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In one memorable campaign, I used ORS to epic (at the time) proportions.
Being a Gnomish Illusionist, my "combat" contributions to the party were, well...sparse up to this point. Most of the way thru the dungeon, we were out of spells, out of healing, out of hit points, and had one last encounter before we geared up for the bad guy. So, walking thru the hallway, a large portcullis dropped behind us, and 100 feet in front of us. They were too big and heavy to lift. Some very modified skeletons rose at the far end of the hallway, effectively locking us into mandatory combat with rough opponents, and the party looked to TPK at this point. To which, I asked the GM for some quick questions....namely the stone cunning traits I had as a svirfneblin (deep gnome).
The answers were as follows...the hallway was EXACTLY 10' by 10', made of a smooth hewn stone, built to very high quality by ancient dwarves. The very heavy portcullises were made of large steel beams 6 inches across, 2 inches apart. The skeletons at the end of the hall were just standing there, awaiting our pleasure.
Thus armed with knowledge, I smiled to our party, and, asked them all to gather with me in a tight pack, and cast Otiluke's Resiliant Sphere....to exactly 9'11" around. With barely any room around the spehere, I had the Big Fighter Guy pick me up, and with the help of the others, sprint full speed at the skeletons, who faced with no place to go, just stood there. We careened into them, repeatedly bashing them to pieces between our irresistible force and the portcullises immovable object.
Panting and smiling, we stayed inside our protection until we had recuperated enough and rested to get our spells and HP back before facing the BBEG in the next room.
Hamster ball indeed!
My big thing with ORS is when my the party faced a whole bunch of advanced incorprale undead (dread wraiths or something) we had no party cleric so undead were tough for us.
I cast ORS on myself and began summoning. We beat the encounter very handily much to our DM's surprise. I was the onlyone that didn't have death ward as a defense so he was sure I was going to lose levels but one ORS and I was fine and still contributed to the battle.
I typically use it as a protective bubble for my allies, or for battlefield control in dungeon hallways/doorways.
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I generally target the biggest, meatiest threat on the battlefield (the one most likely to have a lousy Reflex save too, incidentally) and take him out of the fight. Then we clean up everything else, surround the hampster ball, and ready attacks for when I dispel the sphere. :D
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My big thing with ORS is when my the party faced a whole bunch of advanced incorprale undead (dread wraiths or something) we had no party cleric so undead were tough for us.
I cast ORS on myself and began summoning. We beat the encounter very handily much to our DM's surprise. I was the onlyone that didn't have death ward as a defense so he was sure I was going to lose levels but one ORS and I was fine and still contributed to the battle.
You technically can't do that, as resilient sphere specifies that spells can't pass through it... which means that a creature inside cannot summon creatures outside.
You technically can't do that, as resilient sphere specifies that spells can't pass through it... which means that a creature inside cannot summon creatures outside.My big thing with ORS is when my the party faced a whole bunch of advanced incorprale undead (dread wraiths or something) we had no party cleric so undead were tough for us.
I cast ORS on myself and began summoning. We beat the encounter very handily much to our DM's surprise. I was the onlyone that didn't have death ward as a defense so he was sure I was going to lose levels but one ORS and I was fine and still contributed to the battle.
actually I summon them inside and release them when I'm done -- By that point there is so much protection from evil from the archons that I'm not too worried.
You technically can't do that, as resilient sphere specifies that spells can't pass through it... which means that a creature inside cannot summon creatures outside.My big thing with ORS is when my the party faced a whole bunch of advanced incorprale undead (dread wraiths or something) we had no party cleric so undead were tough for us.
I cast ORS on myself and began summoning. We beat the encounter very handily much to our DM's surprise. I was the onlyone that didn't have death ward as a defense so he was sure I was going to lose levels but one ORS and I was fine and still contributed to the battle.
Technically it would work.
You can't cast Magic Missile or Fireball since those spells originate from the caster and move to a target. Those spells would be blocked by the sphere.
Summon Monster has a range and the summoned creation appears anywhere in that range the caster designates as long as the caster has line of sight to that spot. Since with Summon Monster nothing travels from the caster to the spot it would work fine.
Thanks for the backup. I was sure I read the RAW corectly(I am a rules lawyer afterall)
fatespinner, You can do alot of stuff from inside ORS, In case of undead a protected mage with a lantern that has the spell Celestial Brilliance(Book of Exhaulted Deeds) can be a very handy force. His lantern hurts them and he can't touched.
If your in eberron the crack nastyness gets much worse with the spell dimensional leap. You hop out, cast or retrieve fallen party member or use a charge from some healing item like a belt and then leap back in. This was a favorite tactic of mine when I played a member of house Orien.
With some imagination ORS is one of the most versitile spells around.
