SangoProduction
2021-01-09, 11:02 PM
At this point, I've probably spent more time reviewing spheres than actually playing in campaigns with spheres. And considering I have maybe another couple days of freedom, I don't think there's any better time to review the Time sphere.
Post-Review Analysis: It's an interesting sphere, that, at any given thing, is less than any other sphere. But if you want all the things, but less good, well this is your one stop shop. Oh, and there's Retry, which is super unique.
Full or Low Caster: Full caster, all the way. Almost nothing is worthwhile without at least CL equal to character level. And even CL at character level is pretty useless for many/most effects at lower levels. Even disregarding save DC, which many of the good talents require.
Flexibility: Retry for social situations / exploration, while not being the absolute most useful of combat talents. Time of the Season has a fascinate and woodland stride effect, which you can safely swap out when not needed. And while Repetition isn't generally good, if you can pick it up only when it is good, then it's pretty great. Age is a great flex when the town's food has rotten away, or you need to fix something. And I guess Timeline Bridge, while not good, does offer a small bonus to knowledge checks, and getting that whenever you feel like it is nice.
Ranking system:
(S) Superb: You always want this. It's awesome.
(G) Good: You would certainly not complain about having this, especially in the right builds / situations.
(B) Bad: While perhaps better than nothing, you are giving up something for it, so probably shouldn't without a good reason.
(N) No.
<Angle brackets> around a rating indicates situational usefulness, and how good it is in that favorable situation.
- Special Ratings:
(C) Cheese: A talent so broken that it will be instantly banned if you use it as you could.
(I) Impossible: Can't be rated because it is just not defined enough to give a meaningful rating - it depends too much on DM ruling, or personal use. I'll just place it where I guess the average result would put it.
(F) Flavor: This indicates that the main draw to the talent is going to be its inherent fluff or flavor, rather than raw power or utility.
Base Sphere
Alter Time: As a standard action, you can activate an Alter Time effect (including Haste or Slow). But it requires a range of touch (or is centered on you for AoE).
Effects maintained through concentration must stay within close range. Which is...definitely a unique limitation. I've not seen that one before.
Haste (N-B): Adds really meh (if unnamed) bonuses, and its duration is only rounds/lvl unless you concentrate on it (not recommended). AND THERE'S NO TALENT TO BUFF DURATION!
Slow (<B>): Halving movement speed very occasionally does have utility. It will inevitably be failing right when you need it, if this is actually your plan of escape though. Other than that, basically the inverse of Haste, but with a will save.
Ranged Time (S+): A touch range (de)buff spell is really, really rough. A touch range buff spell with rounds/level duration is simply not viable. This makes it more viable.
Improved Slow (G-S): Once you're into the period where enemies are multi-attacking you (either natural or iterative, but not SoM), then awesome. They aren't any more. This is really quite powerful against the right foes.
Improved Haste (<G-S>): So long as your martial type isn't using Spheres of Might, then they would appreciate more attacks per round. In fact it's pretty incredible for them. And if your martial type is really good, this is possibly better spell point usage than Destruction sphere. And it compares favorably to Adrenaline Surge from life sphere, though much more...constrained.
Time Strike (<G>): This does make sense to take, in the case that you use long-range weaponry, you don't have many talents and when close range simply doesn't cut it. Sure, you're adding a degree of failure, but if you need more range, you need more range. And this sphere needs range.
Mass Time (<G>): High level? Cool. This saves you time and resources. (Assuming that a single spell point extends them all.) Not high? Then don't pick it up.
Time Zone (I): I honestly don't know. I feel like it should be good. Especially if combats tend to be really static in your party. But I just don't fully grasp its utility. Can't be better than an appropriately leveled Mass Time, could it? Well, maybe if you would really prefer to concentrate on the effect rather than spend a spell point (or multiple, depending on interpretation).
Retroactive Preparation (F): Honestly, this would be more fun as just a passive ability for mundane items, and maybe take a spell point for the costly ones. But point remains, it can be fun.
