Optimizing Time Stop

[Strill]

If I cast Time Stop, then cast ranged attack spells, do the spells become frozen in time once they leave my person?

I'm imagining something like Dio Brando from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbArvIqZzkI&ab_channel=JayZed).

Otherwise, is there any way to use Time Stop that makes it worth the 9th-level spell slot? It's hard to see why it should have such harsh restrictions when you could just be wishing your problems away.

[den12]

Unfortunately that isn't allowed in the RAW.
The utility of the spell is high and it will get better with each new spell that interacts with it favourably.

For example; Melf’s Minute Meteors is a new spell that makes time stope just a little better.

[hecetv]

If

Otherwise, is there any way to use Time Stop that makes it worth the 9th-level spell slot? It's hard to see why it should have such harsh restrictions when you could just be wishing your problems away.

The only really good one I've heard is

Teleport into some heavily guarded area -> time stop -> go grab some valuable artifact on a pedestal or grab the prince you're rescuing or whatever else -> teleport out

Ie teleport into the warehouse by the docks with cultists in it -> time stop, everyone freezes -> go up to the ruby idol and grab it -> teleport out. No one even knows what happened.

But I still feel as if there is untapped potential to time stop, I'm just not sure what it is beyond making you a master thief. Because it only gives you like 30 seconds of time, and you can't cast other spells or affect people at all.

[AvatarVecna]

EDIT: Ignore this for now, I'm losing track of which sub-forum I'm in.

EDIT 2: Just checked; Time Stop doesn't stop you from casting spells of any kind, but any actions affecting another creature end the spell. Thus, summoning, buffing, and disappearing is still a viable option. As soon as it ends, BFC is a must.

[MrStabby]

I prepared explosive runes this morning.

[DnDStriker]

I am of course late to the party. But I am playing a swiftblade who will get it's capstone of a somewhat better timestop soon.

They already have the amazing class feature of basically giving you an extra action each round.
So once you have timestop, and as it is worded in the class feature as it interacts with another class feature... It is a free action to do this (using a 6th level slot for 1 additional round, and a 7th for 2 and so on) But I will only have 8th level spells by level 20 (you lose 4 CL in the class).

Anywho, just wanted to provide some context to why I am reading this and why it may be relevant beyond using a 9th level spell.

Right now I feel like changing the battlefield is the best thing you can do, beyond the obvious delayed blast fireball.
Illusions, and creation spells seem the obvious choices.

Create a battlefield that is advantageous to you, or buff (mirror images, invisibilities, whatever).

Make illusionary walls between you and your opponent, or real ones, trap opponents in boxes.

But I would be excited to hear more options!

[MrStabby]

The trouble still remains that a LOT of the spells you could use need concentration.

So yes you can use mirror image, armour of agathys and so on (and these are good spells) but all in all the power you can get from this is still limited.

Walls are useful, but after you cast time stop on your first turn, a wall on your first extra turn then you are reduced to generally casting some pretty low level spells. Bestow curse can avoid concentration at 5th level or higher, but a set of 5th level spell slots and a 9th level spell slot is a steep price to pay for a fairly modest effect. Sometimes it will be useful if you are facing a fight right on the limits of what you can survive and holding back resources has no value, but even then it is competing with Wish to replicate any lower level spell or a spell like meteor swarm.

[TheFlyingCleric]

If you are 18th level or higher... grease. Lots of grease.

[MrStabby]

If you are 18th level or higher... grease. Lots of grease.

Woah. Actually that is pretty good. You are not casting it on a creature or an object carried by a creature, you are casting it on the ground underneath a creature. No concentration either. If nothing else it is a good way to use any extra turns you might have from time stop after you cast a concentration spell and the final turn spell that would break the time stop anyway.

[JackPhoenix]

I am of course late to the party. But I am playing a swiftblade who will get it's capstone of a somewhat better timestop soon.

They already have the amazing class feature of basically giving you an extra action each round.
So once you have timestop, and as it is worded in the class feature as it interacts with another class feature... It is a free action to do this (using a 6th level slot for 1 additional round, and a 7th for 2 and so on) But I will only have 8th level spells by level 20 (you lose 4 CL in the class).

