, expensive quantities) and an excellent food preservative, I don't quite get what else it can be used for. :smallconfused: I mean, it does some damage, I guess, if you feel like killing a commoner in about 14 rounds.

What else is it for?

Captain Alien
2009-07-01, 07:28 PM
Put it in the food of your most hated enemy and rejoice.

Alleine
2009-07-01, 07:30 PM
I believe it was used on the WotC boards as part of what was essentially a bomb production facility. All I really remember is that it involved Delayed Blast Fireballs and pain, lots of pain.

Largo
2009-07-01, 07:32 PM
Quintessence + Quick Potion = fun times

Also useful for anything with a duration that you want to keep for later. Don't forget it also makes whatever you cover with it invulnerable. Great for transporting prisoners.

Keep in mind to do most of this stuff, you need to have a lot of it. If you get downtime, just make a bunch and keep it in a bag of holding.

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 07:33 PM
Note that it's an instantaneous, non-magical psionic effect, so you can dump all of your unused power points into it at the end of the day. Just make sure you have somewhere useful to store it, such as in a Heward's handy haversack or portable hole.

It's useful for, say, delayed blast fireball-bead-blast-bombs.

Portable hole traps (or you could coat some astral constructs in it that you can dump out later).

It's good for storing prisoners in.

Or for storing in a breakable person-sized container, using shrink item, then hurling the container as a grenade-like insta-trap.

Or for keeping limited-duration power effects going on items, storing them for when you need them.

Or for keeping that belladonna fresh so you can cure your werewolf buddy in time (which is also in stasis, so he doesn't have a chance to shift beforehand).

Etc.

Just use your imagination.

Largo
2009-07-01, 07:34 PM
Ah yes, and the bomb machine. Something involving quintessence, true creation, and delayed fireball, iirc

13_CBS
2009-07-01, 07:50 PM
Delayed Fireball bombs? What?! How the feth does that work?! :smalleek: Are you guys counting the "glowing bead" that is the DBF as an object?

And nowhere in the RAW does it say that objects coated in Quintessence are invulnerable. :smallconfused: They're removed from the time stream, yes, but Quintessence can easily be scraped off.

As for covering larger objects...doesn't Quintessence hinder Psionics? I'd imagine that you'd generally need more than 1 pound of Quintessence to move around prisoners...

As for the rest...




Portable hole traps (or you could coat some astral constructs in it that you can dump out later).

How does the Portable Hole trap work?



Or for storing in a breakable person-sized container, using shrink item, then hurling the container as a grenade-like insta-trap.


How do you immerse an enemy in the Quintessence, though?



Or for keeping limited-duration power effects going on items, storing them for when you need them.


Alright, sounds reasonable.



Or for keeping that belladonna fresh so you can cure your werewolf buddy in time (which is also in stasis, so he doesn't have a chance to shift beforehand).


Also reasonable.

quick_comment
2009-07-01, 09:02 PM
How do you immerse an enemy in the Quintessence, though?

You knock him out and put him in a box of it.

13_CBS
2009-07-01, 09:06 PM
You knock him out and put him in a box of it.

Well duh :smalltongue: I meant with the shrunken grenade full of Quintessence.

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 09:22 PM
Well duh :smalltongue: I meant with the shrunken grenade full of Quintessence.

If you pack enough in a large enough container and shrink it, it'll break and expand immediately upon impact with whatever it is you're trying to coat. If you're lucky, the expanding quintessence should handily smother whatever you hit. (I'd allow a reflex save, really; on a failed successful save 50% of the quintessence evaporates due to the violent motion of expansion.)

Otherwise, what you should do is shrink item the quintessence itself using the fabric option. Convince someone it's a blanket, dismiss the shrink item, then...bamf.

For extra fun coat the cloth in more quintessence to keep the shrink item effect from expiring. :smallwink:

As far as the delayed blast fireball grenades go, the bead is essentially an object for as long as it lasts. It explodes on proximity to other creatures once you throw it (or at the end of its duration, whichever comes first).