Second Chance (B-G): Drains an immediate action and spell point, in addition to taking the talent, and only affects targets affected by your alter time effects. But you can then all them to reroll a failed save. Strictly worse than Fate sphere. But it's...neat. Would be better with duration.
Augment Healing (<B-G>): For haste, may as well pick up life sphere, Rejuvenation. But if you're using it to stop the "natural" accelerated healing of creatures, this is kind of a cool add on to slow.
Temporal Trap (F): It gets special spotlight for being the only talent I know of with special call out to Permanency. It'd basically be an auto-resetting trap. Neat if you own a dungeon. Also neat if you're spending your time in a lab and just want to be hasted all day, every day. Or an experiment goes wrong so you tap your redo button. The default, non-permanency application isn't even worth talking about.
Retry (S++): So long as your game is more complex than "go up and hit thing, next fight, go up and hit thing," then this has some serious utility - everything from saving people from deadly crits to saving from traps to just undoing a really bad part of a conversation. ("Everything is returned to where their turn began, and ...[examples], etc. that occurred during their turn become as if they never happened.") Hell. There is no stipulation on when the turn took place. If you're feeling cheeky, undo your ally's turn after the enemy crits them...and let your DM go crazy working out the butterfly effect there. This is very appropriately priced, if not under priced (even if your DM rightfully declares that you may only undo the current turn being taken).
Steal Time (S): Daze is really powerful. Getting an action refund when you daze is stupidly powerful, so long as you have something else to do with your action. So not a good first level talent. Great third or fifth. I'd personally only ever use it with Mass Time. So much more efficient and reliable to refund that way.
After Image (S): For a time talent, this is cool. Comes packaged with decent duration. But it is a strictly worse version of Illusion sphere's Blur, and as a Blur effect, it doesn't stack. But picking up illusion sphere's blur is 3 talents (base sphere, Lingering Illusion, Blur). So if you already have Time sphere...
Time Bubble (G-S): Seems pretty cool to grant concealment and Improved Haste for your entire party. Sort of like Mass Time, but for those talents specifically, with concealment thrown in. It's nice.
Time Freeze (G-S): You know Bard Ult from League of Legends? Yeah, this is that. But anyway, it's a 1-round stasis that can be used offensively or defensively that hits an AoE. Nice.
Eject (G-S): Single target, but multi-round stasis. Multi-round stasis effects tend to be best used against enemies you just don't want to deal with right now, and it's not innately AoE. And it grants a new save every round. So it's less flexible than Time Freeze, but still good in its own way.
Delay Pain (G-S): Immediate action is a good start. And then you may delay anything by 1 round with a spell point. This can include enemy buffs / healing. As a strictly defensive option, I think it's among the poorer ones, though immediate action is good. But it's got good flexibility.
Rapid Response (G): It's cool and thematic, even if its numerical bonuses are meh, being equivalent of Improved Initiative by at level 8. But it's got a sufficient duration, and can enable surprise round actions.
Fast Time (<G>): This works best when your enemies use round-limited (de)buffs, and your team isn't using round-based (de)buffs. [So generally not applicable.] This doesn't really affect minute/hours duration. Although it could have edge cases for preventing permanent negative levels that only last 24 hours.
Time Of The Season (B-G): It's got a decent duration, can be concentrated on, is innately AoE, and has some light versatility. The problem only being that its individual effects are nothing to right home about.
Lethargy (B-G): It's a solid, instantaneous, effect with in-built ramping. It does not compare favorably to Alchemy sphere's Drowsy Venom, with that being doable all day every day, and this taking a spell point. And you definitely don't want to spend a standard action and spell point for something entirely reversed for a free standard action. There are also cheaper and faster ways to get exhaustion within the spheres, while also applying in an AoE. But I give it props for being explicit in it maintaining conditions through awakening, and being non-dispelable.
Timeline Bridge (B): Aside from proving the many worlds theory, this boost is really rather small. But as knowledge checks tend to be done out of combat, you can just concentrate on it for free to help out whomever wants to get it.