Anywho, just wanted to provide some context to why I am reading this and why it may be relevant beyond using a 9th level spell.

Right now I feel like changing the battlefield is the best thing you can do, beyond the obvious delayed blast fireball.
Illusions, and creation spells seem the obvious choices.

Create a battlefield that is advantageous to you, or buff (mirror images, invisibilities, whatever).

Make illusionary walls between you and your opponent, or real ones, trap opponents in boxes.

But I would be excited to hear more options!

Wrong edition, I'm afraid... Swiftblade is 3.5, this is 5e forum

[krugaan]

Woah. Actually that is pretty good. You are not casting it on a creature or an object carried by a creature, you are casting it on the ground underneath a creature. No concentration either. If nothing else it is a good way to use any extra turns you might have from time stop after you cast a concentration spell and the final turn spell that would break the time stop anyway.

By RAW it says as soon as the grease appears, each creature standing in the area must make a saving throw, which would technically end the time stop. I think it's mostly so you can't alpha-strike with time stop anymore.

On the other hand... you can just do the same thing with contingency, couldn't you? Scratch that, contingency is self-targeted spells only.

[NecroDancer]

Just shout "ZA WARUDO" each time to earn flavor points

[RickAllison]

This is a fantastic spell for UA Artificers, now that I think about it. Potion for resistance against an element, cast a spell like Bigby's Hand that gets around Invisibility's limitations on attacks and casting, then drink an invisibility potion.

[R.Shackleford]

Wizards would probabaly have a +1 or +2 Wis modifier due to having proficiency in Wis saves (don't need a high score) and wanting Int, Dex, and Con ability scores to be high.

+7 - +8 to a Wis save.

Creature has sanctuary up.

Wizard must pass a DC 19 Wis save after setting up all that time stop stuff to directly target the enemy after time stop is done... Essentially a 50/50 shot of failing the save.

Now THAT would be hilarious.

A first level spell making you waste a 9th + Other spells.

[Flashy]

How about...

Time Stop -> Forcecage -> Cloudkill

It doesn't work on anything already immune to poison (which is soooo many things), but if that's not a problem then you've trapped your enemy and subjected them to four free rounds of poison damage. You even have time to cast three other (nonconcentration) spells, since the Cloudkill inflicts damage at the start of a creature's turn and so doesn't actually seem to end your Time Stop.

If you're an Arcana Cleric then Time Stop -> five Guardians of Faith surrounding your opponent also works pretty well, or is at least pretty entertaining.

[Ghost Nappa]

How about...

Time Stop -> Forcecage -> Cloudkill

It doesn't work on anything already immune to poison (which is soooo many things), but if that's not a problem then you've trapped your enemy and subjected them to four free rounds of poison damage. You even have time to cast three other (nonconcentration) spells, since the Cloudkill inflicts damage at the start of a creature's turn and so doesn't actually seem to end your Time Stop.

Hunger of Hadar can be used for cold damage, but it's only a 3rd-level spell, doesn't scale, and only a Warlock or a Lore Bard can cast it. If you have a friendly one that can coordinate with you, it's an option.

Cloud of Daggers can be used for slashing and has a similar description to the section in CloudKill.

Darkness doesn't do damage...but it doesn't affect any creatures.

Dream can be used if you want to communicate with someone from reason. It doesn't affect creatures that are awake but the casting isn't "finished" until they slumber or you cancel it.

Evard's Black Tentacles have the same phrasing as Cloudkill, but deals Bludgeoning damage.

Flaming Sphere does fire.

You can place Glyphing wards around the Force cage that go off after the Forcecage has disappeared.

Hallucinatory Terrain could work.

Incendiary Cloud, Insect Plague work if you go X -> Time Stop -> Forcecage.

I got all of the spells from A-L in the PHB before getting bored and giving up.

[Mith]

This is all before you just do an instantaneous Gunpowder Plot and spend all but your last round setting up explosives around your target, and then sealing them in with Force cage.