Delayed Fireballs and Time Stop

[Realms of Chaos]

One question that I've been asked in the course of running an epic campaign was whether durations for spells you've cast (other than spells on yourself) continue under the effects of a timestop.

Or, put another way, would the following be possible:

Round 1: Time stop
Apparent Rounds of Time Stop: Delayed Fireball with 5 round delay
Round 2: Time stop
Apparent Rounds of Time Stop: Delayed Fireball with 4 round delay
Round 3: Time stop
Apparent Rounds of Time Stop: Delayed Fireball with 3 round delay
Round 4: Time Stop
Apparent Rounds of Time Stop: Delayed Fireball with 2 round delay
Round 5: Time Stop
Apparent Rounds of Time Stop: Delayed Fireball with 1 round delay
Round 6: Lots of boom

It makes sense for buffs active on yourself to have duration continue but what about spell effects that aren't on your person? I know that everyone views delayed fireball blast as being made in part for use with time stop but exactly how does that interaction work?

[TuggyNE]

In this particular case it doesn't matter much, since you could either do the listed sequence if that works, or set them all to one round otherwise. (And then slap solid fog or something down to keep things in place.)

[Realms of Chaos]

So... the countdown IS halted during timestop?

[amdskitzo]

So... the countdown IS halted during timestop?


I think he is saying in this case it doesn't matter. Either you do it your way assuming the countdown is not halted or you set all the fireballs to go off in 1 round assuming the countdown IS halted.

[TuggyNE]

I think he is saying in this case it doesn't matter. Either you do it your way assuming the countdown is not halted or you set all the fireballs to go off in 1 round assuming the countdown IS halted.

Yup.

Keyboard is messed-up, so my usual terseness is amplified. :smallsigh:

[Gemini476]

I do believe that the countdown is actually halted, since Time Stop just gets you more "apparent time". In other words, time isn't actually going faster. It's just you that's going fast enough to do 30 seconds worth of things in 6 seconds.

Between your Time Stop starting and your Time Stop ending, less than a turn has passed. Since Delayed Fireballs just care about the actual time, that only counts as one turn despite you unloading 5+ turns of magic.

This is also why Persistent Time Stop doesn't work.

[ericgrau]

I think the spells you cast reside in the apparent time based on this:


A spell that affects an area and has a duration longer than the remaining duration of the time stop have their normal effects on other creatures once the time stop ends.


And since it says "longer" rather than "equal to or longer" I believe there is a 1 round delay after time stop ends during which the opponent can react, and you can only squeeze in 4 delayed blast fireballs unless you use extend spell. A big boom that happens the moment the time stop ends is harmless. So a solid fog or such would be nice, and teleporting foes with spellcraft who are suspicious after hearing you cast time stop and seeing fog might escape. Or if their vision isn't impeded they might spellcraft (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/spellcraft.htm) the orange beads instead. Even without spellcraft one might want to teleport out of a solid fog or move away from a pile of glowing beads.

Still, it's a powerful tactic like anything done with time stop.