Repetition (B): Very limited range of skills and skill usages. Only 1 skill check. Spell point. But taking 20 as a normal skill attempt is really not bad. Spell point for spell point, Enhancement sphere's Enhance Focus will net you more bonus, and has more flexibility, and duration, and applies to all applications to all skills.
Shift Time (B): While decent to help nuke someone down in 1 round, this does cost you a standard action and spell point if you want to allow someone else to borrow their next standard action. So it's really only useful for yourself, and you can't use Mass Time (and I guess Time Zone).
Broken Time (N-B): A solidly decent effect. Will save each round, and terrible duration hamstrings it hard though. Might be "good enough" duration past level 5.
Causality (N): Just take a talent in Destruction sphere. It's cheaper, more reliable, and does more damage if you want to spend the same amount.
Age (F): Mechanically useless. RP-neat. I mean, not much more so than an illusion or alteration. But still. Has some interest where you can break and enter and the restore the break.
Stretch Time (N) So. Let me get this straight. You are spending a spell point, standard action, and talent to give an additional round/level duration to another effect. Wow. Do something better with your time.
Spell Capacitor (C): God darn. You want to alpha strike? This is how you alpha strike. A number of unempowered CL 1 Destructive Blasts equal to 3x your CL is (3*CL)d6 damage, with plenty of chances for all the debuffs, and uses no spell points. That is freaking terrifying and will immediately get banned. But if you're using it for a "predefined suite of buffs," then it's pretty cool and probably won't get you banned.
Stasis Storage (F): Used for storing fresh snacks and meals. Oh, and dead bodies. But mostly snacks and meals.
Swift Demise (<B>): Meh. It makes use of the least useful way to summon undead. That is, trading your actions for that of some undead that is much worse than you, in 99% of circumstances. But if you're doing that, then...sure. You can give it improved haste essentially for free.
Localized Changes (I): From what I've read of the Weather sphere, it's not incredibly impactful until a very high level. Especially in a confined space.
Swift Warrior (N): Hah. No. This sphere is bad for non-high casters. And this is a narrow use case in which you get the bonus.
Post-Review Analysis: It's an interesting sphere, that, at any given thing, is less than any other sphere. But if you want all the things, but less good, well this is your one stop shop. Oh, and there's Retry, which is super unique.
Full or Low Caster: Full caster, all the way. Almost nothing is worthwhile without at least CL equal to character level. And even CL at character level is pretty useless for many/most effects at lower levels. Even disregarding save DC, which many of the good talents require.
Flexibility: Retry for social situations / exploration, while not being the absolute most useful of combat talents. Time of the Season has a fascinate and woodland stride effect, which you can safely swap out when not needed. And while Repetition isn't generally good, if you can pick it up only when it is good, then it's pretty great. Age is a great flex when the town's food has rotten away, or you need to fix something. And I guess Timeline Bridge, while not good, does offer a small bonus to knowledge checks, and getting that whenever you feel like it is nice.
Ranking system:
(S) Superb: You always want this. It's awesome.
(G) Good: You would certainly not complain about having this, especially in the right builds / situations.
(B) Bad: While perhaps better than nothing, you are giving up something for it, so probably shouldn't without a good reason.
(N) No.
<Angle brackets> around a rating indicates situational usefulness, and how good it is in that favorable situation.
- Special Ratings:
(C) Cheese: A talent so broken that it will be instantly banned if you use it as you could.
(I) Impossible: Can't be rated because it is just not defined enough to give a meaningful rating - it depends too much on DM ruling, or personal use. I'll just place it where I guess the average result would put it.
(F) Flavor: This indicates that the main draw to the talent is going to be its inherent fluff or flavor, rather than raw power or utility.
Base Sphere
Alter Time: As a standard action, you can activate an Alter Time effect (including Haste or Slow). But it requires a range of touch (or is centered on you for AoE).
Effects maintained through concentration must stay within close range. Which is...definitely a unique limitation. I've not seen that one before.
