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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Broken Rewind Time Magic Item



Bjarkmundur
2019-03-02, 09:33 AM
If you've seen my name before you might know a couple of things about me.

I love solving problems with homebrewes.

I love making very specific, very broken homebrewes.

I never worry about my players abusing my homebrewes, because they're in on the whole thing.

So, for my most recent creation, the Wand of Reverse Time!

As an action you can Rewind time 1 turn in a 5x5 cube, one object or one creature within range. This item has ___ charges. Once the item has no charges left, it is destroyed.


Wand of Time Rewind v2


I'll make a list of example things that can be reversed, like the thaumaturgy and command spells. That should give clear guidelines for it's intended uses.

Wand of Time Rewind v2
You watch in awe as time ticks backward. Even the most menacing things look kinda silly when they happen backwards.
As an action, you reverse time, undoing a single event. The event must be recent, and time can not be reversed further than one minute. The event can be anything from retrying an ability check to reversing the effects of failing a death saving throw. A creature that has been affected by time reversal retains all memories and experiences of the events preceeding the use of the time rewind. Other uses are as follows:

* Reversing the effects of a freshly caved in passage, or returning a misplaced item to it's previous position.*
* Reversing the effect of a magical effect as if you had cast Dispel Magic
* Reversing the passing of a single creature as if you had cast Resurrection*
* Rewinding a single course of action for one person, for example triggering a trap, taking a move action, sneezing, regaining consciousness, casting a spell or making attack.*

I'll then count the number of instadeaths in the dungeon and make sure they get just enough charges to get through it alive, if they're smart and manage the charges efficiently.
I need your help to make sure it's most useful use is its intended use (reversing hilarious insta death traps) .
I need your help to make it as flavorful as possible.

My group is about to play a character grinder, but before going in one of the characters from a different time line Jumps back in time just long enough to give us an ominous message. He tells the PCs that they must get the Mcguffin at the end of the dungeon, and stop the main villain, or the WORLD AS WE KNOW IT IS GOING TO END. He then gives them this item. As he's about to disappear he looks at two of the characters that died in his timeline and says something very dramatic.

Kadesh
2019-03-02, 09:50 AM
Time Travel is ridiculous. Especially localized. What happens when they move out? Do they have knowledge of what happens in the 5ft cube? If not, why would they do anything different than they did before if they have no prior knowledge of what went on? And does it affect things that went through it during that turn? Does the creature outside of that circle who got attacked by an arrow fired from a longbow whose line of sight passed through that cube in that time get affected?

Bjarkmundur
2019-03-02, 09:57 AM
Oh hi Kadesh :)

It's already been stated that it's broken ;)

What happens when they move out?
Out of where, it's an instantaneous effect.

Do they have knowledge of what happens in the 5ft cube?
It's remodeled to how it was 6 seconds ago.

If not, why would they do anything different than they did before if they have no prior knowledge of what went on?
Doing the same thing twice expecting different results is the definition
of a character who deserves to die.... Or insanity. I don't remember.

And does it affect things that went through it during that turn?
Instantaneous effect. 5x5 feet cube.


Does the creature outside of that circle who got attacked by an arrow fired from a longbow whose line of sight passed through that cube in that time get affected?
Instantaneous effect.

Bjarkmundur
2019-03-02, 10:08 AM
I am hesitant about the 5x5 clause, feels like it might be the most broken part of this entirely intentionally broken item...

Bjarkmundur
2019-03-02, 10:30 AM
I'll make a list of example things that can be reversed, like the thaumaturgy and command spells. That should give clear guidelines for it's intended uses.

Wand of Time Rewind v2
You watch in awe as time ticks backward. Even the most menacing things look kinda silly when they happen backwards.
As an action, you reverse time, undoing a single event. The event must be recent, and time can not be reversed further than one minute. The event can be anything from retrying an ability check to reversing the effects of failing a death saving throw. A creature that has been affected by time reversal retains all memories and experiences of the events preceeding the use of the time rewind. Other uses are as follows:

* Reversing the effects of a freshly caved in passage, or returning a misplaced item to it's previous position.
* Reversing the effect of a magical effect as if you had cast Dispel Magic
* Reversing the passing of a single creature as if you had cast Resurrection
* Rewinding a single course of action for one person, for example triggering a trap, taking a move action, sneezing, regaining consciousness, casting a spell or making attack.

I'll then count the number of instadeaths in the dungeon and make sure they get just enough charges to get through it alive, if they're smart and manage the charges efficiently.

theVoidWatches
2019-03-02, 05:23 PM
Immediate possible issues that spring to mind:



Target the artifact itself after using a charge. Do you get back the charge you originally spent? Does this still cost a charge for the second rewind (even though logically, neither of the two spent charges have been spent from the perspective of the rewound artifact), making it a wash?
Target a wizard just after they finish casting a ritual spell of some sort - let's say Simulacrum. They create the simulacrum, then get jumped back in time to just before they finish casting the spell, so they finish a second time. Are there now two simulacrums for the price of one? Did the wizard need to spend a second spell slot?
How does this interact with concentration? Say the wizard hastes the fighter, and is then rewound to before spending the slot. RAW, he hasn't taken damage or had his mind disrupted - is concentration still in effect, allowing him to cast it and concentrate on it without spending the slot? Can he cast haste again on the barbarian and concentrate on two things?
I guess related to that, can you rewind the casting of a spell without rewinding the effect? Throw a fireball out and then rewind the wizard without rewinding the monsters - have they still suffered the damage, while the wizard hasn't yet spent the spell slot?

MoiMagnus
2019-03-02, 06:13 PM
For your death traps, don't forget that if you give them only one wand (without any "autocast" system), they may end up with a problem like "the guy with the wand fall into the trap together with the wand..." (similar to the well known "the cleric is dead, nobody else knows how to cast resurection").

The second definition (one event) is far better than the 6s 5x5x5 cube (I had a lot of weird edge case to post for that).

But I still have one questions:

Can you revert something without reverting its direct consequences/causes? Like:
1) Reverting character C going from position P1 to P2, but the footprints are still there.
2) Reverting the footprints of characther C going from position P1 to P2, but the character C is not rewind to its previous position.
3) Reverting the cost of a spell (like the spell slot) while still enjoying its consequences
4) Reverting the effect of a spell, without giving back the spell slot to the ennemy.
5) Stupid stuff like "I rewind the event 'the head of the troll went trough this door', but the body still went trough the door normally, so the troll is dead decapitated"

Bjarkmundur
2019-03-03, 05:10 AM
Now we're cooking!

These are exactly the types of scenarios I need to be vary of, but would never thin of myself!