13_CBS
2009-07-01, 09:32 PM
Hmm...fair enough. Any other ideas for Quintessence?

quick_comment
2009-07-01, 09:33 PM
Illusory floor traps into quintessence vats.

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 10:02 PM
Styling gel and facial mask; keeps your skin and hair looking young...forever!

13_CBS
2009-07-01, 10:05 PM
Styling gel and facial mask; keeps your skin and hair looking young...forever!

Would that actually work, by RAW? (If it did, and you happened to monopolize all the Shapers in the world, you'd make billions.)

quick_comment
2009-07-01, 10:07 PM
Would that actually work, by RAW? (If it did, and you happened to monopolize all the Shapers in the world, you'd make billions.)

It wouldnt work, it would kill everyone who tried it

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 10:13 PM
It wouldnt work, it would kill everyone who tried it

Hey, the trolls are the ones that need it the most.

At least they have regeneration.

VestigeArcanist
2009-07-01, 10:19 PM
I do not understand... if you immerse yourself in it and remove yourself from the time stream, wouldn't you be immortal?

13_CBS
2009-07-01, 10:21 PM
You would, but you also wouldn't be able to do anything. It'd be like being cyrogenically frozen sci-fi style.

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 10:22 PM
I do not understand... if you immerse yourself in it and remove yourself from the time stream, wouldn't you be immortal?

Well, yes and no.

You wouldn't die, but you wouldn't live, either.

Barring astral projection, that is.

VestigeArcanist
2009-07-01, 10:24 PM
Well, yes and no.
You wouldn't die, but you wouldn't live, either.
Barring astral projection, that is.

So you remain in statis and unable to move then?

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 10:36 PM
Yes .

rty275@comcast.
2009-07-01, 11:01 PM
large pool of quintessence + shrink item cloth form = shimmering cloak that can be thrown down and enlarged to become a trap

VestigeArcanist
2009-07-01, 11:15 PM
You wouldn't die, but you wouldn't live, either.

Barring astral projection, that is.

Hm, that gives me an interesting idea. could you use astral projection, blink or some other spell/psionic power to make yourself incorperal or the like and function, yet timeless?

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-01, 11:30 PM
Hm, that gives me an interesting idea. could you use astral projection, blink or some other spell/psionic power to make yourself incorperal or the like and function, yet timeless?

Far as I know, only astral projection would really work like this. Your spirit is outside your body while it's in stasis anyway, so this is just keeping your body from aging while you're out and about.

If your astral form dies, however, you'll be stuck in quintessence until someone gets you out of it.

(Note that you can get astral projection as early as level 7, what with metamorphosis/polymorph, the outsider type, Assume Supernatural Ability/Metamorphic Transfer, and the nightmare (see MM1). And what's this? Surprise, surprise! Quintessence comes at level 7, too! Power research FTW!)

quick_comment
2009-07-01, 11:58 PM
Quintessence + astral projection is silly. Astral projection specifies that your body is kept in suspended animation.

Lycanthromancer
2009-07-02, 12:27 AM
Quintessence + astral projection is silly. Astral projection specifies that your body is kept in suspended animation.

A fair assessment.

But that doesn't necessarily mean it's in timeless stasis.

"Suspended animation," by definition, means that it isn't moving or functioning. It says nothing about aging.

At least covering it in quintessence means that you know it won't age, period.

It's a good way to get literal immortality by level 7.

If you have minions, it's easy enough for them to pull you out if your astral form dies, at least.

RTGoodman
2009-07-02, 12:39 AM
What do you do with quintessence? This (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4143243#post4143243), of course. :smalltongue:

Really, you don't have to do anything particular with it - as a blob of congealed time, I think it's pretty sweet as-is.

GreatWyrmGold
2009-07-02, 04:42 PM
Sell it as...uh...something! Possibly cosmetics...