Time Stop on the Astral

[Milo v3]

Since the astral plane pauses spell durations, natural healing, aging, etc. What would happen if you cast Time Stop on the astral plane?

[Jack_Simth]

Since the astral plane pauses spell durations, natural healing, aging, etc. What would happen if you cast Time Stop on the astral plane?

Depends on how you interpret the "apparent time".

If you treat that as Instant, then it doesn't matter, the person casting it gets their 1d4+1 rounds without interference and then the spell ends.
If you treat that as an actual duration, then you've got four possible cases:
1) The player gets 1d4+1 rounds in the rest of eternity (or until the spell is cancelled, whichever comes first).
2) The player gets 1d4+1 rounds that they can spend as needed at any time so long as they remain on the Astral.
3) The player gets what they seem to want - infinite actions until they dispel the effect.
4) [Edited]: The player gets 1d4+1 rounds of apparent time every [arbitrary interval] as long as the player remains on the Astral.

[RoboEmperor]

Since the astral plane pauses spell durations, natural healing, aging, etc. What would happen if you cast Time Stop on the astral plane?

You don't actually modify time. You just speed up like crazy.


In fact, you speed up so greatly that all other creatures seem frozen

[Jack_Simth]

Oh, that does pose a nasty tactic for a very high-level villian, though, if you go with the most favourable interpretation:
1) Cast Time Stop!
2) In first round of Time Stop, Plane Shift to astral, which makes the Time Stop continue as long as desired.
3) Cast Sonourous Hum (Spell Compendium) to hold your casting of Gate open without concentration.
4) Cast whatever at your target area through the gate (Dimensional Lock, Maximized Cloudkill, Searing Spell [Sandstorm] Incindiary Cloud, Acid Fog, Searing Spell Wall of Fire, Summon Monster, Forcecage).
5) Walk through the gate yourself when you're done to watch the carnage.

[Milo v3]

You don't actually modify time. You just speed up like crazy.

Yes? :smallconfused:
Don't see the relevance.


2) The player gets 1d4+1 rounds that they can spend as needed at any time so long as they remain on the Astral.
I'm not sure I understand this interpretation.

[Rubik]

Depends on how you interpret the "apparent time".

If you treat that as Instant, then it doesn't matter, the person casting it gets their 1d4+1 rounds without interference and then the spell ends.
If you treat that as an actual duration, then you've got four possible cases:
1) The player gets 1d4+1 rounds in the rest of eternity (or until the spell is cancelled, whichever comes first).
2) The player gets 1d4+1 rounds that they can spend as needed at any time so long as they remain on the Astral.
3) The player gets what they seem to want - infinite actions until they dispel the effect.
4) [Edited]: The player gets 1d4+1 rounds of apparent time every [arbitrary interval] as long as the player remains on the Astral.The duration is not instantaneous. Time Stop has a duration of 1d4+1 rounds. It just happens to be in its own timeframe, just like casting a spell with a duration of "1 round per level" remains "1 round per level," even when on a flowing time demiplane, or when affected by Planar Bubble in a plane with a timeframe different than your native one. You can Extend and Persist Time Stop because of this fact, because all targeted spells expire according to the time frame of the person (or creature, or object, or effect) they target unless they're under another effect that states otherwise (or they're a non-targeted AoE).

Effect durations literally could not function otherwise.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Oh, that does pose a nasty tactic for a very high-level villian, though, if you go with the most favourable interpretation:
1) Cast Time Stop!
2) In first round of Time Stop, Plane Shift to astral, which makes the Time Stop continue as long as desired.
3) Cast Sonourous Hum (Spell Compendium) to hold your casting of Gate open without concentration.
4) Cast whatever at your target area through the gate (Dimensional Lock, Maximized Cloudkill, Searing Spell [Sandstorm] Incindiary Cloud, Acid Fog, Searing Spell Wall of Fire, Summon Monster, Forcecage).
5) Walk through the gate yourself when you're done to watch the carnage.

Step 4 doesn't work. Interplanar portals, including gate, block line of effect. The relevant rules are in MotP or The Planar Handbook, IIRC.

[RoboEmperor]

Yes? :smallconfused:
Don't see the relevance.

My bad, misread your question.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Where do you get the idea that spell durations don't expire on the Astral plane? Not from the MotP or the SRD.

Timeless. Age, hunger, thirst, poison, and natural healing don’t function in the Astral Plane, though they resume functioning when the traveler leaves the Astral Plane.
No mention of spell durations, so no change from normal.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Where do you get the idea that spell durations don't expire on the Astral plane? Not from the MotP or the SRD.

No mention of spell durations, so no change from normal.

It's a quality of the timeless trait until it's more clearly defined for an individual plane.

[sleepyphoenixx]

It's a quality of the timeless trait until it's more clearly defined for an individual plane.

Yes, but not on the astral plane. At least not according to MotP or the SRD. The timeless trait on the astral plane only affects age, hunger, thirst, poison and natural healing, not magic.

Unless you go with "it doesn't say it doesn't" for your reasoning, which is dubious at best, spell durations on the astral plane function as normal.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Yes, but not on the astral plane. At least not according to MotP or the SRD. The timeless trait on the astral plane only affects age, hunger, thirst, poison and natural healing, not magic.

Unless you go with "it doesn't say it doesn't" for your reasoning, which is dubious at best, spell durations on the astral plane function as normal.

Oh I know. I was just citing the source for the misconception.

[Milo v3]

Thats weird, I was sure there was a 3.5e book that talked about githyanki pirates going around covered in effectively permanent buffs.