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Thanks for the backup. I was sure I read the RAW corectly(I am a rules lawyer afterall)
fatespinner, You can do alot of stuff from inside ORS, In case of undead a protected mage with a lantern that has the spell Celestial Brilliance(Book of Exhaulted Deeds) can be a very handy force. His lantern hurts them and he can't touched.
If your in eberron the crack nastyness gets much worse with the spell dimensional leap. You hop out, cast or retrieve fallen party member or use a charge from some healing item like a belt and then leap back in. This was a favorite tactic of mine when I played a member of house Orien.
With some imagination ORS is one of the most versitile spells around.
You're forgetting the crucial difference between line of sight and line of effect.
Line of Effect: A line of effect is a straight, unblocked path that indicates what a spell can affect. A line of effect is canceled by a solid barrier. It's like line of sight for ranged weapons, except that it's not blocked by fog, darkness, and other factors that limit normal sight.
You must have a clear line of effect to any target that you cast a spell on or to any space in which you wish to create an effect. You must have a clear line of effect to the point of origin of any spell you cast.
A burst, cone, cylinder, or emanation spell affects only an area, creature, or object to which it has line of effect from its origin (a spherical burst's center point, a cone-shaped burst's starting point, a cylinder's circle, or an emanation's point of origin).
An otherwise solid barrier with a hole of at least 1 square foot through it does not block a spell's line of effect. Such an opening means that the 5-foot length of wall containing the hole is no longer considered a barrier for purposes of a spell's line of effect.
The resilient sphere does not block line of SIGHT but it does block line of EFFECT, which means a caster inside the sphere cannot target any space outside the sphere for the purposes of spell effects of any kind.
It's still good for building up inside the sphere though (which you can do).
Summon the archons, have them buff themselves as you summon more, have the old ones buff the new ones, cast haste the round after (perferably quickened) as you drop the bubble and let the archons tear things up.
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It's still good for building up inside the sphere though (which you can do).
Summon the archons, have them buff themselves as you summon more, have the old ones buff the new ones, cast haste the round after (perferably quickened) as you drop the bubble and let the archons tear things up.
Yes, so long as you have ample space inside the sphere, you can summon other creatures inside with you. The sphere is 1 foot in DIAMETER per caster level, though, so at caster level 10 there's only room enough for 3 other medium creatures inside with you. At caster level 15, you can get 8 (or 2 Large ones) and at caster level 20, you can get 15.
Yes, so long as you have ample space inside the sphere, you can summon other creatures inside with you. The sphere is 1 foot in DIAMETER per caster level, though, so at caster level 10 there's only room enough for 3 other medium creatures inside with you. At caster level 15, you can get 8 (or 2 Large ones) and at caster level 20, you can get 15.It's still good for building up inside the sphere though (which you can do).
Summon the archons, have them buff themselves as you summon more, have the old ones buff the new ones, cast haste the round after (perferably quickened) as you drop the bubble and let the archons tear things up.
Which makes me happy that lantern archons are tiny. :D
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I generally target the biggest, meatiest threat on the battlefield (the one most likely to have a lousy Reflex save too, incidentally) and take him out of the fight. Then we clean up everything else, surround the hampster ball, and ready attacks for when I dispel the sphere. :DInteresting, as a DM I will occasionally use it trap PC's inside and do the same thing. :-)
Most PCs have ready access to dispel magic while such is not necessarily the case with monsters/NPCs. But it is a valid tactic, certainly! :D
Older version of AD&D specified that the sphere was filled with breathable air. Fighter in armour is sinking down the ocean to his death? Cast ORS and he'll float back up to the surface like a cork!
'findel
You're forgetting the crucial difference between line of sight and line of effect.
The resilient sphere does not block line of SIGHT but it does block line of EFFECT, which means a caster inside the sphere cannot target any space...
Resilient Sphere states that it function like Wall of Force, which in turn specifies that gaze attacks do go through the wall of force and by extension, through ORS. In other words, wall of force/resilient sphere does not block ALL effects.
From that, I'd be tempted to allow other "sight" or "light" related burst, line or emanations to affect opponents inside (or outside) the ORS.
'findel
Don't forget that the sphere is three dimensional. So you can summon an awful lot of lantern archons without getting cramped. Just don't waste their time with forming "archon-prime" or whatever, the base line archons are far more effective.
If you happen to have a bard in the sphere with you ... ^^
Don't forget that the sphere is three dimensional. So you can summon an awful lot of lantern archons without getting cramped. Just don't waste their time with forming "archon-prime" or whatever, the base line archons are far more effective.
If you happen to have a bard in the sphere with you ... ^^
Yeah learn a lesson from one of my pass GMs -- Do not scoff when the player tells you he's making a summoner out of a bard -- just do not do it -- you will weep, and curse the day you said he could.