Time Slip [PF Pg 200] purports to remove the Caster from the

[EU-Ya-Blik]

Time Slip [PF Pg 200] purports to remove the Caster from the timeline kind-of.

Wards go off on contact.

Do Wards still go off during the Split-second where the Wizard is moving around (i.e. would they be hit with sleep or energy blast or whatever)?

Can a Wizard cast Time Slip and simply not be there when time re-starts to avoid any repercussions?

[kiralon]

The fact you can open doors makes me think that yes, wards would affect you straight away.

[Veknironth]

Well, I thought for sure I asked this exact question years ago but I guess not. Anyhow, it's way more complicated than EYB's (that's your new nickname) question. You need to first determine how the spell works, and then apply that to various situations.

The first line of the spell is confusing. "The invocation momentarily suspends time, enabling the spell caster to slip seven seconds into the future." So (1)is time suspended for 7 seconds or (2)are you thrust 7 seconds into the future? The second line implies the latter, but it says "can" which also implies a choice? Maybe you can do either? If you stop time for 7 seconds, it's a lot easier to handle. Basically the mage gets 7 seconds to interact with the environment and then once that 7 seconds is over time resumes. But what does that look like to other people? It should be unnoticed by them. Suddenly, the wizard is in a different place and objects have been moved. They wouldn't know how long the wizard was gone.

However, the description states twice that you move forward into the future. In that case, does the caster miss seven seconds of "action" and end up in the near future while everyone is frozen? That would be limiting since the mage would have to react immediately to things that weren't witnessed. That's going to mess up your OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). If the caster cast the spell in a combat situation, it would go off in the middle of the round, and then the wizard would see things as they were when the round ended. The people who didn't cast the spell would have the wizard disappear from existence for 7 seconds. But what about the objects the wizard moves? I guess they would suddenly be affected after the spell duration lapses 7 seconds later.

So, for wards there are several conditions that the spell could affect.
A. The time slipped wizard triggers the ward and it's a direct effect.
B. The time slipped wizard triggers an area effect ward.
C. The time slipped wizard triggers a ward sequence.
D. Someone triggers an area effect ward while the wizard is time slipped.

For A, it's simple. Either the ward affects the wizard or it doesn't.
For B, it's more complicated. If the ward is triggered, does it affect other people who are not time slipped or just the wizard?
For C, there is a question of whether the ward sequence hits the person all at once or in sequence and how long does that sequence last? If it's an area effect, it's possible that the ward sequence is triggered near the end of the spell and could be going off when the spell lapses. So, it could have some of the sequence only affect the wizard and the rest affect everyone else, depending on how you rule for condition B.
For D, if wards affect the time slipped person, then they could jump into the future and be blasted by something someone did a second after they cast the spell.

Further, what if you open a chest that is warded, but quickly close it so that it is returned to its initial condition by the time the spell lapses? Would that matter at all? What if said chest was left open? Would the ward go off at the end of the spell?

I think it's easiest for the wizard not to trigger wards while under the effects of the spell. But that brings up questions about spells.

What happens when someone creates a physical effect of magic? Would that still affect the time slipped wizard? If wards, which are magic, are not triggered then why would spells affect the wizard? If you can open a warded door and not be blasted, could they traverse a cloud of slumber or wall of fire? Is the fire still hot while time is suspended? I think that spells should work against the time slipped wizard but I don't have any good reason why.

-Vek
"Maybe just eliminate this spell."

[kiralon]

For me, if the wizard could not interact with anything I would say that the time stop is full and the ward would not go off, the fact that he can would mean to me he would activate them and the effects would go off straight away as the caster moves a door and it moves straight away, not after the 7 seconds, it might appear that the things teleported or the door just opens to others, but they moved immediately for him, so the ward would affect him straight away as well, and any others immediately as well, they just would not be able to react to it until the timeslip was over.

Also it does not say that it makes you immune to wards or traps so I would not apply that to the effect. I try to only apply what it does specifically say it does and nothing else.

[foilfodder]

Playing back in the 1990s neither my GM or I liked the written description of Time Slip so we rewrote it. I do not have a copy of the wording we used but I remember we made more of "caster is out of phase with normal time".

This had the double effect:
1) Everyone but the caster would see the caster disapear, then reapear 7 seconds later.
2) The caster could see everything going on, couldn't interact directly on combatants, but could self-cast spells on themselves and move about

So it was a good spell to self-buff and reposition while the guys in power armor slugged it out.

A very aged post thread from 2009 dicussed the version of Time Slip in the original Rifts rulebook...
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=110242

[Zer0 Kay]

I like how when KC "breaks it down" he skips what should be number 1, "The invocation momentarily suspends time." Ignoring that allows all the rest of the confusion. So with it.
1. Time is suspended
2. The mage vanishes
3. The mage's time continues to move.
4. The mage is able to do whatever the mage wants as long as it doesn't cause harm (I always read that as the action itself cause harm so while the mage can't shoot, stab or punch someone there is nothing keeping them from pulling all the pins on the grenades on his opponents bandoleer, for me same applies to invisibility)
5. The mage reappears a few seconds later
6. Everyone except the mage looses two actions

To me it seems over worded and a bit uber. You have seven seconds to do whatever you want which may be many actions and then when you come back for some reason it costs everyone else actions... shouldn't they have been doing stuff while you were gone? I fell it should be either but not both. Either you have the seven seconds of free none combat actions on average 2 OR IF there aren't other PCs in the effected area they all lose 2 attacks. Hmm... no the second one is still stupid if your magician suddenly disappeared there is no way that your opponents are going to just stand around in the same place waiting for your return. So just take out the loss of 2 attack on everyone. It seems like they started writing it and then got tangled in what they were writing and over did it. Or it was written by committee.

[Zer0 Kay]

Time Slip [PF Pg 200] purports to remove the Caster from the timeline kind-of.

Wards go off on contact.

Do Wards still go off during the Split-second where the Wizard is moving around (i.e. would they be hit with sleep or energy blast or whatever)?

Can a Wizard cast Time Slip and simply not be there when time re-starts to avoid any repercussions?

So to answer this... I'd play it as you activate it but it doesn't go off. If your not in the AOE when time resumes then your clear. Why because all magic that was being flung around previously isn't still moving when you cast the spell. Like wise while you can push a door open basically willing that to occur, you can't use a pressure plate or a keycode to open the door. When you open a door that automatically closes that also doesn't work... the closing part not the opening, unless you manually close it.

Now that I'm thinking about it this would be a cool spell to use in BtS to mess with people. The mage when out of sight, knowing the location opens all the things that will automatically close windows, doors, drawers, turns on water, lifts objects so they will drop when time resumes. Instant poltergeist and contract to clean the house.