Haste (N-B): Adds really meh (if unnamed) bonuses, and its duration is only rounds/lvl unless you concentrate on it (not recommended). AND THERE'S NO TALENT TO BUFF DURATION!
Slow (<B>): Halving movement speed very occasionally does have utility. It will inevitably be failing right when you need it, if this is actually your plan of escape though. Other than that, basically the inverse of Haste, but with a will save.
Ranged Time (S+): A touch range (de)buff spell is really, really rough. A touch range buff spell with rounds/level duration is simply not viable. This makes it more viable.
Improved Slow (G-S): Once you're into the period where enemies are multi-attacking you (either natural or iterative, but not SoM), then awesome. They aren't any more. This is really quite powerful against the right foes.
Improved Haste (<G-S>): So long as your martial type isn't using Spheres of Might, then they would appreciate more attacks per round. In fact it's pretty incredible for them. And if your martial type is really good, this is possibly better spell point usage than Destruction sphere. And it compares favorably to Adrenaline Surge from life sphere, though much more...constrained.
Time Strike (<G>): This does make sense to take, in the case that you use long-range weaponry, you don't have many talents and when close range simply doesn't cut it. Sure, you're adding a degree of failure, but if you need more range, you need more range. And this sphere needs range.
Mass Time (<G>): High level? Cool. This saves you time and resources. (Assuming that a single spell point extends them all.) Not high? Then don't pick it up.
Time Zone (I): I honestly don't know. I feel like it should be good. Especially if combats tend to be really static in your party. But I just don't fully grasp its utility. Can't be better than an appropriately leveled Mass Time, could it? Well, maybe if you would really prefer to concentrate on the effect rather than spend a spell point (or multiple, depending on interpretation).
Retroactive Preparation (F): Honestly, this would be more fun as just a passive ability for mundane items, and maybe take a spell point for the costly ones. But point remains, it can be fun.
Second Chance (B-G): Drains an immediate action and spell point, in addition to taking the talent, and only affects targets affected by your alter time effects. But you can then all them to reroll a failed save. Strictly worse than Fate sphere. But it's...neat. Would be better with duration.
Augment Healing (<B-G>): For haste, may as well pick up life sphere, Rejuvenation. But if you're using it to stop the "natural" accelerated healing of creatures, this is kind of a cool add on to slow.
Temporal Trap (F): It gets special spotlight for being the only talent I know of with special call out to Permanency. It'd basically be an auto-resetting trap. Neat if you own a dungeon. Also neat if you're spending your time in a lab and just want to be hasted all day, every day. Or an experiment goes wrong so you tap your redo button. The default, non-permanency application isn't even worth talking about.
Retry (S++): So long as your game is more complex than "go up and hit thing, next fight, go up and hit thing," then this has some serious utility - everything from saving people from deadly crits to saving from traps to just undoing a really bad part of a conversation. ("Everything is returned to where their turn began, and ...[examples], etc. that occurred during their turn become as if they never happened.") Hell. There is no stipulation on when the turn took place. If you're feeling cheeky, undo your ally's turn after the enemy crits them...and let your DM go crazy working out the butterfly effect there. This is very appropriately priced, if not under priced (even if your DM rightfully declares that you may only undo the current turn being taken).
Steal Time (S): Daze is really powerful. Getting an action refund when you daze is stupidly powerful, so long as you have something else to do with your action. So not a good first level talent. Great third or fifth. I'd personally only ever use it with Mass Time. So much more efficient and reliable to refund that way.
After Image (S): For a time talent, this is cool. Comes packaged with decent duration. But it is a strictly worse version of Illusion sphere's Blur, and as a Blur effect, it doesn't stack. But picking up illusion sphere's blur is 3 talents (base sphere, Lingering Illusion, Blur). So if you already have Time sphere...
Time Bubble (G-S): Seems pretty cool to grant concealment and Improved Haste for your entire party. Sort of like Mass Time, but for those talents specifically, with concealment thrown in. It's nice.
