Time

Time marches relentless and unforgiving; time is inexorable. The Time theme focuses on a variety of utility, buffs, debuffs, and control related to action and speed.

Spells from the Time theme allow you to ripple the flux of time, borrow time from the future, make creatures repeat past actions, make creatures act faster or slower, make creatures recall their past pain, freeze creatures in time, send creatures to the future, trigger spells for future situations, reverse time, completely stop time, age a creature, and make time fly faster.

Power sources

Arcane

Table of contents

Time maneuvers

As a reaction, which you use when you are hit by an attack or missed by 4 or less that you can see or when you make a Reflex saving throw, you spin gracefully away, avoiding the swing or effect. You make the roll with advantage or the attack against you is made with disadvantage. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.

If the roll already has advantage or disadvantage, you cannot apply another instance of advantage or disadvantage and you must use this before the roll to cancel out any advantage or disadvantage.

Time spells

As an action, you rapidly accelerate and decelerate time around a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters, tearing it apart. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 1d6 force damage and can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 9th level (2d6) and 17th level (3d6).

As a reaction, which you use at the end of a creature’s turn, you can borrow time from your future self.

You can use an action, but you are then incapacitated until the end of your next turn.

3 hours/mana

As you spend 10 minutes to cast this spell, choose a cantrip that you can cast. You cast that spell—called the contingent spell—as part of casting contingency, expending mana for both, but the contingent spell doesn’t come into effect. Instead, it takes effect when a certain circumstance occurs. You describe that circumstance when you cast the two spells. For example, a contingency cast with aquatic adaptation might stipulate that aquatic adaptation comes into effect when you are engulfed in water or a similar liquid. You must make any decisions for the spell when you cast contingency, such as choosing fins or gills for aquatic adaptation.

The contingent spell takes effect immediately after the circumstance is met for the first time and then contingency ends.

The contingent spell takes effect only on you, even if it can normally target others. You can use only one contingency spell at a time. If you cast this spell again, the effect of another contingency spell on you ends.

Augment

The contingent spell can sue 1 additional mana for each additional mana expended. The contingent spell must have a casting time of two actions, an action, or 1 reaction.

As an action, you bend the fabric of time, causing a creature that you can touch or see within 20 meters to make a Will saving throw.

On a failed save the target repeats the actions it took on its previous turn and must act against the same target or targets, but doesn’t have to make exactly the same choices. If the situation has changed in such a way that the target can’t take the same actions again (if its foe is dead, the target has run out of spells or mana, or moving in the same direction would be fatal, and so on), the creature becomes confused for that turn.

concentration, 1 minute/mana

As an action, you manipulate time to hasten or slow creatures. Choose haste or slow as the spell’s effect.

Haste. A creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters is hasted 1 for the duration.

Slow. Up to two creatures that you can touch or see within 10 meters and within 5 meters of each other must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, a creature is slowed 1 for the duration.

A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can target one additional creature with haste or two additional creatures with slow for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them. You can choose to mix and match the effects by hasting one creature and slowing two creatures for example.

  • You can increase the hasted or slowed level by 1 for each additional mana expended.

As a reaction, which you use when you make a Reflex saving throw or you are hit by an attack or missed by 4 or less that you can see, you can step back in time to avoid the effect or attack as you teleport up to 5 meters to an unoccupied space you can see that you occupied since the start of your last turn.

If you made a Reflex saving throw, you make the roll with advantage.

If you were hit by an attack, the triggering attack is made with disadvantage. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur. Subsequent attacks made against you are made with disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

If the roll already has disadvantage, you cannot apply another instance of disadvantage.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can teleport up to an additional 5 meters for each additional mana expended.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana to trigger this spell when a creature moves within 1 meter of you or when you take damage. If you take damage, you halve the damage against you.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana to trigger the spell when you or one of your allies within 2 meters of you makes a Reflex saving throw or is hit by an attack or missed by 4 or less that you can see. It can then teleport up to 5 meters to an unoccupied space you can see that it occupied since the start of its last turn.

As a reaction, which you use at the start of an initiative round, you cause time around a creature within 20 meters to momentarily warp. Choose quicken or delay as the spell’s effect. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Will saving throw to avoid the effect.

Quicken. The creature adds 10 to its initiative, moving up the initiative order.

Delay. The creature removes 10 from its initiative, moving down the initiative order.

Augment

You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, you part the fabric of time to your will, revealing wounds that a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters has received in the past. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d12 psychic damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d12 for each additional mana expended.

As a reaction, which you use when you or another creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters makes a skill check or a saving throw, the creature has a second chance. The creature makes the roll with advantage or with disadvantage (your choice). You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.

If the roll already has advantage or disadvantage, you cannot apply another instance of advantage or disadvantage and you must use this before the roll to cancel out any advantage or disadvantage.

Augment

You can provide a second chance for one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, you manipulate time, ravaging a creature or an object that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 6d6 force damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

This spell automatically ravages a Tiny or smaller nonmagical object. If the target is a Small or larger object, this spell ravages a 75-centimeter radius sphere portion of it. A ravaged object is reduced to a pile of fine dust. A magic item is unaffected by this spell.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can increase the damage by 6d6 for each additional mana expended.

    At 2 mana, this spell automatically ravages a Small or smaller nonmagical object. If the target is a Medium or larger object, this spell ravages a 1-meter radius sphere portion of it.

