Tick Tock goes the Clock: A collection of time spells [PF]

[Jadev]

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually — from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint — it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff."- Unknown

Time is a natural force. It moves constant, stopping for no man. And generally, even wizards, destroyer of natural laws they are, don't mess with it. But there are always those few-- those between brilliant and crazy-- that choose to muddle in the flow of time. However, time has a way of righting itself-- possibly with destructive consequences for the spellcaster who shoved it out of whack. Still, with a bit of care, time spells are a potent addition to any spellcaster's arsenal.

1st Level

Lesser Rewind (Item)
Components: V, S, F (A time-telling device of any kind)
Range: Touch
Effect: One object
Duration: 1d4 + 1/2 caster level min.
Saving Throw: None
Rewinding time is, surprisingly, one of the easier things one can do with time magics. This spell allows for a caster to return any object of medium size or smaller to a state it was in within the last year. This does not restore magical effects, but all other characteristics return. This spell does not reverse petrification or return any object to a living form.

Lesser Time Jump
Components: V, S, F (A time-telling device of any kind)
Range: Self
Effect: Self
Duration: N/A
Saving Throw: None
Moving forwards in time is also a fairly easy task for the initiated. This spell allows the user to jump forward in time 1 round. The spellcaster disappears and reappears the next round in the exact same condition that they were in when they cast the spell.


Level 2

Lesser Rewind (Person)
Range: Touch
Effect: 1 being
Duration: N/A
Saving Throw: Will save negates
It is a more daunting task to rewind time for a living being, but it can be done, though it is not a pleasant process. This spell returns a person to a state that they were in 1 round ago, but the subject of the spell is nauseated for 1 round due to the shock of the time disturbance. Magical effects will not be restored. Only the person is rewound-- any substance on them or equipment damaged will not be restored to a previous state. This spell cannot reverse death.

Lesser Doomed Time-Clone
Range: Close
Effect: 1 square
Duration: N/A
Saving Throw:N/A
It is a fact known by few that there are many timelines. And for every one that stable, there are hundreds that are not. These are known as Doomed Timelines-- timelines that have not ensured their own creation. Many times, time mages will "jump ship" entering a proper timeline so as to assist it on it path. This spell lays down a temporal beacon of sorts, which allows for a doomed time-clone of the caster to appear in that place. This clone cannot cast spells and has the Doomed condition.
Conditions

Doomed: This character is from a Doomed timeline, and the forces of the universe themselves are attempting to kill it. All critical threats immediately succeed against this character, they have a -3 penalty to their saves, they lose all DR and its Dex and class bonuses to AC-- though this does not allow sneak attacks on this character. If their HP falls below 0 they die immediately and cannot be brought back to life. Should they live for longer than 24 hours, the universe itself will truly begin to try to kill the character. (I.E the GM tries really, really freaking hard.)
More to come later-- a lot more. Please tell me what you think so far (What little there is) and share ideas with me if you have any.

MOST RECENT EDIT: Added nauseated condition for Rewind (Person) and added Lesser Doomed Time-Clone spell, along with Doomed condition description.

[Quiddle]

Is Lesser Rewind ment to be able to restore petrified characters to life?

[Edge of Dreams]

I feel like the effect of Lesser Time Jump was done in a 3.5 spell or psionic power somewhere, but I can't recall where. In any case, it should specify that the spellcaster and all his/her gear are affected.

[Edge of Dreams]

Aha! I found the relevant powers from 3.5 Psionics:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/timeHop.htm

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/timeHopMass.htm

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/timeRegression.htm

[Jadev]

Just one added this time. I'm more unsure about this-- does this need to be a higher-level spell?


I feel like the effect of Lesser Time Jump was done in a 3.5 spell or psionic power somewhere, but I can't recall where. In any case, it should specify that the spellcaster and all his/her gear are affected.

Thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to put that in. For the first bit, It may be (and I see it is by your later post), but this is a Pathfinder spell set-- and there's no spell like this in Pathfinder itself, at least in the first party books.


Is Lesser Rewind ment to be able to restore petrified characters to life?

Nope. Thanks for pointing that out! I have a different spell set for characters-- I've posted the first level of that now.

Next post should be some of the more time-travel related powers, and I'm planning to post some of the consequences of overuse of time magic.

[GunbladeKnight]

If you want some ideas, there was an Encyclepedia Arcana book, Chronomancy, with time related spells, effects, and backlashes.

[AttilaTheGeek]

Ooh, very interesting. Here's an idea - what if a spell creates a duplicate of you nearby, with all your powers and spells, but in three (or so) rounds you need to go to the place where it appeared and you disappear, essentially becoming the duplicate. In other words, your future self jumping back to the present to help out. If either you or future-you dies, you die, spells either of you cast count against spells per day, and something very bad happens if you can't jump back in time to complete the stable time loop. If you've read homestuck, having a character do this a whole bunch of times to make a temporary army was a major plot point.

[bookguy]

Lesser Rewind (Person) seems waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpowered.

[Jadev]

Ooh, very interesting. Here's an idea - what if a spell creates a duplicate of you nearby, with all your powers and spells, but in three (or so) rounds you need to go to the place where it appeared and you disappear, essentially becoming the duplicate. In other words, your future self jumping back to the present to help out. If either you or future-you dies, you die, spells either of you cast count against spells per day, and something very bad happens if you can't jump back in time to complete the stable time loop. If you've read homestuck, having a character do this a whole bunch of times to make a temporary army was a major plot point.

