Othertime (Priest Spell)

When a priest enters othertime, he steps into a different reality in which the world around him is frozen at a moment in the future. Until time catches up to him, he may move about unhindered and observe his surroundings; no force known can detect his presence or harm him in the alternate reality, although he in turn cannot affect any creature or object in the physical world. For instance, he could read a book at the page it was opened to, but he could not turn the page since that would require him to move an object that is temporarily immovable for him. To his companions or enemy in real time, the priest appears to simply vanish altogether, only to reappear at some later point.
The duration of this spell is a little odd, to say the least. The priest may choose a duration of up to 1 round at 7th to 9th level, 2 rounds at 10th to 12th level, 3 rounds at 13th to 16th, 4 rounds at 17th to 19th, up to a maximum of 5 rounds at 20th level or higher. The duration chosen by the priest governs the length of the othertime; if the priest decides that the spell will last 2 rounds, then he is instantly transported to that point in time, surrounded by the frozen still-life of the world as it will appear 2 rounds after the priest cast othertime. The caster then has 2 rounds to himself to take any actions he cares to, although he cannot affect the real world by any physical, magical, or mental means.
While the caster is in the othertime, he is completely unaware of the intervening events. In the example above, if the caster’s friends were teleported away 1 round after the caster left and replaced by an identical group of dopplegangers, the caster would have no chance to detect the switch; all he sees are the bodies of his “friends,” frozen in the positions they will occupy when he emerges from the othertime. This also means that nasty things like dragon breath, cloudkills, or mind blasts that pass through the spot where the caster happens to be have no effect on him—he simply does not exist in the real world while he waits for everyone else to catch up to him.
As noted above, the caster gains an amount of subjective time equal to the duration of the spell. By leaping 3 rounds into the future, the caster gains 3 rounds of actions in the othertime. He could drink a potion, cast a spell, and then maneuver for an attack, for example, or he could gain a 3-round head start by running for his life while no one else can pursue him. If the priest uses this time to study a battle and position himself for an attack, he gains a –4 bonus to his initiative roll on the round he emerges from othertime, and a +4 attack bonus with his first strike.
Leaping in and out of the time stream is a dangerous activity; every time the priest employs this spell, there is a 1% noncumulative chance that he becomes stuck in othertime, doomed to death by thirst or starvation when his own rations run out. Only the most extraordinary measures (a wish spell, divine intervention, etc.) can save a character in this predicament. Once a priest is in othertime, he cannot pray for further spells. After all, if the priest is going to attract his deity’s attention by praying for spells, the deity will most likely allow him out!
The material component for this spell is an hourglass filled with rare salts, worth at least 100 gold pieces.
Notes: Common for priests with major access to the sphere of Time.
Category:Spells from Spells and Magic
Category:Priest Spells
Category:Spells