    At 3 mana:

    • if the damage leaves the creature with 0 health, the creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a heap of its former form, about half the size that it started. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a resurrection spell, a miracle spell, or a wish spell.
    • this spell automatically ravages a Medium or smaller nonmagical object. If the target is a Large or larger object, this spell ravages a 1-meter radius sphere portion of it.

    At 4 mana, this spell automatically ravages a Large or smaller nonmagical object. If the target is a Huge or larger object, this spell ravages a 2-meter radius sphere portion of it.

    At 5 or more mana, this spell automatically ravages a Huge or smaller nonmagical object. If the target is a Gargantuan or larger object, this spell ravages a 3-meter radius sphere portion of it.

  • Rapid Aging. You can expend 4 additional mana and cast this spell as two actions to rapidly age the target.

    On a failure, a creature is aged a number of years equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

As an action, you regain 2d8 + your spellcasting ability health that was lost within the last minute.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can increase the healing by 3d8 for each additional mana expended.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana to target a creature you can touch or see within 10 meters.

  • Undo Limb Loss. You can expend 2 additional mana to increase the healing by 1d8. The duration changes to 1 minute/mana and for the duration of the spell, the creature regains 1 health at the start of each of its turns (10 health each minute).

    The target’s severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on) that were lost within the last minute, if any, are restored after 2 minutes. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump, the spell instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.

As two actions, you freeze a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Will saving throw.

On a failure, it is stunned until the end of its next turn.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

  • You can expend 2 additional mana so the duration changes to 1 minute/mana, concentration and the creature is stunned for the duration. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana so the creature is paralyzed instead of stunned.

As two actions, you are transported 24 hours into the future. You appear in the nearest unoccupied space to the spot which you disappeared.

Augment

You can target two additional willing creatures for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As two actions, you can regress time around yourself to the point along the time stream just prior to your previous turn. You appear at the same position you were in at the start of your previous turn, you regain 35 health that was lost since the start of your previous turn, and any conditions you’ve gained or effects that have occurred since then are undone. Your mana, stamina, and other factors do not change.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can regain an additional 20 health for each additional mana expended.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana to target a creature you can touch or see within 10 meters.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana to regress to one minute ago instead of just prior to your previous turn.

  • You can expend 2 additional mana to target two creatures or objects within 10 meters that aren’t being worn or carried. The creatures and objects must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

  • You can expend 3 additional mana so all creatures within 200 meters have their time stream regressed to just prior to your previous turn.

concentration, 1 minute/mana

As two actions, a Large or smaller creature, or object that weighing 150 kilos or less that isn’t being worn or carried, that you can touch or see within 10 meters hops forward in time. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Will saving throw to avoid the effect. The target disappears in a shimmer of silver energy and is incapacitated until the spell ends.

An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, reappearing in the space it left (or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied) on a success. From the creature’s point of view, no time has passed at all.

Augment

You can target one additional creature or object, affect a creature of a larger size, and increase the weight of an object that this spell can target by 100 kilos for each for each additional mana expended. The creatures and objects must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As two actions, you briefly stop the flow of time. You can take one additional turn in what appears to others to be no time at all. No time passes for objects that you aren’t wearing or carrying or other creatures, both of which are invulnerable to your attacks, and you can’t target or affect them with anything.

Once you take the extra turn, time begins to flow again for the rest of the world. If you created an effect with a duration, such as cloudkill, it starts to affect others, but it doesn’t have any of the effects that happen only when you first cast the spell.

Splintered or partitioned minds within your own mind, such as might be in effect through the use of spells such as schism, act in the normal flow of time.

Augment

You can increase the number of turns by 1 for each additional mana expended.

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, you freeze a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters in time. The target must succeed on a Will saving throw or be paralyzed; if it succeeds, it is immune to this spell if you cast it again.

While affected by this spell, the creature doesn’t need to breathe, eat, or drink, and it doesn’t age. Divination spells can’t locate or perceive the target.

Ending the Spell. During the casting of the spell, you can specify a condition that will cause the spell to end and release the target. The condition can be as specific or as elaborate as you choose, but the GM must agree that the condition is reasonable and has a likelihood of coming to pass. The conditions can be based on a creature’s name, identity, or deity but otherwise must be based on observable actions or qualities and not based on intangibles such as level, class, or health.

A dispel magic spell can end the spell only if it is cast using 5 mana.

concentration, 1 hour

As you spend 10 minutes to cast this spell, you tear a hole in the temporal timeline. Time around you passes significantly faster than regular time, allowing you to experience 24 hours of time while others only experience 1 hour.

The tear has a radius of 5 meters. If you leave that area or another creature enters that area the tear immediately ends.

Augment sizes

1 stamina die/mana2 stamina dice/mana3 stamina dice/mana4 stamina dice/mana5 stamina dice/mana
Cone3 meters long5 meters long10 meters long10 meters long20 meters long
Cylinder1-meter-radius, 3 meters high2-meter-radius, 6 meters high3-meter-radius, 9 meters high4-meter-radius, 12 meters high5-meter-radius, 15 meters high
Line5 meters long, 1-meter wide5 meters long, 2-meter wide10 meters long, 2-meter wide10 meters long, 2-meter wide20 meters long, 2-meter wide
Sphere1-meter-radius2-meter-radius3-meter-radius4-meter-radius5-meter-radius
Wall5 meters long, 2 meters high, 1 meter thick5 meters long, 4 meters high, 1 meter thick10 meters long, 6 meters high, 1 meter thick10 meters long, 8 meters high, 1 meter thick20 meters long, 10 meters high, 1 meter thick