Yeah, I had this idea. Actually, some of these abilities were inspired by homestuck-- I first started on these spells when I was trying to recreate a fanfiction setting based on homestuck. I'll elaborate more on doomed time-clones in the edit after this post.


Lesser Rewind (Person) seems waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpowered.

It's the one I was worried about. What I think makes it okay is the really short rewind time available and the fact that people become nauseated when it's used on them-- a condition that pretty much shuts you down, combat-wise. Do you have any ideas on how to fix it?

[Jadev]

Sorry for the double-post, but I wanted to make an announcement.

Next up are some of the felt-inspired time powers (Think Itchy & Doze light, and maybe some Trace and Biscuits)

Please continue to send me ideas and critiques.

[AttilaTheGeek]

Yeah, I had this idea. Actually, some of these abilities were inspired by homestuck-- I first started on these spells when I was trying to recreate a fanfiction setting based on homestuck. I'll elaborate more on doomed time-clones in the edit after this post.

Aah, okay. I wasn't sure if you'd read it, so I made the safe bet and assumed you hadn't.

What about a spell that creates a stable time loop, but if you can't complete the time loop you take increasing penalties until you become Doomed?

[Vadskye]

Lesser Rewind (Item): Trivially abusable when used on charged items.

Lesser Time Jump: What's the point?

Lesser Rewind (Person): Abusable in a wide variety of ways. For example:
A friendly caster uses a powerful spell, particularly one without combat utility (so the nausea doesn't matter) and/or a significant XP cost. When rewound, they regain the spell slot and/or the XP, but the spell effect still happens.
Cast another spell and quickened Lesser Rewind on yourself every round. (Note that "1 round" effects wear off at the start of your next turn, so this doesn't impede your own actions.) You will be unable to take damage (you keep rewinding the damage) and you regain the spell slots. If the DM rules that you don't regain the slot for Lesser Rewind, quicken the other spell instead and just cast Lesser Rewind straight up, and you can keep this strategy up for a massive amount of time.

Lesser Doomed Time Clone: None of the effects of Doomed penalize its actions except the inability to cast spells. Give your clone a wand or staff and a Levitate spell (not that it loses much defensively) and watch your actions per round double. Alternately, make a potion / use a ring of spell storing and get the fighter doubled with this. Use a small army of doomed time clones to accomplish all of your tasks easily.

[The_Final_Stand]

Rewind: Wouldn't the "Magical effects are not affected" line in the Rewind spells preclude any charged item or spellcasting shenanigans?

Time Jump: Vanish and reappear, probably something of a panic button. It basically makes you immune to everything for a round, and doesn't lose duration on things cast on you.

Doomed Time Clone: Congratulations! You are now Aradia Megido.

Actually, that's a point. Doomed timelines in Homestuck only occur when something has gone wrong enough for the Time Player to intentionally doom everything, including themselves. They also only exist so long as they effect the main timeline, and that effect must at least include removing the condition that would have led to the creation of that doomed timeline anyway. This, hopefully, doesn't happen very often, (insofar as the concept of "often" applies) so, don't be so terrible you have hordes of clones of yourself to kill off, basically.

I, uh, kinda like the time dynamics in Homestuck. Can you tell?

I also fail to see how there could be a non-lesser version of this. Maybe remove the "Lesser" descriptor, and make it a much higher level to begin with?

That said, all of these need the casting time added.

[Vadskye]

Rewind: Wouldn't the "Magical effects are not affected" line in the Rewind spells preclude any charged item or spellcasting shenanigans?
You're right, I did miss that. (Also, looking at my previous post, it looks like I ate a nice big bowl of grumpy-Os this morning. Sorry!) This actually opens up the opposite problem: use it to no-save nuke enemy magic items. That +5 Unholy longsword is just a masterwork longsword now - maybe a +1. Have fun! Similar uses apply to breaking down inconvenient obstacles.


Time Jump: Vanish and reappear, probably something of a panic button. It basically makes you immune to everything for a round, and doesn't lose duration on things cast on you.
Yeah. I can't think of a way to abuse this. Though I suspect there's a reason it used to be a 3rd level spell/power, not 1st level.


Doomed Time Clone: Congratulations! You are now Aradia Megido.

Actually, that's a point. Doomed timelines in Homestuck only occur when something has gone wrong enough for the Time Player to intentionally doom everything, including themselves. They also only exist so long as they effect the main timeline, and that effect must at least include removing the condition that would have led to the creation of that doomed timeline anyway. This, hopefully, doesn't happen very often, (insofar as the concept of "often" applies) so, don't be so terrible you have hordes of clones of yourself to kill off, basically.
If there are limitations on the ability to make clones, that should be mentioned. As it is, it's at least as powerful as Simulacrum with no significant cost. And Simulacrum was already game-breaking.


I, uh, kinda like the time dynamics in Homestuck. Can you tell?
Just a bit...

[bookguy]

The nauseated condition makes it a bit better. But it's still OP. It's a healing spell and a dispel magic wrapped up into one, even if it doesn't restore spell slots.