Time Freeze (G-S): You know Bard Ult from League of Legends? Yeah, this is that. But anyway, it's a 1-round stasis that can be used offensively or defensively that hits an AoE. Nice.
Eject (G-S): Single target, but multi-round stasis. Multi-round stasis effects tend to be best used against enemies you just don't want to deal with right now, and it's not innately AoE. And it grants a new save every round. So it's less flexible than Time Freeze, but still good in its own way.
Delay Pain (G-S): Immediate action is a good start. And then you may delay anything by 1 round with a spell point. This can include enemy buffs / healing. As a strictly defensive option, I think it's among the poorer ones, though immediate action is good. But it's got good flexibility.
Rapid Response (G): It's cool and thematic, even if its numerical bonuses are meh, being equivalent of Improved Initiative by at level 8. But it's got a sufficient duration, and can enable surprise round actions.
Fast Time (<G>): This works best when your enemies use round-limited (de)buffs, and your team isn't using round-based (de)buffs. [So generally not applicable.] This doesn't really affect minute/hours duration. Although it could have edge cases for preventing permanent negative levels that only last 24 hours.
Time Of The Season (B-G): It's got a decent duration, can be concentrated on, is innately AoE, and has some light versatility. The problem only being that its individual effects are nothing to right home about.
Lethargy (B-G): It's a solid, instantaneous, effect with in-built ramping. It does not compare favorably to Alchemy sphere's Drowsy Venom, with that being doable all day every day, and this taking a spell point. And you definitely don't want to spend a standard action and spell point for something entirely reversed for a free standard action. There are also cheaper and faster ways to get exhaustion within the spheres, while also applying in an AoE. But I give it props for being explicit in it maintaining conditions through awakening, and being non-dispelable.
Timeline Bridge (B): Aside from proving the many worlds theory, this boost is really rather small. But as knowledge checks tend to be done out of combat, you can just concentrate on it for free to help out whomever wants to get it.
Repetition (B): Very limited range of skills and skill usages. Only 1 skill check. Spell point. But taking 20 as a normal skill attempt is really not bad. Spell point for spell point, Enhancement sphere's Enhance Focus will net you more bonus, and has more flexibility, and duration, and applies to all applications to all skills.
Shift Time (B): While decent to help nuke someone down in 1 round, this does cost you a standard action and spell point if you want to allow someone else to borrow their next standard action. So it's really only useful for yourself, and you can't use Mass Time (and I guess Time Zone).
Broken Time (N-B): A solidly decent effect. Will save each round, and terrible duration hamstrings it hard though. Might be "good enough" duration past level 5.
Causality (N): Just take a talent in Destruction sphere. It's cheaper, more reliable, and does more damage if you want to spend the same amount.
Age (F): Mechanically useless. RP-neat. I mean, not much more so than an illusion or alteration. But still. Has some interest where you can break and enter and the restore the break.
Stretch Time (N) So. Let me get this straight. You are spending a spell point, standard action, and talent to give an additional round/level duration to another effect. Wow. Do something better with your time.
Spell Capacitor (C): God darn. You want to alpha strike? This is how you alpha strike. A number of unempowered CL 1 Destructive Blasts equal to 3x your CL is (3*CL)d6 damage, with plenty of chances for all the debuffs, and uses no spell points. That is freaking terrifying and will immediately get banned. But if you're using it for a "predefined suite of buffs," then it's pretty cool and probably won't get you banned.
Stasis Storage (F): Used for storing fresh snacks and meals. Oh, and dead bodies. But mostly snacks and meals.
Swift Demise (<B>): Meh. It makes use of the least useful way to summon undead. That is, trading your actions for that of some undead that is much worse than you, in 99% of circumstances. But if you're doing that, then...sure. You can give it improved haste essentially for free.
Localized Changes (I): From what I've read of the Weather sphere, it's not incredibly impactful until a very high level. Especially in a confined space.
Swift Warrior (N): Hah. No. This sphere is bad for non-high casters. And this is a narrow use case in which you get the bonus.