Time Stop

[banzai]

What are some great suggestions for using th spell time stop? Any interesting ways to gain the upper hand? Or just outright confuse your enemy? (let me know if this has already been done)

[Solo]

1. Cast Time Stop
2. Buff yourself/re-arrange the battlefield.
3. ???
4. Profit

[shadowdemon_lord]

time stop, dimensional anchor, extended cloudkill, extended acid fog, extended incendiary cloud, extended black tentacles (hard to cast dispells when your grappled), force cage. Recast time stop if nessesary. Sit back with a martini and feel confident that you just killed someone without them comprehending how they got there.

[Jack_Simth]

time stop, dimensional anchor, extended cloudkill, extended acid fog, extended incendiary cloud, extended black tentacles (hard to cast dispells when your grappled), force cage. Recast time stop if nessesary. Sit back with a martini and feel confident that you just killed someone without them comprehending how they got there.

Dimensional Lock - Dimensional Anchor is a ray, and has to affect the target directly when you cast it - which isn't permitted.

Both permit SR, unfortunately, so there's often a slight chance of your quarry getting out of the area.

Also... you'll want to rod-maximize that, so you know exactly how many rounds you have. It can be annoying if the DM chooses to roll in secret and you get two rounds when you needed three.



Really, though, there's three common combat uses of Time Stop:
1) Summon or Call help (either through the use of Gate or something from the Summon Monster line)
2) Self-buff. You can't target your opponent, but you can target yourself just fine.
3) Battlefield control and long-duration damage effects.

About 99% of the stuff people will seriously suggest fall into one of those three categories.

Outside of combat, it isn't used often. But if you can find a way to cast it without being obvious (such as with the Psionic version), you can pull all manner of sabotage in a social campaign, by removing or adding objects at the right moment.

[Tokiko Mima]

time stop, dimensional anchor, extended cloudkill, extended acid fog, extended incendiary cloud, extended black tentacles (hard to cast dispells when your grappled), force cage. Recast time stop if nessesary. Sit back with a martini and feel confident that you just killed someone without them comprehending how they got there.

Situations like this are exactly why Rods of Cancellation and Quick Draw are a good investment. Only 11k to walk through a forcecage? Money wisely spent, indeed.

[Jack_Simth]

Situations like this are exactly why Rods of Cancellation and Quick Draw are a good investment. Only 11k to walk through a forcecage? Money wisely spent, indeed.

Plus a standard action to use the Rod. Let's just hope you're not facing a Sorcerer who can repeat the process the next round or two...

[banzai]

Outside of combat, it isn't used often. But if you can find a way to cast it without being obvious (such as with the Psionic version), you can pull all manner of sabotage in a social campaign, by removing or adding objects at the right moment.

One way to cast it outside of combat without being noticed would be with the Divine Metamagic feat (from Complete Divine). You would need to take the feat twice to gain Divine Metamagic 'Silent Spell' and Divine Metamagic 'Still Spell.' Then simply burn 4 turn undead to activate it all.

Now that thats an option you can definatly do some sneaky things outside of combat as well!

[Eclipse]

Also, if you insist on using it for combat, delay spell let's you cast spells so they go off between 1 and 5 rounds after casting time stop, chosen at the time of casting. It's a three spell level adjustment, but might be worth it if you find the right spells. There will likely be better options than using delay spell a lot of the time though.

Self buffing has always been the best use I've found for it, though long lasting aoes can be good too. Those have been mentioned by others already though.

Edit:

One way to cast it outside of combat without being noticed would be with the Divine Metamagic feat (from Complete Divine). You would need to take the feat twice to gain Divine Metamagic 'Silent Spell' and Divine Metamagic 'Still Spell.' Then simply burn 4 turn undead to activate it all.

Now that thats an option you can definatly do some sneaky things outside of combat as well!

Actually, you just need Silent Spell and DMM:Silent Spell. Time stop only has a verbal component.

[Aquillion]

You do this.

(Note: You can't actually do that. It's based on this, though.)

Another way to cast it silently is to use the Dweomerkeeper 4 ability to use it as an SLA. And there are various abilities that let you cast spells while working to verbal component into something innocent-seeming to avoid notice... I think bards have several ways of working them into a performance (you'll need Sublime Chord to get Time Stop, of course.)

[monty]

Question: If you use Time Stop and then cast Temporal Stasis on yourself, what happens?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Question: If you use Time Stop and then cast Temporal Stasis on yourself, what happens?

the universe simultaneously implodes and explodes, with no actual effect on anything other than the asteroid which was slightly redirected. It lands on your head. You die.

