[Spell] In the twinkling of an eye...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Thinking something is missing to this, perhaps a more elaborate requirement, and am open to suggestions.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Rapture
Conjuration [Good]
Level: Sanctified 9
Components: S, V, Prayer
Casting Time: 24 hours
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 day/level

The exact moment before your death a bright light suddenly suffuses you, protecting you from all attacks and powers, as well as stabilizing you if neccessary. You are lifted into the sky physically, unable to take any actions, to meet an avatar of your deity who escorts you through a portal leading to the Higher Planes. If you do not have a chosen deity, you are instead met by a Solar Angel. Only those allowed by the avatar or angel are able to pass through the portal.

This avatar or angel comes soley to bring you to your final destination and does not perform any other action.

Prayer: You must spend all your waking hours of the day in uninterrupted prayer, performing no other unneccessary actions, even eating or drinking.

[kailin]

So, what, it's a get-into-heaven-no-matter-what card? I'm underwhelmed. Isn't there a Wu-Jen spell that makes you a combat juggernaut for a round per level, and then you die in a supernova? Now that's a suicide spell. My problem with this one is that (in game terms) it doesn't go anywhere. It goes off, you're in heaven, congrats, roll a new PC (who's going to want to come back from that?).

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Actually, in the D&D universe it seems alot of folks just go to Heaven for a visit. Basically this is the equivalent of a planeshift with bodyguard right before you die. Was actually kind of worried it might be too powerful as just part of it mimicks a 9th level psion power in that for that round you are immune to death.

[kailin]

Oh, so it's like a divine contingency. Okay, I somehow got the sense that this was an "eternal reward" kind of deal. Yeah, as rescue spells go, that's pretty damn good, but probably OK for a 9th-level spell. My one foible is that it seems like it should require a fairly costly material component.

[ampcptlogic]

Now that I know it's not a one way trip, it sounds like a cool spell to me.

And the 24 hours of concentrated prayer is a fairly costly thing, if you think about it. No healing, no fighting, no travel. Nothing but prayer.

Would it work for there to be after-effects of the spell? For example, if the character does not already have them, the spell grants Monk or Paladin-style immunity feats for 1 day/level after the character returns from the Upper Planes. I'm thinking specifically of another passage related to the one in your title - 'And the corruptible shall put on incorruptibility'

[Iituem]

Looks pretty good. How about an evil one named Damnation where the same happens, except that a chasm opens below you and you get dragged down to the Lower Planes? That would be a bit of a double edged sword, given that you do escape death, but unless you're on good terms with the infernals you're probably in for a bit of torture.

[Mewtarthio]

Looks pretty good. How about an evil one named Damnation where the same happens, except that a chasm opens below you and you get dragged down to the Lower Planes? That would be a bit of a double edged sword, given that you do escape death, but unless you're on good terms with the infernals you're probably in for a bit of torture.

That's not as logical. It makes perfect sense that the Good guys will want to rescue their champions. The Bad guys, however, will just want to eat their souls and laugh.

[Iituem]

When did I say it would be a 'rescue'?

[Eighth_Seraph]

Ahh, the underused downside of being evil. I've always wondered how Chaotic Evil clerics honestly expect to get a reward from beings which epitomize disloyalty and betrayal, yet it never seems to be an issue.

[Inyssius Tor]

Damnation sounds good too; maybe make it a lower-level spell (due to the fact that the local infernals will probably kill you when you arrive)...

To which plane exactly do you go? (Does it depend on your alignment? Your deity's alignment? Your choice? Your deity's choice? Your deity's pantheon's plane?)
Where exactly in that plane do you go? (The hall of your deity? Your choice? Randomly decided by table? DM's choice?) It would be interesting if your Solar descended from the sky with a heavenly chorus, carried your shining body away to the Upper Planes, then dumped you, bleeding, on the rocky ground of Celestia and left.

It says that you're lifted into the sky. So, what exactly does that mean? What if you're underground? What if there's a dragon directly above you? How high up do you go? Do you provoke AoOs?

Trying to give an example: Our cleric, HM, is being attacked!
Round 1. The enemy stabs HM through the heart, dealing enough damage to reduce him to -10 HP. As he falls, he is suffused with an unearthly light, and time seems to slow for everyone in the area. He levitates 180 feet into the air. As he reaches the apex of his ascension, a Solar gates into the Material Plane near him, lays a hand on his shoulder, and they depart through the gate. Time speeds back up, and the enemy's turn continues as normal.
Would this work? Basically, a weird time stop while he levitates (as the spell)?

[Mewtarthio]

Damnation sounds good too; maybe make it a lower-level spell (due to the fact that the local infernals will probably kill you when you arrive)...

I still don't think it really makes much sense. Either the cleric is willingly casting a spell that turns a death in battle into a horrific mutilation at the hands of whatever monstrosities claim his soul, or the fiends uncharacteristically decide to rescue their champion.

To which plane exactly do you go? (Does it depend on your alignment? Your deity's alignment? Your choice? Your deity's choice? Your deity's pantheon's plane?)
Where exactly in that plane do you go? (The hall of your deity? Your choice? Randomly decided by table? DM's choice?) It would be interesting if your Solar descended from the sky with a heavenly chorus, carried your shining body away to the Upper Planes, then dumped you, bleeding, on the rocky ground of Celestia and left.

I'd guess you get sent to your deity's realm (or else wherever the Solar who picks you up happens to think is a good place, for godless clerics). It should be specified, though.

It says that you're lifted into the sky. So, what exactly does that mean? What if you're underground? What if there's a dragon directly above you? How high up do you go? Do you provoke AoOs?

Trying to give an example: Our cleric, HM, is being attacked!
Round 1. The enemy stabs HM through the heart, dealing enough damage to reduce him to -10 HP. As he falls, he is suffused with an unearthly light, and time seems to slow for everyone in the area. He levitates 180 feet into the air. As he reaches the apex of his ascension, a Solar gates into the Material Plane near him, lays a hand on his shoulder, and they depart through the gate. Time speeds back up, and the enemy's turn continues as normal.
Would this work? Basically, a weird time stop while he levitates (as the spell)?

I imagine it's mostly for flavor, to make this different from a Contingent Plane Shift+Resurrection. If there's anything above you, I say you go through it.

Though the Time Stop idea would work, too.

[Iituem]

I'd cast Damnation, if I had it. Logic: I'm a chaotic evil cleric - if I die, I am screwed because I'm headed to Heck anyway. This way, I get there alive. Sure, I'm going to be tortured for thirteen months by dretches with toenail fetishes, but that's thirteen months I can presumably work out a way to get the heck out of... well, Heck. If I'm dead, I'm shafted because there's pretty much no way I can get out of there short of a resurrection.