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The rules are silent on whether or not the duration of effects with a randomized component are public knowledge. So it’s going to be an individual GM decision.
Some may keep all such durations secret from the players. I let the players roll and know their own durations but keep NPC rolls private. One GM introduced me to a clever method for keeping all randomized durations hidden, even from himself.
At the start of that creature’s turn each round, flip over the top card. If it is red, the effect ends (or is available, in the case of a breath weapon or other effect only usable every dX rounds). If it is black, it’s not over.
In the case of time stop, after creating a deck of 4 cards, put another black card face down on top to represent the “+1” round. Note that this method only works for effects that roll a single die, though it could be anything from 1d2 to 1d100 or beyond. When you roll multiple dice (2d6, etc.) the outcome distribution is not linear so the cards can’t simulate it properly.
The rules are silent on whether or not the duration of effects with a randomized component are public knowledge. So it’s going to be an individual GM decision.
Some may keep all such durations secret from the players. I let the players roll and know their own durations but keep NPC rolls private. One GM introduced me to a clever method for keeping all randomized durations hidden, even from himself.
** spoiler omitted **
nice method. you can do sums of more then one dice roll by using more then one deck. doing 2 decks of 6 cards for 2d6 etc. and once on get the red card start pulling from the other.
as for the OP i generally make sure the players don't metagame about duration. they might know the spell last seconds, minutes or hours. but if they lack measuring methods i tend to only generally tell them how much time has elapsed. can you tell how much time elapse without a watch?
in rounds no less (6 sec per round).
- my players started using cantrips to help tell time.
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nice method. you can do sums of more then one dice roll by using more then one deck. doing 2 decks of 6 cards for 2d6 etc. and once on get the red card start pulling from the other.The rules are silent on whether or not the duration of effects with a randomized component are public knowledge. So it’s going to be an individual GM decision.
Some may keep all such durations secret from the players. I let the players roll and know their own durations but keep NPC rolls private. One GM introduced me to a clever method for keeping all randomized durations hidden, even from himself.
** spoiler omitted **
That works from the "generating a random duration" perspective, but it doesn't fully work from a "keeping the duration unknown" side. If you are trying to do 2d6 and the third card you flip from the first deck is red, you know the total is going to be 9 or less.
Compare this to the spell turning spell, where it explicitly tells you the GM rolls and keeps it secret. You would know how long your time stop will last by default. Other players wouldn't because they don't experience it.
In the original iteration of time stop (1st Ed AD&D), the caster wasn't supposed to know how many "free" rounds they had to act. This was to keep a level of uncertainty for the caster on how much they could accomplish before their opponents could act.
If the randomness feels like it's too much, then a Maximize rod of metamagic (greater) could be used to cast time stop to guarantee 5 rounds of actions. However, it's rather expensive (121,500 gp).
Technically, a staff of the master (transumtation) could be improved with Craft Staff to cast time stop (4 charges) for an additional 15,300 gp cost/30,600 gp market price (actually a bit less, since the cost of the 2nd-level and 3rd-level spells in the staff would be reduced by 25% each); about half the gp of the rod. This would allow a character with Maximize Spell to cast a time stop lasting 5 rounds at a cost of 7 charges.
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Duration
A spell’s duration entry tells you how long the magical energy of the spell lasts.
Timed Durations: Many durations are measured in rounds, minutes, hours, or other increments. When thetime is up, the magic goes away and the spell ends. If a spell’s duration is variable, the duration is rolled secretly so the caster doesn’t know how long the spell will last.
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Good find, Diego. CRB pages 215-216.
This probably falls into the same category as a few skills that are "supposed" to be rolled in secret (Disguise, Linguistics, and - most commonly - Disable Device) that GMs often allow players to roll anyway. Either because we don't know/remember the rule or because it just makes the game faster and flow smoother.
Duration
A spell’s duration entry tells you how long the magical energy of the spell lasts.
Timed Durations: Many durations are measured in rounds, minutes, hours, or other increments. When thetime is up, the magic goes away and the spell ends. If a spell’s duration is variable, the duration is rolled secretly so the caster doesn’t know how long the spell will last.
In the few times I GM such a high level game that time stop was available I enjoyed telling the players that no, they didn't know how long their time stop would last. And had that rules passage bookmarked to show them.
This was after experiencing the player summoning for several rounds and another instance of delayed blast fireballs. It doesn't do much against summoning, but does help against the "I plan for it to die in a fire".
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In the few times I GM such a high level game that time stop was available I enjoyed telling the players that no, they didn't know how long their time stop would last. And had that rules passage bookmarked to show them.
I would like to say I wouldn't have been as gleeful, but in reality I probably would also have smiled a bit seeing their carefully constructed plan collapse.
I can accurately predict the immediate response of most of the players I know. "Hmmm, 121,500 gp for a greater maximize rod. Well, I know what to save up for now." Followed by a prolonged discussion and hunt for any feats/abilities/items that would let you take the average of a spell duration instead of rolling.
The obvious solution is to just cast another time stop, preferably within the first time stop, so you actually slow down by another factor of the first slowdown, allowing you to invade another player's dreams and find out why his dad hates him so you can steal his bank information...
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The obvious solution is to just cast another time stop, preferably within the first time stop, so you actually slow down by another factor of the first slowdown, allowing you to invade another player's dreams and find out why his dad hates him so you can steal his bank information...
While I appreciate the joke, as an orthodox member of the Church of Pathfinder, I feel compelled in pointing out that effects from the same spell don't stack and instead overlap.