[Frosty]

So...space rocks fall, you die?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

If you attempt something that would make a physicist cry, yes, yes they do.

[Frosty]

Is Time Stop even a worthy spell to get as an SLA?

By the way, if you're grappled and you cast timestop, do you automatically get to escape from the grapple?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

By the way, if you're grappled and you cast timestop, do you automatically get to escape from the grapple?

Depends on the DM, most likely, but it should work.

"You said the Barbarian was bear-hugging me to death? Fine. I cast Time Stop."

"Okay, you just used a 9th level to replicate DD, but sure, you are free. "

"I use Create Matter to replace my body with a ball of barbed spikes, none of which actually touch the Barbarian. Then I wait 4 rounds."

"I loathe you."

[Aquillion]

Is Time Stop even a worthy spell to get as an SLA?

With Dweomerkeeper, you mean? The ability I was referring to lets them 'cast' any of their spells as an SLA a few times a day. It still uses up the spell slot, but if you know how SLAs work you'll realize why this is awesome -- especially since this ability specifically states that it removes all components from the spell, including verbal, somatic, material, XP... (this would otherwise merely be implict, but Dweomerkeeper goes out of its way to be very definitely broken for some reason.) So sure, if you don't have anything else you want to use that ability on that day, you can use it for a silenced time stop.

Or if you meant that it's just not as worthwhile as using that ability on, say, Wish? Sure, but if you're going around casting free wishes with the Dweomerkeeper class abilities then it doesn't really matter what else you're doing in your campaign.

[Jack_Simth]

Is Time Stop even a worthy spell to get as an SLA?

By the way, if you're grappled and you cast timestop, do you automatically get to escape from the grapple?

With the Archmage's Method?

Definitely, at least, if you're taking levels in Archmage anyway. You expend one 9th and one 5th level spell slot to get two uses of Time Stop each day. It's a worthwhile trade off, especially as Time Stop is one where using it every battle isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[Citizen Jenkins]

Question: If you use Time Stop and then cast Temporal Stasis on yourself, what happens?

You're caught in Temporal Stasis. Time Stop doesn't actually stop time, you just get 1d4+1 free actions because you're moving super fast. So then you get caught in temporal stasis, can't take those actions, and the BBEG probably laughs at you.

[Animefunkmaster]

There is the classic maximized time stop + delayed blast fireball.

[Starbuck_II]

What are some great suggestions for using th spell time stop? Any interesting ways to gain the upper hand? Or just outright confuse your enemy? (let me know if this has already been done)

The Classic: Reverse Gravity + Prismatic Sphere. It has pazz, it sparkles, and it is fun.

Timer Stop (after gaining fly if possible):
Use reverse Gravity over the enemy. Fly above them (the amount depends on how high you want it to be): activate Prismatic Sphere. Get out of the way.

Note: Prismatic sphere stops reverse gravity from affecting those inside or above it.

Here is the fun part, Time Stop ends. Reverse Gravity activates.
The enemy flys upward.
They hit the sphere (gloing through every color). But the spell blocks gravity reverseal so they fall.
But than they get out of the sphere so gravity is reversed again. repeat ad nasuem.

Eventually
a. They die
b. They are teleported to another plane
c. they stoned.
d. time runs out

But, yeah, it is a really good combo.

[monty]

You're caught in Temporal Stasis. Time Stop doesn't actually stop time, you just get 1d4+1 free actions because you're moving super fast. So then you get caught in temporal stasis, can't take those actions, and the BBEG probably laughs at you.

Way to ruin my fun. Now I can't break the universe (through that method, at least) anymore.

[MorkaisChosen]

Universe-breaking is still possible. See the "Persistent Time Stop??!?!??!!!" thread.

[Frosty]

With the Archmage's Method?

Definitely, at least, if you're taking levels in Archmage anyway. You expend one 9th and one 5th level spell slot to get two uses of Time Stop each day. It's a worthwhile trade off, especially as Time Stop is one where using it every battle isn't necessarily a bad thing.

But what if you're using the Spellpoint system? Is it still worth it then?

[monty]

Universe-breaking is still possible. See the "Persistent Time Stop??!?!??!!!" thread.

But that's only "overpowered cheese" broken, not "I killed time" broken.

[MorkaisChosen]

That's why I said see the thread. All kinds of ideas, such as "The spell lasts 24 hours. You have 1d4+1 rounds of actions in these 24 hours".

Anticheesemongers can be quite inventive...

[Jack_Simth]

But what if you're using the Spellpoint system? Is it still worth it then?

Then only if you expect to have issues with verbal components.

But the spell itself becomes even more useful, as you can spam it better.