Ways to Delay spells from casting ?

[Grifthin]

So lets say there's a dragon - is there anyway to delay casting a spell (like geass) so that when you get close enough the spell triggers ? Party wants to Geass a dragon into giving it's hoard to them and leaving. Only problem is 100 round casting time.

[unre9istered]

You could always make it into an item. A one use item would be pretty cheap.

The problem is that I'm pretty sure the dragon would just ignore the geas take the (minor) hit to it's scores and attack, assuming lesser geas and it fails the save and has less than 7HD.
For Geas/Quest it would take 3d6 damage before attacking, most dragons wouldn't notice that.

Geas isn't dominate. It doesn't force actions, it gives consequences if you don't do the action. This party's plan looks like a future failure to me.

[Prime32]

You could ready an action to cast it, or make it a contingent spell (using either contingency or the Craft Contingent Spell feat).

But yeah, geas (not geass, that's the anime) doesn't work that way.

[Grifthin]

I sense a party wipe coming :P

WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

*ahem*

[Glimbur]

Amusingly, Raise Dead and Reincarnate and such are touch spells. You can hold the charge on a touch spell. This means, if you can afford to have someone hang around with a reincarnate on their hand for the whole fight, you can kill the dragon and then reincarnate it. This is more amusing than practical.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

You could ready an action to cast it, or make it a contingent spell (using either contingency or the Craft Contingent Spell feat)

Redying an action does not reduce casting time. You can ready to start casting the spell, but it will still take ten minutes to cast.

[Darrin]

Glyph Seal, Greater Glyph Seal (MIC): trigger any 1st-2nd or 5th-9th spell as a glyph of warding, as part of an attack (attached to a non-magical or temporarily-dispelled weapon), or as a free action (attached to a spell component pouch or a pouch full of ammunition).

You can also use Chardalyn stones (from the Silver Marches Web Enhancement) or Shallantha's Delicate Disk (Lost Empires of Faerun) to create spell-storing devices that release spells when broken/thrown/dropped. While this normally would take a standard action, you can delegate that task to a minion or unseen servant with a readied action.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I didn't realize just how crappy Geas/Quest is. In many ways it's worse than Lesser Geas, ignoring the HD limit. Whoop-de-doo, 3d6 damage that can be healed, and a -2 to attacks, saves, etc. Why would any high level character or monster care?

[Jack_Simth]

So lets say there's a dragon - is there anyway to delay casting a spell (like geass) so that when you get close enough the spell triggers ? Party wants to Geass a dragon into giving it's hoard to them and leaving. Only problem is 100 round casting time.

Doesn't matter. Assuming the Dragon is noticeably stronger than your party, this is a recipe for a trip to the graveyard. See, while you *can* put Geas into a Ring of Spell Storing, and use the standard-action command-word to empty the ring at someone (or, if you don't want to spend the coin, have another caster in the party ready a Dimension Door / Teleport / Greater Teleport for the exact right instant to put the dragon in range just before the spell is finished), a DRAGON is going to kill you (ignore the 3d6 damage/day (healing spells, probably), and either soak the -2 to most rolls until it expires, beat the Fort save regularly, or find a way to nuke the spell at it's leisure), and then arrange so you never, ever come back (Animate Dead, bury the skeleton is the simplest method).

Amusingly, Raise Dead and Reincarnate and such are touch spells. You can hold the charge on a touch spell. This means, if you can afford to have someone hang around with a reincarnate on their hand for the whole fight, you can kill the dragon and then reincarnate it. This is more amusing than practical.

Nah. What's a really amusing use of Raise Dead / Reincarnate / Resurrection / True Resurrection? Giving the legendary dragon hunter a good slap on his dragonhide fullplate.

[Curmudgeon]

I didn't realize just how crappy Geas/Quest is. In many ways it's worse than Lesser Geas, ignoring the HD limit. Whoop-de-doo, 3d6 damage that can be healed, and a -2 to attacks, saves, etc. Why would any high level character or monster care?

You'd only want to use this in combination. Add enough penalties from different sources and you've got a solution to the dragon problem. The spellcaster with a Geas plus a swift action Teleport to get away, in concert with a Spell Storing Ring-wearing Monk and a Rogue with Use Magic Device can all hit the dragon for close range or touch spells and get away/Hide from reprisals. (Frankly, the dragon really needs to worry about the Rogue with the wand of Shivering Touch, even if your DM sensibly makes this spell impose a DEX penalty instead of damage.)

[gorfnab]

How about the Delay Spell feat?

[Ranos]

Geas is an enchantment(compulsion) spell which clearly states that it "compels" the creature to "follow the given instructions". There's little room for interpretation here, it does force you to act in a certain way.

The text clearly states that the penalty occurs on top of the compulsion if the target is prevented from obeying the geas, most likely from external circumstances. For example, if he is imprisonned.

[Rainbownaga]

You could ready an action to cast it, or make it a contingent spell (using either contingency or the Craft Contingent Spell feat).

But yeah, geas (not geass, that's the anime) doesn't work that way.

Don't put geas into a contingency; contingencies automatically target the caster. You can do it, but it's probably not a good idea.

[Curmudgeon]

Geas is an enchantment(compulsion) spell which clearly states that it "compels" the creature to "follow the given instructions". There's little room for interpretation here, it does force you to act in a certain way.

While a geas cannot compel a creature to kill itself or perform acts that would result in certain death, it can cause almost any other course of activity.

The problem is that most orders that lead to situations where the PCs kill the dragon are going to be nullified by the above clause, leaving only the mechanical effects: penalty plus damage.

[Jack_Simth]

Don't put geas into a contingency; contingencies automatically target the caster. You can do it, but it's probably not a good idea.

... actually, there are circumstances under which that would be a good idea: Contingent Geas: Kill the vampire before attempting other tasks if the vampire successfully Dominates me. Might be worthwhile....

The problem is that most orders that lead to situations where the PCs kill the dragon are going to be nullified by the above clause, leaving only the mechanical effects: penalty plus damage.

Ah, yes - and even WITH forced obedience, they're just delaying their doom by [caster level] days. Twice that, if it's Extended.

[JeminiZero]

You could hold the Geas in a Spellblade Tennis setup. You could in fact store many Geas that way, but expect falling rocks shortly thereafter.

[Seffbasilisk]

I misread the OP, and seeing as his plan seems suicidal, my original thoughts were along this lines:

Glibness already casts as a standard action. Concoct a good lie, have the bard cast Glibness, and have him hand (probably not all, but a good chunk of) his hoard over.

Thank him.

Leave.

He can Arcane Sight, Detect Magic, and all once you've left to his heart's content, but the only spell was on you. A nystal's magical aura, will even take the shine offa that.

[lsfreak]

He can Arcane Sight, Detect Magic, and all once you've left to his heart's content, but the only spell was on you. A nystal's magical aura, will even take the shine offa that.

The problem is that once you leave, he casts Scrying. Then you die.