Timestop and attacks

[Kregor]

For future reference:

Timestop was created as a defensive spell, to give you time to retreat, etc. And is, per game rules, not allowed as an offensive spell. This means, after you cast timestop on a group of people, you may not ICly cast any other baneful, offensive, or damaging spell, launch any melee attack, missle attack or do anything which is offensive to the affected characters.

There is no way to prevent it, code-wise, as the spells are coded. So you are expected ICly to just not do it.

[Dalvyn]

Entirely correct.

Timestop is supposed to give you a few rounds to spell up, or heal up, or ... flee away. During the period of time given to you by the timestop, you should only cast personal spells.

[Zach]

could you code anything so that when you attack them or do anything to the affected people... it dispells the spell?

[Kregor]

The way we have it is the best approximation of the book spell we could get with the present code, and the resists/saves as they are. It has it's limitations, first off, the spell should affect EVERYbody around the caster, friend or foe... code just doesn't allow for it, which is why, as Dalvyn adds, you should only cast personal spells while the effects are active, not spell other people up.

The IC actuality of the spell is, everything except the caster is frozen in time. Victims would not be able to suffer ill effects, damage, or even good effects you may wish to bestow them, since they do not experience the passing of time to even accept wounds and such.

I will be amending the help file for the spell, to be specific about what a caster can do during the effects of a time stop. What it is NOT meant to be treated as, is an area-effect, penetrating, hold person with no save.

[Solaghar]

could you code anything so that when you attack them or do anything to the affected people... it dispells the spell?

This is, from what I have seen, the way that the spell already works. As soon as you cast an aggressive spell or physically attack, the timestop ends. It is not in that sense, a hold spell that makes someone unable to do anything while you attack them, as soon as you attack, the timestop seems to end.

I for one, would appreciate clarification on one point then. If one casts an aggressive spell, understanding that the timestop will end as soon as you do so, how can this be considered abusive? I understand that the purpose of the spell is primarily defensive, but being able to prepare yourself to attack as soon as the timestop ends simply doesn't work. There is no message that says, "Time is going normally again." or anything of that sort that you would get if you were roleplaying with a real DM. I'm not entirely certain how initiative works here but it obviously does exist, perhaps the caster could simply get an automatic win at the next initiative roll. Something like that would make the spell, in my opinion, less open to problems.

[Kregor]

This is, from what I have seen, the way that the spell already works. As soon as you cast an aggressive spell or physically attack, the timestop ends. It is not in that sense, a hold spell that makes someone unable to do anything while you attack them, as soon as you attack, the timestop seems to end.

Code: Select all

...Everything begins to fade to black.

You feel yourself leaving your body... rising up into the air, you feel
more free than you have ever felt before...

However, before your deity comes to collect your soul, you feel a strange
pulling sensation as strange and colorful mists swirl around you...
As you burst into flames and die, Kregor grins evilly.

Wrong, you can still die instantly. The PC above was still frozen solid, when he met a fiery grave. Code-wise, it uses the hold person code as a base, so yes, it is just like hold person, code-wise. We tried to prevent people from dying under timestop by pumping up all the resists on the victim, but resists are broken, so, you have a spell that is wide open for abuse.

Perhaps, we just need to not use the spell at all versus PCs until saves and resists are fixed, or just take it out of the spell lists. As it is, it's far more powerful than the book spell, as it allows someone to freeze an entire area of PCs and mobs while they are slaughtered.

[Cyric]

Why not drop an invisible intercept item/mob. If anyone types anything, other than the caster (name is set upon temporary item/mob), then it intercepts with "Your limbs move slowly, as if time were standing still..."

Only problem I see with it is two wizards simoultaniously casting timestop. The effect would intercept everyone's commands, but wouldn't that be the same effect as a "counterspell"?

As for disabling on aggro commands, the mob/object could:
ifpos varStoringCastingCharactersName) = Fighting
then purge self

[Zach]

could we provent the caster from doing any commands other then sit, stand, move, say, tell ect?

OR have it a logged spell?

[Scylere]

One of the things I question about Time Stop is that everyone in your own group is unaffected.

It would make the spell more useable in a pkill if it stopped your own group members as well, which makes more sense to me.

Just a thought.

[Dalvyn]

We are VERY VERY VERY limited as to what can be done with spells (unless a code is willing to take the time to code the finer details of each spell, but this is not the case). Making it affect everybody but your group was really the best approximation we could do.

[Kelemvor]

That presupposes we would be able to have a single spell operate under different rules than all others when it comes to area of effect. This is pertinent since we've only just recoded Area of Effect spells NOT to blitz your own allies.

[Daediana]

I think people really just need to be more responsible with this spell when it comes to PKills. I love this game because you guys make sure that all PKills are really RPed out... But, and I'm guessing this is why this was posted, a week or so ago there was a huge attack with Timestop... It effected the entire group, and we couldn't get out of it in time while being bombarded with attack spells... I agree with Kregor that this spell should only be used as a get-away spell... No attacks should be made with this spell in affect. Its taking advantage of the code system... one person took out 7 people by using time stop and bombarding with spells without setting up a killmode or anything... I think we just need to use it more responsibly and not re-do the code... it's one of those things that are a privilage not a right.